Adventure is a favourite word of mine these days; it sums up both life and marriage perfectly, and as we hit our 7th wedding anniversary last week we can certainly say it has been just that. To celebrate we found ourselves exploring North Yorkshire on a proper outdoor adventure together and it was fabulous! I love nothing more than a good adventure with my love (Mr Smith) and an opportunity to be away from everyday life together. I love it when we discover new places to unwind in picturesque settings…an opportunity to reflect on where we are and what our goals are for the future together and as a family. It was gorgeous and we had a wonderful time.
7 years is traditionally associated with “Copper” and I have loved the tradition we set for ourselves in Year 1 to celebrate not through gifts that can easily be damaged or disposed of, but by an activity around that theme where we can create memories, bond, have fun and date! Our searches for a copper themed anniversary adventure lead us the Copper Beech glade set in the beautiful grounds of Markington Hall near Ripon and Harrogate.
We wanted a night away but we wanted to stay in Yorkshire – I am quite passionate about living here and know there are so many gorgeous places to be discovered, not to mention it makes babysitters easier to access with family here too. I considered the Copper mines of Wales but then why when we have such lovely places to discover in Yorkshire?
Owned by the most delightful couple “William and Julie” it was certainly one of those gems we have been dreaming of finding, and it ticked all of the boxes for us as a place to stay…its surrounding towns are oozing with history, and set in the beautiful North Yorkshire scenery, it was not only an adventurous place but has an air of Romance and tranquillity too!
We stayed in “Bella”, a Romany gypsy caravan and it was absolutely brilliant, something I would certainly recommend to be added to your bucket list. With fresh linen and towels they were clean and well maintained and after the initial chill of an autumn night, the beds were comfy and cosy. The glade has everything you would need for a night or 2’s glamping with a shower, outdoor cooking facilities, an eco toilet, fire pit and a lodge with a few more home comforts! Upon arrival there was a lovely welcome hamper filled with fresh bread, free range eggs, crisps, juice, milk, and marshmallows. They had a selection of teas, coffee and hot chocolate stocked in the lodge along with herbs and spices, Eco friendly wash products and board games. It was beautifully simple.
We enjoyed the fun and simplicity of cooking on an open fire, hot chocolates and scrabble in the lodge, a little wander around the grounds and cosying up together by the fire whilst toasting marshmallows and chatting about anything and everything. We loved the sounds of nature and seeing mother nature clothed in all of her autumnal beauty, and then we laughed so much as we found our way across the glade by torch light to get to bed.
The following morning I wish I could say we enjoyed a lie in, but miss Alice (our little tag along) ensured we were up with the birds, and so whilst I fed and saw to her, Nath built a fire and fried some eggs over it. It was absolutely gorgeous and very romantic to sit under the trees in the morning sun enjoying a simple breakfast of eggs and toast, knowing so much had gone into it whilst listening to the birds and sounds of the outdoors.
The trip was complete with a lovely day in Ripon visiting the prison and workhouse museum (not romantic but super fun all whilst taking “copper” to a new level) and a costa lunch! It was the perfect little break away, such an adventure yet filled with peace and an air of magic too – and it was much needed! We both absolutely loved taking this little Yorkshire adventure together and it confirmed to us that we don’t have to venture far to escape the cares of everyday life!
When I said yes to marrying Nathan and “I do” in front of all of our family and friends 7 years ago I don’t think I ever imagined what that meant or what I was signing up for. I don’t mean that as any level of criticism towards him or implying he is hard to live with, in fact living with him is usually the easy part, but we have chatted a lot over the last week or so about the fact that when you agree to stay together and love one another in sickness and in health, and in good times and bad you never imagine how the future will challenge and test that.
We are both grateful though for the way we have pulled together and have relied on one another during the harder times in our marriage and that we have come together in difficulty instead of pulling away. Its nice to know that it has built us and that we haven’t lost our spark or sense of humour in the process.
Copper is a strong metal that cannot be torn like paper or cloth, it is more valuable than fruit, wood or Iron and it is ductile and soft, pretty much like how at 7 years we are way more adapting to one another and after what we have been through it would be hard to break us now…it also conducts electricity and heat (no explanation needed)!! So whilst I still trip over his size 12 shoes I have asked him hundreds of times to shift, or that I still have to remind him to do things I just remember. Whilst we still at times get annoyed by one another, at 7 years I can honestly say that I love him more than ever, still feel butterflies when he holds my hand or kisses me, and he still continues to makes me laugh.
I love that we are living life’s adventures together.
1 baby gone too soon, 2 houses, 3 nutty kids in our home, 4 years of student life, 5 countries explored together, 6 old banger cars that have been the bane of our lives and 7 years of being married to my best friend! What a lovely retreat to celebrate and reflect on this venture.
If you like the idea of celebrating around the traditional themes here are the 1st 10 years, any more you will have to google it haha…
1st = Paper
2nd = Cotton
3rd = Leather
4th = Fruit & Flowers
5th = Wood
6th = Iron
7th = Copper or Wool
8th = Bronze or Pottery
9th = Pottery or Willow
10th = Tin or Aluminium
*Disclaimer: Our stay at copper beech glade was complimentary in return for an honest review. All thoughts, pictures and opinions are my own.
Ah happy anniversary! Your date night away was fabulous! What an awesome place to stay and sooo unique. That caravan is brilliant. I also love this post as it is obvious you guys are very much in love still and this is fabulous. I hope you had a really lovely time. Thanks for sharing with #bestandworst x
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Happy anniversary! I love this place, it’s so romantic
This looks amazing Mary! I would love to stay there! What a good find and how lucky that it fitted in with the theme of the year! 🙂 I love the smell of an open fire. It is the best. Cheeky Ali G being up with the birds, but she is such a babe! x
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What a lovely post to read! So happy and honest (like a lot of your posts!) I would love to stay in a caravan and I am also all for Yorkshire vacations too! It looks so relaxing. Thanks for sharing and linking up with #YorkshireFamily
Oh Mary what a wonderful post, and first of all many congratulations to you and Nath on your 7th wedding anniversary. I love the idea of creating memories around the traditional themes, and really wish we had done this. Though at 15 years now it’s probably too late to go back and redo them all. The caravan looks so homely and what a wonderful place to get away from everything and to reflect. So glad you had an amazing time together, and obviously with little Alice too x
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