Summer Holiday Sorted!

21 Jul 2016, 08:49 by Sam Taylor

School’s out and we’re off on our holidays in a few weeks! This year our family has opted for a week at the tantalisingly named Château de la Baudonnière in the stunning Normandy countryside in France. I’m so excited about this holiday on many levels. Right now, after a frantic summer term, all the family needs is a break. But, here’s the dilemma; the children want adventure (canoeing, climbing and cartwheels in the countryside) and I need a rest (no cooking, certainly no clambering up cliffs and lots of chill-out time please). Factor into the situation that I’m a single parent and that it’s impossible to juggle inertia with action. Luckily, Family Adventure Holidays has come up with the perfect solution.

Let me come clean: I’m no adventure queen but the rest of the family are keen for action. Family Adventure Holidays has put together a superb programme of activities to keep us all happy. My son is eleven and mad on sport and the great outdoors. He’s a city boy but the château, with its 100 acre estate and forest and lakes, is the perfect place for my street-wise lad to roam free, get grubby and discover the wonders of nature. And, while he’s not doing that then there’s organised canoeing, archery, climbing, an assault course and loads of team sports to keep him happy.

There’s tons to delight my eight-year-old daughter too. She’s pretty fearless so I know she’ll enjoy the assault course and the climbing wall. Best of all, I can relax because I know she’s under the watchful eye of instructors that will make sure she is safe. It’s fair to say she’s the craftiest member of the family (in all senses) so the t-shirt dying and the bread-making are perfect for her and may even keep her quiet for a while. And, if this isn’t enough there’s the château’s mini farm with its resident rabbits, pigs, ducks, horse and lama to visit whenever she wants to.

So far so good; with the children engaged and occupied there’ll be plenty of time for me to laze around, read and explore the chateau environs. Ah ha, but here’s something I didn’t expect; there’s loads in the programme that’s pricked my interest too. I’m rather looking forward to fencing, archery and clay pigeon shooting. If nothing else I’ll come back from this holiday a marvellous marks woman! I’m also very excited about our family day out at the spectacular Mont St. Michel. And, you never know, one day I may even get on the bikes with the children and explore the beautiful Normandy countryside.

Family Adventure Holidays has a superb array of activities lined up all the family for our week in the country and you could have sold this holiday to me on the activities alone. However, this holiday has a unique selling point to this particular frazzled mother. All the meals, that’s breakfast, lunch and dinner, are included. I will never ever have to search out a supermarche or traipse around a market unless I want to because all the meals are cooked for us by a very nice French chef! I can sit back and enjoy all that gorgeous French food (and wine) without having to lift a finger. So thanks Family Adventure Holidays I think we’re about to savour a very special summer holiday that combines action and inertia perfectly – I shall keep you posted!