Our Top 4 Locations To Explore In Lancashire #NoDullDays

As a family there's nothing we enjoy more than getting outside, stretching our legs and enjoying the fresh air. Not only is it great for burning off some energy but it's also great for family bonding and for creating lasting memories too. The great outdoors is so important to us and plays such a huge role in our family life.

Although we do get out and about quite often I do find that in the Autumn and Winter we don't tend to get outside as much as the warmer seasons. I don't think we are the only ones guilty of this. With the lack of sunlight in Autumn, Winter Public Heath England advise us to take 10mg of Vitamin D every day to keep our bone and muscle health in tip top shape.

To help us with this, Bassetts Vitamins sent us some of their 3-6 Multivitamins +Vitamin D & Calcium to try out. This is a new and unique combination featuring all the benefits of a normal multivitamin with the inclusion of Vitamin D and Calcium. What's great is they come in a child friendly Peach & Apricot flavour and are made from natural flavours, colours and with no added sugar. They cost £5.50 for a pack of 30 vitamins. To celebrate the Bassetts Vitamins #NoDullDays campaign I've put together a post all about our favourite local places to visit in Lancashire.

Towneley Park

Towneley Park is a recreational area that is literally on our doorstep. It's more than just a park as it features acre's of woodland and at the heart of the park is Towneley Hall, a listed building which contains so much history. With it being so close to us we've visited countless times but never get tired of it as there's so much to explore and to do. It's a place which is suitable and enjoyed by all ages.

Rowley Lake

This is another place with is very close to us and a place we can visit weekly. It's actually a fishing spot but it's a lovely area for a family walk as it has numerous trails which are ideal for young children and even suitable for pushchairs. We love to go on a big hike and to feed the ducks. We go that often that we've befriended a lonesome swan, which we've lovingly named Simon!

Bowland Wild Boar Park

Next up we have Bowland Wild Boar Park which is situated in the heart of the Forest of Bowland National Park. It's about an hour drive away from us and we visit half a dozen times a year, it never lets us down. I recommend going early so you can make a day of your visit as there's so much to do and so many animals to see. This is probably Noah's favourite place, he calls it "the tractor park!" 

Kenyon Hall Farm

This is somewhere quite new to us. We visited for the first time last October to pick our own pumpkins and it was such a great experience. I was still pregnant with Ava at the time and we'd joke that it looked like I'd pinched a pumpkin and had stashed it up my jumper! Kenyon Hall Farm are open all year round and offer lots of pick your own fruit and veg, from corn on the cobs and peas through to strawberries and gooseberries. Noah loves anything like this and loves his fruit and veg so we plan on going next year when the first crop is in season.

Bassetts Vitamins have created a discount code that you can use to get £2 off one pack of NEW Bassetts 3-6 Yrs Multivitamins Peach & Apricot + Calcium 30's online at Boots! All you need to do is sign in as normal, apply the code BASSMVS2 at the checkout and embrace #NoDullDays! You can only use the code once per transaction, and the code can only be redeemed on the first 5,000 valid claims until 23:59 on 12th November. Subject to Boots T&Cs.

- This is a collaborative post.

A walk in the park

Yesterday was one of those days were I felt sheer and utter contentment and I just had to write all about it. Back when my maternity leave ended almost two years ago I was faced with a big dilemma which you can read all about here and in the end chose to not return back to work. I can safely say that it was one of the best decisions I ever made and there hasn't been a fraction of a second where I've regretted it. Perhaps if it was a job in which I enjoyed or a job in which I was valued but it wasn't.

Being a stay at home mum can sometimes be harder than going to a full time job because there are no breaks, especially when they drop a nap. You also get zero adult conversation so sometimes I miss that but I wouldn't trade my position for the world. By staying at home with Noah I've seen every milestone, heard every new word, wiped every snotty nose and kissed every grazed knee. I wouldn't of had it any other way. 

As I said in my opening paragraph yesterday was one of those days were I appreciated every moment. The sun was shining and after lunch we decided to take a spontaneous trip to Towneley Park. This is just a 15 minute walk from our house and surrounded my dense woods, ponds, parks, cafe's and even has it's own museum and art gallery.

Once we got there our first stop was to the park, Noah's favourite place. He hogged the swings for a little while before heading over to the giant sand pit where he ended up falling bum first into a moat of water some children had built. So he had a sandy and wet bum for the rest of the day but he didn't seem to mind! We then walked up to the cafe where Noah enjoyed an ice cream and I drank a diet coke in the sun. He then decided to show off in front of everyone there and ended up making friends with half a dozen old ladies. 

We then headed for Towneley Hall which is the heart of Burnley. It's a beautiful historical building which has now been converted into a museum and art gallery. We've been bringing Noah here ever since he was born but he's recently started to really appreciate it and is eager to learn and explore. His favourite things to view are the Egyptian Mummies, the puzzles and the animal and wildlife room. I like the art gallery on the top floor where there's a painting of the behind of a greek god and Noah shouted "Daddy's bum!" on the top of his voice! Toddlers are a laugh a minute aren't they?

We spent a good hour walking around the huge building, up and down many flights of stairs, even took a few rides in the lift. It was lovely to have that one on one time with no distractions. I'm already thinking of taking him back at the weekend because he seems to enjoy it so much!

By the time we had our fill of the hall we had an hour to burn before Nick met us after he finished work so we took to the fields. Like all toddlers Noah loves running round and burning off some steam and at one point he was running so fast that his pants and undies fell down and he just  stood there laughing his head off. Thankfully there wasn't anyone around to witness that part, ha ha.

Once Nick arrived we spent another half an hour running about and playing catch before we headed home for the night. We had such a great day and I can't wait to repeat it again soon.


Have you had a day lately where you get in bed at night and think "today was a good day!?" I'd love to hear about it!