Dom has been super busy at work recently which has meant it’s just been me and the kids most weekends. To start off we played it safe, with some local dog walks and trips to all the lovely castles we have on our doorstop, but this didn’t really cut it with James and Sophie, they were soon yearning for something a little bit more exciting.

James has been really getting into his walking recently and given the choice he’ll usually pick a day in the hills as his activity of choice. He has been steadily knocking off a few munro’s (though not quick enough for his liking!). Whilst getting out and doing the actual walking is pretty easy given he’s so keen, it’s the logistics of it all that seem to be the difficult part for us.

Whenever we’re planning our weekend adventures, we tend to always forget all the fantastic things we have right on our doorstop. That’s not to say we don’t appreciate the lovely scenery in our village, we do, we really are spoilt for choice for our daily dog walks. But whilst we get out every day locally, a hurried walk before you dash off to work or to an after-school club isn’t quite the same as really taking the time to explore is it?

It was a rather chilly and frosty day, and everybody was a bit lacklustre about giving Jarvis his walk. We decided to hop in the car and go a little bit further afield, rather than doing one of our usual walks we do every day. As we set off, I reeled off some of our favourites, which were greeted with a resounding “NO”. After reciting a huge long list and still not getting answers I asked in despair “well where then?” To which the answer came – “here” with James pointing to a small layby with a forest track leading away from it.

The River Teith at Callander, is a real gem of a river. It was one of our local rivers when we lived in Stirling pre little trekkers and I dread to think how many times I’ve actually paddled it. From quick post work summer evening paddles, to giving beginners their first taste of moving water. I’ve paddled it when it’s been so low you’ve had to bump over every rock as you’ve scraped your way down and so high the carpark at the start has been well and truly underwater and the paddle has been over in a blur. So you’d think now this old favourite is back on our doorstep we’d be there most weekends. I’m ashamed to say although we’ve been back in Scotland a few years now we still hadn’t paddled it. Well that needed to be rectified as soon as possible.

All week we’d been hearing horror stories about the impending “Beast from the East” and on the Wednesday we finally awoke to snow. We were all a little bit disappointed to be honest. Whilst it was lovely to have some snow it wasn’t quite the amount we’d been expecting. Don’t get me wrong we were just being greedy, there was plenty for sledging but nothing befitting the red alert we had. Well we shouldn’t have worried the Beast from the East had more it store for us -much more!

I don’t know what they’ve been feeding James at school but he has shot up overnight and seems to be growing out of everything quicker than we can replace it. I was frantically trying to get everybody out the door for a family walk up our local hill- Dumyat, on the outskirts of Stirling to find James’ feet had grown a size in the space of week.

James has always been a good walker. Since he took his first steps at 10 and a half months, he’s not stopped and he’s been on the go ever since. Even when he was little he rarely asked for carries and would happily plod along on our daily dog walks. Ever since we moved to Scotland he’s been desperate to get out into the mountains, “proper ones, with their tops in the clouds”. So far, all our walks in the hill have failed to convince him and he was still left longing to head up a mountain. The boy was ready for his first Munro.

Ever since we moved, a trip up to the wind farm on the hill side behind our village has been on our to do list. And it’s certainly not due to lack of trying that we haven’t reached it yet.

On our trips to Fort William we become avid train spotters. It’s not just any old trains we’re keen to see though, in fact we only have eyes for one particularly special train: the Jacobite. This glorious old steam train that travels between Fort William and Malaig has definitely stolen our hearts and we try and cram in as many views as we can. All trips to the supermarket have to be timed for when it will be at the station at Fort William and walking Jarvis at Glenfinnan so we can see it pass over the viaduct is a favourite walk. But this holiday we managed to find our best viewing spot yet - Loch Eilt.

Life has been pretty hectic, what with work, house renovations and starting school for James. So for once our first port of call on our trip out West to Fort William wasn’t cycling or canoeing but a day at the beach. The lovely golden empty beach at Morar was the perfect antidote for a busy few weeks.

One of the things I love about camping is the chance to really get away from it all. No TV, no computer and on the Outer Hebrides for the majority not even a phone signal. This does have it’s disadvantages though, as it also meant no weather forecast either.

Whilst the beaches on the Outer Hebrides were pretty amazing we were pretty determined to do something a little bit more exciting than spend our whole holiday on the beach.

