• Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • What is Mayochup?
  • Upcoming trips and events
facebook twitter instagram bloglovin Email

Mayochup

A London based food, parenting and travel blog. Follow us on our travels

Situated on the edge of the South Downs national park is Marwell Zoo and is a lovely place to visit. Unlike most zoos where they try to cram in as many animals and enclosures within the space they have been allocated, Marwell is expansive with animal enclosures dotted here and there. This does mean a lot of walking however, there is a mini rail that links one end of the park to the other for those who are less inclined.

Marwell doesn't have the same variety of animals if you compare it to London Zoo; no elephants for example but the ones they do have are well worth visiting. The giraffes in particular are a highlight.

Took a while to get this shot
We also managed to get a photo of the leopard which was difficult to spot. Luckily it came right to the window.

Had to be quick to take this one
Right at the start, or at the end, of the zoo is the penguin enclosure. Marwell put on a public feeding spectacle three times per day on set time schedule and we managed to catch the last performance.

Penguin feeding time
Adults are £20 per person and children between 3-16 are £16 per person which I find a little steep. A 3yr old and a 16yr old are going to take very different things from the experience. I would feel a bit ripped off if I had to fork out £16 for a 3yr old but as Tamara is only 5 months, she was free. Just as well as she slept through most of it! As for her experience, she loved the trees and was not too fussed about the animals but perhaps that will change as she gets older.

Marwell Wildlife
Thompsons Lane
Winchester
Hampshire
SO21 1JH
https://www.marwell.org.uk/zoo/

Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
2 comments
Our little one is full of surprises and sees the funny side of doing a naughty deed!


Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
No comments
Out of the blue, my brother-in-law proposed to his long term girlfriend and to celebrate, we were invited to a pub outing and dinner at The White Horse in Harpenden.

The pub is situated on the edge of Harpenden next to idyllic houses and greens and fits in nicely in the area. The garden area is extensive and well looked after. The inside blends modern with rustic giving it a homely feel so it suits all seasons. As it was a warm evening with a bright blue sky, we opted to eat outside.

So after the chinking of the champagne glasses filled with prosecco, it was time to order dinner. The weather put paid to the availability of the menu, not because it was spoiled, but due to the pub being extremely busy over that weekend.

We both opted for the pork roast with crackling and all the trimmings. As you can see, the portion size is good and you definitely get your moneys worth.

Pork Roast with all the trimmings
My mother-in-law is a little fussy when it comes to ordering restaurant food and not all that keen on English/European food so she had Halibut with Asparagus and vegetables which isn't on the menu but the The White Horse was more than willing and capable to tailor a dish to her needs. 

Halibut with Asparagus and vegetables
Even though we managed to polish off our mains and feeling quite full, there is always room for pudding and we were enticed by the Rhubarb and Almond Pie which was amazing. The almond pie was warm and soft which complemented well with the strips of rhubarb and the dollop of clotted cream.

Almond and Rhubarb pie with clotted cream
This pub is recommended if you're in the area and is a nice place for large groups to come together. 

The White Horse
Redbourn Lane
Hatching Green
Harpenden
Hertfordshire
AL5 2JP
https://www.thewhitehorseharpenden.co.uk/



Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
No comments
Bournemouth is a 1.5 hour drive away so when the sun’s out, we can pop down and we did just that. However, when we got there, and this was upon arrival at Bournemouth, it was foggy. No matter though as there are still plenty of things to do other than the beach.

A foggy start

Beaches are empty due to the weather
Being a typical British seaside resort, there’s plenty of amusement arcades, snack shops, restaurants, tourist shops and other places to visit. There’s even a sea life centre should the weather make a turn for the worse. Luckily for us, the fog lifted and we were treated to wonderful views of the English coastline. Baby Tamara loved it and got to touch sand for the first time and was captivated by the sea. However, the sound of the waves lapping the shoreline soon put her to sleep!

