Aaron's Blog

Posts Tagged ‘weston super mare’

This year for our holiday, we went on a bit of a road trip to several places. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t great on each day but we all had a great time anyway!

The first place we visited was on Sunday 26th July when we traveled up to Stonehenge in horrible heavy rain. It wasn’t bad getting there but we were hoping for a break in the weather when we did arrive. Unfortunately, this didn’t happen, and to make matters worse, they had a power cut when we arrived, so we were unable to use the toilets or anything. Luckily though, we had pre-booked online so had a print out of our tickets, so we were able to carry on and catch the bus from the visitor centre to the stones themselves. If we didn’t have the print out, we would have had to have waited for the electric to come back on as all their machines were out of action. When we got to the stones, the weather was hellish and Coby was playing up as we had to keep him in the buggy with the rain cover over him, otherwise he would have got drenched! About half way through our walk around them, Aaron decided he needed a wee as well, but there was literally no enclosed area for him to do it and to get to the toilets, we would have had to have caught he bus back to the visitor centre and hoped the electric had been fixed. So in the end, he had to go by a small wooden bench! At this point, Coby was being kept quiet with snacks otherwise he would have been shouting and crying. Anyway, the boys did enjoy looking at the stones, and listening to the tour on the speaker phone we had been given each. The entire place was pretty special and you could see how mystical a place it would have been in the past. After we had finished the tour of the stones, we had a look in the shop and the exhibition at the visitor centre. The theatre type section in the exhibition was particular great and depicted how Stonehenge was built all those years ago and what it would look like at certain times of the year.  All three of the boys were mesmerised by this and stood for ages watching it! Once we had finished there, we were soaked through so went back to the car for some snacks and to carry on our trip to the Quality Inn Express that we were staying in for the night in Southampton.

Stonehenge Slideshow

The hotel was really nice and was next to a Hilton and opposite Hampshire Cricket Ground.  That night we went to a local Pizza Hut for tea, which was really nice, and we all scoffed Pizza and ice cream. Coby ate loads and the boys did too, although they felt sick with the ice cream they had as they put loads of sweets over the top of it which made it rather too sickly for them!

The next morning, we got up and went down to our breakfast buffet in the hotel and scoffed loads of food, before making our way to Paultons Theme Park, which is the home of Peppa Pig World. We got there just after opening and there was already a queue to get in the car park. Once we had parked and gone in we headed straight for Peppa Pig World.  It was really good and the boys loved it! There were lots of rides for Ben, Aaron and Coby but as it was quite busy, there were queues to get on them all. We stayed in that section of the park for most of the day (seeing as we were coming back the next day) but towards the end, we did wander over towards the bigger rides, but didn’t make it too far as the park closed before we had chance to have a proper look. The boys had had a great day there and were looking forward to the next day. We had McDonalds for tea that night, before settling back into our hotel room

Paultons Theme Park Slideshow]

The next day, we had our big buffet breakfast again and packed the car up before driving over to Paultons Theme Park again. We were a bit later this time, but only by about 30 minutes, but we ended up in a different car park as the other was already full.  These were massive car parks as well! This time, we headed in the opposite direction and went to the big rides first. We didn’t go on any of them as we are wimps (apart from Kelly) but the boys did go on some of the smaller rides and Kelly and I did as well.  We actually found a whole section of the park that we didn’t realise was there, so that was a pleasant surprise. We then headed back through the section of the park that held birds and some small animals, some nice gardens and a large grass area, to Peppa Pig World, so the boys could have a few more rides over there before the end of the day. As it was later in the day, it was much quieter so the boys went on several rides without too much of a wait. We then nipped in the onsite restaurant for our tea (as we were driving straight to Bath for the next leg of our holiday straight from Paultons) before popping back over, one last time, to Peppa Pig World. We stayed right until the rides closed and then slowly strolled back through the park and out to our car. We all had a really great time there and would definitely return again. There was so much to do for the boys and enough for Kelly and I to be kept entertained as well. It was definitely well worth it!

As mentioned above, we then drove to Bath and went to the Travel Lodge that we were going to stay in. We managed to get the last car parking space and unloaded. Unfortunately, this place was a bit rubbish! The travel cot that they provided collapsed slightly, which was a bit dangerous for Coby, and they couldn’t fix it or give us another one as that was the only one spare that they had. Even though the room was massive (the boys were playing football in it), it wasn’t really up to standards and the bathroom was really not nice with gaps around the bath and black mould in places. It was a shame as it was situated right next to a canal and a large pond area, which looked really nice. We even saw a Kingfisher there which was great!

