During Spring we were invited to review The Plough at Lupton, luxury dog-friendly accommodation in Cumbria which offers suites at incredible prices, I was excited, Holly Bobbins was excited but our calendars we all so busy that it took us until a couple of weeks ago before we could arrange it all.

We had a plan to go to Wales and the fact that Upton is next to Kirkby Lonsdale, literally on the way to Wales, it seemed to be a good idea to start our adventures off with a night at the award-winning Plough.  We stayed in the Bellingham suite and I can't even tell you how much I loved the luxury of it all, at some hotels when you have a dog you end up in a room which is unloved and sometimes broken but not at the Plough.  All of their rooms apart from the honeymoon suite are dog-friendly and they're all equally as luxurious.  Holly particularly loved the cool floor tiles on a day which was warm and a little sticky.

I wish I could say the rooms were the best thing about the Plough, Lupton but no, for the biggest treat was yet to come as we ate in their delicious bar, surrounded by the other happy diners, no being thrown in a corner because Holly Bobbins was with us, no, Holly was quite the little celebrity graciously accepting all of the attention as she sat under the table hoping for tasty morsels to be dropped.

Sadly for Holly, there was no such luck although I did share a little steak with her because she'd done so much exercise on our earlier ramble around nearby Kirkby Lonsdale, we'd walked to see Ruskin's View, previously loved and painted by Turner, it's not a massive walk from the main parking area and I recommend it if you're are staying locally.

It's no wonder we were exhausted and very full after all 3 courses and we all fell into bed, Harriet and Bobbins had a great night's sleep, I know this because I had to listen to their snoring... all night!

After a delicious cooked breakfast and an amazing shower, it was time to say our goodbyes and head for the green and pleasant land of Wales!  

The last time I went to Wales, (with the exception of going to Bluestone in 2017) was when I was just a teenager so I'd been looking forward to it for ages and really it could not have been more perfect, we stayed 8 miles away from Aberystwyth, in a little Airbnb (if you click on that link we both get some travel credit) studio in what seemed like the middle of nowhere.  It was literally in the middle of the Cambrian mountains and not even 1 bar of phone signal but thankfully we did have wifi (couldn't miss the Love Island final now could I?).  

To say we had the best time is an understatement, we walked for miles, we got lost at the top of mountain roads and we visited Devil's Bridge, Aberystwyth, Machynlleth and Llangollen where we went on the highest navigable aqueduct in the world in a canal boat, it was an amazing experience and we all loved it.  I think Holly has been on more modes of transport than most children, she's not been on a plane yet but I'm sure if there were pet-friendly flights she would love it.

For me, there are no better adventures than the ones I have with my best friend and my dog, we laugh so much and it's when I'm at my most relaxed, I'm even pretty funny when I relax you know 😉 I think there's just something brilliant about travelling with friends, it's definitely not the same as family travel because truly you are free to please yourself and Harriet just kind of goes with the flow, well I say that but as long as I choose child-friendly activities for her inner 5-year-old she's usually happy.  I already can't wait for our next adventure even though we don't know where or when it's going to be.  

We stayed at The Plough, Lupton, a luxury dog-friendly Inn near Kirkby Steven in Cumbria, we were given a suite plus bed, breakfast and evening meal in return for an honest review.

Bluestone Resort, A Beautiful Break in West Wales

A couple of weeks ago when I was beaten and broken and didn't know if I could go on, I received an invitation for Looby and I to go and stay at Bluestone in Wales for a midweek Christmas break and though it meant an 18 hour round trip on several terrible trains it was 110% worth it.

Looby and I stayed in a Tenby Lodge which was bigger than our house. We finally had a bathroom each, a shower each, (we have no shower at home) and more room than the two of us could ever possibly hope for.  I don't think we got under each others feet even once!

For three glorious days (5 day break but we spent two days travelling) we laughed more than I can remember laughing in ages, we went swimming more times than I've been in the whole of this year and we fully embraced the festive winter wonderland that is Bluestone Wales.

