Tea and Cake

 Last weekend it was my Mum’s birthday. Unlike me, she’s not keen on planning things in advance and so it was a fairly late in the week decision to go to Goathland for birthday tea and cake.

Sheep roam free

Goathland is an idyllic moorland village filled with large green open spaces and roaming sheep. It was also the location for the 1960s set TV programme, Heartbeat. Goathland is Aidensfield. 

The last time I’d visited was over a year ago, and was more of a hiking adventure than the peaceful trip we enjoyed this time around.

Coats not required

The weather has been so changeable of late, and Sunday morning had been quite grey. We really didn’t know what to expect. By the time we pulled up in the grassy, sheep inhabited car park I was peeling off layers. The sun had put in an appearance and I no longer needed them. 

It wasn’t long before the chap pulled up beside me, which was fortuitous since there’s also no telephone signal at Goathland. It’s like stepping out of the 21st century which is probably why we love it. 

First stop was the Goathland tea rooms. It’s dog friendly, and we got a lovely table in their conservatory area, overlooking the pretty gardens. Here we enjoyed a simple lunch of toasties or sandwiches with soup, followed by cakes or ice-cream sundaes. It was all very delicious.

Then we perused the gift shops. Goathland is a small village, so there are only a handful of gift shops and tea rooms. A pub and a couple of hotels, a play park that little miss loves and lots of wide open grassy spaces and old brick built cottages.

Little miss did get some time at the play park, while Mum got sheep bothered by a very naughty boy lamb whilst she was sitting on a bench waiting for us. Obviously both me and the chap found that highly amusing. 

Once Little Miss had finished playing with some kids in the park, we took a slow walk back up the village to get a drink in the pub. Alas the pub closes at 4pm (reopening later) so we went to the Inn on the Moor instead. Another dog friendly place with comfortable sofa’s to sit and sip a drink on.

It was so relaxed. We all enjoyed it, and Mum said she’d had a lovely birthday. 

Saltburn and the Mandalorian

 Saltburn-on-Sea is somewhere I've heard good things about for years, but never quite managed to get to. Located further North, past Whitby and over the Moors, it's just one of those places we've often said we'd go to and then didn't get there. 

Given the nice weather at the end of my week of adventure, we thought we'd make the visit. It was a pleasant drive, scenic over the top of the Moors but once we got there parking was a nightmare. Eventually, we managed to get parked up near the town, and were excited to ride the funicular railway down to the seafront. 

Alas, it was out of service, so we took the steps instead. The seafront was pleasant with a Victorian pier that we took a lovely walk out to the middle of the sea on. It was windy, but gave a nice vantage point, and so many of our British piers have vanished into the ocean it's nice just to find one. 

Whilst there were plenty of chippy's we could have grabbed lunch from, we opted for a posh seafront restaurant, The Seaview. With a large balcony overlooking the sea, it was a prime position albeit you definitely paid a premium for the setting. 

We were on the dog friendly terrace and enjoyed our Coley and potatoes, which I totally forgot to photograph. On that note, most of the photographs from today's blog post have actually been taken by Little Miss. She's really getting a passion for photography, I might have to start charging up her own camera more often so mine doesn't keep getting nabbed. 

To be honest, the rest of Saltburn-on-Sea wasn’t exactly what I’d hoped for. There were the usual ice cream shops, chippies and beach huts. There was a traditional pub, and an interesting derelict Mortuary at the base of the hill, but not really much else. 

We headed back to the car. Even though it wasn't what we expected, I always think it's good to explore new places. You don't know if you don't go. On the way home, we stopped off at one of my favourite places, Saltmoore. It's the spa that me and the chap spent a relaxing break at back in December. It was wonderful to see it in the nice weather and we just spent a lot of time on the terrace enjoying the beautiful gardens and peaceful surroundings. Mum decided that she loves it too, it's hard not to. 

