So, it has been a while, on two fronts.   Firstly it is a little while since I last posted any thing.   Partly due to being busy doing with work but also due to a lack of motivation, which, unfortunately, I have noticed coming across a lot of areas of my life recently.   The second area is it has been a year since I started this blog.   That’s 365 days and 54 posts, loads more than I thought I would write.   Thanks to everyone who has stayed the course this far and I hope you have enjoyed some of these posts.

I had taken a week off work to use up some holiday from last year before I lost it so, as Lyns also had a few days off in her shift pattern, we decided to head up to Durham for a mini break.   We had always wanted to visit the city, and as neither of us had ever been, we decided to go.   It also meant that we could use our tickets to visit Beamish again.

We set off early on the Monday morning and were in Durham by 10ish.   What a beautiful city.   As to be expected with Lyns, we started the day by finding a coffee shop, no cake though much to my surprise.   Unusually for a bank holiday, the weather was looking fantastic so it was shorts and t-shirts all round.   After our drinks we headed to the cathedral. 

Whilst beautiful, I did not think it was any where near as amazing as York Minster, but then, we are blessed having that in the city we live in.   That being said, it was breath takingly beautiful.   Being a big Harry Potter fan, Lyns loved seeing the area that featured in the film.   With Goathland station, that is two Harry Potter locations we have visited together now.   All in all we spent a good couple of hours in the cathedral.   James wanted to know all about it and asked lots of intelligent questions that got both Lyns an I thinking.

After we had taken our fill of the cathedral we headed to find somewhere for lunch.   We walked down to the river and enjoyed a very pleasant walk along it’s banks before heading up into the city centre. 

Luckily we only had to walk down these steps

After lunch we headed off to find our hotel.   We were staying at the Derwent Manor Hotel about twenty five minutes outside Durham.   Due to there being an offer on, we had got a suite for only twenty pounds more than a family room.   Well what a treat it was.   James had his own room but more importantly, there was a spa bath with a tv.   James spent the best part of an hour in the bath the first night, with the jets going, watching a film.   The boy knows how to live!

A spa bath, bubbles and Paddington on TV.   What more could her possibly want? 

Next morning I was up early for a run before we all headed off for breakfast.   James loved it as he had waffles, a rare treat. 

After breakfast we headed off to Beamish.   James remembered it instantly when we arrived and headed straight for the tram, his favourite bit.   This time there was not the pressure to see everything as there was the first time we went.   This meant we could pick our favourite things to do.   James even persuaded mummy to go down the mine.   He did a great job of looking after her down there.

Loving the Victorian Fun Fayre

After a cracking day out we headed back to the hotel.   The hotel had a swimming pool and we went swimming three times in our two night stay!   Made up for there not being any swimming lessons during the school holidays. 

After a swim and breakfast we checked out.   There was time for one last play in the play park before we headed home. 

We had a fantastic mini break.   I would thoroughly recommend the hotel we stayed in, especially if you can get a deal.   I had the rest of the week to go for my holiday but it could not have started any better.