On Tuesday we flew with Elf Airways to Elftopia, a memorable almost hallucinogenic experience in which I laughed so much that I could barely stand up. Along the journey we met Judy Free, Dave, Biggles, and Pat Sharpe in his fun house where I played the spaghetti string noodle. Lt's just say, I really got into the experience. I got to be the fun parent, my anxiety subsided completely for just a few days and I could breathe with the whole of my lungs.  That welsh air is good for the constitution and even better when the sun shines and you can get outdoors.

On Wednesday the weather Gods did not smile upon us, but, undeterred, we went to visit Santa in his workshop whereupon Looby asked for a horse. She always asks for a horse, one day when I win the lottery I shall buy her one.  Seeing Santa was a really special experience. He came down into his workshop via the chimney, boot first and I felt a lump in my throat, the nostalgia of seeing Santa warmed my heart, seeing all of the small people, eyes wide open with wonderment, and that included Looby. Santa at places, I've found can often not spend as much time with older children and concentrates on the smallest but not real Santa. Santa at Bluestone had a huge chat with Looby and made sure she felt just as included as the smaller ones.

On Thursday Looby wanted to go on the Zipwire course, a paid activity which cost £35 but I didn't mind, it's all part of her outdoor home education experience. In the morning she'd done the climbing wall and indoor high wires four times, thankfully a combination ticket which costs £23 is available.  The Zipwires though, I'm not really sure how she could go on a 100ft zip wire without any fear at all but she did. She was so fast as she zipped over my head. What was nice was that I also got to go along and I waited down below with a good view of what she was up to as two expert tutors helped her master the 5 different zip wires.

We packed so much into three days that on Thursday afternoon when the sunshine finally came out all we wanted to do was go for a wander in the outdoors instead of going swimming once again. I have to mention the Blue Lagoon though, I'm quite frankly amazed that you get free entry into a water park included in your accommodation price. It's epic, I went on two out of the three water slides several times, as well as enjoying several swims around the lazy river which takes you outdoors.  We even went to Frost Lagoon on Wednesday afternoon where Jack Frost electronically DJ'd and the whole place became more frosty and festive, it was packed at that point and both Looby and I wondered where all of the people had suddenly come from.

At no point during our stay did we feel the need to leave the resort, at Bluestone every thing you could possibly need is provided. The Newton Stores stocks a range of gourmet, locally sourced products, as well as pretty much all of the groceries you'll need for a stay. The shop next door sells gifts and clothing and the restaurants are good - the Farmhouse Grill was fabulous and the Knights Tafarn provides traditional pub fare in a very busy atmosphere.  We loved Ty Coffi the most though, the little coffee shop with the friendliest staff and the best ice-creams and milkshakes, more Welshbucks than Starbucks!

When we left on Friday I felt ready to make it to Christmas. It didn't happen and I broke again on Sunday but at least I delayed the inevitable and in truth, I would go back to Bluestone next week. In fact, if they have a lodge Looby and I could take up residence in for the foreseeable I would have been very grateful. Well, maybe, Bluestone is a no dog zone and that's perhaps the only sad thing for us. We would have loved to take Holly Bobbins but she enjoyed a holiday in Yorkshire so all was well in the end.

I want to say a huge thank you to Bluestone for inviting us to spend the week with them. Whilst they provided our accommodation I paid for everything else and this review of Bluestone Resort in Wales is honest, I don't think it'll be the last time we visit the land where Welsh cakes are better than Scones!

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8 notes on being British

Pets, one of our national obsessions, I bumped into this man one day on the beach walking his ferrets, as you do!

Being British, it's about more than where you come from or which location you have on the great island upon which we Brits reside, with only 11 or so weeks until the Scottish vote in the referendum to decide if they're going to be independent I've been reading articles, books and thinking at great length about identity and what it means to be British, for instance, Andy Murray, he's Scottish but he's British, what happens at Wimbledon if Scotland declare independence, will he revert to Scottish and then they'll play the English at tennis just like in football?

