Penny Travels - Travelling the world, near and far, one step at a time.

Edinburgh in a day – from Bedfordshire!

August 23, 2019 by Penny 1 Comment

I like to try and think big when it comes to school summer holidays. Big, but in my budget! With a new baby in the family funds haven’t exactly been plentiful lately, but I was still determined to give my elder two kids the best summer holiday I could. Lots of variety and plenty of fun and excitement. It was with those two things in mind that I came up with the slightly mad idea of taking them to Edinburgh for the day. From Bedfordshire!

Luton to Edinburgh

We’re lucky enough to live about 15 minutes drive from Luton Airport which means that cheap flights to a variety of places are pretty much on our doorstep. With that in mind I managed to find that Easyjet have a flight from Luton to Edinburgh that leaves just before 9am in the morning, and a return one that departs Edinburgh at 9pm. Perfect to be able to fit in a day of sightseeing in Edinburgh.

The other motivation behind my trip with that Little Miss C and Master C had no recollection of ever going on an aeroplane. LMC went to Madeira with me and her dad when she was under 2 and both of them came with us on a trip to Denmark for a wedding when Master C was just 9 months old. They’ve both been desperate to fly somewhere for a while, but the cost and work schedules meant that it didn’t really look possible this summer. I’d already got a long weekend planned in Norfolk as a “proper” holiday, so decided that a slightly mad day trip would make the whole thing even more exciting for them.

Making the most of our time was key with this trip, so we bit the bullet and paid for on airport parking at Luton. This meant that we were able to leave home at 6.30am, get to the airport at 6.45am and by some sort of a miracle by 7.15am we were already through security and sat enjoying a second breakfast airside. Why isn’t it ever that fast when Bonn is going through there for work?

Edinburgh Tram

At the other end we took advantage of Edinburgh’s tram system. Just a short walk from the airport’s arrival hall is the tram stop and from there it takes you straight to Princes Street in just 30 minutes. It’s super convenient and not that expensive either. Master C had also been asking to travel on a tram somewhere for ages so it kept him rather happy.

We went to Edinburgh without any real plans as to what we’d do for the day so it was a bit of a case of just going with what we found once there. When we got off the tram we headed over towards the Royal Mile (via the Golden Arches for lunch!) and soon found ourselves part of the crowd for a street magician as part of the run up to the Edinburgh Fringe. The kids thought this was fantastic fun and thoroughly enjoyed this unexpected bit of entertainment.

Continuing up the Royal Mile we headed towards the castle, stopping off on our way at numerous souvenir shops so the kids could admire the various kilts on offer and the variety of Harry Potter merchandise that everywhere seems to sell.

Camera Obscura and World of Illusions

After admiring the castle from outside (I wasn’t nuts enough to pay to try to go round it with a baby in a pushchair!) we then headed back to the Camera Obscura and World of Illusions. Years ago I visited the Camera Obscura and thought it would be a fun thing for the kids to see. What I hadn’t banked on though was the amazing World of Illusions that it is now part of. I thought we’d stay there an hour or so and then head on to the Museum of Scotland. How wrong I was!

We ended up at the World of Illusions for the rest of the day. The kids thought it one of the most amazing places they’d ever been, and I’m inclined to agree with them. I’ll explain exactly why in a separate blog post – watch this space.

All too soon our day in Edinburgh was coming to an end and we hot-footed it back to Princes Street via a quick pizza and a wander down Victoria Street (supposedly JK Rowling’s inspiration for Diagon Alley) to pop in the various Harry Potter themed shops there.

Travel broadens the mind

I won’t deny that we only feel like we’ve scratched the surface with Edinburgh, but that just gives us an excuse to return again. The aim of the day was to give the kids an adventure, and that’s certainly what we achieved. From leaving Luton full of apprehension about what flying was going to be like, they returned confident flyers. Purposefully climbing the stairs of the aircraft at Edinburgh without even a backwards glance.

They say that one of the most important parts of parenting is giving your children experiences to help them in future life. I like to think that’s exactly what I achieved with this trip. After all, travel broadens the mind like nothing else.

