A perfect family day – The hidden gem of Maspie Den

I wrote recently about finding the balance between work and play.  Hubs had a long weekend off work for the October break. I promised myself I would slow down a bit too.  With a little planning, we managed to find the perfect balance between getting things done (around the house, admin stuff, shopping), relaxation and play.  We had a little help from the Grandparents when it came to relaxation and getting stuff done.  But I’ll save that for another post.

Sunday was the day set aside for a proper family adventure.  Some family adventures can be a bit of a disaster, like my attempted bear hunt at Cammo.  There were a few fun moments but overall, it wasn’t a great success plus there was NO COFFEE which for me is always a big FAIL.

This Sunday past we experienced a mega win. It was the perfect family day out and hands down one of my top days of 2017.  I want to share a snapshot of it with you, because some of you have asked and sharing is caring. I also want the kids to read this one when they are older.  I hope the memory stays with them because it sure will with me.

The day started well.  Hubs makes a fantastic smoothie.  Tip – get a large bag of frozen mango from Costco, he has tried all supermarket versions and says this bag is by far the best.  Blend it with fresh kiwi and pure pineapple juice.  It’s to die for.

I had suggested we go to Pitlochry.  One of my favourite childhood memories is going there on a day trip.  Despite the fact my Dad is registered blind and has been since he was 19, he was adamant that Mum would drive us to Queens View.  He wanted us to see it so much.  Talk about a selfless act, one of the many reasons my Dad is my hero and inspiration.  My Mum is too and she has been by his side every step of the way, since the day it all happened.

That hubs of mine is obsessed with waterfalls and was also craving fish and chips from good old Anstruther fish bar.  The best fish and chips in Scotland (although I always have to pack Edinburgh chippy sauce). He had a chat with our friend google and came across a place called Maspie Den.  I had never heard of it.  It was apparently on route to Anstruther so the decision was made. We can do Pitlochry next time.

The day before, we had taken a quick walk to the walled garden on Corstorphine Hill.  Charlie had worn his wellies but Bonnie and I were far from prepared on the footwear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our epic fail was noted and we remembered to pack 4 sets of wellies before we set off.

 

It was a gorgeous Autumn morning, perfect for our first family drive over the Queensferry crossing, which of course I captured footage of.

We got to Maspie Den around 30 minutes later.

The walk took us around an hour and a half but it didn’t feel like that.  There was so much to distract us all, loads of waterfalls, caves, including one really dark one.  This was a proper bear hunt at it’s best.  The sun was shining and the surprise at the top was certainly worth it.

 

The walk goes round in a loop so you don’t have to turn back on yourself.

What more could I possibly want? Stunning Scottish scenes, happy kids and happy parents.  The bonus was lovely coffee at the end and homemade cake. Fantastic service and very reasonabaly priced too.  Although my hubs pulled his usual and said “I don’t want anything” and then eat half of my lovely gingerbread.  The kids wanted some too, I wasn’t amused.

We then set off for those award-winning fish and chips.  As our ETA was around 3pm, Hubs assured me “there won’t be any queues”.  That man will do anything to get out of buying two cakes.  Having only eaten about a quarter of the ginerbread cake, I was still pretty hungry.  Surprise surprise there was an hour or so to wait, despite it being “off peak” time.  I can get quite grumpy when I am hungry.  Always worth the wait though, that fish is crispy.  I might need to get a job there so I can try and find the secret recipe.  Although I am sure they are very careful to keep it a secret.

We then set off to Elie beach for a dip.  The beach was pumping with it being the last of the season for the Elie beach cafe.  That pizza looked so good, we shall defo be taking a trip back in March 2018.

We took a slow, chilled sunset drive home and the views were incredible.  The kids were singing in the back and at that moment, life felt pretty damn perfect.