After setting a New Years goal to adventure the wonderful nature on my doorstep and take a walk at least once a week, in January I kicked it straight off with 5 morning walks for 5 days. Jamie and I decided that, not only would this be great for our health and productivity, but it would also open up our eyes to some places that we hadn't been to for walks together before.
Of course, if you're not from the Teesside or North Yorkshire region, you may not be familiar with these places, however, if you are planning to pass through or stay here one time. this could give you some inspiration. But, if anything, let this encourage you to explore the best country walks in your own region.
The 5 walks that we did span across Monday to Friday and were generally at about 9AM. We experienced the typical British weather twists and turns but I did make sure that, on every walk, I was well equipt with a hat, scarf, windshield coat, gloves and walking boots. Most of the following images were taken on these 5 walks.
MONDAY - HARDWICK COUNTRY PARK
We kicked it off at an Estate Park which is less than a 10-minute drive from us and, despite the very heavy rain, we found some pretty interesting sights. If you've seen this blog post, you'll have already seen some pictures from our trip to this park. We spotted tiny little mushrooms amongst the trees - I was pretty excited to get close up pictures. So, despite the rain, the first walk was lovely.
TUESDAY - ROSEBERRY TOPPING
Next, we climbed what I describe as North Yorkshire's Mount Everest (OK, I may be over exaggerating... a little). This time, the rain had cleared up and, as you can see in the first image up there, we got a stunning blue sky. Besides that, it was super chilly and the ground was a mixture of frosty and slippy dirt. I've only ever walked this trek when I was very young and couldn't actually remember it so, going up this time, I actually got to realise how surprisingly difficult it is. Nevertheless, the persevered and got up to the very windy summit.
WEDNESDAY - FAIRY DELL PARK
Having never even heard of the magical sounding 'Fairy Dell' Park we decided that, given it was only a 20-minute drive, we'd give it a go. We were surprised to find a big park with lots of twists and turns to adventure, a quiet beck, chainsaw carvings, lots of different types of trees, and a little mini waterfall. I'm shocked that I didn't know about this place. My only little miff about this place is that, in the winter, it is a bit dark and wet; I suspect that this is a stunning place to visit when all of the trees are thick with bright green leaves and there's a bit less of the cold bleakness. (P.S. How many of you noticed that I captured one of the ducks mid-quack)
THURSDAY - ROPNER PARK
This park goes right back in my childhood memories but, in our 2 years together, Jamie and I have never visited here together. Now, the reason why we went from climbing mountains to wandering around a park is that, as you can see, we got a pretty heavy snowfall overnight. While we did intend to go on a brisk walk alongside a reservoir, we reckoned it just wouldn't be safe enough. Although, this was a grateful choice for the ducks that we fed.
FRIDAY - STEWART'S PARK
By Friday, we were feeling the light sting of early mornings and with the snow still stalling our plans, we kept it local again and headed to Stewart's Park. This park is a pretty large park and, I'm not going to lie and put a pink fluffy cloud over my life here, we basically got there, walked to the cafe, had a drink, and left. HOWEVER (bear with me), on numerous occasions, we have adored trips to this park. They have animals such as chickens, guinea pigs, goats, and deer as well as 2 ponds full of ducks and moorhens and, if you're lucky (or perhaps unlucky), you can spot a heron. A great place for a stroll, peace and quiet, and a peek at nature. On Friday's trip, I decided to leave the camera at home so that both Jamie and I could take in our surroundings and not be constantly stopping for 'that perfect-shot', so the pictures below are from a summer walk.
EXTRA PLACES TO GET YOUR BUTT TO...
Of course, there are more than just 5 brilliant places to explore in the Teesside/North Yorkshire region. Here are some extra nature, country trips that you could also venture on.
PRESTON PARK - You may be surprised to hear that this local park includes one of very few all-year-round butterfly parks and by-gosh is it amazing. If you know me, you probably know that I adore this place or at least butterflies. The tropical types that they have here are completely stunning and it's a true honor if you ever have one land on you. Asside from the Butterfly World, there is a Victorian Museum - the kind where people walk around in gowns and, as a child, I experienced lots of exciting trips there.
