Meg.

This is a lovely walk with stunning 360 degree views during most of the route. The parking is easy, although there isn't much of it, so I'd recommend you get there early. The route is fairly steep, but once at the top the views are well worth the climb. 

The walk first took us through some fields which were fairly muddy, but once at the top it was tarmac the whole way, visiting the old quarry and the toposcope. There were some free roaming sheep on the route, so I'd recommend keeping dogs on leads. 

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Meg.

This is a great walk with fantastic views on a nice day. The climb up from the carpark (doing the route anti-clockwise) is not for the faint hearted, and I can imagine it would be very slippery after some rain - definitely better to climb up it rather than slip down it!

The route visits 'Devil's Chimney', a man-made pillar cut out from the quarry, named due to it looking like a crooked and twisted chimney rising from the ground. Once at the top, your efforts are rewarded with lovely views, and it's a fairly easy walk back to the carpark.

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Meg.

This was such a great find! Hidden at the back of Brockworth Garden Centre, this coffee shop has a great selection of gluten free goodies!

As per usual process, I contacted them beforehand to check that they could handle my dietary requirement, and was relieved when they quickly explained their procedures around storing gluten free items separately and using separate tongs, knives and boards. They can even do coeliac-safe toasties by cooking them in the paper to avoid cross contamination! I thoroughly enjoyed my gluten free rainbow cake - what a treat! 

Obviously as always, please use your own judgement - this is a restaurant which contains gluten and I completely appreciate that it's often the staff member that you deal with who makes the experience. On this occasion, I was a very satisfied customer.

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure, but dogs are welcome!

Overall  Festival Experience

Meg.

This is a great walk, with gorgeous views on a nice day. I believe the car park belongs to a cafe - it was closed on the day that we went (a Sunday), but please do consider pairing your walk with a visit to the cafe, if you can.

We went here with the main aim of visiting Tortworth Lake. It is predominantly closed to the public, but opens on the first Sunday of the month between February and October. When we arrived at the lake, we were shocked at how busy it was - not our scene at all! If you are looking for an easier walk, you can absolutely park at the lake and circle it within an hour. 

The best part of the walk (in our opinion) was actually the far reaching views towards the end of the walk - well worth the short climb to the top of the field! 😍

If you choose to do this walk on a day that the lake is closed, you can easily cut the lake off and continue on the route as normal.

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Meg.

Following reading about this place on a Coeliac page on Facebook, I decided to go and check it out for myself. 

The Patisserie Box are a Cheltenham based company, with many of their products available for delivery locally and with a stall at Gloucester Services. 

As you can see from the link to The Patisserie Box website above, the company have an offering of both gluten containing and non-gluten containing treats, and of the non-gluten containing ones there are no 'may contain gluten' warnings (but there is a may contain for things like nuts). 

I was therefore disappointed when I arrived at Gloucester Services and saw a 'made in a kitchen that handles most major allergens' warning. I asked to speak to a member of staff, and I was told that it was company policy for the team leader to deal with anyone with an allergy. 

The team leader told me that due to their handling (and as you can see from the photos - front of house storage), they were unable to confirm that any item was free from any allergen. We went on to have a really good discussion about how easy it would be for Gloucester Services to make changes to reduce the chance of cross contamination (such as storing gluten-free items separately, and offering coeliac customers a fresh item from out the back (which I had, and had no adverse reactions).

I really hope that they will consider taking my advice. 

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

This is a great moderate walk with a good mix of views and woodland. The highlights are visits to Tyndale Monument, which you can pay £1 to climb if you are feeling energetic enough (the spiral staircase is also incredibly tight! ) and Wotton Hill. From both of these, you can see for miles on a clear day!

The Forest paths were incredibly muddy when we went, but hopefully these will dry up as the summer progresses. We also found parts of this walk to be pretty busy with dog walkers, so we would recommend going early if you would prefer a more peaceful walk! 

Flossie.

I enjoyed this walk as there were plenty of sticks to play with.

Ady & Meg.

This is an incredibly mixed review - so much so, that we really struggled to give it a rating above.

