Tag: Travel

Anglesey Day 2 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

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This morning we had a delicious scrambled egg breakfast courtesy of the chickens who live on the farm where we are staying. One even decided to stand at the door and watch us, however she soon let us know how she felt about it by taking a turd on the doorstep. This act however could have been at the sight of Santa dressed head to toe in Lincoln City attire.

It wasn’t the speediest of starts this morning, as Huw and his massive lorry was blocking the exit to the road 🤦🏼‍♀️ but when we eventually got going we headed for our first abandoned destination; Parys Mountain. This is actually far from a mountain as it’s an ancient copper mine. Coming here makes you feel like you’re walking on another planet! Everywhere you go you’re surrounded by vibrant oranges, yellows, reds and purples. It’s amazing to think this landscape was shaped by miners using nothing more than picks, shovels and gunpowder. There is a viewpoint close to the carpark where you can get an idea of the size of the place, but we recommend you make time to take one of the many networks of paths around this weird and wonderful location.

Our next destination was another abandoned treat – Porth Wen Brickworks. It’s true what they say, the parking is terrible! But we managed to get a space on a layby on the A5025 and started the walk to find this ‘Gramable’ treat. It did involve a bit of mud and climbing over a gate, but it was definitely worth it when you get there. The ruins of the chimneys, factory buildings and kilns create an eerie backdrop to this pretty cove. It’s just such a shame that when people decide to camp here, they also decide to leave their tents as well.

Next stop was Camaes, the most Northerly village in Wales. By this point we were all desperate to use the facilities, however they all require you to fork out 20p! Who even carries coins these days 🤣 luckily the lady in the local newsagents helped us out with a bit of cashback in exchange for a KitKat chunky. I wouldn’t have minded.. but they didn’t even have toilet roll! I think the dull weather made this stop not particularly inviting, so we jumped in the Leon and headed for the Menai Bridge. This enormous bridge was built without scaffolding! So it is clear to see why it’s known as one of the great industrial wonders of the 19th century.

After a quick whip round Waitrose (posh for holiday!) we headed to out final destination for today… Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch. Momma got her camera out in the shop to take a photo of the sign, and the lady in the shop was less than impressed (although the fact it was 5 minutes until closing time probably didn’t help 🤣) luckily there was plenty of other signs outside to grab a photo of.

Tonight we’ve enjoyed bangers and mash made by my own fair hands and a glass of wine in front of the fire… cheers 🥂

The return to Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

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Another bit of annual leave for me means another Welsh adventure! As much as I desperately miss my city breaks abroad, I’m loving seeing parts of the world a lot closer to home, and enjoying the beauty that is Britain.

We’re staying in Anglesey in a converted pig sty (obvs) and opted for a pit stop en route in Llangollen. Thanks to the AllTrails we were able to whip up the rather steep hill to Castell Dinas Brân. It was pretty windy up there, but the medieval ruins were a great place to explore and take in the surrounding views. Unfortunately the way back down was also on the steep (and muddy) side, but thanks to the trusty poles, we all made it down in one piece.

As we love to cram loads in to our days, and as the light was thinking of leaving us, we popped to the Co-Op for a quick sustenance stop before heading to another cheeky waterfall. Praise the Lord for the £3.50 meal deal 🤣

The last stop before the roadtrip to Angelsey was Horseshoe Falls. It has been awarded Canal World Heritage so I had high hopes! Unfortunately it’s a half circular weir, at the bottom of a grassy slope. It is however a very peaceful place and one where I would be very happy to have a picnic (should have thought about this before we gobbled the meal deal in the car in the car park)

Top tip for Airbnbers- arrive at your destination in daylight when the instructions are a bit confusing. We originally pulled into a questionable estate with equally questionable youths. But after lots of driving around incredibly lost and a few phone calls later, we found our home for the next 5 days.

Northumberland day 4 🌳

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A little bit late to the blog party for yesterday’s activities!

The morning was spent doing a walk which I found on Alltrails (if you don’t have this app, I highly recommend it!) and it was a lovely 3.5 mile loop to bag another trig point. We were treated to amazing views of The Cheviots, Lindisfarne and Bamburgh and this would be the perfect place for a sunrise or sunset. It also featured St Cuthberts Cave; an overhanging outcrop of Sandstone rock, supported by an isolated pillar of stone and surrounded in mystery due to its spiritual past. Unfortunately due to some idiots it has got quite a lot of fire damage so is recommended not to enter the cave, but it is still a very interesting site to walk around.