Sunday, I went down to York and after a cuppa and an iced bun at the chap's house, while getting bounced all over by beautiful Bruno, we set off to the shops to pick up a few craft supplies (we don't have HobbyCraft in Scarborough), and then had some lunch at pizza hut. Then it was time to head off to the cinema to see the Mandalorian and Grogu. 

It's a Star Wars spin off, so something we were both keen to see. It was very different to Star Wars, but still in keeping and was a lovely way to end what had been an extremely busy and fun filled week of adventure. 

By the time Monday rolled around and it was time to go back to work I was glad to be back to routine, until the next adventure at least. 

Swimming, Camping and Exploring

 The spell of good weather we'd enjoyed over the Bank Holiday weekend continued into the week, thankfully. Little Misses disappointment at not getting into the waterpark the day before was short lived, and after a lazy start to the morning we were joining the masses in the queue to get into Alpamare. Overhearing staff members talk about the unprecedented crowds of the previous day made me very grateful we hadn't been able to get tickets.

 

It was still very busy. We didn't go on the slides, but we had a wonderful time in the outside heated pools, and indoor pool with wave machine. Little Miss loved it. 

On Wednesday, I was heading off for my first ever camping trip with the chap. We had booked somewhere not too far away, near Helmsley. We met in Helmsley, stocking up on supplies for our night under canvas, including filling up the cool box at the butchers, then we set off to our camp site and set up our new tent. 

The field next to our tent

The site itself was lovely, situated next to wide open fields and very quiet in itself. We had plenty of space. 

Yorkshire Spa Retreat

We went for a long walk, and decided to take a wander to the nearby Yorkshire Spa Retreat. It's a place I've wanted to go to for a while so I was keen to take a look. Luckily for us, especially since the local pub had been closed, they had a fabulous bar and restaurant where non-guests were welcome. We had a drink, and I had a bit of a nosey at the spa itself, before taking the scenic country walk back to our tent. 

So happy with my hanging grill

We set up our fire pit and the fabulous new hanging grill I've bought to cook on it with, and then tried to light a fire. We're clearly not well practised because it took us forever, but we got there in the end, and then cooked burgers and chicken kebabs. It all tasted delicious, washed down with cans of Madri. 

Then, we just sat by our fire and listened to the peaceful sounds of the country side. As the evening went on, a change in the weather started to come in and it grew colder. Time to retire to our cosy little tent. 

The chap cooking breakfast

I slept surprisingly well and the chap cooked our breakfast on the stove the next morning. We agreed, we need a new stove before we go camping again because everytime there was a gust of wind, our stove went out. As we finished off our breakfast and washed up our plates, we heard a rumble of thunder in the distance signifying it was time to pack up our camp. 

We did get a bit rained on, but missed the worst of it thankfully. It was a fabulous experience and we can't wait to do it again, with a better stove. 

Sunset over our tent

The break in the weather didn't mark the end of half-term adventures, but you'll have to wait for the next instalment. 

Summer Breeze, Makes me Feel Fine

 Having listened to promises of an impending heatwave, and waking each day to grey skies through last week I must admit, I thought it was going to be yet another weather flop. I went off to get my nails done during my lunch on Thursday. I wasn't sure what to get, so I'd asked Little Miss for a suggestion during school run that morning. Of course, her suggestion was turquoise blue, because that's her favourite colour. Actually, when I got to the salon it was the colour that took my eye too, so I did go for it. 

Thursday was starting to show signs of cheering up, but by the time Friday arrived it was glorious. I was stuck at my desk of course, but was heartened by the fact that I was trying to wind up all of my loose ends and finish my holiday handover before taking a week off. The day got very hot, very quickly and by the end of it we decided to forgo our usual Friday dinner of fish and chips for a large salad. Something about the hot weather makes it a lot easier to eat healthily and I've found that salads and healthy lunches have been much more present in my diet the past few days. 

