Air Space

Air Space is a trampoline warehouse that contains over 100 interconnected trampolines. There are five Air Space locations spread out within the UK; Glasgow, Wolverhampton, Stevenage, Manchester and Liverpool. At Air Space you can play on the trampoline dodgeball or basketball courts, trampoline football area, general trampoline area, giant air bags, power trampolines, gymnastics mat or ninja run. I had heard so many people talk about this place when it first opened and I desperately wanted to go but just couldn't find a time that worked out convenient for everybody. Until last week.

For my birthday last year, I was given two vouchers to use at Air Space. I chose to use them last week. My brother, his girlfriend and I decided on a 90 minute Freestyle Jumping Session which meant we could have a go on absolutely everything there was in the warehouse. When we got there, it was even better than I'd expected! The place was massive and there was so many things to do that we had a tough time deciding where to begin!

We watched the safety brief and got our special non-slip jump socks and off we went. We all became about 10 years old again! Well, minus the fitness level. The general trampoline area was at the very back of the warehouse and that's the first place we headed to. After about 20 minutes, the three of us were absolutely knackered and there was still so much more to do! There was the Dodgeball Courts, Basketball Shoot-Out, Penalty Area, Air Bag, Ninja Run and the Power Trampolines! I loved the basketball area because being able to slam dunk the ball into the net felt amazing. My favourite thing out of the whole warehouse was actually the Air Bag. Essentially, you climbed on top of a 15ft platform and took a running jump off the platform, landing on a massive air bag. Nobody thought I would be able to build up the courage to do it since I hate the feeling of falling and can't even watch somebody fall from a height on TV but I did it and I LOVED it! So much so that I went up again and again and again! My brother liked the Power Trampolines best because they bounced you higher into the air and that way, he could so more flips, tricks and wall run too! 

Our 90 minutes went in very fast and before we knew it, out time was over. We still managed to have a try at the Ninja Run before we left. I was terrible at it! Two beams of different heights rotated around at different speeds and the challenge was to jump and duck to avoid them but remain on your little individual platform at the same time. I don't think I even lasted a minute! My brother was really good at this though and he won. He was great at everything in Air Space, the Ninja Run, Dodgeball and Basketball, not to mention all the flips and tricks he can still do after his years at gymnastics. It was pretty cool to see him do all of this with minimal effort. I attempted a front flip but it didn't go as well as Stuart's did.

Air Space was an AMAZING day out, I would 100% recommend this activity for anyone. It would be great for kids parties, parties in general, work nights out or if you simply want to feel like a kid again like we did. It's fairly cheap as well, only £13.95 each for a 90 minute session with access to all the activities. That day was one of the best I've had in ages and I definitely plan to go back sometime soon with some friends.

xxx

A Short Break Away | Last Morning at Kenmore & Travelling Home

The days have went by so quickly! We'd barely arrived and it was already our last morning in Kenmore. It had been such a lovely few days that none of us wanted it to end; we all wanted to spend one more day in the absolute serenity that surrounded us! Unfortunately we only had one last morning before we had to return back home, back to reality. 3 hours was not a lot but we certainly made the most of it.

For once, all four of us were awake, dressed and had everything packed in the car with enough time to all walk the dogs together one last time before checking out. We walked the longest route, swung on tree swings, walked in the river and climbed some trees. I didn't fall out this time! Even one of the dogs attempted to climb onto one of the fallen trees, what a dafty! It was a perfect morning and what better way to finish it than to go and have breakfast together. The restaurant at Kenmore allows pets to sit with their owners inside whilst they eat as long as they behave. I love this rule because it means Millie and Buttons can just lie under the table and we actually get to have breakfast instead of grabbing something to eat in the car. The restaurant is a little pricey but for once, we didn't really care about the money; plus the portion sizes were pretty big. Mum, Stuart and Louise all got some form of eggs on toast, either scrambled or poached. I got the Scottish breakfast so Stuart could have the sausages and black pudding to go with his scrambled eggs on toast. I don't like them so I was content with that deal because in my opinion, I got to eat the best breakfast items; bacon, scrambled eggs, potato scone, beans, toast and grilled tomato. Naturally, we all had fruit juices and cups of tea as well. The fruit juice was all freshly squeezed from locally sourced fruits. I think this made it taste even better. Breakfast was delicious but now our 3 hours were up and it was time for us to check out and head home.

