Hugo's first holiday - the Northumberland Coast

A fortnight ago we packed up a rather overflowing car and headed off to Northumberland to join mum and dad in their caravan for a week. It was our first proper trip with Hugo so packing was horrible and we'll definitely be able to pack lighter in future. I guess we won't have much choice for our next trip to Bermuda!

On the journey there I was thinking I could never ever have my own caravan because of the fear of towing it. Following a caravan in horrendously windy conditions was horrible enough, I had my heart in my mouth the whole time, but the idea of being in control of that would be worse. But as soon as we arrived I started thinking about how much freedom it would give to be able to have cheap, comfortable enough holidays and explore the UK and even into Europe, so caravanning and campervanning is definitely something I'd like to explore, if I could get over the transportation issue.

Our home for the week was just outside of Seahouses, north of Alnwick on the coast. We could see both the sea and Bamburgh castle from the campsite in the distance - the campsite itself wasn't much to shout about, but the location was great.

The week was very chilled, going at our own pace. It was great for mum and dad to have time with Hugo and Adi and I managed a bit of us time too. It will probably be the last time the five of us can fit in the caravan, but we'll definitely join them again even if it means pitching a tent. Some of the highlights:

- Seeing Adi's face on the first night as he realised that he'd left all of his tops at home - one of those priceless, had to be there moments

- Relaxing evenings in a cosy caravan playing card games - my new favourite is hearts, I think it's safe to say Dad's not quite as keen as the rest of us thanks to some absolute thrashings
- Windy walks on the beach
- Pretty castles - Bamburgh, Dunstanburgh, Alnwick, Lindisfarne
- Fab fry-ups cooked by mum each morning - who needs a hotel?
- Getting active, back on the bike and a game of tennis - I definitely need practice
- A roadtrip to Scotland to see Rach and a lovely walk across the bay in Dunbar with her family
- Trying a new fish - Lemon Sole - this may not sound at all adventurous, but for someone who has only just branched from (heavily disguised) Tuna to Cod, its saying something. I'm determined to find new flavours I enjoy
- Discovering secluded bays - Low Newton beach to be specific - mum has a way of going off-piste and it turning out great
- A wonderful, relaxing massage to ease away seven nights on a rock solid caravan bed, and a nights stay at Doxford Hall to celebrate our anniversary (albeit feeling more shattered and full of cold after)
- Dressing up in a pretty dress to go out for our anniversary, ending up in a near-empty curry house, collecting desert from Morrison's and putting wellies on for a beach walk - I guess stuffy restaurants and hotels isn't really our thing
- Elan's pizzeria in Seahouses - absolutely fantastic pizza, so good we went twice
- Crazy Golf - although this may have got slightly competitive! I ended up getting worse as I went along, but I love it and wish there were more courses nearby
- Popping into the country's biggest book store - Barter Books. I'm not a big bookworm but even I was taken aback at the old station turned into a store, complete with toy train going around the ceiling
- Bamburgh - a lovely little village right on our doorstep. Top tip would be to avoid the Copper Kettle tea rooms - its a typical tourist trap that don't need to work hard for custom, so the cakes aren't freshly baked, instead head to the Castle Inn, a lovely pub that we went to on the first night to celebrate mum's birthday

the beginnings of a bucket list

Maternity leave has given me lots of time to think, contemplate and plan. Planning is my favourite thing. We've just bought our first home and yet I'm already thinking about whether I'll want to move again and when, or what the other options would/ could be if we could make this home work for us. It'd be a squeeze having a big family here, but wouldn't it be great to have more hope of fulfilling some of my dreams if we could cope. So here they are:

- An apartment in Barcelona. I've fallen in love with the city twice. The first time was when I was 17 and had my first holiday abroad with just a friend. We felt like real grown-ups exploring the city and mixing culture with the beach and bars. I decided then and there that Barcelona was possibly going to be my favourite city. It has the mix of beach and city, with mountains not far away. Its arty and sporty, with so much to explore. There are cheap flights from the UK and for long holidays you could even drive down through France. My second visit confirmed my thoughts, Adi and I went for our first mini-break and it survived the test of a winter trip. We were still able to have lunch on the beach even though we didn't sunbathe. 

So, what's not to love - somewhere equally good for a girls trip or a romantic break and something for all. I guess the next test would be to take children - but there are always grandparents on hand if we fancy a cheeky trip alone!

- A camper-van. This and the aforementioned go hand in hand - imagine camper-vanning down to Barcelona in the summer holidays! (I must find a term-time only job!). But regardless of whether I could go abroad, I'd love to explore the UK and just be able to get in the camper and go. The idea of towing a caravan has always freaked me out. The only downside to a camper is not being able to have a run around car at our final destination, but we have bikes and there are always cars to rent the other end.

- Annual holiday overseas. Next on my bucket list is South America (Brazil, Argentina, Peru), followed closely by Africa (South Africa or Kenya). But the bucket list doesn't stop there. Think road-trips across America and New Zealand, NYE in Sydney, beach breaks in Bali and Hawaii, cricket in the Caribbean, skiing in Canada and Switzerland, the Trans-Siberian Railway, mini-breaks around Europe.. I could go on.

- My own business. I'd love to run a guest house/ cafe. I think it's in my blood as I grew up around my grandparents business and worked for them and my aunt when I was younger. I always liked the idea of doing it for myself one day. Now I tend to like family friendly locations and pop to cafes during my days, so the idea of combining the two is very appealing.

- Trips to London. I miss the city and I'd love for my kids to be as familiar with it as I am. It doesn't take much to hop on a train, so this is something I'd like to do more of. 

- Mortgage free by 50. I have 23 years and 8 months to make this happen. I'd love to be able to ease into retirement and build my slush fund for all that travelling (let's face it, the kids will only just be adults by that point so I doubt much of the above will happen before then).

I've realised that basically it all boils down to travel. As much as I'd love my own business, it'd need to be the sort of business I could entrust in others while I'm away!