Porth Dyniewaid

Prepare for HELLA photos. Snagging two days away from work was one of the best things I did in August and I've been dying to share these snaps with you ever since! I visited Wales for the first time as an adult last year, as Alex's family live in Colwyn. We paid them a visit, explored Llandudno and Conwy which was so beautiful but nothing compared to this year's trip, not even the gloriously green camping trip to Balloch of '16.

There are quite a few photos in this post so scroll slowly, soak up this beauty and see if you can spot any lil sea mammals in the pictures of Porth Dyniewaid (or Angel Bay, donned by the locals) at the end of our trip! They were sooo hard to find.

arriva trains in sunshine

chips by the sea

On the first night in Colwyn we got some chips, as you do by the seaside and headed down to the beach. It's not been super warm for August but there was little wind and only a couple of passing clouds which made for the most incredible sunset.

We made a b-line for the quietest part of the beach like the hermit crabs we are and watched as the sun set behind the hills. Every now and then a train would go past at just the right angle to reflect the golden light, like a big, rumbling glow worm.

walking on beach alone

girl eating chips

girl eating chips on seafront

In case you were wondering, I enjoyed my chips v much.

Colwyn Bay Seafront

Colwyn Bay Seafront

Sunset at Colwyn

girl in front of sunset, wales

We slept at Alex's Grandad's that night, who literally lives in the middle of nowhere with no wi-fi and not even a bar of phone signal which I gotta admit, was actually so lovely.

Disconnecting guilt-free was something neither of us had experienced in a while. His Grandad lives in a big barn conversion complete with wooden beams and thick walls, away from light and noise pollution and well... any type of pollution. My asthmatic lungs could've jumped with joy.

When night fell, we headed up to the surrounding fields, home to old cars, cows, sheep and a large barn, marvelling at the stars for a long time. A few days later the sat nav would tell us that we were at 900ft above sea level which is pretty high for a house, I think.

How beautiful is this garden?

House with flowers in front

High up field with a view

High up field with a view

A week before this trip, Alex had spotted a tent in Argos for just under £20. I cracked up because he was so eager to get his hands on it and we had no plans to go to a festival (though I wish we'd got to go to Leeds festival again) or anywhere we'd need a tent, so I was pretty insistent that we didn't need it, but I caved.

So glad I did- the carrying it home from work in the pouring rain in my lil' arms, was worth it as we slept so soundly at his friend's leaving party the next night.

So we headed through Abergele, up the longest driveway ever to an awesome ranch-looking house on another beautiful hill and pitched our tent. A whole herd of cows came over to watch us pitch our tent which was hilarious. My favourite was a black cow with a huge bogey, who kept mooing when I looked over.

I didn't get a lot of pictures this night but let's just say there was a lot of whisky, an insanely good vegan BBQ and far too much axe swinging.

camping inside tent

Cute white cow behind tree

Campfire

View from the hilltop

Out of tent door view

Two nights already down and work the next day, we packed up once we woke up and relaxed with some friends (new and old) before heading back into Colwyn Bay for some of the most beautiful scenery yet.

We spent some time with Alex's family which was soooo nice and they took us to Porth Dyniewaid (Angel Bay). It was prettttty windy on top of that cliff though not as bad as my coastal hometown, and all I could see was beautiful shore and sea for miles. Literally miles and miles and miles.

See if you can spot any seals in these pictures! There was a ball floating in the water which they'd been playing with, popping up everywhere haha.

Blue water and coast cliffs

Welsh coastline

Looking out to sea, wales

We devoured Chinese food and then I had to get a train home alone which sucked, leaving was the worst thing ever. Alex stayed behind with his family for a few extra days. The journey home was made much better by some of my current favourite podcasts and I slept super well for two nights after, catching up on rest!

Have you ever been to Wales? Where's your favourite spot in the UK?


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blue butterfly on arm

When I was a kid, the only things I used to draw were rainbows and butterflies. So original, I know. There's always been something about these little creatures that have drawn me to them, from their symmetry to their beautiful colour and how calming they are to watch! Playing Animal Crossing (which I still do now) I'd go around catching all the butterflies, reading their info cards.

I remember a few times as a child I'd find injured butterflies in the garden which I learned at the Butterfly House usually just means they are old and withered, putting them into open Tuppaware boxes filled with leaves, grass, flowers and bottle caps of water.

Sometimes they'd pick up and take off again much to my bittersweet dismay but getting to stare at them while they recovered was one of my favourite past times.

orange butterfly on leaves

man in plants at butterfly house

I've known about this butterfly house for a such long time but never been to visit! So when I managed to snag a rainy afternoon off work, Alex and I took the train to Lancaster, making the uphill walk from the station to Williamson Park.

I have never seen so much beauty all moving about in one room before! The Butterfly House was basically a large, walled greenhouse. The climate was hot, about 30 degrees and humid but not uncomfortable, so I soon got used to it.

Big blue wings glittered all over the walls, ceiling and pops of orange, yellow and red flew past. One of the creatures had wings that looked like an owl's face when they were open, so awesome.

blue butterfly on leaf

girl touching plants and butterflies

girl in greenhouse

I celebrate Earth Day everyday in my life so let me tell ya, I was in my ELEMENT at this moment.

Huuuuuuge banana leaves (if you look closely you will see teeny, tiny pearl-like butterfly eggs), wild little ferns and fruit was everywhere for the insects to feed on- I have never felt so at home haha.

