My June Days

This post includes an advertisement feature with Wild Intrigue 

Wow this month has been busy! A very wet holiday in the North East saw us getting spendy and crossing a fair few eateries off our ever growing list which is a pretty great way to spend a very rainy week.  You may have noticed that this month's roundup has gone up a few days earlier than usual as this weekend I'll be enjoying my friend's Hen Weekend in Marbella, what a way to end the month!

Here's what didn't make the blog in June.

Serenades and Sunsets at Wallington

I think my happiest moment of the month had to be lounging on a picnic rug in the walled gardens at Wallington listening to live music and eating our way through a lot of delicious food from our ridiculous picnic basket. Serenades and Sunsets takes place every Friday and Sunday evening in June and it really is the best way to spend an evening. When Simon crashed out on the rug for a nap I took the rare opportunity to explore the gardens during golden hour and it was truly breathtaking.  This is exactly what Summer in Northumberland is all about!

Bats and Pizza with Wild Intrigue 

Having had such a great experience last year we were so thrilled to be invited back to Wild Northumbrian for a Bats and Pizza Night hosted by Wild Intrigue. Unlike last Summer the evening was a little soggy but I have to say eating homemade pizza whilst listening to the rain under the shelter of the most beautiful little veranda ended up being pretty idyllic. Our evening finished with a very successful bat safari, chats round the campfire whilst toasting marshmallows and I have finally convinced Simon to book a stay at Wild Northumbrian so watch this space!

Bamburgh Castle

Despite having been to Bamburgh so many times and admired the castle from afar this month was our first ever experience of exploring Bamburgh Castle properly. I had absolutely no idea how special it is and now I'm kicking myself that we didn't visit sooner. The views along the Northumberland coastline from the walls are something else, they serve really delicious scran in the tea room and the State Rooms inside the Castle was something else. My jaw dropped to the floor, it was just so beautiful! My favourite moment was reading the book where visitors had shared their hand written personal history and memories of Bamburgh Castle - I had goosebumps!

Lakes Distillery

This month we visited the Lakes Distillery in Cumbria and what a lovely spot to spend an afternoon. I have no interest in whisky so was very much there to represent the gin! We managed to bag ourselves a discounted ticket to the tour on Groupon and loved getting an hour long behind the scenes look at how their drinks are created followed by a tasting. Our experience ended with lunch in the Bistro (incredible food but slightly ruined by very poor service) and a little stroll down to meet the Alpacas. Of course I couldn't resist a splurge in the shop and left with a bottle of the Elderflower Gin.

Carnabys

I am finally using the "your places' feature on Google Maps and have now created my very own map showing all of the eateries in Northumberland that we want to visit. Forever late to the party I'm now telling anyone who will listen about how amazing my map is and I'm sure Simon is getting very fed up of me checking it every time we're in the countryside to tell him how close we are to various coffee shops and restaurants. It is SO useful though! Thanks to my handy map we've ticked Carnabys off the list, a really lovely cafe, ideally located on the A1 a few miles from Bamburgh, it has plenty of seating and some really delicious food. I had a Salmon and Egg Bagel followed by a slice of cake because I just couldn't resist.

OMNI

At last! I've visited Omni!  I have heard so many great things about the Asian inspired dishes served at the lovely spot in Monkseaton and it definitely didn't let me down. The menu is just so good! For my first visit I went for "The Rice Bowl" - Jasmine Rice Steamed with Shredded Asian Veg, Soy Sauce and Spring Onions topped with a Fried Egg and Crispy Onions with Chicken - it was absolutely incredible and I can't wait to return and try some of their breakfast dishes. People weren't lying when they said how good this place is.

Rievaulx Terrace

Having visited all of the National Trust North East properties multiple times I've decided that we need to start taking our membership cards further afield and with so many great places on our doorstep we're spoilt for choice when it comes to a National Trust Road Trip.  Yorkshire is my favourite place to explore at the moment and this month we popped to Rievaulx Terrace for a mooch round the beautiful temples.  Although the site is very small, what it lacks for in size it more than makes up for in beauty - the views of Rievaulx Abbey were breathtaking! If you ever find yourself in the area you must go for a stroll.

As always for more adventures from New Girl in Toon make sure you follow me on Instagram. I post a new photo every day sharing our latest discoveries across the North East.