Win 2 x family pass to a National Trust Wales Property.

We are huge fans of the National Trust’s 50 Things To Do Before You’re 11 ¾ campaign which aims to promote outdoor play and a natural childhood.  As I champion a natural childhood and playing in the great outdoors I look forward to seeing Bug complete the 50 Things adventures over the years. 

Bug recently completed his first 50 Things challenge, #23 Visit a Farm from the Ranger Adventures when we visited the National Trust property Llanerchaeron.  Even though Bug has not completed anymore 50 Things adventures yet we have recently enjoyed visiting other National Trust properties; Dinefwr Park and Castle (our 50 Things plans went astray at this gorgeous property thanks to a temper tantrum and a grumpy Bug) and Bug loved conquering Cilgerran Castle. 

During our little adventures to a few National Trust properties I have acquired a love and appreciation for National Trust and their properties, admiring the wonderful restoration work they do and appreciating the fact that they are preserving properties and history.  I look forward to visiting National Trust properties with Bug over the years and seeing him complete 50 Things challenges in the beautiful surroundings; I especially hope to visit Dinefwr Park and Castle as it has lots of beautiful grounds that we did not get to explore thanks to Bug’s temper tantrum and it is a great spot for lots of 50 Things adventures.

Plans for green fingered fun #KidsGrowWild

Bug loves being outdoors.  He is in his element playing in the great outdoors.

He loves going on country walks.

He adores playing in the mud and making a muddy mess.

#23 Visit a Farm. Ranger adventure - 50 Things To Do Before You're 11 ¾

After exploring the 18 th century house, walled gardens, grounds and lake atLlanerchaeron we visited the home farm there for Bug to complete his first 50Things To Do Before You’re 11 ¾ adventure; #23 Visit a farm from the Ranger category of adventures.

The home farm at Llanerchaeron has been resorted to its former glory with its impressive range of traditional, atmospheric outbuildings now being used as a working organic farm with Welsh Black cattle, Llanwenog sheep and rare Welsh pigs.

Bug was super excited when he realised we were headed to see some animals as he loves animals.

In the stone cobbled farm courtyard we explored the stone outbuildings in the hope of seeing some animals. 

A day out at Llanerchaeron.

As I am hoping to encourage a natural childhood of playing in the great outdoors for Bug and keen to record his 50 Things To Do Before You’re 11 ¾ accomplishments when we recently had the car on a lovely sunny day I thought it was the perfect time to get out for a day out, play outdoors and attempt a #50 Things task.

With the National Trust Wales promoting the 50 Things To Do Before You’re 11 ¾ campaign I thought it would be great to go to a National Trust Property so Bug and I headed to Llanerchaeron in Ciliau Aeron, near Aberaeron.  As my mum has wanted to go to Llanerchaeron for a walk around the house for ages I thought it would be the perfect chance for Bug and I to spend some quality time with her on a family day out.  I also hoped that it would be the perfect day and place for Bug to complete 1 of the 50 Things To Do Before You’re 11 ¾ adventures.

Bug was super excited about his day out with his Mamgu and raced off to explore the 18 th century Welsh gentry estate.

First we decided to have a look in the house which was designed in the 1790’s.  The Llanerchaeron villa is according to the National Trust website is the most complete example of the early work of John Nash. 

A day out at Dinefwr Park and Castle.

As I believe in a natural childhood with playing in the great outdoors being an integral part of growing up I was keen to keep having outdoors with Bug and encourage him to complete tasks from the 50 Things list.  With an action plan arranged to get Bug started on his #50 things adventure, Bug and I recently headed to a National Trust property to set about get at least 1 thing ticked off of his 50 Things To Do Before You’re 11 ¾ list of challenges. 

After browsing the National Trust Wales website for the perfect property to get Bug started on his #50 things adventure I thought I had found the perfect place that would allow us the chance to at least complete 1 of the tasks.

With a number of spare hours and the car at our disposal Bug and I headed to Dinefwr Park and Castle in Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire.  

As we headed off from home the sun was shining beautifully in the blue sky and I had high hopes of a relaxing, fun filled day in the sunshine, exploring the 12-century Welsh castle, historic house and 18th century landscape park that encloses a medieval deer park.

Recording 50 Things To Do Before You're 11 ¾ adventures.

As I mentioned in my post Natural Childhood – playing in the great outdoors, I am excited about recording Bug’s accomplishments off the challenges from the 50 Things To Do Before You’re 11 ¾ list. 

I will be recording and capturing his achievements with photographs and video as well as writing about them on here, sharing some of my favourite photographs of his accomplishments.

As well as recording his adventures on here and with photographs we are also using the brilliant, colourful 50 Things website to record his achievements.  You can create an account for your child/children on the website where they can keep a virtual record of their accomplishments, with challenges that completed being ticked off from the list.  On the website children have their own little Outdoors Explorer to help them complete the challenges with rewards available to personalise their Outdoors Explorer for completing each of the 50 adventures.  There are also hidden secret challenges for children to find on the website.

Natural Childhood - playing in the great outdoors.

Having grown up in the country in Wales and lived on a farm for most of my childhood, most of my childhood was spent outside enjoying the great outdoors and experiencing nature at its best.  I would spend hours and hours outdoors with my sister and friends, having fun and playing in the surrounding countryside.  We would play outside all through the year, enjoying what the great outdoors had to offer over the various seasons. 

We loved trawling the countryside picking blackberries, damsons, apples and lots of other fruit flourishing in the beautiful countryside to take home to mum for her to use when cooking with us to make gorgeous treats.  I also have fond memories of scouring the fields looking for mushrooms to pick.

I loved spring time where the air was fresh and the flowers starting to poke their heads out from the ground.  After hours spend playing outside I loved running home with a bunch of freshly picked daffodils or snowdrops to give to my mum who had been busy working on the farm.  I also loved seeing the new lambs in the surrounding farms; I have one particularly fond memory of feeding a new-born little lamb by hand with a baby bottle at a family friend’s small holding.  Another fond memory I have is going on Easter egg hunts on the farm at Easter, following clues my mum had left across the whole farm for us to follow to find chocolaty treats.

During the summer holidays our outside adventures would flourish as we had full days throughout the whole week to explore outside and have lots of fun doing so.  Even though we would enjoy the outdoors and going to the beach throughout the year in various weathers, in the summer we would enjoy the visiting the beach very often.  I have an array of memories that I cherish of trips to the seaside.  We would dig in the sand, build sandcastles, bury each other in the sand, explore rock pools and climb the rocks, splash and swim the sea; bob along on the sea in dinghy’s and enjoy bbq’s at the beach in the evening.