In the centre of the room was a white gazebo seating area where I rested for a while to just soak up everything happening around me. This is when my favourite butterfly (the crazy, bright blue one) landed on my flower tattoos. Over, the, moon.

white and green stripy plant

close up of black butterfly

butterfly on banana leaf

butterfly eating fruit

I think next time I visit, because I'm totally coming here again, I'll bring my sketchbook and some watercolours. Being someone who draws a lot of inspiration from nature I was gutted that I didn't bring even my good camera let alone some art supplies, so sorry for the quality of these pictures! 

butterfly on hand and eyes

big banana leaves

If you're local to the area or just swinging by, this exotic Butterfly House is definitely worth a visit. Not only do they conserve these beautiful winged creatures here but Williamson Park is also home to the Pendle Witch trial spot, a gorgeous pond / waterfall area and lots of other creepy crawlies. 

After a brief stop in the café for some hot tea, when walking back to the station, we passed a 'witchy' shop where I bought some Eucalyptus essential oil, which has really helped my breathing and smells incredible! 

Definitely put Lancaster on your list of places to visit in the UK.

Are you a bug fan or do they creep you out? Is there anywhere like this near you that I should visit?!


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Chinese teapot pouring

I sat in this brightly decorated yet crazily calming tea house for a good two hours the other day, barely paying attention to my phone or anyone around me. I've been coming here for almost five years now, from when I started visiting Preston city to now, moving into a place of my own having graduated from university! 

No matter how much changes, the tea house stays the same. The smell of literally hundreds of different teas meets me as I walk in and I'm always greeted so so warmly, sometimes with a hug! I always sit upstairs because I'm a creature of habit, but it's also where the most beautiful paintings are displayed and crazy little old books to read.

reading a tea house menu

round leafed plant on windowsill

We go upstairs and Sam, one of the guys who works here takes our order. Two vegan wraps and a pot of Citrus Rainbow tea (which I think is lemon, apple, hibiscus and some other fruits)! It arrives with agave and lemon, then before we know it, we're almost emptied the amazing bright pink tea- but not before the two wraps arrive along with homemade hummus (plus the biggest side salad you've ever seen).

Seriously, I don't know what they do with these wraps but a wrap has never tasted so freakin' good before.

vegan food on plate and teapot

close up of tea pot and cups

girl drinking tea

coffee table book about animals

The wraps were so good and we were too full to move, so ended up reading the little books that are dotted around the sofa area. I pick up a 2001 Collins book about space which was fascinating and Alex reads about British wildlife, as you do. 

It was refreshing to soak up so much information and images from a book instead of a screen! Strange how it's so normal now to head straight to Google. Making more of an effort to stay conscious of how much I use my phone in everyday life, haha.

comfy white wicker chair

Mystery Tea House Preston

We chilled for a good while longer before heading home. Isn't the decor here so awesome? I believe a lot of the paintings are done by local artists. The teahouse advertises lots of classes on mindfulness, yoga, meditation. It's such a hub for the hippie lifestyle and I'm so down with that- in fact I will be starting some meditation sessions in September when they begin again, just to see if I like it!

If you're ever in Preston you need to visit here as what I've shown you is only a snippet. The little tea house is usually quite busy, but we caught it on a quiet day for once which was just what I needed to clear my mind!

Are there any places like this near you? Where's your favourite place to relax outside of your home?


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underwater rocks, floating in lake windermere

Yesterday was one of the loveliest days of my life, hands down. Not much beats soaking up sunshine in nature, spending the day making friends with strangers and trekking down little footpaths to enjoy clear, warm(ish) waters. The Lake District is where I grew up, so being in familiar surroundings made yesterday just that much better. 

Alex and I headed by train to Windermere, one of my favourite places in the Lake District, to have a swim and get some well deserved chill time as we've both just finished our degrees (I got a 2:1!!). The weather was a fine 25-28C and I could feel my legs radiating heat on the lake shore whenever I stepped out of the water. 

Around us were a few families cooking up kebab sticks on disposable barbecues, sipping on beer and splashing around in the lake. It was pretty peaceful until around dinner time when a few more people had the same idea, but to be in like-minded company was sweet. 
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If you're anything like me, trips away are few and far between! Getting to go away for a few days is such a treat especially if university is taking a toll or I just need to get out of the city. Days out in the Lake District are one my my favourite things do to in summer but it's not often that I get to go somewhere I haven't been before.

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Even us bloggers like to get our hands dirty sometimes. In the hustle and bustle of life, dividing attention between tasks we can forget to take some time out to breathe in the air and actually enjoy it! 

Last weekend I headed out with some friends to the rolling hills of Scotland for a much needed breather.

We spent two nights camping in the vast woodland mountains to the side of Loch Lomond, a place I'd not actually heard of until our visit! The weather held up for us despite a few freaking scary flashes of lightening on the first night (do you know how scary it is in a lightening storm when you're the only thing on the side of the hill?) 
I managed to snap some photos and a short vlog of the trip- when I say some photos, I mean a lot of photos so prepare yourself! Scroll to the bottom for the vlog and subscribe to my YouTube channel if you like it.
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Firstly, prepare yourself for lots of pictures! This weekend I had the pleasure of attending Ulverston town's Retro Rendezvous Festival, an event that celebrates British past, post and pre wartime, transforming the cobbled streets of the small South Lakes town into a 40's, 50's and 60's time warp that everyone can enjoy.

We arrived in the centre of town and were greeted by the thud of drums, morris dancers dressed head to toe in all of the bells and whistles (literally) and the smell of British food stalls. Little Mylo, our pup, came along with us and almost slipped his collar because he was scared of the dancers.

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