Dunstanburgh Castle

Our family have lots of lovely adventures together, but some days are just special. Our visit to Dunstanburgh Castle in Northumberland stands out as one of my all time favourites. Standing on a remote headland between the villages of Craster and Embleton, the impressive fourteenth century ruin is well worth the mile and a half walk required to get there. The car park is just outside the village of Craster and then you have to walk through the village and then a mile and a quarter along the coast.

The day we went was beautifully sunny, but extremely windy and since Alex is currently going through a phase of being afraid of the wind the little chap wasn't happy unless he was being carried...and only by me! A mile and a half with a hefty three year old on your hip is hard going! Thankfully Alex loves castle ruins, so once we actually got to the castle he seemed to forget the weather and just enjoyed exploring with his brother and sisters. It really was a wonderful place and well worth the walk.

By the time we started to walk back the wind and dropped down again and with some encouragement from us and his siblings Alex consented to walk most of the way back. My back was very grateful! We finished off the day with the most delicious fish and chips in the town of Seahouses before driving back to our caravan and putting four very tired Podlings to bed! It was a very lovely day the memory of which I will always treasure. 

Exploring ruined castles...one of the best parts of an English childhood!

The smug face of a little boy who managed to persuade someone to carry him! Daddy was allowed to carry him on the way back!

The village of Craster

At the end of a three mile walk and still smiling.

Summer Holiday Adventures - Castle Eden Dene

On the first Monday of our holiday we took a lovely walk through the beautiful woods at Castle Eden Dene Nature Reserve in County Durham. It was a lovely day, sunny but not too hot. The woods were full of wildflowers and butterflies and we even found a few late raspberries, which the Podlings soon polished off! We walked two and a quarter miles in total, which was possibly a little far for Alex who was flagging a bit by the end and needed a few carries to keep him going. He soon perked up when we got back to the car park, where we had tea, orange juice, cakes and biscuits to perk everyone up. We never travel without a Thermos!

Flagging a bit and feeling the need for a sit down!

A quick game of 'The Floor is Lava' in the car park, initiated by Alex!

The cup that cheers!

Summer Holiday Adventures - Fountains Abbey

We have just returned from a delightful two week holiday in the North East of England and I now have the pleasure of re-living our time away as I go through my photographs (which is frankly far more appealing than the truly terrifying pile of laundry demanding my attention!).

We started our holiday with a visit to beautiful Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire. The largest and best-preserved Cistercian monastery in England, we came here last year and loved it so much we wanted to visit again. The sun shone for us and we spent a lovely Sunday afternoon here. 

Mark with his lovely parents, the Podlings' much-loved Nanna and Grandad

A rare photo of the two of us (taken by Lily)

A trip to the museum

Emma dressed as a maid

The weather on Sunday was somewhat less pleasing than Saturday, so a trip to the Brampton Museum in Newcastle-under-Lyme seemed a good way to pass a rainy afternoon. We love it here. It is quite a little museum, but very sweet and the Podlings particularly love the toy gallery. It was a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Emma loves to play with the dressing-up clothes in the toy gallery.

Alex loves the display of vintage toy cars. He would dearly love to play with them!

I fell in love with little Nelly, a well-loved toy elephant from the 1920s. She seems a little sad to be shut in display case all by herself. I wonder if she dreams of the little girl who used to play with her.

I love the Victorian artefacts on display. The Victorian era is a particular favourite of mine.

Raspberry Rambles

We enjoyed a lovely walk around Ridgegate Reservoir in Macclesfield Forest this afternoon. The Podlings consumed their own bodyweights in wild raspberries, frequently stopping to pick handfuls which they shared with one another. We ended our afternoon with an exciting picnic tea which saw us repeatedly dashing under the shelter of nearby trees to avoid the rain showers! We were forced to admit defeat during our second cup of tea when the showers turned to a decided downpour, but we had finished our picnic by then anyway and at least it stayed sunny for our walk!

Tea and biscuits at Beeston Castle

Sunday afternoon saw us enjoying tea and biscuits with a fabulous view over the Cheshire plains from Beeston Castle. We never travel without a Thermos! 

Shortly before a butterfly landed on Emma's hair bow, no doubt mistaking it for a flower

The floor is lava! Very much the game of the moment.

This three-hole entrance to a rabbit warren looked poetically like a rabbit paw. There are so many rabbits on the hill at Beeston Castle and we love to see them.

Alex looking after the biscuit tin! You have to keep an eye on him as he likes to take a bite of a biscuit and then put it back before taking another one!