On Monday we just popped along to Lakeside in Eastleigh as it’s just down the road.  It’s only a small location, with 3 little lakes that you can walk around and a miniature railway for the kids.  The lakes seem very popular with fishermen though and there was a few down there on Monday with all their gear.  I find it funny that they seem to spend all day sitting inside a tent, with sensors on the rods telling them when something moves.  It doesn’t seem like much of a hobby, but I guess it gets them out of the house!

It was a really lovely sunny Wintery day, and not too cold.  I thought the light seemed quite nice for photographs as the sun wasn’t too high in the sky meaning that the colours were warmer.  However, it would seem that not using my camera for much for some time I’ve gotten a bit lazy and forgotten some basic settings which meant that skies were a bit blown out, and the brightness on objects like the ducks in the pond just came out white.

This morning was supposed to have been quite sunny, but turned out a little overcast.  However, we headed down to Chilworth to start Walk 1819 from the Walkingworld website which I use quite a lot.  It’s a walk I’ve done a few times before – not very arduous, but a pleasant local stroll which I thought wouldn’t be too muddy as much is along roads and paths.  It turns out my memory wasn’t great either, and many of the paths were rather muddy – especially after the stormy weather we had yesterday.  There was also a couple of trees that had come down along the Roman road, but luckily nothing that couldn’t be passed.

After strolling along the Roman road the route takes you around Southampton golf course, where there were a surprising number of people out playing.  And finally heads up back through forest land towards Chilworth.  The forest is made up of areas of pine trees to one side and silver birch to the other.  We saw quite a few people out walking their dogs.  One got rather too friendly considering he was covered in mud and splashing in the puddles!

I did take a couple of photographs on the way, although being a grey day I didn’t spot much that felt worthy of a photograph as it looked a bit dreary,  I am quite pleased with the way this photograph looking into the forest came out though.  I did take a few, but actually bothered to change the settings on my camera a couple of times to get a good light so all in all one step improved from Monday’s attempts!

I’d been before, but not for at least 15 years!  So I was interested to go back, especially as they had expanded the place again to make it more of a zoo again as well as just a theme park.  We found their ‘Roar ‘n’ Snore’ offer was a really good value, and included accommodation in their Safari themed hotel on site, full breakfast, and two days entry to the park, zoo and their new sea life centre.  Staying at the hotel was more relaxed and it meant we didn’t have to pay for parking, and could leave things back at the hotel – so we were able to enjoy the rides without lugging bags around or paying for lockers.

We spent the first morning enjoying the theme park rides – the place was pretty quiet so we didn’t have to queue for anything.  In fact, we were often allowed to stay on the rides for another go which was good.  There is quite a nice mix of rides for the young at heart and also a few more adventurous rides.  I remember a few of them from back when I came as a child – the Vampire Rollercoaster, Runaway Train and the Bubbleworks.  The Bubbleworks could do with a bit of a spruce up after all these years but they all brought back fond memories! 

In the afternoon we headed off to explore the zoo.  I remember there being a zoo when I first visited Chessington as a child, but then as a teenager much of the zoo areas disappeared.  They have done a lot of work recently to extend it though, and their safari themed hotel overlooked the reserve so you could wake up in the morning and see the animals grazing.

My absolute favourite area of the zoo was of course the big cats – they have some nice large areas for their tigers, lions and leopards.  Each day at 2pm they have a feeding and enrichment sessions for one of the different cats.  We turned up a little early and discovered from the keeper that the tigers were the lucky ones that day.  We watched as the keepers hid pieces of meat all over their enclosure – up trees, on rocks and even floating on logs in their pool!  Then they cleared out and released the tigers.  The tigers chased all over their enclosure looking for the meat, and managed to climb high into the trees and on top of the roof of the walkway in their enclosure.  It was amazing to watch.  The keepers gave a brief talk to the visitors but then were happy to stay and chat to us for quite some time afterwards.  It was a really lovely experience.

