Celebrate the 50th of Charlie & the Chocolate Factory

"Invention, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation and 2% butterscotch ripple" - Willy Wonka

If your imagination was captured by the pure inventiveness of Roald Dahl's writing (and who hasn't been captivated by those wonderful books at some point in their lives?), then you'll be delighted to hear that this year is the 50th anniversary of one of his most well-known and widely loved stories, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. To date, the book has sold more than 20 million copies around the world and has been translated into 55 languages. There have also been 2 film adaptions, an opera and a musical, which is still running in the West End.

To celebrate the occasion, we've collaborated with one of the finest artisan chocolateries in Britain to design a special family weekend package of cycling and chocolate making, all topped off with a visit to the fantastic Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden. You'll be learning chocolate skills from the very best, as Rumsey's supplies hand-made chocolates exclusively to the Oxford University colleges. Trust us, we've tasted their original chocolates and they are some of the best you'll ever pop into your mouth!

The tour is based in Thame, and includes two nights in a charming boutique hotel, a chocolate making lesson at Rumsey's, entry to the Roald Dahl museum and a day of gentle cycling in the Chilterns, which almost entirely traffic-free (so great for kids) and full of variety, from woodland paths to sweeping views and sleepy hamlets.

If you haven't done a family day out yet to the museum, we couldn't recommend it more. Located in the village where Roald Dahl himself lived for 36 years, it features 3 (genuinely) interactive galleries aimed at 6-12 year olds and has own numerous awards. They also put on a packed programme of live storytelling, craft making and fun themed workshops at weekends and during the school holidays, so it's worth checking their website to see what's on and booking some spots in advance if you see something that appeals.

We aren't the only ones marking this important anniversary. There are lots of celebrations planned nationwide to mark 50 scrumdiddlyumptious years of the book, check roalddahl.com for a calendar of monthly events!