A Short Break Away | Last Morning at Kenmore & Travelling Home

The days have went by so quickly! We'd barely arrived and it was already our last morning in Kenmore. It had been such a lovely few days that none of us wanted it to end; we all wanted to spend one more day in the absolute serenity that surrounded us! Unfortunately we only had one last morning before we had to return back home, back to reality. 3 hours was not a lot but we certainly made the most of it.

For once, all four of us were awake, dressed and had everything packed in the car with enough time to all walk the dogs together one last time before checking out. We walked the longest route, swung on tree swings, walked in the river and climbed some trees. I didn't fall out this time! Even one of the dogs attempted to climb onto one of the fallen trees, what a dafty! It was a perfect morning and what better way to finish it than to go and have breakfast together. The restaurant at Kenmore allows pets to sit with their owners inside whilst they eat as long as they behave. I love this rule because it means Millie and Buttons can just lie under the table and we actually get to have breakfast instead of grabbing something to eat in the car. The restaurant is a little pricey but for once, we didn't really care about the money; plus the portion sizes were pretty big. Mum, Stuart and Louise all got some form of eggs on toast, either scrambled or poached. I got the Scottish breakfast so Stuart could have the sausages and black pudding to go with his scrambled eggs on toast. I don't like them so I was content with that deal because in my opinion, I got to eat the best breakfast items; bacon, scrambled eggs, potato scone, beans, toast and grilled tomato. Naturally, we all had fruit juices and cups of tea as well. The fruit juice was all freshly squeezed from locally sourced fruits. I think this made it taste even better. Breakfast was delicious but now our 3 hours were up and it was time for us to check out and head home.

There is a bit of a funny story attached to our checkout experience. We have been to Kenmore countless times in the past and everything always goes smoothly. However, this time when we went to checkout we were greeted by a most confused receptionist. When we handed over the keys and explained that we had asked for the cottage until 11am, in case she thought we were late in checking out but her facial expression just grew more confused. She asked us to wait one moment whilst she double checked a few things on her computer. A couple of minutes later she explained her confusion to us. On our email conformation it said our checkout date was 2nd June. We normally went to Kenmore for 5 days and 4 nights or the  full week so we assumed this time was no different. On the actual booking form and database, we had actually been booked in and paid for 6 days and 5 nights. We had just checked out a day early! The receptionist gave us the option of going back to the cottage and checking out the following day but my mum hadn't taken extra days off work and my brother had his final college assessments to finish so we couldn't stay. Much to our dismay, we handed the keys over and headed home, leaving this serenity behind us once again.

Our journey home was nothing out of the ordinary, after picking up snacks and juice, we were all prepared for the next few hours in the car, with music blaring of course. The weather was still so incredibly warm so the car soon became a sauna which was a little problematic but after a while of having all the windows open, we were all fine. Mum's arm's got even more tanned on the way home so she was happy! The whole way home I think my mum and I were in a little state of shock at the fact we'd checked out a whole day early. Especially after saying all we wanted was one more day at Kenmore, how ironic. Even though we have been home for four days, I still don't think she is over the day we missed out on. Despite the little mix up at the very end, our short break away was just what we all needed. So relaxing and peaceful with the bonus of fantastic weather! I would love to go back as soon as possible or maybe even start planning a trip abroad, somewhere I have never been before. I want to start travelling to different places and explore various countries and cultures but the possibilities are endless and it would take a lot of organisation, planning and money. There is no harm in looking though, is there?

xxx

A Short Break Away | Kenmore Day 2

Waking up in Kenmore on day 2 had me feeling a lot better than the previous day. I was actually looking forward to the early morning dog walk, taking photographs and just generally relaxing and enjoying myself for the majority of the day. The view that welcomes you when you awaken each morning at Kenmore is beautiful. I will never tire of looking at Loch Tay or the hills and woodlands behind it.

We started our day off with a long walk through one of the many forest pathways with our dogs. There are at least five different forest pathways to explore but the one right next to river Tay is my favourite. The pathway is very wide as it is frequently used by horses and their riders but it also splits into smaller, more narrow paths. There is one main pathway but because several others branch off from it leaving you with many choices, you would be left walking all day if you wanted to walk them all.The path also takes you past a couple of little cottages, a caravan park that contains some stunning caravans (I will own one some day), a play park that is extremely tempting to play on, a tower, a church and the most important thing, a tree swing. This is not just any tree swing though, this tree swing has existed for the last seven years and is the most comfortable tree swing I have ever found. My mum has even had a go on this swing and she hates all swings; they make her sick. There is a lot to see on this forest trail and it is situated near a golf club so all the surrounding woodland has been left completely natural. The weather was gorgeous all day which made me even more eager to take some photographs. 

