The North(ish) Lass

Explore the North.

Tag: northern england

  • Things to do in Lancaster if you’ve lived here for years

    Things to do in Lancaster if you’ve lived here for years

    It’s often said that we don’t explore what is on our doorstep; that we go on trips and days out, often travelling miles, but we don’t really go out and see the things we could actually walk to.

    So, that being said, here are some things you can do in Lancaster if you’ve lived here for years, that I bet most of you haven’t done yet!

    Go To Lancaster Museum

    Go on, be honest, have you ever actually been inside Lancaster Museum (next to the Library/near TK Maxx)? If the answer to that question is no, you absolutely should. The history of our city is much bigger than its somewhat diminutive size would suggest. From a Roman settlement, to being wrapped up in witch trials, to the less-than-storied participation in the Atlantic Slave Trade (did you know Lancaster was the third biggest port in the eighteenth century after Liverpool and Bristol? It was only because the Lune silted up that the trade drifted elsewhere). Lancaster Museum is spread out over two floors and is full of interesting information about the history of our city, very worth a visit!

    Tour Lancaster Castle

    If you’ve never been on a guided tour of Lancaster Castle, then it is well worth it. It only took me about eight years of living in the city before I actually got around to it!

    Tours are usually done in groups of ten or less, so you get an excellent experience of being able to hear the guide/ask questions as the group moves around the open areas of the castle. The castle has over eight hundred years of history, from the high medieval gate house, Elizabethan additions (built for defensive reasons during the scare of the Spanish Armada), the history of the witch trials, the Georgian jail cells (try going in one – it’s scary and dark!), the Lancaster regiments participation in the wars of the twentieth century, before the castle was given over for use as HM Prison.

    There’s also the courtroom to have a look around, as long as it isn’t in session. It’s the oldest working courtroom in Europe, and as someone who has been on a jury in there – it’s quite an interesting place to be! Not the most comfortable ever, but still…

    The tour itself takes a couple of hours, and is well worth it to learn a little bit more about one of the most incredible buildings in our city.

    Visit the Butterfly House

    This is definitely one for the late spring/summer when the butterflies have had a chance to emerge from their chrysalises and put on a colourful display. The butterfly house can be found in Williamson Park, which is a wonderful place to have a wander around – whatever the weather/season!

    Head to a Festival

    Lancaster has any number of street/city festivals throughout the year – from Dino Fest, to Chinese New Year, Light Up Lancaster, Christmas in Lancaster, Italian Festival, the Jazz Festival, and (when it happens – hopefully in 2026!) Lancaster Music Festival. There’s a lot going on throughout the year in Lancaster, and often there’s something to check out in the city on the weekends. Often these events have lots of free aspects to them, whether it’s watching a live band, or a light show, so if you’re looking for activities that are kinder on your wallet, check when the festivals are scheduled and head along!

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  • Introducing: Lovingly Artisan Bakery

    Introducing: Lovingly Artisan Bakery

    After many months of talking about doing it, I finally headed up to Plumgarths Lakeland Food Park on Thursday last week, to take a look at the bakery and shop for Lovingly Artisan bakery. Nestled on a road just outside Kendal, there are several foodie business on this small and welcoming business park.

    Lovingly Artisan bakery evolved from a bakery first started in the 1980s in Kendal when, after being introduced to slow-fermentation process, the founder Aidan and his partner Catherine, started Lovingly Artisan from their own home. The site at Plumgarths Lakeland Food Park was opened in 2010 as an expansion site and has been thriving ever since.

    The entire ethos of Lovingly Artisan is based on ditching ultra-processed bread, using British grain (including rarer grains that you don’t see very often such as Emmer and Einkhorn), and keeping things organic wherever possible.

    What struck me when I spoke to Catherine was the “soil to grain” commitment – looking for organic and regenerative farming practices which looks after the soil to ensure good quality crop, before the crop is milled by a local miller using a stone grinding process (which apparently retains better flavour than industrial milling processes), the leftover bran is then made into pellets which fires the ovens! I thought this was really great because I’m so passionate about sustainable practices and circular production methods. It is exactly what we need to be doing more of, and to find and support more small businesses making efforts to do this is uppermost in my mind.

