Whilst I like to think we have always got involved in community events, it is since moving to a new area that I have found it more important that we do so. As I drop the children off at school I am on the look out for new posters up in the reception advertising local events that we can join in with. It was one of these posters that pointed us in the direction of a family picnic event.
The event was organised to meet at our local Community Centre with those in attendance having the opportunity to cycle or walk the route through to Taverham Mill Nature Reserve. Having the three children with me I knew that we would be walking rather than attempting to cycle (especially as Tigger is still using stabilisers and not very confident). As we approached the Community Centre I could see a collection of people all on bicycles which made me worry that we were to be only ones walking, however, I managed to spot a young couple and their baby who were also making the walk.
Having not made the walk to Taverham Mill I was pleased to have a guide along with us, especially as we would be walking along country roads with the children and the pushchair. It’s one of those places that is closer to get to by walking, however, the walk can be a little hair-raising so we’d probably end up going in the car next time.
Taverham Mill Nature Reserve
After a 30 minute walk, we made the final walk down the long drive to Taverham Mill, Roo and Tigger were still in good spirits although were a little hot and hungry. As the walk had been organised by a local community project they had managed to secure us a 50% discount on the entrance fee to Taverham Mill Nature Reserve, however, as the entrance fee is only £3.00 for adults with children free of charge it makes for a cheap family day out.
Before we decided to explore the area we opted to pitch up our picnic blanket and settle down for our sandwiches and snacks to recharge our batteries.
We were lucky enough to find a beautiful spot next to the water which provided us with a little bit of shade and a slight breeze which was most welcome on a very hot day. Next to our picnic spot was a huge log which had been made into a seat. It was the perfect place to sit and watch the world go by…
Piglet didn’t want to miss out on the action either and was loving the freedom of wriggling around in her pushchair and feeling the sun on her legs as we made our way around the nature reserve.
Taverham Mill Nature Reserve offers a choice of three trails, a 0.5-mile, 1-mile and 2-mile trail depending on how much walking you want to do. As we had the pushchair with us and it’s not really an off-roader we opted for the 1-mile trail which was a mixture of wooden footpaths and open fields.
As we finished off the trail, Piglet was starting to get cranky as she was due a bottle so we made our way back to the entrance where the children had spotted a play park. So whilst I sat in the sunshine feeding Piglet, Roo and Tigger headed off to explore the parks rope bridges and climbing frames.
With the sunshine beating down on us I treated myself and Roo to an ice lolly (Tigger won’t eat them, fussy boy) whilst we waited for our guide before making the walk back home.
When we finally got home, we were shattered. We worked it out that we’d walked almost 6 miles in just a few hours but we had managed to explore another section of our local area.
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