The sunshine was glorious as we set off on our journey to Harrogate. On the way we stopped off at Woodhall services to purchase sandwiches for an in car picnic. Afterwards we passed through some lovely autumnal areas and saw a red kite riding the thermals. We arrived in Harrogate in the early afternoon and checked into the the Yorkshire hotel which was a quirky experience. We had to move the car to a space that wasn’t already allocated.

After unloading the car we walked into town. It was rather chilly compared to home and we soon headed back to the hotel to enjoy the champagne and chocolates that Mr C had secretly arranged.

Whilst sipping the bubbly, I took the opportunity to do some colouring in my ‘World of Flowers’ book. I am taking part in Johanna Basford’s ‘30 Days of Creativity’ to coincide with the publication of her new book. Unfortunately my copy of the book didn’t arrive in time for day one so I had to improvise.

In the bar before dinner, we were told that our card should have been registered on arrival at the hotel. Mr C headed to reception to sort it out and came back with a birthday card from the hotel.  The receptionist that showed us to our car parking space had asked how long we were staying for and was it a special occasion.

For dinner I chose ‘ultimate chicken Kiev’ with German potato salad and dressed leaves. The food was excellent and the staff friendly and attentive. The bar area had a comfortable atmosphere and I enjoyed watching the bar staff mixing cocktails as people came and went.

We walked around the walls at Ludlow Castle before purchasing some sandwiches which we enjoyed sitting on a bench next to the castle walls. Afterwards we went for a further walk before visiting the excellent bookshop.

We made our home via the Ludlow Food Centre where we hoped to find a slice of cake but that was not to be. Taking the scenic route home we stopped in Much Wenlock  still with cake in mind. We were unsuccessful on our quest so we settled for an ice cream instead.