The hotel was nice and for a small extra charge you could book one of the rooms overlooking the reserve.  We spent the early evening making use of their swimming pool and jacuzzi.  Neither was that large, but there was only one or two other people around so we had plenty of room.  In the evening we went to the Zafari Bar and Grill for dinner.  We had a table by the window overlooking the animals so we were able to sit and watch them while the sun went down, and then see as the lion rock got lit up.  The food was nice – we had one of their special chicken skewers cooked over the open flames.  It wasn’t the cheapest of options but it tasted good and there was plenty to eat.

On the Sunday we went back into the park, and went to the new Sealife centre.  The centre was not huge, but there was plenty of different things to see from the very small to the large sharks.  There was areas where you could interact with some of the fish in the rock pools, and also a tunnel where you could walk through the area with fish and sharks.  As an addition to the whole park it was nice, although if you’d come expecting a full sized Sealife centre you may be a little disappointed.

Overall, it was a lovely mini break away.  For those without children it was a great time to visit as the schools had gone back, so there was no queues for anything and I felt you could spend more time appreciating the animals and getting up close to some without being jostled out of the way.

Twycross Zoo specialise in primates and as such, I’d say that over half of the animals they have there are some type of money, ape, gibbon etc.  I found a lot of these enclosures were not very good for photography – many were inside, and a lot were cluttered with a lot of things for them to climb on.  Obviously the animals come first, so if this is what they like then that is great but I prefer a much natural looking setting for my photographs!

As you enter the zoo there is a big area known as Himalaya which is where you’ll find shops and eating areas, and also a massive viewing area for the snow leopards.  I thought this was a great idea as it means they can run things and use it for events without the need to go into the zoo.  I imagine it got busy when the snow leopard cubs first came out, as you could see them without the need to pay to enter.  We were really lucky and timed a late breakfast just as they had woken up and got to spend an hour watching them play.  Even mum seemed to have a spring in her step and had fun with the cubs.

Apart from the Himalaya area and the primate sections the rest of the zoo was quite varied but none of it felt particularly cohesive - from children’s pets such as guinea pigs, to penguins and sea lions, to elephants.  We spent about 3 hours there, but if you aren’t into primates then this probably isn’t one of the best zoos to visit.

This second shot was taken later in the afternoon just after one of the cubs adventured a little bit too far and found himself a bit too small to climb or jump back up on to the rocks.  Luckily after quite a lot of calling for him mum she turned up and showed him an easier way back up!

There are more photographs of the new cubs on my Flickr stream, and I am sure many more to come!

We arrived at Petworth around 10.45 am yesterday to give ourselves time to check in and get prepared.  The weather kept changing its mind and we were threatened with a couple of rain showers.  While we had hoped it would be dry, we didn’t want it to be too hot as knew that would make the walk harder.  When I woke up in the morning there were clear blue skies so I decided to risk crop trousers with the pink t-shirt, and take along a sweater and the light easy pack poncho mum had managed to buy us both.  In the end we didn’t need either as the weather was a mix of cloud and sunshine, with only a few specs of rain that didn’t even warrant a second thought.

On arrival we went and logged ourselves in, and had a quick look around the marquees that were laid out, decked in pink balloons before settling down to wait for the start.  Dan Mills from Heart radio station was wandering around chatting to people about why they were doing the walk and generally there was a friendly atmosphere.

At 11.45 we were all called over to the main stage area where Dan Mills welcomed everyone to the event and then introduced the Head of Breast Cancer Care.  She thanked everyone for taking part and explained more about the cause and where the money went.  We were also introduced to our celebrity for the walk, Andrea McLean, from Loose Women.  Andrea again welcomed everyone and told us she was doing the walk with her dog – he was nicely decked out in his own pink t-shirt like the rest of us!  Finally, Diana Moran, aka the Green Goddess, came on stage to give us a quick warm up before the kick off.

As the clock turned 12 the event started and we all surged, like a giant pink snake, up the hillside out of Petworth.  Mum and I had deliberately positioned ourselves near the front so as to get a good start.  The first part of the walk took us in a circular route towards Lodsworth.  It was reasonably easy going through woodland and down a few lanes, with most hills being fairly gradual.  Our first official rest stop was at the top of the first hill at about 3 miles where we were greeted with water and fresh cut oranges.