Anyway, the next day we had our buffet breakfast there and made our way into Bath centre to visit the sites and go on an open top bus ride that we had already booked. We firstly went to the Roman Baths, which were absolutely amazing! The boys enjoyed it to a point as they had an audio tour each which kept them quiet, but towards the end they were getting a little bored. It also got incredibly busy at one point and Coby fell asleep, so we ended up carrying him around asleep as we weren’t allowed the buggy. We then spotted the open tour bus stop and went on that. It took us all around Bath to all the major sites such as The Circus and Royal Crescent, before we got off close to where we got on. We then had to dash back to the hotel as Aaron had had a toilet issue and had to change his trousers! So after that was sorted, we went back and quickly visited the Abbey.  We didn’t stay too long in there as Coby was being naughty and shouting and making too much noise, so we quickly left again. So we decided to go on the open tour bus again (our tickets allowed us to go on as many times during the day) and had another tour of Bath. At this point, we realised that our tickets allowed us to go on another tour which took us out of the centre of Bath and into the surrounding area, so we did this. It was also very good and the boys all loved having rides on the buses, especially as we were at the top! Once that dropped us back we made our way home and decided to have some food in the hotel. This was a bad mistake as it was horrible really. The boys had pizza, beans and chips, which was fine, but Kelly and I had a horrible Chicken Burger that was cold, shriveled up and basically not nice. Our chips were cold as well! So we left there quick and popped to a nearby shop to get some choc and Ice Lollies as the boys wanted one and we weren’t going to have ice cream from the hotel! Once these were bought and scoffed, we packed up and went to bed for the night.

Roman Baths Slideshow

The next morning, we had our usually buffet breakfast before heading to Weston Super Mare for our last stop on our holiday. Typically, the main road to Weston was closed due to an accident, so we were detoured miles in a different direction, so we ended up not getting there till gone 11am, when we wanted to get there much earlier than that.  When we did arrive, we parked in the car park that we had already decided on, as it was meant to stay open 24 hours, only to find that it was only the bottom level that stayed open, with the other levels closing at 7pm. This was useless as it was so busy we couldn’t park on the first level, so I ended up going back during the late afternoon and paying more car parking fees and moving the car to the lower levels as it was quieter by then. Anyway, the weather was nice in Weston albeit quite windy.  We had a look around the shops and had Burger King for dinner, before going over to the Grand Pier. We were quite shocked that we had to pay to actually get on the pier, but were all amazed when we got to the pavilion and saw how huge it was! It was absolutely amazing inside, completely full with arcade games and rides. The boys were completely amazed and got very excited!  So we stayed in there for a while and the boys managed to win enough tickets from the machines to get a prize each. We had a good look around and then had a look around outside at the views.  When we first got there, the tide was literally nowhere to be seen, but it was starting to come back in by now, and the scenery was amazing from the end of the pier. We then tried to go on the beach but it was so windy that the sand was being blown up in our faces, and Coby was getting upset with it as it was going in his eyes, so we decided to have a walk up the other end of the town. We then had to find somewhere to eat and ended up in a Wetherspoons, which was packed out, but we found a table on the 3rd floor, so we sat there and had some food.  By the time we got out, we had a quick wander up the other end and tried to find an Ice Cream, but everywhere was shutting by 8pm, which was crazy for a Summer’s Day! Luckily, we found a shop that was just about to close and nipped in there and got some. We ate this quickly and then finally went on the beach, as it was a lovely evening with hardly any wind by now. All the boys had a good time playing in the sand and making sand castles, and we also had a little paddle in the sea, which was quite cold!! By this time, it was getting late and we had to get back to the car by 21:05, so we headed off to try and find some toilets, but we couldn’t find any. Eventually, we found some further down the beach, after walking all around the town again! We then got back to the car just in time and packed our stuff, before heading home. We had a lovely day in Weston Super Mare, and we would visit again, but perhaps stay over night next time. We didn’t get home till nearly midnight so all the boys were fast asleep by the time we arrived, so they all went straight to bed.

