Compton Castle

 Another day, another National Trust. No change here!

The second leg of our journey to deepest darkest Devon featured a stop off at Compton Castle. Another nice little break to our journey, even though there was no cafe, much to our disappointment, we were all gasping for a cup of tea!

The castle and gardens on the other hand, as you can see, did not disappoint. Who wouldn't fall in love with a castle like this, which is still lived in! 

Tutbury Castle

This Bank Holiday Weekend we went to Tutbury Castle near Burton upon Trent for their Pirate day! It was a bit dull, rained heavily in the morning but the sun did come out in the afternoon. We packed a picnic which we ate in the car before venturing out to find some fun things to see and do.

We found some duelling pirates, falconry, a sand pit and a ruined castle which was once a prison to Mary Queen of Scots.

And some donkeys... before heading home for an enormous and scrumptious Sunday Roast.

What a lovely Sunday.

Hazlewood Castle

Dan made a last minute booking only a few days before the wedding, to whisk me off to a medieval castle on the outskirts of York. Rich in history and acres of parkland, this castle was the absolute perfect place to stay for our special weekend.

We didn't arrive until the evening, as we had spent the whole day in York. But once we did arrive, we were upgraded to a Master Suite. Our very own bedroom, sitting room and enormous bathroom. I had a lovely soak in the bath (after the past few days, my body was not coping very well at all!) before setting down in the HUGE bed.

In the morning we got up and walked around the castle to the restaurant for breakfast. We packed the car up and went for a stroll around the grounds. The weather was glorious, and I wore one of the dresses Dan gave to me as a wedding gift.

We drove back in to York for more exploring before coming home to the pile of wedding gifts that awaited us!