somerset

Litton: a top pub walk with kids

Recently we spent the most glorious Sunday discovering a gem of a place just a mere 10 minutes up the road from Wells. Isn’t it funny how these places can go undiscovered while you spend weekend after weekend venturing out to the same handful of places. Anyway, situated just a stone’s throw from the village of Chewton Mendip is the beautiful Litton, where the pub in question – The Litton – gets its name. The Litton is one of those pubs that has it all: a delicious menu, a wide selection of drinks, great ambience and an area to suit everyone. From the sunny and spacious landscape gardens (with an abundance of seating and plenty of room for children to run around and play – they’ve even supplied a giant Connect4), to the sheltered and more peaceful Riverside courtyard with its cosy seating areas scattered with kilim cushions and festoon lighting (I imagine this to be a rather special spot in the evening, preferably sans children!) Inside the pub is airy and bright with lots of tables and some beautifully stylish, yet homey furnishings. This pub is a winner in all seasons. Although we didn’t eat on this occasion, the menu looks very tasty (if a little pricey) and they offer a good children’s menu too (more interesting than the standard fish fingers and chips that are usually on offer).

While the pub itself is well worth a visit, the best thing about this place is the fabulous little walk, starting at the pub car park and taking in all of the sights around this picturesque little village. It’s the perfect length for little ones and just long enough to justify popping in to the pub on your return for a nice cold beverage! Just two miles long (it took us around an hour, carrying both girls in slings) it’s a nice flat route. That being said, this is not a pram walk – you’ll need to tackle a number of stiles so slings are a must if you’ve got babies and toddlers in tow. You’ll amble through open fields where sheep and shetland ponies graze; circle around the pretty Litton fishing lakes where you’ll cross a dam before strolling along a stream that is perfect for paddling; and you’ll wander past some pretty incredible houses (personally, I love checking out other people’s homes).

A couple of things to note: in wet weather, some parts of the walk can get very muddy so wellies will be required. And there’s a short section along the lake where the path gets very narrow so you’ll need to hold on to little hands!

As an extra special touch, the pub has created a lovely illustrated map of the walk for customers to use – the big one loved playing navigator. The map can also be downloaded here.

I’ll be sharing more child friendly pub walks in due course. Research is underway 😉

A day on the (Bath City) farm

For a thoroughly wholesome couple of hours, I’d recommend heading across to Bath city farm. Unlike most other farm attractions, this one is free to visit (although a donation of £2 is encouraged – a snip given it costs £8000 a day to keep the farm running). The farm is tucked away in Twerton on the outskirts of Bath (Wells side), with panoramic views across the city but feeling a million miles away from the hustle and bustle.

Head over on a Tuesday morning and join the Roots and Shoots toddler group (10-11:30am). Aimed at under 5’s, it encourages children (and their grown-ups) to explore the farm and feed the animals. We got to meet the chickens, ducks, pygmy goats, pigs and sheep and hear a little about what their life is like at the farm, before heading back to the cafe area for a hot drink (adults), a multitude of snacks (kids) and storytime (everyone who could sit still and listen). I’m told that there are often additional activities laid on too like bug hunts and crafts, but we were there on a particularly busy day so there wasn’t much time for anything extra. The group is a bargain considering refreshments are included – £3.50 for 1 child, £4.50 for 2 or £6 for 3.

While the group was lovely, and a wonderful way to spend a Tuesday morning, I would recommend going on your own too for a visit. You can wander around the farm at a pace that suits you, and, while you can’t feed all of the animals, you can buy chicken feed from the cafe kiosk, head into the chicken and duck enclosure and enjoy having them flock around you quacking and clucking. Personally, this is our favourite bit of the farm. As well as the animals, there’s a little cafe kiosk where you can buy hot drinks and small bites – there are picnic benches too if you bring your own food; there’s a well-equipped park; and there are two mile long walking trails – a history trail, which features a replica WWII air raid shelter and a nature trail, which takes you through the woodlands. Neither route is prammable so you’ll need a sling for very little ones. Given the site sits on the side of a hill, there are some steep bits too.

IN A NUTSHELL

A brilliant place to while away a couple of hours. Tag a visit on to a day out in Bath, or head there in the morning and stop off at Newton farm shop for lunch on your way back; it’s just down the hill from Twerton (on the way to the globe roundabout).

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Wells’ top 5 coffee spots with little ones

For all those times when caffeine is the only answer. You might be a sleep deprived new mum or a grandparent in need of a quick cuppa and a sit down or you may just be looking for a great lunch spot to catch up with friends. Either way, here’s my top picks for baby and toddler friendly coffee spots in Wells.

LOAF

By far my favourite place to hunker down for an hour, not only for its toddler-tastic play area, complete with playhouse, kitchen and slide, but also for its delicious coffee (the decaff latte is the best I’ve tasted) and fabulous range of artisan bakes. One of the few places where you can genuinely sit and enjoy a cuppa while the kids entertain themselves (which, let’s face it, as a mum is nigh-on impossible in most places!) Oh, and babychinnos are free!

COFFEE #1

This small chain coffee shop is great for kids; it’s noisy (perfect for covering up the din of fussy babies or excitable toddlers) and has colouring pencils and paper to keep little ones entertained.

THE BISHOP’S PALACE

Sit outside and soak up the views while toddlers burn off energy in the grassy areas surrounding the cafe (although be aware that the croquet lawn is out of bounds!). Lawn games, such as giant Jenga and Connect4 come out in the summer months. After your coffee, you can head into the grounds (free to members) and hunt for the dragons in the Dragon’s Lair. During school holidays you can grab a coffee at the Hungry Dragon kiosk situated within the gardens, but opening hours are sporadic so I’d recommend getting yourself a takeaway or bringing a flask from home if you’re feeling desperately in need!

CAFE TWENTYONE

Best for small groups given the limited space, this cafe located right on the market square serves delicious lunches and cakes. The staff are super friendly and massively accommodating where children are concerned. Two things to note are that there are no baby changing facilities (there are at the cathedral though, which is just around the corner) and you can’t take prams upstairs, so unless there is space downstairs, it’s babes in arms only!

PICKWICKS

I only include Pickwicks in this list as it was a lifeline for me and my NCT group in the early days of motherhood. It’s large and has spacious booths at the back that are perfect for providing privacy for breastfeeding mums and keeping fussy babies out of earshot from other customers. Good changing facilities too, and, simple lunches that are edible with one hand (which as all new mums will know, is important!) The staff aren’t necessarily the friendliest but for practical reasons alone, this is a good bet.

Welcome to The parent play list

If, like me and my two girls, you find yourself climbing the walls after a morning inside, then you’ve come to the right place. With two young daughters, I spend my days looking for ways that we can escape the clutches of our tiny house and get out and about. Thankfully, we live in Wells, Somerset; a beautiful city (of town-like proportions) where regular toddler groups, nice cafes and open green spaces are right on our doorstep.

Over the past three years though, we’ve pretty much exhausted every option Wells has to offer for pre-schoolers, so I’m making it my mission to explore further afield and seek out all the great things available for children across Somerset, Wiltshire and beyond.

If you’re on a budget like me, then you’ll find lots of cheap entertainment options here, as well as the occasional Big Day Out idea. I hope that this guide will be useful for other mums, dads, grandparents and anyone else in need of inspiration and ideas.

If you’ve had a great experience recently and would like to share it with others, please do get in touch x