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This day I love.......

We decided to make the most of the warm sunny school holiday and head to Scarborough for the day. A day playing at the beach and exploring the North Bay sounded perfect. I bundled the kids into the car and made the 2 hour car journey to the North Yorkshire coast. The girls wanted to do the SeaLife centre first before spending the rest of their day playing on the beach. I agreed with the idea, as the girls could then spend all afternoon playing in the sand as the temperatures start to cool down



Little Man seemed to remember the last time we came and as soon as the car engine stopped he started pointing 'choo choo' and repeating over and over. I love the North Bay railway and have many happy memories from my childhood riding the train, so we headed over to take the train to the SeaLife centre.


The girls were in for a real treat as they were given the opportunity to help couple the train and to sit on the engine too. Oh and even wear the drivers hat!


I cannot get over how grown up my eldest looks in this photo!


We entered SeaLife and became Lego Ocean Explorers. A Lego diver had lost pieces of equipment in the centre and we needed to find them.


We searched high and low, looking in each of the tanks. The diver had lost quite a lot of his equipment. Some easier to spot than others, and some easier to work out than others too. It turns out it wasn't just 'diving' equipment he had lost either.


The girls and Little Man searched every tank and every exhibit. They searched every section they could to be certain they hadn't missed anything. 


Some species you had an idea that the Lego pieces wouldn't be there. I knew there would not be any Lego in with the Octopus, as their curiosity would get the better and they would break them. This in itself got me wondering what exactly an octopus would do with Lego. We continued searching in the tanks, my youngest daughter asked if this was made of Lego. 


The penguins are my favourite animals to visit at Scarborough SeaLife. Walking though their enclosure is such a wonderful experience. They didn't come to play today, which was a shame but we did get to watch them playing under the water!



After visiting the Seals we headed back inside to continue our Lego quest. We had taken a brief pause to play pirate golf which is included in the admission to the centre. Back inside we made our way through the tunnel, Little Man could not work out why the fish were swimming so close but yet he couldn't touch them.


After finding all the hidden pieces we were looking forward to playing in the brick pit and creating our own masterpieces but unfortunately we had arrived too late. I would recommend doing this part first and we know for the future. The girls had successfully found all the missing dive equipment and were awarded with their very own Lego minifigure!

We took the train back to North Bay and played on the beach after having some dinner. The girls and Little Man had had a wonderful day, so much so that Little Man fell asleep from such a fun filled day out. I think the sea air perhaps helped!


To see our day in Scarborough you can watch our video:


Thank you to SeaLife for inviting us to visit, we were provided with free entry. All words and opinions are my own. 

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Our Easter holidays seem to be flying by. The first few days the girls have been at football school, something they have been asking to attend for some time now. Wednesday saw them have a break and with that we headed to the seaside with Grandma and our friends. The weather wasn't the best, it was cold, windy and rainy but the week before it had been predicted snow, so in some ways we counted our blessings.

In all my  years visiting Scarborough I have never seen the sea as rough or as far in during the day. I was surprised to say the least. The girls were equally as surprised but yet watching the waves crash and spill over the defence walls was mesmerising and something we could not step away from.


Easter holidays seem to be staggered over the country and as a result Scarborough was incredibly quiet. We hardly saw any other people as we walked around the parks.


With many of the usual North Bay attractions closed due to the off peak season we were incredibly happy to see the North Bay railway was still running. It was a bit of a dash as we rushed to make the last train of the day, but Little Man absolutely loved every second. 


 Whilst he has been on the train before he was only a baby, this time he laughed and smiled. He pointed at the sea and he went choo choo every time the train blew its whistle. He smiled so much, I have never seen him smile as much before and it was just lovely to see.


After exploring the North Bay we headed over to the Sealfe centre, which had come under invasion. Claws. 


The new exhibition to SeaLife Scarborough features hands on learning and fact finding. 


My daugthers, aged 5 and 7, walked around reading each of the exhibits. Finding out if they were as strong as a crab, what the smallest creature was at SeaLife or even learning about armour.


In addition to the new Claws invasion all the other attractions at SeaLife are open and we spent a good 2 hours walking round, it was no wonder the kids wanted to put their feet up.


Little Man was simply having the best day. First trains and now fish, he even found a playground to play on.


After watching the Seals we headed back inside to look at the fish and marine animals again.