Riding the Helter Skelter at Norwich Cathedral

August 14, 2019 by Penny Leave a Comment

As we set off towards the Norfolk coast for a weekend away we had vague plans to stop somewhere en route to break the journey up for the kids and to stretch our legs. We had no idea quite where we’d find to have that break, but as the radio news came on a slightly mad idea started to form. The SatNav was quickly reprogrammed for Norwich Cathedral and off we went!

But just what was it that we’d heard that suddenly made all 4 of us in the car able to talk determined to go to visit a cathedral? News of them placing a 50ft Helter Skelter in the nave of the cathedral was what swang it for us.

It’s fair to say that the response to this bold move has been somewhat mixed. There are people (both within the church community and outside) who think it is a brilliant idea. A great way of encouraging people into a cathedral that might mot normally go there. And a way of also creating noise and laughter in a place that is normally filled with hushed whispers and quiet prayer.

On the flip side there are also people (who mainly seem to be within the church community, but some outside it too) who believe that it is totally the wrong thing to do. Some even going as far as saying that it is disrespectful.

Personally I fall into the former camp. I’m not a religious person, but I admire those churches that do try and welcome the whole community into their place of worship. Whether that be to play crazy golf (as is apparently the case at Rochester), to watch a football match on a big screen, or to take a trip down a vintage Helter Skelter. I think that the silence and formality of many churches can put people off from stepping inside.

In Norwich’s case the Helter Skelter is part of their Seeing It Differently exhibition. It’s there, along side other activities to encourage visitors to look at the cathedral in a different way, in particular the roof bosses that people don’t usually get to be so close to.

The Helter Skelter itself is a beautiful vintage wooden one. Although it looks slightly bonkers sat there towering above everything else, it also has sufficient vintage charm to look strangely right there. I imagine that in darkness it will look even better when lit up.

Now, I’ve been on Helter Skelter before and generally don’t have a problem with heights or speed, but flipping heck it’s a ride and a half coming down. Firstly, there’s the slightly strange surroundings. You find yourself suddenly hurtling towards a stained glass window before twisting your way down towards a stone wall. It’s certainly one of the fastest heater shelters I’ve been on, and also one that really does throw you around a bit. It’s a completely exhilarating ride though and without meaning to I found myself screaming as I went down.

I did take a look up at the ceiling bosses whilst up there, although I also found it quite amusing that the volunteers at the top were busy explaining to so many visitors what ceiling bosses actually were. It seems being a kids when Blue Peter ran a competition to help design the new bosses to go on the repaired roof at York Minster after their devastating fire taught me something useful.

I’m so glad we happened to have the car radio on as we drove last week. Without it we wouldn’t have had what my kids simply describe as a “bonkersly brilliant” experience. Thanks Norwich!

Seeing It Differently runs from Thursday 8 August until Sunday 18 August 2019.

The helter skelter ride costs £2 per person. All the other Seeing It Differently installations are free.

General opening times for Seeing It Differently are 10am-5pm Monday to Saturday and 12 noon-3pm on Sundays.

The Little Mermaid, Copenhagen

July 3, 2019 by Penny Leave a Comment

When you think of the city of Copenhagen there’s one sight that all tourists make sure is on their holiday itinerary – The Little Mermaid.

Based on the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale of the same name, The Little Mermaid sits on a rock by the waterside at the Langelinie promenade in Copenhagen and has been there since it was unveiled in 1913. Many visitors are surprised by just how small the statue is. It measures only 1.25m tall and as you can’t actually get right up to the statue, viewing it from a distance really makes you aware of how small it is.

The bronze statue was the work of sculptor Edvard Eriksen but was commissioned in 1909 by Carl Jacobsen, son of the founder of Carlsberg. Jacobsen was fascinated by a ballet version of The Little Mermaid at Copenhagen’s Royal Theatre, and he asked the ballerina Ellen Price to model for the statue. Whilst she agreed (and the head of the statue is based on her) she refused to model in the nude, so the body of the mermaid is actually based on Eriksen’s wife Eline Eriksen.

Over the years the statue’s worldwide fame means it has become a target for both vandals and political activists. When you realise just how photographed it is you can understand why.

