Country Pancakes

Finishing the last couple of bites of my Dutch Apple pancake I washed it down with the remainder of my latte, looked out of the window at the fir trees and gathering of birds and thought for a moment about what a lovely week I'd had.

Over the past several years when my wife and I (and now our two children) have gone on holiday it has usually been in connection with visiting family. Now I 'm not complaining about that because over the past several years visiting family has taken us not only to places in the UK, but also the USA and Australia. But it has been some time since just ourselves went on holiday. The need to get out of the house while a new kitchen is fitted presented the perfect opportunity. So, following a conference in London and family vists in both London and Bournemouth, we headed off to Centre Parcs in Longleat Forest.

I've wanted to go to Centre Parcs for years and I can tell you it was worth the wait. Fantastic!

Along with just the pleasure of staying in a "villa" in the middle of the forest it provides a great time for families of all sizes and ages. The Sub-tropical Swimming Paradise was a big hit for my two young children, especially the toddler who couldn't get enough of the slides. The spa provided hours of relaxation with it's various saunas, steam rooms and pools - my favourite was a stretch in the Japanese salt bath (steam room) quickly followed by dosing myself in handfuls of crushed ice from the ice fountain. Another highlight for me was laser clay shooting - I didn't do great, but I did hit the target a few times and didn't have the lowest score.

Perhaps the only negative experience was the lousy latte I was served at the Sports Cafe. However, the pancakes and coffee served at Country Pancakes more than made up for that.

I really hope we can go again soon.