Some of them hiding and others I had never seen before were out and about. Some of them were a lot easier to spot than others.


We had spent a whole day in Scarborough and at 7.30 decided it was time to make the journey home. The kids in their PJ just in case they fell asleep on the way home, Little Man did but the girls did not, and dinner in the car on the journey home. 


We always have such a wonderful day out when we visit Scarborough, and this time was no exception. Whilst we may have visited SeaLife several times before it was still great to go again and see the invasion and to get hands on with the new exhibits. I am looking forward to our next trip to Scarborough when hopefully we will be able to play on the beach too!

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We have visited Scarborough many times, it is one of our favourite places to visit as a family and certainly one of my favourite places.  I have many happy memories visiting Scarborough as a child and have made many memories visiting with my children.  

It was on one of these visits with the children when I was taking photos of the castle that I noticed people walking inside.  I had never realised that you could visit the castle, let alone go inside.  Visiting inside the castle was placed at the top of the to do list for our next visit to Scarborough.  

An email landed in my inbox from English Heritage inviting us to visit Scarborough castle over the summer holidays.  It was an offer I simply could not refuse.  English heritage had a wide range of events over the summer holidays and after looking through I picked Hand on History.

The date we picked turned out to be one of the windiest dates of the year!  I struggled to keep the pushchair up right.  The girls cold from the wind and wanted to watch the event unfold rather than participate.  It was a shame as there were some fantastic events on for them.


Having not been in the castle before we took some time to explore.  The castle more impressive up close.  The girls loved exploring the castle grounds.  Plenty of space for them to run around and play.  Space for them to have fun.  


I was taken back completely by the views from the castle.  I thought I knew Scarborough and had seen it all, but standing from the castle gave me a whole new perspective.  The bay was stunning.  Had the weather been less windy I could have happily stood and looked at the view all day.


The wind was picking up and the girls getting cold so we decided to venture down the hill and back to the beach.  The day we had planned playing in the castle was just not meant to be.  It was a real shame as there were some great activities planned.  We found a sheltered spot on the beach and played until the girls got too cold and it was time to go home.  



Whilst it was not the day we had planned we still had a wonderful day together.  I can finally say I have been to the castle.  The girls have even asked when they can visit again, so I am checking the English Heritage events page to see what is happening over Halloween and Christmas.  We shall certainly visit again!


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Travelling with children can be exciting, adventurous and fun.  It can also be stressful, hard work and a little bit daunting at times.  Especially when they come with so many things.  When I worked for a large company I had a company car and often there is little choice on which car you get.  As a business user sometimes this car can be the only car within the family, and so rightly it needs to double as the family car.  Our question to Kia was how well would their new Kia Opima Phev withstand the school holidays?

We began by loading the Kia Optima with all the bags we would need for 4 days holiday at the seaside with 3 children.  This may not seem like a lot but in the boot is:

- 2 scooters
- 1 pushchair
- 3 bags
- food for 4 days
- coats [for 5 people]
- dog bed
- all related items for the dog [but not the dog, he was in the main car]
- steriliser and bottles 
- charging cables for the Optima
- football

Looks were certainly deceiving with the boot space, I wondered as I saw it all piled up in the hall if we would get everything in the boot but we did with space left too! 


I have come to expect a Kia to be loaded with lots of extras, having now driven 4 different models, and the Kia Optima Phev certainly didn't disappoint.  Heated seats, Heated steering wheel, climate controls and everything within an easy reach central location.


Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, 8 inch touch screen navigation system, wireless mobile charger and USB sockets.  The Kia Optima Phev had everything needed to keep the family entertained on the journey to the seaside.  In addition there was everything the business user would require, making it perfect for both business and personal use.


The Kia Optima Phev is Kia's first plug in hybrid model and whilst we have access to a charge station at home it can be charged by plugging in to the mains.  The Optima phev can be driven in either all electric or hybrid drive modes.  

We were keen to see just how far the Optima would go on pure electricity and soon discovered this was down to both the type of driving and the load within the car.  On average though it was around 33 miles.  I found this relatively impressive, particularly as for quite a few this would within the commute to work distance, at which point it could be recharged at work.  In the same way as a parent driving kids around to various school clubs this would be within the range of the total miles, using only electric could save money on fuel bills.  The Optima also recharges the battery as it is moving which means you can further reduce the number of miles on fuel.


