Last week we had a week’s break in my parent’s caravan. It is currently pitched on a little site just outside Tudweiliog on the Llyn Peninsula in North Wales.

Gemma, Liam and I arrived on Sunday, after a good 3 hour journey. We were greeted with big hugs and excitement from Ellie, who’d been on holiday with Nana Jen, Grandad and her cousin Dafydd.

It was really good to see her, as this was the longest she’d been away from us.

After a few hours of settling in, my parents and Dafydd left us to it. With what was left of the afternoon we spent making a fuss of Ellie. At around 5 o’clock we headed to the local village pub, The Lion Hotel, for some dinner.

We had a really good meal. I had a fantastic Fish Pie, Gemma had a really tasty Chicken Curry, and Ellie had Sausage and Chips. But what really caught Gemma’s attention on the menu was the desserts, and in particular the Home-made Rice Pudding. I had a taste of Gemma’s and it was really good, very creamy!

After dinner, we went back to the caravan to get the kids settled for bed. It had been a long day, and Gemma and I were also pretty tired.

We had a bit of disturbed night sleep, mainly because there was a very strong wind blowing which was rocking the caravan. Liam only woke the once in spite of this for his regular feed, and quickly settled back down afterwards.

Next morning we woke to a scene of grey skies and more wind. We had a leisurely morning, eating breakfast and feeding Liam. It was a little cramped in the caravan so it took us a couple of days to get into a routine of doing things. There is so much stuff to take when there is a small baby going on holiday!

While we were trying to decide what to do, we had a phone call from Nana Mandy wondering whether we fancied some visitors. It was Bank Holiday Monday and they wanted a day trip. We decided that the best place to meet up would be in Pwllheli.

We met up with Nana Mandy, Taido and Uncles Shaun, Craig and Ricky in a small cafe near the amusements. There was a minor mishap just before we had something to eat. Ellie was all excited and was distracted playing that she had a bit of an accident in the trouser department. Oops! On the one occasion when we didn’t think we’d need a change of clothes for her!

So I had to go and see if I could find a clothes shop where I could get a change for her. Luckily, I found somewhere quickly and after trying to find the right size, I headed back.

After having a bite to eat we all had another go on some of the amusements before heading back to the caravan.

After showing Nana Mandy and everyone around the caravan, we all ventured to the pub for some dinner. It was a really good meal, yet again. This time I had Steak and Kidney Pie, so tasty. Liam slept most of the way through the meal but he did wake up towards the end of the main course for a feed. Taido volunteered to take on the feeding duties while everyone finished their meals.

We ordered dessert, Gemma once again had the Rice Pudding (she was getting addicted to it I’m sure) and I had Eton Mess. It was getting late once we’d all finished so Nana, Taido and the lads left on their journey home, while Gemma and I took the kids back to the caravan to get ready for bed.

Next day the weather was pretty much the same, grey overcast skies and drizzle. As the weather wasn’t too good we decided that after a late breakfast that we would head into Pwllheli again. Ellie had developed a bit of a cough so we needed to get her some cough mixture.

After finding a chemist we had a little wander about before finding somewhere to eat.

We found a nice little pub, and decided to sit outside. It was overcast but not raining. While we were waiting for the food to arrive, we caught Ellie pretending she was smoking. We were quite shocked – but that’s another story!

Anyway, after we finished our lunch we went for a walk to the beach. It wasn’t the ideal weather for sitting on the beach but nevertheless we ventured out. We grabbed a bucket and a couple of spades from the nearby beach shop, and tried to build a sandcastle.

This was not the easiest of things to do for two reasons. Firstly, was Ellie, who decided it would be fun to keep jumping on the partially built sandcastle while Dad was building it. And secondly, was a random dog, who thought he would befriend us. We had no idea where he came from, or whose he was, but he was very friendly and just wanted someone to play with.

The dog had this piece of burnt wood that he wanted us to throw for him. Ellie was also keen to throw the wood for him, but it never really went too far so the dog wasn’t too impressed that he didn’t have to run.

After about half an hour or so, Ellie was starting to get a little bit cold so we thought that it was about time to head home, via the supermarket to pick up a few things.

We had a quiet evening and a leisurely tea in the caravan, before we all went to bed feeling pretty tired. The fresh sea air certainly makes you feel tired.

