Mini Hol-ee-day to Ullswater

Arran did not come. But then, we did not have Arran yet then.

Afore we got him, a few weeks ago we went on a mini 3 day hol-ee-day, just nearby and stayed in a nice hotel called the Rampsbeck in Watermillock, Ullswater. It only about an hour from our house. We went to do walkings.

The Rampsbeck

The Rampsbeck and my Car!

I liked the Rampsbeck very much. Although I only allowed in the hallway lounge and the bedroom it be a very nice lounge and bedroom and the hotel staff be very nice to me.  I could be left in the room when my pawrents went for dinner. And they had very nice grounds all the way down to Ullswater lake.

They let us has our breakfast in the room for no extra cost. It be a big surprise for me when we got a knock on the door. I went on intruder alert, but then look what came in!

Breakfast at the Rampsbeck

I sniffed the lady and said you can come again!

Lots of so called ‘pet friendly’ hotels is not very friendly at all. They say dogs cannot go in any rooms but cannot be left unattended in the bedrooms. Well, not much point in coming if I had to go sit in the car all the time!

We had a nice little balcony and I went out there and ate my food. Mum sat out with me and ate a chocolate croissant and looked at the lake and said she felt very relaxed. The weather did not be too brilliant, but we managed not to get rained on too much.

The view from our balcony

Ullwater in the hotel grounds

I had a nice sofa to sit on. I is probably not opposed to be on the furniture, but Mum always takes blankets and pet hair removers and pet cleaners with her so we checked to make sure I did not leave any hairs or other doggyness behind.

Mum and TND said the people bed did be very comfy too!

I woke mum up to go for a little walk each morning. 

And when they went for dinner I came too whilst they had little mini foods to start their meal. TND snuck me some chicken liver parfait. Yum! Whilst we sat down here our room magically got put back in order and all the pillows tooked off the bed. Then, Mum tooked me back up to the room and I went to sleep.

The peoples thought the food be very yummy indeed! And they had been to restaurants famous for being exceptionally yummy! Mum particularly liked her pudding on the second day. Salted caramel, chocolate and peanut stuff. They must has really liked it cos I did not get any!

We did some very nice walkings. On the way there we went to Haweswater to try and see the golden eagle who lives there. We did not see him, cos it started doing this.

Mum’s water proofs has stopped being very water proof and she got very wet and started laughing. We made our way to the hide, but when we got there it be all locked up and said it only open on weekends now, so we made our way back and then the sun comed out. We seed some buzzards but not the eagle. I did not really like getting rained on. But of course I still wanted to go swim in the lake! That a different kind of wet altogether!

On the next day we went to Grizedale forest and did some walks. We did one colour trail afore lunch and one after.

It started to rain a bit at lunch and the nice ladies at Grizedale cafe let me come inside.

I is busy teaching Arran how to do this.

Grizedale be a working forest, so some of it cut down, some of it regrowing and some of it all grown. They like to put artwork in the forest.

Mum liked spotting all the art work.

Art in Grizedale forest

A working forest.

We had a very nice time Grizedale forest be very doggy friendly and very big, with lots of walking trails so we did not see very many people. Just how TND likes it.

On the third day we had to go home. We packed up all our stuff and Mum put me in the boot and shut the door and heard a click. She said she ‘felt her heart go’ and looked inside the car and there be the keys, next to me and the car had locked itself! She went inside to tell TND who be paying and we had to make an emergency call to grandpawents to bring the spare keys quick! The sun started to come out and warm up and Mum thought she would has to call the RSPCA on herself! I did not mind, I just lied down like a good boy and tried (a little bit) not to set the alarm off too many times. The very nice reception lady said it didn’t matter if it went off and she beed very kind indeed. Mum and TND sat in reception. Mum felt very panicked and stupid, she did not know the car locked itself and she really careful not to put her keys down now.

Anyway, Grandpawents came after about an hour and we showed them round the Rampsbeck and had some coffee so it all be ok. 

Rusty liked looking around and I got to go in the lake.

Hooray for grandpawents!

We went on to a place called Lowther castle and had a good walk round there afore we went home, but I will show you that another day.

~Lickies, Ludo

The ‘New’ Forest

A few weeks ago (that how behind we is in blogging!)
Me and Mum and TNP got invited to go spend a weekend in a cottage in a place called The New Forest with TNP’s brothers. We had a nice time. It beed good and muddy and even though I did not really like hasing to get my feet washed everytime we came back indoors I did like getting them muddy. I does not think the New Forest very new at all, it one of those ‘trick’ things people do, like saying ‘we going for walkies  soon’ when they mean, in ages!

Firstly of all I got groomed to within an inch of my life! So I would not shed fur.

But I is sure I still left just one or two behind.