The route continued to the second rest stop at about 5.5 miles in Lodsworth village.  Luckily mum and I got here early ahead of many crowds so there wasn’t too long to wait for the toilets!  We were given more fruit and water, and some rather tasty Eat Natural bars for an energy boost.  We were surprised to find the third rest stop only another mile ahead, so we didn’t stop at that one. 

After the sixth mile the terrain changed and we were suddenly faced with some large and steep hills which were really hard going.  Some of the path through the trees was also quite slippy with mud.  So the seventh and eighth miles were really hard going and we soon began to feel our legs beginning to stiffen and cramp.  We were quite grateful to find some more marshalls with water at the top of one of hills.

Mile eight to nine took us out over the top of the hill and rewarded us with some stunning views across Petworth park, and at last our final destination was in sight.  Before we could reach it though we had a steep descent which felt almost as hard on our legs and knees as the incline had.  Gradually the route flattened out and we could begin to hear the supporters on the finish line cheering everyone on.  It seemed like a long last mile, as we could see the end but had to turn the other way to go around the outside of the lake.

we finally crossed the finish line after 3 hours and 20 minues and were presented with our medals and a voucher for our free barbeque.  However, the first thing on our mind was to head over to the massage tent for a free massage to help loosen our calves, which by now were feeling rather painful! 

We both feel really proud that we took part and raised lots of money for such a good cause. 

More photographs from the day on my Flickr set.

Our trip started at 7.30am when a mini-coach picked us up from a hotel just near our villa.  After a couple of other stops to pick up more guests we headed to a Sizzler restaurant for an all we could eat breakfast buffet.  My favourite chain for doing the breakfast buffet is still the Golden Corral restaurants, but the Sizzler was quite nice and had a good choice.  I always go for the pancakes with fresh melon, pineapple, strawberries and some chocolate sauce!

After breakfast we headed to Crystal River which is where we got to go snorkelling with the manatee.  The drive probably took just over an hour and wasn’t the most exciting of scenery, but they showed a film on the coach so the time flew by and it gave us time for breakfast to go down!

After the snorkelling we got back on the coach to go to the Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park.  On arrival we were all given a good packed lunch of cheese roll, crisps, cookies, fruit, fruit drink and a bottle of water.  Stef and I headed into the park and found a park bench overlooking the hippo pool to eat ours.  Here we were quickly joined by two rather hungry looking squirrels who didn’t want to leave us alone!

After lunch we were free to wander around the widlife park.  The 210 acre wildlife park was set around a 45 foot deep natural spring and contained much of the wildlife that is home to America – such as the bobcat, cougar, bears, alligators and of course the manatee.  The park is nicely laid out with board walk areas around the springs.  Most of the enclosures were a reasonable size and the animals seemed well cared for.  I was of course keen to see the bobcat and the cougar.  We were lucky to catch the bobcat up and about for a while, but the cougar was fast asleep right up close to the viewing area so nowhere I could get a good photo.

I spent a little time trying to get some good shots of some of the birds, but the sun was quite bright, and the enclosure often quite dark so it was difficult to get a shot right in the time I had.  I was very pleased with one of the shots I got of the bald eagle though – they’d put this American flag up at the back of his enclosure which made the photo look a bit different!

After our visit to the park we headed out on the coach again back in the direction of Kissimmee, but we had one more stop first.  We stopped at Wild Bill’s Airboat Tours in Inverness.  The airboat tour lasted 45 minutes and took us down the Withlacoochee River in search of alligators and other wildlife.  We chose the front of the boat and managed to get quite sprayed with water – so not too many photos from this part of the trip! 

After the airboat ride we had a short wait for the second half of our group to return.  During this time Stef got to hold a baby alligator and I got to take lots of photos and have a quick stroke of it’s tummy.  Finally we returned back to Kissimmee to arrive about 5.30pm.

The whole day trip cost about $118 which when you consider how much we got I think is extremely good value and I’d say was well worth every penny. More photos from the day on my Florida set on Flickr.

We boarded our boat, clad in a wetsuit with snorkel and mask and headed out to look for signs of manatee life.  Our boat guide told us about the area and about the work being done to help protect the manatee.  He also warned us some of what to expect when we encountered them.  The mum’s are quite happy to let us ‘babysit’ their babies for a while!  He also warned us that the manatees would be quite likely to ‘hug’ us and come nose to nose with our masks – a cheeky few apparently also swipe them off your face.

