Showing posts with label road trip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label road trip. Show all posts

Tuesday, 2 June 2015

visit a historical place

Day 2 of my '90 days of summer posts; visit a historical place.  We always like to visit places with history whenever we can, but especially in the summer when it is warmer. It's fun to learn about new places, explore and try new delicacies. This weekend we visited the beautiful city of Lincoln, a place I never get bored of, to look round the castle and its surroundings.

This is Lincoln cathedral. How majestic it looks and can be seen for miles around. I cannot stress how awesome this building is. It stands 83 metres tall and dates back to the 11th century. It never fails to impress me with its grandeur and poise and its overwhelming presence. I could quite happily stand and stare at it for hours. This is the cathedral that was used in the Tom Hanks film The Da Vinci Code.

We didn't realise when we set out for the day that the city was holding a 1940's weekend which was such a lovely surprise. I loved every minute of the day, seeing the city decorated for the occasion, people dressed up in 1940's outfits and a fly past by a 1940's Dakota plane.

Steep hill is so named because of the gradient of the hill and can be difficult to climb up and down. You normally see people having a rest halfway up, but there are lots of lovely coffee shops to stop in and have coffee and cake or afternoon tea.

Everyone was so lovely and friendly and quite happy for us to take pictures of them. I think they all look wonderful and they all looked like they were having so much fun. 


This is the view we had while eating our picnic lunch; one of my favourite places to sit and people watch. Today we saw a lovely wedding being photographed and people dressed up in their 1940's finery. 

The castle was constructed in the 11th century by William the Conqueror and is still used today as the Crown Court. You can walk around the walls which provide a magnificent view of the cathedral, the city and the surrounding countryside. 


I highly recommend a day trip or a weekend visit to Lincoln especially if you manage to see an event like this while you are there. Who knows; next year you might see me dressed up too!

Have a great day lovelies.

Wednesday, 18 December 2013

cape at christmas in broadway

Broadway. The Jewel of the Cotswolds! That is how some people refer to this beautiful village and I agree. A charming, magical place which holds a special place in my heart. I always get quite emotional when I visit here as it is still unspoilt and very beautiful. A piece of paradise.

Broadway dates back as far as the Roman times and at one time boasted thirty three public houses which there are still signs of today. Many of the limestone buildings date from the 16th century. The front doors of these lovely houses are just delightful in themselves.

This has to be my favourite row of houses in the village. Can you imagine living in one of these? 



We came across this guy driving an Austin 7 racing car that he was restoring. He looked like he would have been at home in 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'! He posed for us and we gladly took a photo of him as he said he didn't have any photos of him in his pride and joy! Then off he went with a cheery adieu in his German accent!
I wore my much loved cape for this trip. I have a real love for capes and own quite a few in different colours! I wore it with a soft, comfy pink sweater and jeans and my Zara scarf. I spotted the booties when I was out shopping with my daughter. We both fell in love with them so we both bought a pair!




We stayed all day browsing round the village and quaint, little shops. I wanted to see the Christmas lights before I went home and I'm so glad I did; just beautiful. 

Have a lovely Wednesday.

Zara cape - last seen here
Topshop jeans - last seen here
Zara scarf - wardrobe
Primark booties
H&M satchel
Primark sunnies - wardrobe


Monday, 16 December 2013

a chunky knit in chilly cheltenham

We finally managed to get away for our weekend break after a few hiccups! As you can see, the weather was very grey and drab! Just a typical December day in this part of the world! We chose to visit a spa town called Cheltenham mainly known for its horse racing.

There are a lot of lovely Regency type buildings, a lot of which are listed. I felt like I was on the set of Mary Poppins as the architecture was very similar to the Banks residence!

I knew it was going to be chilly so out came my big, chunky knit. I find it warmer than a coat and it is easy to layer up. I just throw a scarf on and I'm usually good to go! I bought this skirt earlier in the year and last wore it here. I'm hoping to get lots of wear out of it during the winter. 

