Happy Friday! It’s less than a week to the launch of Sophie’s Encore, and apparently my little fun teaser campaign is driving you all wild with excitement. (I think it’s excitement. I hope!)
However, there’s more to life than books and writing, so today, I’m offering a little light relief. Last week, the family and I had the most fantabulous seaside holiday up in Yorkshire, near Whitby. I can honestly say it was one of the most meteorologically successful trips in the UK I have ever, ever had. Pictures say more than words, so grab a cuppa, sit back and enjoy my holiday snaps.
North Yorkshire 2013:
Sun, Sea and Sand!
Runswick Bay. I walked the length of the beach and back… and just made it before I got cut off by the tide!
Runswick Bay, other direction. So beautiful! The boys and I were lucky enough to get a trip around the bay on a Gemini class lifeboat. Highlight of the day!
South of France, right? No, still Runswick Bay!
A chance to meet up with Melanie Robertson-King ~ at Cross Butts Stable Restaurant in Whitby. We had a fabulous meal and chatted nineteen to the dozen before Melanie and Don had to drive on down to Lincoln.
Have you ever seen anything as pretty? Signature pudding at Cross Butts Stables!
Walk across the North Yorkshire Moors. We had a great time! So did a few very small unbidden visitors that were discovered two days later. The nurse at the local Minor Injuries Unit was most amused to find three generations of Wells males presenting themselves for tick removal. (And yes, I know now how to do this at home. I just need to get the right kind of tweezers…)
Still on the moors… the heather was just on the verge of erupting. I bet it’ll be all purple there now.
Butterfly alley! The little beauties were so tame, they came and checked out our hair and hands. Talk about the butterfly touch!
View over Whitby, with the old Abbey dominating the headland. Bram Stoker would have been proud, although Dracula was mercifully absent in broad daylight! 😉
Of course I went to the Magpie Café!
Seafood Hotpot. I was in seventh heaven. Sophie would have been proud (and jealous!) 🙂
I’m a wife, I’m a mother, I’m an author, I’m a housekeeper, I’m an occasional educator, I’m a radio co-host, and I’m an ACE SANDCASTLE BUILDER! Although to be fair, this was a whole-family project and it took nearly all day to complete… just in time for the tide to wash it all away!
Saltburn Beach. We had the whole place almost entirely to ourselves, which is a great mystery as it’s by far the most perfect children’s beach ever. Perfect sandcastle-building sand, a gentle slope into the sea with plenty of safe paddling opportunities, rock pools AND fossils! We found ourselves coming back day after day.
And that, as they say, was that. We didn’t have a drop of rain during the entire time, and we had so much fun, it’s practically untrue. Not forgetting the absence of WiFi in our accommodation, which meant that this here author got a complete break. I slept between ten and twelve hours almost every night, which is unheard of!
These are the days, folks. Before too long, the kids will be bored with trips to the beach and… No, let’s not think about that, we have a good few years of these glorious types of holidays to come yes.
How was your summer?
What did you get up to?
Care to share your highlight?
🙂
Nicky Wells: Love & Thrills 
Sounds wonderful and the photos are lovely. Glad you enjoyed yourselves. Happy to see you back though 🙂
Thanks so much, Jane! I had no idea North Yorkshire would be so beautiful. It’s good to be back though ~ I am ready and energized to Rock And Roll all over again! XX
It is. Glad you liked it and had so much fun. 🙂
Wonderful pictures, Nicky! Summer here in my part of the world has been grand, although my highlight was the fortnight I spent in Scotland and England. That Seafood Hotpot looks amazing! 🙂
It was so great to see you, Melanie, and I’m happy that you had a wonderful time over here. The weather was good to you, too! 🙂 The Hotpot was divine. Honestly. I had it twice (not on the same night, you gather), much to everyone’s surprise as it is tradition to have Fish’n’Chips at the Magpie Café. But I simply couldn’t do with batter and chips when there was all this lovely shellfish on offer… Here’s to meeting up (and taking you there!) next year. Rock on!
What fantastic photos! I love that part of the country (my mum is from Yorkshire). Glad you had a wonderful time.
Well, you know what I got up to during my summer! I have finished annoying everyone with my holiday blogs now. 😉
Summer is winding up here in Scotland. It’s getting dark earlier and we’ve had some chillier days. 😦
But…that means it’s getting closer to autumn rock gigs! Yay! xx
Hi Karen, I think your photos well outdid my humble little trip (did I mention that I am coming next time? Oh yes, I did, and you said we’d do Thelma and Louise with a happy ending: You’re ON, girlfriend!!)… but that said, Yorkshire was a real discovery. The evenings are drawing in here too, and I am looking forward to autumn. I’ve got The Darkness tickets lined up and… did you hear? Were you in the country? I bought tix for the whole family (kids’n’all) to see Foreigner, Europe and FM! Wooooohooo!! (Although that’s not until April.)
Glad to be back and wonderful to see you here on my blog again! X
I did hear about Foreigner, Europe and FM – awesome! I have Alter Bridge with Shinedown and Halestorm as support TWICE, because I’m mental. 21st Oct in Glasgow, 22nd in Manchester, then on to Blackpool for a few days. Black Sabbath in December! xxx
Not mental! You’re just my kinda girl. If I had the funds, I’ll be booking tickets for the same Foreigner/Europe/FM bonanza for Bristol and London too!! Alas, LOL. So yes, I totally get you. And Black Sabbath…oooooooooooooh!! You rock, chick!
Hi Nicky
The summer in the NYCity Metropolitan area had been just that…THE SUMMER [hot]. Aside from redoing the kitchen cabinets my OH and I didn’t do too much aside from day trips upstate [about 50 miles north]
With your BIG DAY less than a week away wouldn’t you know it, the title for your post brings to my mind a song Dan could be singing about Sophie.
This is becoming somewhat addicting to me. 😀 😀 😀
Brilliant, Robin, you are really excelling yourself, LOL! Sorry to be the cause of an addiction… well, actually, I love it! Honoured, and flattered. Thank you! X
You’re quite welcomed Nicky. I love doing this. You’ll be surprised on how many songs I’ve got now playing in my head which can be connected in one way or other to your trilogy.
Nothing surprises me from you anymore, Robin. And I mean that in the nicest possible way! 🙂
A lovely memory post, thanks for sharing. Also, thanks for bringing back memories of my own visit to Whitby, many years ago. 🙂
Hiya Glynis, I’m so happy to hear that my post prompted happy memories. That’s awesome! Thanks for visiting and commenting! XX 🙂
Looks like you had a wonderful time and how nice to meet up with Melanie too!
x
It was fab. Next year, you could maybe join us??? X
And to think, all this time I thought you were a rockstar. Turns out – you’re an ACE SANDCASTLE BUILDER!!! Clearly, you’re headed straight for the top. There’s just no stopping YOU when there’s sand around!
Ha! It’s got to be the right kind of sand, though. This beach was simply awesome. AND there was water in the moat because of the way the tide works there. Two strikes of the spade, and there was water. The kids were totally mesmerised by this. And yeah, if you ever need a sandcastle builder, I’m your girl!
It looks like your holiday was lovely, Nicky!! Thanks for sharing the photos as well! 🙂
You’re welcome, Brandee, and I’m glad you enjoyed. Never quite sure if it’s sharing or boasting, but still, there it is, LOL! Now getting ready for Next Week! How’ve you been?? X
Great photos, Nicky.
The view over Whitby bay is my favourite.
carol
It’s stunning there, isn’t it? XX