Little Pickle is turning one and as he's too young to express a preference I asked Little Miss what she'd like to do for his birthday. Her response was uncharacteristically specific. She requested a visit to a castle with a picnic and the dog should come along too.
I've been meaning to take the kids to Bolton Abbey for a few years so this seemed like a good opportunity. I know it's an Abbey not a castle but to a three year old it was close enough.
There isn't an entry charge as such but parking is £10, which is why I've put off our visit for so long.
We explored the Abbey ruins.
And the grounds.
Little Miss in particular loved the beach.
We spent quite a while playing in the sand and skimming stones.
Then we had a walk around the estate. Little Pickle had a ride on daddy's back for a change.
I had forgotten just how stunning this area is.
Check out this wishing tree.
Little Miss had great fun climbing and exploring.
The weather was unbelievably warm and sunny - It's February!!
I do love it here and I'll definitely bring the kids back again but it won't be for a while. It's not a huge amount of money I know but the price is too high in my opinion. Perhaps if there were a really good adventure playground or an event on I could justify it. There's just not enough here for a full day out. There are loads of lovely places we can go for a walk for free.