    The shop itself was delightful, and the smell of fresh baking was to die for… I honestly could have spent hours in there, even though it’s a relatively small shop. There were so many goodies, little bits to taste, and lots of accoutrements such as dipping oils, rock salt, and kitchen implements. I bought several items, including kalamata olive bread, focaccia, Danish rye bread, and a pain-aux-raisin. I’ve already eaten the pain-aux-raisin, and can’t wait to tuck into the rest.

    I’ll be heading back up to Lakeland Food Park next week as they’re doing a Christmas Fair and Tasting event from the 4th – 6th December 2025! It’s definitely worth going if you’re a foodie in the region of the South/Central Lakes/North Lancs because I think it’s going to be delicious, and I’m excited to try all of the yummy goods!

  • Five Amazing Authors From Lancashire

    Five Amazing Authors From Lancashire

    Seeing as Autumn is the perfect time for curling up with a good book by the fire, as the longer nights have drawn in, I decided to take a look at some of the homegrown literary talent from the North. So, if you want to read some Lancastrian voices, check out the authors I’ve highlighted below – some are modern, others very much not, and there’s quite the range of genres represented, so whatever floats your literary boat, there should be something for you to enjoy!

    (Some of these authors were born in areas that are now outside of Lancashire due to new county creations in the 1970s, but they were Lancashire when they were born, so I’m counting it!).

    Note – if you choose to purchase anything by these authors, could I please request that you try and support either local and independent bookshops, or high street retailers, rather than that online behemoth that shall not be named. Let’s try and keep the British bookshop alive!

    Joe Abercrombie

    Joe Abercrombie is a bestselling author of fantasy books and was born in Lancaster. His first trilogy The First Law is an introduction to an epic fantasy world on the brink of an Industrial Revolution, but also a world at war. The world created by Abercrombie is full of magic, lore, demons, and incredible adventure. There are nine novels set in The First Law universe (split into two trilogies and one omnibus of three standalone novels), with more purported to be on the way. Definitely one I’m going to be adding to my reading list!

    The Blade Itself, the first novel in The First Law trilogy

    Josephine Cox

    Josephine Cox was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, and published novels under her full name, Jo Cox, and also the name of her mother Jane Brindle. She is often listed in the top three “most borrowed” books by the UK Public Lending Rights figures (i.e. when people go to libraries, they’re often picking Jo Cox, which is pretty cool!).

    Often set in the Northern towns and areas in which she grew up, Jo’s books are full of Northern warmth and humour, as well as reflecting some of the struggles that these industrial towns have experienced throughout the twentieth/twenty-first century. Her books have human stories at the heart, with romance, family dynamics, and friendship woven throughout. A few of her most popular titles are Don’t Cry Alone, A Daughter’s Return, and More Than Riches. Jo published over 50 books in her lifetime, before passing away at the age of 82 in 2020.

    Willy Russell

    Yes, that Willy Russell. Famous playwright and author, Willy Russell was born in Whiston, Lancashire. I’ve actually acted in a Russell play before, Our Day Out, and thought he was a fantastic playwright with a wonderful grip on language and the theatre space.

    His works, including Educating Rita and Blood Brothers, are firmly lodged in the canon of “need-to-know” plays. Educating Rita was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1980 and starred Julie Walters and Mark Kingston. It went on to be made into a beloved film in 1983 with Julie Walters and Michael Caine in the lead roles.

    Willy Russell (who also writes music!)

    Jeanette Winterson

    Jeanette Winterson was born in Manchester in 1959. Probably most well known for her semi-autobiographical novel Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit of growing up as Lesbian in a Pentecostal community, and rebelling against the conventions that she had been told to live by. By 16 Winterson had left home, and applied to work at Pandora Press, a feminist imprint that published Oranges Are…, which went on to win the Whitbread Prize for debut novel.

    Alongside many other works, she has also written a short story The Daylight Gate, published in 2012, about the Pendle Witch Trials which took place in Lancaster. The novella was published to coincide with the four hundredth anniversary of the trials.