Weston Super Mare Slideshow

We had had a lovely few days on holiday! The weather wasn’t perfect but it was mostly dry, so we were happy enough with it. We visited some great places and the boys had some good fun. As usual though, it all seemed to go too quickly and we were home again before we knew it. Roll on our Butlins weekend in December! 😉

During the first few days of the Summer holidays, we all decided to go away and visit a couple of attractions near Birmingham and then stop in Weston Super Mare on the way home. Unfortunately, it didn’t all go to plan!

Our first stop was Cadbury World, which was great but very busy! We had to leave at 8am on the Sunday morning to make sure we were up there in time for our booked tour at 13:30. The trip up was nice and straightforward, with no traffic on the motorways. We stopped off once for a break and carried on and got there in plenty of time – after getting lost in Solihull! We managed to get a parking space just outside the entrance, even though it was heaving, and quickly had our dinner. We then went in and queued up ready for our tour. Not much had changed on the tour since the last time Kelly and I had gone, which  was in 2007, but it was the boy’s first visit. They were over the moon when we were given a couple of bars of chocolate on the way in and scoffed it up very quickly (I did as well though! 😉 ). We went around the tour and found out about where chocolate came from and how it was made into bars etc, also picking up some more chocolate to eat as we went around. The best bit according to Ben and Aaron was the melted chocolate where you could choose what sweets to go in it! Their faces were covered after! Their other favourite bit was the Gorilla playing the drums to an old Phil Collins song which was a TV advert a few years ago. After the tour had finished, we went into the shop and bought some souvenirs and basically spent too much money!  After that we went out side to the new outdoor play area, where the boys had good fun playing on the climbing frames. There was a ‘Rainbow’ show on as well with Zippy and George, but we didn’t have time for that which was a shame. We did, however, go into the new 4D experience. We all sat in our own seats but Aaron got scared half way through as the chairs were moving and everything was in 3D (i.e. roller coasters) – even I was a little bit worried about it as I don’t like roller coasters or heights! So Aaron ended up on my lap for the last few minutes, covering his eyes, though I did catch him peaking on several occasions! All in all, we had a very good time at Cadbury World and would recommend it to anyone, and we would definitely go again in a few years but spend a whole day instead to take in the shows outside and to have more time in the outdoor play area.

Here are some pics from Cadbury World.

[Show as slideshow]

When we left, we headed to our hotel at Drayton Manor Park, where we were going to spend the night before going in the actual park the next day. This was meant to be about a 30 minute trip, but once again, we got lost due to heavy traffic and the Google Maps GPS not working correctly!  We actually ended up driving through the middle of Birmingham and it was like rush hour traffic – it was hellish! Eventually, we made it to the hotel and parked up and unloaded and went and checked in. The hotel was literally right next to the theme park, which was ideal, and it also had a ‘Thomas The Tank Engine’ theme as the theme park is where you can find the only ‘Thomas Land’ in the country.   So the boys loved having a look at the Thomas statues and ornaments.  I have to say that it was very good and very well done! We also paid for the boys to have a ‘Thomas’ welcome pack when we arrived which consisted of an activity pack, shower gel, toothbrush, colouring pencils and a couple of other ‘Thomas’ related items. The pack was very good as well and the boys loved it! Once we had gone to our room, we went to get the rest of out stuff from the car.  To our horror, this is when we first saw the huge puddle coming from under the car! It looked like the radiator was leaking! We decided to leave it for the night as it was getting late and we hadn’t eaten yet, so we headed back to the hotel, threw our bags in our room and headed down to the restaurant. As it was lovely weather (warm and sunny), we sat outside and had some food, which was very nice.  There were lots of play equipment in the hotel grounds so the boys went off to play on that and made some friends with some other children that were playing as well, so Kelly and I had a bit of a quiet break as Coby was quiet as well. When we had finished eating, we went up to our room and went to bed as we were all tired out after a very busy day, but looking forward to the next day in the theme park. 😉

Here are some pics from the Drayton Manor Hotel.