Whether tourists know of The Little Mermaid from the original fairy story, or whether they are younger and coming at it from the Disney angle, there is normally a throng of them on the waterfront trying to get a photograph of the statue. Just the number of tourists there means it can actually be quite hard to do so, especially if you’re trying to get a selfie with it, or trying to take a photograph of a family group with it. Cruise ships visiting Copenhagen dock not far away meaning that when a ship is in it can be particularly busy.

With The Little Mermaid located north of the centre of Copenhagen it is about a twenty minute walk from the busy Nyhavn area. It’s well worth the walk, not only to see the statue itself, but also the nearby fortress of Kastellet. Should you not want to walk that far some buses stop nearby, and Østerport Station is only a 15 minute walk away around the moats of Kastellet. Another option is to view the statue from the water. It might mean you don’t get the same angle for the photographs, but you do get a good view. Most of the canal tours take in The Little Mermaid, or you also have the option of renting your own electric boat or kayak.

Copenhagen – a tale of pushchairs and plastic

June 29, 2019 by Penny Leave a Comment

As you’ll have worked out from my last post, Tube Stop Baby and I have been over in Copenhagen for a week. Bonn had a work thing over there so we decided to tag along and take in some of the Danish capital. There are plenty of blog posts coming up about specific things that we did and places that we visited, but I wouldn’t be a proper travel blogger if I didn’t talk a bit about some of the things that we noticed in Copenhagen. The things that made us stop and talk about what we’d experienced.

There were two surprising things that really stood out for me in Copenhagen. Their attitudes to pushchairs and plastic.

When you think of Copenhagen, and Scandinavia more generally (and yes, I know that not everyone considers Denmark to be part of Scandinavia, but it is right next door!) you think of countries that are very eco minded and also family friendly. There were plenty of signs of both of these being the case in Copenhagen, but also a few things that totally went against it.

Let’s start with the eco side of things. One thing that we really noticed in Copenhagen was how many electric scooters were literally abandoned all over the city. They have various schemes there like we do “Boris bikes” in London where people can pick up an electric scooter and hire it by the hour, or for a set distance. Once they’ve finished they simply seem to be abandoned for someone else to pick up. The whole city is full of people on scooters or cycling. It’s obvious how that must cut down on motor vehicles.

Here in the UK we’ve had a bit of a plastic revolution in the last couple of years. Everyone is very conscious about the effects of single use plastics and their use has been reduced dramatically. Plastic straws are hardly seen now and if you ask for a straw you’re normally given a paper one. It therefore came as a bit of a shock when we went to a restaurant, ordered a soft drink each and they both came with a plastic straw in them. McDonalds over there is also still using plastic straws. A visit to the local coffee chain for an iced tea also resulted in it coming in a plastic cup, with an unnecessary domed lid and plastic straw. Did Denmark not get the memo about unnecessary plastic use?

Plastic wasn’t the only thing that shocked me though. Everywhere we went TSB and I were made to feel very welcome, but getting placed with a pushchair wasn’t all that easy. I’ll forgive them for the cobbled street, but the number of places that simply had no ramp access got rather frustrating. Yet at the same time, it was a luxury to have a whole Metro network that was accessible.

There’s a bit of a thing in Denmark (and the rest of Scandinavia) where people are happy to leave a sleeping baby in a pram outside a shop. It’s not something that we do here in the UK anymore and to be honest I didn’t feel comfortable doing so more than to quickly run into an ice cream shop to get something to try to cool me down.

Despite this local way of doing things it left me feeling incredibly frustrated when we visited Tivoli Gardens one evening. Tivoli has to be Copenhagen’s biggest attraction, but don’t try and visit any of their restaurants with a pram or pushchair. You’ll be told you can’t take them in. Even to the outside areas. Even if you have a baby that is not big enough for one of their highchairs. Even if there is plenty of space and it’s not yet busy for the evening.

Apparently this is all down to Health and Safety. Yet this is Tivoli where the H&S rules do allow you to walk right under a rollercoaster that is looping the loop.

I understand that not every restaurant can accommodate pushchairs, but the fact that not a single one could, left us feeling frustrated, and very unwelcome. A strange feeling in a family attraction. We ended up going outside Tivoli to eat (to a restaurant that would happily accept us and our pushchair) and then going back in.

