This day I love.......: Kiddy adventure pack

If you have followed this blog for a while you will know that I like to be outdoors. I like to be active and explore and the current weather has limited my opportunities to do so. Now that Little Man is getting older he is wanting to walk more and explore more too, which often means we do not take the pushchair.

His little legs do get tired though and he does still want a rest, but the pushchair really limits as to where we can go. When the girls are at school Little Man and I often take J for an adventure and we leave the pushchair behind, in fact all we need is our Kiddy Adventure Pack.

I had a Kiddy Adventure pack with the girls and used it as part of my training for the Yorkshire 3 peaks. I even wrote a review on it. To be honest not much has changed between the style I had for the girls and the new style. There are additional features like slightly larger storage pockets, so you don't need to take an extra bag and a handy cup holder too.

The Adventure pack is comfortable to wear even when Little Man isn't in it, so I use it as a normal rucksack and then when he is tired it is quick and simple to put him in so he can rest his legs.

Just like his sister used to do Little Man plays with my hair and rubs my neck in the carrier. I also get lots of patting as he wants to point things out to me.

He loves been up high and spotting things in the distance. Talking to me and telling me all about what he can see.

We have taken the adventure pack on loads of adventures so far. Everywhere from the seaside to the forest. Unlike a pushchair we are not restricted by terrain and can explore off the beaten track.

In fact we have even been onto the 'tops' to explore.

The adventure pack lives in my car boot so that no mater where we go I always have it with us. Little Man is safe and comfortable and enjoys exploring with me.

Although sometimes on our adventures it all gets a bit too much and he falls asleep!

I cannot wait for the weather to improve so we can get out and about even more!

I was sent the adventure pack in exchange for a written post, all words are my own opinion.

No comments

Last year Lisa from Hollybobbs and I set out to complete the Yorkshire 3 peaks, unfortunately it just was not to be and you can read about what happened here. This year I was on my own, but more determined than ever to complete the Yorkshire 3 Peaks.

My chosen charity was Macmillan Cancer Support. I lost a good friend to cancer last year and it was her wish to raise money for the charity who had provided so much support to her and her family. The charity set a minimum sponsorship of £175 but I wanted to raise more.

For those unaware of the Yorkshire 3 Peaks, it is 26 miles climbing the 3 peaks of

Pen-y-Ghent (691 metres)

Whernside (728 metres)

Ingleborough (723 metres)

The challenge is to do this within 12 hours. Each peak is completed one after the other and you walk in between the peaks. The fastest ever recorded time is 2 hours, 29 minutes, 53 seconds in 1974. The women's record is 3 hours, 16 minutes and 17 seconds. In comparison the fastest marathon is 2 hours, 3 minutes and 2 seconds. It is incredibly hard as I found out last year and this meant I knew exactly what to expect.

We set off in the blazing hot sun at 7.40am. The walk up Pen-y-Ghent was hard work in the blazing sun, I could feel my skin burning and sweat was pouring, there was no breeze in sight. By the time I reached the top of Pen-y-Ghent I was feeling light headed and dizzy, I needed to stop to cool down. The midges were out in force so I didn't stop for long. The walk then became more relaxed, the clouds came out creating a much more pleasant yet still warm walk and became more relaxed as it was a decline to Whernside.

Last year Whernside was where it all went wrong, and so this year I had a score to settle. I felt positive and with the support of Joanne, Paul and Paula who I met en route managed to climb to the top feeling enthusiastic that I could make the cut off time at the base of Whernside.

Whilst Whernside is the one I was dreading most, it is for me the one with the most fantastic views. I was ready to begin the descent. I remember this part all too well from last year and had to make it before the cut off time.

Whernside is a steep decent, the best way to do it is to walk sideways. It is hard uneven rock and makes it impossible to put your foot flat on the floor. You are constantly balancing and trying not to fall over, which happens a lot. The worst part of the decent is that you keep thinking you are almost there, then another bit creeps in front, followed by another and it feels never ending. Every step I took was starting to become more painful, my toes were in agony. I stubbed both feet several times on the way down, and tripped over several rocks, every step was becoming more and more painful. The insect bites suffered on Pen-y-Ghent were also starting to itch.

I made it to the base of Whernside at 2.10pm. In plenty of time, the cut off time was 3.30pm. We were told that we were in the lead group of walkers around the top 40 and this raised spirits. The walk from Whernside to Ingleborough is only a short one and whilst on the flat even ground I was fine. As soon as the path to Ingleborough became boggy I was in a lot of pain, my toes could not handle much more. Then in front of me I saw lots of walkers sitting down and behind them a cliff face. Climbing up the cliff face I could see other walkers with the green Macmillan shirt, I knew what we were about to do. I cannot begin to describe the pain I was in at that point, every step I wanted to be sick from the pain. Looking down caused vertigo and looking up reminded you how far you had to go.

Imaged used with permission from Paula

After the almost sheer vertical climb, which yes you do have to use your hands to climb up, you have a 15 minute walk to reach the top. This was incredibly scary. Vertigo kept setting in, you tried not to look down but you could see the clouds below you. The path was uneven and rocky making walking painful. Not only this but other walkers where coming back from the summit down the same path, for the return part of the journey back to base.

Imaged used with permission from Paula

The good news is I made it to the top, despite the pain, the sun burn, the midge bites and messy hair. I was at the top at 4.10pm.

