Making a special expedition in search of bluebell woods is one of our annual family traditions. This time, we hopped in the car and were duly rewarded with one of spring’s most delightful sights at Ashridge Estate in the Chiltern Hills. This beautiful 5000-acre estate, owned and maintained by the National Trust, is the perfect setting for a weekend stroll and is home to vast beech and oak woodlands, chalk downlands and in spring, bluebells.

There are numerous trails and pathways here, perfect for an adventure on foot or by bicycle. After parking the car, we stopped by the visitor centre to get some directions and then followed the blue signs past the cafe and along the wide path. We found ourselves in the sweetest buttercup and heather meadow, a perfect spot for lunch.

Well fed, we carried on along the path, at first finding small clusters of bluebells in amongst the long grass. But as we ventured further into the woodlands, we were suddenly met with that heady, familiar scent and the most extraordinary carpet of violet-blue flowers; a sight that with each year passing never fails to delight and amaze.

Images by Charmaine Beaumont-Hammond

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Although North Londoners, we hadn’t properly explored the fabulous resource that is the linear Lee Valley – a 26-mile meander along the River Lee, London’s largest park. So on a quintessentially autumnal weekend we started our voyage of discovery in Hertfordshire, camping by Dobbs Weir.

From here, we walked along the river past canal boats and locks to Rye House Gatehouse, one of the first brick houses built in the country. Adjacent is RSPB Rye Meads, a wetland nature reserve. Serendipitously, owl-themed activities were on offer: the kids made fluffy chicks from felt and pompoms and our daughter excitedly dissected an owl pellet.

We ambled around the sunny reserve looking for frogs and fungi, trying to keep the kids quiet in the hides (top tip: chocolate cake). That evening, pleasingly, a ghostly barn owl flew overhead!

Next day to Lee Valley Park Farms in Essex, which provides maximum childish delight: farm animals of every stripe; exotic species including llamas, meerkats, and stick insects; falconry displays, three outdoor playgrounds and soft play; plus kid-friendly fare in the café.

Our adventures ended with our daughter’s first riding lesson at the Lee Valley Riding Centre in East London. Next time what to do? White-water rafting, cycling, ice-skating or visit the Olympic Park, historic houses and gardens? We’ll have fun choosing!

Images by Nadine Mellor

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Good friends seem to head to pastures new all too frequently; the upside is arranging reunions in interesting places! Thus three far-flung families spent a relaxed cultural day at the Henry Moore Foundation, housed where the eminent artist lived and worked for his last 45 years, in the cute hamlet of Perry Green.

You get a shoes-free tour of former farmhouse, Hoglands, restored to almost exactly how it was. There are 1950s wingback chairs, 1960s crockery, books crammed into shelves, a Picasso sketch in the kitchen, original curtains designed by Moore and wonderful organic tactile objects such as fossils and driftwood. While grown-ups went into raptures at vintage telephones, the kids were unimpressed by small cluttered rooms (Moore channelled his wealth into his eponymous Foundation to encourage the visual arts rather than upgrade his living quarters).

The big draw is the fabulous sculpture park, a just reward for fidgety children to scamper around. Pillowy bronze forms are everywhere; other artists’ works chosen to accompany Moore’s vision are also displayed in seasonal exhibitions.

The smallest boy chased lambs around Moore’s aptly titled Sheep Piece in the adjacent field. Older kids were fascinated in the Damien Hirst cleaved cow in the smart zinc-clad gallery-cum-barn. For me the original studios filled with plaster maquettes were the most interesting. Over lunch in the adjacent pub we vowed to return.

Images courtesy of Roy Hammans and Mark Bridge on Flickr

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Conjure up an image in your mind of a fairytale farm, and if it’s anything like mine then it’s a beautiful old country farm with acres and acres of lush greenery tumbling in to the distance. There are cows wandering in fields and lambs feeding from their mothers. Perhaps there’s a little Tea Shop with cabinets full of the sweetest smelling homemade cakes? Maybe there’s even a Farm Shop selling fresh produce, oh and a Vintage Shop inside an old barn…and a knitting lesson going on just around the corner?

Well, before our imaginations run wild let me just say that this fairytale farm is as real as can be. You’ll find it nestled in the picturesque village of Ardeley in the heart of Hertfordshire, and it goes by the name of Church Farm. It describes itself as a place for wildlife, beauty, diversity, community and people, and all of this is true, but to me Church Farm is a place to fall in love with the countryside, with everything British and with that pretty vintage dress tucked away in the back of the old barn. It really is like no other farm I have ever visited – it’s utterly ‘perfick’.

TiYK Top Tip! If you’re visiting, ask if they will be doing any farm tour that day. You’ll sit in a trailer and one of the farmers will pull you around on the back of his tractor whilst giving a fascinating talk on the farm. It really is fascinating!

Image courtesy of London Permaculture on Flickr

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