I remember Richard and I looking last year for a potential holiday to somewhere warm and sunny such as Spain or Italy. I myself have never really travelled to anywhere outside of the UK other than to visit my family in Holland and Malta. I never really saw the hype with anywhere further than Scotland or Cornwall.
France? Well that is full of the French.
Spain? Well that was full of horrible families and their bratty kids.
The one place I have truly wanted to visit is New Zealand and that involves a lot of money and a long haul flight so that is out of the question... for now. I was actually shocked at how expensive flights and hotels cost just per person and we said goodbye to the idea of a bit of sunshine.
However I still wanted to take a holiday, after all we did deserve it. After moving in together, working hard to keep the place, giving Murphy a new home and taking in Richard's brother, we've been through a fair lot. Safe to say we are exhausted. The last 'holiday' we took was a city break to Liverpool last February to celebrate our anniversary and Valentines Day. Besides that, it was a day trip to Kent and not an awful lot besides that.
With this in mind I got the laptop out and did what I do best- search for things we can't afford. However I was pleasantly surprised how reasonable self catering accommodation was, particularly during the summertime. Richard and I both have our birthday's at the beginning of August, just two days apart and then a few days later it is our four year anniversary. I therefore wanted to go away around that time, particularly as it is our 21st birthdays and apparently they are 'important' and not just 'any other year'. For my 18th I was in Liverpool, for my 19th I was sat in a hospital waiting room with Richard and his broken nose and last year I sat at home with Richard declaring I didn't want a fuss made only to later realise I did want a fuss made and that doing nothing was actually quite boring.
So this year I want to actually do something and set about looking for affordable options that wouldn't mean we couldn't eat for a month just to pay for it. I looked at staying in the UK and naturally my first thought was Edinburgh! I absolutely love this city and will never tire of visiting it. I will always remember the crash visit I did with a friend of mine for the weekend- we flew up on the Saturday morning and were back by Sunday evening yet still saw this wonderful city in all of its glory. I looked into staying in Edinburgh in August but the hotels were extortionate because of the Fringe Festival that is taking place at that time which attracts tourists from across the globe. Although it would be fantastic and I love the atmosphere at the event it just seem too much and we would have to halve our trip because of the costs involved.
I then looked at Cornwall, another place which I have had many a holiday and adore no end. I would love to spend the Summer here, exploring the beaches and watching the sunsets but the drive would be horrifically long for just the one driver.
Disheartened I thought back to the many enjoyable family holidays we had experienced and it reminded me of Yorkshire, somewhere I hadn't visited in years. For me when I think of Yorkshire I think of the Moors, the tiny villages and well, the cold weather. I began looking at cottages to rent in Yorkshire and have struck gold with the following three...
I have fallen in love with this little cottage in Kirkby Stephen and it was one of the first places I saw in my hunt for a holiday. I love it's quirky interior which provides everything you could need for a short break. I find people expect too much from holiday accommodation. When Richard and stayed in Liverpool we spent about 90% of our time away from the hotel and therefore a simple Travelodge was ideal when really all we went there for was to sleep and wash. I also think the views are fabulous and should Yorkshire have great weather in August I think sitting outside with a drink would just be a great way to end the day.
I decided to look further into the idea of staying in a cottage in Yorkshire (despite falling in love with the other place) and stumbled across this sweet little cottage in the beautiful village of Pateley Bridge. I immediately liked this place just from the location, somewhere we visited many a time on holiday. Again this small cottage offers everything you could need and being in the middle of a village means that we would be far closer to other popular locations such as Ripon, Harrograte and Masham all of which I adore.
Lastly we have this cottage located in Bewerley which is also close to Pateley Bridge. This seems to offer more space than the previous two and has a more modern interior. It also offers plenty of local attractions and seems to be in the middle of it all.
Now it comes down to number crunching and working out what really offers us the best deal. Fingers crossed it all goes to plan and that this year I will be spending my birthday in more exciting circumstances than the last two.
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