Next day the weather was no better, in fact it was probably worse, with heavy drizzle. Because the weather was bad we decided to go to Llechwedd Slate Caverns in Blaenau Ffestiniog.

As you would expect it was pretty busy, with everyone having the same idea about doing something because of the weather. So after queueing for our tickets we gave Liam a feed to settle him before the tours.

The first tour that we went on took us on a small train ride into the mines. We all had to wear hard hats, with the exception of Liam. We were given a tour of three caverns and given an interesting history of the mine.

Ellie was very good. We did think that she would be a little apprehensive about the dark caverns, but she handled it really well. We did have to, at one point, improvise a toilet for her as she was absolutely bursting. Luckily it was dark to spare her blushes .

After the first tour we grabbed a spot of lunch before we went on the second tour. This time we had to get into a carriage that took us down into the deep mine. The tour this time took on a slightly different theme. It was told as a story of a boy who worked down the mine, as we moved through the various caverns, a new aspect of his story was told.

Once we’d finished the tour we thought that it would be a good idea to take Ellie on the Mountain Railway from Blaenau Ffestiniog. But sadly because of the times of the train, and my indecision we didn’t make it.

Next time Ellie, I promise.

We returned to the caravan and got ready to go to the pub again for our dinner.

Next day the weather was much improved. We took full advantage of this and decided to head out for a walk along the headland to go and show Ellie the seals that regularly visit the area.

Having packed a few things in the rucksack and strapped Liam to my chest we set off. We had a rough idea where the seals would be but it would be a little hit and miss whether they would actually be there.

But as we walked along we bumped into a lady out walking her dog who told us that she’d spotted them further along the coast. This was good news as we didn’t want Ellie to be disappointed.

A short time later we came across the spot where they should be and low and behold, there they were!

It was pretty exciting to see. We decided to park ourselves on the headland and look down on them, as it was a little bit difficult to clamber down to the cove, especially with Liam strapped to my chest. As we watched them we had ourselves a little snack.

There looked to be about 12 seals, all perched on the rocks soaking up some of the sun. Among them appeared to be a couple of youngsters. It was just so peaceful watching them.

Once we were suitably refreshed we set out on our return journey. Ellie really enjoyed herself, running off across the fields, avoiding the cow-pats. She had a great time.

By the time we arrived back at the caravan though, we had a very tired little girl. Who can blame her, she’d had a pretty long walk for a 3 year old. We had a late lunch, and settled Ellie down to watch a DVD for a while. She soon fell asleep.

A little later after Ellie woke up it was time for us to go and get some dinner. Yet again we had another good meal at The Lion Hotel. By now we had our own regular table, as we were recognised by the staff, which was nice to see.

The next day, which was our last full day, the sky was slightly overcast with a thin layer of cloud. It was warm however, and we decided that we would head to the beach.

We packed some lunch and other things for the beach. The beach was not overly crowded which meant that we could have our pick of the best places to sit. We headed to the far end of the beach, where it was more sheltered from the gentle breeze, and pitched ourselves near to a little stream that Ellie could play in.

We had a great time building dams across the stream, making sandcastles and playing football. Ellie and I even ventured down to the sea, and had a paddle. She is getting a lot more confident in the water nowadays.

We spent a good four or five hours on the beach, so by the end we were all pretty tired. After getting changed we headed off the beach to the car, via the shop to get an ice cream for Ellie (and me!).

Back at the caravan, we bathed Ellie and Liam before we went out for dinner at the pub again. We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner again. I really recommend this pub for food.

After dinner, while Gemma fed Liam, Ellie went to the play area and had a great time on the slide. It was the highest one that she’d been on before, and after her confidence grew she was literally throwing herself down it!

We had an early night as it was our last night, as we wanted to get up to give the caravan the once over before Nana Jen and Grandad arrived to stay.

Our last morning was spent packing the car and tidying up the caravan. Just before lunch Nana Jen and Grandad arrived. Ellie got very excited as usual.

As it was our last day, and the weather was absolutely brilliant, Nana and Grandad took us all to the pub again for lunch.

After lunch, the four of us climbed into the car and headed home. The journey home was pretty good, we only stopped the once to feed Liam and let Ellie go to the toilet. We arrived home at about 7pm, all feeling a little tired.

Apart from the weather on the first few days we all had a good time. We must say a big thank you again to my Mum and Dad for letting us stay in the caravan.

Thanks!