Escape Hunt UK- Norwich

There’s a brand new escape room that has opened up in Norwich!! Escape Hunt UK is the new addition to Norwich’s entertainment scene and has a variety of games to get the mind boggling and ignite all your puzzle busting skills!

Escape Hunt started in 2013 and now has over 40 locations in 17 different countries hosting over 250 games! 

At our site in Norwich we currently have 3 classic physical escape rooms- Alice in Puzzleland, Aladdin and Our Finest Hour and 2 virtual reality games Mission Sigma and Survivor. I was lucky enough to be invited to to try out both formats so I can share with you and hopefully answer any ponders you may have if you’ve been considering an escape room have felt unsure. 

So, the physical escape room I tried was Alice in Puzzleland, I don’t want to give anything away but just some insight about what to expect. So the max group size is 6 people and you have 60 minutes on the clock so solve all of the puzzles to get out of the room. Every escape room has a different plot and all the puzzles will be unique! You can expect to problem solve, code crack, solve cryptic clues and riddles and more! It’s great fun, amazing for team building and is really eye opening between friends. One of my favourite things about it is seeing how differently your brain works to your friends and where your different strengths lie to get to the end result, team work is required and working together is a must! 

In the room, you have no phones, there is a connection to ask the host for clues if you are getting really stuck and of course you are not actually locked in, so if you have any claustrophobic fears you can get out so do not worry! 

The room which I did was so well done, fun, imaginative and fantastical. The BEST thing about escape rooms though (especially this year), is that WHATEVER you have going on, whatever is on your mind, you really can’t do anything other than focus on what you are doing so it really is a very welcome break from reality for 1 hour! I can’t wait to go back and try the other rooms. We did escape in 49 minutes (no thanks to me I don’t think though)! 

Next up, I tried the virtual reality game! Myself and 2 friends played the game Survivor, the format is different to the physical escape room and is literally like being in a video game! So again for up to groups of 6, you enter into a large area where you VR headset and have 2 hand held joypads/controllers which are secured around your wrist. Before the actual game begins you have a tutorial to get to grips with the controls and then you’re off! Again the games are timed for 60 minutes and the game that we played was a task based RPG, it was so fun! We didn’t manage to complete, we managed 60% which wasn’t amazing but we were proud, as non-gamers it did take us a few minutes to warm up but it did not compromise the fun AT ALL! 

As a general activity the team are really committed to the safety of customers with excellent procedures in place for covid with masks mandatory for all guests and staff, an extremely clean setting and lots of cleaning and santiser available. 

Prices start at £20 per person on groups of 4-6 for physical games and £25 per person for physical games of groups 1-3 and all Virtual Reality games. All games also are for ages 8 and up so great fun for all the family!

So what are you waiting for? Go and test you puzzle busting skills with some buddies! 

Have you done an escape room before? Did you get out? 

H x 

Girly East Anglia Staycation

In the current climate when travelling is so uncertain and loaded with potential issues staying a little closer to home has been the best option.

Whenever I get time off work I always want to get as far away from home as possible (usually by plane) and that leaves lots of places super close to home left unvisited!

Being a bit of bargain hunter and with so many businesses offering great deals at the moment to entice customers back in, I managed to plan a luxury, jam packed itinerary for some great prices!

We started our adventure in Cambridge on Tuesday! Cambridge- stunning architecture, great shops, lovely food, punting, history, museums and culture! There’s a lot to offer!

We parked at The Grand Arcade which until the end of October is £1 per hour! So super cheap in the shopping heart of Cambridge for the whole day! The Grand Arcade is such a lovely, modern shopping centre with a huge selection of shops. We were really lucky to have picked a gorgeous sunny day so walking around was so pleasant. Outside you’ll find the market square which has daily market from 10am-4pm selling a huge range of goods and food and then arts and crafts on Sundays!

Coffee is always a must when you’ve had a little road trip and I had read and heard endless rave reviews about Bould Brothers Coffee! These guys now have 2 locations in Cambridge due to their success and I can vouch it is bloody nice coffee AND the team are REALLY nice! Great to see them using Strangers coffee which is local to Norwich.

