Last week my boyfriend and I spent the week with his family in two quaint little country towns. Still new enough to the beauty of Scotland and northern England I drove to the various areas with eyes wide and a bubble of joy bubbling within me. Although most of our journey was along the main motorways, we veered into the beautiful rural areas where I wasn't disappointed with the scenery. For those of you unfortunate souls who have not experienced the often fairytale like appearance of the country, you have not lived. It is really no surprise that Scotland and northern England are used for well respected films such as Harry Potter and television series like Dr. Who. With rolling hills whose natural creases show both their age and the changes to the landscape over the years. The deep green trees create a texture and the illusion of a hairy hill. The scattered farm animals lazily graze with the occasional one reaching over the fence for the longer, less tasted grass as they too want to try something new. Passing over the glens I spied the grassy desert that stretched further than the Roman straight roads covered. Scenery like this may bore others who crave the busy rush of the city life, but I love driving along the roads and seeing the slopes and falls of nature's base.
Our little trip was not without its challenges as we fought with the Sat Nav (TomTom Fail!) and ended up in areas that weren't that suitable for a car, especially one as low as mine! On these little detours we cursed and swore at 'Julie' - the name that Andy gave my Sat Nav - but she showed us some pretty views.
During our break we spent two weekends at Allendale town and five nights at Bankfoot, both beautifully quaint villages. In Allendale town we resided at Andy's grandfather's house whose bank sloped down into the embankment of the village's little stream. Taking Chloë - read Playing 'mummy' for a week - for a walk around the stream we burned off some energy. Strolling along the sandy path we brushed aside the overgrown vegetation and proclaimed our victory as we scampered down the little rocky path to the water's edge. As it was a beautifully sunny day we let Chloë paddle in the water in her top and underwear but very promptly she stripped naked and proclaimed that she could 'now swim like the little fishies'! We couldn't help but laugh.
Our time at Bankfoot was spent mostly outdoors when the weather was permitting. Chloë and I enjoyed collecting the freshly laid duck eggs from Andy's mom's ducks. Being a city girl the little country routines are still enjoyable to me. On the first morning that we collected the eggs, Chloë happily thanked the ducks for the eggs before finishing off with 'I go eat your egg now '. She hadn't quite realised what the egg was...
It was a lovely time away that allowed me to get to know Andy's family better and see some of the beauty that Scotland and northern England have to offer.