[Show as slideshow]

After having a full English breakfast in our room, we packed up, checked out and took our bags to the car, where the puddle was worse! I filled the car up with more water in the hope that it would stay full and left it and walked over to go into Drayton Manor Park.  The park opened at 9:30 with the rides starting at 10:00, and even at this time, there were lots of people making their way into the park. Our first port of call was ‘Thomas Land’ as that was what the boys were most excited about, and it didn’t really disappoint! There were lots of rides that were perfect for them, and a massive ‘Thomas’ Shop that we had a look in and bought a couple of items from. The only trouble was that it was a very busy day which meant we had to queue up for about 30 minutes or more for each ride, and then the rides lasted only a couple of minutes. So we spent most of the day in ‘Thomas Land’, but we did catch the train (Percy) to the other side of the park where there was a large play area, Dinosaur trail and a zoo. Towards the end of the day, we did manage to go on another train that took us around the park, and a nice, relaxing boat trip around the lake, before heading back to ‘Thomas Land’ for a few more rides for the boys. All in all, we had a great time but were slightly disappointed that the park closed at 5pm when it was a lovely, hot and sunny day, and we had seen advertisements on their website that they stay open until 7pm a lot during the Summer.  We actually ran out of time as well, as there were parts of the park we hadn’t even been to, so next time we go (and we will go again! 😉 ), we will definitely stay for 2 days to take it all in properly, and stay in the dedicated ‘Thomas’ themed rooms in the hotel.

Here are some pics of Drayton Manor Park.

[Show as slideshow]

When we left the theme park, I filled the car up with more water and headed on down the M5 to Weston Super Mare, as we were going to spend the night there before having a look around the place the next day. Unfortunately, this is where disaster struck! As we were on the M5, about an hour into the journey, the car overheated and we limped in to a services and pulled up. It turns out there was an issue with the radiator and it had completely overheated and died. Boiling water was spurting out from under the bonnet so I had to call the RAC. Luckily, there was an RAC van in the same car park so he came over to us pretty quickly but couldn’t repair the damage. Luckily though, our RAC membership allows them to put us up in a hotel for the night nearby whilst they take the car to a local RAC garage. Unfortunately again though, the nearest place available was Gloucester, which was another 40 minutes down the M5. So we had to be towed (that was an interesting experience) from the services to a Premier Inn in Gloucester, where we spent the night. The following day, the RAC came again and took the car off to a garage to get fixed, so we decided to make the most of it and add an extra day to our holiday, and travel to Weston Super Mare that night. We were also lucky in that across the road from the hotel, was a bowling and arcade complex, so we ended up spending most of the day in there whilst waiting for the call about the car. We had a game of bowling, which was good fun, and then went in the arcade and I managed to win 2 Evil Minion soft toys, which I was very pleased with! 😉 We had lunch there as well and the boys spent a couple of hours in the indoor soft play area that they had, which gave Kelly and I some time to relax with Coby, who was very good again really. Ben and Aaron loved it in there, so they were happy with the extra day of our holiday!

Here are some pics from bowling.

[Show as slideshow]

We didn’t get a call from the garage by 4pm so I gave them a call and they said the car would be ready by 5pm, so I had to get a taxi (driven by a very dodgy Bulgarian guy who didn’t know where he was going!) to the garage. I paid up and drove back to the hotel, thinking everything was fine. By this point, we had decided to stay the night in the hotel and travel to Weston Super Mare in the morning, but again, our next nightmare was to follow.  ;-( We went into the pub next door for some food for tea and hoping to get an early night, but after eating, I went back out to the car, only to find there was another puddle under it again. I just couldn’t believe it and was quite mad as I thought the garage had done a shoddy job! So another long call to the RAC took place, and then they sent out a tow truck to take the car back to the garage instead of a mechanic, so I had to ring them again and this time they sent out a mechanic. By the time he arrived, it was dark and must have been 9:30pm. He had a look and basically said the water pump had now failed. The only realistic option we had left was to get the car towed back to Plymouth from Gloucester. This was obviously not ideal what with having 3 children, and it basically ruined our holiday, so we didn’t even manage to get to Weston Super Mare!

The following day, a massive tow truck picked us up and took us home along the M5 for about 4.5 hours, travelling at 54 mph all the way, as that was the speed limit on the truck. Luckily, an accident had cleared that had closed the entire M5 just before Bristol, so we missed that thank god!  Kelly and I were obviously completely fed up by now but the boys were loving riding in the truck, so at least they had a good time travelling!

Over the next week and a half, we found out that the car had basically had it and wasn’t really worth fixing as the head gasket and cam belt had also broken, so we ended up getting a new car. It was a disastrous end to what started out being a really good holiday.  The boys did love it all though, especially ‘Thomas Land’ at Drayton Manor Park, and all the chocolate they got to eat at Cadbury World! 😉