    Elizabeth Gaskell

    Okay, this one is a bit of a curve ball – Elizabeth Gaskell wasn’t born in Lancashire, shock horror! – the reason she is included in this list is that she wrote several of her extremely well known novels whilst residing in the village of Silverdale, Lancashire. She stayed in a tower folly that I have actually stayed in for a short break (you used to be able to find the tower for holiday rent, as it has since changed owners, I don’t know if this possible anymore). If you would like to see where she wrote North and South and parts of Cranford, just take a wander down towards Jack Scout in Silverdale, past the Wolf House Gallery, and you will see what looks like a medieval tower in a private garden. It’s not medieval, and was built in the early Victorian period, but was utilised by Gaskell when she wrote. It’s in a beautiful situation, and you can climb to the top and onto the terrace, for panoramic views across Morecambe Bay and towards the Lake District. You can see why Gaskell chose it as a bolthole to write!

    The novels themselves are an intimate look at “ordinary” life during the Victorian period, with a lot of focus on family dynamics, the struggles/lives of women in a world dominated by men, as well as stark looks at poverty and the lives of those who lived it during the nineteenth century.

    Several of her novels including Wives and Daughters, Cranford, and North and South, have been adapted for television by the BBC.

    I’ll be checking out authors from the other Northern counties I like to explore in posts yet to come!

  • Happy Halloween!

    Happy Halloween!

    It’s the spookiest time of the year if you celebrate Halloween, or one of the most important festivals – Samhain – if you’ve an interest in pagan or Celtic lore/history. Samhain traditionally marks the end of summer and the beginning of winter, where darkness overpowers day (in the Northern hemisphere at least) and communities look towards colder nights of enjoying the fruits that summer bore. It’s a time for the warmth of the fire, being indoors, and feasting. Sounds good to me!

    If you’re into the spookier stuff, plenty of Halloween events continue on into November, including plenty of ghost tours, ghost hunts, and haunted sleepovers, as I mentioned in my piece about Spooky Places To Visit.

    If that’s not your jam, then check out my foodie focused piece about how to cook up an amazing Autumn Feast using ingredients and produce from Northern suppliers.

    To be honest, I lean more towards the latter part than the former. Whilst I do love the lighter summer foods, and the brightness of the days, I do find myself loving the “winter” food that we can now enjoy on a colder evening; casserole and dumplings; roast chicken dinner with yorkshire puddings; more pie than can ever be considered a good idea, and plenty more calorific things like that!

    The fading of the year needn’t be a time for sadness, thinking that there nothing to look forward until the spring rolls around. Instead, I say we should lean in, and find the beauty in the dark and in the cold. Look out for wildlife that we don’t get to see at other times of the year; take brisk walks through countryside or along the beach, and enjoy the cosy fire (fake or otherwise) when you get home in the evening. Also, statistically, the better telly is on in the winter as well… so there’s always that!

    However you’re welcoming in the fading of the year, I urge it to be just that; a welcome. Embrace the chill, and look for the wonder!

  • Nature In Autumn: What To Look Out For

    Nature In Autumn: What To Look Out For

    As the coldness creeps in and the nights get darker (remember clocks fall back for an hour this Sunday (26th October!)), it can be tempting to think that nature has gone to bed, that the flowers have died back, and she will only reawaken when the spring comes around in a few (and a bit) month’s time. But of course that’s not the case; there is a lot still to see, and unique things that nature shows us throughout the winter months, many of which can’t be seen at any other time of the year.

    Throughout the winter, many birds call the British Isles home, with many coming south or west to escape the harsher climes of Scandinavia, Russia, and others coming in from Greenland and Canada. Some of these migrants come in for months on end; arriving in late summer – September-time – and potentially not leaving until April/May, whilst others fly in between October and November, before leaving us in February and March.

    There are several species you can look out for in this part of the world as they fly in for the winter; Pink-Footed Geese arrive from Iceland and Norway, Barnacle Geese from the Arctic, you might see Teal ducks at RSPB Leighton Moss (they like wetlands and marshes), and perhaps Wigeons as well. Another prized sighting for a birder is some of our smallest migrant birds; Redwings, heard across the UK from October and Waxwings, which you might only see if there is a poor berry harvest in Scandinavia, and they choose to spend winter in the UK instead as a result.

    Aside from our feathered friends, other treasured things to see come Autumn are the brilliant red leaves of Virginia Creeper or Ivy, climbing and crawling its way up the front of a building it scarlet glory; or beautiful beech trees glowing cooper in the bright early November sunlight. Mushrooms are abundant on the forest floor and growing through tree roots and bark. I would urge you to make sure you know exactly what you’re doing if you plan to forage fungi, and seek out an expert guide or handbook for precise information.