Let's start with the positives - easy to find, great 'pub feel', good service and everyone enjoyed their meals (a coeliac, a vegetarian and some 'muggles').

Now onto the not-so-positive. Firstly, there was no meal that was both gluten-free and vegetarian (Luckily Ady only eats gluten-free in order to keep Meg safe, so opted for the vegetarian sausage, chips and gravy. Meg can eat meat, so opted for the GF fish and chips).

Secondly, we learnt after ordering a couple of gluten free desserts that they were actually not gluten free. Obviously thank goodness the waitress/kitchen staff double checked and let us know (Meg had of course made the staff aware that she was Coeliac), but this was of course very disappointing, and a worry for people who would trust the menu and not make the waitstaff aware of their dietary requirement. It has also caused us to question what else on the menu was labelled incorrectly...

We have of course recommended that the pub amend their menus, but it is also a reminder to us all to double check. 

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

We love this friendly village pub! The chef is so accommodating to our needs, always ensuring cross contamination is avoided by having a separate fryer for chips and wiping down the surfaces before preparing our food. And how many places to do you know where the chef makes gluten free lasagne from scratch?! 😍

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure, but dogs are allowed here ☹

Ady & Meg.

We absolutely LOVE Honest Burger! This chain has multiple branches across the UK, each providing the standard menu and then a couple of 'Specials' specific to the location. 

The entire menu can be gluten free by just exchanging the bun (which they don't charge extra for), which means that yes, their onion rings, fried chicken and three different varieties of veggie burger are also naturally gluten free!

The kitchen also takes full precautions to ensure that our options aren't cross contaminated - This place is a must visit!

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Meg.

Whenever I visit gardens / manor houses etc, it's usually safe to assume that they don't cater to Coeliacs. Can you imagine my excitement when I discovered that the tiny hut at Painswick Rococo Garden had not only safe, but homemade options for me?! 😋

As you can see from the photo, all of their gluten free cakes were stored on a separate shelf in the glass cabinet to the other cakes, and they used separate tongs for serving - perfect!

We visited on one of their Snowdrop open days, but these gardens are open for most of the year, and (like us) you could easily pair a visit here with a walk around the area (e.g. Painswick Beacon is walking distance away)

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure 😕 But dogs on short leads are welcome 🥰

Meg.

This is a great easy walk on the Malvern Hills, with some stunning views on a good day.

By starting from the carpark listed, it helpfully means that there are toilets / refreshments at around the halfway point (to find these you will have to go off route briefly by crossing the road when you reach British Camp car park). 

I would definitely recommend getting here early - Malvern is a popular hiking destination all year around!

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Flossie. 

This was an activity all about me, so it's only fair that I get to have my say first! Being the little wuss that I am, I tend to be nervous about new things - I was not impressed that I had to put on a life jacket (provided by the pool owners to keep me safe). My humans brought toys that float with us, so with those and a bit of encouragement I was soon swimming around the pool confidently and was sad when the swim time was over.  

Next came the blaster dryer, to dry me off ready for my drive  home - this sounded very much like the (demon) hoover at home, so I barked at it to scare it away.

Overall I absolutely loved my trip to the splash pool and it tired me out so much that I spent the rest of the afternoon having a snooze 😴

Ady & Meg.

Flossie has been swimming in lakes for well over a year, but wasn't particularly keen on the swimming pool to begin with. The pool providing waders was such a great idea, as Ady being in the pool with Flossie helped build her confidence massively.

The pool is 8 x 2.5m and heated so that it is a little bit warmer than cold, but nowhere near as warm as a normal swimming pool (obviously this is for the dogs, not the humans!)

Each bookable session is for exclusive use (you can take up to 2 dogs and 3 humans) and lasts for 1 hour, and this is plenty of time to get ready, have a good 30 minutes in the pool and time to dry at the end. 

Overall we think this is a great activity to do with your four-legged-friend and we will definitely look to book this again in the future.

Ady & Meg.

