Easter Holiday Adventures

Welcome to a new blog post, with more Buswell family adventures.

This Easter holiday my family went away to Wales (yes again) to stay at Lake Farm, a bed and breakfast near Welshpool, tucked away past the border of Wales and England. The site houses a converted barn which Cameron and I stayed in, whilst mum and dad stayed in one of the popular Black Mountain Shepherd’s Huts.
The huts are at different places all around the country and handmade. You can even buy one yourself, to be honest I’d love one in the garden to escape to from time to time!

The infamous Shepherd’s Hut

There was a kitchen utility building on the site too, with bluetooth speakers!

Being in the middle of nowhere means no signal and yup, no wifi, but that didn’t matter because we spent most of our time outdoors. The people that own the site were so lovely and welcoming (why can’t everyone be like that?) and they had a gorgeous dog who welcomed us when we arrived and get this, we got cooked breakfast every morning, winning!

On the day we arrived we went for a walk, whilst we waited for the rooms to be ready. The short walk ended up being a trek all the way into Welshpool and to the castle and back – it took SIX HOURS, yes we walked for about 18 miles. At least I got some nice pictures on the way hey.

Yes I got a bit snap happy! When we finally got into the market town, we walked to Powis Castle and just about made it up the hill to explore. We only had a quick look around the outside and courtyard where we found some peacocks, they’re such show offs!

Showing off for scraps of food, the little beg

Dad insisted I took a photo of the castle grounds

Castle exploring done, we decided to attempt the journey back to the farm. We had a look around the town centre, there wasn’t much to do considering it’s about the same size as Ktown. I was pretty much on my last legs, they were aching so much, so dad bought us all chips, what a star!
True to Welsh fashion, there were hundreds of sheep and lambs along the canal that we walked by and of course I had to take pictures of them.

I cannot handle the cuteness of these lambs!! The one on the right popped its head in as I took the photo

We made it back eventually, stopping off on the way for photo opportunities, they love me, honest! I decided to take some photos of the inside of the huts when we got back because I completely forgot in the mayhem when we arrived. I am so jealous I can’t live in these permanently.

These photographs definitely don’t do them justice, so have a look at their website – Black Mountain Shepherd Huts.

Fast forward to our meal out, yes I wasn’t going to get through this without mentioning the feasts we had. We found a pub that had more than one vegan option, yes you heard me right and that included vegan pizza. Day = made. It was a very modern place called the Smithfield Bell in the centre of Welshpool and it seemed to be really popular. I decided to have the ‘Pizza India’ which was damn good; I was going to have the Praline Chocolate Tart as well but they had run out, gutted. So here we go, feast your eyes on my food!

Yes, I couldn’t resist taking a bite before I took a photo

Day two in Welshpool, time for the Light Railway Steam Train. We got up welcomed with a cook breakfast and headed out for our second day in Wales. The steam train travels to and from Welshpool and Llanfair which takes around 45 minutes, giving you a chance to take in the surrounding countryside. I wasn’t sure if it would be my cup of tea (why am I so British!) but I loved it and my dad was definitely in his element!

There wasn’t really much to do in Llanfair at all, so we headed back on the next train to Welshpool and had a look around the town centre. We spent the rest of the day doing what you should on holiday, relaxing. My legs were killing so I definitely need a lie down, I am such an old lady!
The meal out that evening was suggested by our host as she knew the family of a local pub, so we went to the Dolphin Inn in Llanymynech, try saying that quickly! They were really kind and offered a vegan chilli for me and it was delicious!

Food photo number two!

Day three and time to return home. We managed to cram quite a lot into our short trip away, but that’s how we roll. On the way back we visited Stokesay Castle in Ludlow, which was beautiful. Don’t be fooled by the blue skies in the photographs because it was bloody freezing and windy, I kept putting my coat on and my sunglasses off every five minutes.

And finally, on to today – Easter. We went out for lunch today to celebrate Easter, as we do each year as a family. Not always a meal out, but we celebrate it in some way because my family is religious. Yes there are more food pictures coming up and you will not be disappointed! We went to Haig’s Hotel which we went to for Easter a few years ago and have visited numerous times before and the food is delish! They happily catered for mum and I and they sent us a vegan menu with 3 or 4 choices for each course and I have never seen that before. I had great expectations and they definitely delivered.
I had a vegan burger and sweet potato fries for my main and apple, raisin and cinnamon strudel for dessert and it was heaven. Whereas mum had a vegetable tagine and poached plums and sorbet.