Saturday 23 February – To the moors!

Current location: Dartmoor
11.11am, Going for a walk on the moors! Twelve of us made the trip to Dartmoor yesterday to celebrate Nicky's birthday and we're all staying in a massive, amazing house in the middle of nowhere. When we arrived, at about 9ish, the wine was already flowing (beer for me, still giving up wine for Lent) and we all immediately began a long-overdue catch up. Before long we cracked open the games, and had a fab and silly evening of laughing, drinks, sitting by the fire, and relaxing.

The next day we were up pretty early, and set to work making bacon sandwiches for 12, using only the Aga. I have also given up bread for Lent so made myself a weird breakfast of bacon and tortilla chips (brekkie nachos?!). With full bellies, we headed onto the moors for a walk and some fresh air. It was so beautiful up there! I forgot how much I love the English countryside – I'm all about the seaside usually, but there is definitely something revving about wrapping up warm and being out in the wind. It was pretty weird to look around and not be able to see anything in any direction other than hills, bogs and animals. 

After walking up an appetite, we arrived at a local pub, and indulged in local cider and pickled eggs (and maybe a Jägerbomb or two?!). This set the tone for the evening really, as the girls hopped in a taxi home (it was dark!) and the boys decided to brave the walk home over the moors on the pitch black. We set to work making dinner for everyone and, aided by an evening gin or two, started dancing and singing our way around the kitchen. It was so much fun and one of my favourite parts of the weekend… Until the lights went out and some people charged into the kitchen screaming. Even though we were expecting the boys to do something like that, we all shrieked like the girls we are, then carried on the party with the boys too. 

Margaritas were drunk out of teapots, bright blue make-up was thrown at faces and multiple games of sardines were played, until we all went to bed, tired and happy – in the way you only feel when you've spent the day in the fresh air, and the evening drinking and being silly.