Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire Dales

I've found my happy place. This Bank Holiday weekend we took a trip to Bolton Abbey, and it changed everything, even knocking Formby off the top spot. Fighting talk. I'm going to tell you a bit about it, but predominantly show you why.

I've started to write about places to visit as well as food, as this is the kind of stuff I do to make myself happy, and think it might bring the same happiness to others if they know about it, so here goes.

The scene: Horwich is hotter than the surface of the sun. I'm cooped, like a chicken, in a coop.

The brief: Somewhere to go for a nice walk, without hiking up mountains and dying in the process. Needs to be pretty, preferably with water nearby. Must not get stuck on the motorway for hours in Bank Holiday traffic.

The plan: Set off for Bolton Abbey at around 9.30am, get there around 10.30am, have some breakfast, and go for a nice walk in the sunshine. 

Let's go.

So as planned, we arrived at Bolton Abbey around 10.30am ready to bask in the glorious sunshine, and I'm kitted out in a flimsy flowery sun dress. It was brass! Clouds everywhere and a nippy breeze (disclaimer - most people would describe this temperature as 'comfortable'). However, it's okay because the next part of the plan is breakfast. I braved the elements and sat outside in the courtyard of Tea on the Green, medicating the windchill with a cardigan whilst we fed sparrows on the sly. Tea helped.

I'd looked at the Met Office app, and it promised the return of blazing sunshine from 11.30am and dead on cue, there it was! Cardigan off and topping up the tan within thirty seconds. 

First up was a walk around the Priory church and ruins. Although there's a rather impressive church there, it's the ruins that steal the show. Magnificent in their decrepitude, they stand like ancient dinosaur bones, looking rather ornamental against the picturesque landscape beneath them. Genuinely wonderful. Even Henry VIII and his Reformation couldn't fully destroy this beautiful place.

History: The land was gifted to the Augustinian canons by Alice de Rumilly in 1154. The canons lived and worshipped here until 1539 when the dissolution of the monasteries stripped the Priory of its assets. History lovers will enjoy the story of Prior Moone and how he negotiated with Cromwell to secure the nave as a place of worship for the local community and how the church continues to thrive to this day. (Source https://boltonabbey.com).  

With the sun now beating down, we went for a walk round the River Wharfe. It's pretty shallow so perfect for paddling, and has the most inviting stepping stones, which were originally the route the workers would have taken to the Priory. These days they are a bit of fun! Many of these poor souls were tempted into the drink by slippery feet, parents unbalancing their offspring in a misguided attempt to help them, or just sheer fear of falling in. One dad had accepted his fate and seemed to be permanently positioned in the river. 

I didn't go on these as I would have been in that river within seconds. To quote Phil; 'I really want you to go on those stepping stones, and fall in!' I wasn't as keen on the prospect of a see through dress and wet ballet pumps! Logistical nightmare. That cool water did look very inviting though.

Stepping stones

A fella taking a dip or real life mermaid. You decide. 

Further up the river is the most beautiful pebble beach (there is sand at some points too). One family had completed life by taking a huge inflatable dinghy, which their dad was casually rowing down the river. Kids were skimming stones, picnics were in full swing, dogs were paddling, the sun was warm on my shoulders, and life was suddenly excellent.

If you go the other way up the river, it's much quieter, and generally filled with adult groups playing quintessentially English lawn games, the odd cunningly concealed barbecue, swallows dancing over the water, and sheep seeking shade from the sun. Idyllic.

Before we left we sat in the tea cottage garden admiring a little chaffinch gathering grubs, and bees collecting pollen from the most beautiful flowers. Last stop was a lemon sorbet cone from the ice cream shop, before heading to Skipton for a wander round. It only takes about ten to fifteen minutes from Bolton Abbey, and was on our way home anyway.

What an absolutely beautiful day, faultless in every way.

Go here for breathtaking scenery and happy times. Take your kids and dog if you have them, consider borrowing some if not. I would happily return here tomorrow and spend all day there. Pack a picnic and something to sit on, take some dry clothes and fall in the river, and talk to strangers like you've known them for years. It's such a happy place, I challenge you not to have a great time. 

Brockholes, Salmesbury

So I've decided to shake things up. You all know that I eat a lot of food and bake a fair bit, but I do way more than that. I'm constantly looking for new adventures and doing things that make me happy. I'm always asking folk for recommendations, and people ask me too. So it's decided, I'm putting anything on my blog that adds to the pursuit of happiness.

The brief: It's sunny although not mad hot, but you fancy a walk somewhere pretty. One answer is Brockholes in Salmesbury. There's a visitor's centre if you want to get interactive, a playground for the nippers, a cafe, and the most stunning nature reserve. 