    Of course there’s plenty of other life to find out and about in the woods and in the fields; throughout October and November you’ll be able to hear the bellows of stags in rut echoing out across the countryside, looking to secure breeding rights for the coming season. If you’re lucky, you might even see two stags go horn-to-horn and battle it out. Please be aware that stags can be more aggressive during this season, even those who are well used to humans (such as park dwelling deer). Keep your distance, and keep dogs on a lead/under control when around deer.

    Photo by Charlie Newman

    Other furry friends to look out for are wood mice, grey squirrels (busy burying acorns!), and hedgehogs preparing for the winter hibernation (okay, so hedgehogs aren’t fluffy per se, but they are still cute to look at!). This year’s fox kits will be being kicked out of the den by their mothers, so they’ll be lots of slightly-teenage looking foxes around for those who are patient enough to spot them, and badgers will be preparing their burrows for winter. Whilst these black and white denizens of the countryside do not hibernate, they will potential slow down as the months get colder, and spend more time underground, huddled together with the rest of the family!

    So there you have it! A short and sweet version of things to look out for this Autumn, with so much beautiful nature still be amazed by. I don’t know about you, but I always get a little sense of wonderment whenever I see a little wood mouse, or a hedgehog, scurrying across the garden wall; a bird (be it a visitor or a resident) chirruping away on a branch that’s losing its leaves… I love this time of year, and love being out and about in the cool crispness, enjoying the freshness of a glorious Autumn.

  • Café Culture Around Lancaster (Part One)

    Café Culture Around Lancaster (Part One)

    I did a couple of articles back in the spring about Café Culture in Lancaster (Part One and Part Two) so now I’m widening the net, to look at some of the lovely cafes in the surrounding area. This is in no way exhaustive, it’s just a selection of ones that I have visited and enjoyed, and I will be continuing this list with many more little cafes that I frequent in my local area!

    Blossom Bird in Silverdale

    Blossom Bird is a lovely little café in the centre of Silverdale, and has been the topic of my weekly recommendation before because I am a HUGE fan of their blueberry and lemon cake. Genuinely one of the best cakes I’ve ever tasted, and it’s made in house by the lady who runs it. Dogs are welcome to sit in the courtyard outside the front of the café, and I imagine the only reason they’re discouraged (not banned) from inside because it’s a little bit tight for space! There’s also a long chatty table in the window, which is a lovely idea if people who are on their own or in small groups don’t mind talking to other patrons and having a bit of a chat.

    The Striped Apple in Scorton

    The Striped Apple is a large café/restaurant just outside of Scorton, in the grounds of Wyresdale Park, surrounded by forest and wildlife. Whenever I go up there, I love standing and just listening to the birds singing in the trees, even if it’s relatively busy, it sort of fades away into the sounds of the park. The café itself in a large greenhouse structure, with grapes growing across the roof. It’s very popular with walkers, and with those who come to paddleboard on the nearby lake. There’s often an array of specials on the menu, but I’m a big fan of the small breakfast that you can optimise to your own taste. They also offer lovely afternoon tea options (or afternoon… champagne?).

    The café is dog friendly, and there is a large outside area to sit in the summer, as well as a small children’s play area. There are also a handful on independent shops behind the café that are open Thur-Sun, including a gin maker, an independent jeweller, and an upcycled outerwear shop (that will soon be offering repair services for outdoor wear).

    The Old Bakehouse in Arnside

    The Bakehouse in Arnside is a takeaway bakery and coffeeshop, with a small number of tables inside for those quick enough to get one! Their sausage rolls are delicious, and I’m a big fan of the takeaway pies for either dinner later that day, or to freeze for a later day. Sometimes I like to take a coffee to go and take a wander along the front, or up the pier to sit and watch the tide roll in or out.

    Have you visited any of these places? Which is your favourite?

  • Dark Skies in Northumberland National Park (Part One)

    Dark Skies in Northumberland National Park (Part One)

    Northumberland has some of the best stargazing locations and events in the UK. As an internationally designated Dark Sky Park since 2013 with “pristine skies”, Northumberland National Park and Kielder Water & Observatory are perfect for stargazers, both enthusiasts and beginners. The Dark Sky Park stretches over five-hundred square miles, making it the largest protected dark sky area in Europe. There has been some incredible photos of the night skies, including the stunning aurora borealis (Northern Lights) taken in Northumberland, and whilst I haven’t been lucky enough to see the Northern Lights myself yet, just looking at the photos is awe inspiring.

