Looking for an alternative to Disneyland Paris? We visited Europa Park in Germany whilst visiting the Black Forest region and had an epic couple of days exploring Europe’s premier theme park! Europa Park Europa Park is the biggest theme park in Germany and the third most visited in Europe (after Disneyland Paris and Efteling). It has been voted ‘best theme park in the world’ for eight years running by US magazine Amusement Today. And the stats really back up that title with eighteen themed areas and over 100 rides. Covering over 95 hectares the park includes six hotels, a camping site, a t ..read more

Desperate for a family ski trip, stuck with the half-term week and don’t want to blow the year’s holiday budget on one trip? We weren’t planning to get away as a family to the slopes this year, but with a bit of planning found that it is possible to do half-term skiing on a budget(ish)! The Travel Taking advantage of the EasyJet Big Orange Sale we picked up return flights to Venice (including two 23kg bags) for £365 for a family of four. We travelled on a Wednesday and flew home on a Monday (taking advantage of a school inset day). Avoiding flying on a Saturday saved us A LOT of money. We ..read more

The Own the Trail family has been lucky enough to enjoy some great adventures and travel to some new destinations in 2023. The Black Forest was the highlight 2023 family travel during the summer and Serre Chevalier was a great discovery for family skiing trips. 2023 Winter Trips Mayrhofen, Austria We kicked off 2023 with some fun in the snow. I was lucky enough to head to Mayrhofen for a long weekend of snowboarding with the girls. This was our first time in Mayrhofen and we really enjoyed it. We were staying a little way out of the centre but the buses were good – as were the taxi’s later ..read more

The Black Forest (or Schwarzwald) is an enchanting region of Germany, nestled against the borders of Switzerland and France. We chose to explore the Southern Black Forest Highlands for our summer family holiday and it did not disappoint! Travel to the Black Forest We love a European road trip so we decided to drive to the Black Forest, from door to door (Bath to Kirchzarten) the journey took around 12 hours and was nearly 700 miles. We drove down to Dover and took a P&0 ferry to Calais. From Calais we took the A26 motorway all the way down to Reims. Stopping for the night in an airbnb ..read more

Skiing is never going to be a cheap holiday and the costs of taking a family skiing can be eye-watering. With rising prices here are ten top tips to cut the costs and enjoy family skiing on a budget. 1. Plan your dates and book flights in advance It goes without saying that travelling in peak weeks is going to cost more. If you are able to avoid the key dates of winter – Christmas, New Year, February Half-term and Easter then you will find much better deals. If you are stuck with the high-season, book flights as soon as they are released for the best possible prices, usually six to nine months ..read more

I have always found finding a comfortable snowboard helmet tricky. Will the Salomon Icon LT Pro be my perfect fit? I have previously owned Anon helmets, but have never found them a perfect fit. My head measures somewhere between a small and a medium. So a small is…too small and a medium has to be on the smallest setting to fit. Not ideal from a comfort point of view. Also, the quality of the last Anon helmet I purchased was poor, making me think it was to try a new brand. Salomon Icon LT Pro Women’s Helmet The Salomon Icon LT Pro is a low-profile, lightweight sporty helmet w ..read more

The New Forest Water Park near Fordingbridge in Hampshire offers a range of water based family friendly activities. We spent the weekend exploring what they had on offer. Wakeboarding at the New Forest Water Park Me and a friend have been dying to give wakeboarding a go. As keen snowboarders, it seems like the perfect alternative summer sport for when you are missing the snow! As complete beginners we booked ourselves on a 15 minute one-to-one session on the system 2.0 straight line cable. This two tower system allows riders to wakeboard 150m under the constant control and instruction from ..read more

The start of the school summer holidays and we made the long drive to East Anglia to spend three nights camping in Norfolk at Manor Farm Campsite. Manor Farm Campsite Manor Farm Caravan and Campsite is on the North Norfolk coastline, just outside the traditional seaside town of Cromer. It’s a family-run site with seaside and woodland views. It’s a large campsite with three fields to choose from, including one which doesn’t allow dogs. Despite the size of campsite, it doesn’t feel big. The fields are nicely divided into smaller sections using hedgerows. The fields are gently sloping but spa ..read more

The Forest of Dean and the Wye Valley are beautiful areas of countryside. On the English/Welsh border and very accessible. We enjoyed a fantastic weekend camping in the Forest of Dean and loved exploring the woodlands. Beeches Farm Campsite Overlooking the Wye valley – the views are AMAZING! Beeches Farm Campsite is a beautiful place to stay. Surrounded by the woodland of the Forest of Dean make this a peaceful setting. The campsite offers direct access to Offa’s Dyke National Trail and walks to Tintern Abby. Well organised with good sized pitches, each with their own fire pit. Adults are ..read more

The Devon Coast to Coast is a 99 mile route from Ilfracombe to Plymouth. Part of the Sustrans National Cycle Network, this way-marked trail is the perfect challenge for a weekend adventure! The Devon Coast to Coast – Logistics Having spent most of the previous year off the bike through injury, I was looking for an adventure to get me motivated to get back on the bike. Teaming up with my Mum, who is always up for a challenge, we chose to take on the Devon Coast to Coast. Promoted as a route suitable for beginners to cycle touring we were probably naive to what we were taking on! With just o ..read more