A visit to the Outer Hebrides has been on my wish list for a long time, but now we’re back in Scotland the logistics are a lot more manageable.

Having ticked off canoe camping last summer, our goal for this year was cycle camping.

Sophie has been desperate to get her own bike for ages. We’re been tormenting her for months, getting James’ old balance bike out the garage, letting her sit on it, realising it was far too big, then putting it back.

We couldn’t possibly meet up with all our old university canoe club pals and not go canoeing. So just like in our university days the night before our paddle was spent planning with guide books, maps, river levels and weather forecasts spread all over the lounge floor and few beers (just for old times’ sake!).

We’ve just had our first dusting of snow on the mountains so it’s time to dust off our down jackets and get ready for the winter. This weekend I got all our various jackets out and put them all through the wash so they’re ready to get covered with mud all over again.

We often talk about going mountain biking but we would definitely be in trouble with the trades description act, as it is not really what you’d class as mountain biking.

James had been itching to get out canoe camping again but the weather gods had been refusing to play ball. After a couple of weeks of cancelled plans, we decided it was now or never.

I don’t know about everybody else but the weathers been well and truly rubbish up here this summer. In fact it doesn’t even seem like we’ve had a summer at all. I was just about to give in and pack the Teva sandals away and get the Spotty Otter Explorer jackets out when we woke up to find a strange mythical glowing thing in the sky. Could we possibly be about to have a sunny day?

Canoe camping has been on our to do list for a long time but we never seem to mange to pull it off.

As is the rule with any new piece of outdoor gear in house, as soon as we got our new Trailgator it was time to put it through its paces and test out its limits.

The fantastic scenery and numerous opportunities to get out and about in the wonderful great outdoors was one of the major draws for our move back up to Scotland. Though so far we haven’t ventured very far from home. Although not too far away we thought we should at least head somewhere new with Sophie and James. So we packed up our canoeing stuff and headed to Loch Earn.

After our eye opening family cycle ride the previous week, we were on the lookout for a not just mostly flat but a really very flat bike ride.

We’ve been eyeing up the wild raspberries growing along our usual dog walk for the past couple of weeks. We’ve eagerly watched them turn from green, to green with a slightly pink tinge, to pink and finally a bright yummy, juicy red ready to eat colour. After a little taste test, well actually quite an extensive taste test – just to be sure, James and Sophie declared them ready for picking.

Although James has been riding his bike for quite a while, we hadn’t actually managed a family bike ride with him cycling himself yet. So far whilst he’s been cycling we’ve been walking and hovering around in case he had any wobbles.

With 2 adults, 2 children and a dog our poor canoe is starting to burst at the seams. So with Sophie getting a bit bigger we decided to brave it and start venturing out in two canoes.

After trying and failing to satisfy James’ wish for a walk in the mountains two weekends in a row, we decided if he really was this keen we should probably give him his proper mountain.

There was no mistaking James was the new boy at preschool. Not only was his accent a bit of a giveaway but also whilst all the other children were completely oblivious to the beautiful setting of their garden, I had to drag James away from the view when it was home time. So it wasn’t too surprising when Saturday came round his one wish was a walk in “his new pre-school mountains”.

Although the weather was lovely and sunny, I was feeling far from spring like. After a hectic couple of days moving with two little helpers, we were all desperate to get out the house.

There’s nothing like an imminent house move to make you appreciate all the fantastic places that are right on your doorstop. So for our last week on the Wirral, we promised ourselves we would head somewhere different every day for our afternoon dog walk.

We were down in Coventry for a wedding and had a couple of hours to spare. So we did what we always do when we are somewhere new and turned too our trusty National Trust and English Heritage guides for some inspiration. We were in luck just down the road was a castle and not just any old castle, a whopping big Kenilworth castle.

I remember reading Kerry's blogs about Harry's adventures on his balance bike back when James was a tiny baby and knew we just had to get James one too. We were far too eager and rushed out and brought one and then had to wait till just before he was two when he finally grew into it.

Sophie has most definitely found her feet and is on the go constantly. This could only mean one thing; she was ready for her first proper hill.

James, loves trains and can spot anything train related a mile off. It took him all of a couple of minutes to spot the train line for the Leadhills and Wanlockhead narrow gauge railway, high up on the hillside behind our holiday cottage and was asking to go on it before we'd even managed to all get inside.

