Here is a cycling loop we love to do as a family in the New Forest: the Rhinefield Ornamental Woodland route around the village of Brockenhurst. This part of the forest is particularly beautiful because it is home to the tallest trees in the National Park, including huge Douglas firs and giant sequoias. Of course, as always in the New Forest, we have the pleasure of coming across plenty of free-roaming ponies! You know how much we love this forest, which is right next to where we live. I’ve already described all our loveliest walks in the New Forest. So, for a change, I invite you to follow us by bike!
A family cycling loop in the New Forest:
We recommend the Rhinefield Ornamental Woodland loop for a family bike ride that will give you a lovely overview of the New Forest.
It’s a 17.4 km route that starts at Brockenhurst station. Over the whole itinerary, we ride on tracks for 65% of the way and on quiet roads for 35% of the way. In terms of difficulty, it’s accessible to the whole family. There is very little elevation gain. I’d say it’s ideal from around the age of 8, with children who cycle well and aren’t afraid of riding on a road with cars at times. If your children are younger, we’d recommend the Hawkhill trail instead, as it’s a completely traffic-free route.
We’ve done the Rhinefield Ornamental Woodland loop several times with Ticoeur and Titpuce. Let me show you our latest ride in pictures…
The start of the loop:
We first downloaded this map from the official New Forest website. Then we decided to start the loop at point 10, by the Brock Hill Car Park. If you come by train, you’ll start at point 1, in the village of Brockenhurst.
We wanted to begin by admiring the tall trees, so we first made a little 750 m detour south of the car park to go and see the two finest giant sequoias in the New Forest (you’ll also see them marked on Google Maps). They are part of the famous tall tree trail, a 2 km walk. The sequoia on the left of the photo is 51 m tall and the other reaches 47 m.
This weekend, I cycled along the D-Day landing beaches in Normandy on a perfect coastal cycle route, discovering the beautiful “Côte de Nacre” and its History. My route covers parts of the famous Vélomaritime and a short section of the Vélofrancette, two famous French cycling routes. We had already cycled along these cycle paths as a family because they are very pleasant and easy, right by the water. This time, it was a solo adventure for me. I’m going to give you all the details here, so that you too can set off on this adventure, solo, as a couple or as a family! It really is a cycling route suited to all levels and completely flat! A dream if, like me, you don’t like hilly roads!
Cycling adventure along the D-Day beaches of Normandy : a brief summary
Starting point: Ouistreham
Take the ferry from Portsmouth to Caen. You will arrive in Ouistreham which is Caen’s harbour. I recommend the 8:00am sail to arrive at 3:00pm in France. Then you still have time to cycle. In the past I have tried the night ferry but I didn’t like it as the night is too short. They wake you up very early. Then I was very tired and didn’t really enjoy my first day cycling in Normandy.
Cycling distances to have in mind:
Ouistreham -> Lion-sur-Mer : 4km
Ouistreham -> Pegasus Bridge : 6km
Ouistreham -> Caen : 16km
There are several possible variations for your road trip. I will give you some ideas to extend your cycling adventure, later in that article.
For the Easter long weekend, we spent 4 days in Barcelona as a family. Ticoeur and Titpuce are now teenagers, so the programme was different from the last time when they were young children. I’m going to tell you about our visits and walks day by day, to inspire you, and I’ll also tell you what our teenagers liked most in Barcelona! I can already tell you that we still love this city just as much!
Children’s ages: Titpuce 14 and Ticoeur 16 Time of year: Early April. We had dream weather!
Barcelona as a family: 4 days and 3 nights
You’ll notice that we zigzagged around the city a lot. Our journeys in Barcelona were not optimised because we had booked certain visits at specific times that didn’t follow on from one another. In fact, to make the most of all Barcelona’s bargains and free museums, you have to juggle the days and times. Read my article: Visiting Barcelona without breaking the bank.
As usual, I’ve added little ❤ symbols for our favourites!
Day 1: the Gothic Quarter, Sant Pau and Montjuïc
We arrived in Barcelona just before midday. We dropped our bags at our accommodation, in the Les Corts district, and started with tapas on a terrace in a very pretty square in the neighbourhood (see good addresses below).
After lunch, we got straight into things by taking the metro to the Gothic Quarter. The Gothic Quarter is the historic heart of Barcelona. Starting from La Rambla (the main central artery), we passed the famous Boqueria market, then headed towards the lovely Plaça Reial❤ with its arcades and palm trees. I’m attached to this square, where we took lots of photos of the children when they were little. We recreated the series now that they’re bigger! Then we wandered through the little streets around the Cathedral. As it was Good Friday, there was a mass taking place right outside! It was unusual to have the service in the square rather than inside!
