I was invited to take part in a tea ceremony at August Moon Tea in Cheltenham recently. I jumped at the chance, because, you’ve guessed it, this sounded just my cup of tea!
Tea Ceremony at August Moon Tea
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Woodchester Valley Vineyard Visit
After our first wine-tasting visit to Woodchester Valley Vineyard was snowed off earlier this year, Mr Skylark and I were pleased the weather was on our side for a rescheduled visit in spring.
We headed up a single-track road, off the A46 between Stroud and Nailsworth, passing an old stone Covent building and winding our way up towards the top of the hill. I was astounded by the view as I got out of the car. The vineyard looks across a beautiful, wooded valley towards the miniature, hilltop village of Amberley. Suddenly I felt transported far from home.
Mushroom Foraging, Forest of Dean
Top 8 Poldark Filming Locations
Hearing how Porthcurno and Kynance Cove beaches have been overrun with visitors this summer, I’ve decided to amend my original post and take these two locations out of my original Top 10 Poldark filming locations. It’s now a Top 8! While these two places are amongst my favourite spots in Cornwall, I would urge you to only visit them out of season to enjoy them at their most beautiful.
With the return of the ever-so-dashing Poldark to our screens, my mind wanders to the captivating beauty of Cornwall and the spectacular locations of this TV drama. While we have explored Cornwall numerous times over the years, Mr Skylark and I took on a chunk of the Cornish coast path last September. We spent 5 days walking from St Ives to Penzance. It was on this occasion that we were lucky enough to bump into the cast and crew of Poldark, who were filming on location.
Although Poldark has been filmed outside of Cornwall too, read on for my favourite Cornish filming locations and discover where we bumped into the cast and crew for a behind the scenes look at filming.
Shinrin-Yoku in the Forest
A small group gathered mid-morning in the car park at Cranham Woods to meet our guide Karan for a ‘Yoga in Nature Walk’. A trained Dru Yoga teacher, Karan has based the idea of her yoga walks on the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku, literally translated as ‘forest bathing’.
Scientific researchers in Japan have concluded that spending time in the forest has significant health benefits. Shinrin-yoku is prescribed in Japan for preventative health care. Its benefits reportedly include reduced blood pressure and stress levels; improved sleep and energy levels and a boosted immune system. I was keen to try it out and see what affect forest bathing had on me.
Restaurant Review: Babel, Cheltenham
Babel is one of the newer additions to the restaurant scene in Cheltenham’s Brewery Quarter. It’s a combination of bar and restaurant, so you can just go for a drink, choose some light bites or have a proper meal. I like their funky décor and it probably has a good buzz about it on a Friday or Saturday night. We visited on a Monday evening, so it was fairly quiet.
Painswick Rococo Garden
My winter visit to Painswick Rococo Garden, in the Cotswold town of Painswick, gave me a glimpse back to a flamboyant and frivolous era, where gardens were designed to capture the light-hearted and pleasure-seeking atmosphere of the times.
While this garden is beautiful to visit at any time of year, it is most famous for its breathtaking display of snowdrops visible in winter.
Spectacle of Light at Sudeley Castle 2017
Indian fine dining at Prithvi
I hadn’t been to Prithvi, on Cheltenham’s Bath Road, since it first opened. Quite probably because I’m a spontaneous sort of diner, and you have to book a table here weeks in advance, due to its immense popularity. This restaurant doesn’t purport to be your usual style of curry house, but offers Indian fine dining.
Trevose Harbour House in St Ives
In need of a little luxury (from my point of view) before we embarked on our adventure to hike over 40 miles of the South West Coast Path, Mr Skylark and I checked in for one night at Trevose Harbour House in St Ives, Cornwall.
I’d found Trevose Harbour House in St Ives by googling boutique hotels, and boutique it certainly turned out to be.