There is a bit of a funny story attached to our checkout experience. We have been to Kenmore countless times in the past and everything always goes smoothly. However, this time when we went to checkout we were greeted by a most confused receptionist. When we handed over the keys and explained that we had asked for the cottage until 11am, in case she thought we were late in checking out but her facial expression just grew more confused. She asked us to wait one moment whilst she double checked a few things on her computer. A couple of minutes later she explained her confusion to us. On our email conformation it said our checkout date was 2nd June. We normally went to Kenmore for 5 days and 4 nights or the  full week so we assumed this time was no different. On the actual booking form and database, we had actually been booked in and paid for 6 days and 5 nights. We had just checked out a day early! The receptionist gave us the option of going back to the cottage and checking out the following day but my mum hadn't taken extra days off work and my brother had his final college assessments to finish so we couldn't stay. Much to our dismay, we handed the keys over and headed home, leaving this serenity behind us once again.

Our journey home was nothing out of the ordinary, after picking up snacks and juice, we were all prepared for the next few hours in the car, with music blaring of course. The weather was still so incredibly warm so the car soon became a sauna which was a little problematic but after a while of having all the windows open, we were all fine. Mum's arm's got even more tanned on the way home so she was happy! The whole way home I think my mum and I were in a little state of shock at the fact we'd checked out a whole day early. Especially after saying all we wanted was one more day at Kenmore, how ironic. Even though we have been home for four days, I still don't think she is over the day we missed out on. Despite the little mix up at the very end, our short break away was just what we all needed. So relaxing and peaceful with the bonus of fantastic weather! I would love to go back as soon as possible or maybe even start planning a trip abroad, somewhere I have never been before. I want to start travelling to different places and explore various countries and cultures but the possibilities are endless and it would take a lot of organisation, planning and money. There is no harm in looking though, is there?

xxx

A Short Break Away | Kenmore Day 3

I feel like these blogs must be boring because Kenmore is isolated and a place to relax and do absolutely nothing so I don't have anything exciting to really blog about. Nevertheless, I said I would blog each day I was away and I shall. Day 3 was even sunnier than the previous two! It was so much hotter and Loch Tay became a lot busier too. My mum was planning on sunbathing for the majority of the day as usual; the woman is a sun worshipper. Me, I was planning on blogging, reading and maybe exploring even further through the woods.

When we walked the dogs, we chose one of the different routes this time but ended up coming back to the cottage a lot earlier than planned. Millie (my youngest dog) kept getting scared for some unknown reason, she just wouldn't walk any further than our halfway point and wouldn't walk ahead of us no matter what, it was like she was hiding behind us the whole way. Since we didn't walk them as far, we let them swim a lot longer than usual to cool them down and to tire them out before returning to the cottage for breakfast. I think if they were given the option of swimming all day they certainly would and it was so hot that I don't blame them! Even though our walk was cut short, it was still gorgeous, looking up at the trees when it is so bright and sunny allowed for some cool photo's to be taken.

After breakfast, both mum and I sat outside on the wooden balcony to read and listen to music. I couldn't stay outside too long because I forgot sun cream and my skin was definitely burning. I got to read a good couple of chapters of Jane Eyre though and I have to say that I am enjoying it so far. Throughout the afternoon, the temperature continued to rise to the point when even my mum came back inside. This is when we decided it would be a good idea to go and sit in the shade, by the loch, with out feet in the water. We did go and sit by the loch and mum did have her feet perched in the water. I however, decided it was shallow enough to walk out into the loch instead of just staying at the waters edge, so that is what I did. I also thought it would be a great idea to take my phone out with me. I was terrified of dropping it in the loch because I really don't have a good track record with phones but I was being extra careful. The photograph I managed to snap made it worth it. My phone is doing a great job but I cannot wait to get a decent camera to take even better photographs. I wandered about the loch for a good hour or so, the dogs joining me every so often. People were out in canoes, paddle boats and even proper sailing boats! I don't like boats myself but it did seem like a lot of fun.

