Visiting Painswick Rococo Garden in February

At the end of February we went out for a day trip for the first time in what felt like FOREVER.

We have been in lockdown in the UK since the start of January 2021 and we have not been allowed to leave our local area.

It’s the third lockdown we’ve had and this is probably the toughest as it’s been winter. It’s been freezing cold and we’ve been trapped indoors, had a lack of sun, lack of entertainment, no gym to go to for exercise and escapism, no socialising, the kids have been home the whole time climbing the walls whilst we try to work at the same time… it’s been quite crazy and cabin fever has definitely been setting in… and did I mention it’s been freezing cold?!

Even before this year started we were in lockdown in November and even in December (and for most of 2020) we had restrictions on meeting others, meaning we only met up with one household on Christmas Day indoors and that was it.

Life has certainly been very different and travel plans and days out have totally been put on hold, often leaving us feeling like a prisoner in our own home! We both work from home and have been at home more than ever, day in day out, groundhog day everyday for months on end!

It’s now March and we will be allowed to start seeing one other household from the end of the month, then hopefully we can travel again mid-April. The UK will be gradually easing lockdown restrictions, so things won’t be looking normal for quite a while.

But at least the weather will start to improve now, making local walks more enjoyable and appealing for us and the kids. At least if we can get outdoors more often without being freezing we can lift our moods and feel less trapped.

There has literally been no days out or travel for us for months, but we decided to visit Rococo Garden at the end of February which is around 5 miles from our home and as it’s an outdoor attraction it is allowed to be open for local visitors.

It’s the only attraction local to us that we can legally travel to right now and I will share our thoughts on visiting Rococo Garden in February in this blog post and lots of photos too!

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Can’t go out for Valentine’s? Here’s how to create a restaurant experience at home!

It really sucks that we can’t travel right now.  Not only can we not travel, but we can’t even leave our local area.  We can’t even travel around our own towns and cities, as my local police force made clear recently – if the distance we travel for exercise is further than we’d class a local pub, then we’ve travelled too far!

I also read the next lockdown review is on February 22nd, so that means no romantic weekends away for Valentine’s and sadly not even the opportunity to go out for a date night at a restaurant.

If you normally celebrate Valentine’s Day and you’re disappointed with this news then what can you do?  How can you make it special whilst looking at the same four walls you’re super bored of seeing every day right now?!

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Places to visit during the lockdown from the comfort of your couch

For any travel-hungry individuals who are looking for ways to discover a new place but aren’t physically capable to due to the coronavirus lockdown, we’ve got good news for you!

Did you know that many bucket-list worthy places can be visited online?

If not, we’ve put together a list of incredible places all around the world you can visit from the comfort of your couch.  Get ready for some virtual travel!

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Missing travel? How to have a holiday in your own home during the coronavirus lockdown!

The global coronavirus pandemic is affecting our lives in so many ways, but mostly we are unable to travel and restricted to staying in our own homes the majority of the time in the current coronavirus lockdown.

Not only are we banned from travelling abroad or on holiday, but we are not even allowed to travel locally unless it’s for one form of exercise per day in our own neighbourhood or to grab essentials from local shops.

All other forms of travel are currently banned in the UK unless you are a key worker or your job is excluded from the current lockdown.

Many people have had to cancel their travel plans and there’s no knowing when travel restrictions will be lifted.  Airports are closed and it could be 12 months, according to some reports, before these worldwide travel restrictions are properly lifted.

With regards to travel and taking holidays we are living in a period of uncertainty for the foreseeable future.  All local attractions have even been closed including National Trust sites and even children’s play parks so there are no days out at all for the time being.

At least for now there has been a silver lining.  It has been really sunny and even warm in the UK for the duration of the lockdown.  This is pretty amazing considering a couple of years ago it snowed at the end of March!

So, if we have the travel bug, but we can’t travel, then what can we do instead to stop cabin fever setting in?

Why not take a holiday in your own home instead?

If you can’t travel and go on holiday, then bring the holiday to you!

Here are some tips on how to have a holiday in the comfort of your own home.

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