When I booked our long weekend in Barcelona as a family, I wasn’t expecting to discover that Barcelona had become such an expensive city! We’d been there several times in the past and it used to be a pretty budget-friendly city. The last time we were there was for my Titpuce’s 5th birthday, so that was a while ago! Inflation has clearly happened since then, but not only that! Barcelona is a victim of its own success and tourists pay the price! Luckily, I found several ways to save money on our spending. So I’m going to share my finds with you, so that you too can visit Barcelona as a family without breaking the bank!
Children’s ages: Titpuce 14 and Ticoeur 16 Time of year: Easter, in bright sunshine and 21 degrees! And that dream weather is… free 🙂
1- Visit Barcelona on the first Sunday of the month:
Because good news! There are some great free museums!
We were in Barcelona during the first weekend of April and we were able to take advantage of free entry to several Barcelona museums, including one of Gaudí’s houses! But watch out! Even if the tickets are free, you still have to book them in advance online, and make sure you don’t get the booking timing wrong because these free tickets go very fast!
Palau Güell: free on the first Sunday of the month – to book the previous Thursday at 10am
Visiting a Gaudí work for free—believe me, it’s a miracle! Among all the things to do in Barcelona, the biggest budget item is getting into the famous Gaudí houses: Casa Batlló, Casa Milà (or La Pedrera) and Casa Vicens. Each costs €20–25 per person. Luckily, one Gaudí building offers free entry on the first Sunday of the month: Palau Güell. Thank you! This palace, located in central Barcelona just a stone’s throw from La Rambla, is one of the architect’s first commissions, made at the request of his patron, the wealthy Eusebi Güell. Palau Güell is therefore a pure example of Catalan Art Nouveau style. It’s the famous movement known as Modernism. You’ll see many characteristic details such as wrought iron and noble materials. You can already see all of Gaudí’s creativity and originality—especially his rooftop chimney style.
Last summer, we drove down in our van to northern Spain and explored Aragon as a family. Our goal? Beautiful mountains for hiking and good food: Aragon offered us all that and even more! We were delighted by the varied landscapes, from mountains to plains, with pretty rivers. We even enhanced our family hiking experience with a canyoning outing! A first for the children! Great memories! I’m going to break down our 6-day road trip through Aragon, from the Pyrenees border down to Zaragoza, and share our 10 family hikes in Aragon!
Time of year: the 3rd week of July
Children’s ages: 13 and 15.
To keep it simple, among our 10 hikes there are 5 short and easy hikes and 5 moderate-to-challenging hikes, including one canyoning hike! So there’s something for every level! You can therefore imagine a less sporty version of our Aragon road trip by choosing the easy walks and easier variants. On top of the hiking programme, there’s plenty to enjoy between swims in rivers and waterfalls (the children loved it!) and visiting villages. Below, I’ve listed our hikes in chronological order of our 6-night road trip in Aragon.
Here are all the details of our 10 hikes in Aragon!
1 – The Hunter’s Trail hike (Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park)
Sporty hike, medium difficulty – 20 km loop – 750 m elevation gain – 6 hrs with a picnic break (7 hrs advertised)
After a quick breakfast, we park at the large car park in Torla, where you have to take a bus to the start of the hikes (the bus runs every 15 minutes from 7am). It’s a bit frustrating to start a hike by taking a bus, but apparently, in high season, there isn’t enough parking at Ordesa (the start of the hikes). It’s also to avoid too much traffic on winding roads.
We start the Hunter’s Trail hike (senda de los cazadores) at 8.30am and walk anti-clockwise. That way, we begin with the hardest part: a steep climb that lasts 1 hour 30 minutes. There are very few hikers on this trail because most visitors choose the waterfalls hike (see the shorter version below).
After our big ascent, we reach Faja de Pelay, a balcony path, fairly narrow but easy, offering magnificent views of the mountains. We catch sight of the Breach of Roland, which we’d already seen in France on a hike at the Cirque de Gavarnie.
We’ve just spent a long mother-daughter weekend in Edinburgh. As I already knew the Scottish capital, I tried to put together a 3-day programme tailored to my young teenager’s tastes, with references to Harry Potter, history and fascinating anecdotes, art and shopping! In 3 days in Edinburgh, I was able to delight her around her interests while also showing her the city’s must-sees. In the end, at the grand age of 14, my girl loved this three-day weekend in Edinburgh. It really is an easy city break to manage for a solo mum, with guaranteed success with the kids! On the programme: Old Town, New Town, Dean Village and other lesser-known Edinburgh neighbourhoods. So, shall I take you along for the tour?
