Break is a shot in the arm
Family fun proves a hit as Fiona Whitty finds out at lakes retreat
We were promised a simple game of Name That Tune. But add in a bow and arrow and an uber-competitive family and it felt more like The Hunger Games.
We were involved in a heated session of target archery at Away Resorts’ Tattershall Lakes. The round seemed simple enough.
Our instructor Bryn would play me a song with a colour in the title. I would recognise the colour and tell my 13-year-old son Freddie. Freddie in turn would shoot his arrow at that coloured ring on the target.
He would succeed and, of course, we would have done all this faster than his dad Tim and sister Rosie, 16, on the other team. Freddie and I would laugh and rejoice.
Only, once put on the spot, I couldn’t for the life of me remember any song titles. Michael Jackson’s Black and White? Blank. Elton John’s
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road? I didn’t have a clue. Blue (Da Ba Dee)? Clueless – even though it mentions the colour blue umpteen times.
Tim was usually quicker at recognising the songs, Rosie accurate in her shots. With one round to go it was 3-2 to them. Bryn tried to help out by announcing that the winner of the next song was the overall victor.
I blew it. They won. Freddie scowled. I was in the doghouse.
Mums may be heroes in little boys’ eyes but by the time they reach their teens they demand rather more in return for their respect.
It was only when I redeemed myself on the Black Jack round – where players had to score closest to 21 without going bust – that the frown slipped and the relationship was restored. Target archery is part of a raft of activities on offer at Tattershall Lakes, a large and lively holiday resort in rural Lincolnshire.
Joined by our 21-year-old son
Harvey, the whole family tried out mini golf and disc golf – where you throw frisbees into metal nets – while the children had a go at high ropes.
On the latter there’s a vertical challenge that involves scrambling up a net and over two tyres before standing up on a platform then a separate leap of faith, where you have to jump off a ledge 40 feet up and attempt to clasp a trapeze bar.
It looked terrifying. Quivering, I’d reminded everyone I had a bad back and sat it out. All the activities are really entertaining… but only if
you’re winning of course. The park is landscaped around a series of pretty lakes, some of which are for fishing while others host watersports.
Freddie and Harvey had a go at wakeboarding, a mix between water skiing and snowboarding where participants are pulled along on a board by a rope that’s attached to a cable overhead.
It’s tricky to get the hang of but both of them managed it in the end, with Freddie even completing a full length of the course.
Muscles aching, they then hopped on the aquapark, which included a range of obstacles like slides, a hamster wheel, a volleyball net and a bouncy pillow which flings people up the air when others jump on it.
After all that competition Tim and I found the perfect way to relax – in the adults-only cocktail bar, the Giggling Goose, well stocked with around 135 gins alone amongst its 300-plus spirits.
Its outdoor terrace has lovely
lake views but we stayed inside to join barman Lucas for a cocktail-making masterclass.
Lucas showed us how to pull together a porn star martini – their most popular cocktail – and it’s easy to see why.
Key ingredients included vanilla vodka and vanilla and passion fruit syrup – but, according to Lucas, it all comes down to the shake.
He recommended a good 40 shakes would produce the perfect foam – and he wasn’t wrong. Alongside a shot of prosecco, it tasted incredible.
We made a few more based around our favourite spirits but my favourite was the Ron Monkey, made with rum and banana liqueur.
Fortunately we had a roomy lakeside lodge to chill out in afterwards. The lodge had three bedrooms, a main bathroom, a separate utility room with washing machine and toilet, and spacious open-plan kitchen/lounge/diner.
But perhaps the best bit was the decking overlooking a fishing lake – and the sunken hot tub on it. It was a real treat to enjoy dips in the tub while watching the wildlife. Being surrounded by mallards, moorhens, swans and Canada and greylag geese was amazingly calming.
One point however. The resort lies right next to RAF Coningsby and jets do fly overhead during exercises, including at night. The noise can be deafening – although we were mesmerised by the swooping planes, especially when they somersaulted acrobatic-style.
Tattershall Lakes is a half-hour drive from Lincoln, a place that’s well worth a day trip.
Its biggest draws are the castle and cathedral which stand proudly opposite each other amid a web of pretty cobbled streets stuffed full of quirky and independent traders.
The castle is home to one of only four remaining Magna Carta from 1215, the document that first enacted the same laws on the monarch as on his or her subjects ( from £15 adult, from £8.30 child, lincolncastle.com)
We also enjoyed walking around its medieval walls and its Victorian jail, as well as a browse around the cathedral (£9 adult, £4.80 child, lincolncathedral.com). Nearby lies another institution, the family-run Bells Tea Shop.
Amid bare-brick-and-beamed walls and floral tea sets, we tried its famous traditional afternoon tea, packed with finger sandwiches, warm scones and home-made cakes. Freddie loved the hot chocolate menu with at least 16 different ones (bellslincoln.com).
To end our day we visited the smart Cornhill Quarter which recently underwent a £70million transformation and is full of high street and designer shops and lively bars and restaurants.
For a view of the cathedral we enjoyed drinks on the terrace at the new Everyman Cinema before watching the latest Fantastic Beasts film – on sofas with pizza served to our seats (everymancinema.com).
A fun yet restful experience – with not a hint of family rivalry in sight.
You have to jump off a ledge 40ft up and attempt to clasp a trapeze bar