The last part of the walk was very overgrown so we had to go a different way back to the car. This meant we were later than planned getting back and ready to head to Cragside (thanks to Debbie for this recommendation) and wow the place was absolutely enormous! You definitely need a whole day here to explore and not just the few hours that we had. There is an option to do a 6 mile drive around the grounds but we opted for a walk to the house and formal gardens. It is definitely like stepping into another world, with its craggy and forested landscape giving off North American vibes. The queue for the cafe however was enormous, so bear this in mind and consider taking a picnic.

To finish off Momma’s birthday celebrations we had lunch in a treehouse! There are plenty of menu menu options here and we opted for the three course set menu 🐷 Santa enjoyed an Alnwick IPA and we toasted the occasion with a bellini. The restaurant was very quirky and decorated with hundreds of fairy lights and was the perfect setting for a celebration 🍾

We visited many beaches during our stay but the one at Bamburgh was out firm favourite, so we decided to return here for a few beers and a Schloer! It was the perfect way to end our adventure and another part of the UK ticked off.

Day 5 – This morning we started with a Full English at a farm shop which was definitely worth the wait. Momma and Poppa left us to head home whilst myself and Mark (who joined us yesterday post nights!) head to Newcastle to watch the Mighty Magpies (🤣🤣) take on Leeds tonight.

Northumberland day 2 🏰

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Our poor little trotters! Today has been very packed and we have walked 14 miles. This morning we headed to Berwick to check out the Royal Border Bridge; a grade 1 listed railway viaduct. The river was well behaved and gave some fabulous reflection shots, which of course momma loved. We then headed to the lighthouse and it was a twitchers heaven! The area surrounding the lighthouse was rich in seabirds and is definitely somewhere you could sit with a picnic and pair of binoculars. I think we probably saw more varieties of seabirds than when we were on Skomer.

When in Northumberland you have to visit the Holy Island of Lindisfarne – it’s the law! The constant signs to check the tide times gives you slightly twitchy arse, but as long as you know you will be treated to a lovely walk around the island. As the castle is a new trust and another stamp in the passport, we made sure we had our slot chosen. Luckily we managed to shimmy in before the ridiculously large tour group beat us to it. As well being steeped in history, it gives great views over the island. Its not a dramatic walk, but is perfect if you love the coastal air.

Back in the Juke, across the Lindisfarne Causeway and onto Seahouses – the gateway to the Northumberland Coast. Its full of pretty fishing boats and more seabirds, and the most important thing; a doughnut van! We stopped here for a beverage and Santa was most excited to find they had Directors on tap. The Olde Ship Inn was perfect for a rest and views of Farne Island.

The final stop for today was exploring Bamburgh and the beach surrounding the castle. As I still didn’t have a coat, I had to be an honorary Imp and wear Santas Lincoln City top! The sky and light tonight was very dramatic and the photos just don’t do it justice. You can’t beat a walk along the beach with the noise of crashing waves and a fabulous castle in the distance. There is a lovely walk to the lighthouse to see Stag Rock and back along to the castle and it was definitely worth doing this at sunset.

We had hoped for a pub meal tonight, however the first pub in the village stopped serving food at 7:30 (and did look a bit local shop for local people!) the second doesn’t serve food in the week and the third didn’t have a chef! Thank god for the local Co-Op!

Staycation day 3

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Today I’ve been a bad ginger and totally forgot to put suncream on…

This morning we went to have a look at some of the stations on the West Somerset Railway line – you can’t beat an old fashioned station! Unfortunately due to Rona, all the stations are locked and you are unable to get a decent look without potentially getting a cheeky fine. As we all know about our ‘fine history’, we decided not to chance it.

As we were heading home today, we chose Glastonbury as our stop. Surprisingly none of us have ever been! It certainly is a quirky place.. there is a constant smell of insence wafting down the street and so many people walk around with bare feet! If boho is your vibe then this is definitely the place for you. Obviously we had to climb Glastonbury Tor and the views were amazing. On a clear day, which for once we were lucky with today, you can see for miles. Unfortunately most of the people I moved out of the way for (to ensure social distancing) on the narrow path up/down didn’t say thank you! Not even a nod of acknowledgement..

