CARFEST - THE BEST FAMILY FESTIVAL IN THE UK?!

 We love taking our kids to festivals and we usually try and book one in every Summer. Over the years, our favourites have been Camp Bestival, Gone Wild and Lamer Tree Festival but this year we wanted to try something different. 

Step forward...Carfest! Billed as the UK's biggest family fundraising festival, Carfest successfully blends motor shows with live music and entertainment for the whole family. It was founded by radio DJ Chris Evans and has raised millions of pounds for children's charities. It ticked all our boxes - lots of fast cars for Elliot to see, a huge kids area for Erin, plenty of yummy food and drink for my husband and an amazing line up of live music for me. We were excited to experience it all! 

Day 1 - Saturday

We had weekend tickets but decided to stay in a local hotel rather than camp. It just meant having to take way less stuff and who doesn't love a comfy bed after a busy day at a festival! We left bright and early from Poole and arrived at the festival site around 9am. We found it nice and straightforward to find the carpark and it was well sign posted from the main roads into Overton. Unlike Camp Bestival, the walk from the carpark wasn't too bad and it probably only took us around 10-15 minutes. 

We were soon picking up our weekend wristbands and deciding where to explore first. The festival is split into different areas including Starfest, Spafest, Adventurefest, Kidsfest, Foodfest, Retrofest and then of course the card and music! 

Our first port of call was the Costa area - Costa are one of Carfest's sponsors and we had heard great things about the giveaways! Paul was happy - coffee for him whilst the kids tried their luck on the digital spin the wheel. We didn't win the Nintendo switch but we did come away with bubbles, lots of coffee, brownies, biscuits and even a really nice travel mug. I'd definitely recommend visiting this bit with kids! 

One thing about the music/stage area at Carfest that we quickly realised was people pitch up in the morning with their chairs/wagons/flags etc and just leave their stuff for the day. This seemed to be a bit of a contentious subject on the Carfest Buddies FB group but for us, it made sense to leave our festival wagon. It gave us a central base to return to throughout the day if we needed to and saved lugging everything around! It also meant we were guaranteed a good spot for the evening music. 

We spent the next few hours exploring the cars and there was so much to see. We caught some fantastic displays and the roar of the engines and being up close to the race track was something else! Elliot is car mad so he was in his element. We even bumped into Richard Hammond at the Smallest Cog workshop which was exciting although Elliot got confused and thought it was Ricky Gervais 😁

Richard Hammond - The Smallest Cog Workshop

When we're at a festival we don't like to be too strict about timings and prefer to explore and see what we stumble upon but one of our must sees was kids favourite Andy and The Odd Socks in the Kidsfest area. We've been fans of Andy's since Elliot was a toddler and it's always great to see his band and their live show. And of course we had to get some selfies after the show 😎 

Andy and The Odd Socks - Carfest

The Kidsfest area was home to Pudsey's Spot and there were lots of chances to meet some familiar faces there over the weekend. We met Bluey and Bingo and I'm not sure who was more excited, me or Erin!

The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the food festival area and there was something for every taste bud at the Farmers Market. Packed full of stalls selling everything from gourmet brownies to spicy sauces, we managed to pick up lots of yummy treats including some amazing scotch eggs. We also caught a few demos by Candice and Bryony from GBBO which was really interesting. There seemed to be a lot going on in this area such as foodie workshops, book signings, chef talks, cocktail making - even a pop up pub with live music. We could have spent lots more time here and feel like we only scratched the surface but there was so much more to see...

We spent some time checking out the cars - there are regular track shows through out the day and it's nice and easy to find a good viewing spot along the side. Even for a non car-fanatic like me, it was exciting seeing some gorgeous cars up close and the kids loved the theatrics of the skids and hand brake 360s! There are lots of car brands at the festival and many opportunies to pick up freebies...which, lets face it, who doesn't love a freebie. The kids were buzzing to win hats, air freshners, tote bags, mints and even a few pens along the way. 

Soon it was time to head back to the main stage for the evenings musical entertainment. There are plenty of food stalls near the stage for when you get hungry and although it was busy, we never really had to spend long queueing. Prices were quite steep however (think it was almost £30 for two lots of burger and chips) but it's a festival and you do expect this. We shared a couple of meals between us, plus I took lots of snacks to keep the kids happy. I did get talked into a very expensive milkshake though! 