There are way more than mallards there too (although I did enjoy seeing a mallard eating off a bird table). There have been sightings of buzzards, hares and there's even talk of a Savi's warbler. You heard.

It's a weird little place, you're walking round this beautiful setting, whilst constantly aware of the hum of the M6 beside you, not that it spoils it. It's like this crazy little oasis in the middle of our chaos. Whilst most people are on the look out for birds and the odd fancy duck, my eyes were peeled for little creatures wriggling about the undergrowth, unusual butterflies, and (unintentionally) a wee weasel!

Brockholes map

Note - not a real mole.

Go here to escape the madness of real life. Go listen to a warbler, watch the little fish swim in the pools, and enjoy recapturing your childhood counting ladybirds. It's a beautiful place.

Falshaw's Farm Shop, Bury

It's the age old quandary, where do you go on a sunny day that won't be rammers, and you don't have to spend several hours in a heinous traffic jam in order to get there? Gem found. Falshaw's Farm Shop is just outside Ramsbottom, overlooking the rolling countryside. You can sit and eat whilst joined by the lovely cows and sheep with their babies, and a few mental birds running around the gaff.

If you're a fan of outside dining, you can eat al fresco, or stay in the cool cafe if you prefer. There's a large lawned area to the side of the cafe, where children can play safely on the mini tractors, and adults can coo over baby cows in the field whilst getting a tan. If you fancy it.

It was pretty early, and after initially declaring we weren't in the mood for a fry up, there we were, with a rather large breakfast in front of us, watching the above mentioned birds chase each other round the farmyard, and listening to children laughing. Absolutely delightful.

And what's the most obvious thing in the world to follow a full English? Correct, ice cream! It was hotter than the surface of the sun. I opted for a hugely refreshing elderflower and gooseberry sorbet, which was the perfect antidote to the sun beating down on us.

Go here for a bit of tranquility, home made food, friendly faces, and ice cream. If you're under six, also go here for mini tractors.

Parker's Arms, Newton-in-Bowland - Revisited (again)

It's one of my happiest places, and no matter what happens, always will be. The Parker's Arms in Newton-in-Bowland is the most magical of locations. It's like going visiting family who welcome you home like you've been missed dearly, and want to feed you up because you've clearly neglected yourself. AJ, Stosie and Kathy are the most beautiful of people, with warm hearts and a burning desire for all who enter to have the most wonderful of times. 

Now then, what to do on the most glorious day of the year so far? The brief is this; a ride out to somewhere in the countryside, a spot of lunch in the sun, and a nice walk afterwards. It had to be the Parker's. 

Just a short drive past Clitheroe and through Waddington is the tiny village of Newton. When you walk through the door of the Parker's, the delightful AJ will be there to greet you, and have a drink in your hand before you've even finished mithering the first dog you've met (French bulldog in our case). With it being such a stunning day, we decided to sit outside to soak up some rays, and bask in the glory of the picturesque countryside.

Sweet potato skins: Sweet, crispy and delightfully salty, these came with home made wild garlic mayo. I've never seen these anywhere else, and serve as an instant reminder of Stosie's skill when it comes to delicious simplicity.

Chicken liver parfait with pickles and chutney: The sweet and tart flavours combined were perfect for a sunny day. All home made and in perfect proportion.

Chicken pie with wild garlic sauce: They use their own wild garlic when it's in season, which is the most delicate of flavours. This is pie perfection right here. The pastry is light and buttery, and the portion size just perfect. Any more than this may kill you dead. That would ruin the ambience in a heartbeat.

Lamb and mint pie with lamb fat crust: Jeez Louise. This was the star of the show in my eyes. Not the obvious choice when sat in blazing heat, but I trusted in Stosie's pie power. Again, not so big that you're likely to have a cardiac arrest on the way home, but perfectly satisfying in every way. A special shout out goes to the world's best mash, so buttery that I think my arteries decided to keep some as a souvenir. I'm furious just looking at it, shining like a shiny temptress...

I've always wanted to go and explore the picturesque river just next door, but previous trips have been marred by snow, rain, over-eating or just being riverbank blocked! Not this day my friends. I was going. Newton hit new heights of cuteness when I discovered that locals were having a duck race. Enid Blyton would have been just ecstatic. So the Terrific Two hoofed it over a bridge, and down to the banks just as the race had finished, to be left with the most stunning of scenes, watching little fish play in the shallows, whilst we reflected on the most perfect afternoon. Life really is fantastic.

Go here to make yourself happy. The Parker's Arms can do no wrong in my eyes. I have never yet had anything but the most fantastic meals here, and recommend them to pretty much everyone I know. Say 'hi' to AJ for me if you visit.

God that was a joy to write.