Wild camping has been on our hit list of things to do with James, for quite a while now, but we just haven’t been able to get the weather to cooperate with us until now. We wanted to make sure James loved the experience, so the camping spot needed to somewhere special.

….unless it involves trying to get a toddler, a pushchair, a travel cot and all the other stuff needed for a night away singlehandedly down to London.

When we were visiting family this summer, we stumbled across English Heritage’s fabulous Ashby Castle. Despite having grown up locally in the area, I had never visited it before. With steps to clamber up, tunnels to crawl through and a large grassy area to run around on, it really was little boy heaven and the perfect place to spend a couple of hours.

This summer we have been trying to make the most of the good weather and get out on our bikes as much as we can. Rather than struggling to find the time for day long trips, we have been ditching the car for short local trips whenever we can.

Normally the minute I mention the word “walk” both James and Jarvis start leaping round the kitchen like two crazy things. But the recent hot weather left all us struggling to find the motivation to leave the paddling pool and go for a walk.

Our canoe trips usually involve us trying to get away from it all and seeking out some peace and quiet. Up until now we have steered clear of canals but faced with the choice of either a quick local paddle or no paddle, whilst we waited for some grout to dry we quickly changed our minds and headed to the Shropshire Union Canal at Waverton.

One of the things I love about canoeing is how easy it is to get away from it all and enjoy some stunning places and their wildlife. Over the years we’ve had some brilliant spots including beavers, otters, puffins, kingfishers and basking sharks.

I always love the idea of attempting a craft project with James but the reality never quite seems to work out as I’d hoped. It normally takes longer to get everything ready than James stays interested in it and we rarely get to finish anything to completion. This however was one of our few successes.

We’d had such a good day visiting HMS Edinburgh as part of the Battle of the Atlantic festival, we couldn’t resist going to watch the procession of warships as they left Liverpool on the last day of the festival.

We were off to have lunch at a friend’s house who doesn’t have children. Despite having tried to pre warn them just how much energy a toddler has, I’m wasn’t convinced they were entirely aware of what they were letting themselves in for.

A couple of weekends ago Liverpool was hosting the Battle of the Atlantic festival to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the longest continuous military campaign of the Second World War.

Loch Ard has to be one of my all-time favourite paddling places. I have so many happy memories paddling here from quick evening after work paddles, leisurely trips and picnics catching up on the gossip with friends to taking beginners out for the first taste of canoeing.

……Jarvis came along too. Well technically Jarvis didn’t cycle – we haven’t got a bike small enough and I don’t think he’d have much success with the pedals.

It seems like forever since we last went canoeing, which is probably because we’ve not been in a boat since last summer. What with moving house, DIY, snow and Dom being busy at work, canoeing has unfortunately had to drop down the list of priorities.

We’re just back from a fantastic first camping trip of the year. We had great fun up in the Trossachs sharing all our favourite spots with James from when we used to live just outside Stirling.

The other day when we were heading off to walk Jarvis on our way back from the supermarket, I accidently got in the wrong lane at the roundabout and took a wrong turning. Before we’d had time to turn round, we caught sight of a brown sign for a country park. We couldn’t resist following them and a few minutes later we’d reached Eastham Country Park.

My favourite walk on the Wirral has to be Thurstaston Common. So when we had visitors last week this is exactly where we headed. As we left the car park and started the climb to the top of the common, our guests said “you’ve not chosen a very child friendly walk”. To be honest I’d not really given it much thought, but it got me thinking.

Saturday was so nice and sunny it looked like spring was finally here. It really was the perfect day for a trip to the beach but then again it was also great bike riding weather. Aargh decisions, decisions – bike or beach. After umming and arring for a while we eventually decided– both!

Now I don’t want to Jinx it but it looks like spring has finally has finally made its way to the Wirral. The last of the snow has disappeared and the ground has started to dry out and we have even been luckily enough to have a few days of sun.

We had been eagerly watching the progress of the new Deeside cycle route linking Neston with North Wales and watching the diggers and dumpers has been the highlight of our daily dog walks for James for the last few weeks.

Spotty Otter’s new pinterest board “toys we remember” had got me all nostalgic especially the care bears and my little ponies.

