I love a road trip in the UK so recently we had a few days in Oxford, somewhere I've blogged about a few times before. I've even shared a travel guide so if you want any tips or recommendations for the beautiful city of Oxford make sure you check that out. Whilst we were there we decided to venture to Bourton-on-the-Water early one morning for the first time and I absolutely loved it. 
Bourton-on-the-Water is known as the Venice of the Cotswolds & it's become one of the most famous places in this beautiful area and I can totally see why. It's such a picturesque village full of charming stone bridges, a light flowing river and an abundance of cosy cottages, shops and cafes. It of course gets very busy so we got there for around 10am which I'm very glad about as it meant we got to see it all when it was nice and quiet and we could really take it in.
We started our morning with a visit to Bakery on the Water. This was already quite full by the time we arrived but luckily we managed to grab a seat so we could enjoy some breakfast and coffee. The coffee was lovely and the pastries were delicious! I had a rough idea of some places I wanted to go to while we were there but it was actually really nice to just walk around and see what we found on the way. There are some lovely homeware shops full of trinkets and quirky items and you'll also find some old fashioned sweet shops which are always a must if you have a sweet tooth. 
After some time shopping and exploring we headed to Smith's for lunch. I've lost count of the amount of times I've seen this restaurant recommended online so it was one of our priorities this trip. They don't open until 12pm so we got there just after opening and it was already filling up so be prepared to queue for a seat if you visit. It's so so worth it though. They're known for their burgers and it was genuinely the best burger I've ever had in my life! We decided to get a few things to share this time so we went for the Bearnaise Bad Boy which was a smashed burger topped with Bearnaise Mayo, pickled shallots, parmesan, truffle shoestring fries, smoked cheddar and bacon. I'm desperate to recreate it at home but I already know it just won't compare. We also shared their classic fries and mac & cheese which were both delicious too. This will 100% be the first place we visit next time!
By the afternoon Bourton-on-the-Water was really filling up so I'm glad we ticked most things off our list that morning. We had spotted the Motor Museum and Model Village that morning but we've held off on those until next time. After grabbing another coffee for the journey back to Oxford, we took a small detour to Daylesford Farm Shop which was by far the fanciest farm shop I've ever been too. Definitely the most expensive too. All of the homeware bits were gorgeous and there's just so much to see as you walk round, it's all set out really well. We grabbed a few cinnamon buns (which were amazing) for the next day and some fancy dog treats for Bear & Paddington before driving back to Oxford through some of the other Cotswold villages like Stow-on-the-Wold.
I absolutely loved our first visit to Bourton-on-the-Water and can't wait to return one day. There were so many other cafes, restaurants and shops still left for us to explore and I'd love to stay in the village next time as a base point and travel out to some of the other Cotswolds areas. Let me know if you have any recommendations for anything Cotswolds related, I'm already starting to plan the next trip!
Thursday, 26 March 2026
A First Visit To Bourton On The Water
Monday, 20 October 2025
Bath Travel Guide
It's been quite a while since I last wrote a travel guide but I thought it was about time I share my tips and ideas for the beautiful city of Bath. We've been 4 times now which may seem excessive but it's almost becoming tradition to visit around our anniversary now which is what we did just a few months ago. It's become a bit like London for me now in that sometimes you just find a place that you connect with and have lots of happy memories so why wouldn't we want to keep going back? As we've been quite a lot, here are some of my recommendations which I hope will help if you'd like to visit in future.
Where to Stay
Let's start with the hotel I'd personally recommend whilst in bath, Hotel Indigo. We've stayed here every trip so far because it's just a really nice hotel. The interiors are gorgeous, as soon as you walk into reception you're hit with the scent of basically a spa and the whole check in area is just lovely. The rooms are all designed so uniquely and I love seeing what kind of room we end up with each time. It's in a great location, literally round the corner from Bath Abbey and an array of restaurants and shops and it's directly across from a car park and just down the road from the train station so ideal however you're travelling. It can be pricey depending on time of year but I'd recommend regularly checking in the run upto your trip as prices do come down and you can easily rebook at the cheaper price. Another hotel I see recommended a lot is The Abbey Hotel which is in a similar area and there's also several Premier Inns dotted in and around the centre if you're looking for a more budget friendly option. 
What to See/Do
Bath Abbey
The most obvious attraction I'm sure but one I do really recommend. It's such a focal point of the centre of Bath. It's really special inside and I love having a chilled walk around mid afternoon taking in all of the information and sights. I'm not religious but it's quite nice sitting and listening too when there is something going on inside. It's around £8 per person to visit.
