What matters to adventurers

What’s the weirdest thing your children have done/brought home/done to your house? Athina loves nature and she’s fascinated by geology. One day she excitely and proudly presented a large rock she found in the playground. There was nothing unique about it; we use it as a door stopper.

What’s the funniest thing your children have ever said/done? At the age of three Athina came into the kitchen looking like a looked like a “little ostrich chick’ and announced with a cheeky grin on her face: ‘Mama I did NOT cut my hair’. As she was leaving I could see her hands behind her back holding lots of hair and a pair of children’s scissors.

What’s your favourite family day out? Our days out on the canal. The interaction with the towpath users and connection with the animals; dogs, swans, frogs and even cows. We have so many blissful moments and feel completely at ease with the environment.

What family task takes you the longest? It’s a daily struggle to peel myself out of bed, whereas Athina gets ready on time with no help. When we’re adventuring and as the day progress, waking up at some ungodly hour becomes even harder.

What hobbies/pastimes do you enjoy as a family and separately? As long as we can get active outdoors there are many outrageously beautiful settings across the UK where we like to geo-cache, run and do open water swim together. Kayaking has become one of our favourite family sports and we hope to paddle the UK’s three largest lakes in the next six months. Athina loves horse riding, athletics, sewing and baking.

What’s the best thing about weekends and why? We tend to plan little and live more. The best thing about weekends is knowing we’ll be discovering a new UK stunning outdoor location and building happy memories as a family.

What’s the children’s favourite food/meal? Mama’s special lasagne, a family recipe that makes her popular among her peers. My secret ingredients are: Cinnamon and Moscatel wine.

What’s your top penny-pinching tip? Car boot sales and vintage shops. We never know what will inspire us but much of our super-cool antique furniture has never been more than £50.

One family member’s proudest achievement? When Athina was given a medal at Leeds Synchro Swimming for good performance she couldn’t stop talking about it and it stayed on her bedside table for a long time.

Child’s favourite book and author. Since her passion for horses and horse riding begun, Pippa Funnell is her favourite author and ‘Solo the super star’ is her favourite book.