Something I want to do this year is share more of the places we visit. There's rarely a weekend that goes by where we don't head outdoors for a family walk. Sure, it isn't always as perfect as it looks on Instagram, after all, we have a toddler who doesn't always like to walk. I look back on a post I wrote about getting your kids to enjoy walking a few months ago and laugh...definitely spoke to soon with that one! But that aside, we do always have a good time and come back feeling it was time well spent.
Getting outdoors is good for the soul and I love that there's always new places to explore. I feel so lucky to live in such a wonderful part of the country, with both stunning coastline and the ever-beautiful Exmoor National Park right on our doorstep. There's something lovely about getting to see the places my other half has grown fond of, having lived here all his life and it makes my heart happy knowing our little boy will grow up here too.
During the Christmas holidays, we headed to the picture perfect hamlet of Bossington. Part of the National Trust's Holnicote Estate, it is the definition of postcard pretty, with its traditional thatched cottages and peaceful pebbled beach - a place Josh has special memories fishing with his late grandad.
After parking in the National Trust car park, we headed towards Hurlstone Point, taking an easy route, with the mindset that Arthur would probably refuse to walk most of it. But to our surprise, he was all for walking and even ran ahead enthusiastically. We gave each other several puzzled looks and even questioned if someone had swapped him for another child but no, he was our Arthur, just a happier version we hadn't seen on a walk for a good while! Part of the way was spent shouting for what we've decided must be his imaginary friend called 'Tracker.' I think people thought we must have lost our dog but we joined in shouting our made-up dog friend anyway, just glad that we had a happy child and Josh's shoulders were getting a well-deserved rest.
As we neared Hurlstone Point, Arthur was thrilled to find the remains of an old coastguard station, which he claimed as his castle. Josh decided he was a mountain goat and disappeared somewhere up the hillside to take photos and I simply stood back and enjoyed the beauty of the surrounding coastline. Soon after, Arthur's castle was invaded by a very friendly lady from Thailand and we ended up participating in her Facebook Live broadcast - as you do!
Instead of walking back the way we came, we took the path down to the pebbled beach. The boys had a good giggle at me almost falling down the slope - is it just me that struggles with pebbles? We sat and watched the sea for a while (and the very brave man swimming in it), took a few family photos as keepsakes and headed back to Pickle (the name Arthur chose for the Land Rover.)
I have to say, it was one of my favourite family walks in ages and I enjoyed it so much I insisted we went back their on Josh's birthday for a cream tea at Kitnors Tearoom! If you happen to be visiting Bossington, I definitely recommend a visit to Kitnors. The cake and scones were absolutely delicious and the people running it are so welcoming. I'm certain we'll be heading there again on our next Bossington walk.
The idyllic hamlet is most definitely worth a visit if you happen to find yourself on Exmoor and with the option to extend your walk to the equally beautiful Porlock Weir, it can make for a very lovely day out.
Meg x
Getting outdoors is good for the soul and I love that there's always new places to explore. I feel so lucky to live in such a wonderful part of the country, with both stunning coastline and the ever-beautiful Exmoor National Park right on our doorstep. There's something lovely about getting to see the places my other half has grown fond of, having lived here all his life and it makes my heart happy knowing our little boy will grow up here too.
During the Christmas holidays, we headed to the picture perfect hamlet of Bossington. Part of the National Trust's Holnicote Estate, it is the definition of postcard pretty, with its traditional thatched cottages and peaceful pebbled beach - a place Josh has special memories fishing with his late grandad.
After parking in the National Trust car park, we headed towards Hurlstone Point, taking an easy route, with the mindset that Arthur would probably refuse to walk most of it. But to our surprise, he was all for walking and even ran ahead enthusiastically. We gave each other several puzzled looks and even questioned if someone had swapped him for another child but no, he was our Arthur, just a happier version we hadn't seen on a walk for a good while! Part of the way was spent shouting for what we've decided must be his imaginary friend called 'Tracker.' I think people thought we must have lost our dog but we joined in shouting our made-up dog friend anyway, just glad that we had a happy child and Josh's shoulders were getting a well-deserved rest.
As we neared Hurlstone Point, Arthur was thrilled to find the remains of an old coastguard station, which he claimed as his castle. Josh decided he was a mountain goat and disappeared somewhere up the hillside to take photos and I simply stood back and enjoyed the beauty of the surrounding coastline. Soon after, Arthur's castle was invaded by a very friendly lady from Thailand and we ended up participating in her Facebook Live broadcast - as you do!
Instead of walking back the way we came, we took the path down to the pebbled beach. The boys had a good giggle at me almost falling down the slope - is it just me that struggles with pebbles? We sat and watched the sea for a while (and the very brave man swimming in it), took a few family photos as keepsakes and headed back to Pickle (the name Arthur chose for the Land Rover.)
I have to say, it was one of my favourite family walks in ages and I enjoyed it so much I insisted we went back their on Josh's birthday for a cream tea at Kitnors Tearoom! If you happen to be visiting Bossington, I definitely recommend a visit to Kitnors. The cake and scones were absolutely delicious and the people running it are so welcoming. I'm certain we'll be heading there again on our next Bossington walk.
The idyllic hamlet is most definitely worth a visit if you happen to find yourself on Exmoor and with the option to extend your walk to the equally beautiful Porlock Weir, it can make for a very lovely day out.
Meg x
