Mum Travel Moments

Mr Scott and I have always been big fans of a UK weekend away. No airports, no fuss, and so many amazing places and hotels to choose from. Now, with little ones, the option of a UK break often seems all the more appealing.

So this week we are off to The Pig at Combe. Our first trip as a family of four!

We also happen to be going in the lead-up to Valentine’s Day, which is apt as we love the Pig hotels.

The first Pig opened in the New Forest, but the group now boasts a collection of ten fabulous properties across the UK, with a couple of new openings planned over the next year or so.

The Pig at Combe was one of the first trips Mr Scott and I went on together, pre-wedding and pre-babies, and since then, we’ve tried quite a few of them. Whilst we both have our favourites, no matter which Pig we go to, there’s nothing quite like arriving there on a Friday evening after a long week. You settle into one of their gorgeously appointed rooms with a Roberts radio playing and little treats to welcome you, then head down to find a cozy nook in the bar area for a cocktail or two in front of a roaring fire (often lit in both winter and summer given the UK’s unpredictable weather) before dinner.

We’ve continued to have some great Pig experiences when we’ve visited with our first daughter over the last two years: comfortable cot beds, super friendly teams, flexibility in terms of food and service, and the boutique size of the properties matched with lots of outdoor space, has always been a winning combination. As our daughter started to toddle (and now run – everywhere!), the Pig gardens and surrounding grounds, not to mention the chickens and other animals often found on-site, have been hugely popular. She has loved our stays there, and we have lovely memories of her toddling around the vegetable patches after breakfast, half-eaten apple in one hand and pointing out all the things she can see with the other.

So let’s see how this goes with a two-year-old and a four-month-old. We’ll be staying in one of their family rooms, which sound great given the larger space, toddler bed, and room for an extra cot bed for the baby. We’re planning wet weather walks through the gorgeous Devon countryside, a few trips to surrounding local attractions and towns (the nearby Donkey Sanctuary being high on the list of must-sees for our horse-mad two-year-old), and cozy, early-evening dinners in the Pig’s warming seasonal restaurant.

Photos and day trip recommendations to follow!