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The Bucks Dad

Days out with my boy in Bucks and the surrounding areas.

19/11/2023

🦁 We saw one of the last showings of at .theatre over the weekend and we’re so glad we did! 🦓

🎭 All of the actors were amazing, the scenery was amazing, the lighting was great and the sound was at a perfect level. Everyone had all done such a good job here!

🎤 I was particularly impressed with all the songs- sometimes the music can overshadow the voices, but it was at the right level and all the singing and songs were great.

Big shout out to King Julian and all his friends- we were all up dancing with him. Marty and Alex were our firm favourites though!

We’re so lucky we get class performances like this coming to Aylesbury. Please can we have more of these please. Seen in Oxford and in MK next year. The Waterside do such a good job of hosting big shows.

Make sure to catch Madagascar the Musical on their tour- they’re heading up North for a bit now but will be back down in Oxford in April.

16/11/2023

First time visiting and absolutely loving it!

We took advantage of our and headed over when we were in the area. We booked this, sea world and cadburys world altogether. We spent about 3 hours here and still felt we could do more- which we can as we have the passes!

It’s centred in the middle of Birmingham and next to a large car park so easy enough to get too. It’s also a couple minute walk next to so you can definitely combine these days out.

It’s suited for younger children (adults going need to be accompanied with a kid) but my 11 year old still loved it. It has a couple of small rides- we enjoyed the shooting one, but Merlin’s Apprentice was too small.

Mini land was amazing, controversial but I think it was better than Windsor’s one even though it’s much smaller. As it was inside it meant the light could be controlled which made for cool dark scenes. Also, as it was smaller it meant they could theme it out more.

Inside the main hall is a vast array of hands of Lego activities. This is what we loved. They also ran little competitions on the day so you could build something and win a prize- this was pretty cool.

It also had a 4d cinema, a soft play and a cafe inside. It was a small and intimate place but packed full of loads to do. We loved it here and will def be back!!

14/11/2023

🎄 Getting into the festive spirit and visiting up in Christmas Common.

We like to pop in here before it gets too busy and buy a couple of decorations, one of our xmas traditions. This place Christmas personified. Floor to ceiling Christmas trees, lights and decorations!

There were lots of different styles: from traditional to Barbie! Lots of then prices were reasonable. We bought a little gonk ladder with lots of little gonks on for £12.99, an advent calendar for £4.50 and a lovely felt tree decoration for £6. There are more expensive ones of course, but we felt the prices were either in line or below everywhere else.

This is a lovely place to get Xmas trees as well, who wouldn’t want to get their tree and decorations from a place called The Tree Barn in Christmas Common!

12/11/2023

🍺 This club is too good not to share!

I met these guys at and they invited me down to their Brewery in Brill for one of their members day. For just £10 for members, £20 for non-members, you could have your pint glass filled with whatever you like from their tap room from 2-7!

They’re a long standing brewery who’ve come under new ownership in recent years. These guys were great to speak too as not only did they know their stuff, they’ve kept lots of their heritage ales like Gravitas (a firm favourite of mine from years of playing rugby locally). But they’ve also introduced some new IPAs and Pilsners like Vale Skyhopper and Wingman. You get the best of both worlds here.

Now the beer club: literally the best! For an annual membership of £60 a year you receive this beautiful growler- yes, that’s its name! You get to refill this 3.3 pint beauty once a month from their tap room. That’s worth the cost alone. But you also receive a brewery tour with a friend, 10% off drinks in their tap room or online and you get invited to their members days. These have live music, food trucks and all round good vibes. The price cascades down every 3 months as it starts in July. So for November the cost is £45 until July. This gets you 9 growlers refills and all the above- perfect price range for xmas gifting!

Go and check these guys out https://valebrewery.co.uk

09/11/2023

My kid had so much fun at Elite Youth Sports holiday camps over the holidays. As much as I like spending time with him, it’s great to know he can go off and do his own thing happily.

They run a range of different activities though out the day. What I liked was that they gave a schedule of the special event that they were doing for the week e.g. zorbing one day and laser quest another. This gave my son some idea of what to expect and also he could choose a day that suited him.

