Legoland, London and Laughter

We had a short holiday last week, just a few days away, but it was still our main break this summer, as we have other little treats planned in over the coming weeks.

We wanted to take the children to Legoland again, as it’d been a couple of years since we last visited and Little Man is now old enough to go on more rides. We also wanted to take them into London, as we’ve not been for years and I suspected a few shops like the Nickelodeon store and Hamleys would appeal – I was not wrong! So I searched around to find a hotel that was a nice and easy journey down the M40 for us, and still close enough for Legoland and a short train ride into London – The Bull hotel was perfect!

We visited Legoland on our first day…

Legoland

We hired one of the double buggies for the kids to travel round in, which was definitely a hit – part of the fun of the day. The play areas there were fab, and we spent a lot of time in those, the pirate show in Heartlake City was fun, and of course they went on a few rides, though to be honest, the queues were long and they were happy to just look around at everything. Little Man was totally enraptured by the Star Wars exhibition. I think he would have stayed in that part all day long!

On our second day we took the train into London. It was just a 20 minute journey from where we were staying, and from the station we took a taxi to Ripleys’s Believe It Or Not! I was pleased that there were no long queues on arrival, and interesting exhibits to look at whilst we did wait to go in. You start at the fifth floor, and work your way down through the building, exploring the strange, the amazing and in some cases, the revolting! I really enjoyed it in there, as there was just so much to see and read about. It was very interactive, too, with plenty for the kids to look at, press and puzzle over.

Ripleys believe it or not!

Ripleys believe it or not! 1

Ripleys believe it or not! 2

There is a dungeon and darker section in there, though it does carry a clear parental guidance warning, and there is a way to bypass that section, as it is not suitable for young kids. There is just so much to see and take in. Boo and Little Man were dashing from one thing to the next, and I was amazed by toast art, Charles I’s gloves and the biggest nose! I was impressed by just how much they’d packed into a seemingly small space, plenty to look at and absorb.

After Ripleys, we lunched at Planet Hollywood and then it was all about toys, as we hit the Nickelodeon store (you know Boo loves the TMNT, right?!), the Disney store and Hamleys…

London shopping

They bought a lot of stuff! It was a long and busy day, but the kids absolutely loved it all.

Having had crazy and busy days, I was longing for wide open spaces and less queues and hustle and bustle, so we took in a couple of National Trust places on our last couple of days. They were just what the children needed, too, as they just ran and ran in the wide open spaces and scrambled about the play areas there. We visited Cliveden and Waddesdon Manor, both beautiful houses and grounds.

NT Cliveden and Waddesdon Manor

And now we are home. It was a break full of fun and laughter, that we all enjoyed. The kids are still playing with their new toys, and I hope we’ve created some lovely memories.

I’d thoroughly recommend staying at The Bull in Gerrards Cross to explore this area, as it was well-located and a lovely hotel. The room was spacious and comfortable, the staff friendly and the breakfast delicious! We have talked about going back in a couple of years time, as there is so much more we want to explore, and with the kids that bit older, we will see more of the sights in London (and probably Hamleys again…!)

Disclosure: We paid for all parts of our trip, apart from receiving complimentary entrance to Ripleys Believe it or Not, and all words and opinions remain my own

Country Kids from Coombe Mill Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

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18 thoughts on “Legoland, London and Laughter”

  1. I know The Bull – it’s a lovely little place.

    We live close enough to Legoland to have invested in annual passes, and all three of our kids (7, 5 and 3) adore it. Any trip into London is always a hit too – while the kids love the Disney Store and M&M World (they haven’t been to the Nick store yet since it opened), they also appreciate simple things like a nice meal in Chinatown and riding on the buses and tube. Despite living in London for my first 24 years, it’s only really since moving away and then having kids that I’ve come to really appreciate the city for the big, exciting place that it is.

    1. It is, I know we’ll stay there when we visit again. Yes, a city is exciting so little ones, and though we go into Birmingham with them, London takes it to another level of excitement.

  2. Sounds like you had a wonderful time. We live pretty close to London but rarely properly explore together so this would be a nice idea for us to do too. Loving the pics, you have a real pair of cuties there xx

  3. It looks like you really packed your break full of exciting things to do, and the kids look so excited in all the photos which just shows that you picked some great attractions to visit. Legoland is always a hit with the kids and they get to see so many exciting things made from everyone’s favourite building block. Ripley’s Believe It or Not looks like such an interesting place to go and your two look really interested in what they’re learning. The National Trust places look like the most fun of all, with everyone running around enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. It looks like they had really thought about the different activities they’d offer to make sure everyone had a good day. Thanks for linking up with me on Country Kids.

    1. We did pack it in, they were busy days! The kids loved every second of it, and yes, they loved just running free! Thanks for hosting x

  4. Monkey keeps asking when we’re going back to Legoland – it’s a big hit here. Waddesdon Manor is one of my favourite places, and only 20 minutes from home so we go there a lot. Keep meaning to go back to Cliveden, was pregnant when we went there, but I remember very good cake! #CountryKids

  5. I can’t believe you were so near to us! It sounds like you had a great time and I’m now looking up Waddesdon Manor to visit 🙂 x

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