"What could we do next? Hmm maybe we could try glamping?"....and a few days later we were booked in at Camp Katur; a fairytale-like glamping village in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.

 

Our mini break started of the way any good one should - with a nice traditional picnic! Out came the cheeseboard, pate, fresh bread, crackers and cherries mmmm.

 

 

The camp wardens gave us a friendly welcome and directed us to some wheelbarrows to help carry our luggage to the tent as no cars are allowed on the meadow. This actually made it all quite fun :)

 

 

This is our Bell Tent called Tinker Bell! Tom wasn't informed of this until we actually got there haha..

 



 

The décor was right up my street with cute little tea lights, lanterns and flowers! I spent a good while calling everything cute before wandering off to nosey at explore the rest of the camp site.

 



 

 

Completely in my element here!!

 



Look at its cute little chimney!!

 

 

To get to the toilet/shower block, we had to walk across the meadow where there were butterflies flittering about all over and two big oak trees like this one in the middle!

 

There was a sort of hippy feel about the place which was very relaxing :)

 



 

This is the lifeeeeeee

 



 

If a bell tent isn't for you then there are lots of other styles of accommodation on offer such as teepees, hobbit pods, safari tents and geodomes - I took some pics for you further down, keep scrolling!

 



The lovely communal outdoor eating area!

 



 

This hobbit pod had a bbq in the middle which you could hire for a few hours at a time. I think it'd be ideal for a big group of friends! There was also an outdoor campfire so you could get those marshmallows at the ready!!

 



 

Is it just me that gets a Shire vibe from this place? Hippys, fairytales, LOTR - I can't make my mind up about what this place felt like but it was magical!

 



This is one of their Geodomes...they had one that was all glass in the middle of the woods for those who really wanted a more 'out there' experience!! I haven't made my mind up about this one but I guess it would be nice on a clear night to fall asleep with the stars above you...awwww.... 

 

One of the safari tents! I think these could hold quite a lot of people and had proper sofas and beds inside so you could even drag your friends that are less fond of camping!

 



Was basically like a scene from Twilight strolling through here..

 



If you wanted an extra luxurious stay, you could hire out the eco spa which had a sauna and hot tub

 



 

There was meant to be thunderstorm on its way so we made the most of the sun and played scrabble whilst we could. It got to the point where I was regretting not having bought meat for the bbq as it was so hot and sunny and the people next to us had just started one...but in true british style, the sky went dark, the temperature dropped and the rain pelted down!!! We ran inside the tent and watched the thunder and lighting from the tent - what an experience!!

 



 

Since a bbq was off the cards, we found a local pub to fill our tums. I 'wasn't that hungry' so just ordered a massive fish and chips and ate the lot.... you know how it is!

 

It was freezing when we got back but the log fire sorted that out along with the tea lights and lanterns for a cosy atmosphere..add a Benjamn Francis playlist and you have yourself bedtime perfection.

 

I trecked across the meadow at 4am for a night time wee (we all have them) and the sky was already light yet the moon was still out! There was a mystical white mist above the long grass and I could hear owls hooting in the trees. I've never experienced anything like it and I wish I'd taken my camera with me to capture it!!

 

I would definitely go glamping again and am keen to find other places that offer this, so if you know any good one let me know in the comments :)

 

 



Blogger Meal and Why the kitti app helped so much!

Last week, a few of the blogger girls I met at both the The Body Shop meet up and nw bloggers meet up, got together for food, cocktails and giggles at The Smugglers Cove on the Albert Dock! 

I love the maybe not-so-subtle ship theme of the restaurant and the fact that there's always live music every night!!! A great place to catch up and admire the views of the dock - especially at night!

It was soooo hot that day that we arrived pretty much shouting I NEED A DRINKKKKK!! Cocktails were a definite as soon as we booked at this place to be honest as they're so deliciously good!

Pineapple and Peach mojito is a personal favourite of mine!

Cheers girlies!

Laura's Chicken Liver pate arrived presented in the most original way I've ever seen. Such a lovely touch which made the evening feel a bit more special!

The red debit card has been put in this photo for a reason...more on that a few scrolls down :)

I'm not usually a seafood fan but I'm so proud of myself for branching out and ordering calamari - yep I actually ate squid and do you know what, it actually tasted really nice! 

Onto the next cocktail! I could feel this one pretty much as soon as I'd taken one sip. The Mint and Passion Fruit Daiquiri certainly has a kick to it, you have been warned!

Katy's yummy deli platter

You can't really go wrong with steak can you! I got full quite quickly though and was genuinely upset I couldn't finish this!! I love my food so I hate when my appetite goes all rubbish and lets me down :(

Sarah, Jemma and Laura - cuties!

Katy, me and Holly :)

As you can see, Laura was pretty merry after a few Zombies - Jemma too but she's hiding it well!!

I never thought I'd meet any other bloggers in person so it's been great making friends with people who don't judge me for taking a million photos of the same thing and stopping them eating their food until after I've documented it!!

Now, onto the app! Basically Kitti* is an app powered by Santander that allows a number of people you choose to all pay into the 'kitti' towards a particular event you're planning. For us, it was this blogger meal. Someone creates the kitti, in this case it was Jemma, and then invites other members to the group. 

It costs 35p to pay into the app which is reasonable considering the app itself is free to download.

There is a time limit set so that people all get a move on and pay in. The money then goes onto the red card you saw pictured above, ready to spend! 

It was so much easier and quicker paying for the meal all in one go, without faffing on working out who owes how much and who needs how much change - we've all had that carry on!

You can find the app here!

*honesty is the best policy so I just want to make it clear that we did all add money to app but were also given some extra in return for reviewing the app - all my thoughts are what I genuinely think though :) - cause I mean..as if a student could actually afford steak without a little help - it's a hard life!