FAQs

There are some ‘rules’ I’m setting myself for Little Lewes. They break down into a list of Frequently Asked Questions.

Here they are:

* What ages is Little Lewes for?

I like to think Little Lewes is for all ages. But its primary aim is to cover things to do in and near Lewes with kids.

As it’s what I currently know, I’m obviously more knowledgable about babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers (up to age five). As my bigger son grows older, no doubt my view will expand! And there will probably be a category some day for places that can interest both a seven-year-old and a three-year-old.

Meanwhile, where I can see there are good provisions for older children, I’ll mention them. And the beaches, the Downs, and gazillions of other things I’ll be posting about are for all ages, not just for small children – or even children.

* The blog is about things to do with kids in and near Lewes. So why are there so few pictures of your children on it?

Ah, tricky.

I know that putting pictures of one’s children gives a blog a personal feel. But my boys are largely unaware of Little Lewes and it does not in any way impact their lives, apart from to gain us occasional free tickets/the odd product. Their limbs and the backs of their heads sometimes feature in my pictures, and these are included purely to humanise the images on the blog. They are purposefully taken in a way that maintains their anonymity.

Why? Because Lewes is a small town, and I think it’s unfair to my sons that they become ‘the Little Lewes kids’. They should just be able to be them.

It’s also because, my sons can’t grant me permission to use their pictures on Little Lewes, and I don’t want them to sue me just as I’m wanting to kick back into retirement.

* What about other children – there are a lot of pictures of empty playgrounds!

I don’t want to get sued by anyone else either.

And it takes some effort to think creatively about how to photograph elements of places that are full of children, so that you get a good idea of what’s there, but without imposing on people’s privacy.

* How do you decide which places to write about, and how balanced is your view?

I am going to *try* to write about everywhere! It’ll take a few years – that’s the point…

My travel journalist’s nose for hard-to-find spots, great deals, and the particularly lovely makes me naturally curious to find the best that’s out there – and to share that with you.

Although I’ll happily (and gratefully!) accept comps from places that would like to be included in Little Lewes, I hope they’ll understand that I still have to give the blog’s readers a balanced view.

And on that, although Little Lewes shouldn’t be an all-praising blog (because what’s the use in that?), I have no interest in nastiness, and affecting people’s business.

I aim to give you what’s truly great about each place, but with perhaps one or two not-so-great things just to be aware of.

If you have specific questions or concerns about a place – or if you’ve had a bad experience you want to share with me – please get in touch by email through the blog.

* You don’t seem to say what you think of the cafés at many of the attractions. Why is that?  

Here comes a generalisation. (And if you’re an attraction reading this, note that it really is a generalisation).

The ‘kids food‘ at many attractions is often overpriced and not fantastic. So I’ve become a picnic packer – down to flasks of tea and ice lollies in cool bags! It saves money and I know what we’re all eating. Also we can avoid crawling queues with growling children.

So I’ll let you know if there’s an ice cream van or a café on site or nearby, but I’m not going to review the food at the majority of places. Unless of course the place is a pub with playground or a café, where that’s the point.

HOWEVER, if the food is really delicious and worth leaving your picnic at home for, it’s going to get a special mention. Because eating out is nice and packing a picnic is a faff.

If you have any questions about Little Lewes, please email me through the site. I’ll add it to the list if it becomes frequently asked.