Packington Moor, nr Lichfield

Packington Moor is home to a cafe, farm shop and wedding venue, on a 700 acre farm between Lichfield and Tamworth.

The farm shop is a destination in its own right with an in house butcher, plenty of home made cakes and fresh fruit and vegetables on offer.  The cafe is in the same building, and focusses on fresh food, locally grown and sourced.  I have tested the hot pork sandwich with apple sauce and stuffing (£5.25) and can highly recommend it.

Packington is also one of my favourite spots to meet up for coffee and cake with a mum friend and her (very well behaved) children.  The coffee and hot chocolate are good, and the service is always friendly.

While the shop and cafe are the main attractions, they do work to make it friendly for young children, with a fleet of ride on tractors outside in good weather, and a children's menu for around £4.50.  But this isn't the place to bring your toddler to let off steam - there's no playground or bike riding space.

If you want lunch, I would recommend booking, particularly on Sunday.  This place is popular and rightly so.

Round up
Cafe Latte price: £2.30
Favourite cake: Tea cakes for £1.95  were very good (but I spotted amazing-looking coffee and walnut cake after I had ordered the tea cakes!) Try coffee and cake together for £4.95
Child friendly highlights: Outdoor tractors, colouring crayons for use at cafe tables, babyccino for £1, baby changing
Buggy friendly: Shop and cafe are, but car park isn't
Car parking: Free but all on gravel

Verdict
A cafe & farm shop destination rather than a family attraction with a cafe, but a good one if your little one is still in a high chair or happy to sit and eat.  Also a nice place to do Sunday lunch with the grandparents.

National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas

Living so close to the National Memorial Arboretum, it's a bit remiss of me to not have reviewed it before now.  It's a place we visited and enjoyed pre-child but I wasn't sure how my appropriate it would be for my pre-schooler.

The Arboretum opened in May 2001 and is the UK's centre for remembrance on a large site by the banks of the River Trent.  It has a vast array of memorial gardens, many but not all of them are military.  You may have seen some of them on the television including the Armed Forces Memorial and the recently unveiled memorial to the Falklands War. I find them fascinating, and if you have even the slightest interest in recent UK history you will find something to capture your imagination. The site is quite exposed and prone to flooding, so do dress appropriately!

My son enjoys the playground.  The sign says it is for ages 6 and above, but even at nearly 4 he can monkey around the balance bars, stepping posts and wobbly bridges.  No slides or swings though, so not really one for the littlest members of the family.  The playground is surrounded by trees which are dedicated to children who have died - some of the plaques make very sad reading.

He also found some of the memorials really interesting, including the big train dedicated to workers from the rail industry and the RNLI memorial.  As he gets bigger I think there will be more opportunities to explore and discuss what they mean.

I had 2 concerns - 1, that he would want to move the host of poppies and crosses that are placed on memorials around the site and 2, that he would have a tantrum that would upset visitors who have come to remember a loved one.  To be fair, he was very good and the whole place is very welcoming for families, but I do keep this in mind when we visit.

The cafe is not fancy, and the coffee is no where near as good as the nearby Apple Tree cafe, but it does a good range of drinks, snacks and lunches including Sunday lunch.  There was a good choice of cake too!  The Arboretum attracts a lot of coach parties so it can get busy, but there is plenty of seating. 

Round up
Cafe Latte price: £1.95 from a push button machine
Favourite cake: Ginger cake with lemon icing £1.90
Child friendly highlights: Small woodland playground, baby change, children's meals and drinks, children's activities.  There is no fence between the path and the river.
Buggy friendly: The site is very flat and easy for buggies, some on paths some on grass.
Car parking: Plenty, small charge depending on time of year. £1.50 in winter, £3 rest of year

Verdict
Overall this is a good place for a family visit  and a place to go back to year after year as more memorials are added and the trees grow bigger.

Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery

A museum and art gallery is not an obvious place to take a toddler, but here are a few reasons why you should:

Unlike lots of cultural attractions, the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery is completely free.  So even if all you do is go in for a drink in an unusual place, you've lost nothing.

The "Birmingham: its people and history" gallery has been designed to appeal to all ages.  My 3 year old was particularly interested in the model of medieval Birmingham where he could press the lights to see the church, the herd of cattle and other exciting features.  Although I suspect he thought it would have been improved with a model railway.  And he really liked the activity where you could build a church and house with big blocks.  Other things that appealed included the model swords in the Staffordshire Hoard gallery and some of the great big light installations. 