The Royal Crescent
Another of the main attractions in Bath, the Circus and Royal Crescent. It's such a lovely area, especially in the summer as there are benches dotted around and a huge patch of grass so you can sit and enjoy the sun. If you're a Bridgerton fan you'll spot a few places from the show here including the home of the Featheringtons.
Victoria Falls Adventure Golf
Just down from the Royal Crescent, you can find Victoria Falls Adventure Golf. We love a game of mini golf and we've been coming back to this for the last few summers. It's an 18 hole course so can take a little while, especially when it's busy but take your time and have fun! I'd recommend booking in advance if you can.
Toppings & Company Book Shop
If you're a book lover, you must visit Toppings & Company! It is the most incredible book shop and we visit pretty much everyday when we're there. You'll find every book you could imagine here, there are several floors and you can even get free hot drinks so you can sit and read whilst you're there. Just love it.
Roman Baths
This feels like something you have to do in Bath at one point or another. We did this during our first trip in 2022 and I'm sure we'll go again one day. It's full of history and they have some really cool interactive ways of showing you what life was like once. You can go through at your own pace so I'd recommend freeing up 1-2 hours in your day for it. It's around £28 per person to visit.
Independent Shops
Whilst you can find most of your favourite chain shops in Bath, it's also full of lovely, independent businesses and it's always great to support them isn't it. The homeware shops in particular are brilliant and there are a few I always make sure I return to when we're there. Vinegar Hill and Sam Wilson Studio are two I recommend for all things decor.
Food
Mrs Potts Chocolate Shop
The absolute #1 recommendation when it comes to food. Mrs Potts is a chocolate cafe where you can get all manner of decadent cakes, brownies, cookies, milkshakes and so much more. The Matilda cake is pure chocolate heaven but honestly everything we've ever tried there has been delicious. This is a must for us every single trip!
Bertinet Bakery
I love pastry. Especially croissants and pain au chocolate which Bertinet Bakery do incredibly well. We found this place on a whim but it's become another staple for us now. Their pastries are so buttery and flaky and they also do some incredible babkas in a variety of flavours aswell as mini loaf cakes, cookies and even things like mince pies at christmas.
Joya
If there is one restaurant you must try whilst in Bath, it's Joya. An Italian Steakhouse with a menu full of choice, from things like Steak which you can opt to cook yourself on a hot stone, to a range of gorgeous pasta and risotto and they also do some amazing desserts - we particularly love the Tiramisu. The service is always great too and if it's a special occasion they'll often throw in free prosecco or do something to help you celebrate which is such a bonus.
Bandook
Another must of ours, usually on the last night as it always feels like such a special way to end each trip - Bandook. An Indian restaurant which I genuinely couldn't recommend enough. We like to get a variety of small plates, we particularly love the Samosa Chaat, Pocket Kebab & Kerala Chicken but they have a huge menu to choose from so you're spoilt for choice. The cocktails/mocktails are beautiful too!
A few other places worth a mention, Dough for delicious pizza, Bakervee for NYC style cookies and Rosarios for coffee!
Travel
When you're in Bath, most things are really walkable and as it's such a picturesque city it's a perfect way to take everything in, aswell as lots of photo opportunities. That being said I always recommend the Big Bus Tours when they're available in a city as they're such a great way of getting your bearings and are a convenient hop on/hop off option. You can usually get 48 hour tickets so no need to cram everything into one day either. There's even a boat tour you can do too but we've yet to tick that off our list. In terms of travelling into Bath, it all depends on where you're coming from but if driving, there's convenient parking dotted around the city centre and the train station is less than 10 minutes walk away from the centre.
So, that wraps up my Bath travel guide. Just some of my tips and highlights of a beautiful city that I already can't wait to go back to again one day! Whenever you go, whether the peak of Summer or the during the Christmas period, there's something for everyone and so much to discover.
Have you visited Bath?
Monday, 23 June 2025
Our Recent Trip To Cambridge
A few months ago now George and I went to Cambridge for the first time and as it was such a lovely trip, I really wanted to write about it on here. Even though I rarely blog nowadays I still love looking back on old posts, especially our travel ones so why not share our Cambridge trip too? Even if just for me at least but maybe it will also give you some ideas too.
We love a UK break, it's the main trips we do as there are so many beautiful places in the UK and it just works out a bit easier for us with the dogs now. Cambridge had been on our list for a while and this Spring seemed a perfect time. We were blessed with good weather while we were there which only made it even better and pretty much as soon as we left, I was thinking about when we'd return!
