Crabbing and chips by the sea for Father’s Day

Often pictured but seldom heard, my long suffering husband Matthew has kindly written a guest post for me about what we did on Father’s Day. He’s not a blogger, nor does he have the soul of a poet. He is by nature a man of few words, so this is a rather big deal. Enjoy his tale of crabbing and the best Father’s Day ever…

So far in my life, I’ve had four Father’s Days. Undoubtedly the best was the first in 2011, but 2014 is a very close second.

Father’s Day this year happened when Team HodgePodgeDays were on their annual two week jaunt to Devon. It was nice to be able to have a Father’s Day to ourselves, rather than slaving away at home with a to-do list.

The day started with a very lazy Sunday morning at the cottage, playing in the garden in the morning sun. Eventually we got in the car and drove the few miles to Rosie’s kitchen in Bude for brunch; followed by a stroll on the beach looking for pirate treasure.

After we decided the pirate had taken the treasure with him, we headed back to the cottage for a pitstop and then sped up the coast to Appledore. Appledore is a beautiful village on one side of the estuary of the River Torridge and an ideal place for crabbing.

Unfortunately when we got there the tide was out. We decided to walk down the slipway onto the sands and ambled about looking at the boats resting on the sand and looking into the pools of water. Sooner rather than later, the tide started to come in, so we made our way up to find Mrs HodgePodgeDays, who informed us it was tea time.

So off to Sylvester’s Chip Shop I went and came back with the best cod and chips I’ve ever had. We gobbled the whole lot down sat on a bench on the harbour side; the late afternoon sun on our backs watching the world go by. It was a special moment.

After tea it was nearly time to go as it was nearly bedtime for the little fella. But we wanted to try our hand at crabbing. Seeing as though that’s why we’d come to Appledore. Mrs HPD proved herself a natural at crabbing, baiting the lines with bacon. We soon had a bucketful of crabs and a very happy boy.

Best Father's Day crabbing together

What a fantastic day we’d all had. The lad is going to have to come up with something extra special for Father’s Day next year!

I Wish I Was There (North Devon)

As I sit and type this I am wrapped in a blanket, sat in front of a blazing fire. I can hear the rain bouncing off the windows. The whole family is collectively wearing more layers than a bag of onions and we just want to be somewhere warm.

I want more than nothing else to sit on a beach listening to the waves, feeling the warm sun against my back, heating up my old bones. I want to see my lovely husband emerge like Daniel Craig from the sea and I want to build sandcastles and paddle with my 3 year old son. I want not to shiver when I slip out of bed in the morning.

In short, I want to be here.

Here in this instance is North Devon. It might not be exotic or far-flung but it is beautiful. It is so restful and it is, in our eyes, just perfect. On the horizon you can just make out Lundy Island. If you follow the cliff path you’ll find your way to Hartland Quay, like we did.

I love this picture, it was taken a few years ago on a beautifully warm summers day. We’d spent most of that day in Hartland Quay, sat on the beach listening to the waves crash on the rocks, we’d paddled and swam. We’d walked up to the pub and had a pint and some lunch. The warm sun on our backs and our hair, thick and wild with the salt water. We’d never felt so relaxed.

Of course this was pre-baby, but we’ve taken him there since and he loves it as much as we do, though it is slightly less relaxing when you’re on toddler-drowning watch. It must be stunning if even my 3 year old says “oh wow” when he stands at that gate.

Travel: Winter Wonderland Center Parcs Whinfell

We’ve just got back from Center Parcs and I can confirm an excellent time was had by all. Since the small boy appeared on the scene three years ago we’ve been eagerly anticipating the time when he was old enough to appreciate Winter Wonderland Center Parcs. The lights in the trees; Christmassy activities; meeting and chatting with Father Christmas. This year was our chance, so in August we booked it. Four magical nights in the Winter Wonderland at Whinfell village, we couldn’t wait.

Family Travel: Winter Wonderland Center Parcs Whinfell

When we first started going to Center Parcs around 8 years ago, we had stacks of disposable income. We were young(ish) with decent(ish) jobs, earning ok(ish) money. Since then we’ve added the small boy to our ranks; my husband’s business has taken a knock during the economic downturn and I’ve quit my old, miserable, but fairly well paid job in search of self-employed happiness.

This means that from now on our holidays and leisure activities need to be more budget than barnstorming. With this in mind we set to work figuring out how to have an amazing time without spending an awful lot. I confess there were somewhat mixed results with this, but if you’re going, you might learn from our mistakes.

The secret to saving money or not spending it in the first place is planning. We formulated a two-pronged attack. I was responsible for meal planning and catering. Together we chose which would be the most fun activities with the best fun-to-cost ratio. Husband was responsible for paying for it and remembering to put all the holiday food in the car before we left. Remember that.

Food at Center Parcs

Center Parcs does indeed have its own little supermarket, most of the products are reasonably priced and in line with maybe Tesco, but in this house we run on an Aldi budget. The plan was to stock up on staples at home and buy fresh fruit and veg etc there.

