Because we are getting married next year, we’re on a wedding budget at the moment, and therefore decided to skip out on a holiday abroad this year – in the name of all things sensible financial management! Instead, we opted for a “holiday at home” where we enjoyed all that our gorgeous surrounding areas had to offer, and spent lots of time relaxing, reading books and sorting our garden out.
One of our first trips out, was to enjoy lunch and a spa day at our wedding venue. We enjoyed a relaxing mud treatment, long soaks in the outdoor hot tub, and just some really nice down time.
After a gorgeous lunch and lots of relaxation, we snuck in to have another peek at the chapel we are getting married in too… it just never gets boring!
We were lucky enough to also experience some really lovely weather during our time off, and so we spent one of the days enjoying all York has to offer. We went over to the Shambles Food Market (recommend trying), had coffee in the sun, a drink or two and a mooch around some of the independent shops. A really lovely day that can cost as little, or as much as you want it to.
I couldn’t resist also making a huge Sunday dinner, its one of my favourite things to cook, and we hadn’t had one in a while. One of my favourite days was just catching up on my book, whilst the smell of dinner wafted in from the kitchen. 
We also got out to the cinema to see the new Quentin Tarantino film – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. I’m a huge Tarantino fan, and of course his latest offering didn’t disappoint. 100% worth a watch – I’ll be purchasing the Blu Ray as soon as its released.
We were also lucky enough to spend a few days with my nephew, which is always a huge treat. We took him for a trip to Mother Shiptons Cave, which had been transformed into a Harry Potter theme, for the school holidays. We had so much fun there…
Because my nephew and I are such big Harry Potter fans, I also took him over to York as one of his favourite things is going to The Shambles and experiencing all the magical themed shops there. 
We also indulged in a huge breakfast, had a little wander around some of the other shops in York – and then went for hot chocolates and fondue later on, to finish the day off.
Another one of our favourite places is Karesborough, and so we also spent a lot of time there. One of the days, we went on a little adventure by the river, and stumbled across this breathtakingly beautiful chapel.
We spent lots of time by the river, indulging in our favourite cream scones and hot chocolate, and exploring the castle, too.
Putting this post together has made me want to do it all over again! It was such a nice, fun and relaxing two weeks – and if like us, you’re budgeting this year, I really would advise you indulge in a “holiday at home”.