 

Cambridge is hugely famous for punting; punting is a guided river tour of Cambridge by water, you can do it in groups, privately or have a go at chauffeuring the punt yourself! We went with the AMAZING Let’s Go Punting who kindly gifted me the experience for my first time with my mum! We had a shared punt which is divided by clear Perspex screens to keep people distanced safely with new Covid measures. I absolutely loved the experience, being on the water is so tranquil, the knowledgeable chauffeurs regale you with facts and information about your surroundings on the tours, all whilst your eyes feast on the backdrop of architectural grandeur of the iconic colleges. You glide under historic bridges, surrounded by wildlife and absorb all the beauty Cambridge has to offer. I can’t wait to visit again when it’s chilly and wrap up warm with a hot drink and see the colours of a new season. This experience was so special with my mum but would be great for a date or a group trip (up to 6) and I saw lots of doggies enjoying the punting on my travels too!

As a real foodie I always do my research of where I’m going to eat when I go away. I don’t like to visit chains and want to know we won’t be disappointed (yes I  am a control freak), after a few recommendations I decided on Six which is located on the sixth floor of the very trendy Varsity Hotel and Spa and to my delight when I booked on their website they had extended the Eat Out To Help Out concept and offered 50% off food up to £10 per person! We requested an outside table which is on an a terrace with panoramic views over the rooftops of Cambridge and hanging colourful flowers overhead as you look up to the sky, there is also a retractable cover to protect when required from the elements so your experience is never interrupted!

They have such a gorgeous bar in this restaurant and a huge range of gin and cocktails that I would love to sample but I didn’t because my mum was driving and I didn’t wanna be an annoying drunk on the way to Newmarket!

There is a truly varied menu with something for everyone, we shared the scallop and smoked salmon starters then I had baked cod and mum went for the king prawn and chorizo skewers, we each had a soft drink and an alcoholic drink and after discount the bill was £73.50.

On the very top floor there is another large roof terrace space with a bar where you can soak up the sun or wrap up under the stars. I would definitely love to stay here!

Our day in Cambridge had come to an end so we hopped in the car and took the journey down to Bedford Lodge Hotel and Spa in Newmarket. We booked their ‘Gourmet Getaway’ offer, which for £220 which included room, usage of the leisure centre (not the spa which is separate), £30 per head towards an evening meal in the award-winning Squires restaurant, a bottle of house red or white wine and breakfast the following morning.

It’s a beautiful and impressive venue with lots of racing memorabilia around to earmark its location and history. The hotel public areas are well maintained and very clean and so was our room. We booked a twin room and due to Covid restrictions it was still nice to see the inclusion of robes, Molton Brown toiletries and lovely tea and coffee facilities as I know some places have decided to remove these amenities for safety but I feel that would definitely have impacted the feel of the stay (please note if you want to use leisure facilities you need to take towels from the room and the showers are not open). The weather was just lovely so we went and sat outside for some drinks and the atmosphere was great as there was lots of people and a lovely buzz!

 

We had wine, champagne and cocktails and just had a giggle until our meal in the restaurant. I carried on my fishy theme and had a prawn cocktail and lobster mac ‘n’ cheese, the food was really lovely and the restaurant has a modern décor with dimmed ambient lighting which creates a nice mood. We finished the evening off with an espresso martini outside before hitting the hay.

Go to sleep full and wake up for more food, that’s what it’s all about right?

These days there is almost an awkwardness to know what’s what and in a hotel with a continental and cooked breakfast option its a bit like “Ooooh, what am I allowed?” So, I’m sure this will be the situation in most places, the continental options are available to order and you can have as many as you choose- like a buffet, then you have the cooked breakfast option of which you choose one. It was a lovely breakfast. Great coffee, my fave oat milk too! They have a signature green ‘Bedford Lodge Smoothie’ which was fresh and contained wheatgrass for a pick me up. We shared some Baron Bigod cheese and ham charcuterie off the ‘continental’ menu and I had the Bedford Lodge Full English and mum went for the sourdough toast with avocado and poached eggs. Breakfast was exceptional as was the service and it’s always a pleasure to see a venue sourcing as many local ingredients as possible.

The spa at Bedford Lodge is in a separate building to the main hotel and unfortunately is not open Mondays and Tuesdays so we couldn’t use it but we did go and have a look around before heading off on Wednesday morning. This is a PROPER spa, finished to an extremely high standard, lovely main areas in the hydro pool, an extensive treatment list, a lovely seating area where you can enjoy light bites and beverages and the staff were so welcoming and accommodating despite only looking around. They open evenings too for twilight deals so if this sounds up your street have a look at their offering here.