All of the staff were very welcoming and friendly, by the sounds of things they set clear boundaries to the kids in a nice way, so they all knew the rules. This meant the games were fun as they were played fairly according to my son (sure he cheated in some of them though!) Sometimes these sorts of clubs can be a free for all which can frustrate my kid, so nice to know Elite Youth had staff to maintain some order but also be kind and have fun with the kids!

On this day he did lots of sports like football and dodgeball but he also did some creative activities like making a Halloween masks. He enjoyed laser quest the best though! Throughout the week they had loads of interesting stuff to do.

They have lots of venues throughout Oxfordshire and have some camps over the Christmas hols- will be much needed for kids to burn off some energy! They also do parties as well. Check out their website for more info and a venue close to you and the good value pricing that they have as well https://www.eliteyouthsports.co.uk

05/11/2023

🔥 Wow Black Pit Brewery, that’s all I can say 🔥

There’s not many events that have bonfires with their fireworks anymore, let alone big ones, let alone ones that have an amazing wooden sculpture to burn!

🎡 We’d seen this advertised a few weeks back and were kindly invited down to view the spectacle. It’s set next to Silverstone in a brewery (automatic 👍🏻 for me). They had fairground rides, food trucks (yes please waffles and Buddha bowls) marshmallow roasting (this was free for the kids, great touch) and their own beer!

🌧️ Just like most places, the ground was saturated and it took a while to get in. However, they got everyone in, the staff were all very helpful and they planned well for it. They could’ve easily have cancelled but they adapted, have the people what they wanted and kept the show going!

🗿 So glad they did, because what a show! The massive Moai head was the centre piece. They had live music to set the mood and fire performers before the show. All very light hearted but definitely gave off Wickerman vibes 😆 They then projected a light show onto the head paired with dramatic sounds and music. Quite the start.

💥Then the fireworks went off behind it. Having this ethereal effigy at the centre with the fireworks above was great. We’ve not seen anything like it!

🔥 The Moai head was then set ablaze at the end. The whole crowd watched, like you do with a fire, with sombre satisfaction. I swear watching a fire provides some point of internal introspection.

A good firework display is always amazing. This was another level stuff. Make sure to bookmark this event and go next year. They sold out so get your tickets in early. Our visit their tap rooms for their food beer!

30/10/2023

👻 Alton Towers Scarefest 😈

🎃 You’re hit with a stunning pumpkin walkway when you enter the park. Everything is Halloween themed and some things are very spooky. Alton Towers is quite gothic so it’s well suited for Halloween.

We took advantage of our Merlin Passes and made our trip up early to be in early. Seems like everyone made this decision as well 😆 The park was busy! We did manage to get on a few big rides, but quite a few were closed early on and some didn’t open (oblivion 😢 didn’t open all day).

There were plenty of shows to watch throughout the day so there were things to do other than queue. We did some paid scare mazes as well. We did The Attic which was in the Towers. It was £9 each, expensive but class! Great story, well themed and great actors! Our second one was burial grounds- this was ace!

🌙 However, the main winner was doing the rides in the dark! We were able to do two a couple- Smiler was too long though. One for next year!

We had a great time and well worth the travel.

Thanks,

Max

29/10/2023

🏰 I must say, we do love Warwick Castle. It’s down the M40 for us and we use our Merlin Passes for it.

🎃 They had lots of Halloween stuff like the Haunted Hollows, Kingmaker escape room, Halloween show in the main courtyard and castle ghost hunt.

🦅 They also had their usual bird show and the trebuchet launch as well. As well was this, you could pay extra for the kids to do some jousting and archery. You can also@take advantage of the Zog playground and the Horrible History maze.

That being said, my son is becoming too old for Warwick- it feels like they are catering more for families with younger kids. They have some great shows, but these have stayed the same for years so again my son knows what to expect. If we didn’t have Merlin’s passes I’m not sure we’d visit especially when compared to Blenhejm’s trail down the road.

This place holds a special place in our heart as it’s the first proper Halloween event my son and I went too- we’re hoping they add some more things aimed at older children and change up their shows for 2023. We might see what Christmas is like there.

