Hi, my name is Kelly Cheesley. Mum of two, wife of one. Long time blogger. Maker of pretty things. Couldn’t live without my smart phone and my sewing machine. Could live without celery. We live in Ringmer, near Lewes. I am excited to be writing for Brighton Mums, hoping to regularly bring you news and events from Lewes and the surrounding areas and share some of the trips and days out that we have that might inspire you to jump on a train, bus or into the car and leave the city for a change. Please let me know if there is anything in particular you would like to hear about.
And just like that it is the end of the school year. My son Piran, who is not even yet 5 is coming to the end of his first year in Reception. I just cannot believe that we are at the end of his first year of school, it just feels like a few weeks ago we took him in looking all shiny and new in his slightly too big school uniform and now I have a sticky, generally grubby, bright, funny little boy. School certainly changes them.
And so we are here, poised to begin our very own proper long summer holiday. The possibilities are really exciting actually. I thought as this is my first post I would share with you three of our favourite places to spend time with the kids in Lewes.
Pells Pool
If this great weather continues you can’t go wrong with a visit to Lewes’ outdoor pool. The Pells outdoor swimming pool in Lewes is the oldest and one of the largest freshwater pools in the country. There is a grass area for sitting on, a paddling pool for the little people and the main pool for swimming. It can be quite chilly for children in the main pool but it is very refreshing once you are in!
There is a splash and play group called Pells Paddlers that is on during the summer months - Tuesday’s from 10-11.30. Just £2 per family, you can use the pool and the paddling pool and there are other toys and sand / water out for the children to play. Each session is rounded off by singing along to a lovely man with a guitar that my daughter adores.
Open from 10 at weekends and 12 on weekdays (if it is very busy they have a maximum capacity to it can be one in one out - they usually put this on Twitter when it happens). If you are lucky on a Saturday Stan’s Snow Cones will be parked outside. Bliss.
Grange Gardens
Just a short walk from the train station Grange Gardens is the perfect place for a picnic and a bit of peace and quiet. Plenty of space for little legs to run about, different sections to explore and it is always so beautiful. The planting is spectacular at various times of year and my children love racing up and down next to the flower beds. And the hidden gem is the small tea hatch in the corner selling refreshments and ice creams during the summer months. An oasis of tranquility nice and close to town.
This is a recent discovery of ours. Between the town centre and the railway station is a hidden gem. A small woodland, a pond the river and plenty of places to explore. Last week I took Piran there on an adventure on his first day off school. It is the perfect size for little legs. We practiced our tree climbing skills, took a notepad for writing down and drawing the things we saw. Add in a picnic and all the treasures we collected we had a really happy time indeed.
It can be accessed from a number of places in Lewes - there is a handy map on the website.
I hope that one of these things might entice you to jump on a bus (28/29 from Brighton) or train and have a little look at the hidden parts of Lewes. Happy Summer.