GUISBOROUGH FOREST - This somewhat hilly walk isn't always my favourite but has definitely satisfied my walk-craving every now and then. I have fond memories of this place when I was younger because, every year, they have a mini-festival type thing, full of exciting nature activities - I will never forget being the child that was chosen to hop over the fence and hold the barn owl in front of the audience.
CASTLE EDEN DENE - I introduced this place to Jamie last year and, quite frankly, he couldn't really believe that he'd never been before. Situated a 20-minute drive from home and situated just above Teesside on the map, this National Nature Reserve has everything from huge drops into a scary dene, up and down terrain, little waterfalls, and a bright red bridge. The walk it's self can take around an hour and, although the last bit is a step up-hill climb, it can be very worth it.
COD BECK / OSMOTHERLY - I think it's becoming a little tradition of ours to visit Osmotherly in the summer months with a picnic basket. You see, we know this spot, where people very rarely go, but it has stunning views, tonnes of interesting animals (like rabbits and birds of prey), and is probably the most peaceful yet interesting places that I've visited. Just along the map from here is Cod Beck Reservoir. It's a pretty straightforward walk around the reservoir and along the beck but definitely enjoyable.
CAPTAIN COOK'S MONUMENT - This place is adjacent to Roseberry Topping and is also quite the climb. In 2017, I discovered a new found love for this place when we had a very successful trip blueberry picking there. At the top of the hill, there are lovely views across the region and you can walk from there to Roseberry Topping.
Believe it or not, blog posts don't just grow on trees; they take quite a bit of planning and this can sometimes take hours or even days. For me, I seem to have settled into a routine for blogging that is working brilliantly for me. This particular routine is proving to be beneficial when it comes to increased blog traffic, social engagement, and more. Now, of course, everyone is different and this might not work for 100% of people because some aspects, such as having a blog planner, isn't always the best for you but there is definitely ways to make it work for you.
BE INSPIRED
For me, it starts with being inspired. This can happen in a million different ways; from a day out that I felt was worth sharing, an opinion that sprigged up in my mind half way through a car journey conversation, or even that night when I couldn't sleep and ended up seeing my surroundings in a whole new light. If I think of a post, I like to get it written down ASAP. In other ways, I have a browse through Twitter and Bloglovin to see what audiences are currently enjoying or if there's anything I'd like to contribute my opinion to. It can sometimes be the most effective choice to reflect the needs of the audience, but do keep it unique.
PLAN THE POST DATE
This is either something that you already do or a moment where you realise this could work for you and 'omg I really should get doing that right now'. Whether you want to use paper, whiteboard, an electronic calendar or, like me, a 'Numbers (Excel)' Document, this is pretty simple. You can plan out when each blog post will be going up throughout the month so that you can ensure there's no clash. For example, I like to have a 3/4 day gap between my blog posts - this is in order to give each post enough 'screen time', as well as some time to plan and write my next one. I find it beneficial to look at these posts from afar - this way I can make sure there aren't too many similar posts going up at once.
PLANNING IN MY PLANNER
Since starting my Dot Creates planner in the New Year, I'm over the moon with how well it helps me with my blogging routine. In the pictures around this post, you can see the general layout of the blog post planning page and how I use it. The way that I use it by basically putting a brain dump on the page, writing the post, then going back to the page to check that everything has been done (then adding some highlighter for colour). One of the parts of this that I find particularly useful is the small tick boxes at the bottom because that reminds me to share the post across all my social media, especially the one that always passes my mind: Pinterest. I think that having a planner like this (or even a document or somewhere to write stuff down) is super beneficial and really makes sure that you don't miss anything out thus creating a more thorough blog post.