We got in and out of the boat a few times at first in different locations, and saw a few manatees but none that were hanging around for long.  The water at this time of year was actually quite warm, but the visibility was poor so it was easy to spot life from the surface.

After a while though we did manage to find a mother and baby manatee and got to spend a lot of time with them.  They absolutely love it if you scratch their back and sides, and they roll over to let you tickle their tummies!

I did take my underwater camera as you can see from this picture but it wasn’t easy to take shots because they were so close.  In the end I just pointed the camera in the right direction and pressed the button a few times and did end up with a few to remember my trip by.  The rest can be found on my Florida Flickr set.

It was a fabulous experience and one I would definately recommend – I believe the manatee are more plentiful earlier in the year, and the water clearer, although colder!

The theme park has always been one of my favourites with a good mix of rides and some great rollercoasters, set nicely around a large lake.  When we were there last two years ago we saw where they were staring to build the new Harry Potter area, so we were interesting to see how it had turned out.  There are two routes to get there – one by going clockwise through Toon Landing and Jurassic lands, or anti-clockwise through Suess Landing.  The latter is the route I would recommend as it makes it quicker to get to the area, and the view as you walk into the area is more spectacular.  The area is all set out in snow covered streets with the magnificent Hogwarts School at the top end. 

There are three main ride attractions in the area – Dragon Challenge (which is the same ride as the formerly known as Duelling Dragons), Flight of the Hippogriff (a small rollercoaster which was there previously but has been slightly redone) and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey (which is new).  This is a ride quite difficult to explain – you sit four in a row inside a vehicle which is attached to what looks a bit like a rollercoaster rail.  The ride flies you around different parts of Hogwarts and the surrounding areas, taking in the sights you’d expect to see.  The ride is a bit of a glorified simulator though as much is done, very cleverly, through large screens.  The rest is done by flying you through various parts of the building where there are scenes laid out – some of which even interact with you such as the spider who spits!  It’s quite scary in places for young children.  They have thought the ride out well though and even the queue areas are well laid out with lots to see – from paintings which talk to snow which falls from the ceiling!  On the downside the queues build up within minutes of the park opening – it took us 30 minutes to get on the ride despite getting into the park on the dot of 9am!  A lot of people queue to leave their bags in the free lockers though, so if you keep left and don’t have bags you can miss a fair part of the line.

The other thing that caused crowds from the outset was Ollivanders – people seem to queue to get in there for hours!  We didn’t feel the need for a wand so avoided that line. 

So my overall first impression is that it has been cleverly put together and is extremely popular.  If it was this busy in low season after being open for about 9 months I dread to think how busy it can get.  Make sure you head to this area first if you want to go on either the new ride or into Ollivanders.  The other rides don’t get particularly busy – even by midday the queue for the Dragons was only about 5 minutes.

Today when I got to take up the cheque from IBM I got to go and cuddle a Royal Python!  The grant money on this occasion has gone towards purchasing a new massive flat screen television for Marwell’s Encounter Barn.  They now have the ability to show some of the barn’s reptilian inhabitants up close and personal through using a small video camera which is linked up to the screen.  This enables the staff at Marwell to help educate schools and visitors.  In the photo below, you can just see the camera and the small lizard at the bottom left of the picture, which is then being projected on the screen above my head!

On top of raising money we’ve had to start thinking about getting our walking shoes on to build up our fitness.  Both of us exercise regularly, but there is something about a long distance challenge that takes a bit of extra stamina.  I’ve done a lot of 5-8 mile walks in the past, but nothing longer in recent years.  I did once do a sponsored walk for the WWF which was 10.5 miles and I distinctly remember that after the 5th lap of the course my feet began to cramp.  I’m hoping that this time as the walk is in the countryside and not on roads that the walking may be easier on the feet but we still want to get in some practice.

So a couple of weeks ago we went for a walk on Durford Heath (Walk 4560 from the Walkingworld website) as we were staying in the area.  The walk was a lovely walk across the heathland, through woods and across countryside with some lovely views.  We saw lots of wildlife including a couple of deer!  More photographs from the walk here.