The music for the evening was brilliant, kicking off with the Bootleg Beatles. I loved hearing the crowd singalong to Hey Jude! The star of the evening for us though was undoubtedly Rick Astley. Never realised just how talented he is - he doesn't just sing but plays a multitude of instruments. Elliot really likes his songs so he was so excited to see him live and Rick didn't disappoint! It was such a great atmosphere with the lit up funfair behind us, and families of all ages singing along. 

We headed back to the car after a long day of festival fun but couldn't wait to do it all again in the morning. 

Day 2 - Sunday

After a quick charge of the car and a Mcdonalds brekkie at nearby services, we were heading back to Overton and looking forward to seeing what was in store for the day. We had no set plans but did want to explore the areas that we didn't visit yesterday. 

Our first port of call was to set up our chairs and area in front of the main stage. We then spent a bit of time exploring the Retrofest area. You can find all sorts here, like retro clothing stalls, cars, games and we even stumbled upon some energetic aerobics displays featuring lots of lycra! Some of the highlights of Retrofest included an area set up with old war vehicles and weapons. The kids were allowed to sit in the landrovers and even hold the guns, Elliot was living his best Fortnite life! We also found The Deloreon which was pretty impressive - the owner was so knowledgeable and we loved all the little bits of memorabilia inside such as a hoverboard and hologram photo.

We caught a few car displays and especially loved seeing the Ghostbusters car doing the laps! The track winds throughout the festival so it's not hard to find a spot to watch the live shows. 

We found ourselves in the Adventurefest field and this was probably one of our favourite areas. There was a large scouting section run by Hampshire scouts and the kids made a bee line for the climbing wall - rather than than me! We had a go at archery, and the kids added their Beaver/Scout troop to the Scouting map. 

We were also very fortunate to catch Tim Peake who was chatting to the scouts - Elliot managed to say hello and shake his hand which made his day! My husband was rather envious that he missed him but he did get to watch a Q&A with Tim later on in the afternoon at the Discovery Hub stage. 

Meeting Tim Peake at Carfest

Adventurefest was also home to Bugfest which as the name suggests, was a great place to get up and close to lots of creepy crawlies. This was one of the few paid for activities we did, and I think it was £5 per person to enter the Bugfest tent but the kids loved it and it was money well spent. There was no time limit and they were able to hold a tarantula, millipede, stick insect and many more. 

BugFest

We dipped back into the Kidsfest for a quick bounce on the giant bouncy castle and we made sure to pick up some freebies from the Capri Sun and Pip Organic stalls. We also headed back to the farmers market where we couldn't resist another scotch egg! 

With the afternoon almost over, we decided to spend some time exploring the Motorsport Paddock where Elliot was in his absolute element! It was a chance to get up close to some of his favourite cars and he thoroughly enjoyed spotting lots of Aston Martins. Aside from seeing Rick Astley, I think this was probably his favourite part of the weekend. 

Back at the main stage, we grabbed some food and settled in for the evening. There was a real variety of acts including Alex Horne's Horne section, Ricky Wilson from Kaiser Chiefs, The Feeling and The Village People. Unsure of how many of the original Village People line up were left but it was entertaining nonetheless! (Even if they did take an awful long time to start their performance)

The Village People - Carfest

Texas were the headliner for the Sunday night and I would have loved to have stayed to see their entire set but we decided to call it a night a few songs in with some very tired children in tow. We did  however stumble across a silent disco at the Bp Pulse tent so of course we had to stop and have a little boogie! 

We had such a brilliant weekend at Carfest and there were so many memories made - too many to mention in this blog. Highlights included meeting Tim Peake, dancing to Rick Astley, and hearing the roar of the engines on the track. 

Carfest certainly lived up to it's reputation and I feel like we only scratched the surface of the activities on offer. The kids are already asking if we're going again this year. We might even be brave enough to camp 😃

Ticket are already on sale for Carfest 2024 and can be found here

*Disclaimer - We were gifted weekend tickets for Carfest but all thoughts and opinions are honest and we genuinely had a fantastic time! 

The Greyhound - Corfe Castle - Review

 Nestled right in the centre of Corfe Castle village is The Greyhound, a 16th Century Coaching Inn which is apparently the most photographed pub in the UK. If you've ever driven though the village, no doubt you have taken this very snap! I have lived in Dorset my entire life and have been visited Corfe Castle since I was a little girl, but I never get bored of this view.

