Quimper

Hello lovelies,

At the end of July, James & I went on a family holiday to Quimper, in Brittany, France. I realised when I was looking through the photos the other day I hadn't actually written this blog post! Apologies for it being so late.

We stayed in 2 beautiful cottages that shared a massive swimming pool & gardens. It was absolutely perfect as we had a range of ages in our family & the cottages were the perfect place to act as a base for people that wanted to go out in the day, but also for those who were happy to relax at the accomodation.

We had pretty decent weather as well. The first couple of days were rainy, but it picked up & got surprisingly warm towards the end of the week.

Barrie, Louise, Martin, Sylvie & I ventured out on the first full day (in the wind & rain!) to Point Penmarch, where there are 2 lighthouses. We also made our way a bit further along the coast & saw some massive waves coming over the rocks. The wind & rain kind of added to the whole setting & it was very impressive. I also managed to spot a wild seal! Which was extremely cute, bobbing it's head under the waves.

We also had a day out to the most gorgeous beach which seemed to go on for miles. It was the perfect setting for a walk.

We then headed to the most westerly point in France, Pointe-Du-Raz. The walk to the view point was actually quite a way from the car park (just to warn you if you are visiting!) but the view was worth it in the end!

We also had a day out at a gardens which was so beautiful & I got to wear my sunflower dress! (My ultimate dress of the summer!) Perfect for strolling around looking at all the wildlife & pretty flowers. It was only £9 on Ebay!

Did you get to go on holiday this year? If so, where did you go?

I can't wait to start planning our next adventure!

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Life Lately #148

Hello lovelies,

As you're reading this, I'm hopefully sunning myself on the Greek island of Kefalonia! I am so ready for a holiday it's unreal. 

Anyway, flash back to last weekend, when I met up with my best girl Ricka for brunch. We hadn't seen each other for so long, it was so nice to have a catch up. We tried a new place for breakfast in town (I say new, they moved location, so it felt like a new place!) & we had the most delicious meal, overlooking the old part of town, from the top floor, with the window wide open. The weather last weekend was absolutely glorious down south & despite the recent week of rain, it still has been really warm. 

In the afternoon, I watched James play cricket. The season has recently started up again & it was lovely to bask in the sunshine while he was playing!

I went to visit mum that evening & saw the doggies. We went on a walk around the field by my parent's house & the sun was still glorious. It was so hot - unlike most bank holidays in the UK!

On Sunday, James & I went back to Shere. We visited the village a few months ago (it was a lot colder then!) & we decided to go again for another roast as it was so delicious last time. I wrote a full post on our day out which you can read here if you like. We went for another walk around the village before heading to the pub & found this adorable little library in the middle of the woods. How cute is that! We're going to take a book to trade next time we go!

It was Boop's birthday at the beginning of March so we organised a girl's day last Thursday to Brighton. It was a surprise for Boop, she had no idea where we were going or what we were doing. We started with lunch at Giggling Squid, one of our absolutely favourite place to eat, before heading to an escape room at 3pm. I'd never done one before but it was so much fun! We actually managed to solve the puzzles & escape in 47 minutes, which we were chuffed with. We're looking to go back again in the Summer, as they've just opened up another room there that looks good fun!

& finally I spent the end of the week packing! I can't tell you how excited I am for this holiday! I'm going to completely sign off social media, so will see you all when I get back next week! : )

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Our Adventure To Hever Castle

Hello lovelies!

On Sunday, James & I went to Hever Castle.

It's a place I'd heard so much about but had never visited. My parents kindly bought James & I gift vouchers to go for Christmas & as we had a heatwave in the UK, we decided it was the perfect day to go.

We'd done our research online & saw that the castle tour would take around an hour & the gardens about 1 hour 30. We packed a picnic, suncream & my camera & headed off down the M23. As it was such a beautiful day, we took my car so we could have the roof down & even though we got attacked by the fairies on the route, it was so nice to finally feel the sun on our faces!

The first thing you see when you arrive is the lake, which was absolutely stunning with the sun shining on it. You can hire a paddle boat or pedalo to enjoy on the lake, or you can walk around it, which takes approximately 1 hour 15. We went & took a few pictures by the side of the lake but didn't actually complete the walk as it was so hot, we just enjoyed taking in the view!