Luckily the weather improved

Views of the sea
There are plenty of places to eat but our tip is to walk a little further down the promenade to find ones that are more reasonably priced as the restaurants by the pier (the main entrance) tend to be quite expensive and lacking in quality. Harry Ramsdens being the major culprit. All batter, hardly any fish. So after a 15 minute walk, we found a lovely little place called Chine Side. This place offered seating upstairs on the balcony which is perfect for those sea views and people watching. Being by the sea, we couldn’t resist Fish & Chips and Salmon Fishcakes & Chips. We were pleasantly surprised with the healthy portions too. It's a shame there was no mushy peas but can't have everything.

Fish and Chips

Salmon Fishcakes and Chips

We returned home just before the stag and hen groups would come out to play which is the right time. Also beating the traffic on the way back. This resort is definitely worth the trip and a great place to relax.

Chine Side
Durley Chine Road
Bournemouth
Dorset
BH2 5JG
01202 438288
http://www.chineside.co.uk/


Chine Side Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato
Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
No comments
Is other bloggers. We all know the ones. It's me, me, me, me, and me some more. Here's a rundown of what irks us.



Facebook groups

We used to be a part of these groups but the constant "must re-post or acknowledge at least 10 other posts" is time consuming and don't have time for this. Also, most of the posts are utterly irrelevant to what you are blogging plus there are the 'fun police' who come at you and snitch if you a) don't do their posts or b) feel you haven't done enough. So I don't post on these groups anymore. Plus the comments you receive in return are nonsensical and clearly other people have not read your post.

Blogging events

We went to one of these in London and it was full of fashion/beauty bloggers who were more interested in posing in-front of random bits of furniture than integrating with others. Furthermore, most actually had no clue about blogging and were listening attentively to a seminar in how to write a blog post. Most were taking notes about basic stuff such as labels, tagging, formatting and the like. We tried to talk to a few people but most were not interested apart from themselves and their next post. The me, me, me, me types. We left after an hour, bored and underwhelmed. We will never attend one of these again.

Instagram/Twitter

We largely have given up on this media due to the follow/unfollowers. You can spot the accounts that do this, the ones with 15k followers and only following 1k. This is the same with Twitter too.

So, in light of this, we are rarely seen on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook however, if we have commented on your post, re-tweeted or liked, we will have read it properly. If the Facebook group in question forces us to comment on eye-liner or something else unrelated, then we just aren't interested.


Share
Tweet
Pin
Share
3 comments
Newer Posts
Older Posts

Follow Us

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • instagram

NEWSLETTER

recent posts

Blog Archive

  • ▼  2019 (1)
    • ▼  January 2019 (1)
      • Oman in pictures
  • ►  2018 (15)
    • ►  September 2018 (2)
    • ►  August 2018 (1)
    • ►  July 2018 (3)
    • ►  June 2018 (2)
    • ►  May 2018 (1)
    • ►  April 2018 (1)
    • ►  March 2018 (2)
    • ►  February 2018 (1)
    • ►  January 2018 (2)
  • ►  2017 (33)
    • ►  December 2017 (2)
    • ►  November 2017 (1)
    • ►  October 2017 (1)
    • ►  August 2017 (2)
    • ►  July 2017 (4)
    • ►  June 2017 (5)
    • ►  May 2017 (4)
    • ►  April 2017 (5)
    • ►  March 2017 (2)
    • ►  February 2017 (3)
    • ►  January 2017 (4)
  • ►  2016 (14)
    • ►  October 2016 (2)
    • ►  August 2016 (1)
    • ►  July 2016 (3)
    • ►  May 2016 (6)
    • ►  April 2016 (2)
View my food journey on Zomato!

Popular

  • The Peak District - Day 1
    The Peak District - Day 1
  • Money saving tips for your newborn child
    Money saving tips for your newborn child
  • Marks & Spencer's Chicken in Red Wine Sauce
    Marks & Spencer's Chicken in Red Wine Sauce
  • Review of Muscat and the Oman countryside
    Review of Muscat and the Oman countryside
  • Stuff yourself stupid with crepes
    Stuff yourself stupid with crepes

Facebook

Followers

Created with by ThemeXpose | Distributed by Blogger Templates