    There are many options for how to experience Northumberland’s Dark Skies, with lots of venues offering dark skies experiences or stargazing events. One of these is the Twice Brewed pub, just up the road from the Hideaway Huts, that now has it’s own observatory (with large aperture telescopes), planetarium, and regularly hosts astronomy evenings with experts. The Planetarium hosts shows regularly throughout the Autumn and Winter, with various shows scheduled specifically for children, with extra around school holidays. You can find out more about the Planetarium and the astronomy events here.

    The Twice Brewed Inn is in partnership with Kielder Observatory; located on the edge of the Kielder Water and Forest.

    ‘Say goodbye to summer constellations and hello to winter favourites like the Pleiades, Taurus, and Orion, which brings the spectacular Orionid meteor shower later in the month. For telescope users, the Ghost Nebula and the Swimming Alligator Cluster are October highlights. Plus, catch Saturn and Jupiter rising as the nights grow longer.’ – Kielder Observatory Website

    Image from Kielder Observatory about which constellations are visible in winter.

    Staying at the Hideaway Huts is the only time in the UK I’ve been able to see the colours of the Milky Way when lying out in the middle of the night, looking up at the sky. The only other place I’ve ever been able to do that is in rural Australia! Whilst this does say something about the amount of light pollution we have around us at all times, it is nice to know that there are still places in the UK where you can get away from the incessant light that ruins the night sky, and find places that are truly dark. I said in a previous article that it is wonderful to stop and look at the stars, and it’s amazing that there are now more formal events to explore the solar system and beyond, for people of all levels of interest and knowledge in astronomy.

    I’ll be doing another article later in the year (hopefully) after a night skies experience. Of course, this will be dependent on the weather (can’t do much if it’s cloudy!), but fingers crossed that the event will be able to go ahead.

  • Good Northern News!

    Good Northern News!

    Sometimes it can feel like everywhere we turn there’s bad news to be read or heard, so I decided that I was going to spread a little bit of the good things that are happening as well. Whether it’s community groups, charity, or larger environmental/governmental good things, I wanted to push out some of the positive things happening in our Northern Community. In that vein, here are four good news stories that caught my eye…

    £20M secured for Morecambe’s West End over the next decade.

    Local MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, Lizzi Collinge (Labour), announced this week that she has managed to secure £20M of the Pride In Place (Plan for Your Neighbourhoods) fund, made available by the government, for investment in Morecambe’s West End.

    The area will receive £2M per year for the next decade and be administered by a board of locals.

    Morecambe’s West End was once a booming area of independent shops, businesses, B&Bs etc. and whilst plenty of people have strived to maintain their own businesses, it is great to see investment coming in for the area as a whole. I’m excited to see what projects the money is spent on!

    Long Term Resident Adopted at Lancaster Animal Care

    Lancaster Animal Care has been looking after animals since 1978, taking care of unwanted and abandoned animals across the North-West. They predominately look after cats, dogs, rabbits, rodents, and guinea pigs, although when you go up to the centre you might meet their three resident goats, or their turkey, Twitch.

    But aside from that, in excellent news, their longest resident – Trevor – has been adopted after seven years in the care of the Centre. Trevor is a tri-pawed (three legged) lurcher who is loving life relaxing on sofas, and going for relaxed walks with his new human. Yay, Trevor! I hope you have a wonderful life in your forever home. <3

    If you are in a position to think about rehoming an animal, and it is a (huge) responsibility you are prepared to take on, you can see the animals available for rehoming on their website for more information.

    St John’s Hospice to Host “Jail and Bail” Fundraising Event at Lancaster Castle

    On October 22nd, St John’s Hospice will be hosting a Jail and Bail event at Lancaster Castle, where you have the opportunity to get your own back on your boss for scheduling that Friday afternoon meeting-that-could-have-been-an-email. This pantomime tongue-in-cheek event will be held in the centuries old jail cells at Lancaster Castle, where participants will have to rely on co-workers, teammates, friends and families, in order to raise the £999 “bail” money.

    The prisoner will be issued with a prisoner’s outfit, and have their mugshot taken, before being taken to the A Wing of the Castle to begin the fundraising challenge. All the money will go to St John’s Hospice, a charity that supports people with life limiting illness and their families.

