We are taking part in the MoneySuperMarket Road Trip Challenge. This weekend, we have had a bit of travelling to do, so it was the perfect chance to put a things together and turn it into a road trip.
First we had planned to go to see Dora Live in Milton Keynes, which is an hour away. This should normally be quite an uneventful drive on the motor way. We do see some windmills and fields and animals on the way, including horses and sheep, which is nice.
It was a great day for a drive, blue skies and clouds out!
We ended up coming across some major delays on the M1 due to an accident. I don’t know what happened, really hope everyone is okay and came out not too badly hurt! It delayed by quite a lot, with so many lanes closed. Some people are so selfish trying to drive in those lanes which have been kept free for the emergency vehicles coming past! Shame on them, we saw some of the fire engines having real difficulty to get through as they had blocked it all up.
We eventually got there and enjoyed the show! That will be reviewed separately soon!
After the show we continued our road trip further north
As we were already quite a bit north of London, we decided to combine it with a trip to visit one of my best friends who has moved to Leicestershire. This is one more hours drive and through some lovely countryside. We saw some great views, of lakes, villages, fields and hills!
It’s great to explore new areas, I have been up there before but not by car. I feel you see more when travelling by road!
It was also great to arrive and see my friend after all the travelling earlier in the day!
 After it was time to go, we decided to drive into Leicester itself, as there is no mosque in the town which my friend lives in. It’s quite a small town. So we were back on the road again and arrived at Leicester mosque
By that time it was getting quite late, and we had to start heading back to London. The kids were getting quite tired in the car.
Of course no road trip is complete for us without a stop at one of the service stations, so we took the chance to pop in to one and get some food for all of us. The boys got given some Moshi Monster toys kids meal toys from Burger King which they found very exciting, although they are not even really into Moshi Monsters!
This is between junction 11-12 and it has a prayer room in it. In case its handy for anyone, my husband found this list of which service stations have these facilities!
We got home about 11pm, after a full day of both fun and travelling
Disclaimer: MoneySuperMarket have provided us £50 to spend on petrol for our road trip to take part in this challenge
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
Looks like a long, but fun day. I think it’s always good when you get the opportunity to really take in your surroundings, even if it is something as simple as a drive up the motorway.
Mine love Services – we were never allowed to stop there when I was a child, so I still fee there’s something special about them – I don’t think I’d like to pay for everyone to get a meal though!
There is something special about services! They are exciting!! I think cos they have the mental association with going on holiday or something but they are great 😀