PERFECT THE TITLE
I do plan on publishing a post this year on how to create a blog title that will increase blog traffic but, as we all might believe, this whole SEO game is quite a mine-field and can take some getting used to. For now, though, I think one of the main things is to 'think like a google-searcher'. If you are aiming for your post to reach a wide audience you have to think about what the audience wants. I think, there's a lot to be said about this - so let's save it for a future post.
TAKE THE PICTURES
I'm sure that some people might write the post before the pictures get taken but, for me, I just do it this way. I like to take multiple pictures at a time and see which suits the post title the most. Something that I find pretty important when it comes to adding the photos to the posts is to have more than one photograph. You don't always have to have multiple photos in your posts, I like to mix it up, but sometimes it can help break up the post and make it an easier read. If you studied any kind of English in your school years, you'll probably know that if the teacher gave you a block of text you groaned but, when pictures were introduced, that text became a whole lot more exciting.
SHARING + SCHEDULING
Once my writing has been done and it's been through spell check (I use Grammarly which I really recommend) I then go ahead and share it on social media. The most important ones for me are Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest - these are the places where I personally think draw in blog traffic for me. Once I've shared the blog post on these platforms, I will schedule a tweet for that post to go up twice every day. For you, you may only want to promote this post once a day but, because I post every 3/4 days, and because I receive satisfactory blog engagement from Twitter, I like to promote this multiple times. Across all my time blogging, I have found that this does make for a more successful blog post. Again, this is one of the subjects that I aim to go more in-depth within a blog post - let me know if you'd like to see a post about tweet scheduling.
What is your blogging routine? And what are your tips for
a successful blog post? Share them in the comments.
She said this to me when, on New Year's Eve, I stood by watching everyone take shots of god-knows-what whilst cradling a warm cup of tea in my hands. Don't get me wrong, I forgive you if you're thinking 'gahhh girl get a life, live a little' because, right then, I was happily avoiding the god-awful dizziness and 'sorry; do my eyes not work?' feeling. I was doing what I knew would make me happy and, in that time and many times before, I just knew that that was the most valuable way that I could live my life.
Let me explain a bit more; for around a year now, I have preached that many people should be unafraid to embrace and express their interests. Whether that is reading fantasy novels back-to-back, baking, drawing, going on bike rides, etc. If that thing makes you happy, do it! Obviously, don't take my word for it if something destructive is what makes you happy - I really don't need that responsibility. You may call it morbid but, sunshine, we don't have long. The last thing we want to be doing is something that isn't making us happy. And of course, you may dislike your job but have no chance to quit for financial reasons, but that just makes it even more important for you to embrace the great things outside of that.
Anyhow, it's a subject that I'm pretty passionate about so, to avoid pure ramble, I'm going to get a wiggle on. Here are the three interests of mine that I plan to embrace this year.
NATURE WALKS
You should know this by now: nature walks are my thang. Plonk me in a forest full of tiny birds, unique plants, and perhaps a pond of some sort (oh, and dogs having the time of their lives too), and I'm a happy bunny. I absolutely adore the tranquillity of exploring a natural place. There is so much colour, inspiration, and new things to see in these places; I could marvel at them all day. As well as that, I have this perhaps bizarre fascination with mushrooms. If you saw this photo diary from a few months back, you'll know that Jamie and I actually went on a 'Fungi Foray' and there was actually a Mushroom Professor there to teach us about the different species. Since then, we always enjoy pointing out different types of fungi and have been recently enjoying taking close up/macro images of them. There is so much to explore out there, it's an interest that I'll never be shy about expressing.
In order to embrace this interest in 2018, I'd like to set a little goal to go on at least one walk a week. Yes, it might sound a bit much but I really do hope it's something that I can achieve.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE
You won't believe how many people I have spoken to over the past few years who have sneered when I say 'I'm going to Uni to do English'. Their faces just seem to drop as if I'm setting myself up to watch paint dry. I completely get it, English isn't your cup of tea. Maths isn't my cup of tea. Sorted. But let's let each other thrive in our excitement for something. To me, when I hear someone talk about UK accents, or how well their child is developing language, or even how 'we borrowed that word from the French', my ears perk up like a cat. That sh*t picks me up and drops me smack-bang in the middle of that conversation. Take my Uncle for example - he teaches English to Spanish students and has a lot of background in English Language so, one day after Christmas, we sat for FOUR HOURS blabbering on about English. And guess what, I had such a good time. I enjoyed myself so much; basking in my little world of what some would call 'nerd talk'.
