Holly Bobbins, now a dog friendly four pawed travel expert, the canine equivalent to Alex Polizzi, was invited to stay at the dog friendly King's Head Inn, Newton Under Roseberry in Yorkshire, the sister Inn to the Kings Lodge Inn, Durham where Holly and I have given our dog friendly stamp to!

Now I think somewhat Holly and I might have been spoiled by the amazing experience we had when we ate there last month as I would say that although the food at the King's Head Inn was delicious, hearty and the portions large it wasn't quite as good as the King's Lodge Inn.  

Our room at the Kings Head Inn was functional, quite small for two grown ladies and a dog, very hot with a lack of air conditioning but again, it was good but just not as good as other places I've stayed with Holly, the desk for instance was scratched and stained, the beds were hard and the pillows even harder.  There were no little touches like stationary or toiletries just a functional pump dispenser on the wall.  It's just the little things for me that make a hotel stay stand out, those little extras really can turn a stay into a magical experience.

I think though that the staff were so lovely and I don't want you to think that this was an unpleasant experience because really it was lovely, it's always lovely to be able to go somewhere your dog is openly embraced and I loved that there was a big jar of dog biscuits on the bar and masses of water bowls around the inn, the seating in the bar is brand new and dogs are allowed anywhere there's no carpet which is fair enough, the outdoors and courtyard were pretty in the sunshine and the real joy of this inn is that it's location is right in front Roseberry Topping and so what else was there to do on a whim after a 3 course meal than decide to climb it...

When you look at Roseberry Topping from afar it does seem a little intimidating, when you get up close I think it's even more intimidating and when I say that it's not an easy climb it's a total understatement although Harriet and I did bump into a man who was making his 3rd descent of the week, 3 times a week, why on earth would you want to climb it 3 times a week, I can honestly say here and now that it's a magnificent hill and the views are superb, there's also a Pokestop on the top but having climbed it once I can safely say that I don't think I'll ever feel the need to climb it again for when I stumbled upon to the precipice I thought I was surely to die, my heart racing at 161bpm, my body shedding all of it's inner fluids upon my brow and chest, sweating buckets is an understatement, thank goodness then for the endorphins you feel as you realise you've climbed higher than ever before, that drug that keeps us running, climbing, a natural painkiller, the reassurance that this time I was not to die just yet.

I would return to the Kings Head Inn again, my dog and I like to be in the countryside so why wouldn't I go somewhere that would welcome us with open arms, the rooms seemed to be around £100 per night including breakfast which isn't too bad and I assume it gets very busy with walkers and climbers who bring their four pawed companions, what I'd like to see though are just those few extra touches which can make a night in the countryside feel like a magical experience in the countryside.

The View From Sutton Bank, North York Moors

This week has been long and damp and to be honest I'm looking forward to the return to work next week, Looby and I have managed some days out and it's been lovely with her being officially well again, 6 weeks of our lives we'll never get back, worse for her than me of course but we will certainly always remember this time in our shared history.

On Wednesday a trip to Yorkshire was just what the doctor ordered for me, I long to walk over hills and vales, as a travel writer who hasn't been anywhere for over 6 weeks I'm starting to feel a little stir crazy, you see I long for travel, my feet are perpetually itchy, I spend hours looking at destinations and trying to plan trips as well as pitching for assignments to companies and editors for travel writing/photography. But with 6 weeks behind us it's been difficult to do anything other than live in the moment from day to day never knowing what's around the corner and not daring to even think of a trip in case Looby got ill again.

Being at the top of Sutton Bank in North Yorkshire is like being at the top of the world, rolling hills and verdant sweeping countryside down below, the whole of North Yokshire lying at your feet, open to the elements it can be sunny down below and still it's windy and fresh so high up.  This bank of myth and legend where cars would get stuck driving up it during the 70's and 80's on day trips to Flamingo Land, I'd driven up it many times over the years but never had I actually taken a breath and stopped at the top to admire the beautiful views.  

I'm delighted to say that it did not disappoint, the day was stormy and the skies were threatening, petulantly stomping their feet wanting to release their contents over the valleys below.  I'm still not sure how we escaped a soaking but as I watched the clouds emptying as I stood on the highest point I felt at one with the heavens above, shafts of light cutting through the dark turbulence of the skies around me.

To take a moment in time just for me is a rare thing indeed but just for a while, I broke with the constraints of the day and simply enjoyed all that surrounded me and it left me re-engaged with nature, with the elements, it left me craving even more for travel and adventures new, near and far, we live in such a beautiful country that I'm always happy to write about British travel but at the moment my soul is craving for sunshine and new overseas horizons.  I had planned to take a break when Looby goes on her school trip to Wales but it's pretty much financially dependent, I have a couple of weeks to get business, life, schedules and finances back on track before my girl goes off to deepest darkest Wales for her farming experience week at Treginnis Farm, she's going to love every minute, she craves for animals and experiences of farming as much as I crave to travel.  We both are outdoor adventurers deep down I think.

I'm not a landscape photographer, I'm a travel photographer, there's a huge difference so if my landscape photographer friends are looking in then I apologise, I should have been there at dusk or dawn instead of two in the afternoon but just like the things I do differently when I am shooting portrait photography in Newcastle I think I bring the same to travel and landscapes, I simply shoot the way I see and, I always see in photographs.

This Easter, Visit Whitby!

I can't lie, I adore Whitby, the pretty little coastal Yorkshire town has had a long standing place in my heart.  There's nowhere like it, it's quaint cobbled streets awash with pretty little gift shops and an abundance of restaurants and cafes serving a multitude of fish based dishes.  It doesn't matter if you want plain old fish and chips or the best seafood platter teaming with jewels of the ocean, it's all available in Whitby. 

The Jewel in the Whitby seafood crown is the much applauded Magpie Cafe, it's never without queues, even at it's takeaway section but if you can prepare yourself for just a little wait (if you don't visit in peak season at noon) then you'll soon be rewarded with boat fresh fish guaranteed to give even the harshest of critic a very happy seafood filled tummy.  Even the house champagne, a very reasonable decadence satisfied my bubble loving palate.

Whitby though isn't just about the fish and chips, there's an ease to the pace in the winding streets of Whitby that lends itself to relaxation, within moments of arriving you forget the stress and worry of the world you've left behind, the smell of the sea air fills your lungs and with each breath you feel your shoulders drop just a little as the calm of the seaside takes over.

I'd never been to Whitby on a girls trip but I cannot recommend that you immediately take one highly enough, there's just something amazing about spending time with your girlfriends, while going with children and partners is lovely, there are also the pressures that go along with that.  Going with girlfriends is almost as good as a solo travel experience but what you lose with solo travel you immediately gain when you have your closest friends by your side.  The camaraderie, the laughs and giggles, the inside jokes, the ability to have many conversations at once because you know each other so well, I'm so appreciative of my friends and it's a joy to get to spend extended time with them.

Whilst Whitby is a joy to spend time visiting at any time of year, I love to go at Easter, the weather is improving but it's still not too busy, if you go during the summer months be prepared for queues everywhere, as I mentioned earlier try to avoid eating between 12-2 if you don't want a long wait, during the Easter holidays though it's not quite so much of an issue barring the bank holidays when it feels like half of Yorkshire has come to the seaside.  

Here's just a smattering of pretty photographs of our wonderful Whitby Friday.

My beautiful friends, Harriet, Laura from Sharpe Recruitment and Julie from Epic Times