Northern Exposure: Part 2

Our next summer adventure was again spent on "The North." GOT feels, I know. Lol. We were supposed to join a group of friends in Scotland but hubby made a last minute decision to cancel. He thinks that Isla will not like the long road trip as it would be our first time to travel that far. So instead, we headed up north of England.

We stayed in a caravan in Knott's End, Lancashire and stayed for 5 days/4 nights then went to nearby attractions during that week. It was also our first time to head up north, the northernmost we've been before was Liverpool, years ago, during our joint birthday.

LANCASHIRE

We stayed at Willowgrove Park, Knotts End. After looking up online (for what seemed to be an eternity; was looking at all good deals), we finally decided on this caravan. It was a deal from Bounty so there was a bit of discount. The size was bigger for us (a family of 3), as it still had a spare room for additional occupants but the caravan exceeded our expectations, given the price. The park looked more like a retirement village than a holiday area but it worked to our advantage as we needed some peace and quiet especially after the long trips.

It was our first time to stay in a caravan and we loved it. I had my qualms before (mainly because we came out for a holiday and I hate to do household chores especially cooking obviously) but it was actually okay. I was able to manage doing it (and surprisingly loved it) whenever we would get home from the caravan. Kitchen was a good size and I had all the menu for our dinner planned anyway. In fact, we had some leftover food after the trip. I guess I must have brought more than expected.

Hubby's perfect shot

Although there was no signal (at all) from where we were staying - yes it was such a torture for our social media frenzied selves - yet we had enjoyed our time there. I enjoyed the caravan experience to my surprise and we actually missed it when we left (and we had a hard time moving on for weeks). 

View from our window...lovin' the horses

BLACKPOOL

Our first stop was this vibrant city as this was also the closest to our caravan location. There is a lot going on and the day was not enough to venture lovely Blackpool. Because we had a toddler in tow, our first priority was the theme park that is Pleasure Beach. Since it was summer holidays (aka school's out), it was PACKED. I guess we had been used to the relaxed atmosphere at Alton Towers that we were kind of shocked at how busy the place was. We obviously did not go to all the rides but as long as we get to have Isla go to Dora and the rest of Nickelodeon friends, that would do. It was a bit more "chaotic" than Alton Towers and maybe had less space than the other as it seemed that they have packed everything into one place. This probably started out as a small theme park as it was by the seaside then just expanded from there. But it was still fun anyway as they have really cool rides - although I'm not into adrenaline stuff anyway.

Ready!

Totally digging this :)

For the remaining time, we just ventured around the city, in car. We would have loved to go back if we had the time so that we can check out the other landmarks but unfortunately, we were out of time. The city offers a lot of attractions which are counterparts on this side up north - Sea Life, Dungeon, Madame Tussaud's to name a few. Of course, not to be missed is the iconic Blackpool Tower. We would have loved to go up there - oh well. I have also noticed these fancy horse carriages around the city which seemed to radiate it's fabulous vibe, the city which is known for ballroom dancing, variety shows and galas.

Yes, this served as our city tour :)

LAKE DISTRICT

After the hustle and bustle of the city, we need a breath of fresh air (literally). That's why we planned for Lake District the next day as this place has been in our bucket list from day one. There has been quite a few challenges on our way there - traffic for one was bad, same reasons from yesterday (peak season) and we also "got lost." We were supposed to go to a different part of Lake District/park entrance but we missed the sign and our dear old, dependable (insert sarcasm) TomTom did not really lead us to that park. On our way home, we actually realised that the sign (which we did not see at all) was posted on the opposite direction. Honestly, it was not THAT obvious and when we tried to check it again to retrace our steps, it was hard to go back up because of the traffic.

See what I mean?

Straight out of a milk bottle :)

But it was worth it all. Amidst the traffic, the views made a good distraction. Such lush, green scenery on the way up to The Lakes. It's like you are transported to a different place...so calm, so cool, you just wanted to be sucked in. I am not a big nature fan and I'm not even into mountain lands as I think its remoteness would somehow detach me with the modern world and civilisation which I'm comfortable in (and can't live without), yes I am a city girl. But for this once, I was in touch with nature and I lurve it! We have not been into The Lakes yet...

Quick pit stop as this girl has lost her patience with the traffic...we also found our parking spot (finally!)

Almost there...closer to The Lakes

Now, "The Lakes." We were actually lucky in a way that we got lost because we went to the side of the park where we don't have to pay for the entrance. We also got to put up our small tent and just lounge under the sun and "enjoy nature" the whole day. It was also a lovely summer day so we could not be happier. If the scenes on the way to Lake District were postcard perfect, the actual lake was breathtaking. My pictures don't do justice. We would have loved to go boating but we were just contented to just sit there and appreciate what nature has to offer. This is definitely one of our best family day-outs.

And did I say that the air was cool, crisp and fresh? We were definitely in one with nature.

Lovely view outside our tent

Just wow

LIVERPOOL

Of course, we would not miss revisiting one of the places close to our heart. My husband is a big LFC fan so Liverpool should not be missed in our itinerary. Our first stop was Anfield, to get his up-to-date LFC merchandise. No major changes from the last time we visited, maybe it was a big bigger than last time, I dunno. We never had a chance to get inside again, only the store. Hopefully one day, we would have a chance to watch a football game. Someday. It is definitely in our bucket list.

Probably by that time, the new LFC stadium will be finished.

We then spent the rest of the day in the city centre. After a big lunch at their big shopping centre, we just hung out at Albert Dock, went around the shops including The Beatles Story, carousel ride for Isla and chilling in this Merseyside city. The weather was not as good as the previous days as there were instances of drizzling spells. Still it did not hamper us from going around the area.

The liver bird

Starting to get cloudy :(

Loved it then and loved it 'til now. And if given a chance, we would come back again.

OXFORD AND SWINDON STOP-OVERS

We had some quick stop-overs on our way and back. Going up north, we stopped by Oxford to see some friends. The rain was pouring heavily though so we never had a chance to go around Oxford. We just stayed indoors and used it to catch up with friends instead. 

Isla loves dogs :)

On our way back, we made a stop at Swindon. Traffic was terrible on our way home that we decided to stay the night there. We also spent the next day shopping at the outlet shops. The good thing about the outlet is it was family friendly. There was a kids play area and even a train, so parents could take turns with the kids and shopping. 

We definitely had a lovely time!