We have always been big supporters of the air ambulance, they do such a fantastic job and as outdoor enthusiast you never know when you might need them. So when Grandma went to drop off a cheque from a fundraising event she had helped organised, we tagged along to say thank you too.

With glorious sunny weather we were all set to attempt the first of our Welsh 3000s. We headed to the first of the 3000s, Foel Fras at the Northern end.

We love a good challenge and are at our happiest when we’ve got a good project to prepare for. For us half the fun is in the planning and we love spending hours researching trips, whether its reading the guide books, pouring over maps and charts, checking tide tables and weather reports its all part of the fun.

As soon as we saw Spotty Otter’s fabulous new trapper hats last year, we were desperate to get one. I somehow managed to resist buying one straight away and convinced myself James already had too many hats.

Everybody has heard of the pirates of the Caribbean but did you know we also have a band of buccaneers over here on the Wirral?

Last Wednesday we woke up to a lovely and unexpected surprise – SNOW! Unlike last time James was fully aware of all the glorious white stuff in the garden. I knew from the rather unsubtle and incessant banging on the patio doors that we would have to cancel our plans for the morning and make the most of it.

Last weekend we headed over to the Clywydian Hills for a family walk. The plan was to head to Coed Llangwyfan, for a nice stroll through the forest.

After road testing our new sledge at the local park we decided we needed some bigger hills and more snow to do it justice. Unfortunately the snow we’d been hoping for overnight didn’t appear so we headed over to Nercwys Forest just south of Mold hoping there would be more there.

Last week we were rather jealously reading everybody else’s snowy blogs desperately hoping the snow would make its way over here too.

On our recent trip to Scotland we were treated to some typical west coast weather - rain, rain and a bit more rain for good measure. Some folks might have been disappointed with the forecast; we on the overhand donned our waterproofs and made the most of having the sights to ourselves whilst everyone else cowered indoors.

Having spent most of his short life in Norfolk, an area not renowned for its white water kayaking potential, James hasn’t seen much moving water. So whilst in Scotland we thought we’d remedy this and show James some Scottish classics and our favourite rivers from when we lived up there.

As we were driving through Oban, I noticed the Oban Chocolate Company overlooking the bay and knew that we just had to schedule a visit at some point during our holiday. If I was to have any chance of enjoying my longed for hot chocolate we would have to tire James out first.

Back in 2009, when I was working as an ecologist up in Scotland, the Scottish Beaver Trial was just starting out. The trial is an exciting conservation project to reintroduce beavers to Knapdale forest in Argyll after being extinct in the UK for over 400 years.

Since our first bike trip the other week, we have vowed to get out on our bike at least once a week. So far we have just been doing short local trips whilst we get used to the trailer. James doesn’t usually “do” sitting down so we try and go somewhere where we can do something exciting when we get there.

Unless you’re lucky enough to live up in Scotland, than like us you’ll have to put up with seeing American grey squirrels. Well unless you head to the National Trust’s Red Squirrel reserve at Formby.

The other weekend was so glorious and sunny down in Liverpool, it was easy to think summer had returned – that was until you stepped outside where the frost and the cold convinced you otherwise. It really was the perfect day for wrapping up warm and heading for the beach. As it was the weekend we decided to head a bit further afield to Crosby, just north of Liverpool, which hosts Antony Gormley’s Another Place.

The good thing about all the recent rain we’ve been having is all the mud! We had a gloriously squelchy walk at the weekend along the coastal path to the beach. Just before he locked up the car Dom asked me “are you sure you don’t want your wellies”. I decided it was far too much effort to take off my walking boots, a decision I later regretted!

We have been avidly reading everybody’s cycling blogs, desperately waiting for James to grow into his cycling helmet, so we could join in the fun too. After trying it on weekly for the last few months it finally fits, we were all set for our first bike ride.

With all our usual daytime activities cancelled for half term, we found ourselves with a day with nothing planned. With the prospect of staying in and tackling the mountain of housework which needed doing, we very quickly decided to head out for the day.

...is his dog, which is certainly true for James and Jarvis. James has always been Jarvis’ number one fan, but until recently I’m pretty sure Jarvis has tolerated James rather than truly enjoying his company.