The Edwardian tea room is beautiful ornate gallery, and a lovely place for parents to have a drink, with all the breakable things behind glass cases.  It offers children's lunchboxes for £3.65 for a sandwich and 4 other items, or £3.95 for a child size portion of any of the main meals.  For grown ups it has a full range of drinks (although the coffee is not brilliant), cakes, sandwiches, hot meals and afternoon tea.

You may even get a moment to look at something beautiful while you are there.  The art gallery has a great collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings, bits of the Staffordshire Hoard and a huge Buddha. Take your pick!

Round up

Cafe Latte price: £2.30
Favourite cake: Toasted tea cake or muffins, both £1.80
Child friendly highlights: Lunchboxes and children's meals.  Baby change available (a bit out of date but has everything you need including a high chair in the toilet cubicle - very helpful!)  Various trails, quizzes, activities etc around the galleries as children get a bit bigger.
Buggy friendly: The steps up to the building are a bit off putting but there is disabled/buggy access round the side of the building and lifts throughout.  Tea room is roomy and all on one level.
Car parking: This is the middle of Brum - use the local car parks or get the train and walk up New Street.

Verdict

It started out as somewhere to shelter on a very cold February day, but I'm glad we tried this, even if our first trip was quite short.  It made a great alternative to all the chain coffee shops in the middle of Birmingham and I'm sure we'll be back as our toddler gets older.

Apple Tree Cafe, Barton Marina, nr Burton uponTrent

Barton Marina is within the National Forest, on the Trent and Mersey canal and combines shops, places to eat and a lakeside walk with a busy canal basin.

Among the smart clothes and gift shops there is a toy shop and museum and The Butcher, The Baker and the Ice-Cream maker, which sells meat, bread and ice-cream (genius!) as well as fruit and veg.

On a fine day, you can take a walk around the lakes and spot the ducks or admire hundreds of canal barges moored within the marina area.  We visited as the snow was melting and the lakeside path was a mudbath, so bring wellies!  There is no playground area, and I wouldn't bring a bike, but there is enough space to wear out a busy toddler.

There is a choice of places to eat, but if it's coffee and cake you need, Apple Tree Cafe is the best choice.  It describes itself as an ethical coffee shop, delicatessen and fine foods company.  It has a beautiful interior and calming music.  The coffee is good, and the hot spiced apple drink (£2.40) is also worth a try.  There are plenty of varieties of cake to choose from, and it's a lovely spot for lunch with good soup, sandwiches and salads.  We like the Bargeman's Platter (£9.95) and the Croque Monsieur and soup combination for £6.95.  We've been bringing our toddler here since he was 5 days old, and it is friendly towards children of all ages, but they need to be on good behaviour!

One final point, this is a popular spot and food is cooked to order.  On busy days you may find yourself queueing for a table, then queuing to place your order and then waiting for the food to arrive.  You may want a book/crayons/toys in your handbag to prevent toddler meltdown.

Round up

Cafe Latte price: £2.50 for a large one
Favourite cake: Lots of great choice.  Coffee cake is good, as is the Millionaire's shortbread.
Child friendly highlights:  £4.95 for a child's lunch box (sandwich, drink, dried fruit and cookie).  High chairs, babyccino for 75p.  But no baby change (the Waterfront Pub has baby change if you are stuck) and none of the water areas are fenced off.
Buggy friendly: Cafe and marina is, lakeside walk generally ok but can get muddy
Car parking: Plenty of free parking


Verdict

This is a good place for a walk with a great coffee shop, and some of the best coffee in the area.  The Apple Tree is welcoming to families but not overly geared up for lively toddlers.  Bring grandparents or a book to keep the peace.  Or just keep it as one for indulgent child-free moments!

Cannock Chase: Marquis Drive Visitors Centre

Cannock Chase Country Park attracts mountain bikers, ramblers, dog walkers, horse riders and yet more mountain bikers from miles around.  It is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and includes forest, heathland and park areas.

If you have smaller children, the best place to start is the Visitors' Centre on Marquis Drive, where you can get to a host of paths suitable for buggies, scooters, trikes and bikes.  We like the paths marked on this map which provide enough distance and gradient for a small boy on a bike with stabilisers.  There are also family cycling trails of 3.5 to 9 miles, which we haven't tried yet.

