If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram you may have already seen a few snaps of the caravan that Martyn and I purchased at the end of last year but here she is in all her glory with lots of interior photos. 

We've been thinking about campervan and caravan ownership for a long time. Martyn and I watch so many Van Life and caravan YouTubers, have visited caravan dealers and The Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show to get a clearer idea of the type of van that would suit us the best. We spent our honeymoon touring the North Coast 500 in a campervan which we hired. Whilst we loved this experience and the campervan was great it was just way too small for us(and too expensive). Campervans are ideal for short breaks and trips to the beach but didn't suit our little family and can feel a little cramped if you're stuck inside when it rains.

We came across our little microvan on a Facebook caravan sale group and we fell in love straight away. It is small enough to be stored in our garden, is a perfect weight to be towed by our car and offers a bit more room than a campervan and a lot more storage. We went to view Florrie and after a couple of days contemplation we took the plunge and bought her using a mixture of savings and money that we were given generously as a gift at our wedding. 

Florrie may be small but she has everything we need including a fridge, hob and grill and hot water. The seats fold out to create a double bed and we have loads of extra room if we put our awning up outside. The microvan doesn't have a bathroom like some bigger caravans do but we have a toilet that we can take with us if we want to and we only really intend on pitching up at sites with full facilities. 

Coco really loves the caravan and gets to snuggle up in-between me and Martyn at night. 

Compared to the campervan we hired Florrie has loads of storage. There is a long wardrobe unit, plenty of storage in the kitchen area for all our cooking equipment, some slim overhead units in the seating area perfect for books and board games and storage under the seats for our bedding. 

We recently took the caravan on a trip to a local site to make sure everything is in working order before we embark on a bigger trip this summer. We are planning some long weekends in West Wales and I would love to return to the Lake District in the autumn. It won't be all grey skies and trips in the UK though. Martyn will have the chance to get his Speedo 's out and Coco can have an ice cream on the beach as we are planning on taking the caravan to France in the summer and a return trip to Austria is on the cards at some point. 

So there you have it, our lovely Florrie. We have little bits we want to tinker with inside, have already added some extra insulation under the seats and I'm going to tone down the nautical theme a little so we can put our own stamp on the interior. 

I'm conscious that most 25-30 something readers of this blog are probably not that into caravanning. Do you want to read more about our caravan travels? I can share some lessons we learn along the way? (Hitching up to the car for the first time was interesting...) Let me know if the comment section below. 

I’m so incredibly excited for my Disneyland Paris trip this weekend. I’m a big kid and can’t wait to ride rollercoasters, eat at Remy’s restaurant and top it all off with a firework, light and music extravaganza at the end of the night. 

I’ve not been on a holiday with my family since the age of 15 and I’m looking forward to visiting Paris with my mum, brother and brother’s boyfriend (Coco and Martyn are staying at home). I started to think I was too cool to go on holiday as a family and opted to forfeit holidays to stay at home, listen to music loudly and have a house party with all of my friends. I have really missed going away as a family and have such fond memories of our trips to Disney in Florida in the 90s. It will be lovely to share this Disney experience with my family again and make new memories. 

I have gone slightly overboard with Disney themed accessories for my trip but my brother and I are huge Disney fans and if you can’t be a Disney super fan when you’re in Disney then when can you?

I've really enjoyed sharing this series of posts about my North Coast 500 honeymoon adventure, they have been a great way to reflect on a trip of a lifetime and the first one Martyn and I had as a married couple. This post will be the last in the series and I think I've saved the best until last. What can beat the sight of a Scottish castle in a loch and an industrial engineering marvel?!

As our Scottish honeymoon drew to a close we started to make our way back south after reaching some of the most remote locations on the Scottish north coast. We broke our journey up with pit stops at Kyle of Lochalsh, Fort William and the Lake District before heading back home to Wales.

After a long drive from Thurso to Kyle of Lochalsh we spent the night at Reraig Caravan Site. We loved this small site and the facilities were completely spotless and had everything we needed. This was very welcome after more basic facilities on the north coast. The campsite is perfect for those planning on heading to the Isle of Skye the next day and is just a five minute drive from the magnificent Eilean Donan Castle. I first spotted this castle on our way to Gairloch earlier in the trip and I'm so glad we were able to stop there on the return journey. You can easily see why is is one of the most photographed locations in Scotland. 

The first incarnation of the castle was built in the 13th century during the reign of the Scottish King Alexander II. Initially, nearly the whole island was contained by a wall and houses a substantial main keep and towers to keep an eye out for any invading Vikings. The waters around the castle are shallow and potential attackers would have to wade over to the island leaving their armour weighed down with water. 

During the medieval period the Highlands and Islands of Scotland were rife with clan feuds and the  strategic position Eilean Donan meant it was a constant target and during the 17th century, the castle was briefly held by a Parliamentarian garrison before passing back into Royalist hands. 