Edinburgh with my young teenager: visiting the Old Town
To visit the Old Town, allow between 1 and 2 days.
Victoria Street ❤
We started with this famous colourful, curved, cobbled street in the medieval centre of Edinburgh. It’s one of the prettiest in the city, in the Victorian style. What’s more, it is said to have inspired Diagon Alley for the Harry Potter films, so it was a good way to ease my girl in! Above the row of multicoloured houses is a balcony-terrace (Victoria Terrace), which we climbed up to for another view of the street. Several shops and cafés on Victoria Street are popular, including the Elephant House café, where J.K. Rowling began writing Harry Potter (it isn’t the original premises).
If you’re planning to visit Edinburgh with teenagers or children who are Harry Potter fans, I hope this little guide will help you plan your walk yourselves. By the way, perhaps you’re Harry Potter fans too? But just so you know, that’s not my case! This detail is important because it means I can assure you that setting off on the trail of Harry Potter in Edinburgh didn’t bother me in the slightest, because it lets you see the city’s must-sees! Even though I’m a kind mum, I wouldn’t have played along so much if that hadn’t been the case. For these 3 days in Edinburgh with my young teenager, I happily researched places, anecdotes and information linked to Harry Potter to enrich a walk we would have done anyway to visit the city. My girl loved discovering these places – she who has read the Harry Potter saga four times! And I was happy to make her happy!
Some of the places below are reminiscent of the Harry Potter books, others of the films, and others again are more linked to J.K. Rowling herself. So here are these 10 Harry Potter places we saw in Edinburgh!
Victoria Street or Diagon Alley?
Victoria Street is a very beautiful historic street that links George IV Bridge diagonally with Grassmarket. A diagonal, then, like… Diagon Alley.
Even if our imagination can’t help seeing a connection with Harry Potter, that doesn’t mean J.K. Rowling had Victoria Street in mind when writing her books. However, she lived in Edinburgh, and both the atmosphere and the architecture of the city may have inspired her indirectly. Between the small colourful façades and the cobblestones, Victoria Street really does call to mind the visual world of the film.
Bonus info: you can wander through the “fake Victoria Street”, the film set, if you visit the Harry Potter Studios.
Is it possible to visit Kew Gardens in half a day? Yes, we tested and approved it! Between the large glasshouses, the different gardens, the viewpoints and the “monuments” of Kew Gardens, it’s absolutely possible to enjoy a very lovely first visit in just a few hours, without feeling like you’re rushing. I’d say you need to allow 3 to 4 hours to discover London’s magnificent botanical garden, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
To do that, it’s best to focus on the key attractions at Kew Gardens. In this article, I’m suggesting a simple route to discover the most impressive spots in the gardens. The idea isn’t to tick everything off, but to see what makes Kew unique: its iconic glasshouses, elegant avenues, immersive spaces and landmark spots.
If you’re visiting London for only a few days, you probably won’t have more than half a day to dedicate to Kew Gardens. I’d even say that Kew Gardens will only be part of your London programme if this isn’t your first stay in London. I visited London many times before going to Kew Gardens, but this visit was enchanting – a green interlude, very different from central London. Since then, we’ve been back to Kew Gardens other times, as a family. In fact, we’ve just spent our Sunday afternoon there for the Orchid Festival, which I’ll tell you about further down.
Here are the main key attractions at Kew Gardens to see if you only have half a day.
Kew Gardens: our key attractions in half a day
The tropical glasshouse: Palm House
This is Kew Gardens’ best-known glasshouse. It’s a magnificent tropical glasshouse dating from the Victorian era. Inside, you’ll find huge palm trees and tropical plants, notably from Madagascar, as well as coffee plants, cacao trees, oil palms and rubber trees. Architecturally, the glasshouse has lovely Victorian spiral staircases, as well as a walkway that lets you admire the plants from above. Note: the Palm House will close for major works from 2027, for 5 years!
Lefkada is the latest Greek island we discovered as a family. It’s part of the Ionian Islands and is particularly easy to reach since you can get there by car via a bridge. Handy! This means you can easily combine a holiday in mainland Greece with a little beach break. As always with the Greek islands, the colour of the sea is superb – a turquoise blue that instantly makes you smile! Lefkada also has the advantage of being large enough to stay for a few days. Besides the beaches, the island offers mountainous landscapes and therefore some very pretty viewpoints all over the place. You can discover them by car or, like us, on a hike.