🧟‍♂️🧛‍♀️That being said, the actors were great and the staff are always friendly. If you haven’t been it’s definitely a good day out and would highly recommend!

28/10/2023

🍁 Taking advantage of our National Trust membership and having a wander around Waddesdon.

We go so many times just for a break from the day, but always nice visiting with the wide range of events they put on for the kids.

🕷️ Theyve had loads on this week, like Zoo Lab visiting. They’re busy working up to Christmas as well and will have even more on them.

🩻 We did the skeleton trail, a route we know well, like walking past the flat caves (the caves you see used to be keeping their goats safe!) It was fun looking at all the skeletons, what they were upto, solving the trail and learning about all the names for the different bones.

🏆 The prize at the end was pretty good as well. Loving all the cool tent/marquees everyone seems to be using this year as well! There was also some games to play.

🎟️ Entry is included in your membership and the skeleton trail was £3 (I think). You do need to pay for the bus or you walk up. Was a nice way to spend the morning.

27/10/2023

Wow Blenheim! This trail was 🔥!

We’ve heard so much about Blenheim’s light trails we had to give their Halloween one a try!

🎃 It did not disappoint. From stunning sculptures, electrifying lights and awesome actors- it had it all!

⏰ Tickets are timed so there wasn’t a queue when we went. It was busy which provided a great atmosphere but also not so busy that we felt rushed, crammed or didn’t enjoy it!

You were greeted by headless horseman from the start and this set the tone for how good it was.

Their were actors around the trail, they interacted with the visitors and there was pyro performers as well! They were awesome! There was even Dracula handing out Hotel Chocolat!

The trail took us over an hour. There was some little rides at the start as well as food trucks.

We can’t wait for the Christmas lights now which are meant to be even bigger and better!

🙏 Thank you Blenheim for a stunning evening!

26/10/2023

👻 We couldn’t not pay a visit to the Hellfire caves over Halloween!

Situated in West Wycombe, under the Witches ball, under the Chilterns, are the Hellfire Caves!

Drenched in history, these are great fun to have a wander down on any day but they’ve dec’d it out for Halloween! The perfect setting for Halloween fun.

We’ve been coming here for the past few years, there were younger kids walking around (about 5 and up), so even though it’s gruesome, during the day is fine for kids.

They do scary nights after dark and I’m sure these are a different story- can’t wait for mine to be a bit older to try this!

🎟️ Tickets are £10.50, 3 people are £24 and 4 are £34 (I don’t understand the pricing strategy here!) There is a trail to solve on the way round and you get a little sweet. There’s a courtyard cafe to get a sweet treat as well.

We spent about an hour here, so it is expensive, but you can also climb to the top of the hill to see the sights and see the church up top and also do some pumpkin picking at the new walled garden cafe at the car park as well. This is a great experience though and well worth giving a go.

25/10/2023

🍁 Half term is a great time to make use of your National Trust membership. We’re very luck in Bucks to have so many close by with large grounds or situated in the countryside. This shows the autumn colours in all its splendour.

We visited Hughenden Manor on a sunny morning after the rain. As always, we’re greeted by lovely staff and volunteers- they’re always so nice!

🍏 We had a short walk down to the manor and they had apple tasting on today, so we got to try and buy lots of varieties.

🌿 We then ventured into the walled garden and read all the potion making signs next to the plants. At the end, you can make your own little potion with herbs from the garden.

☕️ We had some drinks and cake from the courtyard cafe and went into the manor.

🎩 This place is always fascinating. It tells two stories of Benjamin Disraeli and covert RAF involvement in WWII. We learn something new each time we visit. There was also some Victorian dress up today as well!

🎟️ Entry and activities included in your national trust membership, which tbf if you live in Bucks you should probably have as these places have loads on throughout the year and they’re great places to visit anyway!

24/10/2023

🐺 Visiting Chessington World of Adventures for their Howloween. 🐺

We’re onto the third Merlin Park for their Halloween season and hitting up their mid-family park- Chessington. This park is great for kids that are just starting to get into faster rides. Vampire 🧛‍♂️ was the first big ride my kid went on a few years ago and he’s been loving the faster coasters!

👯 They’ve got a few shows on, mostly in the hour, we loved the fire and ice show. The dancers were great and the effects, music, we’re all awesome!