The night before we left I sent Hodge to Aldi with a perfectly detailed list of essentials which he dutifully bought. These essential essentials were neatly packed in a bag ready for popping in the car before we left. I was to pack up a few fresh things that were floating around our home kitchen, such as bread and milk before we left that morning, which I did do. Jobs-a-good’un.

The flaw to this plan, and I suspect you’ve already picked up on it, was that the large bag of essential foodstuffs bought especially for our holiday was left beautifully packed at home. Meaning that on arrival we had to re-purchase said foodstuffs at the ok-but-slightly-more-than-we’d-normally-pay prices. Ouch.

Activities at Whinfell

If you’ve got kids then the secret to a budget-friendly break at Center Parcs is the exotically named “Subtropical Paradise” or “swimming pool” as we call it. If you can tear yourselves away from the pool-side cafes and state of the art cabanas, then you can while away a few hours each day enjoying the waves, rapids, canyon rides and water slides. This was the key to our master plan and by jingo it worked!

The small boy loved it, we all loved it. There was a little something for each of us. I got to swim properly in a small roped off area. Husband, the ageing adrenaline junkie loved the rides and slides and the small boy liked bobbing up and down in the waves and pouring buckets of water over my head. You could really easily spend the day here.

In terms of forking out for fun we booked two things which we thought he’d love. The first was “Woodland Tails” which was brilliant; we had a walk through the woods with a ranger who then took us back to the Rangers Lodge to meet a polecat, a hedgehog and a very tame and beautiful tawny owl. The small boy loved it and it was worth every penny.

Family Travel: Winter Wonderland Center Parcs Whinfell

Ok, so we did massively push the boat out on an absolutely non-negotiable part of the break. Husband and I wanted, needed, insisted upon having a spa session together. This meant the small boy needed to be put in the crèche (or go to a brilliant party, which is how I sold it to him). Together our three hours of spa-bliss and a crèche place cost almost £100, but by-heck it was worth it. We really needed that afternoon of relaxation.

Center Parcs is littered with playgrounds and is incredibly bike friendly. You could easily get away with not booking and paying extra for any activities at all. There are a few free things around the village, trim-trails and so forth to keep you occupied. Or you could just spend your time bouncing from one Starbucks to another.

Winter Wonderland What’s On

During the “winter wonderland” season at Center Parcs they have a twice weekly firework display. I’m not a massive fireworks fan, but it was free. It was the small boy’s first display and it was absolutely lovely. There were lots of oohs and aahs from the watching crowds and the look on his little face just about says it all. Totally worth the £3.95 each for a mulled wine and mince pie while we waited at the pub.

Family Travel: Winter Wonderland Center Parcs Whinfell

Our second Winter Wonderland toddler activity was a visit to meet Father Christmas. Priced at £10 we thought this was actually really good value for money. You could explore Santa’s Workshop before going in to meet the man himself. You had a nice chat with him, got a pretty decent present and your picture taken, all included in the price. His workshop was located in a beautiful winter wonderland which we spent a few hours exploring.

After this we all felt incredibly festive and it was worth going to Center Parcs for just for that experience alone.

Family Travel: Winter Wonderland Center Parcs Whinfell

We do really love Center Parcs. I think as the small boy gets older we’ll start giving him a small activity budget so he can decide what he wants to try or do. We can’t wait to go back. We’re going to book a return visit for the spring. Hopefully this time my husband will remember to pack the food.

I’ll admit, it wasn’t the bargain-basement break we were after; but it was the slightly more expensive but brilliant holiday we needed, and that’s what counts.

I’ve also had a separate article about our winter wonderland Center Parcs break published in Mums & Dads Magazine, you can read it here.

Read about our September visit to Center Parcs

Why I like getting away for a winter break

I don’t know about you but I seem to spend the months of November to January running around like a mad thing; struggling to keep up with myself and all the festive preparations and chaos. We try to make a point of booking at least a weekend away just to escape and relax for a few days. I quite often leave it till the last minute to properly book; but we’ll have a few winter break options on the table and then decide depending on the weather and what we really fancy doing.

We love the coast during the winter; watching the stormy waves lash against the rocks. To be honest, we’ve often been really lucky with the weather and picked up some winter sunshine. I quite like the idea of a coastal jaunt this year; a bit of rosy-cheeked fresh air would do us the world of good.

If we can get ourselves organised, a few of the girls and I like grab a bit of time away and indulge in a spot of Christmas shopping. In previous years we’ve gone to a Christmas market somewhere and had a great time. Sometimes we’ll grab a city break and hit their high street for a change.

Why I like getting away for a winter break

Last year a small group of us had a spa weekend at the end of November. It was bliss. Two days of pampering and relaxation away from everything. A little wind down before the chaos of the festive period kicked in. I loved it and it meant that when December started, I was ready for almost anything. Planning a little getaway a couple of times a year is pretty much what keeps me sane.

I’ve got a few nice things lined up for next year. Nothing wildly expensive, but just nice things that will give me something to look forward to during the long winter months.