An afternoon in the lake definitely cooled everybody down in time to go back to the cottage, get changed and decide what was for dinner. We decided on fish and chips. Since the nearest village is a 15 minute drive away, Stuart and Louise picked a second film to watch that night whilst mum and I went to get dinner. Since mum and I had already picked Ice Castles; a film about a figure skater who loses her sight but continues to skate, it was only fair for them to pick a film too. Unfortunately for me, they picked The Avengers. I had never seen it but superhero movies aren't really my cup of tea - besides the original Spiderman films, they are great. I am not too keen on fish either so I just got chips for dinner, with ice cream for desert.

I wasn't too fond of The Avengers but I think it was mainly because it was all of the superheros all at once so I think I am going to give some of the individual films a go. I did like when Hulk comedically punched a guy out of camera shot, that was the best moment of the whole film. Our last full day at Kenmore was great. Going home was not appealing to any of us just quite yet but there was nothing we could do. We planned to walk the dogs one last time and then all go for breakfast together before heading home. Our time at Kenmore has been brilliant and too short as usual but all we can do is make the most of it whilst we can and enjoy the stunning surroundings.

xxx

A Short Break Away | Kenmore Day 2

Waking up in Kenmore on day 2 had me feeling a lot better than the previous day. I was actually looking forward to the early morning dog walk, taking photographs and just generally relaxing and enjoying myself for the majority of the day. The view that welcomes you when you awaken each morning at Kenmore is beautiful. I will never tire of looking at Loch Tay or the hills and woodlands behind it.

We started our day off with a long walk through one of the many forest pathways with our dogs. There are at least five different forest pathways to explore but the one right next to river Tay is my favourite. The pathway is very wide as it is frequently used by horses and their riders but it also splits into smaller, more narrow paths. There is one main pathway but because several others branch off from it leaving you with many choices, you would be left walking all day if you wanted to walk them all.The path also takes you past a couple of little cottages, a caravan park that contains some stunning caravans (I will own one some day), a play park that is extremely tempting to play on, a tower, a church and the most important thing, a tree swing. This is not just any tree swing though, this tree swing has existed for the last seven years and is the most comfortable tree swing I have ever found. My mum has even had a go on this swing and she hates all swings; they make her sick. There is a lot to see on this forest trail and it is situated near a golf club so all the surrounding woodland has been left completely natural. The weather was gorgeous all day which made me even more eager to take some photographs. 

The dogs had a great time swimming in the river and then we went back to our cottage for some lunch. After lunch we didn't have anything planned. My brother and Louise were going swimming again but mum and I had nothing specific planned. I was hoping to spend the rest of my day reading, writing blogs and potentially thinking of ideas for a fan fiction that I'm contemplating writing. It is based on a show that I am a little obsessed with, there is no denying that, my couple of ideas are just too good and riddled with potential that I can't ignore them. That is exactly how I spent my afternoon, out in the sunshine, reading and writing, with music playing in the background; Serenity. The day could not have been more relaxing. We did wander over to the only nearby shop for some ice-cream later on in the day. It was one of the best decisions that were made, who knew vanilla, fresh raspberries, oats and honey could be such a delicious combination?!

Our second day at Kenmore was nothing short of relaxing and sublime. I know some people go on holiday and have lot's of activities planned with places to go and visit, but here there isn't anything nearby so you don't have to make any plans or commitments. You simply make the most of what surrounds you; woods and nature. I don't have much planned for tomorrow besides walking the dogs and visiting the little shop nearby. If the weather is nice enough, I might even take a wander into Loch Tay! There is a lot of potential for some astounding photographs if I do. So stay tuned for that possibility!

xxx