Here's what we got up to over our summer holiday to Scotland and elsewhere...
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| Packing the car - a bit of a squeeze |
The kids are now very good travellers - the babies are happy to look out of the window or sleep and Zachary enjoys reading his books and listening to stories.
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| All set and ready to go |
Our favourite stop-off location when we're heading up north is Worcester Woods Country Park. Since we were on holiday, we treated ourselves to a tasty lunch in the cafe...
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| Swith's chilli cheese hot dog and wedges |
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| Zachary loved his burger and wedges |
Our second stop was a soft play area in Lakeside Village Shopping Centre, Doncaster where they were all changed for bed.
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| Jory likes climbing up steps |
Our first visit was to Uncle Humphrey (Daddy's brother) and Auntie Amanda in Newcastle. The babies had a great time exploring.
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| Still not walking, but Auntie Amanda was there to help |
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| Jory wasn't sure at first, but soon settled in |
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| All of the children loved playing the piano with Uncle Humphrey |
The following day involved a trip to the Discovery Museum in Newcastle.
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| Zachary gets ready to put the ball into the machine and watch it zoom down the corkscrew |
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| Tahlia can't resist buttons! |
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| Checking their eyesight |
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| How many Zacharys? |
Then it was back to Uncle Humphrey's house for a delicious dinner...
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| Mmm, homemade pizza! |
There was just time the following morning for a play and a few cuddles before we had to set off...
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| Peek-a-boo! |
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| A last cuddle goodbye |
We began our journey up to Glenrinnes in Scotland. We enjoyed a stop-off at the Falkirk Wheel on the way up.
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| Already asleep |
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| As expected, on entering Scotland the weather turned from dry to drizzle |
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| The Falkirk Wheel is the world's only rotating canal boat lift |
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| Standing by a replica of the famous Kelpies statues nearby |
We finally arrived at the home of Uncle Richard, Auntie Angela, Kirsten, Heather and the dogs: Meg and Jet. We enjoyed a very comfortable stay in their house.
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| Some beautiful buildings |
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| Lovely views |
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| Still not walking! |
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| Such a pretty place |
The following day we visited Huntly Castle which was the seat of one of Medieval and Renaissance Scotland's most powerful families.
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| Zachary liked the 'caves', mainly store rooms |
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| An elaborate fireplace |
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| It's exhausting work being carried around |
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| There was time for some playground fun before we left |
That afternoon, we headed to another local castle, Auchindoun.
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| Fantastic views from the top |
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| Heather helped Zachary reach the top |
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| Heather, Jory, Daddy, Zachary, Angela and Kirsten |
The following day, we explored an unusual bridge and the dogs had a swim:
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| Walking to the Medieval style bridge |
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| Watching a guy fishing |
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| Really lovely views |
The weather was actually very good most of the week; we made the most of it with a visit to Roseisle beach:
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| Jory seemed to like the waves |
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| Burying poor Heather in the sand! |
Then we travelled to Burghead, a peninsula with stunning views.
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| View from the Visitor Centre |
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| The sea looked very inviting on that hot day |
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| Zachary's highlight was walking the dog, although he also liked letting go of the lead. |
The next day, the weather wasn't quite so lovely, but we still enjoyed a look around Elgin Cathedral.
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| Beautiful ruins |
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| Intricate ceilings |
Zachary celebrated his fourth birthday during the week. He enjoyed some presents and birthday cake.
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| He's now a lot better at blowing out the candles |
We had a lovely visit to Speyside Cooperage and watched the men making the barrels by hand. It takes a lot of effort, and precision. Each worker is paid by the barrel so they work incredibly fast!
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| Hard at work |
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| It was surprisingly hard, but they finally managed to put together their own little barrel |
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| One of the many lovely views on our scenic drives through Scotland |
Here's our trip to the Highland Folk Museum where we saw how Scottish Highland dwellers lived, with actors to bring it to life.
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| A lovely setting with lots of thatched buildings |
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| Milking a cow model |
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| Zachary bought some old fashioned sweets |
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| Daydreaming in the classroom |
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| Tahlia had to taste one sweet too |
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| We didn't know if these were chickens or ducks, but they were very friendly |
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| Zachary milled some grain |
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| Dressing up as a Scotsman |
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| In the Chapel |
We headed home for some dinner. The children were a little preoccupied when we got back to eat their food though...
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| After gradually emptying this cupboard, Jory made it his den |
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| Zachary had set up his own tombola with items from the kitchen |
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| Finally, they all dug in |
The next day was one of our highlights: visiting a neighbouring farm to have a look at their reindeer and other animals up close. The reindeer are very tame, as they travel all around the country with Santa during the Christmas period and visit shopping centres.
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| Zachary had a great time riding along on a quad bike |
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| Feeding the wild boar |
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| Uncle Richard strokes a reindeer |
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| Zachary enjoyed seeing them up close |
Daddy and Uncle Richard headed to the Glenlivet Distillery while the rest of us headed to a small ruined castle and playground.
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| One of the many whisky distilleries in the area |
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| Zachary loved playing with Kirsten and Heather in the playground |
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| Boing! |
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| Some found it simply too exhausting... |
We headed to the village of Fochabers and sampled some of the local cuisine...
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| A delicious macaroni pie (it was actually pretty tasty) |
Then we visited Fochaber's Folk Museum, filled to the brim with an eclectic mix of memorabilia from the local area.
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| Zachary loved doing the quiz |
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| He also had fun counting in the schoolroom |
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| The babies also had a good roam around |
Our next stop was ...
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| Spey Bay |
After a wonderful week staying in Glenrinnes, it was time to head onto our next destination (see part two). Thank you to Uncle Richard, Auntie Angela, Kirsten and Heather for a lovely stay.
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| Packed up and ready to go |
