#CountryKids Virtual Vikings, Waterpark Fun, Windy Beaches and Rugged Coasts

After our busy history day we went for more of a fun-filled one and headed back down to Waterford to visit the King of the Vikings which is the world's visit virtual reality Viking encounter: 

As there are only 8 people in the attraction at a time we had to book and then wander around admiring the mix of modern and Georgian architecture around the Anglican cathedral:

We even had time for a very happy coffee:

#WordlessWednesday Extreme!

#CountryKids a day on the Blackpool beach and promenade

One thing we have all missed after moving from Hastings to Kendal 4 years ago is the sea. So it was great to head to the most famous seaside resort in the North West - Blackpool. Its just over an hour away from us which isn't far for a day trip. I obtained parking tips from Twitter (on street near the airport), packed our swimming kit and off we went. It's all so well signposted even without a navigator.

As advised we took a tram as we were almost at the far end of the promenade. It was a reasonable £4.50 for the 3 of us to go all the way to Central Pier. This was my children's first tram ride and it was a nice way to arrive. The children's priority was the beach so we set up base on the steps next to the pier:

As it was mid week the beach was pretty quiet even though it was boiling hot! The tide was on the ebb so there was plenty of sand:

#ButlinsAmbassadors Being Entertained at Butlins

Well yesterday I wrote about the yummy food at Butlins today I want to say about the things that entertained us on our stay. It is the entertainment side that Butlins are famous for but its come a long way from the traditional knobbly knee competitions although the Red Coats are still a key part of the fun. What is great is about how much of the entertainment is included in the price. They are also very good at making a variety of things to cater for every age group. For a take on entertainment for slightly younger children see Twins, Tiaras and Tantrums post as she was there with 4 year old girls.

Having been to Skegness in February we had had a taste of the live entertainment but with a poorly 6 year old we couldn't really make the most of it. Some of the things on offer were the same but others were different which made it interesting. Even though much of it is free with slightly older children I bought us Action Passes to get discounted goes on some of the more exciting things. I also bought us B line passes to save on queuing for things (essential when going single handed!).

So this is what we got up to:

Splash World is the one of the big draws with its varying pools and slides etc. It can get very busy but luckily I kept track of my children. Having both of them being able to swim helped me to relax quite a lot and my daughter was old enough to be allowed off on her own. She did drag me on to the Master Blaster ride where you go down slides in a rubber dinghy! My son was only brave enough to go down the big white slide but not any of the tube slides which limited me some what. He did go on the rapids until we discovered he was actually just too short... The wave machine was good fun and the clear warning before it started made it easy to either get in or out of that bit of the pool. There was also an area perfect for little ones with shallow water, gentle slides and waterfalls etc. 

Our passes included a go each at 10 Pin Bowling at Hot Shots. This is a very popular activity so you need to book or do it on the first day! We had the guard rails up and I am sure that is the only reason that my children both beat me (if only by 1 point):

One thing that smacks of seaside holidays to me are the 2p slot machines. I rationed my children as to how much they were allowed to spend and got them to save their winnings for the next day. There is a lot of potential pester power in the arcade section but my children were told on day 1 what they were allowed and this minimised costs to a couple of air hockey sessions and a minimal amount for the slots:

Adventure Golf I wrote a full post about this already this week. This was a lovely thing to do as a family whether the sun was shining or even in a drizzle! I love the seaside themed holes:

Centre Stage is the main venue for evening entertainment at Bognor. Each part of the evening was age coded on the planner so you knew whether it was suitable for your family. Because of our passes we were in the front seats every night and could easily see the children on the dance floor and get a close up of the action:

The next morning I signed my daughter into Club Red. This is a group for 9-12 year olds which allows them to escape from their parents and younger siblings to do activities or just chill in the Zone. In February my daughter hadn't been keen but this time she jumped at the chance to go. It was good that she had just been given a mobile so I could give permission for her to leave Club Red on her own and come and find us.

My son made the most of sister free time to try out the adventure playground in front of the Beachcomber Inn. This was him being cheeky and trying the under 5s slide:

Then he had an hour football coaching (the road to Wem Billy) with other 5-7 year olds. There were groups for older children too. He looked like he was having a whale of a time:

Of course we kept returning to the fairground: