It seems that all hope was lost when it came to having a summer this year. Things are slowly changing and options for things to do this summer in the East Midlands are developing, which of course is really exciting after being in lockdown for weeks. One of the best ideas I've come across is the option for a drive-in theatre and it feels like we're stepping back into history here.

Drive-ins have been around as early as the 1910s, but the first licensed drive-in was opened in New Jersey on June 6, 1933. The success that Richard Hollingshead had with New Jersey increases the numbers of drive-ins to appear in every state in the country, as well as internationally too. They gained more of their popularity 20 years later during the 1950s and '60s which definitely give me Grease vibes! 

Going to a drive in is a fantastic option for a date night like no other, so imagine my excitement at the news of The Great British Drive In. Together with Digbeth Dining Club, a 10 week long festival of film, live entertainment and the finest street food you can get your hands on. 

Set in the beautiful grounds of Sandon Hall, Staffordshire, The Great British Drive In is a fantastic opportunity to watch some fantastic films on a 100 square metre LED screen and with your loved ones. The event will run 6 days a week (Tues-Sun) with a highly varied programme for all film buffs to enjoy between 3rd July - 13th September. 

The team behind the event have been working tirelessly over the past weeks to ensure all Covid 19 and social distancing measures have been carefully considered and implemented to ensure it's an enjoyable and safe experience for you. 

Before the film starts you have plenty of time to park and enjoy some food from the street food providers, which can be ordered online or at the venue. The audio for the film plays through a FM transmitter so will play through the car radio or any portable radio. It's definitely going to be like living in history and I'm so excited for it.

Some of my favourites on the bill for the festival include Grease, Harry Potter, Rocketman and more! You can check out what films are on offer here. If you're anything like me and want to add something to your diary to make this pandemic situation more bearable, The Great British Drive In is a sure place to start! 

[AD] In collaboration with Steam Dreams Railway Company. I was invited onboard this trip in return for a blog review. 

I don't remember the last time I jumped on a steam train - I have a vivid memory from a primary school age when I went on a short trip with my friend and her parents, but let's just be assured it's not something I have experienced up to recently. The chance came for me to be whisked away on one, it felt incredibly Harry Potter-esque and I was almost tempted to pack my owl and trunk for the trip (just in case we ended up at Hogwarts!) We were joining some of the UK's steam train experts, Steam Dreams on a day trip to the Settle and Carlisle Railway via a stop off in Carlisle. 

Steam Dreams have been combining the magic of steam travel that is loved by many up and down the country with a look at the gorgeous British countryside and onboard menus since 1999. Now two decades late the company now offers day trips to more than 35 different destinations and pick up passengers at over 100 stations across the UK every year. 

We joined the train from London at Rugby (around a 45-minute car journey) from our base in Leicestershire and it was an early start with the train departing at 8:20am. There are 4 different classes available on these trains, ranging from the Pullman Style Dining to Premium Standard. We were kindly gifted seats in the Pullman Style Dining for the trip which claims to provide us with a premium railway dining experience. Our seats in the carriage were incredibly comfortable and had ok legroom for us, an important element for a lengthy trip. 

Upon our outward journey, we got handed a welcome glass of champagne and a friendly hello from the company's Passenger Experience Director, Aimee. She was incredibly bubbly and made us feel at ease during our entire trip. She was also on hand to help you get the most out of your experience on the steam train. We were sat opposite two gentlemen during this trip and it was great to have such friendly people to chat with throughout the day. 

You were handed a guide of your trip for the day - it gave a fantastic breakdown of the journey from every turn. I thought the way this was presented was very boring to my personal taste and too much in print. I think this could be more appealing to customers on the train with a more simplistic breakdown of the journey and more colour. If you are interested in your journey then I'd expect it to be more appealing visually. 

On our outward journey we got a three-course type breakfast to begin our day. What was served was granola and yoghurt before a mighty full English breakfast spread (just what I needed after that early alarm on a Saturday!) Finished off with a couple of chocolate truffles, a cuppa and spectacular views of the Lake District in the distance as we made our way North to Carlisle. 


Once we arrived in Carlisle around lunchtime we only had around an hour and a half to explore before we needed to be back on the train for the trip back to Rugby. It's a not long time so we spent our time mooching in the shops around the small town - I was drawn to a particular shop that had an incredible Halloween display in the front and a browse in some of their charity shops. 

The main attraction for this trip was the Settle and Carlisle Railway and this trip was all about that. You absolutely took it all of the breathtaking views from the train as you embarked on such a beautiful journey. On the journey, we were indulged into a 3-course dinner (which ended in the most divine cheese board!). I enjoyed the tomato and mozzarella salad for my starter, a chicken breast in garlic type sauce for main and a lemon tart for pudding. The meal was served quite sporadically and not consistent but this didn't distract me from my overall dining experience and I still enjoyed the entire meal. We also managed a short stop in Appleby Station for an ice cream - it was a great time to stretch your legs and gather some fresh air! Overall we had a delightful day out on the Leander 45690 which was our steam train for the trip. 

I would say that the length of the entire day is quite draining - especially as you spend a lot of your day sitting in the exact same spot and little time to explore a city when you arrive. I would definitely like to attend another train day trip with Steam Dreams. It was a thrilling new adventure for me and I loved the idea of being dined whilst embarking on a trip! I loved seeing some gorgeous views of the British countryside too (and wondering where I want to move when I retire - I do this on a lot of journeys! aha!) 

Will you be embarking on a journey with Steam Dreams soon? Find out more over on their website for information and dates for the next adventures here.

[AD] In collaboration with Bookado. 

Adventure seekers like me love the opportunity to try something new and 2019 has certainly been the year of challenging my fears. First I managed to scale 34 floors up a building for an afternoon tea in Liverpool and now I was tackling it once again thanks to a collaboration with Bookado.  

Bookado provides an incredible amount of activities across the UK and has created the easiest way to find the best (and most thrilling) of activities and things to do wherever you are since they launched in 2018. They range from a couple of hours to a full day out - each tailored to your specific activity needs. 

There are some fantastic stuff on offer, perfect if you're ticking off your bucket list. Some of those I am keen to try for myself is the Hot Air Balloon ride in Surrey and Kayaking in Sussex. The prices are discounted and of decent value too! 

The company are continuing to expand their reach to destinations throughout the UK and are growing their hub in my hometown of Leicestershire. Fab! I was excited to sample one of the activities they are planning to offer on a hot summer's day in August when I headed to Loughborough's Climbing Station for an indoor bouldering experience. 


It wasn't long after we arrived at the venue and we got kitted up before heading straight into a warm-up and taking to the wall for our first climb of the afternoon. We were attached to a safety harness and rope and guided by our instructor to reach the top. On the wall were different coloured holes, each representing varying levels of difficulty. I stuck with what I was more comfortable with and went for the easier routes to build up my confidence with heights. 

Although yes I am terrified of heights I absolutely challenged myself to go further up the wall everytime.

After a few goes at this wall we unclipped ourselves from the equipment and headed over to the Climbing Stations spacious bouldering area. There are many areas to this space for you to explore and they change the holds regularly meaning you are always trying something new on every visit. Fantastic if you get stuck into bouldering and figure out it's something you'd like to do more often.

Bouldering seems to be a thrilling new sport that is growing in popularity! It's similar to rock climbing, although you don't have the safety net of a harness or rope whilst climbing. The walls are not flat and are a range of different shapes and sizes, they mimic rocks you would see outdoors.

This part of our activity was definitely a lot more challenging but I found I took to it far better than when I was on the wall. We had a lot more to do in terms of moving our body and figuring out different holds in order to reach the holes ahead of us. I absolutely loved trying these out and the guidance and support from our instructor definitely helped grow my confidence with this activity too.

I enjoyed how different it was to our usual activity and me and Jordan are definitely keen to get enrolled and attend The Climbing Station more often.

Bookado is a fantastic brand and I can't wait to hopefully experience more activities up and down the country with them as they expand!

I loved seeing the spectacular birds and hearing their individual stories of what makes them so unique. We got incredibly close to some of the birds including the hawk, eagle, red kite and perigrine falcon as they darted through the audiences and it was a fantastic experience to be able to have!

Heading to Chatsworth House during the festive period has become a tradition and it's something that I always look forward to popping into my diary. We always tend to spend a few hours there before walking around Bakewell too, I couldn't wait to see what was in store for us this year. This Christmas you are invited to immerse yourself in a world of make-believe with enchanting fairy tale scenes woven throughout the gorgeous stately home.

This Christmas 'Once upon a time' invites storytellers to roam the halls enchanting visitors both young and old to experience scenes from a selection of favourite tales as the leap off the pages right in front of your eyes. You'll experience classics like Cinderella and Beatrix Potter to more contemporary stories like James and the Giant Peach and Charlotte's Web too. It's really quite something. 

Every year there's also a fun family trail at the entrance and it was fun to see what mischief the little baby dragon is up to on the route (actually more time was spent trying to find him first). It's a fantastic way of getting the children involved. 

As always the level of decoration and attention to detail in the design was astounding. I already saw a snippet of some of the displays before attending but there was still something that would always take me by surprise. As an avid bookworm, all of these displays made me just want to curl up with some of these fairytale classics. I loved the use of music and projection in some of the rooms to really bring specific stories to life, the area where Mary Poppins was situated was quite something. 

The creativity behind each room was admirable and the effort to create a wonderland is something I love about Christmas at Chatsworth. We headed on a day when they still had their Christmas Market on so after walking around the house there was nothing better than walking around with a mulled wine in hand.

If you're still looking for a Christmas gift or a little something to remind you of your festive spirit then there is a fantastic gift shop at the end of the tour. I snatched up a Christmas tree decoration but I could have spent loads in there and brought so many gifts. 

If you're looking for something more magical you can attend the Twilight evenings at Chatsworth. Their Christmas Twilight evenings fall on Thursdays and Fridays until the 21 December. You can enjoy a mince pie, wine, and live music whilst your favourite childhood stories come to life around you. You can find out more here. 

I'm so excited to see what 2019 will have in store, definitely don't miss the opportunity to add something else that's festive this Christmas season. 

You can visit Chatsworth at Christmas for yourself until 6 January, you can find out more and book your tickets here.

Summer's here and you bet I'm going to be heading off on some road trips around the UK. The first destination on my list is York. York is a fantastic city in the northeast of England. It's packed with culture, art, history, shopping, food and so much more so it's no surprise why hundreds of people descend there for a trip each year. More so during the Summer when the city offers so much more to its visitors, making it clear why its known as 'The Original City Adventure'.

In collaboration with their tourist board, Visit York I'll be heading up on a weekend adventure to explore some of the best bits that York has to offer and embrace it all in the sunshine (I hope!). There's so much that the city has to offer that it already provides a challenge for myself. What helps is we'll have use of the York Pass. The York Pass is an added value sightseeing card that provides you the flexibility to visit top attractions throughout the city and beyond. There are over 30 attractions you can experience for free!

Photo Source.

We're going to be heading up during the weekend and what will be the start of the Summer Holidays so it's vital for us to get some kind of "plan" on what we'd like to do whilst we're there. I have been to York previously ( I went to York Dungeons for a collaboration with Branston Beans) so I know what kind of things I can expect from my visit, but there's still plenty I haven't seen. I thought it would be a great plan to share some of our ideas with you in the hope it'll inspire your road trip to York. 

Of course first up is the York Minister. Being one of the world's most magnificent cathedrals and crafted in stained glass and stone it stands above anything else in York's structure. I've visited it before but it doesn't tire of being a must-see everytime you visit the city. The cathedral has more medieval stained glass than anywhere else in the country. It's a real spectacle to see.

Photo Source   Photo Source

Photo Source                         Photo Source

One of the award-winning attractions of York that is on my list is the National Railway Museum. It's home to iconic locomotives and engineering firsts in our railway heritage. It's a true celebration of the past, present and future of innovation on the railways all in one place. Some of the highlights at the museum include the world's fastest steam locomotive, the Mallard and check out the Japanese bullet train. I love museums which offer something interactive and the National Railway Museum doesn't miss the mark as they offer turntable demonstrations, you can climb on board some of the historic carriages and get stuck into some activities organised throughout the Summer holidays! Great for families! It's also free to enter. 

On our weekend trip, we'll make sure to do some shopping! Once we've finished off wandering the streets of The Shambles, the bustling centrepiece of historic York we'll be sure to head to the York Designer Outlet. Located just 15 minutes in a car away from the centre of York, you can some of the best discounts from the biggest brands. There are some amazing stores on site including GAP, Clarks and Nike. 

Lastly on the list is essential for most city breaks, a sightseeing tour! The CitySightseeing Hop on Hop off bus tour helps you to discover all of the major sights and attractions throughout the city. There are twenty stops around the city and you can see so much for free in the city with your York Pass. 

You can get a glimpse of what the city has to offer with their gorgeous promotional video below;

I'm sure I'm not the only person who gets excited to explore what the airport's duty-free has to offer before heading onto their destination ✈️.  Given some airports offer better duty-free options than others but it's good to make the most of what they do have within their airport, especially if you're after some essentials you forgot to pack in your suitcase (usually my problem!)

This blog post is in collaboration with East Midlands Airport, which is actually the closest airport to my location, just 15 minutes up the road from me in fact.

East Midlands Airport brings in over 4 million passengers during the year and serves more than 90 leisure and business destinations throughout the world. In the airport their duty-free offers fantastic products in Fragrance, Makeup, Skincare, Clothing, Technology and so much more.  With the duty-free, there's also fantastic offers for you to get your hands on including two free FastTrack passes when you order any product online to collect at the airport. There are also airport exclusives that are not available on the high street, the Clinique Daily Essentials set is only £39.45.4

I was invited along to the East Midlands Airport to get an idea what their duty-free has to offer and whether I could purchase any great bargains whilst I was there too! The stores I was checking out were Superdrug, Accessorize, and Traveller. 

Superdrug provides the biggest brands in Health and Beauty as well as exclusive products all at great prices. If you're like me then you probably always forget something essential for your holiday. In Superdurg I decided to grab some products for a festival, because some of my summer will be spent at festivals. The store at the airport also had a 3for2 offer on their make up products and not only that you got some festival gem essentials from The Gypsy Shrine for free. I got my hands on the *Maybelline Burgundy Palette, *Revolution Liquid Highlighter Luminous Gold and the *Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid in Fire Starter 500. I can't wait to make the best festival look possible with these products!

Next stop we explored an in-house store Traveller. Traveller has all of the major brands and latest in fashion under one roof. You could get pieces of clothing from Superdrug, Joules, The North Face and Duck and Cover. I loved the variety of different brands this store had to offer and for affordable prices. There were so many pieces of clothing I could have brought in a heartbeat. 

There seemed to be a lot of stripes on show in the store (hooray!) of course I bought myself another striped top which will be perfect for the slightly colder summer evenings. The store also had a great array of things on their sale racks so definitely worth checking if you are heading to the store!

Chatsworth House at Christmas is a festive experience in the East Midlands you do not want to miss. Last year's Nutcracker theme was incredible and definitely got me in the Christmas mood. This year the house is being transformed into a Dickens Christmas like no other. 

Chatsworth House celebrates some of the best loved works from Charles Dickens. In the tour around the many rooms and staircases of the house, you can witness a real Dickensian London. From the Victorian shop fronts, the London Docks, Scrooge's bed and much, much more all dressed for Christmas. It's all in the details with Chatsworth House, there is little left dressed in the theme. Some of the creations in the rooms were stunning and not what I expected at all. There's also a helping hand from Fagin, Bill Sikes, and Miss Havisham to bring the theme to life and delighting people of all ages upon their visit. The characters engage with all of the visitors, particularly the young people who were really drawn into their peculiar characters. 

As you walk through the various rooms you are given two activities to participate in, one of which was finding a stuffed dog toy in each room. The use of literature is embedded in each room and really emphasises the work of Charles Dickens that he is well known for. I was instantly drawn to those and would definitely make time to read them. 

There are so many incredible Christmas Trees in each room too, giving me enough Christmas Tree decoration inspiration to last me for years! I loved the additions of folded book pages and watches that were on some of the trees.

The kids have the opportunity to try on dozens of character costumes near the end of the tour too. 

Waltzing through the rooms and taking in all of the different stories, atmospheres and characters can be overwhelming therefore take your time to fully appreciate everything that Chatsworth House has created. The experience was definitely as good as the Nutcracker theme last year. I couldn't wait to get home and immediately get stuck into reading my copy of A Christmas Carol, perfect read for this time of year. 

Oh Dickens! It's Christmas is available to experience until 07 January, expect from 24, 25, 26 December 2017 and 1 January 2018. The tour is definitely worth a visit this Christmas season, particularly for the entire family. There's something for everyone to enjoy at Chatsworth House this Christmas.  

*Press ticket to experience Oh Dickens! It's Christmas at Chatsworth House. All views and photos are my own.