Welcome to a new feature I’m imaginatively calling ‘Favourites This Week’ – a place to talk about the fun stuff I’ve been getting up to, new products I’ve been sent to try, and other miscellaneous things that won’t fit anywhere else!

For my first trick, I’d like to take you on a mini tour of my holiday at the beginning of August, when my husband and I went oop north to celebrate our wedding anniversary in Blackpool, Manchester and the Yorkshire Dales!

Whitworths very kindly sent me a week’s worth of these delicious fruity treats, and I have to say, they’re absolutely fantastic. I’ve been tucking them into my pockets and bags and taking them out during our long walks – they’re just the thing for a bit of energy when you need it. (They’re also fabulous with a cup of tea… Just sayin’.) You can buy Whitworths Shots in most major supermarkets, and they come in a huge range of flavours. My favourites were toffee and pecan, and tropical coconut!

By the way, did you notice that handsome lil bag up top, posed precariously on the floor of Blackpool Tower? My new favourite bag, an anniversary gift from my husband – a dark blue Edie crossbody from Lulu Guinness. (I knew I had to have it when the lovely Briony of A Girl, A Style mentioned there was a sale on!)

(Not only did my husband buy me a bag, but he also arranged for rose petals in our bedroom, the softy!)

I *love* the metal lip clasp on this baby – you can pick up similar designs still at Lulu Guinness, although the Edie has now been replaced by the Zoe crossbody and the Gertie tote.

During the week, I have to say, the trusty combo of sunnies and umbrella proved to be an essential addition the Edie – I purchased a tiny umbrella as well from Lulu Guinness, and it’s the perfect size to keep stowed away in case of rain. Check out the whole range here, there are some gorgeous ones! (My current favourite is the black and red Bloomsbury stripe!) And, I have to give a shout-out to my new Ray-Ban aviators. I never thought I was cool enough to pull them off, but one advantage of being in my 30s is that now I don’t care whether I look cool or not…

If you visit Blackpool, my recommendations are: afternoon tea in the Blackpool Tower Ballroom, drinks on the seafront at the Beach House Bistro (above), and fish and chips with a cup of tea near the Prom (I recommend The Sea Fish and Chips Restaurant, 1 Foxhall Lane, right by Madam Tussauds!)

Anyway, onto Manchester! For the remainder of the week we stayed in Airbnb places (use my code linked here and get £25 off, and I will too!). It was so much cheaper than a hotel and a lot more convenient as well! I have two awesome restaurant reviews to share with you soon, but until then, here’s a preview:

Apart from two incredible restaurants, we spent a lot of time hanging around outside the set of Coronation Street, meeting famous people (one of whom knew who we were and seemed really pleased to see us. What a great actor!), and walking. Lots of walking. Oh, and this…

…But that’s a story for another day…

The part of the trip where I really got involved was when we got to the Yorkshire Dales! We stayed in an adorable cottage with a loft bedroom, with absolutely no phone signal or wifi whatsoever. We made it out alive, but just barely. Luckily, the cottage was absolutely gorgeous!

On the first day, we went to Ingleton Waterfalls, a private trail set up when you can view around nine waterfalls (honestly, what defines where one waterfall starts and another ends? This is a question that now haunts me) along a four and a half mile loop. (Current costs are £6 per person. Trust me when I say you can make a day of this very easily.)

This was a definite wake-up call that I’m nowhere near as fit as I should be, because I was nearly dead by the time we got to the top. It’s hard work, okay…

There’s also a cute tradition of pressing coins into trees and logs, which dates back to the 1700s in the North of England, and Scotland. There are some amazing examples right at the start of the trail here. I pressed my tuppence in and now I want my wish, please!

The following day was our final one of the trip, and we went to visit the Wensleydale Creamery – a heaven made of cheese and dairy products. We attended a demonstration of cheesemaking, looked around the museum and giftshop, tasted a LOAD of cheese, and had a delicious lunch in the cafe.

If you visit, promise me you’ll try their famous Wensleydale and ginger cheesecake – I’ve been dreaming of eating this again since my mother-in-law made us some one Christmas! I bought a huge wedge to bring back and make my own – it’s currently sitting in the freezer, waiting patiently for my birthday!

That was my week… what about yours?

 

 

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