It a long drive for us so we stopped at a hotel on the way down. Luckily Travellodges let dogs stay.

Not as glamorous as my usual standards but I like any kind of adventure. No lifts in this one, but stairs is still fun.

I like our cottage. I shared a room with Mum and TNP.

TNP’s older brother and his wife has a baby, so Mum did be a bit worried but I did lots of good boy ignorings of her and only sniffed her when a little bit of her dangled near me. (Like her foot) She smelled ok. But she makes funny noises.

The New Forest has lots of animals roaming around in it. Donkey’s, really little ponies, and not so little ponies!

Arg!

Mum really liked that grey one.

 We tried to get a family pawtrait

Mum also got a sparkly from TNP whilst we beed there. TNP asked Mum a important question when they went on hol-ee-day and so he had to get Mum a present apparently.  I does not know why that means *I* did not get a present though.

~Lickies, Ludo!

Pee ess: It took me so long to get this up because we had Mum’s family visiting and also, Mum’s computer takes sooo long to do anything it very annoying for her. I even had my birthday and didn’t post. I 5 now! 

Hol-ee-day in the Cotswolds!

Last month Me, Mum and TNP all went on a lovely hol-ee-day to the Cotswolds!
Mum and TNP has beed talking about going to the Cotswolds for a long time cos it apposed to be very beautiful and ‘English’, TNP went there as a child on hol-ee-day but Mum had only been once with school to see a Shakespeare play. It a lot more touristy than our usual places to hol-ee-day, so Mum did be worried that TNP might get a bit grumbly (he could do with some more socialisation I thinks) but he did ok.

(Mum got a bad migraine just as we be leaving home and so… she left her camera in the kitchen.. so all piccures is from TNP, or from Mum’s silly phone. She so annoyed at herself and annoyed TNP keep on bugging him to take photos of things he not think very worthy of being photo’d)

We stayed near the popular place of Burford, in a little place called Taynton. 

 image from (http://www.diamondsinthelandscape.org.uk/) Mum’s Nan taught her to think of Britain as a witch kneeling on a broomstick, Wales be her knee, where Mum grew up in the south be her bum (the round sticky out bit) and now, we lives in her breast, in fact, we be right on her nipple! BOL! (usually Mum would have said Cumbri right next to the Isle of Man, but it missing off this map, I did suggest she find a different map… but she never listens to me.) Anyway, the Cotswolds be that orange big, obviously.

 map from (http://www.thecotswoldsguide.com/)

We stayed in Betty’s cottage, but we did not see Betty.

Mum chose it especially cos it has a big furry blanket of straw on it’s head. I bet the rabbit-dogs would like it! Apparently that make it ‘pretty’. It had nice sofa’s for me. We always takes some throws with us that go on the sofa’s and cleaning and hair picker upper things, because Mum knows it impossible to stop me getting on them. Well those peoples is messy! It beed a really old cottage, but all nicely updated. It had wonky old stone floors and uneven steps and proper sash windows. I felt right at home right away.

I had a nice big back garden to run around in too.

 Sunshine? Does that be you? Yes, apparently the south of the country actually gets sunshine! hehe! We had a lovely week and it rained, but only at night!

 Mum loves stable doors! It had one for the front and one for the back.

 I like to has a nice cold floor under a table to lie on.

I liked the cozy log fire, mostly acos the peoples like to snack in front of it.

 

Mum, lovely bakewell tarts from Burford! Can you believe I doesn’t get to eat them anymore cos of the wheat? Who decided delicious things should be made with wheat anyway? Still, a dog can hope, right?

Taynton just had a church and some very nice looking houses in it. Some even had buzzers and gates like you only usually see on TV. But we could walk right in to Burford.

 Burford high street!

 The old market hall where people used to trade wool. Apparently the Cotswolds got so rich mostly because of wool!

 A pretty pub

 A long tailed tit! Mum and TNP has beed trying to get a photo of one for a while. We saw them on the walk in to Burford.

 

We had a ‘pub lunch’ nearly every day. This one on the first day in Burford.

 Mum liked all the little villages cos they had little independent shops like deli’s and bakers and little family run grocery shops. No supermarkets in sight! Mostly we managed to find places that allowed me, inside, or outside. Of course most people loved me and even if it said no dogs in the shops, the shop owners would say ‘oh, I don’t think he’ll be a problem, he’s so cute and fluffy!’ Of course! I got lots of fuss and attention everywhere we went!

This hol-ee-day did be a more people orientated hol-ee-day, we went to lots of pretty towns and villages, and even a city (more on that later) but we of course managed to get some lovely walks in too!

Our first big walk be around Bourton-on-the-Water! Mum really wanted to go in a model village they had there and get photos of me looking like godzilla, but they would not let me in! I wonder why?