We decided to do the castle tour first, so we made our way through the Italian & Rose Garden to the castle. As it was May bank holiday weekend, the grounds were alive with Morris dancers, families dancing round the maypole (which brought back fantastic memories for me from Primary School!) & there was even a procession following the Green Man through the gardens! Obviously there are different events on for different days, James & I were also very keen to see the jousting which is happening in July & August & the 'Castle Canines' event at the beginning of August.

The tour of the castle was extremely busy! If you're going to do it, just be aware you are stuffed in a confined space with alot of other visitors & it can get a bit squished heading up & down the stairs! (We both commented on how Henry getting up & down the stairs would have been near enough impossible as they were so tiny!) It's definitely worth doing & you find out alot of history about the castle & Anne Boleyn's life.

We then sat & had a picnic by the river, next to the castle which was the most perfect view of the gardens. After that, we headed back towards the rose garden but I caught sight of the most beautiful staircase in the distance. Just look at it! It reminded me of something out of Beauty & The Beast! It was just incredibly charming.

Of course, I then got James to take a flurry of photos of me on said staircase. BUT JUST LOOK HOW CUTE IT WAS! & it seemed extremely quiet, a few other people had ventured to it, but otherwise it was secretly hidden in the grounds. Once you reached the top of the staircase, there was a beautiful waterfall as well, with some benches to sit on & flowers decorating the path. I'd definitely recommend finding it if you go!

Have you ever been to Hever Castle? We'll definitely look to go back again to enjoy the gardens in the Summer.

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Our Adventure To Shere - The White Horse

Shere has been a village I've wanted to visit for the longest time. I'd heard so many lovely things about it; a perfect place to have a wonder with some cute little shops & some delicious places to eat. Also, it was where one of my favourite movies, The Holiday was filmed!

James & I both had a Sunday off together at the beginning of February, so decided to head to Shere, for a stroll through the village & have lunch at the White Horse.

I decided to drive which probably wasn't the best idea, as the village is tiny & alot of people park on the road, making it almost impossible to weave through all the cars! However, we survived.. just..

I'd mapped out a walk around Shere to build up an appitite before lunch, called the Villiage Trail. It took us round the back of the village, through a ford, or you can choose to use the footbridge if you aren't wearing approprite footwear! You follow the path round till you get back into the village, by the River Tillingbourne.

The were loads of ducks, big & small on the river & lots of families feeding them bread. We even saw the most adorable bakery called Crumbs, were children were buying bread to feed to the ducks. It was like a scene out of a movie!

We'd booked lunch at the White Horse for 12.15pm that afternoon & I'm so glad we did! They had a sign up to say they weren't taking anymore bookings & were completely full for lunch. Definitely a popular spot & I'd highly recommend booking if you're going to take a trip there.

The pub itself is in the middle of the village & is a 'proper' countryside pub! By that I mean, picture open fireplaces & comfy arm chairs nestled in an old fashioned beamed pub. It has the cutest little seating area out the back, which I'm guessing is heaving in Summer. We weren't seated near the fireplaces, but everytime I went past to the loo, I would stand & enjoy the warmth from the flames before heading back to our table!

Right, onto the food. James started off with the Farmhouse Pate, which I had a small taster of & it was delicious. They provided us with so much pate, there was plenty to share between the two of us!

We both had a roast for main. We sat near a couple who had arrived a bit before us & when we saw their roasts come out, our minds were definitely made up! You aren't just limited to the 'Sunday Menu' - all of the dishes on the lunchtime / evening menu are available if you don't want a roast.

James chose the Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder & because I couldn't make up my mind, I had the Trio Of Roasts, which consisted of pork loin, turkey & beef. All of it was incredible, but the turkey was my favourite, it was so tender & cooked to perfection.

We managed to eat our way through most of the meal, however there was so much on the plate, it would have been near impossible to finish, even though we tried our best! It was one of those moments when you just think "I'm so full, I'm going to explode, but it's so yummy I just want to keep eating!"

After a half hour break, we decided to share a pudding as they all looked so good. We opted for the Chocolate Fudge Cake with ice cream, which again, I can only describe as amazing. It wasn't too big either which we were both hoping after our massive roast!

I'm honestly not exagerating when I say this was one of the nicest pubs I've ever eaten at & we can't wait to go back again! From start to finish, we couldn't fault it.

It also started to snow when we were getting the bill, which just made the whole afternoon even more perfect.

Have you ever been to Shere? We can't wait to go back to visit The Dabbling Duck.

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