This year I am well equipt with books about English (as well as heading off to Uni to start studying it again this year) and I am not going to let a sneer or a face-drop get in my way.
BLOGGING
I guess, for me, blogging was something that was always a little taboo throughout school but now that I'm away from it and possibly heading on to be around more mature people (please), I am finding it easier to embrace. You may or may not know that this little blog of mine has been cooking for a mighty 5 years which means that it started when I was in Secondary school. Despite my blog definitely not being as fully flourished as it is now, there was always a few kids that found it extremely strange (for some reason). Then, in college, apart from practically stopping the blog, there was always that element of people thinking I was pretentious. Now, on a gap year and with a fairly confident blog style, my chin is up and I'm really happy with how my blog is growing. The only people that I tend to surround myself with now are the kind of people that are positive about my blog and, both with that help and my own passion, it's becoming something that I can really embrace.
By welcoming these interests, I hope that I can make 2018 a year of happiness.
What interests do you plan to embrace this year?
It's actually been a LONG while since I did a little catch-up, general chat, over here on my blog and, after a short absence on social media and not managing to get a blog post up when I'd planned, I thought the best thing to do next is a little update.
If you follow me on on Instagram, you'll know that I haven't been particularly well over the past few days but, while many onlookers are assuming it's the flu that seems to be going about, I've actually been suffering from an infection. I don't wish to go into detail because that's not the point - I just feel that, while I've given myself a little bit of a hard time for not posting daily on Instagram, tweeting and interacting, or putting a blog post up, realistically I should let myself go. Jamie reminded me yesterday. 'you're your own boss'. It's easy to feel like the popularity and success of your blog depends on your frequency and devotion but sometimes human nature can get the better of us and that's just completely out of my control.
Anyhow, the past week has been a funny one - a somewhat rollercoaster of emotions. The week started off with pleasantly high spirits and productivity. I mean, check this out, I even did a work out on Wednesday. Recently I have found myself becoming inspired by my surroundings to write. For me, this is big. Creative writing is something that I've always enjoyed since I was young and, after losing touch with it during 3 years of learning and exams, I seem to be getting spontaneous prompts. I plan to get these things down on paper and, hopefully, get writing again. I just feel like there's this vision in the back of my head that I could publish a series of short stories once upon a time. Let's see how things go.
As well as this, my days off have consisted of errands. One being the 'spring clean' of my bedroom. This included getting my box of makeup and finally letting go of some of the makeup that I just didn't need or use. When I began doing this, I was challenged with the fact that a lot of the makeup that I never use are products that were only gently used and binning them would be a sin. Because of this, I headed over to Twitter to get advice on what to do with these goods. I found out that, unfortunately, nowhere in my area was advertising a way to donate used makeup so my only option was to see who wanted it. Luckily, I found Lauren-Anne who was prepared to take some of this off my hands. I am so happy that I can send these bits off to a good home instead of wasting it all.
Meanwhile, and on a more random note, I'm back into watching the Saccone Jolys at the moment. I stopped watching their YouTube videos just because I didn't have the time but now, every morning with my breakfast, I watch the vlog from the previous evening. Also, I have found a love for Ted Ed videos. Again, random, but as someone who really enjoys learning, those videos genuinely excite me - especially any related to 'English Language'.
However, the week ended on quite a low-low. The effects of my infection started to creep in - I was experiencing low mood and fatigue and a driving lesson is definitely not what I needed. Having survived a drive without not crying, I still wasn't myself. My driving instructor could clearly see that I was feeling frustrated and, let's be honest, just fed up. When it comes to driving, I have no patience. I hate how every lesson I will do something wrong that I was doing right the lesson before. My test is soon and I think that, as it begins to loom, I am putting more and more pressure on myself. Putting pressure and having little faith is something that, in general, I really struggle to get to grips with - it looks like I'm going to have to really try hard to stay collected these next few weeks.
