5 reasons to give rock climbing & bouldering a go

If you know me you know I always love to gain new skills and try new things and while I have dipped in and out of rock climbing during my youth, a few years ago I decided to do a formal climbing course to equip me with the know-how when it comes to belaying, rope tying and increasing my knowledge of basic equipment. Around that time, I started to do more bouldering, something which I really enjoy. So why give rock climbing or bouldering a go?  1. It's suitable for all ages Both my kids and I enjoy going bouldering, and our local climbing centre does taster days for anyone between 3-99yrs old - it really is for everyone, regardless of gender, age, size or fitness level. I love that multiple family members can take part, and if it's something you have always fancied giving a go, there's no time like the present.  2. It's a great all-body workout While I enjoy rock climbing and bouldering for the fun and challenging aspect, it's an added bonus that it can really help y......

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How to turn your local park into the Olympic games this summer

*This post contains affiliate links  Who else has been loving watching the long-awaited Tokyo Olympic Games? Well, we have and it's been really exciting! The chances are that you might have been inspired by the incredible sporting efforts of the Great British athletes and have caught the sporting bug. Well, if that’s the case, then why not create an Olympic games of your own, so that you and your kids can be active this summer and get a piece of the action. If you don’t have much space at home, then you can still get involved, just pack up a bag with all the equipment that you’ll need, grab a picnic and head down to your local park! The nursery chain Kiddi Caru , for example, are always encouraging children to get outside and get active, and since the Olympic torch is lit, there’s no better time to ignite the competitive fire inside your child and get them involved in some Olympic-inspired activities. So, get creative, and go and turn your local park into the Olympic games with the......

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Surfing at The Wave, Bristol - Review

Who would have guessed that a swimming pool on the outskirts of Bristol could produce some of the best waves in England? Well, it can!  In August I headed to The Wave as an early birthday present for myself for a whole day socially distanced session with Women and Waves , an all-girl collective inspiring women to get into surfing. Despite 2020 being very up and down, it's been a good summer, plenty of warm sunny days and luckily the coastline in Wales has plenty of quiet spots so I managed to get some good surfing, away from any crowds (lucky to have isolated spots) in before heading to the Waves for my intermediate session.  Having grown up surfing in South Africa, it's something that I love and try to do as much as I can but being a busy mum of two means that my time on my board is often limited so places like this that guarantee perfect waves is very appealing to me and while it's not the same as being in the ocean, which has a certain magic about it, it's definitel......

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Getting outdoors with Kettler + Win a Go-Cart

Anything that encourages children to get outdoors and step away from screens is a good thing in my books, especially activities that captivate my active boys attention span for longer than a few minutes. So when the people at Kettler got in touch to see if my boys would like to put one of their fantastic Go-carts to the test we of course jumped at the opportunity. It also brought back a lot of memories from my own childhood when my mother built a wooden go-cart for my brother and I. We spent many summers riding down hills in our wooden go-cart, yes there may have been a few scrapes and falls but we had so much fun and its lovely to see a more modern take on the wooden one I once had. My boys have been trying out the Daytona Air which fits them both really well despite there being a 4.5yr age gap, thanks to adjustable the seat which is a great feature and perfect for us because I have to be honest and say I was a little nervous we would have an issue with sharing or w......

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Feeling Inspired at The Muller Anniversary Games, London

On Sunday the 22nd July I travelled across London to Stratford and the famous Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to take in a day of inspiring and world-class Athletics at the Muller Anniversary Games. Having done sport my whole life this was a real highlight for me and something I had been looking forward to for the whole month.  I would of loved to have had the chance to sit in this Stadium at the 2012 Olympics in London but as we all know the tickets were like gold-dust but what makes the annual Muller Anniversary Games so fantastic is how accessible it is to everyone. With tickets starting at £10 you can be a spectator to some incredible sporting feats from the best in the world and it was only a 6-minute train from St Pancras or if you decide to drive in there is plenty of very reasonably priced parking. Being able to see first-hand world champions such as Luvo Manyonga win the long jump was really something special. Despite it being very warm as the event land......

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Müller Anniversary Games - The Family Sporting event of the Summer

I don't know about you but I am really looking forward to the summer holidays and making is as action packed as possible and making the most of every single day. After what has felt like a really long winter and spring it's so nice to feel the sunshine and get outdoors for hours on end and it's als the perfect time to encourage kids to get active and into sport. Having done a lot of sport growing up it's something that I am pretty passionate about and want to get my eldest enthusiastic about too so when Mumsnet and the Muller Anniversary Games go in touch to see if my family and I would be interested in coming along for an action-packed day of world-class athletics. They recently had a launch event at Park Primary in Stratford for an extra special sports class for some of the pupils with two leading British stars the 100m British champion Reece Prescod and para-Olympic gold winner in long jump Stef Reid. For those who don't know the Muller Anniversary Gam......

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Get Active with Cyclefest and Experience Freedom

As my children are now a little older the one activity we love to do as a family is hitting the cycle track near our home which runs all the way along the River Taff from the Brecon Beacons to Cardiff and has become one of our favourite weekend past times that we can do all together as a family because lets be honest it can be pretty tricky to find a physical activity that crosses the age divide as much as cycling does. I have struggled up to this point to fit in consistent physical activities and exercise since having kids. Which is why activities we can do altogether are the best and since my eldest has taken to cycling so much it's become something we really look forward to on weekends and we even have a trailer so our toddler can come along for the ride. As my fitness and passion for cycling increases, I am always looking for little challenges, whether that be to do longer stretches of our local cycle track or see how long we can stay out on our bikes it's good to......

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Taking a Serve with Tennis for Kids

Tennis is one of those fantastic sports that offers those life skills that help develop not only hand, eye, ball coordination but also camaraderie, sportsmanship and helps boost a child's self esteem. Having learnt how to play tennis when I was younger it is something I have been keen to get my own children involved with, even if it was to just have a taster (and hopefully be taken) by this sport. When it comes to sports and kids it can be overwhelming as where to start, which sport to pick and will they enjoy it enough to make it worthwhile as it takes time to get to grips with things. I am sure we are not alone here when I say we have paid up front for a term for something my eldest has simply not got on with when it came down to the reality of learning a certain sport which is why the Tennis for Kids program is fantastic. The Lawn Tennis Association contacted me and about its great programme which offers a 6 week taster course to help kids get to grips with the ......

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Lets go skateboarding

I was always into alternative sports when I was growing up spending lots of weekends at the beach, surfing for hours on end and when the surf was flat then you could find me cruising around on a skateboard in the summer sun. A few years ago I damaged my knee, had surgery, recovered and shortly after had my eldest son which has not left me that much time to get back on the board although with Mr A now showing an interest in learning it's really exciting to get back on a board and encourage him to do the same.  So when Plain Lazy got in touch asking if we would like a go at one of their super cool and colourful retro boards we literally couldn't wait for it to arrive. Penny boards as they are more commonly known are great for learning the basics and with large wheels and Abec 7 bearings for a smoother and faster ride they are great fun speeding along a promenade. You can also choose your colour combination of wheels and deck, we went for yellow and blue. ......

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