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Splashing around!

AAV_8999Summer Fun-Lovin’

Being a dad of two teenagers is a great excuse to get out and do loads of cool fun thing ‘for them’ to enjoy.  Now the summer holidays are here along with some infrequent heatwaves it great to get out to play and find fun ways to make the most of the days and also keep cool where possible.  Tallington lakes is an awesome place to find so much to do that ticks all of these boxes so we headed there again to enjoy some more of the many activities on offer.

Zorbing – it’s just how we roll!

For anyone who hasn’t tried this but has a secret desire to play the role of a giant hamster that can walk on water (who doesn’t right?) then I definitely recommend giving this a whirl.  You climb inside the giant inflated balls and do you best to run along to move across the water splashing and rolling and laughing through the way.  It’s a brilliant laugh and importantly ‘it’s not just for kids!’

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WAS-SUP?!- Stand Up Paddle Boards

I’ve been wanting to try these for some time so finally I got to have a go, my daughter Oonagh-Mae had been to Tallington on a school trip and had a go at this before but Ethan and myself were newbies but raring to go.  To be fair, it’s pretty straight forward, Craig our instructor briefed us on where to stand, how to hold the long paddle and encouraged me to try a few tricks in the hope I’d fall off.  It was of course a success but hey what’s the point in wearing a wetsuit if you’re not going to get wet right?  After getting to grips with standing, kneeling and paddling along whilst ‘accidentally’ splashing each other we tried a few more ambitious moves.  I edges right to back of the board to try effectively pulling a wheelie and needless to say I went in with a splash much to the kids’ amusement.  Then some headstand were attempted, yep the boards can actually be steady enough to try this, and I pretty much nailed it too by the 3rd go (okay maybe the 7th or 8th).

AAV_8912 AAV_8779Catching the Breeze

I’ve noticed over my last few trips to Tallington that somehow the wind levels of ten vary on different lakes, I suspect it’s no accident where the treelines are and whilst you can do open water swimming or water-skiing and wakeboarding in quite calm waters, on the windsurfing and sailing lake there’s always a pretty good breeze and even some waves rippling across the surface.  This is the spot where Craig talked us through how we use the wind to control out direction and speed when windsurfing or flying around in the toppers.  The last time I tried wind surfing I was about 17 in Turkey on water so still it was like glass so it was just a balancing act. At Tallington however the steady breeze means you can get some pretty good speed up once you’re going and likewise when sailing.  The toppers are great for the kids to go out together or parent and child pairs to go out around the lake together racing and learning some great skills.AAV_9048

Ship ahoy!

After learning some good technical skills for the more stylish activities we finished up our day with a play on a chunky raft made up of barrels, wooden beams and ropes which are put together during fun days.  This was a brilliant laugh as once out we were splashing each other and the kids started pushing each other in and then trying to drag me off our valiant vessel too.

We had a brilliant time and this is definitely well worth a day out or to either just play or make more regular visits to practice and master some skills to take to new levels.  Whatever you do you’re bound to have a great time together and the kids will have some great stories to tell of their summer adventures.

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