It's been a while since I did a travel or holiday type post but I'm back and this time I've been to the Cotswolds!
Me and the mothership decided earlier this year to book a girly break away and take my two pooches: Harry and Olive. When looking for an area to go walking, with quaint villages and pretty scenery the Cotswolds popped up and looked ideal!
The accommodation we chose is Parys Lodge (because, how cute does it look right!?), situated within the grounds of the owner's home with walks on your doorstop, it's beautifully secluded and set within miles and miles of beautiful rural countryside with quiet bridleways and footpaths. It's equally in a convenient spot to walk to the village pub!
The lodge itself is beautifully decorated with modern amenities that include wifi, wood burner, bbq and Nespresso machine to name a few and we instantly felt welcome, cosy and at home when we got there.
The kitchen and living area are small but cosy and the perfect amount of space for the two of us. We both loved the way the lodge was decorated; being fresh, light and inviting. We definitely made the most of the wood burning fire and Nespresso machine during our stay too!
Another thing that was great about the lodge is that you could have two dogs. A lot of places will only take one but thankfully Parys Lodge will accommodate two and as you can see, Harry and Olive very quickly made themselves at home!
Another thing to note is the lodge can sleep 4 with one double bed and two single beds. Naturally I opted for the single bed and gave mama the double! We also hadn't realised that the master bedroom has an en suite which meant mum and I had our own bathrooms each. Result! We also discovered the the beds were equipped with electric blankets which we also utilized, turning off the heating and enjoying the heat from the log burner before coming down to lovely cool bedrooms to sleep in but with the added cosiness of warm bedding. It felt like such a treat to get into and certainly helped us get a good nights sleep.
The lodge was the perfect space and size for the two of us and the dogs to retreat to and relax after a long day of walking. We'd pop the log burner on and listen to it crackle away and enjoy a glass of wine or two whilst our pizzas cooked in the over. On one of the evenings however we did frequent the local pub; a short walk away and enjoyed a hearty meal with drinks; somewhere I'd recommend going if you choose to stay here!
As previously mentioned there are walks literally on your doorstop from the lodge, so we were able to ditch the car and head out for the day on beautiful walks.
This enclosed field is a 5 minute walk from the accommodation and was perfect for letting the dogs off to run and stretch their legs before a day of walking began. During our stay we did part of the Wychavon Walk and were able to explore the beautiful Worcestershire countryside with its peaceful waterways and scenic views with a sheep or two.
This is the route we ended up taking and could have walked further but with it being February time the light was soon lost by 4:30 pm. Wychavon Walk is in fact 40 miles in total and starts in Holt Fleet by the River Severn so there's plenty of parts to pick up and do on various visits- something I definitely want to do with my husband Chris!
Another place that's well worth a visit and just a 20 minute drive is Broadway. A lot of people had recommended this place and for good reason. It's incredibly quaint and the epitome of what quintessentially English means to me. I felt like I was on the set of the film The Holiday!
Broadway is often referred to as the "jewel of the Cotswolds" and I can see why! Both mum and I fell in love with how quaint the properties were and cooed over the cute detailing of each house.
The main street is lined with lots of independent shops, hotels and restaurants as well as plenty of antique shops. It's definitely a place to come for unique gifts or a memento from your holiday.
It was also very dog friendly which for me was a huge tick and because of this it only seemed right that we popped to The Swan for a beverage with the pooches!
This lovely pub is set in the heart of the village and had a a lovely relaxed feel, with plenty of seating to choose from.
Here mum and I toasted to a successful mother daughter trip away and before we knew it, it was sadly time to come home!
I adored this trip and definitely want to explore more of The Cotswolds now so if you have any recommendations on places to visit, do let me know!
I can't recommend our accommodation enough too so if you're looking for a cosy little retreat, definitely check out Parys Lodge.
When you flick through Pinterest do you ever see these idyllic cabins set in the woods with fairy lights and décor gorgeousness then wonder- where are these places? Do they even exist? Well I can confirm that there is such a place IRL located in North Yorkshire and I’ve been lucky enough to stay not once but twice! May I present to you- North Star Club
If you read my post from May last year, you’ll know I had the sheer pleasure of staying in the Moon Suite at North Star Club (which you can read all about here) whereas this time around we were in the hideaway suite known as the Atkinson Grimshaw.
This is the latest suite to join the North Star family, being just a couple of months old and on first impressions I couldn’t get over how stunning it was! Yet again the interiors have been nailed with the green and rose gold décor being a breath of fresh air against the white wash wood. So why is it called a “Hideaway Suite” you ask? Well, this style of cabin is more secluded than the traditional lodges, being entirely surrounded by trees and set back from the others. You get a real sense of seclusion both inside and out of the cabin which makes for a wonderful romantic retreat and place to unwind from the world.
The layout of this suite is a clever use of space but in a different way to the other cabins. This time the emphasis has been put on the bedroom and living space being one large room; all featured around the main attraction- a comfy cosy bed that boasts relaxation in pretty surroundings. I much preferred the dining room also being in the same room as it means you can enjoy the fireplace when both eating or relaxing.
Staying in the lodge was a much needed and welcome break for both Chris and I from our hectic lifestyles and we celebrated the seclusion with candle light, wine and paperback books along with plenty of much needed sleep. We had so much sleep in fact that on our first night we slept a total of 12 hours! Whoops! This just goes to show how tranquil staying in the lodge was and how much we truly relaxed in our surroundings and to me that’s a sign of a good place to stay.
Last time we stayed at North Star we indulged ourselves in eating out at The Star Inn at Sancton; just a couple of miles from the camp but this time we decided to use the lodge to its full potential and eat in. Whoever says eating in is boring hasn’t got an imagination because we went to town on our menu! The first night we had a feast of minted lamb chops, greek yoghurt, couscous, hummous, salad and more all accompanied by red wine and it as sensational. Chris cooked the lamb on the BBQ to perfection and by the time we were finished our bellies were at bursting point. And we didn’t stop there with the food- oh no. The following morning we were feasting on smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels with bucks fizz. We take our eating very seriously! If you don’t want to eat in there is always a wonderful selection of restaurants recommended on the North Star website.
Before heading out for the day, the Wood Shed is a great place to get a hit of coffee and a slab of cake to start the day right. Coffee and cake is provided on honesty bar basis which I think is a great idea and means you can come down whenever suits you.
Here is also where you can pick up extra communal pots and pans for cooking or just come and relax in the lounge area or at the grand wooden table. I imagine this area is pretty perfect for groups of people coming away together and is another stunning space to be in as well as your cabin.
One of my favourite parts of staying at North Star has to be the cabin wood burner so naturally we spent our second night toasting marshmallows over the flames and cosying up listening to the fire crackle and burn. Its little things like this that make staying here so special and create memories to look back on fondly.
Overall North Star yet again did not disappoint with its luxurious glamping site. I feel like we made more of a point of unwinding this time around and I can honestly say its probably the most relaxed I’ve been staying away from home. As I mentioned before when I did a write up the only thing for me that it is lacking is the dog friendly element but that is out of North Star’s hands; being a decision made by the land owners. I know Harry would have loved to come and stay too but alas it was not meant to be and instead he went on a dog holiday to my mama’s.
If you want to see more of what we got up to during our stay be sure to watch the vlog below!
