Tag: Lifestyle

Weekend in Wales

by CharlRose, posted in Places, Travel

To celebrate Dan’s birthday, we decided to take a trip to Wales and stay in the area of Ruthin in a geopod. This was something that both Dan and I had never done. The pictures on the website looked lovely and it seemed like the perfect getaway for a weekend. The accommodation was called Ty Famau Geo Lodges. We had our very own fire pit and fire heated hot tub.

The pods had no wifi or television which was a lovely change and allowed us to have a bit of a digital detox. The hot tub took around 7 hours to heat up on a wintery, January evening. However, we managed to get the hot tub to around 22 degrees, which was warm and bearable.

The next morning we went to Bala Lake, it was an hour and a half drive from the lodges. We got wrapped up and went for a stroll along the lakeside it was quiet and peaceful. The only people around the lake were locals, kayaking.

We then drove to beautiful Betws-Y-Coed, the views on the way there were amazing. Huge pillow-like hills and winding roads.

We were hoping to find an old traditional welsh pub for some food but sadly due to COVID the places that were open were very limited. After a lot of searching we found an old family ran pub which was heavenly to look at but sadly the food was disappointing to say the least.

Betws-Y-Coed was quaint little village, the beautiful forest views in the background were giving me Decode by Paramore vibes. I loved the dark, creepy atmosphere and the misty hills made it perfect for some dark aesthetic photography.

Back at the lodge, we had a dip in the hot tub with a red wine and a night of trivia quizzes and music.

The next day we wanted some late breakfast or some lunch locally, but again the search was strenuous. We ended up at a strange little ‘pub’ at the bottom of mount snowdon. I say ‘pub’ but it was actually a mans home. He kindly offered Dan and I a spot in-front of his fire with a delightful cup of coffee. He recommended a pub in Caernarfon called ‘The Black Boy Inn‘. A very questionable name for a pub but nevertheless the food was amazing! It was exactly what we had been looking for.

We had a wonderful weekend and I would highly recommend the lodges and all of the places I have mentioned in this blog post. To follow my new instagram page click the following link earlgrey_aesthetics.

The Cosy Cotswolds pt 1

by CharlRose, posted in Travel

I’m back with another UK travel blog post, this time in the Cotswolds. I have wanted to visit the Cotswolds for as long as a can remember. Everyone that I have spoke to have said that it would be my idea of a dream location. The oldie worldie stone brick houses, toy town villages and the sprightly country air , what more could I ask for?

A few months ago, my boyfriend and I decided to book a little weekend away together. We was both feeling a little bit stressed with work and we needed a break, a change of scenery to relax and escape reality. We set off on a Friday afternoon expecting to hit some traffic, but luckily we completely sailed through and made it to Burford in 2 hours.

We arrived at our hotel The Lambs Inn, it was in a lovely quiet area 2 miles from Bourton-on-the-Water. After the journey, we wanted to freshen up and eat, so we booked a table in the hotel’s restaurant. I was ready for a glass of red wine and some hearty, wholesome food. I had a sirloin steak and Dan went for a traditional fish and chips. The food was very tasty but the great quality red wine was even tastier.

The next day, we came up with a rough agenda of the places that we wanted to visit so that we could fit in as much sightseeing as we could. Bibury was the first place on the agenda. Bibury is a quaint little village with gorgeous scenery and lots of sleepy cottages dotted around the outskirts.

We discovered that we could get free parking for the day if we visited The Trout Farm. The Trout farm was a lovely little spot where you can feed, catch and buy fresh fish from the farmers market every Saturday and Sunday. BBQ’s are available to book and you can have a gathering of up to 12 people. I thought this was a great concept, now that restrictions are lifting, I think it would be a perfect social setting for a warm, sunny day.

After having a little look around The Tout Farm, we wandered into Bibury to have a browse around the village. The cottages were so cute and picturesque, I was ready to pack my bags and move to the country.

We hadn’t eaten breakfast and was feeling a little peckish so we decided to find a little coffee shop/post office to pick up a coffee and a homemade sausage roll, it was delicious!