    The event is being sponsored by Atkinson’s Coffee.

    Music Festival Held at Local Pub Raises Thousands for Mental Health Charity

    A Music Festival held at the George & the Dragon pub in Lancaster, has raised £2330 for Positive Futures. The event took place over six days in August and involved music, a quiz, and a raffle. The money is going to be used to help get resources to those who are considering taking their own lives due to mental health issues, and might help them choose an alternative action in a moment of crisis.

    6m Mural of Georgia Stanway Unveiled in Barrow-In-Furness

    A six metre of the 2* Euro-Winning Lioness Georgia Stanway has been unveiled in her hometown of Barrow In Furness, celebrating her and the rest of the team. I wrote an article about Georgia Stanway following the Lionesses win in July, and how she reached the England squad and her links to her hometown.

    Do you have a good news story you’d like me to feature? Send an email to bryony@thenorthishlass.co.uk so I can feature it in a future good news post!

  • Things To Do In Lancaster (In A Day)

    Things To Do In Lancaster (In A Day)

    A Morning in Lancaster

    Start off the morning by having breakfast in one of our many independent cafes, which you can read more about in my ‘Cafe Culture in Lancaster‘ series.

    Follow up the lovely breakfast by going for a tour of Lancaster Castle. This will need to be prebooked as the tour is guided, in small groups, by a knowledgeable tour guide. The castle has a history dating from the high medieval period right through to the present day (it ceased to be a HM Prison in 2011). Following that you can have a look around the Priory that is adjacent to the castle or have a wander down the hill towards the river to look at the ruins of the Roman Baths. There’s not a huge amount left of the ancient monument there, but it’s interesting to see evidence of just how long humans have been settled and building on the banks of the River Lune.

    Front Gate of Lancaster Castle

    If you need (or want) lunch after all of that, there are many pubs and eateries to choose from in Lancaster. I will be doing an article in the coming weeks about some of the pubs that can be found in the city, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Off the top of my head, I would suggest The Sun, the Three Mariners, Merchants 1666, or the Water Witch, which all do excellent pub food.

    Afternoon in Lancaster

    In the afternoon, depending on where your interests lie there are several different options. If you want to continue in the history theme of things, I suggest having a wander around Lancaster Museum, found in the middle of the market square. This fascinating museum takes you through the history of the region and the city from the earliest human occupation to the present day, including the links to the Wars of the Roses, the Witch Trials (the first convictions for witchcraft in the seventeenth century occurred in Lancaster), and the oft-glossed over involvement of the city in the English Slave Trade. For more information on the latter, a visit to the Lancaster Maritime Museum is also on the cards.

    Ashton Memorial

    If, however, you’ve been historied out by the visit to the castle in the morning, I suggest a visit to Williamson Park, the lovely open space to be found at the top of the city, with the in-situ Ashton Memorial looking out over the city and surrounding countryside in all direction. In the park you can also find a wildlife park and butterfly house, with lots of interesting critters and creatures to take a look at. If fauna isn’t necessarily your thing, then a wander around the park and surrounding woodland is a relaxing way to pass the time on a nice day, although it is worth being aware that the park and surrounding area is fairly hilly, and whilst it is accessible to wheelchairs and motorised scooters, those with ambulatory difficulties without aid might struggle a little, depending on conditions. If you’re up at the park as the sun begins to go down, you’re in for a treat, watching the sunset over Morecambe Bay with the Lake District Hills in the distance, a beautiful location to the end the day.

    Lancaster itself sits on the main West Coast trainline, so as your day comes to an end there are plenty of trains to take you either North or South, depending on where you want to go next. The city is also adjacent to junction 34 of the M6 motorway, so is easily accessible by car.

  • 32 Places I Want To Visit Or Want To Do… (Part 3/5)

    32 Places I Want To Visit Or Want To Do… (Part 3/5)

    So my birthday has come and gone, and I am now 32, heading off into another year-long journey around the sun. I decided to celebrate that I’d do a list of thirty-two places I’d like to visit in the North, or things that I would like to experience or do. This is not a list of things I’m going to do in the next year, as a sort of checklist, some of these are pie-in-the-sky dream places I want to go, whilst others are more attainable and I have concrete ideas and plans to actually do. So, that being said here’s my list of things I’d like to do in the North, just to illustrate how many things there are to do, and how amazing this region is!

