When I was little I used to holiday with my Great Aunt and Uncle who lived in Christchurch, Dorset. They used to take me out a lot and the adventure that has stuck with me is taking a “picker nicker” (picnic) into the New Forest and paddling in a stream catching minnows in a bucket.
I desperately wanted to do this with my own children, but sadly had no idea where we went to do this and my Great Aunt and Uncle are no longer here for me to ask.
This weekend we decided we would head into the New Forest with the kids and my friend Joanne from Charliemoos recommend we go to Linford Bottom as it has a lovely walk for the kids and they could paddle in the shallow river.
When we arrived I realised this was my special place!
We unloaded the car and headed towards the river. It was still very muddy in places but I remembered to bring a spare change of clothes (or two),wellies a fishing net and those all important buckets. The kids charged off in search of adventure.
There were a couple of other families there, but it was not busy. It soon became apparent that Eliza’s bucket was leaking and the lady next to us started singing “There’s a hole in my bucket” – we all had a giggle when she realised what her name was!
Eliza was more interested in collecting stones but Kian and Isaac were determined they would catch a fish.
Hubby and Kian then headed off to explore whilst I stayed with Eliza and Isaac and played Pooh Sticks.
To say the kids were having fun was an understatement. We managed to squeeze in some learning activities too, stopping to rescue Isaac who got briefly stranded.
Fish catching was still top of the list of things they wanted to achieve.
Did we catch one?
Yes we did!
By this point Eliza was soaked and her wellies were full of water so we took them off. She loved squidging her toes in the mud on the waters edge, whilst Kian and Daddy went to see how deep the water was further upstream. It almost went over the top of their boots!
Kian decided to test the centrifugal force of the water inside his bucket, but sadly it didn’t work very well as this bucket also had a crack in the bottom.
They then set about throwing and skimming stones to see who could make the biggest splash.
Hubby randomly found an LP so the boys tried to build a dam, but the water current was too strong where it was shallow enough to build one, so they planted it farther upstream.
We cannot wait to go again, only this time we will take a picnic and buckets that don’t leak!
How fantastic that you found your “special place”! My husband lived in Christchurch for many years and remembers the area well.
Brilliant, I don’t think we’ve been, will have to investigate
Looks lovely, will have to visit! Bless her and her bucket- how funny!
How great is it that you found your special place! Looks amazing
awww honey how fantastic you found your special place again!! it really does look fantastic! i would love a place round here like this too xx
thanks for linking up with #MagicMoments x
Lovely photos. The family I used to nanny for for many years had a holiday home near Christchurch, it’s so beautiful there
wow looks like you had a good time, fabulous pics too x
How strange to find a record. Lovely pictures of hat looks like a great day x
Wow Kara this place looks absolutely amazing, I love it! Hoping it’s not too far from us too. You must have been so chuffed when you realised it was where you used to go as a child. No wonder you enjoyed it so much. Such great photos too, the kids look like they had a ball. Thank you so much for sharing with #whatsthestory
What a wonderful place. We are in search of a shallow river like this for minnow catching too 🙂 xxx
i used to love places like this ..and still do. shame i don’t get to go as much though as i don’t have a car, and obviously when i was little there was a parent to drive, ha.
How wonderful that you found your special place, that is just lovely. It looks like you had a fantastic day, love the photos. I bet you can’t wait to go back x #WhatstheStory
The discovery of the LP was rather strange, wonder how it ended up there and what was it more to the point?
Oh how wonderful that you found your special place 🙂 how magical that must have been! It looks like a lovely day was had by all!
That looks beautiful and so much fun. It is lovely doing things with your children that you used to enjoy isn’t it.
Wow looks like you had a fantastic time! So many beautiful pictures too x
This made me so eager to take my daughter to all the special places that hold memories for me! Glad you had such an amazing time
It looks like such a great place! I would love to visit, these type of days out are so much fun for all the family
Oh what a wonderful way to spend a sunny day 🙂 And how funny Eliza had a hole in her bucket! Brilliant. Looks like a beautiful place, the trees in the last photo are absolutely stunning 🙂
What a lovely spot for a family day out. We have a lovely stream with stepping stones near us and plan to visit it soon. I hope we don’t have holes in our buckets!
looks like you had lovely time, me and my dh discussing to go possibly somewhere away when our little one arrives, not straight away of course)
A perfect day out and all using the simplicity of nature itself. Linwood bottom reminds me a cross between Delphy Bridge up on Bodmin Moor and playing around the lakes here at Coombe Mill. Love the fun with the nets and the bare feet enjoying the spring sunshine. Thank you for joining me on Country Kids
Oh wow what some beautiful looking places, it looks and sounds like you has a wonderful time. x
This looks gorgeous Kara, I can see why it’s your special place! And what wonderful weather you had for it too 🙂 I must say, I’m really loving the look of your blog these days – so fresh and clear, really makes your pics stand out. x
Imagine finding a LP lying around in this day and age! Bet your kids had no idea what it was! GLad you had such a lovely day.
This looks amazing! What a fantastic trip out….Spring is here! I am definitely adding this to my day trips list!!
That looks like so much fun x x