Let’s set off to discover Lefkada with the children!
Porto Katsiki beach: our favourite beach on Lefkada!
Lefkada as a family: the beaches
To put it simply, there are the beaches on the west coast, the most beautiful – real postcard scenery but potentially a bit choppy – and there are the beaches on the east coast: nice, less paradise-like, but with very calm water.
The west coast beaches:
Kathisma Beach: a beach located in the north-west of Lefkada, near Agios Nikitas where we were staying (see our addresses further down). It’s a very beautiful beach, not to be missed at sunset.
During the October half-term holidays, we visited the region of the Vikos Gorge, in northern Greece, in Epirus. We were keen to go hiking and to discover a part of Greece that is still relatively unknown. The Vikos Gorge turned out to be an excellent choice! With the autumn colours, it was particularly beautiful. We stayed there for two days. Three days would have been more relaxed. Below, I’ll explain how to do the main hike in the Vikos Gorge and also show you the other places not to be missed. Finally, I’ll tell you about the lovely village of Papingo, our base camp.
The Vikos Gorge, in the Zagori region of Greece, is one of the deepest canyons in Europe, with almost 1,000 m of depth over 27 km in length.
Age of our children/teenagers: 13 and 16.
Travel period: late October.
Our family hikes in the Vikos Gorge
The Vikos Gorge, from Vikos to Monodendri ❤
12 km – 5 hours of walking – elevation in this direction: -1080 m, +1380 m – moderate but physically demanding!
This is the hike not to be missed in the region! It’s a point-to-point hike. Generally, hikers plan to return to their starting point by taxi, but we organised things differently by forming two teams: Titpuce and I walked the entire trail from Vikos to Monodendri, while Papa Voyage and Ticoeur turned back before the big climb out of the canyon. They returned to Vikos (walking very fast!), picked up the car and met us in Monodendri (there is a 40-minute drive between the two villages).
As it’s a canyon, the hike profile consists of: a long descent, a lengthy walk along the canyon floor, and a steep climb back up. It’s possible to hike from Vikos to Monodendri or from Monodendri to Vikos. I wondered which option was best, but honestly, I think it doesn’t really matter! For us, Vikos was closer to the village of Papingo where we were staying.
In terms of elevation gain, it’s tough, so even though the hike isn’t technically difficult, you need to be fit: it’s long and strenuous, with over 1,000 m to descend and 1,000 m to climb back up. Note that on the ascent towards Monodendri, it’s sometimes so steep that ropes have been installed to hold on to and avoid slipping. I was worried about this section, but it turned out to be easy. Titpuce had no problems at all. However, for younger children, it could be a bit tricky and they might need help. If you do the hike in the opposite direction, this steep section with ropes may be more difficult on the descent than on the ascent.
Here is the account of our hike in the Vikos Gorge:
We leave Papingo after breakfast and stop at the small shop in the village of Aresti to pick up some supplies. We start the hike in Vikos at 10:15 am. No problem parking the car. The view over the canyon from the start of the hike is beautiful:
Then, the descent from Vikos is easy, not too steep. After half an hour, we reach the small monastery with a lovely turquoise-coloured stream (this adds 30 minutes and 1 km to the hike).
After this first photo stop, we continue descending into the canyon. Here is the canyon floor:
Most of the distance is covered along the canyon floor. Looking up at the sides, you really feel tiny!
For now, we are still all four together. As always, Ticoeur and Titpuce chat as they walk! I really like this section with the carved rock:
Still some beautiful views up towards the heights:
Towards the end of the flat section, Ticoeur and Papa Voyage turn back to return and get the car. They challenged themselves to do the return at a brisk pace along the flat section!
With Titpuce, we continue following the trail. The views of the section climbing back up towards Monodendri are stunning!
The path is steeper, with large rocks:
Allow a good hour of intense climbing to reach Monodendri.
On arriving in the village, there are quite a few tourists sitting on the terraces (mainly Greeks). We’re surprised because we only crossed paths with two hikers in almost five hours of walking! In fact, many visitors come to the Vikos Gorge to enjoy the beautiful landscapes and viewpoints that are accessible without hiking at all! For me, that’s one more reason to go for the adventure! A hike without the crowds! We sit down on a terrace to enjoy an orange cake while waiting for Papa Voyage and Ticoeur.
