Trip Day 23 - London Baby...AllyPally

We've enjoyed a few leisurely days, taking it easy as we returned the motorhome and picked up a rental car, catching up on sleep, and not venturing too far. But today, today was the day for an early start as we embarked on a journey to London, baby!

Around six months ago, Mum and I had booked tickets to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace, complete with reservations for two exciting classes. We hit the road at 6:30 am, with our first class scheduled for 10 am and a journey of just over two hours ahead of us. Little did we know that London had its own timetable in mind. We found ourselves stuck on the M11 in Essex for a good hour and a half, and though we were fortunate enough to secure parking at Ally Pally, we had missed our first class by a good 40 minutes. It seemed like there were a few others who had faced delays, as the first hour at the show was delightfully uncrowded, but the crowds soon swelled, and navigating the venue became quite the challenge!

One of the highlights of the show was the kaleidoscope of colours everywhere you looked. I couldn't help but be mesmerised by a wall adorned with hand-dyed wool, a true feast for the eyes. Another stall offered fabric stamps and dye kits, a unique way to add creativity to fabrics. Mum was thrilled to discover the bead show she frequents online and eagerly explored the offerings, even having the chance to meet the owners in person.

One stall had fabric stamps, where you could buy a kit with dye to use on fabrics, the stamps themselves where really intriguing.

Mum found her bead show she purchases from online, and had a good look around and purchase, and was excited to finally meet the owners in person.

By 1:30 pm, it was time for our afternoon class, during which we learned to create a No-Sew Liberty Print Bauble. 

To be honest, Mum encountered a few challenges, and there was a moment when she humorously declared that she had "lost the will to live" while working on her bauble, as you can probably tell from her expression!

Eventually, it was time to bid farewell to the show. 

We had family to visit before heading back home to Norwich, and our journey involved a bit of traffic but nothing too unbearable. 

We made a successful stop in Brentwood to see the Talbot side of the family, where we spent a delightful hour and a half with some cousins on my Dad's side whom I hadn't seen in years. It was great to learn that they would be visiting New Zealand at Christmas for a holiday, and we're hoping they'll find their way to Wellington for a visit.

Mum and I arrived back in Norwich around 7:30 pm, just in time to heat up some dinner in the Air Fryer. I then dedicated some time playing with Sophie, who needed to burn off some energy before we all headed off to bed. 

Road Trip Day 18 - Melton Mowbray to Norwich

Our final full day on the road has arrived, and we're determined to check off one last bucket list item for Mum. When you're in Melton Mowbray, there's no question about it—you simply must get a Melton Mowbray Pork Pie from Ye Old Pork Pie Shoppe. 

Now, I have to admit that I'm not particularly fond of Pork Pies myself, but I have a soft spot for a good Sausage Roll, and let me tell you, this one was absolutely outstanding!

After a satisfying breakfast, it was time for us to hit the road. Our destination: Desborough, where we visited the Wacoal Bra Factory. This is a regular stop for Mum and me. The lovely ladies at the factory even remembered us from last year when we arrived in the motorhome. They graciously allowed us to park at the factory entrance, where the trucks typically roll in. Such kind people!

The drive back was pleasant, and we spent a good two hours unloading the motorhome and finding suitable spots for all our purchases. To cap off the evening, we decided to order dinner via Uber Eats—a convenient way to conclude our day.

Road Trip Day 17 - Stoke-on-Trent to Melton Mowbray

As our road trip nears its end, we find ourselves with just one more night before returning to Norwich. Today, being a Sunday, we decided to take it easy and enjoy a leisurely start to the day. With approximately two hours of driving ahead, we hit the road around 11 am. As we left Stoke-on-Trent, an intriguing sign for a farm shop caught our attention, and after a somewhat disappointing experience a few days prior, we thought, "Why not give it a try?" Well, this time, it didn't disappoint one bit. Our time at Denstone Hall Farm Shop & Café was so enjoyable that I was too engrossed to take photos, so I've borrowed a few from the web (thanks, Google).

Denstone Hall Farm Shop & Café holds the title of "Best Large Farm Shop & Cafe in the UK" for 2019, 

(I did manage to get this photo though)

After our delightful farm shop visit, we headed south to Leicester. This was a perfect opportunity to stock up the motorhome with various bulk items from Costco and grab some reasonably priced diesel. Our Costco shopping spree was quite successful, with £400 worth of goods filling up the motorhome's "boot." We acquired paper towels, toilet paper, rolled oats, cranberry juice, clothing, crisps, and much more!

Following our shopping adventures, we made our way to our campground for the night. We're staying at a new site in Melton Mowbray called The Grange, which boasts a garden center, café, and restaurant on its premises. Given that it was Sunday and the clock was approaching 3:30 pm, we thought a Sunday Roast at the restaurant would be the perfect choice. Is it a late lunch or an early dinner? We'll call it "Lunner." We opted for the shared Sunday Roast, and beef it was. It was a delightful experience, spending an hour or two indulging in delicious food, all within a stone's throw from our motorhome.

The campground itself had a lot to offer in the charming town of Melton Mowbray.

Overall, it was a wonderful way to spend our final night in the motorhome, with great food and a comfortable setting to cap off our memorable road trip.

Road Trip Day 16 - Stoke-on-Trent, A day visiting the Pottery outlet stores

Mum and I have a deep fondness for our visits to Stoke-on-Trent, particularly for its pottery outlet stores. We were here last year as well, but this time, I discovered a couple of additional outlets for us to explore, and they certainly lived up to our expectations.