The dogs had a great time swimming in the river and then we went back to our cottage for some lunch. After lunch we didn't have anything planned. My brother and Louise were going swimming again but mum and I had nothing specific planned. I was hoping to spend the rest of my day reading, writing blogs and potentially thinking of ideas for a fan fiction that I'm contemplating writing. It is based on a show that I am a little obsessed with, there is no denying that, my couple of ideas are just too good and riddled with potential that I can't ignore them. That is exactly how I spent my afternoon, out in the sunshine, reading and writing, with music playing in the background; Serenity. The day could not have been more relaxing. We did wander over to the only nearby shop for some ice-cream later on in the day. It was one of the best decisions that were made, who knew vanilla, fresh raspberries, oats and honey could be such a delicious combination?!

Our second day at Kenmore was nothing short of relaxing and sublime. I know some people go on holiday and have lot's of activities planned with places to go and visit, but here there isn't anything nearby so you don't have to make any plans or commitments. You simply make the most of what surrounds you; woods and nature. I don't have much planned for tomorrow besides walking the dogs and visiting the little shop nearby. If the weather is nice enough, I might even take a wander into Loch Tay! There is a lot of potential for some astounding photographs if I do. So stay tuned for that possibility!

xxx

A Short Break Away | Kenmore Day 1 & Exploring Pitlochry

Our first official day at Kenmore started off with me feeling extremely sick, what a great start. I couldn't even walk the dogs with my mum so I made breakfast for everybody instead and worked on some blog posts. After a breakfast of porridge, cereal, croissants and toast, we all made plans for the rest of the day. Mum and I were going to relax, go for a short walk, read our books and then take a little trip into Pitlochry. Stuart was going to show Louise around Kenmore and go swimming. I was feeling a bit better after breakfast so the day was looking up.

Pitlochry is a small village situated in a small council area in Perth. My mum usually hates it there as she finds it rather boring. Today she was extremely restless and the weather wasn't too sunny so she needed something to occupy her. It has a few shops, the biggest ones being a Greggs and a WHSmith. The rest of the shops are all little locally run businesses, charity shops and traditional Scottish shops. I love this type of day, exploring all the little shops, seeing what I can find. I found a craft shop that I had never seen before and a secondhand bookshop too! I found some great pieces in the craft shop, including some scrapbook paper and a guitar stamp that will be perfect for a scrapbook project I am currently working on. Unfortunately the little bookshop was closed due to the bank holiday so I am in the process of convincing my mum to take me back another day when the shop is open; I am eager to get a glimpse of what I can find inside.

We only spent around 2 hours exploring around Pitlochry but in that time, I did pick up a few items, so did mum! I picked up a Christmas jumper (yes another one) from one of the traditional Scottish shops. It was reduced from £35 down to £8. I could not say no to the pale blue, pure wool jumper with the polar bear and snowflakes on. I also picked up a hooded jumper for lounging around in because even though the weather is gorgeous at the minute, I feel the cold a great deal and still need to extra layers. This jumper has a cute hedgehog on it and is the SOFTEST material. It is 100% polyester and I can't stop wearing it. It was only £5 as well! Reduced from £25. The last thing I bought was an absolute steal from one of the charity shops. A beautiful mint green midi tulle skirt with floral beaded detailing at the bottom, originally from Monsoon. I have quite the number of weddings to attend over the next year so it will definitely come in handy and at £4, how could I say no? Monsoon is generally a rather pricey brand and at the moment midi tulle skirts are popular too and also quite pricey; I can only assume how much this cost in the shop. My mum also picked up a cream wool jumper from the same shop I got my two jumpers in, I can't tell if she was more pleased about the actual jumper and how well it suited her or that she got it for £5 when it was originally £35!

After wandering our way through most shops, it was time for mum and I to head back to Kenmore. On our way back to the car, we told ourself it would be rude not to visit the sweet shops. We did make some sneaky purchases, not too many though! Unfortunately for the blog, they didn't last long enough for any pictures! When we arrived back at Kenmore, we made dinner and the four of us settled down to watch another movie together. This time we chose Sinister; one of my favourite horror/psychological thriller films. Watching a movie together at the end of the day seems to be become a little tradition now.

Even though we didn't all spend the day all together and I was feeling sick at the beginning, the day turned out to be really nice and peaceful. I enjoy exploring little towns and having nothing to worry about. I especially loved coming back and having a peaceful night without any arguing or fighting or stressing about something. For once I even went to sleep before midnight! Tomorrow we are planning on spending the whole day at Kenmore; walking the dogs, reading, writing blogs and of course, taking more photographs! It is so easy to relax here and do more of what I enjoy compared to at home, I am looking forward to writing all about tomorrow and sharing my break away with you all as well as reading some more of Jane Eyre (my friend Laura will love that!)

xxx