Stealing Away to the Countryside

During the second week of the Olympics, Chris was still working from home so we decided to use that time for a change of scenery.  We found a cottage to rent in the countryside where there was WiFi access and was still close enough to the city if Chris had to go in for a meeting.

Front Gate of Frog Corner

The front part of the cottage is 200 years old and used to house the families of farm workers.  It is an amazing place and we fell in love with it instantly.

Cottage Front

Front Door

The kitchen was amazingly homey with its warmth from the AGA cooker (which is always on, night and day) and exposed rafters.  I’m sure in the winter, you would want to live in this room!

Kitchen

My favorite part of the house was this dining room window that looked out into the front garden.

Looking Out to Garden

Most of our time was spent in the living room, soaking up the Olympics – any event, any time, any day.  It was nice to enjoy television for a change!

Living Room

Chris spent his days holed up in the office.  Tough life . . . it was pretty amazing in there.

Office

The upstairs was fun as well with cute little bedrooms, just the right size for kids.

Upstairs Hallway

The main highlight for the kids was anything in the back of the house.  The herb garden looked like a maze in itself.

Back of the House

Every little turn had a surprise, like this frog peeking through the hedges – reminding you that you were at Frog Corner.

Even though the weather was not the warmest, there was a pool . . . and the kids were determined to swim in it.

Steps to the Pool

When their toes touched the water, their resolve wavered a bit.

Contemplating the ‘Big Freeze’

The rest of the grounds were just as beautiful.  It was so nice to let the kids go outside, run around, and play without worrying about them.

If we did go looking for them, they were usually anywhere the dogs could be found.

Looking up in the guidebook, there were three ‘must do’s’ in the part of the countryside we were in.  We did all three . . . within walking distance of the cottage.

Dunstable Downs

Just on the other side of the cottage’s driveway was the public bridleway.  We decided to take an afternoon excursion to see where it led.

We saw lots of fun farm animals on the way . . . and beautiful scenery.

We did hear a few complaints as we hopped mud puddles – ‘When are we going to get to the end?  What is AT the end?’  But, as soon as the trail opened up at the end, we knew the the walk was worth it and it was going to be amazing!

Standing on the downs you can see three counties.  We also had the treat of seeing gliders take off and land.

The View

Further along the trail, we came across some grazing sheep.

The kids couldn’t believe that you could just walk right up to them, if you wanted.  The sheep really weren’t too keen on that idea though.  Wherever the kids went, the sheep went the opposite way.

Herding Sheep

A Little Bit Sassy

It was really an uplifting, countryside walk.  Truly stunning views of nature.

Trekking Homeward

If we had been a little bit more prepared, maybe we would have packed wellies, instead of flip-flops and sandals.

Tree Cathedral

What is a tree cathedral?  Well, we weren’t sure, but it sounded cool enough to check it out.

Trail to the Tree Cathedral

Again, there were many fun farm animals to see on the way.  Some were in the fields we walked through, but others were on the other side of the fence, thankfully.

Great Big Pig

When we got to the Tree Cathedral, it wasn’t what we had imagined.  I think we were all thinking that the trees were forced to grow in the shape of a little church – structurally.  Instead, this tree cathedral was created by growing trees in the pattern of a cathedral’s floor plan.  Still pretty neat.  But, without seeing the diagram, it would have been hard to imagine what you were seeing.

Tree Cathedral Diagram

The younger kids were thrilled – this was the perfect place for ‘hide and seek’

Tree Corridors

Lady Chapel

Bridal Gate

Then there were others . . . teenagers.  As soon as the initial scoping was complete, Emma removed her soaked shoes and settled in for some iPod time.  Classic!

Emma

In true Olympic spirit, inspiring future athletes, we thought this was the perfect place for a foot race.  The incentive was presented – chocolates – and all participants were determined.

Lining Up

. . . and they were off!

The Finish

They had such a great time, that we had to do another one, with the same results.  They loved it!

Race #2

The walk back was relaxing and it was great to see the kids be themselves.

Hannah & Caleb

Emma couldn’t get enough of the animals we passed.

Then there were others who had a hard time facing the mud on the way back.

Cami & Dad

Friends Visit

‘Family time’ is always great, but so is ‘friend time’.  We were having so much fun at the cottage that we decided to invite the Ashton’s to come play for a couple days.

The kids tried and tried to enjoy the pool – the luxury of it was not to be missed.

“Warming” in the Sun

The kids also had some success in ‘frog hunting’ and discovering why the name of the cottage is Frog Corner.

In hopes to get the kids out of the pool, away from the Olympics, and onto something new, we decided to check out Dunstable Downs again.  This time the Stinging Nettle proved to be too much for bare legs and it wasn’t as enjoyable as before.

Running on the Downs

But, of course, there were other fun things to do as we unwound from a day of play – more play!

Whipsnade Zoo

Before packing up for home, we decided to tick off the last tourist attraction in the area – the Whipsnade Zoo.  It is advertized as the UK’s largest zoo, so it was definitely worth a look.

The Tiger

Emma was counting down the days for our visit so she made sure we organized our day so that we could fit everything in.

Roaming Animals

Our first stops were the shows, so that we were sure not to miss them.

Toucan

We got to see the birds up close and personal as they flew over our heads and onto pedestals throughout the area.

Macaws

The second show was to see the sea lions.  The kids were excited to sit in the Splash Zone, even though I thought it was way too chilly for that!

Splash Zone

I think the kids thought it was fun to be there for the up-close and personal views of the sea lions, but the kids crowded up to the fence blocking their view wasn’t what they had in mind.

Cami was the only one who stayed down in the splash zone with the other kids in the audience.  Towards the end of the show, one of the seal lions sneakily brought a hose up to them, turned it on, and sprayed them.  Cami was happily surprised!

You can never miss with a seal lion show!

Next stop was the railway to see the Asian animals . . . a mini safari.

I think one of my favorites was the rhinoceros.  It walked alongside the train for quite awhile.  I don’t know if I’ve ever seen one before – if I have, it was never so active and alert.  I thought it was an amazing animal.

Rhino

Elephant

Camel

After the train ride, the kids each gave their input as to what animals to see.  Some of the favorites were:

The Giraffe

The Penguins

It was a great day out at the zoo and a great week in the countryside.  It was surreal to think our little haven was less than an hour from home.  It was perfect!