Just round the corner from us, are the beautiful University of Liverpool botanic gardens at Ness. As members of staff we get free entry so regularly pop in if we have an hour or two spare. When we saw the signs for a spooky pumpkin walk we knew we just had to schedule a visit.

One of our top priorities when we were house hunting was good local walks, the marshes on the Dee estuary have not disappointed us. The English shore at Neston and Parkgate is home to a massive expanse of salt marshes, perfect for even the liveliest of dogs and Little Trekkers to explore.

Well yesterday was certainly a day for special birthdays, not only did Little Trekkers turn 10 but it was James’ 1st birthday too. I really can’t believe how quickly the year has gone, it seems like only yesterday we were bringing him home from hospital. So while he was napping I got a bit teary eyed and took a trip down memory lane, looking through all his baby photos.

Since James learnt to walk just over a month ago, he has become a boy possessed and his every waking hour is spent honing his new skills. So when we were looking for a walk to do last weekend we knew we needed somewhere with sections we could take him out the back carrier for.

Having already sold our house in Norwich and still having a few issues with our new house purchase we found ourselves homeless for a few weeks. Now I’m not one to turn don’t an adventure so when Dom suggested we camp I bravely (foolishly?) agreed.

Who’d have thought that a sleepy village in rural Staffordshire would be the site of the biggest explosion this country has ever known. Back in 1944 the Midlands was shaken when 3500 tonnes of bombs which were being stored in the gypsum mines in the area accidentally blew up.

With Dom getting himself a new job over at Liverpool University, our latest big adventure has been selling our house in Norwich. Though I’m not sure if you were to ask James and Jarvis they would agree and would definitely consider it more of a challenge.

I don’t know about any of the other Little Trekkers but here in Norwich we have been rather uncharacteristically glued to the television since the Olympics began. To say we were excited to be heading there ourselves was a bit of an understatement. Not only were we lucky enough to have got tickets but we were off to see the canoe sprint – one of our favourite sports.

We’d like to say a big Teva-tastic thank you for James’ Teva hurricane sandals which arrived the other day. If you haven’t already guessed from the photos we love Tevas and have a pair for every occasion – Tevas do go with suits don’t they?

Arlo’s blog, got us thinking about our perfect Sunday. I think last Sunday comes pretty close...

We have a selection of fruit bushes at the end of the garden and every morning when we let Jarvis out we go and pick some raspberries. Most mornings we have eaten what we have collected by the time we reach the back door but if we’re lucky we sometimes have enough to have with our weetabix. With Daddy away with work a strange phenomenon had occurred, even after gorging ourselves over breakfast we still had some to spare.

Every year on the first weekend in July, Norwich city centre is transformed into one giant party as everybody takes to the streets to enjoy the Lord Mayor’s celebrations.

The Olympic torch finally made it over to East Anglia the other week and after reading everybody’s blogs and seeing how much fun they had, we decided we had to go and see it for ourselves. We couldn’t make it when it was in Norwich, our home town, so headed down the road to see it at Southwold.

Having got a few short local trips under our belt, we decided to be brave and head a bit further afield. So a plan was hatched for a trip to the River Waveney on the Norfolk Suffolk border for our first full days paddle. James must have over heard us discussing our plans the previous evening and got us all up nice and early so we had no worries about in finishing in time.

Not quite – but certainly past James’ normal bedtime. Every summer the Forestry Commission put on a series of concerts in clearings in their forests and this year Razorlight were playing down the road at Thetford.

With Jubilee fever in the air, we thought it was about time James went on his first visit to a castle. So off we headed to Tutbury Castle, in Staffordshire, down the road from Grandma and Granddad’s.

Seeing as the sun was out (a rarity on a Bank Holiday weekend!) we decided to avoid the Jubilee crowds and paddle rather than walk to the park for Jarvis' afternoon walk. We packed up the paddling kit and headed for the River Yare which flows through Earlham Park on the edge of Norwich.

Whilst all the sun we’ve been having has been lovely, it’s been a little bit too warm for our daily walks with our furry trekker, Jarvis. It’s hard work carrying a heavy lump on your back in this heat. So we decided to seek out some shade in our local woods.

With all the glorious weather we'd been having we decided to take the plunge and go on our first family camping trip. We found a great campsite, basic - just how we like it, on the banks of Coniston Water and with a new family tent bought we were all set.