Have you ever been to a tourist attraction or destination and just thinking about it for days later, makes you smile? The Cornish Seal Sanctuary in Gweek made me do just that. 

The Cornish Seal Sanctuary at Gweek, on the beautiful Helford Estuary, is one of Europe's busiest and best seal rescue and rehabilitation facilities.

They have clear aims and objectives here which is great to see. The most important one is that they handle the seals as little as possible, whilst still providing professional care for the animals. This is so that they do not become tame and can fend for themselves when released back into the wild. If the animals cannot be returned, for example, those that are too sick or disabled for release or those that are rehomed from zoos, then they provide a safe and caring environment.  They also educate the public and raise awareness of the wealth and diversity of the marine environment. As well as seals there are other animals too such as sea lions, penguins and otters.



So we set off on the 40-minute drive from where we were staying in St Ives to get to the seal sanctuary.  When we got there we were greeted by Ellie, one of the members of staff who was allocated to show us around as we had arranged a 'breakfast with the seals' package.   This premium package included early entry prior to opening, a private VIP tour with a member of staff, a chance to feed the seals and breakfast in the cafe. If you want to do this package it needs to be booked at least two weeks in advance. 

Top Tip I would also recommend booking on the website if you want standard entry as it's cheaper than just turning up. There are also other VIP packages such as being a keeper for a day so do check them out.

Ellie was amazing and super enthusiastic about the seal sanctuary. Although only a member of staff for a short time, her love of the place really shone through.  She explained that this year was the 60th year of the seal sanctuary and that it started in 1958 when the founder Ken Jones found a baby seal washed up on the beach in St Agnes, Cornwall. This was the first of many rescues, the single pool that Ken used soon became too small and in 1975 a new site was found in Gweek.  



Then on to the tour. The first place we were taken to was the seal rescue hospital and admission centre.  Most of the pups here are young, many only a few weeks old. When the seals come in they are assessed, any wounds treated and put on a treatment plan. Many of the seal pups are malnourished. When a seal has babies, the mum feeds them milk 5 to 6 times a day, then after 3-4 weeks the mum leaves them and heads back out to sea to feed and mate again.  In this time the seal pup has to learn how to find fish and feed itself. This is a time when they are at their most vulnerable. This is often the time that seals are brought to the centre, washed up or injured during storms. If a seal pup is admitted at this stage they are fed a fish soup mixed with Lucozade through a syringe until they start eating properly.  They have to be 35 to 40 kilos before they are released. 



In the seal hospital is the food prep area, and here we saw the volunteers who wash and sort the fish.



After the hospital, we were taken to the nursery pool. The seals in this pool had gained weight and were well enough to move on from the hospital.



After the nursery pool, we moved on to the convalescent pools. These pools had mostly seal pups, but also a few adult seals with injuries or disabilities that meant they wouldn't be able to survive in the wild. These adult seals helped nurture the seal pups, and the seal pups learn how to fight for the fish as they would in the wild. 



It's important here to point out that this place isn't a zoo, it's a working hospital and rehabilitation centre and thus the areas to swim and enclosures aren't of course, as big as the wild open sea.  The water for the pools are also taken from the sea so can be murky in places, but that is how it should be, as the baby seals will be returned to the wild.



As part of the package, we were given the opportunity to feed the seals in the rehabilitation pool. I left this to Mr W who had a challenge for the seals to get the fish before the seagulls!





The seals are moved there when they have been socialised with the adults and get to the desired weight of between 35 and 40 KG before they can be released. Then the staff wait for good weather and good surf for the seals to be released. The pool here is smaller so they can drain it quicker on release day, and then they are taken in a trailer to the beach. They are released in groups of 6 to 10 and those that are less confident can take the lead from others.

After feeding the fish we were shown the two Californian sea lions which were rehomed from a wildlife park in Spain. It was interesting to hear that when they arrived they could only understand Spanish. They had to be taught commands in English (so the team could carry out health checks). 

There are also otters, penguins, a play area for children and a rock pool area where children can learn about starfish, crabs and sea anemones. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to explore more. 


