Visit Lancashire

Retreat and SPArkle

I've been taking Monday as a holiday for the last 4 months to ease myself back to work after Maternity leave. All well and good but it's come to an end. The way forward was to gather together with my new 'baby chums' (that's what happens when you have a kid!) and treat ourselves to a day at a spa. Luckily one of the group has also decided to get married so we could treat this as a 'hen day'.

It would be the first time we had all been together without bumps or babies so the choice of venue was very important. We trawled through a number of possible venues and ended up chosing Brooklands near Garstang. What a great choice!

Camping in Colne

I’ve had a great staycation this month - not only a holiday in this country, in my own county, but also less than 20 miles from home! A camping holiday in an area at the heart of the Lancashire cotton industry might not sound exciting but just a few miles outside Colne in the East of the county is some surprisingly lush countryside.

Delighting in my posh nosh

Last week the fabulous Mr L. told me he was taking me to Northcote for our 1st Anniversary! Hurrah!

Working at the Tourist Board we obviously work closely with the guys at Northcote on various projects and many a time wish we were eligible to enter the competitions they generously donate meals or nights for (as our disposable incomes don't stretch this far).

Many of you might not be aware of Northcote or it's superb Michelin star reputation - but surely you have heard of Nigel Haworth - who cooked a divine Lancashire Hotpot for the troops returning from Afganistan in the final of the 2009 Great British Menu. Nigel is joint owner of Northcote with Craig Bancroft (the wine man).

Rocking at Rock in the Park

Just calming down after the most exciting day at Rock in the Park which took place at Preston’s Avenham Park.  Beverly Knight opened the concert and I was lucky enough to have ‘Gold Circle’ tickets which got you right to the front of the stage area for a perfect view of all the bands.  Mr Hudson, Miss VV Brown, Preston, Girls can’t Catch, Just Jack, Peter Andre, Tinchy Stryder and JLS were all on stage.

40 miles of unforgettable food

I recently spent a morning by a beautiful canal, tasting local food, cooked up by a chef/comedian - someone’s got to do it! The occasion was the launch at Owd Nells, Guys Thatched Hamlet of new offers for visitors to the Lancaster Canal. If you get yourself down to the Lancaster Canal and surrounding area you can take advantage of 20% off at some of the best eateries around who hold the Taste Lancashire accreditation!

Blackpool at its very best!

As we awaited a tram to take us into Blackpool we could see it was busy! Three trams passed, full to capacity so eventually settled for a bus to get us to the Promenade. This was going to be a busy day – and it was too. As we approached the main stretch of the Promenade we literally saw a sea of faces. Never in all my years have I seen Blackpool Promenade so busy and the reason, the airshow.

A glorious day, a fantastic vantage point on the new Promenade and a good line up of display aircraft too – looks like everyone else had the same idea. So we settled down on the Promenade Spanish steps between central and south pier to watch two hours of flying displays and what an afternoon it was.

Sand, Sunset and Sandwiches

Finally a week of summer weather! My partner and I have been dying to get out into the fresh air without the threat of a thunderstorm for ages, so when we heard that Wednesday was going to be sunny and rain free we decided to pack up a picnic and head for the coast.

When I visit Blackpool for a wander I always tend to head into town so this week we decided to discover the beach south of Blackpool. After picking up some yummy treats on my way home from work we jumped in the car and we were on our way. I always forget how close Preston is to Blackpool so before we knew it we’d parked up at Starr Gate (great, only 70p for 3 hours!).

Josuah leaves the X-box behind...

Yesterday saw me driving with 11 year old Josuah to take part in one of the many activities for kids being arranged by Lancashire businesses during the school holidays.

This time we were attending the childrens miniature garden workshop at Barton Grange Garden Centre. The afternoon provided us with an artistic and imaginative hour of painting, gluing and cutting – something I haven’t done for ages – and a child proclaiming he’d had more fun than he expected to ! – no X-box in sight you see.

A drink in the Riverside Cafe overlooking the River Brock, a visit to the farm shop and a leisurely drive back home through such quaint villages as Inskip and Elswick rounded off a lovely afternoon.

Diane B