First things first, the hotel. I've really struggled in the past to find hotels in Cambridge that either didn't cost loads or just weren't the best location wise but by the time planning for this trip came around, a brand new Premier Inn had opened right in the centre. It's the Corn Exchange/Lion Yard hotel. This hotel was pretty much perfect. It was affordable, absolutely ideal location wise, had everything you need and I loved the check in process as you don't even need to speak to anyone, it can all be done via a touch screen. We'd definitely stay there again. 
We stayed for 3 nights but didn't arrive til around 7pm on the first night so even though we got a quick walk around in, it was basically 2 full days in the end which really, was a great amount of time. On the Monday, our first proper day, we started with breakfast at Dishoom. We had breakfast at Dishoom in London last year and it was incredible so I've been desperate to go again. The Dishoom in Cambridge is a Permit Room so more of a bar-cafe rather than just a restaurant so the menu was a little smaller but that was no problem, we both still found something delicious. I'd love to return in the evening next time.
We walked round some of the lovely streets nearby afterwards and found Heffers Bookshop. I'm sure you know by now I love a bookshop and this was really interesting inside, the layout was so unique. We then headed down to Bould Brothers Coffee which I've only seen rave reviews about and now I totally understand why. We ended up returning everyday as it was so good. It's just across from The Round Church too which has a few benches dotted around so it was really lovely sitting there in the sun sipping our coffees. I recommend the mocha if you go!
After a spot of shopping we headed for lunch at Aromi. You can sit in or get food to go so we went for one of their huge pizza slices so we could find a place to enjoy it in the sun. The classic Margarita slice was delicious but did take absolutely ages to cool down! We grabbed some ice cream from Jack's Gelato afterwards which is pretty much next door to Aromi and that was amazing. The baked vanilla flavour in particular! Around here you'll find The Corpus Clock and King's College so it's a nice spot for sightseeing too.
The rest of the day was pretty chill, we took some time to cool down in the hotel and read our books before heading out for a meal that evening. We chose Flat Iron as we love a steak and it's not something we have loads at home. This was a beautiful meal, the steak was cooked perfectly, the chips were so nice and crisp, the mac & cheese lovely and cheesy and the drinks were super refreshing.
Our next full day started with breakfast at Bill's. We both went for the pancakes which were so filling and the perfect start to the day and the hash browns on the side, wow, they were perfect.
We then tried to find some of the Dinky Doors that are dotted around Cambridge which are highly detailed mini sculptures. There's an official website where you can get a map to help you find them all but we just spotted them randomly while walking around. We only found 2 in the end but both are so unique. I think it's such a cool idea.
That afternoon we finally properly browsed the market which is right in the centre of Cambridge and grabbed some lunch. You'll find all sorts of food stalls here so there's something for everyone aswell as stalls selling homemade bits and bobs, a sweet stall and more. The juices from one stall in particular were lovely and refreshing on a warm day.
The rest of the day consisted of more book shopping, yet more coffee from Bould Brothers and some bakery hopping. I have to recommend the ricotta chocolate cake from Aromi which I mentioned earlier, absolutely delicious and I think about it most days. That evening we went for our final meal of the trip and enjoyed some mocktails then it was time to pack to head home the next day. 
We really loved our first trip to Cambridge and I can easily see it becoming another place we want to return to again and again. I'm already thinking of things we can do next time.
Have you ever been to Cambridge for a city break?
Thursday, 8 August 2024
My Top London Bakery Recommendations
It's no secret if you've been reading my blog over the years or even following me on Instagram, that I love London. It is probably my all time favourite city & luckily we tend to go at least once a year so we're always finding new places to explore. One thing we love is discovering new bakeries and when we went earlier this year we decided to do a little bakery crawl. We included some places we wanted to revisit but also tried a few new ones which had been on our list for a while so I thought I'd share them with you!
Gail's Bakery
We did actually start off at Gail's Bakery for breakfast as it was close to our hotel. These are dotted around London so you're pretty much always near one and I always enjoy going to them when we're in London. Their cinnamon buns in particular are to die for but I also recommend their blueberry muffins, banana & pecan cake & flourless chocolate cake in particular! They also do simple pastries like croissants & pain au chocolates really well, so buttery and flaky, just everything you could possibly want them to taste like.
Bageriet Bakery
This had been at the top of my list for SO long! Bageriet Bakery is a swedish Bakery tucked away on Rose Street near Covent Garden & it is an absolute hidden gem. It's really cosy inside with limited seating and their bakes are all sort of dotted around the room in a really cool way. We were spoilt for choice but the main thing I wanted to try was the Sockerkringlor, a sugared brioche pretzel. I have no words for how delicious this was, I instantly regretted not buying more & I've thought about it a lot since. Soft, fluffy, the perfect sweetness, spectacular give me 14 of them. We also got a Notgrotta which is a shortbread cave filled with hazelnut chocolate & this was also incredible. They had one filled with jam too which I'm really keen to get next time. 