Corfe Castle on a Cloudy Day

We were invited along to try out the food and having eaten at the Greyhound before on a number of occasions, I was looking forward to seeing what was on the current menu! 

We arrived at the pub for lunch and were shown to our table which was on the covered terrace. There were plenty of tables here, plus in the beer garden which overlooks the castle but it did get very busy so if you are planning to visit I would 100% book in advance to save disappointment. 

Standard Covid measures are in place at the Greyhound - masks on until you sit down, hand sanitiser on entry and they ask you to check in using the NHS Track & Trace - the QR code can be found on the menu which is handy. They do have a food ordering app to minimise contact but this wasn't working when we ate - the staff were all wearing masks though and happy to take orders. 

The menu is very varied and has options for vegan/veggies/ GF etc. It was great to see lots of local additions such as Portland crab, Dorset Blue Vinney Cheese and Purbeck Cider. The stonebaked pizzas sounded amazing but I chose Mussels with cider, leeks and chorizo. This came with chips and crusty bread. It's not a dish I'd ever attempt to make at home so I really wanted to try it - and I wasn't disappointed! The creamy sauce was so tasty and the portion was plentiful. The downside is the mess I created, maybe they could supply a bib for messy eaters too ;) 

My husband is vegan and he was excited see his favourite Moving Mountains burger on the menu. His only criticism was that he would have preferred a brioche roll rather than a standard burger bun but apart from that, he really enjoyed it! The sweet potato fries were especially nice. 

We weren't planning on having pudding but the waitress asked if we'd like to have a look at the menu and to be honest, we couldn't resist! I had vanilla cheesecake which was topped with Biscoff crunch and served with Biscoff sauce and salted caramel ice-cream. How could I say no to that?! Paul had the sticky toffee pudding which came with warm caramel sauce and ice-cream. And a flake! 

We visited on a weekday lunchtime and I expected the village to be quiet but it was very busy and felt like a weekend! The outside area of The Greyhound was buzzing with families having their lunch and it was great to see them so busy. The kitchen were doing a fab job in getting the food out fast! 

We really enjoyed our lunch and I'd definitely recommend a visit to The Greyhound. If you're spending the day in the village and have tickets for the castle then you can even get 10% off your bill.

Have you ever visited Corfe Castle?

*Disclaimer - We were invited for a gifted meal in exchange for an honest review. 

The Old Thatch Wimborne - Review

It's always good to find new local pubs to visit, especially after not being able to visit one in so long! The Old Thatch Wimborne recently opened their (beer garden) doors to the public after being closed over lockdown and it's great to see a business back on it's feet with brand new ideas, and amazing food. 

The Old Thatch is located opposite Stapehill Abbey and is just off the Castleman Trail which links Wimborne to Ferndown and Ringwood to Poole. Dating back to the 17th Century, it's even rumoured to have it's own ghost! Nick Pestana has been the landlord since 2018 and recently he joined forces with multi-award winning restaurateur Andy Lennox to transform The Old Thatch into an elegant Gastro Pub, Kitchen and Country Store. 

Nick Pestana and Andy Lennox

The Country Store will stock an array of freshly baked bread and cakes, local meats and dairy produce as well as general household items.

The pub menu will be locally focused and will include a balanced selection of butchery, seafood and veg served in a relaxed environment. 

It was our first ever visit to The Old Thatch although having driven past many times. It's a stunning character building set back from the main road, and has a large beer garden at the front which now has a canopy/heaters for wetter and colder visits! 

There are lots of covid measures in place - no indoor seating obviously- but hand sanitiser available and plenty of space between tables. All the staff were wearing masks too. 

Now, onto the food. The menu features lots of pub classics such as bangers & mash, fish & chips and steaks, and there is also an option of some yummy sounding sharing platters. I've got my eye on the "Local and Melted" option for next time - melted cheese and chilli jam to dip you bread into! I imagine once the pub is fully open in May, the menu will be expanded but I found there to be lots of choice and even some vegan options. I'd had a sneaky peek at the menu before our visit and everything sounded lovely but myself and my Mum both decided to have the burgers. Well....what can I say. It was a burger like no other!! Firstly it was absolutely massive, a homemade 8oz burger in a toasted brioche bun. Topped with cheese, bacon and all the trimmings. It was absolutely delicious! It came with spicy slaw and skin on fries which were perfectly seasoned. 