    Go to a Dark Skies event in Northumberland

    Parts of Northumberland are an International Dark Sky Park, and it is one of the best places in the UK to see all that the night sky have to offer. I’ll be doing a longer article in October about the Dark Skies experience in November, and how the Hideaway Huts could be the perfect bolthole to have a Dark Skies experience, so stay tuned for that!

    Do a Ghost Tour in York

    I did a ghost tour in York many many years ago, probably when I was about nine, and I remember it scaring the beejeezus out of me then… I suspect it might be a little less terrifying these days, but the stories and historical insights that come with a ghost tour are still fascinating. As York is a city steeped in history, from Pre-Roman, Roman, Viking, Medieval, Georgian, and into the 20th century, there are plenty of ghouls and ghosties hiding around the corners to be learned about. Perfect for spooky season!

    Make sure you go with a reputable company in order to get the best value for money. I would recommend the Original Ghost Tour who have been doing tours through the streets of York for over fifty years!

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    See Red Squirrels in Northumberland or Cumbria

    I’ve spoken about this a few times, but seeing red squirrels in the wild is one of the top things I really want to do. I’ve seen red squirrels abroad, and I’ve seen them in protected wildlife sanctuaries, but never seen them in the small enclaves in the north where they are bouncing back. Can’t wait until the moment I first see one in the wild, it’ll be magical!

    Stay at Rothay Manor, Ambleside

    I have to admit, I have a bit of a vested/personal interest in this one. Both my nana and my mum worked at Rothay Manor, many moons ago, in the 1980s. I remember going to Rothay for my nana’s 70th birthday lunch and it being very lovely, but I was a bit young to really take it all in. My nana has since passed away, so I would love to take a trip down memory lane and go back to the hotel where both she and my mum worked.

    Go and see the Lancaster Footlights Pantomime!

    It’s coming towards that time of year again, when Christmas Pantomimes are putting on their spectacular shows! I was lucky enough to be cast in the Lancaster Footlights Panto last year, but sadly missed out this year. Nevertheless, I will be enthusiastically cheering them on from the side-lines (or the wings!) because it is a fantastic show and I know it’s going to be blummin’ amazing. This year Footlights Presents Snow White, doing an array of shows across late November and throughout December. A good friend of mine, Annie Hughes, is taking on the title role, and with a voice like an angel I know she’ll smash it. Tickets will sell out, so if you want to go and see this great production, I strongly suggest you get in early!

    Ride the Railway from Lancaster to Carlisle via Millom

    The quickest way (when it’s working properly) to go from Lancaster to Carlisle is straight up the West Coast Main Line, but if you’ve got a little bit more time, the ride around the coast via Arnside and Millom is a beautifully scenic ride. I mean, the ride up the main line is quite pretty as well, but riding along the coast and up past the Solway Firth is seriously beautiful, but it’s definitely not the quickest way to get from A to B – definitely one for the day you’ve got more time to ride.

    Try Archery at Muncaster Castle Weapons Hall

    Do you have what it takes to be a Medieval Knight? With a regular ticket to Muncaster you can go along to the Weapons Hall and “have a go” with a limited number of arrows/axes, but if you’d like to give it more of an in-depth go, you can upgrade to an unlimited ticket so you can get more tries. I’m pretty sure that I’d be terrible at this, but I think it’d be a lot of fun to have a go!

    Go to the top of Blackpool Tower

    On a nice day, the view from the top of Blackpool Tower stretches for miles and miles, as far as the Borders one way, and the Welsh Mountains in the other direction. I went up to the top of the tower once at night, so you could see all the illuminations stretching away down the front, but it would be nice to go up on a clear day and see how far the horizon stretches.

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    So there you have it – seven out of thirty two of things I’d like to do – we’re up to nineteen out of the thirty two – stay tuned for the final thirteen! This is going to be a bit of a long series I guess, but there are just so many things to do around the North and if I did them all in one go (or even in three articles) it would end up being so long you’d never reach the end! If you had to pick three places to go in the North, where would it be? What should be on my list? I guarantee there will be places you love that I won’t even know about, so drop me a comment below or an email at bryony@thenorthishlass.co.uk and let me know what I should feature!

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