The ‘Gourmet Getaway’ deal is only on for September but do keep a look out as given the world at the moment; businesses are definitely having to adapt with deals for a new clientele.

From Newmarket we moved onto Bury St Edmunds, Bury is a short and simple drive from Newmarket and is a beautiful town rich in history with a lovely shopping centre.

We parked at Ram’s Meadow which set us back only £2.30 for the whole day in a large open air car park so one to remember if you plan a visit.

We headed straight from there to the beautiful Abbey Gardens ‘the abbey was once one of the richest and most powerful Benedictine monasteries in England. Its remains are extensive and include the complete 14th century Great Gate and Norman Tower, as well as the impressive ruins and altered west front of the immense church.

The relics of the martyred Anglo-Saxon king St Edmund, whose remains were moved to this site in 903, and his shrine became a place of pilgrimage. The abbey itself was founded in 1020 and grew in power and wealth up until its suppression in 1539.’

When I was a little girl I wanted to be an archaeologist so ruins are always a huge treat for me! The gardens are kept immaculate by volunteers and they were in the process of changing over to the winter plants!

Even after a long walk we were still full from breakfast so we tried to get as many steps in as possible before our lunch which was booked for 2 at the gorgeous Angel. We explored the grounds of the cathedral and found a nature reserve walk with lovely little goats! We then headed to The Arc shopping centre and rummaged through the sales and got some bargains then on the way down to lunch we hit every charity shop too!  I managed to get a lush black Hugo Boss blazer for £9.99! The Angel is a hotel and has a bar and restaurant and is a stunning and huge ivy covered building in the heart of Bury. The Angel are still extending their Eat Out to Help Out too for September which was a bonus when booking but we were still so full we couldn’t manage a full meal which also meant no Lottie’s waffles after either!! The restaurant is just stunning though, I adore the decor with different touches of modern art and the colour palette in this room. We just had soft drinks and shared a lovely antipasti board for 2 which was just enough! The perfect end to a lovely 2 days!

The Hippodrome Circus Great Yarmouth

If you are looking for a fun and entertaining day or night out for the kids and adults too, look no further that the Hippodrome circus In Great Yarmouth! Since Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron and the cast of The Greatest Showman melted the hearts of film lovers across the globe, circus is more popular than ever! In 2018 we saw the 250th anniversary of circus and we are incredibly lucky to have one of the ‘last surviving, purpose built, total circus buildings’ in the UK right on our doorstep in East Anglia! The Hippodrome Great Yarmouth was built back in 1903 and has been kept in the the most impeccable condition with its original features preserving the traditional circus charm. The Hippodrome’s shows combine acts across stage, air and water and it has 1 of the only 3 rings in Europe, with the feature of the floor lowering to fill with water and transform into a pool, where audiences can enjoy this range of talents, show after show!

The Hippodrome has been delightfully handed down through the Jay family and with the well-known local hero Peter Jay sharing his 40 years of the hippodrome experience last year and handing the torch over to his son Jack, who is our fantastic ring leader and leading man in the circus come-show ‘Pirates’; the family message is very much alive and present here. 

From the second I walked through the doors of the beautiful building I was hit with a wall of nostalgia that I am always subconsciously craving. I am obsessed with times gone by and being able to step inside a piece of history evokes every sense I have. This is such an incredibly loved building, inside and out and you are literally walking in time in a place of entertainment history. The retro and charming interior has been cared with love and does nothing but compliment the experience. The walls are covered in posters and memorabilia from the shows hosted over the years and gives you a glimpse into how circus was in the days of animals and odd balls, as opposed to the unique and raw talent from over the world which we see today.

 

 

Jack and his team spend each season between shows not only script writing but also attending and researching shows to source the most exciting, original and ground breaking acts. This keeps the Hippodrome fresh and exciting each show for all the new guests but for the die-hard loyal fans that attend every show year after year. With the exception of Christmas day this is a 24/7 job and which the love, passion and dedication of the team we continue to see it thrive and succeed as much as ever!

