We Slept On A Plane In The Woods. The Pug Took First Class.

I'm a week or two late with this one. But for good reason.

We didn't end up going to Brownsea Island. Instead, we went to look at a house in deepest, darkest rural Wiltshire. We're moving at Christmas, but more on that another time!

OK, so the last couple of newsletters have been a little more intense. One explored how we manage risk as parents. The other documented the wonderful challenge of relocating your entire family into the wild.

So let's get back to what we do best. A proper family adventure, with no agenda beyond being outside together, and hopefully seeing some awesome wildlife.

September was a bit of a nuts month. Back to school for the kids. Back to the daily grind for Katrien and me. Weekends have taken on more meaning and become even more precious as those long summer weeks fade into the distance.

So what's been our go-to this month?

Well, we've just returned home from a first-class weekend, bunking up in a retired Lufthansa plane. It was as brilliant as it sounds.

It's located deep in the woods of Somerset. Not quite on our doorstep (a not-so-short 130-mile drive in Friday rush-hour traffic, to be more precise). This time there was no set wildlife agenda beyond immersing ourselves in nature for the weekend (surprisingly refreshing).

The car journey was hell, I'm not going to lie. If anyone has any tips for keeping a 4 and 6-year-old entertained without a screen for nearly five hours, please let me know. We almost turned around and went back home.

But we didn't.

We arrived late on Friday to what, at first glance, looked like the remnants of a forgotten air disaster from decades ago. Mildly terrifying.

A little unnerved, we made our way into the DHC-8-Q400 and stumbled into one of the most luxurious and bizarre glamping experiences we've ever had. Think blue velvet walls and ceilings, luxury first-class seating and a breakfast table looking out into the wild. Throw in a BBQ (wonderfully built into one of the old wings) and a hot tub, heated up and raring to go.

The kids were in heaven, and the bunk beds, quite rightly situated back in economy class, made it feel like a home from home. We even brought our adventure pug, Max. He definitely preferred first class.

What followed was one of the best adventure weekends we've had with the boys this year. Think s'mores around the fire-pit, night walks with head torches (we managed to spot a couple of foxes and hares!) and daytime adventures at the beach, a few miles away.

Would we recommend it?

Yes, yes and yes, with one important caveat: that drive. A couple of nights onboard will also set you back about £300, so it's not cheap. But if you're looking for a nature-based adventure a little further afield, I'm not sure you could do any better than booking a couple of nights on 'No Snakes On This Plane', as it seems to be known on Airbnb.

On the car journey home, I found myself reflecting on my urge to always give the boys special wildlife experiences. Beyond a couple of foxes and hares, we didn't really see much. It didn't seem to bother the boys one bit. They were as excited looking for creepy-looking trees with their head torches as they were seeing a fox.

A lesson, perhaps, to be a little less focused purely on the wildlife.

The boys seem to have grown especially fond of the postman recently. They're obsessed with receiving post (despite never really receiving any).

So I've been keen to sign them up to a wildlife-based subscription and have been exploring a few options. I've decided to try three very different subscriptions. We're going to test them out over the next month and choose one to stick with.

Future Explorers Club: A bit less wildlife-focused, but a monthly travel subscription for children to inspire them and help them learn about the world. A monthly subscription is £5.99.

Writings From The Wild: A monthly subscription that's designed to help kids learn and foster a love for art and animals. A monthly subscription is £7.99.

Wildlife Letters: The one I'm most excited about. This wildlife photography dude from Yellowstone (Trent Sizemore) sends monthly letters, each featuring a new animal he's photographed, alongside field notes and a map of where he encountered it. A monthly subscription is £7.

We're subscribing to all three for a month. Jax and Finn will make the final decision!

It's that time of year again! The deer rut has started in Richmond Park, and this weekend I'll be taking the boys on their first photo shoot (while being mindful to keep a safe 50-metre distance).

This is a slightly more creative shot I took a few years back, with a slow shutter speed enhancing the motion.

Lots coming up to share in October, from the deer rut to a half-term challenge (we're going to do a jail-break wildlife adventure for 36 hours, on a budget of £200, all in).

We've also found an Everglades half an hour from south London. More on that in the spring, when the adders wake up.

And yes, we're moving to Wiltshire at Christmas. More on that next time.