Happy Birthday Activity Choice Gift

We decided to take part in the Hampton Court bike tour during the August bank holiday. The weather was perfect for biking around the grounds, sunny and hot with a gentle breeze coming from river Thames which runs alongside the palace.
The meeting point for the tour was Hampton Court train station which is a cute little station, located next to the palace. Once your group have all arrived it is time to set off and collect your bikes. The tour started behind a pub over the bridge called the Prince of Wales. Each bike had its own royal name ranging from Anne to Henry. The bikes were vintage and had a spacious basket for you to pop your belongings in. Within our group there were 8 people which is the average sized group for the tour. Here is where our guide introduced herself and allowed us to test out the bike, all seats are adjustable to suit your needs.
Hampton Court is located on the edge of Richmond upon Thames due to the fabulous weather the streets were buzzing with people coming to visit the palace. The guide advised us it would be better to walk our bikes over to the palace instead of biking due the busy streets and narrow bridge. As soon as we reached the palace grounds, our guide informed us of where we going during the tour - through the gardens, along Chestnut Avenue, through the parks which were Henry VIII's hunting grounds to the pub for a nice refreshment and back along the palace grounds via a bike trail next to the Thames.
Our guide led the tour and everyone could go at their own pace, she would stop at different places and wait for everyone to arrive before telling us stories and the history of Hampton court. The ground was flat and easy to bike around however the bikes do take a little getting used too.
The pub is called the White Hart which has a lovely beer garden full of flowers and live music which made for a perfect pit stop. Everyone had time to enjoy the scenery and a much needed drink before setting off back to Hampton Court whilst riding along the river Thames. The tour ended at the palace where the guide told us about Henry and his many wives. After which you were welcome to spend the day in the grounds or exploring the facilities around you.

Top Tip
Ensure you arrive at the meeting point 15 minutes before the tour start time.

I visited Loch Fyne in Twickenham on a busy Sunday afternoon, the restaurant was busy however the staff were very welcoming and showed me to my table, upon sitting at the table I was presented with the Activity Superstore set menu, the menu contained a wide range of seafood dishes to suit peoples tastes, I choose the Goan seafood curry and the Crème Brulee which were both delicious, we also had a glass of white wine each to accompany our meal. Once we had finished we presented our voucher as payment, without any issues.

Top Tip
Ensure you show the redemption code on arrival to avoid confusion.

I booked my experience online using the Twinwoods adventure booking system, all I needed was the Activity Superstore voucher number. The staff were very lovely and briefed us on safety procedures and how to take on the wave. We rehearsed all the tricks and turns beforehand which made it easier once we were on the FlowRider.

Once the wave got going, we got started with bodyboarding and slowly progressed to standing. Everyone was challenged to the best of their abilities, 5 out of 7 people in the group had never participated in any board-based watersport before but equally enjoyed it. There was plenty of options and tricks for everyone to try out from flips, jumps, turns, knee stunts and just relaxing and enjoying the wave. The wave felt real and did get the adrenaline going, great way to surf without the cold weather.

I definitely recommend this for anyone who wants to do something different or as a family activity as most ages can ride.

Top Tip
Try it all, challenge yourself. The falls don't hurt, in fact, that's where all the fun is! All the surfaces are padded.

"Upon arrival at the DoubleTree by Hilton in London West End my friend and I were immediately in awe of the venue and decor. The hotel is absolutely beautiful and very welcoming. We were seated by staff straight away and asked what type of tea we would like. We paid a small upgrade to the Afternoon with Bubbly so we could enjoy a glass of champagne each to make the most of our experience. We were asked whether we would like our champagne served before or after we had eaten - I think it was great that you're given a choice so your champagne remains chilled for when you're ready to enjoy it. After a short wait our afternoon tea was served! We enjoyed a large plate of sandwiches with different fillings such as cucumber & soft cheese or honey glazed gammon & grain mustard, they were all delicious! The homemade sultana scones were served slightly warm with clotted cream and strawberry jam. We then enjoyed various delicious cakes such as mini Victoria sponges, raspberry mousse, chocolate mousse and pecan sponge cake. We had the most amazing day in a lovely venue and I would certainly recommend the afternoon tea to anyone!"

Top Tip
Don't eat before you go and I recommend upgrading to champagne, it's delicious and so refreshing!

This experience was a very merry evening out in London. We were greeted with a free sampling glass and a programme where we could rate and order all the wines we sampled, with generous discounts across the board! With an assortment of wines, spirits and snacks from across the world to sample, we were kept busy for the 2 and a half hours that we were there. All the servers were incredibly passionate about the wines they were serving, and we met a few vineyard owners who were happy to share their top tips on pairing their wines with different types of food.

Top Tip
Keep track of all the wines you try!