The Hippodrome hosts 4 house shows per year which fall in line with the school holidays to give as many opportunities as possible for families to attend, they do 2-3 shows per day from afternoon to evening. Kicking off the year with the Pirates Live over Easter, then the longest running summer show ‘Circus and Water Spectacular’, October half term gets creepy with the Halloween Spooktacular and then seeing out the festive period with Christmas Spectacular!

You will get to know and love the dynamic comedy stylings of Jack Jay and Johnny Mack who’s on stage chemistry is perfect and their humour infectious. Great laughs for the kids between acts and fantastic nods to the adult audience with some cryptic ‘in’ jokes. The shows without Johnny feature other well-known names from the UK entertainment scene so the hosts are always a delight. 

The global acts the guys source are phenomenal, I have been attending most shows for the past couple of years and without fail every single time I see something and I can’t quite believe my eyes! I’m squirming and squealing  with adrenaline and I am literally on the edge of my seat! They vary from weird, to unbelievable and super extreme but every single act I cannot fault and excites me enormously. 

I don’t think I can gush mush more about the circus do you? Seriously, book some tickets, take a mate, when you arrive grab some popcorn and a drink from the licensed bar and sit back and enjoy the show! 

After the show keep half an hour spare to visit the on site museum behind the ring where you can look into the rich history of this circus with a huge amount of old outfits, props and memorabilia it is a fascinating insight to the years of rich on site circus history and so much more! 

Thanks for reading and I hope you’ll love it as much as I do.

H x 

Welcome to the #FoodSavvy challenge!!

So as we embark on a new month, I have taken on a brand new challenge! Along side the support of Hubbub and Norfolk and Suffolk County Councils I have been given the opportunity to share with you my experience and journey in becoming more #FoodSavvy!

In Norfolk and Suffolk alone we waste 113,000 tonnes of food waste which costs the average household an extra £810 per year and the tax payer just in these 2 counties an extra £12.6m per year!!! That’s hugely alarming right?? I’m really excited to be given the opportunity to get involved in hopefully learning new ways to reduce this personally in my household and also raise awareness to my surrounding counties and further afield!

So, if you’ve been following me a while, I like to think; and I hope you’ll agree, I’m pretty savvy anyway and from my personal financial situation over the last few years, I’ve taught myself to become more #FoodSavvy and am really excited to see what new ideas I can take on board to drive this even further in my life! I’m a genuine lover of food and it sickens me to see food go to waste, so I always try to keep it creative in the kitchen and let nothing avoidable go in the bin but I know there’s still more to do!

This week, from tomorrow, Monday, I’ll be carrying on as normal and at the end of the week I’ll be doing my baseline measurement to see what waste I’m producing in my household on a normal week, before we put in to place some of the useful provided tools to aid in this months challenge!! I’m actually off for a few days from Monday morning on my holidays to France, so I’ll be getting my folks back at my home to save their avoidable food waste along with logging roughly any food that I waste abroad Monday to Thursday, all of this you can keep track of on my instagram stories! I’ve always been a lunch prepper, I’ve been using food recycling at home for some time and i consciously make the efforts to minimize a single use plastics in my life but even as a conscious person I know the results will alarm me when so many things on offer to us have not undergone the same thoughtful and sustainable journey we would want in an ideal world. After this week is done and we measure what’s ‘normal’ for me and my household, then we’ll start the reduction measurements from week 2! Food waste and the volume of single use plastics used world wide is a huge issue and I invite you this month to join the challenge and become more #FoodSavvy with me, from Norfolk, Suffolk and beyond!

World Mental Health Day Poem

I went to a poetry writing workshop with @worditrhyme who you can find on Instagram and she taught us the basic structure of writing a classic 12 line poem of 6 couplets in a rhyming style and I wrote one for World Mental Health day. I shared on my stories at the time but I got great feedback so I just wanted to immortalize it over here on my site!

 

TIA, H xx

 

I don’t like the things that go on in my head,

some days I struggle to get out of bed

The worry that all of my friends hate me;

from depression, to anger and anxiety

Some days everything can feel so bleak,

I don’t always share incase I seem weak

Sometimes all you need is a friend,

to put your mind at ease whilst you’re on the mend

You may have never felt the same,

so try and be there for another’s pain 

This year on world mental health day…

Remember it’s ok to not be ok!!