Best Drinks Bottle EVER!!

A healthy and environmentally friendly drink

Recently we decided to do a short cycle ride along the coast to a nearby village. It was a hot day and we had cycled 6km and therefore wanted to stop for a drink. We always carry a refillable bottle of water around with us but wanted a change. As part of our Clear Plastic_UK campaign, we always refuse to buy single-use plastic bottles, choosing cans, cardboard or glass instead. I looked around the carton section expecting not to buy any of them because they would have straws (something we always refuse to buy)… but guess what… I found a carton without a straw, made out of cardboard, labelled with FSC! It was a healthy, vitamin drink and it was delicious! I was delighted with this find and so have been raving about it ever since! Why aren’t all juices like this? If we all choose to use strawless cartons like this one instead of single-use plastic bottles then maybe, drinks companies will stop producing them.

By Ella

Everest Peak 3 – Cachiporrilla Peak

Cachiporrilla – an opportunity we couldn’t ignore!

Ever since arriving at our campsite, located in the Lozoya Valley in Spain, we were itching to have a shot at trekking up Cachiporrilla Peak, a 1620-metre-high mountain viewable from the site. We hoped it was in walking distance. A quick trip to the reception/information room revealed that it was – in fact, there was even a mapped route and directions that lead to the summit.

We soon found out that the directions we collected weren’t to be relied on – as soon as we exited the site, we managed to miss the unmarked footpath but luckily realised our mistake only a few bends down the road. It was only a few directions later we passed the gate we should have taken, and were pointed the correct way by a local Spaniard, but soon we were on the right track, beginning our trek up the mountain. The higher we got, the better the views became; the snow-capped peaks of the Guadarrama range became more visible, as well as the villages nestled high-up in between peaks, and we could overlook the long lake stretching down the length of the Lozoya valley. Vultures, the first of the many that migrate from Africa for cooler weather, circled overhead and we soon found out a possible reason why. Whilst walking we passed the carcasses of two dead cows, along with a few stripped bones littering the landscape.

We were carving our own path through the vegetation – any previous paths had stopped or detoured away from the direction we were heading a while back – and hopped to the other side of the wall we were following if the vegetation got too thick, only to cross again if it became clear. Lunch was eaten on a rocky outcrop at the beginning of the summit climb and not matter how good we thought the view was then, it was nothing compared to what we saw at the top. Despite the fact the mountains on the horizon may have been almost double the height of the one we had summited, the beauty of the patchwork landscape spread out below us was breath-taking and we could have been on top the world for all we saw. All of us were reluctant to leave the fresh mountain air and picturesque vista behind when it was time to head back down to the site.

We climbed this peak as part of our family-friendly Climb Everest Challenge.

By Amy

Reasons to get outside

We love the outdoors, because …

Markets and fire festivals – vlogs

Vlogging in Spain

Las Fallas – the fire festival

Benlloch – market

Amy and Ella feature on Maddie Moate’s YouTube Channel

A day with Maddie Moate and Greg Foot

How lucky were we to get to spend a day with TV and YouTube presenters (plus all round lovely people), Maddie Moate and Greg Foot. A fun day was had at the Crystal Palace Dinosaur Park; lots of laughter and learning.

I can’t write and do justice to the day, but Maddie’s video can…

4 get over-excited in France

Well, that was France

We’ve had a great time travelling through France for the last month: learning the language, spending time in the Alps and meeting up with friends.

Here’s a snapshot of some of the fun we’ve had.

Now, it’s into Spain!

Ed-ventures in France

Time in France

I love France and have many happy memories of going there on holiday when I was younger. Tim and I spent three weeks camping in northern France before the girls were born and we had brought the girls to France on a couple of camping holidays in the past. This time, we were spending a little more than a month exploring France, travelling and living in our motorhome.

Language Learning by Amy

Staying in the Alps

The first resort that we stayed in was le Grand Bornand, a popular French family ski resort. We hadn’t known this before we arrived and were surprised by the numbers of other people camping at the site. We soon discovered that we were there during the French and English school holidays which meant that there were plenty of other families around. It had snowed prior to our arrival and we were thrilled to see a thick coating of the white stuff all around! The girls were understandably very excited and keen to play in the snow.

The second site that we stayed at was in Landry, in the Vanoise valley, over-looked by snow-covered mountains. Although the site was located in the valley, beside the river Isere it was easy to travel up between villages and up into the mountains, using the many free shuttle buses that are provided. Whilst we chose not to ski or snowboard in this area, the temptation to head into the mountains was irresistible.

Snowy activities by Amy

Camping in the snow by Ella

Southern France

The last few days in France were spent travelling along the southern coast, stopping off at aires and campsites by the sea. The Winter chill had started to disappear and we had some gloriously sunny weather. This section of the trip was unplanned and we enjoyed the freedom of travelling along at a leisurely pace stopping when and wherever took our fancy. We enjoyed a night in the Camargue, spotting the famous white horses, bulls and flamingoes wading in the salt marshes. We also enjoyed the coastal route with its magnificent view over the Mediterranean sea. Learning the language and speaking it in real life contexts, finding out about the culture and lifestyle through conversations and personal experience, and visiting places of historical importance made our month in France a wonderfully cultural ed-venture.

Drink: a Fibrous Fruit Smoothie

With a little something thrown into the mix…

This green machine is really good for you, with a secret ingredient I doubt you will ever have considered putting in.

All you need:

• One avocado
• ¼ of an avocado seed/stone
• 1 small pear
• Apple Juice
• A little water

Add the chopped avocado in with the pear and seed, along with a splash of water, before blitzing until smooth. Add the apple juice to the mix, putting more in if your smoothie is really thick.

The good bit

Avocado is packed with so many nutrients; the list could go on and on and on… On a whole, they contain loads of vitamins, healthy fats that can have affects on cancer genes, soluble fiber which feeds good bacteria in your gut and can lower you cholesterol. The seed contains 70% of an avocado’s goodness so it’s a big mistake to chuck it in the bin. Like the fruit itself, the seed contains soluble fiber – in fact, it has more in than even the biggest fiber providers! Now you know what to eat as a healthy snack; the big green fruit mainly reserved for salads!

Pears contain lots of fiber as well as copper, which is key to building strong tissue and maintaining a healthy blood. Studies have also shown that the skin of the pear is really good for you – it contains half the pear’s amount of dietary fiber.

GO to the beach and get naturally fit

Beach Olympics

One of our favourite beach exercises – particularly when we are with friends or family – is to have a mini Beach Olympics.

Get the kids involved in designing the ‘disciplines’  – maybe ask each child to think of one of the sports and get them to lead them when the time comes.

Ideas for events:

• High Jump
  Make a jump out of items that you may have brought along e.g. buckets and spades. Use the sand to create piles on which the buckets can be placed, thus allowing you to change the height of the bar (or spade).

• Long jump
  Get a spade and ‘fluff up’ the sand in your landing pit, or ensure your landing area is in the soft dry sandy area of the beach. If there’s a mix of ages in your group, draw a few take off lines in the sand and allow younger (or senior) athletes to use a line nearer to the landing zone.

• Short sprint
  Measure out a short distance – about 50 metres or strides is good for a sprint by drawing a start line and making a finish line using a couple of mounds of sand (so you can see them).

• Shot putt
  Find a stone or rock and use this for a ‘push throw’ that comes from holding the rock under the side of the jaw and then extending the arm. Measure the distance from the throwing line to where the rock lands.

• Other ideas: relay race, long distance run, tennis ball throw, triple jump …