That wasn’t the only place where having a pushchair left me feeling incredibly unwelcome. I walked to the National Aquarium from the nearest Metro station and followed the signs for the entrance only to be met with a large flight of stairs and no sign of where to go for ramp access. It turns out that there was a ramp, but you had to walk into the disabled car park and go from there. I only discovered that by wandering around until I found it. Not once did I see a sign. I’m pretty sure that quite a few people with pushchairs must get their by public transport and want a ramp to get in.

Inside the aquarium I again got caught out when I tried to go to the outside section. The main signposted door was open took you outside, but then I was faced with a set of steps to get any further. It took me a while to find a second door to outside. This one though was heavy and required me to push it open. Whilst pushing a pushchair. Errr. Why?

A similar thing happened at Copenhagen Zoo. There were baby changing facilities, but you had to go through a heavy door to get to them. Also behind that heavy door was a disabled toilet. The disabled toilet however had a button you cold press to open the door automatically for you. However, you had to get through the heavy manual door first to get to this button!

The final (plastic) straw had to be when I tried to return home via Copenhagen airport. At check in I was informed that my travel pushchair (which is incredibly light) wasn’t allowed to be taken to the gate (as it had been at Gatwick with the same airline!) as Health and Safety wouldn’t allow it. Instead I had to check it in at oversized baggage and carry TSB through security in a sling. It meant I left Copenhagen with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth (along with a pain in my back and shoulders!). I felt somewhat alienated for trying to get around alone with a baby. Not by the people I encountered, who were in the main lovely and helpful, but by the infrastructure and rules. This wasn’t at all what I had expected from Denmark at all.

It’s likely that we will return to Copenhagen as Bonn’s work may require us to do so, so I really hope this was just a blip by this family friendly eco conscious country.

Flying with a baby – taking a seven month old to Copenhagen

June 24, 2019 by Penny Leave a Comment

Flying with a baby. It seems to be one of the subjects that attracts the most questions on parenting forums across the internet. What are you able to take with you? How do you carry your baby? How do you stop them screaming for the whole flight? I can’t promise to have all the answers, but what I can do is share our experiences with you.

When she was just seven months old we took Tube Stop Baby with us on a work trip to Copenhagen. This was the first time she had flown and we were intrigued to see what she would make of the whole experience. The flight time was about an hour and a half and we flew with Norwegian from London Gatwick Airport to Copenhagen, and back again five days later.

How much baggage can a baby carry?

The first thing I would advise is planning. Travel as light as you possibly can, but at the same time make sure you have everything you need. Each airline varies in terms of baggage allowance for an infant who is travelling on a parents lap. In our case she got no carry on allowance, but was allowed 5kg in the hold which could either be a separate bag, or added on to the weight allowed for our bag. We were also allowed to have an extra stroller and car seat in the hold. More on those in a minute though. Airlines are normally very clear about what you can take for a baby. Just ask them if you’re unclear.

Carrying milk and baby food on a flight

In our carry on luggage we made sure we had a few toys to keep her entertained, what we needed for nappy changes, a couple of muslins and the milk and food that we would need for the journey. Despite all the rules about liquids being carried on flights you are allowed to take milk and pureed food for babies. The wording suggests that it is as much as is required for the journey. We formula feed so I took water in three bottles and a powder dispenser to be able to make up three bottles worth. I also carried about four pouches of pureed food for her too.

When you go through security you will need to separate out all liquids before your bags are scanned, and the same is the case for baby milk and pureed food. I put all the pouches in a clear plastic bag so I could pull them out quickly, and also took out the three bottles. As expected when the tray went through the scanner it was diverted to be inspected. The official simply saw I was travelling with a baby and he took the three bottles and a couple of randomly chosen pouches of food away to be tested. This only took a couple of minutes and involved them putting the bottles and pouches in some fancy machine which was obviously testing to make sure they were what I’d said they were. The whole process only took about ten minutes longer than usual.

As we went through her pushchair was also checked over by an official and as her and her dad beeped when they went though the metal detector an official just checked her over whilst her dad went through the next stage of scanner. The whole process was quick and relatively simple and painless.

Pushchairs, strollers and baby carriers

For the outbound flight we were able to keep her pushchair with us until the gate. At that stage we had to collapse it and leave it with staff before we went down to board the plane. I took with us an Ergobaby carrier and simply put her in that once I got her out of the pushchair. This gave me my hands free for bags etc whilst getting on the plane.

