Dunstable Downs

Our other major outing while both Mom and Dad were visiting was to Dunstable Downs, which is located about an hour from our house near the city of Luton. As we were driving through the city of Luton, it was hard to imagine that we were going to be at a National Trust site with wide open landscapes in under 3 minutes (as our GPS was telling us), but indeed you make a turn up a hill and boom! you are out of the city and in an area with beautiful vistas.

Dunstable Downs is very popular for flying kites, so Granddad bought Charlotte her first kite at the gift shop and we set out to test it out. Charlotte got the hang of holding onto it and managing the string while it was flying (but needed help launching it, of course). She loved it!

After about 20 minutes of kite-flying, the thrill had subsided a bit so we took a walk along the top of the downs (chalky hills) to see the views. At the base of the downs, there was a small airfield that was being used to tow glider airplanes up into the sky. We saw several take off and land while we were there, which was a neat sight. Charlotte loved using her new camera (an early birthday present from Grandmom and Granddad) to "take pictures of the view."

Finding the perfect vantage spot

"I'm taking a picture of the view!"

Glider (on the left) being towed up by a small airplane

Family photo!

TICKLE

After our walk, we ate lunch at the cafe and tried to fly the kite again afterwards. The wind had changed or the kite had changed and we had trouble getting it launched. We got some hot chocolates and headed back home.

I didn't think it made a huge impact on Charlotte, but in the months after we went she referenced the cafe at Dunstable Downs multiple times, and then told me that the ground under Dunstable Downs is made of chalk. So I guess it was a real neuron-connection day for her :)