Then it was time for our breakfast which was in with the 'breakfast with the seals' package'. This included a huge basket of croissants and pain au chocolats, toast, porridge, fresh fruit, orange juice, tea or coffee. I think other cereals were available.  The food was plentiful and there was more than enough food for us both. 

When we had breakfast Mr W and I chatted about the sanctuary. The work that the Cornish Seal Sanctuary does is amazing and we can definitely recommend the breakfast with the seals' package at £35 per person. 

Did you know it's all happening in Basingstoke this Summer? No? Well I am here to tell you all about it.



Running from July 14th to 13th Of August, the Made In Basingstoke festival is a cultural make, do, share, experience type event full of things to create, taste, discover and make.


Daily activities will be running throughout the town, in shops, museums, and shopping centres. The festival will also be celebrating the 200th anniversary of Jane Austen who was also born and raised in the area, with a bronze statue of the author, being unveiled in the town centre on the 18 July. There is also a new ‘Sitting with Jane’ free public arts trail and the associated app featuring 24 ‘Book Benches’, each designed and painted by a different professional artist. 

Liverpool has plenty to see and do so it can be hard to know where to start! Allow me to recommend my favourite touristy hangouts. To see the very best that Liverpool has to offer, head to these five memorable Liverpool locations.

Albert Dock

Kennedy Space Centre is the base of America's space programme and is an interesting day out for all space lovers everywhere.

Kennedy Space Centre was NASA's launch headquarters from the 1960s until 2012 when the final shuttle launch. Now due to a space programme with major private investment, visitors to the complex can once again view live rocket launches. If you are wondering how far is Kennedy Space Centre from Orlando, it is only 45 minutes away by car. 


Admission to the space centre includes so much including the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit, the Shuttle Launch Experience, various 3D films showing life in space, and the Apollo/Saturn V centre. If you are really lucky you can even catch a shuttle launch or visit the Astronaut Encounter where you can listen to a real astronaut talking about their experience in space.



There are various shows and talks throughout the day and I would recommend planning what you want to see as soon as you enter as some of these are timed experiences.



The first thing we did was the Astronaut Encounter. Our astronaut for the session was Wendy Lawrence, the first female graduate of the US Naval Academy to fly into space. Wendy spent a total of 51 days orbiting the Earth on four shuttle missions including STS-86 Atlantis. The audience had a chance to ask her questions too which was great. I learnt that when she was up in space she saw a sunrise every 45 mins. Did you know that an orange space suit is worn for a launch and that a white space suit is worn for a spacewalk as it can deal with higher temperatures? Astronauts also need to exercise 2 hours a day in space to prevent muscle loss due to the lack of gravity. 

If you get a chance to attend the Astronaut Experience, do it as it's free in the cost of your admission ticket.

The Shuttle Launch experience located inside the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit is also well worth doing. You get to feel what it is like in a shuttle launch. Strapped flat on your back, waiting with anticipation for the countdown and then launched into space at simulated speeds of up to 17,500 miles per hour, you feel the G force then the weightlessness as if you are floating in space, and see the breathtaking view, of Earth below.

With the recent heatwave lighting barbecues across the country, the weatherman predicting an oh-so hot summer and those long six week summer holidays for kids just around the corner it’s, believe it or not, just about time to plan a summer of adventure and excitement.

A guest post by Kelly from Kelly Allen Writer.

Ask anyone and they'll tell you, I'm totally in love with Aberystwyth. Having studied there for several years, it slowly etched itself into my heart and, even though I was born in Birmingham, I actually consider Aberystwyth as my home.

So, when we headed to Machynlleth for our glamping trip over the summer holidays, we (quite naturally!) ended up spending a day in beautiful sunny Aberystwyth…

When we arrived (which was pretty early in the morning!) we decided to park by the marina. I wanted to take George and Molly to see the boats so we could hear them tinkle and chime and I thought it was best to start off here and eventually head over to the other side of the seafront and up Constitution Hill. This meant we could come full circle and explore a lot of the seaside town in just one day.

