I'd like to share a few photos of the places we visited, I'll try to keep it brief though. There'll be some knitting related content in the next post!
We broke our journey up by visiting Fountains Abbey which was closed down in 1539 by the infamous Henry VIII. It's still a very haunting place to visit, even if it is a ruin now
On our first day we went in search of a waterfall. Mr Soaring Sheep tried to persuade Pippin to go for a paddle but he wasn't at all keen!
The children on the other hand had to be persuaded not to go deeper than their wellyboots!
The waterfall was suitably impressive when we got there. And naturally I had to play around a little bit with my camera ;-)
I didn't take any photos over the next couple of days because it rained pretty much constantly. It didn't stop us getting out and about though, we visited a ruined castle (Dunstanburgh) and Kielder water. When things brightened up we decided we'd take a longer walk to see another waterfall. Presumably we felt we needed more water in our lives!
Mr Soaring Sheep decided to park in a carpark about a mile from the start of the walk. He reckoned we could manage the extra distance as the waterfall walk was around 4 miles there and back so we'd only be walking 3 miles then stopping for lunch. Lies! We ended up walking over 7.5 miles and Mr Soaring Sheep was banned from choosing walks for the rest of the holiday!
It started off quite promising, nice and flat, beautiful views... But then the hills started. And the children were whinging. And it couldn't be much further, it was only a couple of miles right? Eventually we arrived and collapsed on the ground for a picnic next to the waterfall
It was rather impressive to be fair and I was super proud of the children for walking so far
They even had energy for a paddle when we were walking back
On our last day my youngest boy was allowed to choose what we did because it was his 7th birthday. He asked to go to the beach so we found a lovely dog friendly one with lots of sand and went for a walk
They all got soaking wet, Pippin was covered in sand and chewing pieces of seaweed but I think it was their most favourite day of the holiday :-)
It's a bit bitter sweet looking back through these photos for me. It seems like such a long time ago even if it was only last week. The children went back to school today so the house feels quiet and empty. We had a wonderful time though and made lots of happy memories :-) Thank you for indulging me with sharing these memories
Sounds idyllic with the exception of the extra long walk, its certainly a beautiful part of the country for a break.
ReplyDeleteThe walk was very satisfying to complete but yeah not the easiest day of the holiday lol
DeleteWhat a wonderful choice of venue and cool how your homebase was pet friendly. Pippin is so big now. 7+ miles? You go on that. That is quite a walk.
ReplyDeleteHappy belated birthday to your boy and an early happy birthday to you hun.
DeleteThanks, I found a link for dog friendly cottages and a percentage of the fee goes to an animal charity. Actually worked out surprisingly cheap and it was so nice to have a dry, warm space to return to at the end of the day
DeleteWhat fun!! I almost wish my kids were back to those ages, but then again, it's time for Hubster and I to start being a couple again, so that's a great tradeoff.
ReplyDeleteI think you've just got to enjoy what you've got at the time. I envy you and your husband being able to have couple time but I'm enjoying making memories with my children while they're still fairly small
DeleteThat week looks so exciting. I am glad your kids and dogs had enough energy to keep up! I would ban my husband from picking walks afterwards too. You have some great shots of the waterfalls. Just Beautiful
ReplyDeleteThank you :) I think the kids and dog had more energy than we did. A quick ride home in the car and they were fully recharged whereas Mr Soaring Sheep and myself were ready for a nap lol
DeleteThat looks so lovely and brings back many memories - I did a working holiday at Fountains Abbey years ago and loved walking along to Dunstanburgh Castle too.
ReplyDeleteOh wow how wonderful :) We used to live in East Yorkshire so whilst we didn't visit Fountain's Abbey every day it's a place that has some special memories for us too
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