I would very highly recommend taking a baby carrier of some type with you. When you land you normally don’t get your pushchair back until baggage reclaim, so if you have a sling or carrier then you can keep the baby in that as you go through passport control and get to baggage reclaim. Trying to hold a baby in your arms whilst getting off a plane and hanging on to your passport isn’t easy!

When we flew back from Copenhagen it was just me and the baby and unfortunately, despite flying with the same airline, the rules were suddenly different and we were told that our buggy had to immediately go to excess baggage and be checked in that way. Thank goodness I had the sling and a newly purchased comfortable rucksack on my bag with everything in as otherwise I would have really struggled going through the airport.

After security we were able to pick up a free mini-luggage trolly that had a child seat in it. Luckily TSB is 7 months old and could sit up in it. Otherwise I’d have had to carry her the whole time.

The other advantage of having the sling was that when she needed to take a quick power nap as we waited at the gate she could.

Infant belt

When travelling on your knee you get an extra infant belt for your baby. You feed your seat belt through this, and then close their belt with the usual aeroplane mechanism. If you’re in any doubt as to how it works ask a member of staff on the plane. It is also likely that they will provide you with an infant life-raft and instructions as to how and when it should be used.

Keeping baby comfortable during the flight

For most babies the white noise on the plane helps them sleep. The only time that TSB got upset (apart from when she tried to steal the Kit Kat from the lady in the next seat) was when the pressure made her ears hurt on take off and landing. The simple solution to this is to get your baby to take milk at those points in the flight. This could either be through breast feeding or from a bottle. Whichever it is the act of sucking and swallowing will help them balance the pressure as the plane gains or loses altitude.

Our experiences

The only part of our actual journey that was hard work was when I unexpectedly didn’t have the pushchair up to the game in Copenhagen on our return journey. Had there been two adults it wouldn’t have been as difficult, but on my own it was tough. Luckily lots of other passengers offered to help at various points, but it did really show me the value of a good sling and packing light and in an organised fashion.

I certainly don’t feel as daunted by the whole process anymore, but at the same time, if I can make sure I’m not travelling alone with her next time it will be far easier!

Disclaimer: All mine and TSB’s flights were paid for by us. All choices regarding airline was down to recommendations and flight times. All products mentioned were paid for by us. We received nothing for writing this post. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them I will receive something but it will cost you nothing more.

Tube Stop Baby: Chesham

June 10, 2019 by Penny Leave a Comment

Chesham is the most far flung place you can get to on the London Underground. Located out in Zone 9, the station is actually in the County of Buckinghamshire and it is 25 miles fro Charing Cross. This makes it the furthest station from central London. Chesham is also 3.89 miles from the next station on the line, Chalfont and Latimer, which is the longest distance between adjacent stations on the whole of the Underground network.

The station building is Grade II listed building and it was originally opened in 1889 by the Metropolitan Railway as their temporary northern terminus. The plan had been to extend the line further across the Chilterns towards Tring, to join up with the mainline there. Before work started though an alternative route was chosen going via Aylesbury.

From Chesham you can get a direct Metropolitan Line train into central London every thirty minutes. Services weren’t always that regular though, and up until December 2010 in off-peak times Chesham was only served by a 4-car shuttle service from Chalfont and Latimer.

Today the station has one working platform, but you can see the remains of an old second platform that is now a pretty garden. This platform as closed in November 1970.

When you see the floral arrangements on it today it’s therefore no wonder that the waiting room at the station is full of certificates from the London Underground Station Gardens competition.

There’s also a plaque you can spot outside showing that in 1993 it was the Winning Garden in the Station Garden Competition.

Chesham is also one of the few stations where I’ve seen a Bicycle Store on the platform.

If you’re looking out for interesting details then make sure you spot the station’s 1993 First Class Heritage Award above the suggestions box in the ticket office.

The nearby signal box is also listed and a beautifully kept example of the period.

Tube Stop Baby Facts – Chesham

Date of visit: 16 March 2019

Underground Line(s): Metropolitan

Zone: 9

If you want to know more about our Tube Stop Baby Challenge then pop over here and have a read.