Hello,

Am I going to start by saying can you believe it is July and where has this year gone? Absolutely. Am I also jealous that kids are coming up to the 6 week holidays and I do not get to also have a 6 week holiday? You betcha. But are we here and ready for a blog post? Let’s gooooo… 

We’ve made the executive decision to start exploring more of the UK and also to start going away even if it is just for one night. Pairing these we decided to go away for an evening to near Saltburn-by-the-Sea. Neither of us had ever been, but my grandparents had just got back from a week away there and recommended it. We booked the Moonfleet Guest House in Skinningrove and piled the car up. Fun fact, I never usually have the patience to stack my shopping properly in the boot of my Mini but WOW, I got everything but the kitchen sink in this time. We headed off on our journey as Jack got in from work and arrived at our destination about half 8ish, playing a fun game of “oooh, how expensive is petrol at this petrol station?” on the way. It is fun, I recommend until it comes to putting the petrol in your car when suddenly the fun, and all your money, is gone. 

It was a great looking place and looked like it belonged in a book, inside was full of curiosities and it was just wonderful. We were shown our room and then headed off on a short walk to the beach. It was a quaint place, the kind of place where I imagine everyone knows everyone with a little shop that sold everything you could need, a fish and chip shop and a place for pigeons to chill. The beach was slightly rocky at the top but then smooth sand which is always appreciated. We got there just as the sun was setting and the colours of the sky were amazing. I am most definitely my happiest on the beach, with the dog and ideally with a sunset. We then trekked up a cliff which in hindsight wasn’t the best idea, I was good at getting up there and I have no issues with heights, however I am the clumsiest person on the planet so had to consider every step made on the way down so I didn’t topple into the sea. On our return to the hotel we sat in the bar and had a couple of drinks whilst talking to the owner. Then it was bedtime and I won’t make this about how amazing Elton was but he settled down straight away and slept all through the night and I was a very proud dog mama. 

Breakfast in the morning was a full English and it had an excellent hash brown, aka the most important part of breakfast. We were sent on our way with a freshly baked chocolate and banana muffin which was a thoughtful extra touch. Our first stop of the day was Saltburn-by-the-Sea, we had an hour there and walked up and down the beach. Another great beach and there was a pier, love a pier (not Piers). It was really cool to see the Saltburn Cliff Tramway which links the town with the only remaining pleasure pier on the whole of the North East and Yorkshire coast. It’s been open since 1884 and I think it is pretty great that it is still going strong now. We didn’t go on it but I intend on returning to Saltburn again so it will be going on my list. We all had an ice cream, Jack had a Cherry Bakewell one which I’m told was very good, I had a Lemon Crunch one which I can confirm was very good and Elton had his very own doggy ice cream, he smushed his face in it a lot so I’m guessing it was okay. 

From Saltburn we went to Staithes which I loved as soon as I got out the car. It was very steep and windy but there were shops dotted all along the way to the beach. I could’ve spent a lot of money but refrained as I simply do not have a lot of money, #costofliving, but I did buy a fish vase to put on the wall which I think is a pretty good find. The beach was small but just enough for what we needed. Elton loved it and tried to make doggy friends. There were boats and people painting and I could’ve spent all day sitting there people watching. It also seemed like a good place to go crabbing which is an excellent activity. We bought fish and chips from here with the aim of travelling to Runswick Bay and eating them there. That was all well and good but we couldn’t get parked at Runswick Bay so I found a country lane that had lots of cars pulled up, pulled in front of someone’s house (very close to the drive, close enough that if someone did that to my drive I’d be chuntering but I was also prepared to be very nice and say I was very sorry and that I just wanted to eat my fish and chips) and enjoyed our lunch. It wasn’t quite the same as eating them on the beach and I do now have a stain of fish and chip juice on my dashboard but it was fish and chips at the seaside anyway. 

We were very lucky to talk to the owner of our bed and breakfast in the bar as she gave us all of her recommendations, and provided more in a booklet in the guest pack. I highly recommend staying at the Moonfleet Guest House if you want somewhere as a base, it’s a lovely place but pretty remote. We will definitely be going back up to that part of the world and look forward to exploring more. 

Have a great week, 

Lia x