The Old Thatch Burger

We debated about having a pudding but we couldn't resist the brownie, especially as it came with salted caramel ice-cream. And it was just as good as it sounded! 

We had a really lovely lunch at The Old Thatch and were thoroughly impressed with the food. The members of staff that we encountered were all very friendly and helpful. I can't wait to bring the family back, I know the children will be excited to hear there is a play area! 

*Disclaimer - We were invited for a gifted meal in exchange for an honest review. Those yummy food pictures do not lie ;) 

THE BON BON BOYS PICK 'N' MIX DELIVERY - REVIEW

Sometimes emails drop into my inbox and it takes me less than a second to hit that reply button....."Would we like to review a box of pick 'n' mix from a new local company?".....er, yes please!!

Pick 'n' Mix takes me back to my childhood, going into Woolworths and choosing from the vast array of sweets and chocolates. It's just not the same these days, and especially since Covid came along, pick 'n' mix sweets seem to have disappeared.

This is where The Bon Bon Boys come in! Spotting a gap in the market in the middle a pandemic, Kalem and Joe launched their brand new pick 'n' mix delivery service and have been getting rave review ever since. They handpick and test all the sweets themselves...I mean, that's gotta be a tough job?!

We received a "Classic" box (£10.95) -  a 9" pizza box stuffed full of sweeties. The kids eyes nearly popped out of their head when they unwrapped the tissue paper and saw the selection in front of them. It was a mission getting any photos because they were so eager to dive in!!

With over 25 different sweets, there was something for everyone. Featuring classics such as fried eggs, fudge, foam bananas, chocolate mice, fizzy dummies and even a giant worm sitting happily on top!

There was such a good selection, I don't think there was a bad choice in there! Personally I love the chocolate mice and anything fizzy so these were the ones I went for first but the kids loved all the strawberry cables and sour apple belts.

Priced at £10.95, I think the boxes are really reasonably priced and would make perfect gifts for anyone with a sweet tooth. Alongside the 'Classic' one, you can also purchase the 'Vegan' one and 'Retro' one (£11.45). Delivery starts at £3 and you can ship one of these yummy boxes to anywhere in the UK. However if you live in Dorset, you may qualify for free delivery which is brilliant - have a look at the FAQS for more info.

The Bon Bon Boys Pick 'n' Mix boxes get a big thumbs up from us...and the kids are already asking about when our next one is arriving 😄

For more info and to order, have a look at The Bon Bon Boys website where colourful pictures of all the sweets will tempt you into ordering your very own box.....!

"Just one more Mummy!" 

*Disclaimer - We received a complimentary box of sweets in return for an honest review. I think the speed of how fast the sweets disappeared is a testament to how yummy they were!

A Family Day Out at Mapperton House, Dorset

It's always nice to visit new places and this week we spent a lovely sunny day at Mapperton House, Dorset. Home to the Earl and Countess of Sandwich, Mapperton is a beautiful manor house with 15 acres of stunning gardens.

I wondered how suitable it would be for a young family but actually, my kids had a really fun time and the gardens are perfect for a game of hide and seek! Mapperton also put on children's events throughout the holidays such as the Creepy Crawly Show which we were lucky enough to see.

House tours can also be booked and I believe these are very popular however we decided to keep our rabble outside - old houses and expensive things mixed with excitable children makes me a little nervous ;)

On arrival, and after a quick hello to Percy the tortoise, we picked up our tickets from the shop. We immediately spotted the creepy crawly tent so we headed there first. Wow, so many creatures to look at! It was great to meet the World Life team and they are very passionate about their work and the exotic animals that they have.

Elliot was very very keen to get stuck in and wanted to hold as many animals as possible including a millipede and a bearded dragon named Elliot!

Elliot really enjoyed their Creepy Crawly show and he had lots of questions for the team afterwards! It was really interesting and the perfect event for an animal mad little boy. World Life are actually going to be at Mapperton until the 29th August and I'd highly recommend catching one of their shows if you can.

It was soon time for lunch so we headed over to the Coach House - we had a picnic packed but we couldn't resist the cheese scones and delicious cakes! All the menu items use locally sourced ingredients and they offer a delicious selection of light meals, sandwiches and drinks.