When the the British Government learned that the castle was occupied by Jacobite leaders and Spanish soldiers, three Royal Navy boats were sent to deal with the uprising. The tried to bombard the castle with cannons but the thick walls meant this had little impact. The government forces took the castle by force and once inside discovered barrels of gunpowder and blew the castle up. Eilean Donan then lay in ruin for nearly two hundred years. The castle was not rebuilt until 1932. 

Simply stunning! I don't think I've ever seen such a picturesque sight. I recommend heading to the castle easily because it can become completely overrun by tourists. When we were there an American tourist was dressed as a princess and having a full on Disney style photoshoot outside the castle...  

After ten days of driving on single track roads for hours each day we decided to take it easy and spend the night at the Glen Nevis Caravan park near Fort William which we had previously stayed at when we visited Glen Coe earlier in the trip. We had a quiet evening with fish and chips and reading in the campervan. The large supermarkets in Fort William meant we could stock up on supplies and get some cheap diesel for the long drive back home. 

The journey south was broken up by an overnight stop just outside Keswick at the Scotgate Holiday Park. The site is ideal for camping all year round with it's tea rooms and facilities with underfloor heating. The majority of touring pitches have a shared tap between 2 pitches, electric hook-up, grey waste water disposal, tv aerial socket and hardstanding. We only had time to briefly stroll around Keswick but we loved how dog friendly everything is there. It made a nice change to be able to take Coco in a shop rather than one of us waiting outside. 

Two railway workers like myself and Martyn couldn't visit the Cumbria/North Yorkshire area without visiting the Ribblehead Viaduct. 

Ribblehead viaduct is the most impressive structure on the Settle-Carlisle Railway. The viaduct has 24 massive stone arches 104 feet above the moor. The viaduct is mighty but came at a cost. Hundreds of navvies lost their lives building the line due to poor working conditions and outbreaks of disease in the camps they lived in. Passenger and freight services still go over the viaduct. Taking in the beautiful scenery and gazing up at the viaduct was a wonderful way to end our honeymoon adventure. 

We really did have the best time in Scotland and I would love to return because there is so much we simply didn't have time to see. I would recommend giving yourself at two weeks to fully experience the North Coast 500 like we did, especially if you have to travel up to Scotland from the South West.

As previously mentioned we toured this route in a VW campervan which we hired from Morning VW Camper Hire in Newport. This was an ideal way to get about and saved a lot of time compared to pitching up in a tent but it did come with a hefty price tag. Lots of campsites had glamping pods and there are plenty of B&Bs along the route so touring with a campervan or tent aren't the only options.  To find out more about the route head over to the VisitScotland site. 

If you want your own North Coast 500 adventure you can follow our itinerary here.

I must admit that my underwear drawer is in a sorry state at the moment. I was so busy with the wedding last year and it's been a busy year in work so far, underwear shopping is really low on my to-do list. I know you are supposed to hand wash and air dry underwear but I'm too busy (watching Netflix) to do this and chuck it all in the washing machine which is not good for the elastic. 

UK Lingerie came to rescue me from greying, saggy underwear and sent a couple of classic items to try out. What really holds the key to a well polished outfit is what you wear underneath and the items I was sent really do help me create a sophisticated silhouette. 

So many of my bras are now out of shape with bands that aren't firm enough to hold me in place. Wearing the Sculptress bra was like a breath of fresh air. The Panache Sculptress range is created with the fuller bust in mind and all items are for a D cup or above. This focus on a fuller cup means they are designed perfectly with wide straps that don't dig in and multiple panels to create a lift and separation which you don't find in budget bras. 

This particular design has full coverage and support, but as the upper half is sheer with a pretty polka dot design it feels feminine and delicate despite being a piece of heavy engineering designed to keep you in place. It's both comfortable and supportive and gives my back a much needed break as being top heavy means I often suffer with back ache.

I highly recommend the Sculptresse by Panache Candi Full Cup Bra. This underwired full cup bra offers a great shape and design. I would consider sizing up as the band is quite tight but other than that I can't really find a fault. 

I must admit that in the past I've not been a fan of shapewear. It can be uncomfortable, stuffy and makes it so difficult to go to the toilet. I'm also not too keen on trying to cover up perceived faults or 'problem areas' but I do like a smooth line under my clothes and vpl is a big no-no for me. 

The High Power Panties by Spanx are nothing like previous shapewear I've owned and are light, comfortable and breathable enough to wear all day as regular underwear. They are even easy to get off and on, no more wrestling with your undies in the toilet cubicle or trying to figure out how to wee through the hole. (The things we go through, ey?)


The waistband sits directly under your bra and the panties are long enough for my 5ft6 frame and would stretch further. The non slip band inside is genius and means they don't roll down and get tangled in my tights. Hurrah! The high waistband also means there's no fat trying to escape over the top and the material feels more like tights than traditional Spanx so you stay nice and cool throughout the day.