The cotswolds has some pretty walks through woods and fields and along rivers and streams. It has beed a bit wet in Britain lately so we did get a bit muddy. But I does not mind that!

 Mud glorious mud!

 (not my lead… Mum’s walking stick!)

After our walk we went into the village and got a piccure ‘on-the-water’.

 and we had lunch. We all beed so hungry and Mum fed some of my treats to the ducks so I had to shout at them.

We did has a little trouble finding somewhere I could go inside in Bourton-on-the-water. But it did not rain and when we came back again later in the hol-ee-day we found somewhere very nice… but it beed all booked up by 60 Japanese tourists. BOL! We passed them getting off their coach and they all loved looking at me. Yes, i just fascinating. I tell Mum and TNP everyday how lucky they is to has me.

Now, we went to lots of villages, so Mum might be getting some of these places muddled up… But we also did a very nice walk which ended in a village Minster Lovell, which had these cool ruins to explore right at the end. We had lunch in a very dog friendly pub called ‘The Old Swan Inn’ where of course, I gots to be the centre of attentions! We also went to Chipping Camden and a pretty little village called Stanton.

Minster Lovell, Click to biggy.

The Old Swan Inn let us in even though we beed very muddy!

 Mum beed very proud of her self for negotiating this gate by climbing over it and not getting wet!

Stanton

Chipping Campden

 

 We had a nice lunch in a cafe that had their own dog in the garden, it called the Badger Cafe.

I did not want to go say hello to her.

 

 

Of course when I say we, what I really means is that I looked on longingly whilst Mum and TNP stuffed their greedy faces.

Even the Red Kites got some luch. We disturbed a whole family and nearly tripped over their dinner!

We seed kestrels and donkey’s and cows and sheeps too.

Okies, I think this post long enough now… But I still has lots to tell. Come back next post, or maybe the next after that for more!

~Lickies, Ludo

Pee ess: We had some very useful tools to help us with our ‘busy’ hol-ee-day, to make sure we saw the things worth seeing and still did the things we like to do on hol-ee-day. First a book called ‘The Rough Guide  to the Cotswolds. Another book called ’50 Walks in The Cotswolds’. A very useful app on Mum’s phone called Doggy Pubs  (http://www.doggiepubs.org.uk/) and a very useful email from our friend Hsin-Yi (Honey’s person) because she used to live in the Cotswolds and so had ‘inside knowledge’.

hol-ee-day Northumbria pt. 3

Last part of my last hol-ee-day. By last I of courses means most recent and not never again.

So, on my first post about my hol-ee-day I showed a piccure of me in a wall and asked you where I did be. Collie Dad got it right. I beed in part of Hadrian’s wall.

Hadrian a man who lived a long time ago who must have really liked walls, cos he got this really big one named after him. Mum says that it be to keep the Scots out, but he must not have got the position wrong because it did not be Scotland on the other side, just more Northumbria. I suppose I might has learned more about it, but the heritage and dig site called Vindolanda didn’t let dogs in, so we didn’t go and get to learn more. After we had climbed up here we found a sign saying please does not do climbings. oop!

We met a man we had seed on another walk and he recognised me. I is famous. Not from my blog, just from another day.

We also went to a place called Kielder Water. It big man made reservoir which used to be a village. It all flooded now and really big. We went to try and look for Osprey’s cos they has some living there, but we did not see any, only on a nest cam. We did see some cool other birds though. Well, cool to Mum and TNP. We went twice and walked miles and miles. One of the visitor centres be an old castle and they let me in. 

The castle had a cool muriel of the forest, and look, a gnome crossing a spider’s web.

Ok, Last thing… Here some more piccures from walks along the river by our cottage. Mum liked these ones the best.

Mum Made a friend. she tooked him some carrot on our last day. Whenever we went through his field he followed us around all the way to the gate.

Me and Mum had to amuse ourselves while TNP sat and tried to get a piccure of a bird called a Long Tailed Tit. Sadly, he did not get it!

Along one side of the river be this old castle, which now used as an activity centre. Bit of a waste of a castle if you ask me. BOL!

And bigify to read this plaque. There used to be a prisoner of war camp right beside it, for The Second World War.

These sheeps is jumping all over the ruins.

 Mum liked the bluebells, she said they go nicely with my furs.

 And I got to go for a dunk.

I had a really great time!

~Lickies, Ludo

pee ess: we really hate the new word verification on blogger.  I hope I has mine turned off. Mum casnot type the words in on her ipad at all!

Hol-ee-day – Northumbria pt. 2

Want to come look at some of the things I did in Northumbria?

On the first day we explored the Viaduct.

Here a collage of all the steps you had to go up to get to it. I really like places like this cos I loves running up to bridges, and gates and stuff like that and figuring out how to get over it all by myself. Cos I is clever.

