A Festive Break near York #1 :: Treasure Trailing around Thirsk

Hi there everyone 😀

We settled in very nicely to Anthology Cottage, just outside the visit of Husthwaite, and knew we were going to be very comfortable spending our week there. It was just an absolute delight …

It was in a beautiful spot with views across the open countryside to the Kilburn White Horse … too far away for decent photos though.

We spent our first day fairly local, with a Treasure Trail around Thirsk … somewhere Martin and I somehow hadn’t visited before.

The trail took us well off the beaten track, spotting bits and pieces that would normally be easily missed …

As well as some more well known and popular spots …

We followed a very old and wiggly wall along the river …

… ending up back in the centre of town, which was fair bustling …

We finished our visit with a welcome pitstop in one of the many welcoming cafes before heading back to Anthology Cottage for some good food and an evening of chilling out 😀

We really do love a Treasure Trail. It’s a pretty cheap activity, which shows you all the nooks and crannies of a town or village and lots of things that you probably wouldn’t normally notice. There are loads available … just search on https://www.treasuretrails.co.uk/

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I do still have lots to tell you about our pre-Christmas Historic Halls visits and our week in York but I think they will have to wait now till after Christmas … as we are now in full list-making mode 😂😂😂 

In case I don’t post again before the New Year I will take this opportunity to thank you all for following and reading this year and to wish you all the merriest of Christmases and the happiest of New Years. See you in 2026 🥳

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Christmas Charm & Historic Halls #3 :: Hardwick Hall

Hi there everyone 😀

Our 3rd National Trust visit of the week was to Hardwick Hall … We were looking for somewhere to stop off on our way to York with Jackie & Phil … to break our journey and maybe have some lunch … and Hardwick was in the perfect spot. The fact that Hardwick’s Wintertide celebrations had just started was an added bonus.

Wintertide is celebrated every year at Hardwick and shares a range of Elizabethan winter traditions. This year’s theme is The Tale of Misrule and the Holly King.

Whilst it was definitely a bit nippy it was an absolutely beautiful day with plenty of blue skies and bright sunshine …

There were plenty of winter garlands to be found … which made for some excellent photo opportunities …

The bright sunshine and blue skies really made the decorations that we passed on our walk to the hall pop. The colours were so vibrant …

There was a pause on the steps …

… before making our way inside … excited to see what we would find …

It was a real surprise to be handed lanterns to take with us on our walk round the inside of the house. It wasn’t so dark that you couldn’t see but the lanterns were a real fun touch …

The lighting wasn’t the best for capturing photos but it was all really good and very atmospheric. Here are a few that are not too bad …

The gist of the theme was that The Lord of Misrule was having a party … but he hadn’t invited The Holly King or nature. Well … nature wasn’t having that and decided to come anyway. In the end they all got on fine and had a great time 😀

Once we’d finished the tour it was time to drop off our lanterns and head back outside …

… where the sun was still shining ..,

There was just time for a visit to the cafe for lunch and a quick look round the shop before continuing our journey on to York … for plenty more festive activities 🎄🎄🎄

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Christmas Charm & Historic Halls #2 :: Upton House & Gardens

Hi there everyone 😀

Our jaunt out for my 61st birthday took us on our 2nd National Trust visit of the week before we headed off for our week in York.

It was another property we hadn’t been to before and it was the first this year that we’d visited that was all decked out for the festive season.

We were off to see Christmas at Upton House and Gardens, near Banbury. It was a bit of a drive but it was somewhere we’d seen signs for, when passing, a number of times … and it seemed the perfect option for a birthday treat.

The theme for the Christmas displays this year was Aesop’s fables, with the house being decorated with enchanting displays inspired the 18th century fable candlesticks in Upton’s collection. The candlesticks themselves were absolutely stunning but, as they were behind glass, I didn’t manage to get a decent photograph … though you can find lots of images on line.

From the story of the fox that cried ‘sour grapes’ to the vain jackdaw who pretended to be a peacock … each display is inspired by one of the 18th-century fable candlesticks

The first thing we saw when entering the front door was this very impressive hand woven tapestry of the tiger from one of the fables. It had been made especially for the event and was absolutely stunning …

This was the fox crying sour grapes …

… and the vain jackdaw …

I didn’t capture which fables all of the displays were representing but they were all really fabulous …

After getting into the Christmas spirit we headed outside for a bit of a wander in the sunshine …

The gardeners had been hard at work getting ready for spring …

Because of the time of year there wasn’t loads to see in the gardens but they would definitely be impressive in the spring or summer …

We didn’t go right down to the bottom but the views across the garden and the open countryside were amazing … the views back up to the house really showed just how impressive a home it must have been …

From the house, looking across the ha-ha you wouldn’t even know the garden was there. 

We had a quick wander across the terrace before heading for the restaurant for a warm up and a bit of a pitstop …

We’d had a really good visit. We’d been lucky with the weather and it was great to have seen another new property and decorated for Christmas too 🎄🎄🎄

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Lodge Life :: August 2025

Hi there everyone 😀

We began August still in the midst of our three-week stay at the lodge.

With David, Alison and Bobby having come and gone, we had a few quiet days to do a swift ‘changeover’ before Jackie and Phil arrived for a long weekend. Those in-between days were very relaxed …  although we did make it out to The Gallery in Llanbedrog for lunch, using a voucher I’d been given by friends for my birthday back in November …

Once Jackie and Phil arrived, the pace picked up again with another jam-packed itinerary of outings and adventures. After four full days of fun, we waved them off and settled back into lodge life for the final few days of our break.

One of our last outings was to the airport café at Caernarfon, where we happily timed it with ‘Pizza Friday’ … the perfect treat …

We were also spoiled with plenty of airport activity while we ate, and the highlight was definitely watching the coastguard helicopter take off right in front of us …

We rounded off our summer stay with a quick stop at Caffi Prysor in Trawsfynydd, where we enjoyed lunch with a lovely view … the perfect way to end our time away …

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