I'm Back!!! It's a trip to Boggle Hole

Hi its me I'm back! I don't know what happened to me in 2016 but my blog was sadly neglected after March and for that I'm sorry, because I actually really enjoy writing and having adventures.
Therefore for 2017 I aim to have at least one adventure a month with the boys because we should get out more.
So here is our adventure for January, a trip to YHA Boggle Hole near Robin Hoods bay.
This is actually our second visit here, originally we visited back in 2015 in freezing and windy conditions. This time its still cold but there is so much to do and its extremely kid friendly that the weather really doesn't matter. When you arrive you park your car in the spot at the top of the hill and lug your stuff down to the hostel. If you are like us, you then don't see your car for the rest of the weekend. With both self catering and a mini restaurant on site as well as a bar and Robin Hoods Bay a short walk along the beach (when the tide is out) you have all bases covered.

The Main YHA Building

This place is just perfect if you have kids. You are a few short steps from access to the beach where the Boggle apparently lives in his little troll cave, you can rock pool, build sandcastles, look for shells and fossils or fly a kite - right on the doorstep and on rainy days the hostel itself offers a variety of entertainment. For a donation of £1 you can purchase a Boggle booklet which provides plenty of entertainment in the form of several treasure hunts both indoors and outdoors, games a lounge and a secret surprise to discover which we won't spoil here for you.

YHA booklet for kids to collect stamps, activity booklet and treasure trail.

All hostels have their own stamps and you can ask at reception to get the booklets stamped for the kids. We have collected a few so far but I have to say the Boggle Hole stamp is our favourite so far.

Boggle Stamp

On this occasion we only stayed for one night and we were up in the newer Crow's Nest building this time rather than the main old mill. Be warned though there are a fair few steps up to this accommodation so beware your alcohol consumption in the bar. I wouldn't fancy these steps after a skinful although the boys loved doing a "Rocky Balboa" up them several times.

Steps up to the Crow's Nest

I can recommend the Chardonnay

We decided to self cater for our evening meal as the hubby was arriving later (coming straight from work) and so we just brought some easy food to whip up - hot dogs and pizza and just ordered some fries from the kitchen to make life easier. After all you don't want to lug the entire contents of your home kitchen down the hill. Plus it made washing up easier. Yes if you self cater you have to do your own washing up. The horror! Those that know me know I don't "do" washing up, owning a perfectly good dishwasher at home (nope not the husband he's rubbish at it although he thinks he's brill). However in the hostel it just doesn't seem bad and it always seems to be a social occasion chatting to whoever else happens to be in there at the time and lamenting the lack of scissors on this occasion.
Breakfast we booked on line this time because cooking a full English the next morning, after having to lug all the food from the car and then having to wash it all up just seems like too much effort for one night, so yep ol' lazybones here booked it online when I was confirming the accommodation and smugly enjoyed it.

First in gets to bag a top bunk.

How amazing is this bookcase?

Bags packed and ready to go we had plenty of time to spare before check out at 10am. The tide was in so we sat in the lovely snug and warm reception/café/eating area (there is a gorgeous log burner to keep you toasty) and enjoyed some tea while waiting for it to roll back. We also managed to finish off all the indoor treasure hunts after a tip on locating a last tricky mouse. The pieces of eight and wanted posters which are both outdoor hunts will have to wait for our next visit.
It was very peaceful and we got chatting to Keith and the lovely lady behind the bar whose name escapes me about the tidal surge the week before which destroyed the storage sheds. After seeing the video I'm only surprised they still have the footbridge and we were glad to hear everyone was safe and only the sheds and fence suffered. We then got some hot tips on good fossil spot and off we set off hunting.

Fossil finds for the weekend

Not sure what all of them are but there is definitely a couple of ammonites and a few brachiopods AKA Devil's Toenails! If you are heading out to fossil here avoid the cliff base there is a lot of lose rocks and mud constantly slipping down the cliff face due to all the bad weather. All the above were found on the foreshore without looking very hard at all.

Outside the Boggle's Hole

Why is it my youngest child can always find the one wet spot for miles around and fall in it? this trip was no different he tripped on the only rock I could see on a sandy part of the beach and promptly landed in the tidal puddle that had formed around it. He then proceeds to continue to lie in it in all his clothes and coat and wait for me to fish him our rather than helping himself! GRRRR kids! There is a reason we are called Muddy Monsters.
Back to the hostel for some dry clothes, a hot chocolate and a race up the hill before it starts to rain.

Yet again we had a wonderful time at Boggle Hole and the boys are already asking when we can return and can they have a birthday party there.
We booked a family room directly through the website and using our YHA membership which is well worth the fee because not only do you get discounts on your accommodation it also works in lots of shops too. I may already have used it more than once in a local outdoor store but don't tell my husband! You can choose to stay in dorms but these are single sex only so if like me you have boys and you are a mum reading this a family room is a must, same for dads with daughters. Family rates are favourable though and there are some great deals to be had.