The Visitors' Centre also has a good outdoor playground with swings, climbing frames and a good collection of wobbly bridges and balancing beams.  But it turns into a mud fest with the slightest amount of rain, so come with splash suits, old clothes and welly boots!  There is also a big area for picnics (including barbeques), frisbees and ball games.

The cafe is basic, but it does a range of hot and cold drinks, snacks, sandwiches, jacket potatoes (about £3) and bacon butties (£2.50).  And all those mud caked mountain bikers mean your kids will never make too much mess.

Round up

Cafe Latte price: £1.65
Favourite cake: Chocolate covered flapjack £1.50 - it was so chunky we shared 1 piece between 3
Child friendly highlights: highchairs, children's portions including beans on toast for £1.50
Buggy friendly: Most of the paths are ok, the playground is a bit harder going
Car parking: £1 for up to 3 hours or £2 over 3 hours, but plenty of roadside parking too

Verdict

Very much an outdoor destination, with the cafe not much more than a convenient pit stop, but a great place for bikes and good value food and drink.

Lichfield

Sometimes you are in town and just need somewhere for refreshment with small child/children.  So here are a few choices in the middle of Lichfield.

Lichfield Methodist church

The Lichfield Methodist Church coffee shop (limited opening, access from Tamworth Street or Backcester Lane) is not fancy, but it is very relaxed and the volunteers who run it are all very friendly.  Most of the other customers will be retired people or other mums with small children who are using the playgroup upstairs.  It provides the cheapest coffee in the city (and a loyalty card!), together with a slice of toast for 20p.

Café Latte price:  £1

Favourite cake:  We like the teacakes for 80p but one is never quite enough.

Child friendly highlights:  High chairs, small plastic beakers of milk or juice, trainer seats in the toilets

Buggy friendly:  Ramps up to the front and back doors, lots of buggy parking space

Car parking:  Lichfield City pay and display parking

 

Spark Café Bar

This café is a relatively new addition to Lichfield’s thriving coffee scene.  It’s becoming a real community hub, with book groups, quiz nights, fundraising events and workshops all regular parts of their offering.  The grown up food is good, with soup, gourmet sandwiches (I love the sausage sandwiches) and main meals throughout the day and evening.  It has a young diners' menu, with smaller portions of the main menu for £3 to £6.  Drinks for toddlers run to a large glass of milk for £1 or grown up juice.  There are high chairs but no baby change. 

This is a locally run business, welcoming to all, and deserves lots of support.  In my opinion it does the best coffee in Lichfield, and is also the perfect place for a bit of time out without children.

 

Rosliston Forestry Centre, Rosliston, Derbyshire

Owned and managed by South Derbyshire District Council, the RoslistonForestry Centre is a large site, part of the National Forest and much of it was planted in the 1990s.  All the equipment in the large play area has been built from wood, with bark chippings everywhere and includes climbing frame and slides in a huge sandpit, wheelchair accessible roundabouts, balance beams swings and a huge climbing frame shaped like a bird of prey.  From the top you get a great view of the whole surrounding area (so my husband and toddler tell me!)  It also has a huge grassy meadow to bring your own football and picnic.

Beyond the play area are nature trails, lakes, meadows and paths.  It’s a great area for taking bikes, for treasure hunts and for going on bear hunts, or hunting for heffalumps or gruffalos.  We had a particularly nice morning here recently, just at the start of autumn, when the trees were just starting to change colour – all very beautiful.  There are also a series of family events, which we haven’t tried, and you can stay in one of the lodges, or even get married here! 

The Hub Café is close to the car park, and has a big log burner which makes it really cosy on a cold day.  They do a range of drinks, cakes and snacks, toasties, jacket potatoes and sandwiches.  There is plenty of outside seating, and the whole place is very popular with cyclists and families at the weekend.

Round up

Café Latte price:  £1.80

Favourite cake:  Fabulous chocolate and orange sponge cake £2.40

Child friendly highlights:  High chairs, basic baby change, children’s menu for about £4 and children’s lunch box for £3.20 (4 items).  Soft play also next to café  £1.75 for 30 minutes.

Buggy friendly:  The paths generally are, but the playground is on a grassy slope, so a bit tricky to negotiate.

Car parking:  Yes, £2 a day or a season pass for £20

Verdict

Definitely one for good (or at least dry) weather days, but lots of space for lively children and a cosy café for the end of your visit.