Days out with the Grandchildren.

For even the most creative of parents, school holidays can seem a daunting prospect. It's even worse when the weather is miserable, and the only solution for keeping them entertained feels like screen time.  So Jamie and Chloe came to stay for a few days.

Few homes inhabited by children are devoid of Lego bricks, and most parents/grandparents have to accept they will be begged for a day trip to Legoland in Windsor eventually.  So off we went.

We arrived early, as soon as the park opened, and headed for the new ride.  Minifigure Speedway.  This is a dual rollercoaster and the coasters travel at up to 35mph.  The ride features twists and turns and first reverses up a hill before shooting fast along the track.  At the end of the track it does the same but in reverse!  The grandchildren did this ride twice!!!!

Jamie and Chloe then headed for Driving School which is designed to look like a UK road layout with zebra crossings, T-junctions, 2 way roads and bends.  Lots of places for us to recover from the previous ride and watch them.

Next - Haunted House Monster Party.  A scary mad-house attraction where guests of Lord Vampyre are seated in a banquet hall and slowly the whole hall rocks backwards and forwards.  Did the whole hall turn upside down?

They then dragged Nanna to The Dragon.  The biggest and fastest roller coaster at Legoland.  The trip is delightful to start with, we travelled slowly past various colourful scenes with animated Lego models. I was just commenting how much I was enjoying this ride when the coaster left the castle and slowly climbed a hill - launching us into a quick shoot around some of the park itself.  The coaster twists and turns and there are a couple of large drops.  Plenty of screaming from Nanna!

The next ride was the Spinjitzu-teaching Ninjago ride (if you know, you know).

We then caught the Hill Train, a funicular railway to the Beginning of the Park and the lockers were our picnic lunch was.

After lunch we joined the long queue for Laser Raiders.  We were adventure heroes, shooting evil mummies with a laser gun whilst travelling round in a desert off-road vehicle. Each vehicle has space for 4 riders, with a laser gun each.  You  pass Lego scenes and fire at the green and red targets to earn points,  At the end of the ride each rider's points are displayed.  I didn't win.

After such a long wait in a queue we headed to the Harbour Show where Nanna could take a seat and watch the show which features around 10 energetic actors using the lighthouse, rope bridge, lake and the platforms surrounding it as their stage in a high energy packed show.

After the show it was off to Pirate Falls.  The log flume ride ends up in a splash pool - and the chances of escaping dry are very low indeed.  Nanna looked after the bags.

The last ride of the day was Nanna's favourite.  Flight of the Sky Lion.  Quite a long queue but worth it.  You are strapped in theatre-like seating in front of a large cinema screen.  Maximus then takes you on an exhilarating ride through a fantasy land.  AMAZING.

It was a great day out.  We returned home exhausted but happy.  And we brought a Ninjargo home with us.

The next day was very wet.  Fortunately, we were heading to Brooklands Museum, Surrey for the Concorde experience.  We were surprised to learn our grandchildren did not know what Concorde was.  Whilst they may not long for the champagne-guzzling lifestyle associated with flying Concorde that Nanna remembers, they did get a kick out of climbing aboard one at Brooklands, where parts for the supersonic aircraft were once made.

Displays of bikes, racing cars and aircraft relate to Brooklands' history as the world's first purpose-built motor racing circuit created in 1907, then one of the United Kingdom's first airfields and its largest aircraft manufacturing centre.  The neighbouring London Bus Museum, included in the entry price, was also worth a look.  The children loved pretending to drive the buses.

The highlight for them though was getting behind the wheel of Louis Hamilton's McLaren MP4/6 F1 car and driving the race car simulator.

There was plenty to do.  They even sat in a Harrier.  Staff were so helpful and informed.  A great range of exhibits.  A very enjoyable day out.

The next morning the rain had stopped and we headed for the Treetop Course at Go Ape.  Fun and fresh air.  A fantastic activity!  The safety briefing was thorough and clear.  It was great to watch them completing the challenges, especially the zip line rides at the end.  After an hour they were happy but exhausted.

Thank you Jamie and Chloe - we really enjoyed your visit.