Top to bottom: Salmon fillet with baked sweet potato and salad. Scrambled eggs, mushrooms and avocado on toast. Roast chicken salad

Friday evening, I finally finished the top I'd been crocheting. I'm thrilled with how it turned out. I have a few more projects lined up (Little Miss is desperate for me to crochet her a creeper from Minecraft for one thing) but I definitely think I'll make a few more versions of this top. 

Saturday morning I actually went to the gym. I'll give you a second to get over the shock! I felt quite smug afterwards. Then we took a trip over to Whitby. Being slightly further North than us, and positioned on what seems to be a wilder point of the North Sea (there are reportedly around 530 shipwrecks off the coast off Whitby) it's always a little bit cooler than Scarborough, and when it's as hot as it is at the moment, that's welcome. 

Sandals - Dr. Martens, Skirt - Flamer Heritage, Top - Homemade

It was the perfect opportunity to wear my newly finished top, paired with a Falmer heritage skirt I picked up on Vinted last year. It's a very comfortable top, I'm very pleased. 

Stalls in Whitby

We had a potter around the antique shops, and the bohemian and gothic clothing shops where I always fall in love with so many of the clothes. Then we walked down to the harbour. and bought a fish from the famous Magpie fish and chip shop. We ate them outside on a bench near the lighthouse, careful not to get mugged by one of the many seagulls waiting to swoop. It was really starting to feel like summer had arrived. 

Sunday, the mercury continued to rise. The weather had certainly delivered on its promises. During the afternoon a nearby hotel was holding a family fun day in their grounds. Live music, cold drinks and a bouncy castle for Little Miss sounded perfect. 

Sandals - Dr. Martens, Dress - Kharibu, Bag - Caudalie free gift, Hat - Max Mara weekend

I decided to give my summery Kharibu dress its first outing of the season, and I was thrilled to find that the yellow tote bag I got free with my Caudalie skincare order the week before was the perfect match. 

Perusing stalls at the family fun day

Soaking up the vibe

At the fun day, we met up with my friend and her daughter (little Miss' friend), and set up the picnic rug in a shady spot by a tree. The children were thrilled to spend most of the afternoon bouncing around on the bouncy castle. Every now and again they'd reluctantly come off to cool down, get a drink and a snack and play snap on the picnic rug. 

Selfie stick's out! 

We stayed there for pretty much the whole afternoon and it was the epitome of a perfect summer Sunday afternoon. 

Bank holiday Monday arrived and, unbelievably, an even hotter day. We wanted to go to the local waterpark. Little Miss has pretty much learned to swim and now she just loves being in the water. Alas, it seems everyone had the same idea and so it was fully booked until early evening. We opted to hop on the train and head to York instead. 

It may have been a crazy idea and is the first time I've ever completely worn the battery out on my portable fan, but we had a great time. We walked in by the river, enjoying ice creams along the way and pondering what it would be like to own one of the boats moored there. One was for sale, but at £27,000 it was more than a little bit out of my price range. 

Drooling after the boat with the blue roof

Sandals - Dr. Martens, Dress - Urban Touch, Bag - Fairfax and Favor

Wouldn't it be fabulous to live on the river all summer, and then move back to your home come Autumn? I'd love that. The good thing about York is getting to peruse shops that we don't have in Scarborough, like Monsoon and Urban Outfitters. I saw so many things I loved in those shops. I bought me and little Miss a new summer hat each in Monsoon. 

Little Miss spent her pocket money that she's been saving in the toy shop, and we enjoyed lunch at Black sheep coffee. Iced coffee, of course, and a chicken wrap. 

We finished up with a drink at Thor's tipi, watching the world drift by before tackling the hot walk back to the station. "See, we'd be home by now if I had that boat" I exclaimed as we passed the boats on the river again. We were exhausted by the time we got home, so we just had a quiet evening watching Jaws... again! 

I can't believe how perfect the weather has been for the first bit of my week off work. I just hope it holds out for the rest of the week.