The market town of Stow-on-the-Wold is one of the best places to visit in the Cotswolds. When we arrived it was very busy so we sat and enjoyed a lovely refreshing drink at the The Bell pub. We sat in these adorable little pods with cushions and blankets, it created the perfect cosy atmosphere for an afternoon tipple.

Stow-on-the-Wold is a great place to do a spot of window shopping there are lots of bakeries, butchers, clothing stores, antique shops and little quirky cosmetics stores.

  • P

We followed our walk with an afternoon tea at Lucy’s Tea Room. The tea room can also get very busy so you might have to be prepared to wait for a table, but the warm scones and extensive choice of cakes are to die for!

Cotswolds blog post part 2 coming soon.

Little Trip To The Lakes

by CharlRose, posted in Travel

Well hello there, long time no speak. I know, I have been pretty non-existent in the past year. I can’t believe its been that long! However, I think we can all agree that it has been a very strange year. I went through a stage of feeling really uninspired and had little motivation to write about, well, anything to be quite honest. Despite lockdown being a really difficult and sad time for many, I managed to find some good to come out of it. I met someone pretty special (Dan), spent more quality time with my family and focussed a lot more on my health and fitness.

Lockdown was slowly coming to an end, so my boyfriend and I decided to take an impromptu trip to the Lake District. Given, he did most of the planning and driving but I supplied the music as the passenger DJ.

First, we stopped off in Grasmere for a walk and had some delicious gingerbread from Sarah Nelson’s Gingerbread bakery. Sadly, the bakery itself was closed but Dan had it sent to his house so we could enjoy it on the day. I have to say the atmosphere in Grasmere was a little eerie, it was a literal ghost town. It felt so strange because I can imagine before lockdown, it would have been bustling with locals and tourists.

After that, we drove a little further out to Seascale. The drive itself was an adventure – 30% inclines and declines, near enough the entire way. When we arrived, we found a small area of land close to the water to set up our camp chairs and table. The scenery was beautiful. It was a bitterly cold day so we made sure we were wrapped up and brought a soft throw to keep us warm.

Dan then went on to surprise me with a little picnic basket of goodies. Basically, all my favourite food and snacks. We even topped off our lunch with a little glass of prosecco.

It was so lovely to get out and do something a little bit different. We felt like we’d had a proper, full day out and it was great to travel again – even if it was only an hour or so away. Now that restrictions are starting to ease, it makes trips out like this possible again. All I can say is, get yourself wrapped up warm and start exploring again!

Bonjour de Lyon!

by CharlRose, posted in Travel

I have been slightly nervous to make this post, as it has been a good year since logging onto my blog. However, after a nudge from my supportive other half I decided to get behind the keyboard. I wanted to share some pictures from a recent trip to Lyon. I have missed writing about my trips and travels. I managed to capture some lovely shots of the city and views from Chessy,  the area in which we stayed.

Processed with VSCO with 8 preset
Processed with VSCO with ku8 preset

I was a little apprehensive about going back to France, having not had the best experience in Paris. I was reassured the cities were completely different and I was sure to have a pleasant stay. After visiting the city for myself, I can confirm both cities are vastly different. Lyon is a combination of both cosmopolitan and quaintly cultural.

Processed with VSCO with al3 preset

I am embarrassed but also not at all sorry to say my first protocol of the trip was a visit Sephora to do some shopping. After spending a decent proportion of my euros, we went to find a local place to eat.  I love to try local cuisine whenever I am travelling to get a feel for the city and their culture. We went to a traditional Lyonnaise restaurant and had a three course meal in the middle of the day because that’s what you do on your holidays.  I of course had two glasses of wine with my meal because why on earth would I not make the most of the beautiful french grapes. We had a strange pork dish in a sweet and sour sauce placed on top of a garlic and cheese cream. It was surprisingly delicious despite the unlikely combination.  Restaurant Le Comptoir des Marronniers.

IMG_0067

We visited the Basilica of Notre-Dame de Fourviere on a funicular ( a word I could never remember until now). It was all very scenic and the perfect opportunity for a few photographs.