And if we had to do it again? I think it’s worth booking a taxi (to be arranged in your departure village by asking at a restaurant or accommodation). That way, you can all stay together for the entire hike. An out-and-back hike doesn’t seem like a great option to me, as it’s long and the entire flat section at the bottom of the gorge would feel repetitive. For a more creative option, without a taxi, I think you’d enjoy the best views by doing just the descents and ascents (from Vikos and from Monodendri), without walking the long flat section. Overall, you wouldn’t escape the elevation gain, but you’d save time and wouldn’t need a taxi: you’d park once in Vikos and once in Monodendri!
Vradeto Steps❤
5.2 km (out and back) – 2 hours
A real favourite hike! This old stone staircase, built in the 18th century, has a lot of charm with its narrow switchbacks set in an enchanting natural setting.
The staircase consists of 1,100 steps, built to link villages together. The hike involves climbing them and then descending. We were there just before sunset. It was beautiful and we were completely alone. We did this hike right after the Vikos Gorge hike! Yes, we’re crazy!
See the entire staircase and its switchbacks:
It was getting late, so we went for dinner after this beautiful hike. We found a very good restaurant on the drive back: Zeyxi restaurant in Elati. Then we hit the road again for Papingo (1 hour from the restaurant).
Other highlights in the Vikos Gorge:
The natural pools of Papingo:
Lovely walks following the river and its various pools. In summer, it’s possible to swim there! Perfect for relaxing after a hike!
The old Ottoman bridges:
Built entirely of stone, they are very beautiful. It’s easy to park near each bridge. We stopped at the two bridges we thought were the most impressive:
The Kokkoris Bridge:
The Kologeriko Bridge:
The Stone Forest
A short walk among these stone formations. It’s neither large nor unmissable, as you’ll find similar formations throughout the Vikos Gorge region. But it’s not far from Monodendri, so why not stop by – it’s on the way.
3 viewpoints over the Vikos Gorge
There are two viewpoints accessible by car, with just a short walk from the car park. We chose the Beloi viewpoint ❤. A stunning view! There is also the Oxya viewpoint, but it’s much further away (a one-hour detour by car).
View over the Vikos Gorge from the Beloi viewpoint
Then there is the Monodendri viewpoint: it’s reached after an easy 15-minute walk, as far as the Monastery of Paraskevi:
Which village should you choose to explore the Vikos Gorge?
Three villages for discovering the Vikos Gorge:
To discover the Vikos Gorge region, it’s important to choose where to stay. There are three possible villages:
Monodendri: this is the main village, the largest and the most visited. It’s located to the south of the Vikos Gorge and is the first one you’ll come across on your route. It has a good selection of cafés and restaurants (I highly recommend lunch at Froso’s Pies: excellent and good value!). It’s very convenient for starting the hike into the Vikos Gorge.
Monodendri
Aresti: the smallest of the three villages, located to the west of the gorge. Fewer accommodation and restaurant options.
Papingo: the prettiest and most picturesque. It’s located to the north of the Vikos Gorge, further away from civilisation. This is the one we chose, and we loved it! Our accommodation was great! Several restaurants in the village. The restaurant at the Astra Inn was good. Note that some restaurants were closed, as October is not high season.
Our family accommodation in Papingo:
We stayed at the Bed & Breakfast Avragonio, typical of the region, meaning lovely stone houses. All of Papingo is full of charm, and our B&B was no exception! On top of that, breakfast was gargantuan and very varied! We had a small duplex space, with the children sleeping on the sofa in the living room and us upstairs in a double bedroom. It was perfect, and we really enjoyed the outdoor areas because even at half-term, as long as we wrapped up warmly, we could have breakfast in the courtyard, with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. We stayed for two days and two nights, but we packed in several hikes on the same day. For a more relaxed pace, plan for 3 days in the Vikos Gorge.
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From Papingo, we can see Mikro Papingo above: an idea for another short hike!
Metsovo
Whether you’re arriving in the Vikos Gorge region or leaving it, you’ll probably pass close to the charming village of Metsovo. Its architecture has real character, with all its mountain chalets. Locals like to come here for lunch at the weekend. We walked around the village and then sat on a terrace in the main square for a coffee at Xnapia Café (very good!), before buying spinach pies from the excellent Tampas Bakery.
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I’ll leave you with a few final photos of the region to immerse you in the atmosphere of this rugged landscape in northern Greece!
And you? Fancy discovering the Vikos Gorge and its surroundings? Do you know this part of Greece? You can, like us, combine the Vikos Gorge with a visit to the Meteora!
These will also tempt you if you like to go hiking on vacation:
