Hasn’t 2016 been a funny old year? It’s certainly one we’ll be talking about for years to come. For us, it’s been another year full of adventure and exploration. As the children are getting older, our trips have gotten further away and more adventurous. We’re moving from little farm zoos to more exciting activities. What have you gotten up to this year?

As we approach the fresh new year, here’s a look back at some of our best days out from 2016. In no particular order……

1. In March, we sent Anne and her family to check out a cafe with a couple of differences – it floats, and there is origami. And did we mention the poetry? It’s an unusual concept but one which works and it made for a lovely Mother’s Day treat. Read more about their trip at Origami floating cafe

2) In the spring, we tried out geocaching. It’s something we’d been trying to find the time for and once we got the opportunity, we got out the bikes and starting hunting. Geocaching is an awesome free activity which really engages the children in getting out and about. You don’t know what geocaching is? – learn more at – Our geocaching adventure

3) The summer came around and we made our way up to Dalby Forest to meet Stick Man and play the Stick Man Games. Meeting the Stick Man made the twins’ day, and they enjoyed doing the 5k trail, playing pooh sticks, and finding all the Stick Man characters to tick off on their trail sheet. Did you find the Stick Man this summer? Read more at Doing the Stick Man trail.

4) The National Media Museum in Bradford provided us with one of our best free days out of 2016. With several exhibitions over multiple floors, the museum is homage to broadcasting and media. Highlights included the gaming gallery, and letting Charlie the school bear join in with presenting the BBC news. You can learn more at National Media Museum

5) July saw two of us escape over to Brussels for a few days, where we investigated The Parlamentarium and Mini-Europe. Mini-Europe was proper brilliant – a model village paying homage to all the countries of the EU, it was right up my miniature street. Where else can you visit all the EU states in one morning?

6) Back to blighty, and a trip to remind us of our history – a stop over at Bolsover Castle in Derbyshire. It was lovely here, and a better alternative than a dull motorway services. With a playground to burn off pent-up energy, and lots of medieval walls to explore, it was an ideal place to spend an hour or three. Read more at Bolsover Castle.

7) August saw us make the trip down to the West Country, where we stayed at River Dart Country Park, and spent the day investigating the new-look Camel Creek Adventure Park in Cornwall. It was good fun, and enjoyed by all of us.

8) On our way back from Devon, we made a stop in the West Midlands, where we visited the Black Country Living Museum. This is a great place to show children how Britain looked and worked in the past. We really enjoyed seeing all the old buildings, with outside privvies and traditional toys providing endless fascination. Sound like fun? You can learn more at The Black Country Living Museum.

9) The event highlight of our year was BRICK! Live at Birmingham NEC. It was a full day of Lego fun, with live shows, trade stalls, and millions of bricks. We met Lego Harry Potter, and helped build a gigantic Lego pumpkin. You can read what we did at Brick Live.

10) The winter brought in lots of Christmas fun with visits to Santa galore. Our top day was a visit to Chill Factor-e in Manchester where we not only got to see the main man in red, but we also got to slip and slide away on the snow park. We haven’t had any decent snow round here for a couple of years, so this was a great chance to enjoy sledging and tubing. Learn more at Meeting Santa at Chill Factor-e

Have you got a favourite day out from this year? Grab a blog badge and link it up below!