Processed with VSCO with fv5 preset
{“total_effects_actions”:0,”total_draw_time”:0,”layers_used”:0,”effects_tried”:0,”total_draw_actions”:0,”total_editor_actions”:{“border”:0,”frame”:0,”mask”:0,”lensflare”:0,”clipart”:0,”text”:0,”square_fit”:0,”shape_mask”:0,”callout”:0},”effects_applied”:0,”uid”:”BA78999E-D9EF-48CF-AC59-E0DCE8A78E20_1582196082196″,”width”:825,”photos_added”:0,”total_effects_time”:0,”tools_used”:{“tilt_shift”:0,”resize”:0,”adjust”:0,”curves”:0,”motion”:0,”perspective”:0,”clone”:0,”crop”:0,”enhance”:1,”selection”:0,”free_crop”:0,”flip_rotate”:0,”shape_crop”:0,”stretch”:0},”source_sid”:”BA78999E-D9EF-48CF-AC59-E0DCE8A78E20_1582196082207″,”origin”:”gallery”,”height”:1600,”subsource”:”done_button”,”total_editor_time”:97,”brushes_used”:0}

We wandered around the old town. Sadly on this day the weather wasn’t as picturesque but I still managed capture a couple of nice shots of the cobbled side streets.

On the final night we were kindly treated to a Michilen star meal at L’Embarcadère. It was lovely food and the perfect end to a relaxing trip away.

Processed with VSCO with ku1 preset
Processed with VSCO with g6 preset

So, here’s to many more travels *wine clink* and hopefully a few more blog posts to come.

IMG_0071

IMG_0073

Getting it together

by CharlRose, posted in Lifestyle
Inhale and exhale.
Starting a fresh isn’t as easy as it sounds. In my opinion progression is gradual and so is success, diving in head first isn’t always the answer and usually puts more pressure on yourself than needed.
Trying to hold it together all the time is draining and can be stressful. Slip ups are bound to happen. I want this to be the year of “a little goes a long way”. Its the little changes, stepping an inch further out of my comfort zone and aiming just a little bit higher. That way there is no pressure and I can allow myself to do it at my own pace. I’m designing the lifestyle I want to live.
Ive started working out more and it has got me feeling inspired and motivated. I’m not the type to be fretting over a number on the scales to see progression, I think seeing a physical difference is the driving force. Putting a little more time into meal prep and cutting back on saturated fats and sugars has been the game changer. After Christmas, it took me a while to get out of to anti-climatic lull of January. However, I’m happy to say I came out the other end and I’m in a really good place.
Onwards and upwards hunnies!

Cosy Homeware Haul

by CharlRose, posted in Homeware, Lifestyle
The festive season is upon us! I love the winter season for its dark nights lit with candle light, cuddly throws and warm woolies. It is no secret that I love Christmas and all the bells and bows to go with it. I thought I would do a haul of a few homeware bits that I have picked up to get me ready for the wintery months ahead, which will be spent predominantly indoors.
Firstly I picked up this cute wooden star decoration from Paperchase. I love anything that is handcrafted or recycled-up into home decor. This Sparkly star decoration is rustic,  quirky and sprinkled in glitter, perfect piece for the season.

 

winter-star

I picked up three beautiful decorative pillows, one from Marks and Spencer and the other from ASDA (yes ASDA!). The first one is a winter wonderland pillow, with a cute reindeer on it and snowflakes falling from the sky. I amazingly later discovered that it also lights up! The second pillow has a  stunning robin red breast on it, simple yet effective. The Last, was a cute little red pillow with a big ‘C’ embossed on the front.

cushions

The next homeware piece is more of a present from me to me. I have wanted one of these for quite a while now and when I saw this particular one on the Urban Outfitters website I had to snatch it up
Its a Record Player!
The moment it arrived in the post, I quickly set it up,  grabbed a bunch of my dads 80s records and got to listening. Undoubtedly the sound isn’t as clear as a CD but I think that a what gives it so much character and makes it an authentic sound.

record-player

The final piece I picked up was this Scandinavian style, rose gold candle holder. I love the simplicity of Scandinavian design and wanted to try and incorporate some of this into my home. This is again a piece homeware that is so minimalistic but so effective. I picked this beauty up from a local coffee house/ gift shop called Nonsense.

candle-holder