After a long, wet winter spent dodging raindrops, attending several kids’ birthday parties, and getting lost in some great books, spring finally arrived. And with it came the sun. We traded our indoor blankets for hiking boots and passports, filling the sunny spring months with unforgettable family adventures. From exploring hidden gems right here in the UK to jetting off on beautiful overseas escapes, it felt amazing to hit the trails and make new memories together under the open sky.
Read – January to April 2026 summary.
Personal Life:
With the sun rising earlier, Skye and I have finally moved our morning walks to the scenic bicycle track on our way to work. It has made the start of the day incredibly peaceful, giving me a rare, quiet moment to relax and clear my head before diving into my busy schedule. The only real challenge is Skye’s absolute obsession with the fresh spring grass. I constantly find myself gently dragging him along, trying to keep him moving so we both aren’t late!
The Cumbrian spring weather wasn’t exactly perfect, but we didn’t let that stop us. We still managed a couple of bracing Sunday morning wild swims in Crummock Water. Mainly, though, this season was all about packing our weekends with exploration, both near home and further afield. We also had the visit of Matt’s parents and we took that opportunity to explore with them the charming, historic village of Corbridge.
Finally, I have treated myself to a KitchenAid mixer and have been busy practising my baking skills.
Dark chocolate sponge and cherries with chantilly cream cake (left) and japanese genoise, berries and chantilly cream cake (right)
Walking:
We haven’t done a lot of walking as such during spring months as we were busy exploring villages, cities and National Trust properties or doing road trips. However, we still managed to meet our friend Tania for a riverside walk starting from Hexham.
Read – Exploring Corbridge and walking along the river Tyne from Hexham
Travelling:
We travelled a lot during spring months, which included two home exchanges during the April and May bank holiday weekends and a 10-day holiday overseas.
April: We kicked off the bank holiday season with an Easter trip to Falkirk, Scotland. Even though the British weather gave us its classic 4 seasons in one day, it didn’t lower our mood. We braved the elements to explore the historic streets of Culross village and the dramatic heights of Stirling.
Read – Our weekend in Falkirk
May: Brought the next bank holiday, which we spent exploring Alfreton area. We spent our days wandering through two spectacular National Trust properties: the grand Kedleston Hall and the striking Hardwick estate.
Read – Our visit of Kedleston Hall and Hardwick Estate
June: We flew out to Lanzarote for a fantastic 10-day family holiday filled with volcanic landscapes and warm sunshine. I am still buzzing from the trip and need to finish writing my dedicated posts for it soon!
Read – Our visit of Timanfaya National Park
Blogging:
I managed to stay consistent during the spring months and published a new post every two weeks. However, I still haven’t finished writing about our holiday to Norfolk from last year, and I now have several posts to catch up on for this year’s trip to Lanzarote. To add to that, I had an eye infection at the start of July which bothered me for a couple of weeks. Also, now that the nice summer days are finally here, I find it hard to sit behind my computer on the weekends. Because of this, my posts during the summer months might not be as regular.
Books:
I have managed to read several books during these spring months.
- A brief history of Earth: Four billion years in Eight Chapters by Andrew H Knoll (EN)
- Blood of Hercules by Jasmine Mas (EN)
- Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women by Kate Manne (EN)
- The beginner’s Guide to Stoicism by Matthew Van Natta (EN)
- L’ile Mystérieuse by Jules Verne (FR, EN title: The mysterious island)
- Une forme de vie by Amelie Nothomb (FR, EN title: Life Form)
- The drowned forest by Angela Barry (EN)
- Les identités meurtrières by Amin Maalouf (FR, EN title: In the Name of Identity: Violence and the Need to Belong)
I think my top three books of these spring months are: Blood of Hercules, Les identités meurtrières and L’ile Mystérieuse. Have you read these books?
Blog discoveries:
Here a short selection of blog posts from fellow bloggers. During spring months:
- Steve and Linda did a stunning coastal walk from Pendeen to Gurnard’s head in Cornwall
- Suzanne and Pierre explored the tea plantations in the Acores (something I want to do one day!)
- Corna and Berto told us everything about South African wine and particular Franschloek wine.
- Anabel and her husband visited Gozo and the saltpans.
- Jo and her husband visited the stunning Cies Archipelago.
- Sharon and her friends enjoyed a sauna treat near Ullswater.
- Rosie was in holiday in my area to walk Cat Bells, Maiden Moor and High Spy summits.
- Mick and his family also spent a week in Ambleside, Cumbria late June.
- Finally, I discovered the beautiful cathedral of Lincoln thanks to Marion.
Final Thoughts
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How was your spring months? Any plans for summer?
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