Thanks for reading I promise to post more often from now on.

http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/boggle-hole

Oh dear the blog has been neglected for longer than I realised! A mix of university work and Christmas means I am sadly behind on posts and for this I am sorry :(

But here is a catch up post.

At the end of November we visited the YHA at Boggle Hole after its summer refurbishment. We are so glad we did, it was the most fun we had as a family in ages despite the weather conspiring against us with wind and rain that lasted most of our stay!

The journey to Boggle Hole was an adventure in itself. We had to wait for the boys to finish school for the day and dad to come home from work so by the time we set off it was already dark and the wind and rain were in action big time.

Boggle Hole YHA in the daylight.

So after braving puddles and minor floods we finally drive down the single track road and parked up in the carpark at the top of the hill. Erm... Yeah... You do have to have a little walk down the hill with your gear when you arrive as there is no parking on site but to be honest after we unloaded the car on our arrival we didn't see it again for the rest of the weekend! We were slightly concerned that the youngest would take off like a kite so we weighed him down with some bags and headed out of the car into the lashing rain to commence the walk downhill to the hostel. Luckily mum (me) had packed torches and head torches for everyone so our way was illuminated sufficiently to see our way.

Slightly damp (read soaked through) we walked through the doors to be greeted by friendly faces behind the bar/reception (YAY Bar). Check in was simple and fast and we soon had our gear dumped in our bedroom and coats in the drying room. They we headed downstairs to try the food (even though we had also brought our own).

This hostel is great for adults - did I mention it has a bar? its clean and tidy, has a roaring wood burning fire, a great kitchen and if you can't be bothered cooking they serve breakfast and dinner. They also offer a wicked slice of cake and tea if the afternoons. However for kids this place is on another level, a perfect kiddie paradise.

Where do I start? the whole place is nautical themed with fishing nets, lobster pots and buoys decorating the establishment. The rooms are all named after boats and vessels and there are old stories from newspapers about each one adorning the walls outside each room to tell you about them. There are secret cupboards and peepholes, Davy Jones' locker (laundry chute) books, pirate dress up and best of all you can collect a sheet from reception for a charitable donation of 50p and there are several treasure hunts set up both inside the building (perfect for rainy afternoons) and one outside that takes you on a fairytale adventure. This kept the boys entertained ALL weekend along with the new friends they met while we were there. In this technological age where it can sometimes be hard to drag the kids away from the electronic devices without tantrums etc this place is a life saver. Yes we took the obligatory iPad with us for the kids to play on if boredom kicked in after too much rain but I can say honestly this place kept them so entertained they didn't ask for it our entire stay.

The next morning dawned cold, windy and with a forecast for rain in the afternoon - not a surprise this is the end of November. Preparation was key here, I have a couple of Norwegian friends and a favourite saying of theirs which is very true.

                                  "There is no such thing as bad weather only bad clothing"

So wrapped up warm we decided to hit the beach in the morning while it was fairly dry as we all wanted to see the famous "Boggle Hole" after which the hostel is named and Jake wanted to hunt for fossils. For those not in the know a Boggle is a little bit like Dobby from the Harry Potter series.

Bear outside the Boggle Hole.

We took bubbles for the boys and buckets to put in any "treasures" we found while scouring the beach. If you are planning a visit please be aware and keep away from the bottom of the cliffs, we saw and heard several quite large rock falls while walking up the beach and had one or 2 near misses where we were glad we were keeping away, even walking 10 metres+ away from the cliffs we were sprayed with odd bits of debris which could have been quite nasty if we were any closer.

Lucky Fossil Finds

Despite the dangers we were lucky enough to find quite a few fossils. Jake found several bits in rather large rocks and was the only family member to come home with a bag heavier than when we arrived on the Friday. Lets just say his walk back up the steep hill we descended on our arrival became something like an army fitness challenge with his rucksack filled with rocks and he was huffing and puffing when he arrived at the top.

Bubbles on the Beach and Rock Hopping

We headed back to the hostel for a late lunch and the boys had a chance to chat to some new friends they made and hunt together for the treasure map clues. This is one of my favourite things with the YHA hostels, that the boys get to meet new friends and be kids with each other in a safe environment trey really did have the best time playing games and running about.

Biscuit Decorating

We finished up our last day doing the outside treasure trail together and some of the other children we had met during our stay joined us with their parents. Another hidden gem! We don't want to spoil it but lets just say there is a part of a fairy story in the woods well worth attempting as its a pleasant surprise, fab for the kids and doesn't really take very long. Bear topped it off though falling off the path into a patch of brambles naturally and we returned to the hostel with a child looking like hes come from a horror story rather than a fairytale. I love that boy its so typical of him!

Thanks for reading. I hope you liked it and maybe even inspired you to try something new with the kids. I would totally recommend this place and we will definitely be back for another visit to YHA Boggle Hole in 2016.
We booked direct through the website and stayed in a family room that sleeps 4. http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/boggle-hole