Yesterday and Friday were the days when my infection really took it's toll so I really did take the opportunity to rest and, honestly, have a good cry to get those built up emotions out. Now, however, I'm clearing up. Medicines are kicking in and I'm almost completely without pain. Things are starting to look up for the next week.
My plans for the upcoming days are to go on a morning nature walk every day for 5 days. As Jamie is doing evening shifts next week, and I'm still on the job hunt for the second week, we have planned to get some fresh air and explore new places every day - we're actually really excited. As well as this, we'll be running errands and helping each other with our hobbies; including photography for Jamie's Etsy.
Anyhow, this afternoon we're off on a little date to celebrate 2 years together. Cute.
What are your plans next week?
Did you enjoy reading this little catch-up post?
Overall, the previous year served me somewhat pleasantly. I graduated college, embarked on a gap year, went on some amazing trips and experienced some great things. Hopefully this year, with all of the exciting things that are going to be happening, I'll be able to look back again with a positive mindset. Here's what I've got planned for 2018:
2018 Plans
In terms of Holidays or weekend getaways, I've currently got 3 very exciting little runaways planned and/or booked. The first one is our trip to Lincoln. Jamie and I are heading for a weekend in Lincoln during February for two reasons: we're going to visit our friend at Uni and will also be using it as our celebratory trip for our 2-year 'anniversary' from January. I'm excited to go there because I've never been before - I am so so excited to discover cool places, cafes, and shops in Lincoln. I'd love to see any recommendations for places to go.
After that, in March, Jamie and I are heading back to my favourite place for my Birthday; Edinburgh. I already know that that trip is going to be exciting because it's 100% my favourite place in the UK to visit.
Later on in the year, in the midst of summer, my family and I are heading on a holiday to Nerja, Spain. We're all so excited to get some sun on ourselves as the last abroad holiday that we went on in 2016 was to not-so-sunny (or at least not sun-bathing material) Iceland. I've already got a bunch of bikinis from the post-summer sales last year and I'm incredibly eager to make new memories with not only my family but with Jamie too.
Beside those trips that we've already got planned and in the waiting, there are some places that seem to be lingering in my mind at the moment and I feel like, if I have the money and time, I'd love to visit them too. This is places like York and Chester. Besides having already visited York city multiple times (because of it's close proximity to where I live), it has such a cosy, welcoming feeling to it that means I always enjoy a visit there. Contrastingly, I don't think I've ever been to Chester. Aart from the obvious visit to the Zoo, the city centre has never been somewhere I've wandered into, so I'd love to have a little look.
So, as far as a year goes, there's already a lot of exciting times ahead, however, one of the biggest life changes is set to happen this year. Towards the end of this year, I will be moving out from living at home and heading up to University. Admittedly, the thought of that right now scares the sh*t out of me but hopefully, with a bit of growth and mental preparation, it should be something that I can face head-on.
Goals for 2018
1. Plan ahead for less stress.
As I was just discussing, going to Uni and moving away from home is a scary thought to me at the moment but I really want to tackle that sense of fear and stress, this year, by making sure the important, stressful stuff is all planned sensibly in advance. For example, looking for a place to live, looking for jobs, and generally getting organised.
2. Continuously set realistic goals.
Now that I'm putting my life into a planner, I think my motivation to set and review goals may be a bit better. So far this month I have set goals to go on at least one walk a week, be ready and focused on my driving test, and be motivated for job hunting. Now, while they sound reasonably realistic and straightforward, I do wish to get a bit more specific within the month and set weekly goals. The goals that will be set at the start of each week should be measurable e.g. 'read 40 pages of my book' or 'publish 2 blog posts' because I really do believe that, this way, they feel and are more achievable.