Travelling with the children I needed to make sure they were both safe and comfortable.  The outer two seats have isofix points, and whilst I could fit comfortably in the middle seat between the two car seats I struggled to fit a third car seat on the back.  I could squeeze a third seat in but it would have suffered with buckle crunch and I felt this was unsafe.  However, I think it is worth noting that if I had three slim seats I am pretty certain that you could get three across, but it would depend on the sizing.


My eldest daughter therefore could sit at the front, the airbag was easy to locate to turn off should you require a car seat on the front.  There was even enough room in the foot well to fit J, our dog, we all travelled in comfort and no one was squashed.


Our destination was the Bay at Filey.  We love this development as it is a home from home.  Building works are almost complete, we only noticed them when we walked further up the site towards the beach, so I think dependant on where you stay you may or may not encounter work.  We had booked a 2 bedroom house, which had plenty of room for us all and J.


The Bay is built partly upon the former Butlins Filey site.  I like the charm from each of the bricked houses and the way the site is laid out.  There is an indoor swimming pool which guests can use, fitness and spa facilities, bike hire, Italian restaurant, pharmacy and a very family and dog friendly pub.  The beach is within walking distance, however we were at the furthest point of the site and so had a good 10-15 minute walk.  The path to the beach is not direct, as the site is higher than the beach so it has to wind gradually down to the beach otherwise it would be too steep to easily climb back up. 


The Kia Optima Phev was incredibly comfortable to travel in, and I was in the middle seat between the two car seats.  I will admit to falling asleep during the journey.  My husband used the in built Sat Nav to direct us straight to our destination and my eldest daughter was fascinated not only with the Sat Nav but also with the eco driving animations.  They told her if the car was using electric and she watched as the eco tree filled up.

We arrived at The Bay and decided to make the most of the takeaway pizza service on site, it had been a long journey and hot pizza seemed to be just what we needed.


We left the car outside our holiday house and walked over to the beach.  J was in his element running free, digging in the sand and of course chasing his ball.  The beach is lovely and flat and perfect for letting both kids and dogs have some fun.


After almost the entire day spent on the beach we headed back to The Bay for dinner.  We decided upon the Lord Nelson for dinner.  They welcome both children and dogs inside so it was perfect for us and it meant J didn't get left out.  The food was great too, plenty of choice and a great kids menu.  We all left with our stomachs full and feeling happy from our day at the seaside. 


Little Man enjoyed his day so much he had a wonderful nights sleep!


A final day out on the beach lay ahead.  Given the time of year it felt warm and we were up early to make the most of our final day.


We walked and played along the beach and before we knew it we were in Filey itself.  This of course called for Fish and Chips on the sea front.


We had kept an eye on the tide tables and knew we had plenty of time to make it back.  J was pleased because he could spend longer chasing his ball.  The girls were happy running around on the beach and generally enjoying themselves.  Little Man was just taking everything in.


The Kia Optima had been charged up using the household electric plug and was ready and waiting for us.



I love the look and feel of the Kia Optima Phev.  The aerodynamic shape helps with fuel efficiency but in my opinion it also gives it a a smart look.   Every angle has been designed carefully, and whilst it certainly has a business car feel to it it also functions incredibly well as a family car.





The Kia Optima Phev was perfect for our family holiday to the seaside.  It successfully carried all five of us in comfort and the dog too.  All out luggage fitted in the boot and with space left over.  Not only that but we travelled using hyrbid technology, reducing our overall travel costs.  Whilst I may not know all the inside specs, I can tell you that the family loved the Kia Optima Phev just as much as my husband loved driving it for work.  It is clearly a car that is versatile enough to be an executive company car during the day and an elegant family car at the weekend.

We loved our time using the Kia Optima Phev and loved creating some wonderful memories on our holiday!



The Kia Optima phev was on a loan basis and has been returned.  I paid for the holiday in full.  No compensation has been received for this post
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About me

About Me

Welcome to This Day I love.

My name is Leyla, also known as Mum to my 3 humans and dog Mum to J. I have a passion for the outdoors and love to run. I can often be found off road exploring the trails and fells and covering distances all the way up to 50 miles. As a family we love travelling and discovering new adventures, as I try and run around the world!

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