We had a wonderful lunch in a place called The Montpellier Brasserie which was delicious. I had goats cheese and beetroot risotto and Steve had chicken. It was such a lovely, relaxing environment; just what we wanted. 

The rest of the day was spent browsing around some very cute shops and in the evening we enjoyed another lovely meal at a restaurant called Flynns. Delicious food, a warm and friendly atmosphere and gorgeous wine. What more can a girl ask for!

I would love to go again when its warmer to take advantage of all the lovely open spaces to sit and watch the day go by. I would definitely recommend a visit to this lovely town.
Joining up with Patti for Visible Monday.

Have a lovely Monday.

Ark chunky knit sweater - wardrobe
Topshop skirt - last seen here
Topshop booties - last seen here
Primark scarf - last seen here
Topshop bag - wardrobe
Primark sunnies
Primark tights


Wednesday, 16 October 2013

an adventure in a new town

A couple of weeks ago, as part of my September bucket list, we visited a little market town called Newark. I have passed through it very briefly and thought how nice it looked so we decided to explore and see what we could find. What has happened to the lovely weather we were having?

There is the remains of a castle built here in 1123 which stands proudly overlooking the river Trent. It was so peaceful and calm inside the castle walls. People were sitting on the grass and benches sunbathing, reading and relaxing. I could easily have stayed here for the day just soaking up the tranquil atmosphere.

This was one of the first buildings we saw as we walked into the town. 

The church is very prominent and dates back to the 11th or 12th century. I didn't realise how much history this little town has; it played a big part in the English Civil War. I loved all the cute shops and houses, just my thing! Can you see the lovely black and white buildings in the top left of the photo? This is where we sat and had a yummy lunch.

How sweet and quaint is this old public house. We had to stop for a pit stop!

A view of the lovely cobble stoned market square. 

This is one of the oldest buildings in Newark. It was formally an inn and it has managed to keep all its charm.

We were really lucky to come across this beautiful wedding that had just taken place. The men all looked very handsome in their kilts and the bride looked gorgeous. I got a bit emotional as I was thinking soon it will be us. It made me feel excited about the good times to come!


No, there was nothing to see at the bottom of the steps! Just a locked door.


Doesn't it look a lovely place to have a picnic and relax? 


There is a walk beside the river with a pub and a cosy, little tea shop. If we hadn't just eaten we would have stopped for afternoon tea. I will save that for next time!


I'm so glad we came here for the day but it does need to be sunny to get the most out of it. I can't wait to come back again with a picnic and a book and just relax by the river. A lovely way to spend a day.

What I wore
H&M boyfriend jeans - wardrobe
H&M white t-shirt - wardrobe
Primark striped top
Zara scarf - wardrobe
Primark canvas shoes - wardrobe
Tesco satchel - wardrobe
Primark sunnies- wardrobe

Wednesday, 19 June 2013

road trip part two

Our second day started off with a super breakfast (fresh fruit, eggs benedict and toast!) I have to say it was one of the loveliest we have ever had. We then set off on the next part of our road trip. We stopped off at a beautiful village called Thornton Dale. If there is such a thing as English country heaven, we found it. The picture above shows my dream cottage, I am in love with anything that has a thatched roof. Imagine living at the side of a stream with ducks milling about!

Unfortunately it was raining, so we didn't get to see it at its best but we will be back when it's better weather.

We then made our way to a beautiful place called Fountains Abbey. It was a very misty day but it meant not many people were there which made it so peaceful. When it is nice weather, thousands of people descend here.

I have to say it was absolutely magical. I could have spent longer than a day wandering round this beautiful place. The abbey dates back to the 12th century but was pulled down by Henry VIII. It is so big and in the mist looked quite daunting. Here are a few photos of our day. Enjoy!























Looking at these photos is bringing lovely memories back, I hope you liked them too.