Autumnal Whirlwind
It's been a while since I wrote and the last two months have slipped by so quickly. I cannot believe it's almost Christmas.
We visited the Lake District in October - this was our week off from work holiday and not a rush around frantically trying to see everything in a weekend/midweek break holiday. Staying just a few yards from Hilltop Cottage, Beatrix Potter's home, our cottage was ideal and location wise was a perfect central point for visiting Ambleside, Windermere, Coniston, Keswick. I can't tell you how beautiful the scenery was; I went running on a couple of days and I had the pleasure of being able to run around in its entirety, Esthwaite Water which was dotted with a farms selling vegetables and firewood - everything that you would expect from a village in one of the UK National Parks. I loved the fact that there was a lot of tourist attractions geared towards children, it made the experience so much more pleasurable for Megan (and easier for us as parents) being able to take her to an aquarium, the Beatrix Potter Exhibition, parks, boat rides, one day, we headed over to Morecambe to visit friends and we got to go on the beach as the sun was shining.
However, and I appreciate that not everyone shares my views, but I came back home feeling disappointed. As a family, we struggle with week long holidays as by day five, we are ready to come home itching to get back into our routine, to start the diet once more and look forward with excitement to the next holiday adventure we have planned. A weekend in a city or by the beach is a more pleasurable experience for me, it stimulates my interest more and keeps me on the go. Don't get me wrong, I love a good relaxation, but the Lake District for me, felt too calming. I needed something more and whilst I will return one day to the Lakes, it will never knock the Peak District off the top for me. Somewhere that can offer Bakewell Tarts & Bakewell Pudding in one place is always going to edge it for me. Equally, tackling the M6 on a Friday is never anyone's idea of an enjoyable driving experience and getting to the point where Megan had to have a quick pitstop in a bush crossing the Cumbrian border was something I will never forget.
At the end of September, we went down to South Devon - Malborough - for a cheeky weekend break. One of the main purposes of the weekend was to scatter some of Dan's Dad's ashes as it had been a place that he had introduced to his children who have in turn, introduced it to their kids.
Dan had a meeting with one of his clients so we tagged along for the weekend - myself, Megan and Baxter and stayed in a B&B which had happened to be featured on a well renown Channel 4 programme. It did the job, it wasn't the Ritz but for a comfy night and a bit of breakfast, it hit the spot. We went to dinner in our favourite restaurant down there, took them to the beaches - Thurlestone which is in fact one of the most gorgeous beaches ever and when Dan went for his meeting, Megan & I visited Ivybridge Leisure Centre for some swimming and splashing fun. It was perfect. When I compare those two holidays, I had a decent itinerary in my head for Devon, the Lake District, we were more bothered about relaxing and in hindsight, maybe we should have planned more especially as it's such a beautiful part of the world.
It hasn't all been holidays and adventures, we've had the obligatory round of birthday parties that Megan has been thoroughly enjoying at weekends. A few play dates here and there, family visits and a couple of sleepovers. I've also been steadily getting back into my running after my mammoth summer challenge - Dan even managed a half marathon last weekend. I have committed three marathons next year - Manchester, Liverpool and Loch Ness. Crazy...but they are three marathons I've always wanted to do. Manchester and Liverpool look two pretty well organised marathons, Loch Ness is a selfish choice, it looks simply stunning. I was sold by looking at the pictures on social media as well as a ticket on the Caledonian Sleeper for my journey to Inverness.
We're heading off on our travels to Germany next week, a new Christmas market for us. Heading to Bavaria, we'll be staying in Munich as well as doing a train journey to Nuremberg for one of the days. I'm bvery much looking forward to my travels again...it's been a while!
We visited the Lake District in October - this was our week off from work holiday and not a rush around frantically trying to see everything in a weekend/midweek break holiday. Staying just a few yards from Hilltop Cottage, Beatrix Potter's home, our cottage was ideal and location wise was a perfect central point for visiting Ambleside, Windermere, Coniston, Keswick. I can't tell you how beautiful the scenery was; I went running on a couple of days and I had the pleasure of being able to run around in its entirety, Esthwaite Water which was dotted with a farms selling vegetables and firewood - everything that you would expect from a village in one of the UK National Parks. I loved the fact that there was a lot of tourist attractions geared towards children, it made the experience so much more pleasurable for Megan (and easier for us as parents) being able to take her to an aquarium, the Beatrix Potter Exhibition, parks, boat rides, one day, we headed over to Morecambe to visit friends and we got to go on the beach as the sun was shining.
However, and I appreciate that not everyone shares my views, but I came back home feeling disappointed. As a family, we struggle with week long holidays as by day five, we are ready to come home itching to get back into our routine, to start the diet once more and look forward with excitement to the next holiday adventure we have planned. A weekend in a city or by the beach is a more pleasurable experience for me, it stimulates my interest more and keeps me on the go. Don't get me wrong, I love a good relaxation, but the Lake District for me, felt too calming. I needed something more and whilst I will return one day to the Lakes, it will never knock the Peak District off the top for me. Somewhere that can offer Bakewell Tarts & Bakewell Pudding in one place is always going to edge it for me. Equally, tackling the M6 on a Friday is never anyone's idea of an enjoyable driving experience and getting to the point where Megan had to have a quick pitstop in a bush crossing the Cumbrian border was something I will never forget.
At the end of September, we went down to South Devon - Malborough - for a cheeky weekend break. One of the main purposes of the weekend was to scatter some of Dan's Dad's ashes as it had been a place that he had introduced to his children who have in turn, introduced it to their kids.
Dan had a meeting with one of his clients so we tagged along for the weekend - myself, Megan and Baxter and stayed in a B&B which had happened to be featured on a well renown Channel 4 programme. It did the job, it wasn't the Ritz but for a comfy night and a bit of breakfast, it hit the spot. We went to dinner in our favourite restaurant down there, took them to the beaches - Thurlestone which is in fact one of the most gorgeous beaches ever and when Dan went for his meeting, Megan & I visited Ivybridge Leisure Centre for some swimming and splashing fun. It was perfect. When I compare those two holidays, I had a decent itinerary in my head for Devon, the Lake District, we were more bothered about relaxing and in hindsight, maybe we should have planned more especially as it's such a beautiful part of the world.
It hasn't all been holidays and adventures, we've had the obligatory round of birthday parties that Megan has been thoroughly enjoying at weekends. A few play dates here and there, family visits and a couple of sleepovers. I've also been steadily getting back into my running after my mammoth summer challenge - Dan even managed a half marathon last weekend. I have committed three marathons next year - Manchester, Liverpool and Loch Ness. Crazy...but they are three marathons I've always wanted to do. Manchester and Liverpool look two pretty well organised marathons, Loch Ness is a selfish choice, it looks simply stunning. I was sold by looking at the pictures on social media as well as a ticket on the Caledonian Sleeper for my journey to Inverness.
We're heading off on our travels to Germany next week, a new Christmas market for us. Heading to Bavaria, we'll be staying in Munich as well as doing a train journey to Nuremberg for one of the days. I'm bvery much looking forward to my travels again...it's been a while!
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