We headed back towards base and was told we only had 4 miles to go, which means it should have taken 1 more hour given the current walking pace. The path became more and more uneven and more rocky as it progressed. The midges seemed to be hungry and began attacking me from every angle. For the first time on the walk I was alone. No one to talk to and no company. Whilst I knew in my head there was only 4 more miles to go, the pain and exhaustion was setting in. The pain was so bad that I wanted to stop. The end was no where to be seen, all that was around me was high steeped banks and what appeared to be a never ending path. A sign post was in the distance and I hoped it had good news, I was hoping for the last mile, but no still 2 more to go. I was frustrated at this point, I thought I had walked further.

I was feeling low and in a lot of pain. Walkers were passing me all in groups all laughing and joking. Then I heard 'ow', 'ow', 'ow' and I turned. Three walkers whose names I didn't get where coming up behind me. One, I think number 331, said I didn't look too good and kindly gave me some paracetamol. The lady saying 'ow' said her feet were hurting her and we hobbled together for that last mile.

That last mile with paracetamol inside me and company and support of three walkers gave me the push I needed. I was still in a lot of pain but at least I was no longer alone. Then on the other side of the hill I saw the car park with my car in it. At last civilisation. I was excited and so relieved, we were almost there! Then a train station appeared from no where and I realised I was on the street where the finish line was. I crossed the finish line at 6.40pm, 11 hours exactly.

It is almost a month since I completed the Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge. I broke 2 toes and suffered a huge blister [check out my Instagram if you want to see a picture]. I still have two toe nails which are black and painful if touched. If I walk or am stood up for too long then these two toes cause me immense pain. Whilst I would not do the challenge again, the memory of the pain is still too real and I feel there would be little point as I completed within 12hours, it was worth it. I raised to date £150 for Macmillan Cancer support. Unfortunately this is below the minimum they requested. It was an amazing experience and I met some wonderful people.

I have a few thank you to do, first to Lisa at Hollybobbs for not only sponsoring me but also for setting me the challenge initially. To my friends and family who have sponsored me and put up with my random training. The girls for letting Mummy go on some walks without you and for being ever so well behaved when you came on walks with me. To Britax for providing BOB and Kiddy for their carrier meaning I could take the girls with me. My dog for being amazing company on my training walks. To Kinspeed for all the activities you did to raise awareness and the donation made through my Just giving page.

Finally a big thank you to Blueprint for Yorkshire. In case you don't know about them, they have a strategy for ensuring safe drinking water and minimising the impact on the environment. In doing so they have preserved some amazing land in Yorkshire, which meant I have had some fantastic and free walks right on my doorstep. Without them I would have had to travel further for training meaning more time away from the girls.

It was tough but I did it and am so incredibly proud, I hope my friend whose memory I walked in is too.

This article has been referenced by the Park Leisure Guide to Yorkshire, discussing the most challenging walks in Yorkshire

3 comments

2 comments

The weather this past week has been terrible. Any spare moment I have had it has rained. Any opportunity to get outdoors has been taken, quickly.

The rain held off today, although it was cloudy and cold this morning. I started off the day with a jumper on I was that cold. One of the things I love about where we live is that there is a lot to do with the girls. A favourite of my eldest is Kirklees Light Rail.. She really adores trains, so with a break in the weather we headed out.

The girls got very excited as we sat on the train

My youngest wanted to wave at everyone as we went past.

At the end of the track is a lovely play area, which the girls love. Last time we came it was Easter and my eldest asked where the Easter bunny was as he meet her at the Play area when we got off the train. I had to tell her he had gone home but would be back at Easter. The girls loved playing in the sand and built lots of sandcastles.

The only thing that stopped them playing was the sound of the whistle from the train as it came into the station. This got my youngest attention every time. I think she looks very grown up here.

The girls wanted to drive their own train, especially because they had been watching them come and go from the station.

Their train finally arrived at their chosen destination, the slide! My youngest would climb up the slide and then turn round and sit to go down, whilst my eldest used the more traditional stairs.

The next train arrived so we got on board and headed back home, the girls of course waving to all who went past.

After playing with her bike in the garden my eldest then declared she wanted to ride her bike to feed the ducks. This left me in a bit of a situation, as pushing my eldest on a bike, walking a dog and then what do I do with my youngest? I thought I would be brave and give it a go. Normally I would use BOB, and there is therefore no issue, but with my eldest in her 'I want my bike' mood BOB had to stay at home.

I left BOB at home and ventured out. Now what I did not mention in previous posts is I have a Kiddy Adventure Pack, Kiddy very kindly sent me one to review [a review will follow soon] and to help me with my training for the Yorkshire 3 Peaks. I would use this in training when I could not use BOB or if I only had one child. The only thing was I was always on my own so never really got the chance to take pictures. I also would not have a bike or a dog with me, I figured that using my Kiddy adventure pack was going to be the only solution.

My eldest was so happy that she got to ride [by ride I mean I pushed her] to feed the ducks. She jumped off her bike got out the bread from the bag we had tied to the front and she fed the ducks.

After feeding the ducks we continued to walk around the lake, with J standing always beside my eldest, I think in protection mode. My eldest was ever so happy to be on her bike.

My youngest loves the Kiddy Adventure Pack because she is so high up and she can see everything. I got fingers pointing and her saying words, even quack quack quack as we walked past the ducks.

I am glad I found a solution and took the girls out as they both really enjoyed themselves. My favourite part of today though happened this morning at breakfast. My youngest who is very nearly 15 months, said 'Chocolate' and pointed at the chocolate, not believing what I had heard said to her ' Did you say chocolate' she replied with 'Mummy, more Chocolate' I said to her ' Do you want chocolate' she looked at me nodded and said 'Yeah'. I love that she is putting words together to make sentences.

This day I love trains, bikes and chocolate.

4 comments

About me

Follow Us

Popular

Brands