⚰️ They had a scare maze as well- free to enter and it wasn’t busy. Was only a couple of minutes round. My son enjoyed it in the day, wouldn’t go in it in the dark though. The tunnel at the end was scary- the actors were great as well.

🚪 They had a trick or treat event which you needed to book. £10 for kids and £8 for adults. Kids got most of the chocolate, which tbf was more than I expected. The parents got some as well (for £8 you would expect so!) Would’ve been better if parents could just es**rt the kids round.

🎃 There was plenty of theming and the park looked great. We’re passholders and an hour down the road so we went for the afternoon and evening. You could easily spend the day here. Yes- it’s proper busy so we didn’t go on a lot of the rides. Benefit of being a pass holder though.

🎢 The real winner here is going on the rides after dark. We just about squeezed on to Mandrill Mayhem through the single rider queue as it was difficult to book a slot through the app. So glad we did as it was amazing!

🧙‍♂️ This was a great way to spend a sunny afternoon. There’s plenty to break up the day here for the kids: the aquarium, zoo, shows and a couple of indoor parks. Full credit goes to the dancers on this visit- they were 🔥

23/10/2023

We do love Hobbledown Heath. This place was built by parents who wanted something properly exciting for their kids. Parents who wanted huge adventure playgrounds where kids could run and use their imaginations- this place does not disappoint!

🎃 We were invited down to have a play and try out their Halloween activities. They had a Halloween trail where you needed to unscramble the letters. These displays were lovely! They also had lots of Halloween theming as well.

🔥 The best part was all the shows. The storytelling and dancing wasn’t up my 11 year olds street but he loved the science show and insect feast 🤢

They have three huge adventure playground. I mean, one by itself would be impressive, but three! Always go on them and always get stuck 😆 They also have lots of bouncy pillows and water pillows as well. These are my favourite part of an adventure park and adults are allowed on! The weather was so nice that you could use all their water ply stuff as well!

🦅 We saw the bird show and meerkat feeding- the bird show was amazing, we got so close to them. The guys were incredible. There’s lots of animals to see around.

There is a huge soft play inside, it’s massive! In here is a decent cafe with the usual rubbish kids will only eat but at ok prices.

🎟️ tickets start from £18 each. This is a property day trip in London so this is not too bad especially with the half term shows. It’s perfect for kids and adults if all ages! Top marks for Hobbledown!

22/10/2023

💥 Fancy trying Tuff Nutterz inside? 💥

Yes- Tuff Nutterz, the UKs largest inflatable obstacle course is back in our area, this time inside!

☔️ You don’t need to worry about your half term plans being rained off as it’s inside a huge airline hanger at Bicester Heritage. Quite cool watching some of the planes taking off here!

😎 You can either join in with the kids and run around or sit back and chill. It might be inside but you will chill so bring warm clothes if you’re not joining in 🥶

🥵 The kids will get hot doing it, shorts are great, but even better having loose trousers or leggings as when you go down the big slide you might get a little friction burn. You’ll definitely get a mega we**ie 😂 Remember the friction socks as well!

🍲 There was a couple of food trucks inside which served meals, snacks and hot drinks.

🎟️ £25 full access (includes big slide). £20 normal. Groups 4 and over is £15 pp, Under 5s get a free parent. They regularly run deals so check their socials!

21/10/2023

👻 Our first Thorpe Park Fright Night! 👻

I love Halloween- remember growing up in America and it being crazy over there. So many decorations, events and scare walkthroughs! It’s great to see how the UK has caught up massively over the past 10 years.

🎃 Thorpe Park Fright Night is great for scare walk through as, or scare mazes. And for my son, who’s dipping his toe very tentatively into this, it was a great intro.

🎟️ We’re Merlin Pass holders, this has been our 5th visit to Thorpe Park this year- this was a very welcome event to mix things up. There was a few scare mazes that were free as well as live actors and shows. The dancing Lucifer’s were great!

Getting to do the free mazes in the day was great as it meant it was less scary for my kid and was free, so wouldn’t have felt gutted at paying and him pelting it out of there if he didn’t like it (been there before 😢)

However, he loved it. It was more 80% fun to 20% scary in the day for these mazes. Perfect ratio- the actors were great and yes they get close, but don’t touch you. Hats off to them, they were great.

