Haven Holidays want to encourage you to get outdoors this summer, thus, they have designed an activity guide full of exciting and fun ways to do just that. We were approached by Haven Holidays to choose one activity from their 2016 activity guide and to share our experience.

Out of all the fun activities, we chose Rock Pooling because it's not something we've done before and I knew the kids would love it.  When I announced we were going Rock Polling they instantly got excited and exclaimed "Like Peppa Pig".

We've never been to West Runton before and I wasn't sure what to expect. We walked down to the beach and were instantly drawn in by the beauty and the excitement of the surroundings. It was a beach like I'd never seen before, full of rocks pools and covered in seaweed, we couldn't wait to get closer to see what we could find.  

We started off looking in the first rock pool we came too and instantly spotted shrimp running around the water.  We tried to take a closer look with our viewing jar, but in a quick scurry the shrimp was gone (they are so damn fast).  That was it then, Jacob was off on his own little adventure going from one rock pool to the other and we tried to keep up with him. He was in his element, he was spotting fish, crabs, and all sorts of creatures, and he loved it. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see a starfish, but we did get to spot red sea anemones. It is very slippery with tons of seaweed everywhere, so you have to be careful, but you do have to get your hands and feet wet and turn the rocks over to discover and find the crabs - and we were always sure to replace the rock.

Summer was a little nervous, she freaked out the first time she slipped into the water "they are going to bite me" she cried. But, after a while, she started to relax and enjoy the experience.

We had so much fun it was a great experience, and the kids keep asking to return. It's only an hour up the road, and we definitely plan to go back.  Next time we will go better prepared, by wearing wellies or sturdy waterproof shoes. We will take a small net and a plastic container to look at the creatures. And, definitely take a viewing jar - you can make your own by downloading the Haven Holidays Activity Guide here.

Rockpooling is a fantastic activity for children and adults to enjoy together, discovering and seeing up close lots of different sea creatures. It's fascinating to peer into these tiny little watery worlds and even better, it's free!