To me there are things which bring us together as British whether you're from England, Scotland or Wales.

1. Eccentricism, we Brits, well we're not only a little bit bonkers but we actually celebrate that we are, there's nowhere else like us in the world, we have Morris dancers for goodness sake, nowhere else would have even dreamt of middle aged men with jingly wrists and sticks doing some kind of strange British tribal dancing, is it just me or does anyone else ever feel just a little bit scared of the Morris Men?
2. The Weather, we love to talk about the weather, it's a national obsession, we know that it's always damp in Manchester and they rarely get snow, we know that if the Glaswegians and Geordie's even get a glimpse of the sun they start taking their clothes off, being a sort of pearly white colour with occasional bright red strips seems to be a fashion statement for a certain type of man on a British summers day.
3. The Seaside, the benefit of living in Britain is that even if you are a landlocked county you can reach the seaside in just a few hours, we flock to the seaside on summers days and sometimes even when it's not glorious sunshine you'll find us all down on the beach with our families and our doggies,sometimes even our ferrets (I know, I've bumped into a couple), most beaches are teeming with folk during Christmas/New year, maybe because we know exactly what the sea air can do to our over excited relatives ;)
4. The Royal Family,  I have no shame or embarrassment in declaring that I love the Queen, she's fabulous, she looks like your granny but you wouldn't want to mess with her, when we get down to it we're all a little patriotic, it's one of our things we do well, we'll travel to London on a whim to go and stand and wave a flag at a car that's hundreds of metres away from us because there's someone royal in it, what's even more impressive is that we'll do it in the rain or the snow, we just don't care, if there's mention of a Royal wedding, baby or anniversary then we are there!
5. Complaining, I kind of hinted at that when I wrote number 2, we Brits, we don't half like a whinge though, often it's about nothing particular, the queue in Sainsburys, the late arrival of the postman, the neighbour across the road with the caravan in his drive that he's only ever used once and that was a party in his own drive!
6. The Train, now yes, I could have coupled it with complaining because there's nothing more we Brits love than complaining about travelling on a train but for me and most of the country we love the train, we love train journeys, my whole UK Cityscape's project is about travelling on the train (where possible) to the 69 cities of the UK I'm documenting for the book.  on July 12th I am travelling on my own to Inverness and I can't wait, what a wonderful journey, I've been up as far as Glasgow but never past there and I can't wait to go on a journey though the Highlands on my favourite form of transportation.
7. Camping, we Brits can think of nothing better than packing our worldly possessions into the back of a car and spending a week in a tent with our entire family, now I kind of understand it in the summer or for short periods of time or with copious amounts of alcohol but who thought of this idea, if you have avoided divorce when you put the tent up maybe it's something to consider, we bought a tent, putting it up nearly ended in divorce so these days it's glamping all the way, I have to say though toasted marshmallows and gazing up at clear starry skies with the people I love most in the world, well that's always going to be a win!
8. Pets, the British are pet obsessed, whether it's a Goldfish called Goldie, presumably after the toothless songster or a dog called Petunia or a cat called Disco Bob, oh wait.... yes I suppose we Charlton's are definitely in that category and proud but it's definitely not just us, our local artisan market is testament to that, you can get more flavours of cupcakes for your dog than you can for yourself, on Sunday we ate at a pub which had it's own menu for dogs, I've yet to find a restaurant where you can take your cat though.

If the Scots decide to become completely independent then presumably they'll have to work on forming their own identity, where on earth that leaves me I'll never know, my father was born in Leith which makes me a half Scottish and my husband, well he's a Charlton, a border reiver, if you know anything of them they kept the Scots out of England and the English out of Scotland for whoever paid the highest price, can you feel my inner turmoil?