The Mapperton Estate is tucked away in a steep north-south combe, surrounded by the lush green Dorset countryside. The gardens feature lots of interesting features such as fountains, grottoes, fish ponds, a croquet lawn, an orangery, topiary and lead down to the arboretum.

I confess that I am pretty clueless when it comes to flowers and plants but even a novice like myself could appreciate the beauty of the gardens!

We walked down towards the arboretum and found ourselves on the woodland walk. This is a pleasant stroll around the outskirts of the grounds and although steep in places, wasn't a problem for our toddler.

If you're planning on visiting Mapperton with children it's worth noting that the gardens are not buggy friendly as some areas are very steep in places due to the natural topography. Leave the buggy in the car and let your kids explore...although you will have to keep an eye on them around the ponds. Elliot said he fancied a swim as it was so hot so I had to keep a beady eye on him especially!

We really enjoyed our day at Mapperton and it was lovely to find a new place to explore. It's great that they are encouraging families to visit with the addition of events such as the creepy crawly show and I will definitely be recommending to our friends. I've just spotted on the website that they have a Halloween event on over the half term so I'll definitely be popping that on the calender - I bet the Autumn colours are stunning!

For more detailed information about the gardens and their history, take a look at the website . The gardens are open until 31st October 2019 from 10am to 5pm, Sunday to Thursday - tickets can be booked online. 

*Disclaimer - We received a free entry in exchange for an honest review

Aiming High at ALTITUDE High Ropes Adventure - Bournemouth - Review

Last week we were invited down to Altitude High Ropes Adventure which is located in Littledown Park, Bournemouth. Although we don't live too far away (around a 25-minute drive), I haven't visited the Littledown area in years and I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived! 

Parking in the leisure centre (free parking for up to 3 hours), we immediately spotted a great looking adventure play area and paddling pool - had no idea this was here so this is definitely somewhere to add to our "places to visit" list!

Altitude can be found towards the back of the park and it's a pleasant stroll past the lake to get there. Look out for the zip line too which you will be whizzing down at some point! 

Once we arrived Elliot and my husband Paul got kitted out with harnesses and helmets. The high ropes adventure is divided into 5 sections: Low Ropes, High Ropes, Zip Wire, Climbing Wall and Power Fan Descender. 

The boys began their adventure on the climbing wall and my husband admitted that he found this bit tricky - Elliot, on the other hand, was up the wall like a mountain goat! The climbing wall features lots of challenging climbs to test you to the limit and was a great starting point for their high ropes adventure. 

Next came the Low Ropes adventure which is 5 metres above ground - this is suitable for 5+. The course features 9 exciting elements including crawl tunnel, cargo net, log bridge and swinging lots. 

I was really surprised by how easy Elliot made this look and he didn't falter at any point! They had the chance to complete the course twice, and the second time they could do it blindfolded if they wished. 

Next came the high ropes - and these are 10 metres off the ground so definitely not for the faint-hearted. Under 8's are allowed on the level but must be accompanied by an adult - Elliot was well up for it so Paul had no option but to clip on and follow! 

The high ropes course combines 12 testing elements which include Burma Bridge, Islands in the Sky, Stepping Stones and Swinging Tyres. It made me feel dizzy just looking up at them. 

The only part that Elliot struggled a bit on was the mini zip line - he wasn't quite heavy enough for it to go all the way so he had to kind of shuffle until it reached the end! 

When the boys had recovered from the high ropes, it was onto the Power Fan Descender - a terrifying leap of faith off a high platform. You plummet to the ground before being gently stopped just before you land - eek! 

They finished off the course by whizzing over the Littledown Lake on the 70-metre zip wire - what a way to end the day! 

We spent around 2.5 hours at Altitude and Elliot and Paul really enjoyed themselves. It was great to be able to do something a little different and we'd definitely recommend it. 

Need to Know...

- You MUST wear sensible shoes if planning on doing the course and will not be allowed on if wearing sandals/flip flops

- The minimum age is 5 years old

- There are picnic tables next to the course for spectators 

- Prices are cheaper if you book in advance and you can pay for the courses separately or together as a package - see here for info

If you would like to try Altitude High Ropes Adventure out for yourselves then BH Live have very kindly given me a 20% code to pass on to my readers - the code is ELLIOT20 

*Disclaimer - We were offered a family ticket in return for an honest review - all words are my own however I was too much of a wuss to actually try out the course so had to rely on the experiences of my son and husband ;) Thank you BH LIVE!