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GREAT DAYS OUT...
Boat trip to Greenwich
Leeds Castle
Boat trip to Greenwich
The last place I expected to get a suntan was on a
boat trip up the River Thames in April. As we cruised up the winding river,
we could have been anywhere in the Mediterranean on a summer’s day.
In fact, we were headed for Greenwich, the place where modern time begins
and, historically, home to Henry VIII’s naval fleet. But I won’t
get ahead of myself.
The highlight for the children – and me – was the boat journeys. We boarded at Embankment Pier, having taken advantage of no congestion charge and free parking in one of the side streets because it was Good Friday.
The trip takes an hour and ten minutes. That sounds like a long time but there is a lot of faffing between stops: turning the boat round and mooring at each of the intervening stops to allow new passengers on board. Make sure you arrive in plenty of time and secure your place on the top deck for an unbeatable view of London and prime sunbathing spot. I highly recommend the commentary by Mark, who was not only irreverent and witty but had an infinite number of pearls of wisdom about the capital. I didn’t know, for instance, that ‘Big Ben’ refers only to the bell itself, the rest of the tower being named St Stephen’s Tower.
The approach to Greenwich is as beautiful as, and reminiscent of, St Mark’s Square in Venice with the impressive twin buildings of the Naval College either side of the Queen’s House just beyond. Head into the main square, which houses the majestic sailing boat, The Cutty Sark. If a couple of boats and a train arrives at once, the entrance can be crowded; we had a heart-stopping two minutes where I thrashed around like a madwoman entreating the help of anyone who would listen to find my son. Somewhat sobered, we headed straight for Greenwich Park via M&S for picnic supplies. Greenwich Park is really beautiful. There’s no dog poo, there are loads of benches and a great expanse of grass. You can while away at least an hour here and when the children get bored you can suggest they roll down the huge hill (it must be a great sledging site). If the weather isn’t great, there are plenty of eateries in Greenwich, including Pizza Express on Greenwich Church Street.
After lunch, take a hike up the steep hill to the Royal Observatory, where there is a breathtaking view back along the Thames. Queue up to take your picture with one foot either side of the Meridian Line. There are planetarium shows daily lasting 45 minutes at 2.30pm and 3.30pm (no pre-booking and no children under 5). The National Maritime Museum is a must-see, especially at the moment with its Tintin at Sea exhibition. The All Hands Gallery houses interactive exhibits based around seafarers and these are suitable for children 3–14 years.
We headed back to the main square via Greenwich Market (better on Sundays apparently when there are many more stalls) and boarded The Cutty Sark. For its time, the sailing boat was very fast and you can believe this from the sheer number of masts. You get a chance to see up close the cabin quarters of the men who sailed her and there is a fantastic collection of carved ships’ figureheads below deck.
On the return journey, if you have the energy and you’ve allowed enough time, you can hop off at the Tower of London or Bankside and pick up a later boat. We were all absolutely pooped by the end of a really fun day out; it was all we could do to put the kids to bed, order a takeaway and flop in front of the telly.
Leeds Castle
The dreaded Easter project had been hanging over us all holiday. ‘Build
a real castle, but, most importantly – Have Fun!’ Yeah, right.
Quite clearly this called for a trip.
Once you do some research, there are in fact loads of castles within
a day trip from London. Leeds Castle bills itself as ‘the loveliest
castle 
in
the world’ and was our son’s chosen castle. I knew Leeds Castle
wasn’t in Leeds (it takes its name from a Saxon hamlet called Esledes)
but I wasn’t exactly sure where it was. In fact, it’s close
to Maidstone in Kent and, with clear roads, it took us an hour by car
to get there from London.
It is incredible to think that the castle is more than 900 years old – it is obvious that it has been looked after well. Be sure to see the ruins of the barbican and fortified mill before the entrance to the castle but the rest of the castle is in working order. For many years it was very much a royal home, with Henry VIII its most colourful resident. He was responsible for adding the magnificent banqueting hall with its ebony floor.
Much of the beauty of Leeds Castle is in the surrounding park so it is well worth saving the trip for a sunny or at least not rainy day. The maze is a real highlight. It bemused us all for a full twenty-five minutes. In the end it was pure luck rather than any guile that we found the centre. It was hilariously funny running round in circles – the children falling over in the mud. If you do manage to reach the centre, you are rewarded with a journey through the grotto, where, as legend goes, the Green Man protecting Leeds Castle abides. It is a bit scary – damp, algae walls with little light – for little ones.
There
are some wonderful picnic spots in the park, which has got to be more
enjoyable than lunch in the Fairfax Restaurant, run by charming but rather
doddery OAPs. Find a spot near the moat and watch the beautiful black
swans glide by – the only thing that will bother you are hungry
peacocks. If you come with young children, they might enjoy a play in
the toddlers’ play area. If you like birds, you must visit the large
aviary of exotic birds.
You leave the castle via a long walk down towards the car park (or you
can take an electric train). But before that, you are ushered through
the shop, which is usually a recipe for disaster in my book. On this occasion,
we allowed the two older children to spend some pocket money. A £3
bow and arrow was a perfect reminder of all the
history they had learned during the day and they perfected their shooting
skills throughout the rest of the weekend. In the end ‘our’
papier maché Leeds Castle model stood up pretty well against the
likes of models of Bodiam, Hever and Windsor Castles.
Leeds Castle
Maidstone
Kent, ME17 1PL
Tel 01622 765400
website
Entrance to gardens and castle:
adults £12.50; children £9; family ticket £39 (2 adults
and up to 3 children)
Open daily – closed 3 July
First published in angels & urchins, Summer 2004