I have often driven up/down the M5 and wondered what the big grass mound is and J22. Well know I know its called Brent Knoll and its a little bitch to climb! Thank god for the practice in the lakes. Although it’s not a long walk, it certainly is steep in parts. But so worth it as it offers views for miles! This was where we decided to picnic. Unfortunately half way through my coronation chicken sandwich, and after a discussion about the smell I realised I trodden in dog shit. Why people cannot pick it up is beyond me. It totally ruined my favourite lunch!

No pub for Santa today.. can you actually believe it! Its been a lovely few days in Somerset and was a county we have loved exploring!

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

      Day 8 – Calgary

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      This morning was probably one of the most beautiful of the trip. The sky was bright blue, the air was crisp and the snow was glistening in the sun. We stocked up on a super posh buffet breakfast before our last walk around Lake Louise.

      We stopped at the Olympic Park on our way into Calgary and were lucky enough to see some gold medalists practicing for the ski and snowboard world cup. The local school kids come here as part of their school curriculum; how lucky are they!! Knowing our PE teachers they would make us do it in cycling shorts and a tshirt….

      Calgary itself is very built up, which after a week in the mountains means I wasnt overly fussed on the place. So we treated ourselves to a badly packed Taco Bell and a Starbucks.

      We are currently sat in the airport (Steve you’ll be pleased to know we are 3 hours early) waiting for the flight home. Another adventure over far too quickly. Canada; you have been totally amazing. We have been treated so some wonderful food, wonderful views and shared the trip with a bunch of fabulous people. More memories made and a lot more memory taken up on the phone!

      Day 7 – Lake Louise

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      We started the day with the poshest breakfast on our trip – I was in pastry heaven! So it was only right that I had rather a lot of them, with a cheeky Eggs Benedict on the side.

      This morning we went out with a guide snowshoeing around Lake Louise. He kept saying how young and fit I was (clearly needs his eyes testing, I think he should have changed the i for an a…) and suggested I went ‘off piste’ to properly experience the shoes on deep snow. It was all going fine whilst I was mooching around in the trees. Then I got onto the lake.. it all went downhill from here as the snow was rather a lot deeper than I had anticipated and ended up with a very very cold minky.

      We headed back to the room to get ready for an afternoon at the ski resort and discovered the lovely housekeeper had left us not 2, but 10 Lindt chocolates!! Obviously these lasted 2 minutes. Went down a right treat!

      This afternoon we boarded the shuttle to Lake Louise Ski Resort where I finally got to ski in Canada. Yes it was only for a few hours but was totally worth it. I basically had the mountain to myself! The views (even with relatively poor visability) were amazing and the runs were perfect.

      Momma had a go on the tubing – her face was an absolute picture 😂 although a lot of our group decided to have a go so by the end the run had become that slippery they nearly shot off the end into the car park!

      This evening we had farewell drinks around a log fire. Cant beat a free glass of wine! We had dinner with a couple who’s children went to the same primary, secondary and college as me – such a small world!

      The white stuff is coming down rather heavy tonight so will be interesting to see the surroundings in the morning. Definitely going to stock up on posh breakfast before our final stop in Calgary.

      Day 6 – Lake Louise

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      A relatively short one today due to a day on the bus! This morning we left Jasper behind and travelled to Lake Louise along the beautiful Icefields Parkway again. It really is one of the most scenic drives I have ever done. We had a few photo stops along the way which were made even more spectacular by the bright blue sky behind.

      We arrived in Lake Louise village centre for some lunch and a stock up on snacks. We paid 4 quid for a very small box of shortbread in Jasper; madness! There was some cute little shops here and I accidentally treated myself to some Canadian gin.

      Before heading to the hotel we took a detour to Emerald Lake, located in Yoho National Park in British Columbia. Another province to tick off the list! I think this has got to be one of the prettiest places we have been so far. I did however get a bit cocky trying to get down to the lake and fell straight on my arse. Thank God for decent padding. I feel I need to give a special shout out to the toilets. I have recently got back from India and I can honestly say the ones in Delhi train station smelt 10x nicer. This toilet gave off a stench that I wont ever forget…..

      We’re now at our final hotel for the next 2 nights – the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. The hotel is essentially a mini (but super expensive) village and I’m looking forwards to properly exploring the grounds tomorrow as we start the day with some snowshoeing. We managed to have a little mooch earlier, but underestimated the real feel temperature (a scorching-16) and was therefore not appropriately dressed. Yay for the big thighs to keep me slightly warm.