For me, it was like giving my little family a guided tour of my hometown, the place that gave me peace and happiness during the time I lived there. We had a lovely (albeit short) stroll along the seafront until we came to Aberystwyth Castle. 


We were all very excited at the sight of it, with its many layers and nooks as well as the cannons that point out to sea.



Once we had exhausted every view point and I had taken a few photos of the crazy bunch, we headed to the little park beside the castle. This park is just so amazing- I love it! I have never seen a park so well taken care of, with varying equipment for various age ranges. There are lots of benches dotted around for the adults and some mini-benches for the kiddies- this is a really cute feature of the park. This isn't a massive park, but they have included everything you need! George and Molly loved exploring and climbing, and they were always in view, which meant we weren't constantly worrying about where they were.

Oh, one thing that I thought was pretty important when heading out for a long day trip like this is the toilets! There are public toilets behind the park, and these are very clean and orderly, unlike most of them we find on our travels… I think planning ahead and knowing/finding out where public toilets are is really important when going out as a family, and Aberystwyth have spaced them out perfectly!

After George and Molly had exhausted every element of the park and been to the toilet, we headed for the Crazy Golf! This is situated right by the park and castle, overlooking the seafront. It cost less than £2 per person and it was great fun! George in particular loved this part of the day, and even though Molly became restless towards the end, the length of the course isn't exhausting and you can get through it at a reasonable pace, plus it doesn't cost the earth to play- win, win!


Afterwards we headed towards the Pier for lunch. Warren and I had decided long before the trip to have pizza on the pier, it's the best pizza we have ever tasted and I was worried that we would be disappointed as it had been a few years since we ate there, but it was even more delicious than I remembered. They are between £3.60 and £4.60 for an individual sized pizza, and it really is all you need for lunch… you can always add a side of chips if you are feeling a bit more peckish ;)



After we had eaten, we headed down the seafront towards Constitution Hill and I spent this time talking to the children about Aberystwyth's tradition 'kick the bar'. The bar lies at the north end of the beach, and the tradition is seen as good luck, so we all had a go at kicking the bar and the kiddies loved it!

We then decided to walk up Constitution Hill… We were worried at first that the kiddies wouldn't make the walk up, but they surprised us, as usual! If you don't think your little ones would make it up then there is the option to use the Cliff Railway but we were on a very strict budget so we chose the 'free' option! To be honest, it is a beautiful (but steep) walk… and even though it took us a while to get up to the top, it was totally worth it. The views are stunning, but keep children close as it does have a very sharp long drop off the edge. I remember as a kid nearly going over the side, but as a kid you have no fear, so I made sure I kept George and Molly close by.



At the top of Constitution Hill we found a lovely café/restaurant called Y Consti and ordered hot chocolates as well as picking up a token for bowling. Bowling cost less than £5 and there was also air hockey and other games for us to play once we had finished bowling. At the time of our visit there was also a free bouncy castle which George and Molly thoroughly enjoyed!

We then headed back down the hill and onto the beach. It was a glorious day and we ended up kicking off our shoes and having a little stroll along the sand. For August, the beach was fairly quiet and it was lovely to not feel overrun by tourists (yes, I know I am a tourist now too, sob…). Once we had spent a little time on the beach we headed into the main shopping area and stopped at the wonderful 'Stars' shop to buy some souvenirs for George and Molly and their nannies. I just love this shop and could stay their for hours admiring the vast array of trinkets, jewellery and gifts.



By this time we were feeling peckish but still quite full from lunch, so we headed to reliable and convenient Subway. The staff here were amazing, especially with the kiddies. We all wolfed down our individual subs and then it was time to take a gentle stroll back to the car. We passed the local market this time instead of going via the seafront and this took us right towards the castle, which was very useful indeed.

We were all utterly shattered from all the different activities, the lengthy walks and the brilliant sunshine. But we were also, oh-so happy to have spent such a wonderful day in the warm and welcoming arms of Aberystwyth… the place that just feels like home xxx

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