There are other paid for scare mazes to do- these looked more scary, but also more fun. I’m 100% I’ll get my then 12 year old on (they say 13 minimum age but it’s down to you) and hopefully in a few years to do it in the dark!

Thorpe Park- becoming one of the best thrill seeker theme parks in the U.K., we’ll be back next you for Hyperion!

20/10/2023

Got to love these moody autumn skies for a pumpkin patch!

We headed over to Rectory Farm PYO last weekend. It’s a place we’ve been going to for the past few years and always have a good time.

📷 My 11 year old still likes to push the wheelbarrow and will sit (just about) for a photo with me as well! Which is great, as this place has loads of photo ops.

It’s a working pick your own so there’s a nice established farm shop, cafe and play park as well as toilets.

🎟️ Entry was £5 but they have deals on throughout the week. Included in this is a tractor ride (if the fields aren’t too wet), shows, a little corn maze and games inside. You can also purchase a forest school session- this looked pretty cool.

🎃 There were tons of pumpkins, lots of varieties and all at a good value. Still managed to pick an expensive one though. They base on weight and they check at the end- would be good if they either had scales close by when picking or changed to size.

They had people in character helping direct and entertain. They were all very friendly. The show was aimed at younger kids but was fun.

🥛 The best part for my son was the milk machine- they had pumpkin spice syrup. This was lovely! We take our bottles down each time we go!

This was another fun visit and it’s nice to see how they add things each year. Hopefully I can get my son to go for another few years!

17/10/2023

Boating at Cliveden. We’ve seen the river at Cliveden but never ventured down. We’re glad we did as we’d never have known about Boating Cliveden.

🛶 we had an hour self drive one of their electric boats down the river. Honestly did know what to expect, but not this. It was luxurious, honestly so impressed with how lush it was. Leather passenger seats around a table with the captains wheel at the back. I felt very royal driving this!

We were given a safety talk at the start and shown how to use the boat. It was very simple and it doesn’t go fast. You’re given a number to call for safety but more reassurance (didn’t ever feel we needed it).

We went up towards Boulters lock and then towards Cookham lock. We passed a glorious sight of the house and many beautiful buildings along the way.

It was a truly tranquil experience and one that both my son and myself enjoyed. The house passed very quickly and you could quite easily spend the afternoon here.

They also other skippered cruises, rowing boats and canoes boats as well. A hour experience costs £58 for 5 people. Rowing and canoes cost £25 an hour or a pedal boat for £35. Full details on their website www.boatingcliveden.co.uk.

Cannot recommend this experience enough. If you’ve been to Cliveden loads then give this a go!

15/10/2023

🌸 Lillingstone PYO 🎃

Set just outside of Buckingham is a gorgeous pick your own. We’d never been before and heard good things. We were greeted with quite dramatic, autumnal skies with a dash of rain. All fitting for our October day!

🎟️ £8 entry for every car meant good family value for your day out. There was plenty to do: climb hay bales, complete the Halloween themed games, Maize Maze, tractor rides, marshmellows and of course plenty of gorgeous photo ops! Oh yes- and pumpkins!

🎃 They had 30 varieties of pumpkins and gourds. They had some proper big ones here as well! They also had some goats to feed and cute pigs.

All this was had a gorgeous backdrop as well. They had a place to get some coffee and cake to sip on your way round. The staff were all very friendly as well!

🎃

14/10/2023

Ever wondered what’s on the other side of Stowe Gardens? Or fancied having a look inside the house?

Well- bows your chance! are holding a special event and hosting one of Luke Jarram’s awe inspiring exhibits from 15th October-26th October. Tickets priced at £, with timed entry, it’s well worth a trip!

We were kindly invited down for the opening night and we were very impressed. The walk up and entrance is stunning in itself, it the enjoy in the hall was amazing. There was beanbags to lie on enjoy the sight up. Gentle, earthly music played around and added to the overall ambience of it all.

We learnt that the enjoy itself was inspired by a student and their teacher- it’s great to see how it all turned out! It hits home an important message about looking after our Earth.