Buns From Home
Literally across the road from Bageriet Bakery, you'll find Buns From Home. Another bakery you'll find on most corners of London, I can't believe how long it took us to try them. Buns From Home specialise in hand rolled laminated buns & they have an array of flavours. Not only will you find their classic cinnamon bun but they also have pistachio, almond, hazelnut, cardamom and more aswell as a range of dessert filled buns! We got the chocolate custard filled bun which was delicious, surprisingly not too sweet but definitely filling. The pastry was lovely too. I really want to try their cheesecake bun one time as that looks amazing!
Barnaby Bars
Just around the corner from Buns From Home, we found Barnaby Bars, a relatively new bakery specialising in handmade chocolate bars. We got 3 to try, if I remember correctly they were TipTap which is peanut butter, salted caramel & peanut crunch, Cinema which is popcorn & toffee and finally Dollar which is a millionaire shortcake. The TipTap bar was like a fancy snickers and you can't go wrong with a millionaires shortbread. The chocolate on the bars wasn't too thick and none of the bars were overly sweet, I'd definitely try more flavours in future.
Crumbs & Doilies
I'd spotted Crumbs & Doilies on Instagram so many times so I was desperate to try their bakes. Based in Kingly Court, they sell a range of baked goods like cookies, brownies, cupcakes & more. We were going specifically to try their cookies but I regret not getting a cupcake too as they looked so good! Their New York cookies are thick, chunky & gooey and they have a range of flavours to choose from like Bueno, Biscoff, Cookies & Cream, Strawberry Shortcake, just to name a few. I got the Birthday Cake cookie & OMG it was divine. It was still a little warm so they clearly regularly have bakes fresh out of the oven as we were definitely there later in the day. The white chocolate chips & caramelised white chocolate were a little melty & the rainbow sprinkles weren't super crunchy so it was perfect in every way. Can't wait to go back!
Bread Ahead
Last but not least, there had to be a doughnut bakery on this list! We're big doughnut fans in this house and whilst our ultimate fave is Doh'hut in Leeds (who do actually have a shop in Spitalfields Market too!) Bread Ahead is one we've been going to since our earlier trips to London years ago. Based in Borough Market they seem to constantly be coming up with new variations of fillings & toppings and it's always hard to choose what to go for. This time we went for the blackcurrant cheesecake and it tasted exactly how it should, lovely and creamy cheesecake filling with a not too tart blackcurrant coulis drizzled on top. Be prepared to queue at Borough Market for these but they're definitely worth it.
So that's the bakeries we managed to tick off our list during our last visit to London. I definitely want to do another bakery crawl next year as there are just so many more on our list. If you have any recommendations, please let me know as I'm always after new places to visit!
Wednesday, 17 April 2024
Moulin Rouge At The Piccadilly Theatre Review
If you're a long time reader of my blog you'll know all about my love for London. We tend to go once a year or so and those trips are something I look forward to every time. We went in March for 2 nights and had a great time seeing the sights, visiting some of our favourite places like Borough Market and this time we even did a little bakery crawl to find some of the places we've been wanting to try for ages. Of course while we were there we had to see a show or two. I'm still a big fan of all things musical theatre and for our first night we decided on a show we hadn't seen before, Moulin Rouge.
Moulin Rouge is currently at the Piccadilly Theatre and as far as I'm aware it's currently booking up until September 2024. Despite knowing a bit about Moulin Rouge and having a feeling we'd enjoy the show regardless as I'd already heard some of the soundtrack, we didn't actually watch the movie until a few weeks before we went. I'm glad we did as it meant we had a better understanding of the story and we both ended up really enjoying it! If you're not aware of it though, Moulin Rouge is set in 1980s Paris and it follows Christian, a writer, who has travelled to join the Bohemian revolution. It's here he visits the city's biggest night club, Moulin Rouge, and he meets and falls in love with its star performer, Satine. At the Piccadilly Theatre you'll find the film come to life on stage in a spectacular way.
'A celebration of truth, beauty, freedom and - above all - love.'
