Take 12 trips: 2015 so far

So we’re a quarter of the way into 2015 – which seems to have happened alarmingly fast, but is at least moving me ever closer to summer. And so far, my Take 12 Trips challenge (the sequel…) is going pretty well.

We haven’t made it overseas yet, unless you count the Isle of Wight (technically over the sea after all), but we’ve managed eight trips and days out in three months.

And with our first sunshine holiday to Gran Canaria in a fortnight, plus trips for May, July and August on the cards already and some ongoing plotting for June, 2015 is shaping up rather nicely. So here’s how we’ve done so far.

January

After making my travel resolutions, we started the year with what turned out to be something of a theme – dinosaurs, on a long-overdue trip to the Natural History Museum in London, where Minnie overcame her fear of some dinos (not the scary ones) and I overcame my worries about toddlers on the tube.

Then some more exploring on our doorstep, with some outdoor fun building a den at one of our nearest historic houses, Ham House in Surrey as well as wandering through the house itself and discovering the craft activities for kids along the way.

February

The Isle of Wight was our big trip this month – a chance for Minnie to go on a ferry, stay on a farm and see donkeys and dinosaurs. And lemurs. And owls. I even tried my hand at a spot of vlogging.

Castles had already proved a hit when we headed up the motorway to Warwick, watching more owls and dressing up like a princess (her, not me) as we explored.

Then another London trip to see the Science Museum, which proved just as exciting as its neighbour with all kinds of interactive displays in the two areas for younger kids, letting her get hands on and lightly drenched…

March

After what had started to feel like endless winter, we had some more fun outdoors this month. It was back to the otters at the London Wetlands Centre and time to spot sheep at Kew Gardens where Shaun the Sheep and Timmy were making an Easter appearance.

Plus another revisit – sort of, as we spent a day in Oxford, a city I love and lived in for years but without ever setting foot in its museum of natural history. It’s never too late, so we put that right with yet more dinosaurs and a chance to stroke sparkly rocks.

Then just outside the city, we headed into the woods to see the first spring flowers at Harcourt Arboretum and enjoy some long awaited spring sunshine.

With April bringing camels, beach and our own pool – not to mention all kinds of ideas for day trips around the Canary island of Gran Canaria – our next trip of the 12 is looking better still…