I wasn’t sure how receptive the boys would be to the entertainment as Ben in particular is incredibly shy and hates performing. But an hour later my bashful four-year-old was spinning plates and strutting his stuff with the best of them, attempting to follow the dance moves and instructions from the host. The entertainment team were encouraging, enthusiastic and lively. And despite being a step behind everyone else and often moving in the wrong direction, Ben won first prize for “trying so hard”. We were so proud.

On Sunday we visited the horses again much to Oliver’s delight, and Ben was treated to a 15 minute escorted horse ride on Hamish. There are a variety of horse rides available, from private lessons to carriage rides. This means novices can enjoy rides on the smaller horses, whilst more accomplished riders could make the most of the ‘ride out’ services.

We also took the children to the soft play area, where they spent a couple of hours jumping into the ball pools, playing football, and careering excitedly down slides. We were determined to experience as many culinary delights as possible, but by Sunday evening we were exhausted and desperate to ‘chill out’. Luckily the cottage was so homely and comfortable that we welcomed the opportunity to spend time indoors relaxing, so we ordered takeaway pizzas from The Bistro and settled down with a DVD. And just before the boys went to bed it started to snow, a perfect end to a perfect stay.

On Monday morning, we packed up our stuff, said goodbye to the ducks and got in the car. Ben shed a few tears when he realised we were on our way home because despite me promising a trip to Spain in a couple of months he “wanted to stay on THIS holiday”. It had been a fabulous fun-filled weekend, and one we won’t forget in a hurry.

If you would like any more information on Ribby Hall Village please free phone 0800 085 1717 or visit www.ribbyhall.co.uk quoting RHV255.