The viaduct used to be for trains in the Victorian period. Back then they didn’t care about how much things cost they cared about doing things right and elegantly and celebrating their engineering achievements… so when industry started to not be so important or making enough money or something they stopped using it. It all started crumbling down. It got listed status and got repaired in 1996 by a heritage trust and now it part of a really cool walk. It nice that it got repaired and the old railway goes through the woods. Now and then you can see parts like the stoppers for the trains what still be left behind. Mum thinks it amazing all the places the Victorians put railways, you could get virtually everywhere by train. Even to the middle of nowhere! Wherever that be.

We also went to a couple of the nearby towns. Like Haltwhistle and Hexham.

Mum casnot remember which piccures come from which place, but we think Hexham had the Cathedral and Haltwhistle has this…

It Mum and TNP looking rather unimpressed about being in the ‘centre’ or England. Hurrah.

Come back next post to finally see where I did be on my wall piccure. One of yous got it right!

~lickies, 

Hol-ee-day! Northumbria pt. 1

This time on our hol-ee-day we went only a short drive of about an hour and a half away… we stayed in England, just outside Cumbria, in Northumbria. See how they stoled our Umbria bit? They talked all funny too. like this. Mum thinks it so weird that you can drive such a short way and get such a different, equally strong accent.

Anyways, enough of that boring stuff. Time for some things that interest me! Because I is the most important.

We stayed on a furry nice farm, called Lambley, which had been part converted into cottages. Mum and TNP liked it especially cos it had something called a ‘sauna’ and a ‘hot tub’, I didn’t get to go in there though.

The piccures might not be up to my usual standard, TNP got a new camera, so Mum inherited his old one and she making quite the blurry piccures. Also, my official photographer seems to just be taking photos of birds now.

The Back garden

Our one be the one to the right of me. We had the place all to ourselves for nearly the whole week, when the new people comed I tried to chase them off MY FARM.

 My bedroom

It very nice and I like it lots.

We mostly did lots of walking and bird watching/photoing. Though mostly me and Mum did other things like relaxing, eating and sniffings, maybe less Mum for that last one. The cottages be right next to a river and I love water! Unless it in the form of a bath.

It also has some very tall sheeps in funny colours.

Look, right at my back door! Mum insisted on giving them Carrots! I barked at them if they got too close. I wanted to do chasings of them, but Mum told me ‘leave it’ then we went outside with some treats and the clicker and we did work on ignoring them getting closer and closer. They did the getting closer too. But then the big chickens ranned away whenever they got too close to me. Which they should since I could have totally herded them big sheep up.

Speaking of chickens

Mum said those Sheeps is called Alpacas and she would have liked some of their wool as she uses it to fur her little mini animals. But just to show that they is still sheeps, here a sheep for comparison.

They matches, see?

 We seed these sheeps out on walks, they did not be at all ascared, just a bit nervous. They all wanted to do lookings at me. Well, I casnot blame them, cos I is pretty call. Mum thinks they is Romney sheeps.

The piccures might look a bit gloomy. We didn’t get much sunshine, but not much rain either. Perfect weather for me. Right now it really hot hot hot!

Ok, come back next time to look at some of the places we explored.

This was going to be a longer post, but we has a certain someone staying with us at the moment…
Grandpawents has goned away this weekend to a wedding down South and so we is looking after Penny. Mum says I is being my usual obnoxious self and pushing her around when we go outside. Auntie Penny gets really stressed out on her own and feels most comfortable round her own house so we is staying there at night. We stayed at ours one night, and we tried to stay at TNP’s last night, cos it beed his birthday. But at about half 12 (AM!) Auntie Penny woked up in a panic and started barking so we went back to Grandpawents. Here she trying not to fall asleep, since Mum got up, which means she might (shock horror) go out! Auntie Penny sleeps really deeply now and she casnot hear that much so she likes to go to sleep on peoples feet, or blocking a door way so she gets woked up when they move.  Whilst Mum types this for me Auntie Penny be sleeping on her toes.

She still a total nutcase when she awake though, bouncing around all the time. TNP says we is never getting a springy spaniel cos he’s known two and they has both been nutty. Auntie Penny really stupid too. She leaps down the balcony steps and then falls over and she gets her lead caught on her foot and casnot work out how to get it off. She also takes ages to eat her dinner and spends a while just looking at it, wondering what to do. I not even be allowed to eat it myself whilst she looks at it. Yesterday at TNP’s whilst Mum beed cooking TNP’s special birthday dinner Auntie Penny  got out the garden and tooked her self for a walk. TNP found her talking to another spaniel though. 

Silly old Auntie Penny. I like to bite her floppy ears.

Mum says she hopes someone has as much sympathy for me when I is old. 

~lickies, Ludo