As with any musical we've been to see, I was blown away by the cast. We visited on a Monday evening which meant we had the alternate Satine played by Angela Marie Hurst. She was incredible and a had a beautiful voice. She partnered up perfectly with Dom Simpson who plays Christian. He was probably the standout performance of the night for me, partly due to the way he sang one of his big hits of the night El Tango De Roxanne but he was also funny and just fitted the character perfectly. The whole cast are great and I'm not sure how they do that show so many times a week, it seems so full on to perform! A few other special mentions though have to be Matt Rixon as Harold Zidler who holds the whole show together and also Ben Richards as The Duke who I recognised from Footballers Wives which I was bizarrely rewatching a few months ago.Another thing I loved about the show was the soundtrack. It's classed as a Jukebox musical so similar to shows like & Juliet, it uses songs that aren't all original to the film and it has integrated some more current music to the plot which is really fun. I really enjoyed the Elephant Love Medley in particular which features snippets of In The Name of Love, Everlasting Love, Don't Speak and Fidelity, just to name a few!
The last thing to mention is the theatre itself. Piccadilly Theatre has transformed into something sensational and as soon as you walk in to find your seats, you're transported to what feels genuinely like the Moulin Rouge. There's so much to look at and I enjoyed having some time to just take it all in as it was unlike any staging I'd seen before. The set up is incredible, music plays the whole time you're waiting for the show to start and the cast even enter the stage early and are near you dancing and performing so it feels like the show starts before it actually does!
This is a show I'd love to see again one day so hopefully it stays in the West End for years to come. I'd love to know if you've seen the Moulin Rouge musical or if there's any other shows you recommend?
Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Birthday Trip To Oxford
I'm starting to get a bit of a buzz again from writing so while I do, I thought I might aswell go with it and share another of our recent trips. George and I love going on little city breaks as you might know from various blog posts over the years and we tend to do a few throughout the year rather than one big holiday. In December we went to Bath for the Christmas markets and then for my birthday in January, George had planned a little getaway to Oxford for us. We've been to Oxford a few times, the last being in 2021 and I've even shared a travel guide on my blog before, I loved it so much so I was really excited to be heading back and this time doing a few new things.
First things first, we stayed at the gorgeous Malmaison Hotel which is a converted prison. We've stayed there before, I weirdly find prisons fascinating so it's such a cool experience to walk through but this time was even better as we actually stayed in one of their cell rooms. Their cell rooms in the A wing where prisoners used to stay have been done up with just about everything you could need from a hotel room and we were really impressed.
After we'd got checked in on the first day, we headed out to explore Oxford and find some of our favourites from previous trips. We walked through the Covered Market which is full of lovely shops, florists, cafes and more and we of course had to stop and take in the beauty that is Radcliffe Camera.
Our trip to Oxford this time was mainly to find some Harry Potter locations. We're big fans of the films and one place we knew we could fit in on the first day was the Divinity School in the Bodleian Library. I'll probably do a full blog post on the Harry Potter locations to go into more detail but this particular place was used in the Philosopher's Stone as the Hogwarts Infirmary and you might also recognise it from Goblet of Fire as it's where the students practise for the Triwizard Tournament. This was such a cool experience and it's only about £3 a ticket to get in!
That evening we went to one of our faves for my birthday meal, Mowgli. They do the best Indian food, it's almost tapas style the way dishes come out as & when they're ready and the cocktails & mocktails are always delicious. Some of our fave bits on the menu are the Himalayan Cheese Toast, Yogurt Chat Bombs and the Treacle Tamarind Fries. The whole restaurant is beautiful too, I couldn't recommend it enough, the Oxford one in particular is always perfect.
Our second day started out with pancakes at The Breakfast Club. I went for the classic blueberry ones which were delicious as always and of course, got to have a side of hash browns. After a bit of shopping in Westgate we grabbed a coffee at Paul then headed to our next Harry Potter destination.
I'd been particularly excited to visit New College as it was used in the Goblet of Fire which is probably my favourite film of the series. Here you'll find the famous tree from the scene with Mad-Eye Moody and Malfoy and the Cloisters too which were used for some of the hallway scenes. We spent quite a bit of time here taking it all in and getting lots of photos and videos before heading to Christ Church College.
Christ Church College is one of the more expensive places to visit but I think it's worth it as you get to see so much and a lot of it isn't Harry Potter related so great if you're not as bothered about that. If you are though, one of the first places you'll see is the Bodley Staircase which is used in several films including Chamber of Secrets. At the top, you'll find the inspiration for the Hogwarts Great Hall and lastly you'll find the Christ Church Cloisters which were mainly used in the Philosopher's Stone.
We continued our final day with some lunch and a walk through Oxford in the sun, stopping in the University Church of St Mary the Virgin which was still a little festive and then ended with Shake Shack at the hotel with a film which was a lovely end to the trip.
We had such a great time and it was nice to go back to a city we love again.
I'd love to know if you've been to Oxford? or do you have any recommendations for other UK city breaks?