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I do my best every few years to do something special (one on one) with the kids on their birthday. Colum, my eldest, turned 11 this year and while I was planning something to do with him locally, I noticed Ryanair had a super seat sale on to a limited number of cities and Birmingham presented at the most affordable. After chatting to the Birmingham Tourist Board and arranging a press visit in conjunction with the Clayton Hotel Birmingham I grabbed two return flights for €27 in total (this included seat selections also). Because we were only going for one night I decided not to book in any luggage, we just took a bag each on our back.
FLIGHTS
We flew out from Shannon Airport on Monday, November 29th at 7.40 am and back into Dublin the next evening at 8.20 pm. There was not a return flight into Shannon for a few days. I left the car at Shannon and we took the Dublin Coach back to Limerick on Tuesday evening (€17.50 one way for one adult and one child). I only booked this on Tuesday morning over breakfast in Birmingham. We had to change at the Red Cow but there is sometimes a direct bus too. We got out at Annacotty in Limerick and arrived home at midnight.
BIRMINGHAM TRAINS
I have never been to Birmingham and was pleasantly surprised at how easy getting to and from the airport was. It’s one of the smoothest, shortest transfers I have ever done. There is a train shuttle at the airport that will take you directly to Birmingham International Airport Railway Station (approx 2 min). There, we purchased a one-way ticket from the train station to Bournville, (£17.25). We changed trains at Birmingham New Street (approx 12 minutes from the airport and where our hotel was located). We didn’t go to the hotel as we were on a mission to get to our first destination, so we got onto a second train that took us to Bournville, home of Cadbury World. It was another 14 minutes on the train. When we finished at Cadbury World, we got the train back into Birmingham New Street (£9.25). We did not get on a train again (we did not need to) until we headed back to the airport on Tuesday afternoon at about 4.30 pm for our 7.40 pm flight. Again, we got on at Birmingham New and off at the airport.
CADBURY WORLD
The main purpose of our Birmingham visit was to check out the famous Cadbury World factory in Bournville. We pre-booked tickets (£37.50) a few days previous. You pay for a self-guided tour that lasts an
hour. They recommend getting there an hour earlier so you can enjoy a 4D movie (think chocolate rollercoasters), the kid’s play area (although this was closed in Winter), the Cadbury Museum (small but cute), have a cuppa and chocolate at their café and check out their shop. We also had the option of afternoon tea, but we didn’t add this on. We arrived slightly too early for our tour – 2.5 hours too early (we were eager!!) so we did the activities and then we took a stroll around the beautiful quaint town of Bournville, a model town created by the Quaker Cadbury family to house all their workers in 1900. We planned to check out Shelly Manor (across the road), a museum depicting life in the 1900s, but it was closed. We pottered around the shops and returned for our tour time. It is a self-guided tour with an abundance of information from how chocolate was initially formed to its current production. It was really interesting and along the way we got to make chocolate,
taste chocolate, temper chocolate and at the very end there was a wonderful ride that really tied it all together.
SHOPPING
It would be a sin to go to Birmingham and not do some shopping. The city is home to the world’s largest Primark, spread over five floors, it also houses three restaurants (including a Disney one), a beauty salon and barbers. At the Bullring and Grand Central Train station, there are hundreds of other shops, from designer labels to H&M and Zara. We did a bit of shopping on Monday before checking into the hotel and spent about three hours shopping on Tuesday.
CHRISTMAS MARKETS
For approximately six weeks each year Victoria Square and High Street transform into a Frankfurt Christmas Market and it is magical. Plenty of mulled wine, Christmas decorations, crepés, hotdogs and beers to keep revellers entertained all day and night. We visited the markets after breakfast on Tuesday and really enjoyed the atmosphere. It was cold, Christmas tunes were floating through the streets and Colum was in his element picking out some gifts for family.
ATTRACTIONS
Because our time was super short Colum choose ice- skating and crazy golf to do on the Tuesday after the markets. The ice-skating rink was just off Victoria Square and the Tree Top Crazy Golf was in the Bullring. There is an abundance of things to do in Birmingham with the kids (some attractions were closed Monday and Tuesdays so check ahead) but the ones I would do if I were returning with the family are: Legoland Discovery Centre, Thinktank Museum, Drayton Manor (also home to Thomas Land), West Midland Safari Park, Villa Park Stadium Tour and National Sea Life Centre.
Stay
We had the pleasure of being hosted by the Clayton Hotel Birmingham for the night in one of their executive family rooms. It is one of their bigger family rooms with two double beds (ample space for a cot), an office seating area and a large state of the art with bathroom. It was one of the nicest rooms we have stayed in and the fact that we had a bed each was an extra treat! The hotel itself is located about five minutes’ walk away from the Bulling (four minutes from Primark) and is right beside the Thinktank Museum. Due to its proximity to the train station too, it makes it an ideal hotel for the family or for a trip away with the girls for a shopping spree. The hotel décor is modern with an edgy vibe throughout. Christmas decorations adorned the lobby and certain areas. We opted to stay in for dinner (in our room; Colum wanted to watch Spiderman on Netflix; yes, they even had Netflix on the tv) and the food was delicious. We got some pizza, wings and chips. The perfect birthday treats. Breakfast the next morning did not disappoint. It was self-service and there were plenty of servings for everyone. The restaurant was warm and inviting and a lovely sense of serenity greeted all the guests. The hotel does wonderful packages for couples, girls and families throughout the year and we will certainly be back again (maybe the next time with just the girls)!
ATTRACTIONS
Because our time was super short Colum choose ice- skating and crazy golf to do on the Tuesday after the markets. The ice-skating rink was just off Victoria Square and the Tree Top Crazy Golf was in the Bullring. There is an abundance of things to do in Birmingham with the kids (some attractions were closed Monday and Tuesdays so check ahead) but the ones I would do if I were returning with the family are Legoland Discovery Centre, Thinktank Museum, Drayton Manor (also home to Thomas Land), West Midland Safari Park, Villa Park Stadium Tour and National Sea Life Centre.
Stay
We had the pleasure of being hosted by the Clayton Hotel Birmingham for the night in one of their executive family rooms. It is one of their bigger family rooms with two double beds (ample space for a cot), an office seating area and a large state of the art with bathroom. It was one of the nicest rooms we have stayed in and the fact that we had a bed each was an extra treat! The hotel itself is located about five minutes’ walk away from the Bulling (four minutes from Primark) and is right beside the Thinktank Museum. Due to its proximity to the train station too, it makes it an ideal hotel for the family or for a trip away with the girls for a shopping spree. The hotel décor is modern with an edgy vibe throughout. Christmas decorations adorned the lobby and certain areas. We opted to stay in for dinner (in our room; Colum wanted to watch Spiderman on Netflix; yes, they even had Netflix on the tv) and the food was delicious. We got some pizza, wings and chips. The perfect birthday treats. Breakfast the next morning did not disappoint. It was self-service and there were plenty of servings for everyone. The restaurant was warm and inviting and a lovely sense of serenity greeted all the guests. The hotel does wonderful packages for couples, girls and families throughout the year and we will certainly be back again (maybe the next time with just the girls)!