It’s on now so get there quick! There’s activity cards for kids to complete and sights to see. Don’t just leave it as you might not get this chance again!

13/10/2023

Looking for a pumpkin patch that’s free to enter? We’ll look no further than this long running patch situated just outside of Aylesbury!

We’ve been coming here for the past few years and it’s been great to see how they continue to have high quality home grown pumpkins but also an ever growing variety as well!

They also have lots of good photo opportunities which is all the rage this year. It’s not in a field, but their barn. So adds some rustic ambience and you won’t need your wellies after todays deluge.

There’s a little gift shop, some pumpkin spice ice cream, coffee and games to entertain as well. It’s a cute little patch to spend a bit of time picking out your pumpkin with good value prices as well.

We’ve made the mistake before of leaving it too late and all the pumpkins being gone so if you’ve got a spare 30 minutes pop down this weekend to grab one before they’re gone!

halloweenkids

12/10/2023

🎃 Hartwells Nurseries new pumpkin patch and Halloween trail 👻

We had lots of fun visiting this new trail. We love this garden centre as it has lots of variety and at a good value as well. It was great to visit this trail.

📝 Upon entry the kids get a puzzle to solve. My son who’s 11 enjoyed this and so did his friend. It was at a perfect level for them and with help from parent good fun for younger kids.

👻 The trail was lined with hay bales and Halloween bunting. It was lovely walking round and seeing all the spooky decorations. It’s clear how much fun they e had creating this.

🎃 There was a nice pumpkin patch afterwards with more activities for the kids like disgusting feely bins to dip hands into! Plenty of nice photo props as well.

🚌 The highlight was the spooky bus- no photos as leaving or a surprise!

💰 At £3 entry you can’t go much wrong- it was a really nice trail, perfect for younger kids and for older ones as well. The pumpkins and gourds were good value as well and you could carve them on site if you wanted!

10/10/2023

🏆 Competition time! 🤡

To celebrate the spooky season we have teamed up with to giveaway two tickets to their Clown Halloween Invasion Jump night in Bicester! This looks proper good and my kid can’t wait to go!

Tickets are for one of their sessions on Friday 27th Oct, 5-8pm.

Entertainment includes:
🦯 Stilt walkers
👻 Prizes for best dressed
♟️ Games
🤡 Fancy dress
🎵 Tunes
💥 Access to the whole park

To enter:
Be following: &
👫Tag a friend you’d bring in the comments! The more tags the more entries! Share to your stories for more entries as well!

09/10/2023

🎃 We had a lovely time visiting for some pumpkin picking. 🎃

We’ve been before in the summer for the sunflowers and dino maze and were lucky enough to be invited for their pumpkins.

☀️ It was opening weekend and crazy hot so was busy, but everything was well organised and we never felt rushed or had to queue for anything for too long. The atmosphere was great and we got some great snaps.

🎃 They had loads of different pumpkins in their fields so you got to go off with your wheelbarrow and have your fill! The prices were good value and there were lots to choose from. Yes, you can get them cheaper at the supermarket but ultimately you can’t beat going out to a patch and getting your own- plus this was all about the experience which they had in spades.

🎟️ Tickets are £3.99 each which is reasonable considering there was lots to do. They had lots of photo opportunities laid out and you could pay for a professional shoot while you were there. There was zombie smashing, a bale maze which the kids were going crazy for (jumping over down, through, out 😂) and co****le toss amongst others.

🚜 There was some extras for a small fee like a tractor barrel ride, face paint and marshmallow roasting (we went for this).

☕️ They had a food marquee which served hot food, snacks, cool drinks and coffee. As well as clean toilets.

📸 This place, as well as all the other pumpkin patches, are about the memories you take from it. We liked how friendly the staff were, how much thought had gone into the displays and the overall atmosphere of it all. We got to speak to the owner organiser as well and he explained how he wanted to make this a place that families come to have a good time and he’s tried hard to keep prices the same year upon year. We certainly had a great time and have added the ones we got here to our growing collection.

The only thing I want to know is what did someone eat on the way round for them to say only eat the pumpkins they find here on their sign 😆

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