Tag: england

En route to Northumberland 🧭

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Another week of annual leave means another week of exploring somewhere new! Luckily my Grandparents used to be B&B owners so we were sent on our way with a top notch breaky. Within 5 mins of the journey we realised that the Trust we had planned to break up the 5hr drive was closed 😭 so a quick re-think meant Fountains Abbey was our new stop point.

Over the past 18 months we have visited a fair few Abbey’s, but this was certainly one of the best! It is absolutely enormous. There is a lovely walk around the grounds and the river, and plenty of willies on statues to keep you occupied 🍆 with loads of water around there is so many chances for a reflection photo – perfect for the Gram 😉 this is definitely a must visit for anyone going to North Yorkshire.

Unfortunately I forgot how much colder it is Up North and how 18 degrees actually feels like -10. Luckily Ripon had a Mountain Warehouse so I was able to get an emergency fleece 🤣 and thankfully Momma also packed x2 coats. Whilst in the area it would also be rude to not have a look around the Cathedral, where there’s beautiful display of 10,000 origami angels – a dedication to key workers and loved ones.

Back to the Juke and we headed to our final destination – Belford. We have the most fabulous Airbnb and we are very much looking forward to calling this home for the week.

Staycation day 2

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Today we totally misread the weather and all headed out in jeans. Massive mistake!

This morning was spent in Dunster, which of course is home to another new trust. Dunster Castle sits on top of a steep hill so offers great views of the Bristol Channel and surrounding area. It operates a one way system, which does involve some queueing to get into the castle, but it is definitely worth it. There is also a lovely river garden walk, where Santa found out that gunnera’s are also known as dinosaur food 🦕 and he has not stopped going on about this all day! From the castle you can head down the hill into Dunster village which is full of cute shops and cafes. Unfortunately most of them were closed… but we managed to find one with lovely views of the castle and we enjoyed an obligatory cream tea!

Dunster Castle

As the weather was super scorchio we decided to head to Dunster Beach. Unfortunately it seems I’ve turned into a bit of a beach snob.. it wasn’t Cornish standard but was still nice to walk along. And parking on the road adds a free cheeky bonus when you’re feeling a bit tight 😉

Due to our attire error, we had to return to horse caravan to change into something a bit more appropriate! The afternoon and evening was spent in a beautiful yet quirky little place called Porlock Wier; and a much nicer (pebble) beach. For those with pooches, this is a dog friendly beach 🐕

Porlock Wier

There are a few options for food so we went with The (bottom) Ship Inn. Santa was loving the beer selection and went with an Exmoor Ale 5.2% The fish and chips was lovely and it had a great selection of puddings – and not bad prices either!

Tomorrow is the last day of mini Staycation and we have to be out of horse caravan by 9am!! Gutted as I do enjoy a lie in.. and still no idea what the plan is for tomorrow!

Staycation Day 1

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As it’s highly unlikely that we will be getting on a plane anytime soon 😭 and because you have definitely missed it 😉 I’ve decided to blog our few days away! What a treat.

    As there was no airport run, I wasn’t dragged anywhere 4 hours early – always a bonus!

    The first half of the day was spent at a brand new Trust! New Trust means new stamp in the passport. Stourhead has plenty of grounds to walk around and is 100% one I’d recommend if you’re in the area. The trees were just starting to turn so it was lovely to see the start of the autumn colours. Momma was in photography heaven.

    For the afternoon we headed over to Watchet for some sea air. Apologies if this is anyone’s favourite place.. but it wasn’t quite as ‘quaint’ as I was expecting. I was especially upset by the viewpoint wall that I was too short to see over! Although it had plenty of watering holes to keep Santa happy, it isn’t somewhere I would rush back to.

    We’ve gone for a quirky Airbnb and are staying in a static caravan in the middle of a horse riding school 🤣 it is however a perfect base for exploring the local area. Tomorrow is another new trust.. bet you can’t wait to find out which one it is!!

    Santa’s Sesh 🎅

    We found a lovely local pub in Williton which served Tribute so he was well happy. The food was delish as well. Just a shame the table behind were absolute animals and spent all evening belching 🤦‍♀️

    P.s… I can’t work out this new website on my phone 🤣

    Stourhead

      Stonehenge

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      Today we drove to see the famous stone circle; Stonehenge. Considering it was November, the weather was absolutely beautiful. It was so hot at one point, the coats came off! Something to bear in mind, if you are English National Trust members, you get in for free! Just remember to pre-book.

      It’s quite a long walk (just under 2 miles) from the car park up to the stones, so for those who don’t fancy it there is a free shuttle bus. If you don’t mind the walk, you can either follow the road or walk through the neighbouring fields.

      As we were incredibly lucky with the weather, the stones looked even more impressive againt the vivid blue sky. Unfortunately you can’t go right up to them but you can get close enough to really appreciate the scale of them. There is so much history here and you can learn about it from guidebooks, audioguides or reading the array of boards around the site.

      Obviously after our long walk we had to sample the cafe. My advice is to take your own! Unfortunately is was very busy, very overpriced and very dirty tables. Although it was nice food, it’s not worth the price tag.

      Whilst in the area it’s worth checking out the other English Heritage area; Woodhenge. About 10/15 minute drive from Stonehenge it’s another atmospheric Neolithic site. There isn’t much here but if time allows you to, come at sunset as the area looks much more dramatic. The parking is free, although not much of it.