Welsh Weekender

Hello and a happy springtime to my readers! Can it really be true, are we out of the winter darkness at last? March is my favourite time of the year (maybe because of my birthday being on the 17th....the big 28 *squeeeeeal!*) for the spring flowers popping up, the hope of longer days and the inspiration to blow those winter cobwebs away!

I have just returned from a lovely weekend in Cardiff, with a visit to Ogmore beach and castle. Happily on this trip we avoided any rain, which made the dog walking all the more enjoyable. Our friends have a Shiba Inu puppy which who I was very over excited to meet, she such a good little girl! This was her first trip to the beach and she really enjoyed all the new smells and textures - wasn't too sure about clambering over the rocks (neither was I, hence I lagged behind taking pictures!) so she did need a pick-up at certain points, cutie!

 So the foodie scene in Wales is pretty mega. I mean, check out that welsh breakfast! Good job we did a lot of walking! We went to a Korean restaurant in the evening which had tabletop BBQ's - a completely new experience for me! So many tasty side dishes too, I loved the pickled seaweed and the kimchi pancake the best! Yum! The beautiful Easter eggs are from my favourite shop in Cardiff, Wally's Delicatessen - love the mix of traditional styles alongside dinosaurs, got all important bases covered! So many delicious food and drink items to buy at Wally's, make sure you drop in if you're in the neighbourhood!

We had a lovely weekend, hope you also got outside in the fresh air and had all the good foods too!

Thanks for reading,

Katie

Back To Lovely Lyme Regis

My final holiday of the year was to my favourite coastal town, Lyme Regis in Dorset. We have learnt over the years that September is a brilliant time to go, and happily we were again lucky with the weather, with only some threatening skies. As soon as I step on the beach I feel at home, and as we've been heading here for six years now I do have some favoured holiday habits. I like to walk Mia along The Cobb and the beach by 8 o'clock in the morning so it's still quiet apart from the screeching seagulls. I like to the visit the fresh fish shop at the seafront to buy dinner, before stopping at the bakery on the highstreet for warm croissants or fresh crusty bread for breakfast. All very lovely and lazy treats, I'm sure you can see why we keep returning! If you like a quieter seaside town I can't recommend it highly enough.

I am missing walking on those pebbles already! Now October is here the wind has already got colder, time to bundle up and get ready for the real Autumn to begin!

Thanks for popping by,

Katie

Early Morning Lyme Regis

'A very strange stranger it must be, who does not see charms in the immediate environs of Lyme, to make him wish to know it better.'

Jane Austin, Persuasion.

I was overjoyed to find myself back in dear Lyme Regis last week. It's truly a place I will never tire of heading too, for as soon as I walk on those cobbles or sit on that curved, perilous Cobb (sea wall), I feel at home. We were exceedingly lucky with the weather as it tended to rain overnight and leave the days sunny, so I made the most of it and got up early to explore. Despite us always going off-season to avoid the summer holiday crowds and prices, it is still busy this time of year so this is a rare time to have it all to yourself! Mia is still a little nervous in busy places, so to avoid her being stepped on or bothered I always walked her as early as possible so we could both enjoy the views to their full potential! The above photo is taken in the Jane Austin gardens which sit above the seafront, a very pleasant escape from the hustle and bustle during the day, take a picnic lunch and enjoy gazing across the front.

I had the entire Cobb to myself many of the walks, and I always picture The French Lieutenants woman stood gazing out to sea, her cloak being whipped by the breeze! The amazingly perilous steps in the above photo are called 'Granny's Teeth', I can't say I saw anyone attempting to ascent or descend them during my stay! Neither was I willing to give it a try! I never fail to be amazed by the unique design of The Cobb, the earliest drawings which match this design of wall date to 1539 - truly amazing! One stormy morning I saw waves breaking right over the end, it is surely a unique piece of British heritage! 

Just past The Cobb lies Monmouth Beach which is luckily dog friendly, so Mia could tear after the seagulls to her hearts content! She wasn't so keen on the water (after accidentally taking a dip in West Whittering!) so stayed cautiously away from the waves, gazing at them in a rather thoughtful manner instead - I would love to know what is going through her mind when she see's all these new places!

Hope this might encourage some early alarm clocks if you ever stay in Lyme, it's truly worth it!

Back with some more seaside capers very soon!

Katie

West Wittering - Mia's First Trip To The Beach!

Oh how I do like to be beside the seaside! I couldn't wait to finally escape to the sea and walk barefoot on a proper sandy beach, It's been far too long. West Wittering is just over an hour from home so it's the perfect place to head to for the day, but we were lucky enough to stay with a friend in her gorgeous quirky house. 

It was officially Mia'a first trip to the seaside, or I assume it was after three years living in Bucharest! The photo above was the first chance she got to see the noisy moving monster, and after a lot of sniffing she seemed to decide she quite liked it. One of the big draws of The Witterings are the miles of lovely walks over wetland, beach, sand dunes and country lanes, which is what we headed out to explore. Three hours later we were all rather knackered and dreaming of dry socks, a cup of tea and a sit down, but in a happy contented manner! We stumbled across this tiny beach spot, and would have sat for a picnic if the weather was better! I loved this dramatic tree thats been shaped by the elements, there was also the rope swing of childhood dreams! The water was quite calm so Mia and Holly (the Working Cocker Spaniel) could have a paddle and explore the beach and all the smelly seaweed they wanted!

As always with my trips to the coast, I am on the lookout for wild plants and flowers I don't usually see at home. The land around the pebble beaches has been left natural so it's full of wildlife and would be a great place for bird spotters! Apparently there are usually plenty of Oyster Catchers but I wasn't lucky enough to see them this time, amazing how much bird song you can hear instead of just gulls squawking! I love walking amongst the towering Thistles and variety of grasses, this is the terrain I am happiest in!

Luckily the second day was a scorcher and the raincoats could be left behind! We headed to the dog friendly beach early as we knew it would be getting very busy and Mia still needs reassurance when it's too hectic! But along the walk we found some gorgeous cottages to be added to the "Dream Home" wish list! I loved the patterned thatching on Rose Cottage, and the woven pheasants on the roof are such a great twist! All the houses are so different in the area - chocolate box cottages, 'Grand Designs' type new builds, ex council properties and even beautiful New England style homes with porches, so something for everyone! We headed back to the sand dunes for the dogs to have a run around, Mia was very over excited when she finally stepped paw on the sand!

Here is Mia being barmy on the beach! She was trying to avoid getting wet but she fell into a deep bit after the photo above, hence her running like a bat out of hell afterwards! She was on a training line as her recall is still dodgy and she can suddenly forget her name when something more interesting crops up! Personally I think she suits the 'Salty Seadog' look perfectly! 

Happy days indeed! Even happier now we have decided to look for a holiday home in the area, this could be a regular haunt for us - rather exciting!

Hope you've had a good July apart from all this barmy rainy weather! Thanks for reading,

Katie