Friday 13th Sept Headed off on the Heysham boat -busy but smooth crossing. We took the scenic route north via Silverdale and Arnside and then on to Sizergh Castle (National Trust) for a walk around the house and gardens which were lovely and colourful. Drove on to Kirkby Lonsdale and realised we had actually driven through the town previously and said we wanted to return! We were staying in 'Reuben's Cottage' - a self-catering apartment above a cafe in the centre of the market place. The apartment was cosy, nicely decorated and had everything we needed and more! We had a walk around the town (small but lovely!) and then had a beer in the Royal Barn Brewery pub (great pub and atmosphere!) and tea in The Royal pub. Daisy had burger and chips, tuna nicoise for me and pizza for Glenn. Returned to the apartment for a chilled evening.
Saturday 14th Sept After breckie we drove to Ambleside which was 25 mins away. Had a wander around the shops and bought some comfy purple fleece pants for Daisy. Got a take-out lunch from the Apple Pie cafe and Stockghyll deli (soup and quiche and salad) and ate it in the park. After a play we headed back to the car and drove back to KL for Daisy's nap. Took a walk around KL taking in the church, Ruskin's View and Devil's Bridge - really nice! Ended up at Booths for food, down to the brewery pub for a swift one and then home for tea.
Sunday 15th Sept Cloudy and damp day. Went for a short run/walk past Ruskin's view and along the river to Devil's Bridge, lots of people out dog walking! Drove to Ingleton, planned to walk to the waterfalls but was going to cost £7pp and we weren't sure how far away they were so just had a wander around, found a park for Daisy and then had a ham sandwich lunch in the Craven's Heifer pub. Drove back to KL, had a wander around the shops while Daisy napped and then Glenn went for a run and bought me a lovely mustard yellow wool scarf from an independent shop. Had a chilled evening at the apartment.
Monday 16th Sept Lovely sunny day! Packed up, Glenn did a bit of work and then had a last trip to Booths :-). Planned on going to Hesketh Family Park however a last googlemap check showed it only opened at weekends! Oops. So instead we drove to Malham for a little wander and lunch (we'd been there once before for a walk to the famous Cove). Then drove over the dales to Wetherby via Pately Bridge and Knaresborough where we stopped in the square, went to the shops and had a walk to the castle which had lovely views of the bridge. Drove on to the Cow Shed cottage (after a little struggle finding the property) we were staying in and had a chilled evening. The property was a barn conversion and had a lovely open plan kitchen living area, a lovely big en-suite bedroom for us and a smaller room with 2 single beds in for Daisy. Unfortunately the location wasn't amazing - we had imagined we were going to be staying in a cottage on someone's farm or at least big piece of land however the property was literally a hundred metres to the A1 road so heard constant traffic! The owners ran a nursery on site so there was a lovely garden with lots of kids toys in that we could use too.
Tuesday 17th Sept Another sunny day! Drove to Wetherby for a look around, came home for lunch and then on to Harrogate for the afternoon. It was busy with traffic but we found a park in a residential area and had a nice walk around the shops - the town is a lot bigger than I originally thought! Bought a denim dress in Fat Face, had a pint outside a brewery and then home for tea.
Wednesday 18th Sept Drove to York. Parked at the train museum, had a good look around there and had a coffee then wandered over to the city centre. Had lunch (and glass of vino) at Lucia's in a little courtyard before taking in a few more shops and then having a walk along the river for Daisy to have what turned out to be a very short nap. Had a gelato ice cream, enjoyed a sit in the sun in the gardens and then made our way back to Wetherby. York is such a lovely city - really enjoyed today! Last night in Wetherby - in hindsight would stay somewhere more central next time, or somewhere with nicer walks/a few shops nearby.
Thursday 19th Sept Went for a short run on the footpaths around the property and then packed up and drove to Chester. Walked to Grosvenor Park where we had a ride on the little train that goes around the park (literally 1 minute long!) and a play in the park. I had a quick look around the shops while Glenn took Daisy to the pub and then we had a deli tea from Waitrose, including tasty spinach falafel and organic honey beer.
Friday 20th Sept Went to Chester Zoo for the whole day - it's huge! Daisy was full of a cold so wasn't feeling amazing (bit whiny). Daisy's favourite animals were the elephants drinking water and the monkeys with the pink bums! So much to see including lots of other kiddies to watch! We had initially booked to go home tomorrow however the forecast was for wind so we called the Steam Packet from the zoo and moved our boat back a day. It only cost £10 and obviously no added accommodation fee which was very handy! Got back to Hoey's house about 5.30pm so had a chill evening. Daisy woke at 9pm crying because of her cold..we were tired too so we ended up joining her in bed, early night!
Saturday 21st Sept Had a 20minute run along the canal towards Chester, nice! Another sunny day. Then the three of us walked along the canal up on to the city walls and past the cathedral. I bought a few clothes in the Next sale, we had a little sit in the sun and then walked back to the house. Glenn and I had a little sunbathe in the yard while Daisy had a short nap. Had a bit of a chill affy then walked up to Waitrose for bits for tea and had another low key evening at the house.
Sunday 22nd Sept Packed up and drove up to Heysham, stopping briefly at the Lancaster Asda (obviously!) on the way up. Got the 2.15pm boat home. Feel like we had a proper break - weather was great and it was really good staying in a few different and new places during the week. Despite her cold Daisy really enjoyed it too! 🙂
