After being at University and work since September (bar the seasonal breaks) a holiday definitely seemed due. Personally I have been keen to go abroad somewhere, but that always includes more money and someone else who is also eager to go away with- which to be honest as a student is hard to come by, so when the opportunity arose for me to go on a little British holiday with my family, I of course snatched it up. My mother dislikes going anywhere hot and so a lot of summer abroad holidays are off the tables when it comes to my family, so Yorkshire it was. Now I'm not complaining, I love making the most of Britain and getting to see what a lovely place it is we live in. And Yorkshire was no exception, it was truly beautiful...


As we arrived after what had seemed like a disastrous day of travelling (too many things went wrong), we were all relieved to finally be approaching our cottage, which we were afraid we would never find due to it being so far out of the way. However as we started to open the gates and close them behind us, we realised we were almost there. You could almost feel the fresh air entering your lungs before even stepping foot in it. Everywhere was surrounded by luscious green grass that was being chomped on my many sheep, of whom all had baby lambs running and bleating around- and what a sight to see. The image of little birds fluttering and darting in and out of hedges and trees, probably making nests to home their eggs, made you aware of how out in the country you were.

The drive way lane to get to the cottage was rather ... exciting. It was a narrow stoned wall which looked a bit precarious and as if it could collapse at any moment (of course it did not) and we wondered if the car would even fit (of course it did). After what felt like squeezing the car down the lane we arrived at the cottage. What a beauty.

The cottage was up on the dales and had the most wondrous garden filled with flowers and trees and wildlife. By the front gate we noticed something. A little blackbird had built her nest there, and to our disbelief, there were a few little mint green eggs inside. Of course we left alone for fear of frightening her.


The first couple of days were relaxing and filled with many enjoyable country walks with our dog Marvel (although what he enjoyed most seemed to be eating sheep poo along the way- gross!), drinking cups of Yorkshire tea (very fitting don't you think) and playing board games which on holidays always seem more fun for some reason. It was lovely just to get to relax and enjoy the cottage which was more than welcoming. The owners had left it beautifully neat and it had a great homely feel. My bedroom was so sweet and ridiculously cosy which over looked the fields and I'd be woken each morning by lambs bleating and cuckoos. I woke up feeling refreshed and in a good mood, which hasn't happened in a while!

The Beatrix Potter Museum



For all writers or Beatrix Potter fans, you need to visit this place. It's so cute! Oh the nostalgia I felt when I walked through this utterly adorable little museum situated in Windermere. It is a must visit for kids and adults to relive their childhoods, as the museum takes you through all of Beatrix's animal tales. At the end there is a gorgeous little gift shop! What's not to love! I treated myself to a Peter Rabbit notebook, oh I love stationary (to use for Uni come September or maybe for bloggy stuff!), a cuddly Benjamin Bunny because I have always been a sucker for soft toys. Does anyone else do this... if you pick up a cuddly toy and then put it back and then later decided you want it, you have to buy the one you picked up originally otherwise it'll be sad you rejected it for another? No? Anyway, I also bought the tiny book of Tom Kitten as he was my favourite as a child and I had completely forgotten that part of my life until this museum trip!


Caving- White Scar Caves


Now I don't know what it is, but I love a good cave. I like the smell of the fresh damp air (bit weird) and the amazing structures and learning about what amazing things are beneath the ground we are standing on. We went to White Scar Caves and had a lovely tour guide named John! He was insightful and enthusiastic and made the tour all the better! Thanks John! The stalactites and stalagmites were fascinating and John pointed out all the things you could spot if you used your imagination. Under our feet as we walked on the decks was gushing fresh water. The rocks around us were all sculpted and looked almost slimy but were just so shiny it created the look of this. It was an 80 minute long tour but I had almost wished to stay down there longer- I understand why Golem likes it so much.

Wensleydale Creamery

Now I love cheese, but I've never been that adventurous. Luckily we visited a creamery which allowed you to try out all kinds of British cheeses. My favourites were Wensleydale and Bishopsdale! Buying from here did result in many games nights involving cheese boards with all the varied cheeses and crackers we had bought- yum! It also resulted in a running joke about going to get more cheese. We became a bit cheese obsessed maybe. My brother said one night, 'can we have some cheese, I want cheese dreams!'- whatever that means!



The rest of the holiday included visiting towns, having lunch out or tea- as we visited twice a lovely little tea room called Laburnum House which was the friendliest little place which allowed dogs and did the best cream teas! If you ever go to Hawes, you must give this place a visit! So lush! We had two Chinese takeaways which is rather naughty but we were on holiday after all! I also managed to read a lot of my book, which once finished I shall review on here- it's ever so good!

Leaving our cottage was hard but we knew because we had loved it so much, that it wasn't the end and we'd all love to go back there again one day! Such a lovely little adventure and a wonderful cottage!

Thanks for having us Yorkshire!

Speak soon
Laura X


Links below!

http://www.discoverdentdale.co.uk/accommodation/blakerigg
http://www.laburnumhouse.org.uk/index.html