Fun by the bucket & spade load at The Grove

While at Blog Angels&Urchins we’re as thrilled as anyone about the sunshine, it has made us realise how much we like to escape when the going gets too hot to handle. So we read with interest Amanda Morison’s break with the kids to groovy grand The Grove hotel. Sitting easily within the M25, it’s doable in a day, which means enjoying all the fab facilities (urban beach, spa and acres of green) without having to pay for a room for the night. We always love a picnic, especially when we’re not the ones slicing the bread. A ready made version is available in the grounds of Ashdown Park, 40 miles from central London, where AA Milne wrote Winnie the Pooh. Kids’ picnics start from £6.95, grown-up versions £13.95, and it’s all locally sourced and homemade, right down to the fresh bread and flapjacks. Foxhills in Surrey (20 minutes from Heathrow) has a brand new spa, and a Youth Club for children aged 3-18. On offer are tennis and golf lessons, a pool table, special children’s menus, an adventure trail and even a teens’ beauty parlour – expect tears of ‘Wanna stay’ when it comes to going home time.