Since having children I’ve become a bit of a car addict. The thought of getting two small children and a pushchair on and off a bus and then keeping them quiet and well behaved….in public…fills me with dread even though I know I really should be making my big stomping carbon footprint a little bit daintier.
So winning a car-free trip to the Lake District is just the challenge I need to show me we don’t have to always pile into the car to head off on an adventure. To be honest I think the children will love it. At three and one, everything is new and exciting. They already have a love of steam trains (I blame Thomas) and I’m sure they’ll be equally as keen on getting about by boat and bus (singalong of Wheels on the Bus anyone?). My one concern is getting my three-year-old Sophie to get herself about on her own two legs as I don’t relish the thought of carrying her when she inevitably gets tired and temperamental. But with child obesity on the rise, perhaps it’s about time my little ones learnt their legs can be used to get them from A to B and not just ballet and football. It will also take us a bit of getting used to that we have to run to someone else’s timetable and not our own.
When we discovered we’d won the GoLakes Travel competition, we were very excited. I loved the Lake District when I was younger and have many happy memories of exploring the area and staying in Youth Hostels. So I am looking forward to showing my husband (a Lake District novice) and the girls what the area has to offer. And although I loved hostelling when I was younger, I am secretly quite relieved that this time I will be doing the Lake District in a bit more style at the beautiful Lakeside Hotel, which promises to be that rare jewel in the world of tourism – a luxurious four-star hotel which actively welcomes small children.
So far we have been doing most of our planning on the internet and we can’t wait to discover Beatrix Potter’s magical characters at the World of Beatrix Potter, gawp at the fishies at the Lakes Aquarium and come face-to-face with birds of prey at Brockhole. And armed with our GoLakes travel card and our wellies and waterproofs just in case, I’m sure we’ll head off on many more adventures.
I think the key to going car-free is planning – making sure we don’t miss the last bus/boat/train back to the hotel or catch the wrong one heading in completely the wrong direction. We’ll also have to think carefully about what to take with us for the day as we can’t just chuck everything into the boot and hope for the best. Will we manage it? I’ll keep you posted but if you’re travelling on a bus in the Lakes this weekend and you don’t like listening to the noisy ramblings of two toddlers, you may want to pack your earplugs.
