Destinations

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.

Riding an upcycled D-stock from Ridgmont to Bletchley – the Martson Vale Line

May 27, 2019 by Penny Leave a Comment

The idea of needing to recycle and upcycle is everywhere at the moment. And understandably so. What not everyone realises though is that it’s not just things at home that can be recycled. Have you ever thought about recycling a train? Those people at Vivarail have. That’s exactly what they’ve done with their new Class 230s. They’re upcycled D-stock trains that previously used to run on the London Underground.

Upcycled trains

It’s really a fascinating bit of engineering where they have been converted from electric trains that take power from a third rail into diesel two car units.

The Marston Vale line, a community rail partnership run by London Northwestern that goes between Bedford and Bletchley, has three of these two car units (one to go in each direction, and a spare). I’m pretty sure any London Underground fan wants to go and ride them, just as much as they do the Island Line vintage trains down on the Isle of Wight.

We decided to take a trip along part of the Marston Vale line with the kids, partly as as way of making a trip to Bletchley Park more attractive to my six year old, London Underground and train loving son. It did the trick. The idea of an upcycled D-stock, or as he put it a “recycled underground train” made it a very attractive option. We decided to start our journey at Ridgmont Station, which is conveniently located extremely close to the M1 at junction 13.

Ridgmont Station

I’d heard of Ridgmont before and wanted to go and suss the place out before a return trip with less children. It is an unstaffed station, but one with a small heritage centre and shop, as well as a well respected tea rooms. We will be back to do the place justice in the future.

The other thing that made me choose it as a place to start our journey was the convenient car park just across the tracks. It may not be large, but by the time we returned to our car we were the only ones parked there. And it was free too!

At the moment you can’t buy tickets at the station (the Heritage Centre don’t sell them, but the staff there are incredibly useful at answering any train related questions you might have) but we spotted a ticket machine under wraps on one of the platforms, so I’m guessing it’s coming soon. For now though you buy tickets on the train itself from the onboard staff. They can accept credit cards and railcards on board much as you can at any ticket office.

What’s a class 230 like?

The trains themselves look incredibly smart, and although their basic structure is recognisable from the District Line, the differences are remarkable.

Firstly, the ability to squeeze in a Diesel engine. I guess it makes you realise just how big all the electric motors originally were. The new livery looks incredibly smart though, and to those not in the know I don’t think you’d guess that you were on something up cycled.

Inside the train there are a few hints to what went before. The doors between the two units are obviously to anyone that has travelled on older underground trains. The sideways seating that is used in part of the train is also a bit of a giveaway. Elsewhere in the train though they’ve put in usual “airline” seating and even a few tables too. A far cry from what people used to put up with on the District Line.

Another nice addition is charging points. The tables and airline seats have proper three pin plugs, but the sideways seating has USB ports at the base of the arm rests. Perfect for commuters who needy to give their phone a quick burst of charge.

The other thing they’ve squeezed in is an on-train toilet. Even though I have to admit that it did seem to smell a bit on the train we were on!

The outside of them all has been very artistically decorated with images of Bletchley Park, not just the Manor House, but also the Bombe computer too. How they’ve managed it though is quite impressive. The D-stock feels a whole lot more spacious than it ever used to and you really do feel like you are travelling on more than just a two car unit.

Bletchley Park

The real purpose behind our trip was to get to Bletchley so that we could do a family trip to Bletchley Park. This amazing slice of WW2 history is located just a short walk away from Bletchley Station and is well worth a visit. Bletchley played a pivotal, very secret, role in the war and it’s only over the last 20 or so years that the full truth has come out as to what went on there. The museum itself is incredible. Full of fascinating information and making full use of modern day technology to tell the story of Bletchley Park. We feel like we only scratched the surface after a couple of hours there and we will definitely be back for a return visit. Especially since your ticket is valid for a whole 12 months. If you’re an English Heritage member you can even get 20% off the admission price. Once we’ve been back expect to see a much more detailed account of our visit here on Penny Travels.

Once our visit was over though it was back on the train to Ridgmont. It seems the Marston Vale line is actually far busier than I expected it to be, with many people using it as part of their regular commute to and from work. As a visitor though it felt well worth the trip to see just how it is possible to upcycle a train and surely it’s somewhere you just have to visit if you’re a proper London Underground fan.

Colourscape at Waddesdon Manor

May 22, 2019 by Penny Leave a Comment

We never need much of an excuse to visit Waddesdon Manor. This wonderful National Trust property belonged to the Rothchild family and is an amazing chateau style building packed with history and fantastic architecture. The gardens look beautiful throughout the year and to keep the children happy there is an amazing hillside playground that suits all ages. What I wasn’t expecting during a visit last year was the amazing, unique spectacle that is Colourscape.

It’s hard to explain exactly what Colourscape is, but I’ll try my best. Really though it is one of those things that you just have to experience for yourself.

What is Colourscape?

In short, Colourscape is 56 interlinked colourful chambers that visitors walk through. It’s a bit like being inside a maze of tents, but please don’t let that clumsy description put you off. The you arrived you take off your shoes and are also asked to wear a coloured cloak like garment.

As you walk through the entrance and into the first the colourful chambers your senses start to get confused. the colour of the chamber combined with the light effects m can that everything starts to take on different colours. Some of the cloak colours mean that some visitors start to bland in with the chamber they’re stood in, whilst others look like they’re wearing different colours.

Walking from chamber to chamber you start to feel a little disorientated. Have you been through this bit before? What colour is this? Being barefoot you can feel the ground under the “tent” floor beneath your feet and it reminded me of holidays. The overall feeling is somewhat magical.

In one chamber (the only one with natural light) there are a group of musicians, and their music is piped through the whole Colourscape structure, making your visit one for all the senses.

What age is Colourscape for?

In our group we had my then five year old son, my teenage step-daughter, right up to my mum in her mid-seventies. All of us absolutely loved it. I saw toddlers going around transfixed by the colours and how everything looked different. Colourscape really is for the whole family.

Over a year later we still talk about this particular visit to Waddesdon and just how magical it was. I’m delighted to see that Colourscape is returning to Waddesdon this year (25 May – 2 June 2019) and urge you to go and visit this amazing colourful world for yourself.

Colourscape – the facts

Colourscape is at Waddesdon Manor from 25 May to 2 June 2019. More details can be found here. Please note that the charge for Colourscape is on top of the standard Waddesdon entry fee (which is waived if you are a National Trust member). It is £5 for adults and £3 for children.