January 2021 Reading Wrap Up

January 2021 Reading Wrap Up

A new monthly series on my blog is going to be a reading wrap up at the end of the month discussing the books I have read and what I would recommend.

January was a busy reading month for me and I managed to finish 8 books! Definitely an achievement for myself who is a slow reader. The books I read this month were as follows:

Lake Vyrnwy

Lake Vyrnwy

Now that we are out of lockdown I have been slowly ticking off my UK destination bucket list. One of these destinations that I have heard a lot about but have never seen in person is Lake Vyrnwy. The lake is a reservoir in Powys and has become an important nature reserve for habitats and wildlife, with the total walk around the lake equalling 12 miles.

We arrived on a sunny Saturday and decided to walk around the lake to get views of both the dam and the gothic tower stretching out into the middle of the lake.

Farmer's Welsh Lavender

Farmer's Welsh Lavender

Back at the end of August I visited Farmer's Welsh Lavender in Builth Wells with some friends. I had been recommended the spot by a former colleague who had visited and it looked like an idyllic place to go for a day trip, relax and even have a wild swim in the lake.

The farm was a good trip away from where we were in Shropshire and I must admit some of the roads to get to the farm advance warning are quite steep and bendy. However do not let this put you off visiting!

The farm is open year round for visitors however the best time for the lavender is midsummer, when we arrived at the end of August the farm was clearly coming towards the end of its lavender season. However there was still some lavender and a lot of lovely flowers and wild flowers planted around the lake.

Wollerton Old Hall Garden

Wollerton Old Hall Garden 

On a sunny Sunday last weekend I had the fortune of getting to visit Wollerton Old Hall Garden based in Market Drayton in Shropshire. I hadn't heard of the gardens before and like many of us I am sure I have been searching around my local area for new ideas for day trips or days out. 

We were fortunate to be able to visit at such short notice as the gardens are private but open to the public on select days throughout the year, see their website for more information on this. The gardens are set around a 16th Century hall and feature a variety of plant combinations including David Austin Roses.

UK Destinations I Want to Visit

UK Destinations I Want to Visit

Coronavirus is looking like it is here to stay for the foreseeable future and due to this all travel abroad is either being cancelled or advised against. I am aware some people are currently travelling abroad and booking new trips for this year but with the circumstances being what they are I have realised I am not comfortable with the idea of travelling abroad currently.

With this in mind and being an avid traveller who likes to have at least one trip to look forward to a year I have decided to put together a UK Bucket List or as people are calling it 'staycation' destinations that I want to visit in the UK. Below are the destinations or sights that I have never been to that I would love to visit: 

A Day in Bratislava

A Day in Bratislava

Back in November while on holiday in Vienna me and my boyfriend had a day trip to the capital city of Slovakia, Bratislava. Being only an hour train ride from Vienna where we were staying made it an ideal day trip destination. If you're planning a trip around a few different countries, I believe these two capital cities are the closest together in the whole of Europe making this an ideal place to start.

While we were only there for a day we managed to pack in a lot of the major sights and we even got to visit the Christmas Market in the centre that happened to have just started for the season.

The city is incredibly easy to walk around and if you do not wish to walk from the train station you can cheaply get a day trip bus ticket for a couple euros. However all the sights are located in or near the main centre so this would just be needed to get to and from the train station. Below is a guide of of the sights we saw and would recommend and the restaurants we ate at on the day. I cannot recommend any accommodation as we did not stop over in the city.