3. Don't be afraid to be me and indulge.
To be honest, I think this is something that I really do need to hammer home this year. In 2017, I did sometimes find myself caught up in the whirlwind of FOMO or being down with the 'cool kids'. Or, to put it simply, I forced myself to go to nightclubs, drink alcohol and attend social events that just weren't my thing despite knowing 100% that these weren't the things that made me happy. I think, slowly but surely, I'm beginning to realise that life is just too short to waste it doing things that you don't enjoy. If you've been following my blog for a while, you will already know that I'm a firm believer in embracing your interests and, for me, that means defying all the teenage expectations of going out and drinking and bloody well enjoying that nature walk or that cosy night in at home. This year I'm determined to let myself be happy.
What are your plans and goals for 2018?
Whether you've been following my little blog since the very start, or just found me on Instagram last week and came for a snoop around here today, you may or may not know that, after an almost 6 month break from my blog to focus on A Levels, I started this back up in July. The past 6 months have been so incredible for me in terms of how well my blog has grown. My instagram gained a crazy 600+ following in 6 months, my Twitter surpassed the 1.5k mark, I hosted my first ever giveaway after I finally got to 500 Bloglovin' followers and, most importantly, I discovered my niche. My blog was always a bit of a mismatch place that, I felt, had no real substance and didn't honestly reflect my creativity and personality to it's full potential - this year, my content changed and is finally exactly how I wish to reflect myself.
But along with numbers and changes, there's been so many amazing opportunities given to me this year, even in the past 6 months. From being a brand ambassador for Botanics, attending 2 blogger events, and posting my first ever Sponsored Post with Panasonic. It really makes me feel like, if that is what can happen in 6 months, it must be amazing what is to come.
I'd love to take this moment now to say 'Thank you'. Every time someone likes my Instagram picture, clicks on my blog link, leaves a little comment, or even DMs me, I honestly feel so grateful. I know, coming from someone who doesn't have the most followers or views, it seems easy, but they're the things that spur me on. When I watch my Instagram photo exceed 100 likes, I'm sat at home thinking 'I took that photo, and people have took time to double tap it'. It means a lot to me, so thank you all so much.
So, this time I've decided to share the posts that people have been loving this past year. If you are new here, you can view the content that others have been loving the most and, if you are one of my regular visitors, you can look back on this years 'best' content.
This blog post went down pretty well which, honestly, I was a little bit surprised at because I was actually nervous to upload it. There was a lot of opinion in that post and, while I tried to keep it sensible and unbiased, there was the inevitable fear that someone would take it the wrong way. But, fortunately, everyone seemed to love it. I have to say, there's an extra few ounces of pride with this one because, when I read it back, it is recognised as some of my best/favourite pieces of writing. Is that vein? Who cares!
I think one of the reasons why this blog post is on the list is because, when I was searching for inspiration on Star Sign DIY Projects, there wasn't really much out there. The items made in this post were pretty much just out of my own creativity and I think it's maybe filled a little bit of a gap on the Internet... who knows.
This one was a picture heavy blog post that, after also being shared by some of the lovely Body Shop staff, did pretty well for views. The evening itself was so super fun, I love having that post there to look back on for memories and I'm glad that my readers enjoy it too.
Now, of all of them, this is the most surprising one. When I read back my Stats I wasn't expecting to see this cute little travel-photo diary blog post at NUMBER TWO! Again, this picture heavy post was one of those 'document it, let other people enjoy it, read it back in a few years time and remember good times' posts. However, I think that the reason why this post was as successful as it was is because I did put a little twist into it. Instead of doing the old 'I did this. Then, I did that. It was good.' I decided to discuss exactly why this trip away was a special one.
The most popular blog post of 2017 goes to this 'How I Edit & Theme my Instagram' which came a few weeks after I'd finally settled and became content with my 'theme' for my content. As a few people had been mentioning to me that they liked my edits, I decided to share my 'tips' and the two apps that I use on for my pictures and, as it seems, a lot more than a few people wanted to know what I do.
Which of my blog posts over the past year have you enjoyed the most?
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