Our first stop took us to The World of Wedgwood, a place of significance since Wedgwood owns Royal Doulton, which happens to be the brand of our dinner set. What's fantastic about this place is their worldwide shipping option for anything you buy at the shop, and it comes with a flat fee, not to mention the exclusion of VAT. It's truly a great deal. Furthermore, considering that Fiskars now owns Wedgwood, I managed to purchase some excellent gardening pop-up bags that aren't available back home, along with some high-quality knives and cutting mats for my craft studio. All of this was included in the set shipping price. The icing on the cake was the additional £30 savings, thanks to the  exclusion of VAT.

Across the way, we made the delightful choice to indulge in an "Afternoon Tea" for our lunch. Wedgwood proved to be an excellent setting for our afternoon tea, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience of sipping tea and savouring the delectable treats.

As it turned out, we spent a delightful 2.5 hours at Wedgwood, making it a perfect start to our day. Following that, we made our way to Portmeirion Pottery, which also features Spode products. It was an amazing outlet stop, and I highly recommend visiting this store if you're in the area. Just keep in mind that they don't offer overseas shipping, so your suitcase might have a limited capacity if you're flying home!

Next on our itinerary were Middleton and Burleigh Potteries. These historic factories are still actively producing pottery in the traditional way right here in Stoke-on-Trent. They are responsible for crafting pottery for the royal family and esteemed brands like Fortnum and Masons, Crabtree and Evelyn, among others. We always enjoy visiting this location because every time we go, there's something new and appealing available at great prices. Today was no exception as they were having a clearance sale, and I managed to snag a large jug that was originally priced at £150 for just £20. I couldn't find anything wrong with it, so I was thrilled with the bargain.

Our last pottery stop was at Middleton Potteries. While we had a great time here, it wasn't inside the store but rather outside. There happened to be a football game on, which led to a shortage of parking spaces, and while going around the block we ended up driving through all the crowds outside the stadium. After three attempts to enter the shop, it seemed like fate had other plans, as it had closed by our third pass. It just wasn't meant to be this time!

Road Trip Day 15 - Mum's Birthday, Bakewell to Stoke-on-Trent

Our morning commenced in the picturesque town of Bakewell, and there was a special reason for our visit—it's Mum's 80th Birthday today! Bakewell had been on her bucket list for quite some time, particularly because one of her favorite treats is the Bakewell Tart. As we began our day, our first stop was at "The Bakewell Tart Shop," where I picked up a large Bakewell tart adorned with a heartfelt "Happy Birthday" message just for her.

Afterward, we made our way to a charming tea house to enjoy a delightful morning tea. To our pleasant surprise, they had a special dog menu for Sophie, and she indulged in a tasty salmon chew.

Bakewell unquestionably ranks among the most picturesque villages to explore. We spent a delightful hour or so taking in the village's beauty before setting our course towards Stoke-on-Trent, where we'll be spending the night.

We reached our campground around 3 pm and decided to take a short break. Sophie enjoyed a leisurely walk around the park, while I took care of the power and gas setup. After about an hour, Mum expressed her preference for Fish and Chips for dinner instead of dining out at a restaurant. So, we ventured into Cheadle to find a fish and chip shop. The return trip only took us 30 minutes, which wasn't too bad, and we also made a quick stop at Morrisons to pick up some supplies.

Here is a time-lapse video of our journey today:

Road Trip Day 14 - Skipton to Newtown (Derbyshire)

Today has been quite an extraordinary day. We departed from Skipton in the morning, journeying south on the M60, making a stop at my absolute favourite house in the UK—Lyme Park.

My initial visit to this magnificent estate dates back to the 90s when it served as the iconic Pemberley in the BBC's 1996 adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Reflecting on this visit, I realised it must have been at least my fourth time here. I have an immense affection for this region, spanning Derbyshire and Cheshire, where the landscape never fails to take my breath away.

I had the pleasure of picking up a few items from the shop, always a pleasant experience. Mum, on the other hand, opted for a break and stayed with Sophie in the motorhome.

Our journey then led us to the charming area of Bakewell, though we decided to save the exploration of Bakewell itself for tomorrow. Here's a time-lapse capturing our day's adventure:

Road Trip Day 13 - Skipton Markets and Skipton

We were eagerly looking forward to the Skipton Markets, both of us reminiscing about our visits from years ago, recalling fond memories of strolling through the bustling stalls.

Since the markets didn't open until 10 am, it allowed for a later start to the day—something I could definitely get used to, I must say. Moreover, we had done some research and discovered a place nearby where Sophie could have her nails tended to. To make things convenient, we found a parking spot close to all the places we intended to explore.

Our first stop was Sophie's nail appointment, and we were pleasantly surprised by the lovely store and the groomers who instantly fell in love with Sophie. She behaved impeccably, and the grooming session was completed swiftly. With Sophie comfortably seated in her pram, we excitedly made our way to the markets, only to be met with a somewhat disappointing sight. There were hardly any stalls, to our chagrin—perhaps six at most, with two of them selling identical items, notably oversized dog beds that could easily accommodate 20 Sophies!

Nevertheless, we made the most of our visit by exploring the charming shops along the High Street. We also stumbled upon a delightful covered side lane adorned with local stores, and our day took a sweet turn when we came across a charming cake shop known as "The Cake'ole."

What a selection of cakes they had too.

Mum had some fruit toast with jam, and I had a scone with jam and clotted cream

The remainder of the afternoon was devoted to leisurely window shopping. I found myself tempted by some exquisite curtain fabric that would be perfect for our dining room back home. 

Afterward, we made our way back to the campground. During the journey, I couldn't resist the urge to capture a photograph of the mesmerising fountain nestled within the beautiful Bolton Abbey park—truly a sight to behold.

Tonight, we had a delightful time with Sophie, enjoying her reaction as she savoured the Venison Chews I had brought all the way from New Zealand. Later in the evening, she attempted to snuggle up behind Mum, but it quickly became apparent that there simply wasn't enough room for her adorable antics.