Carreg Cennen Castle is built on a hill, resulting in amazing views both from it and of it. Once we had parked up, we headed to the cafe to purchase tickets (these are needed for the castle, but not if you only want to do the circular walk). Unfortunately we found the staff member to be pretty rude and unwelcoming, but we weren't overly surprised by this having read reviews from others. 

We spent around an hour looking around the castle, admiring the views and heading down to the cave. Following this, we set off on the AllTrails walk detailed above where there were views of the castle from afar for most of the route. We visited after a period of rain so much of the route was incredibly muddy. 

Flossie.

I enjoyed exploring the castle and was pleased to find plenty of sticks and water to paddle in on the walk. 

Ady & Meg.

We stopped off here very briefly for an easy viewpoint. There is a medium sized free car park and a few picnic benches here too.

As part of our day out we paired this with the Bryntail Lead Mine and Llyn Clywedog and Yr Allt walk. This viewpoint was particularly good as it overlooked where we had walked earlier that day.

Flossie. 

I got out of the car here briefly, but was very tired after my walk 😴

Ady & Meg.

This walk has amazing views over the reservoir.

Unfortunately the day we went was following a big storm, which had resulted in many big trees having fallen onto the path. We negotiated the first few by climbing down the bank and walking along the water's edge, but as we returned to the mainland we found it harder to maneuver and spent well over an hour completing a very short section of the walk due to having a climb under, over and through the debris.

We completed this walk clockwise, but we would recommend that you do this anticlockwise - this way, you will get the stunning views from the top and then can retrace your steps back to the start if the trees are still blocking the path.

As part of our day out we paired this with Bryntail Lead Mine and the Clywedog Reservoir Viewpoint, and would have had time to do another walk/activity if the trees hadn't taken so long to negotiate.

Flossie.

I particularly enjoyed paddling in the reservoir during this walk. I handled the fallen trees well, but can imagine that this would have been a lot harder for a bigger dog (or a smaller dog, unless they can be carried).

Ady & Meg.

Bryntail closed in 1884, but remains of it still stand. We planned a quick stop off here to explore the ruins, and then we followed our noses as per the directions above. Following a short climb we were rewarded with stunning far reaching views of the landscape and reservoir. The site also has good signage detailing a short woodland walk and a longer walk encompassing the reservoir.

As part of our day out we paired this with the Llyn Clywedog and Yr Allt walk and the Clywedog Reservoir Viewpoint.

Flossie.

I really enjoyed my walk here. It had a good mix of woodland and open ground, and I enjoyed running through the dog-sized tunnels!

Ady & Meg.

This pub offers a good range of gluten free options, including a gluten free lasagne and a really gooey chocolate brownie.

The staff had a good understanding of cross contamination, informing us that we couldn't have the chips due to them being cooked in a fryer with gluten free products. This is rather disappointing as most of the gluten free options are well suited to chips (would you like to have boiled potatoes with your burger?) but at least this is recognised 🙂

Flossie.

I was pleased to be allowed in here, and was even happier when we discovered that there were doggie treats on the menu! 😍

Ady & Meg.

This is a great short walk on the Clytha estate, with a good mix of woodland and fields. It also goes past Clytha Castle, a 1970s folly which is now let out as a holiday home. 

We visited on a very foggy day, so we are sure that the views are a lot better than those pictured. It was also a very muddy walk, so decent footwear is advised. We completed the route clockwise and towards the end found the route was closed. The detour was well marked and added an extra 10 minutes.

Flossie.

I loved this walk! Tons of sticks to play with and water to paddle in. We did have to cross some fields of livestock though (sheep and horses).

Meg.

My friend (who is a vegan) and I were well catered for when we took shelter from a storm here! The tearoom staff advised me that they take precautions to avoid cross contamination such as using clean surfaces and utensils and storing gluten free food separately. The only concern was gluten in the air - the staff weren't throwing flour around at the time of making my food, so it felt a safe enough risk to take 🙂

We were presented with separate gluten free and vegan menus, and were delighted to see that we both had multiple choices of scones and cakes! We opted for a savory and sweet scone each, and (as you can see on the pictures below) the gluten free scones were much smaller than the vegan ones, so I was given two of each! 😍

Obviously as always, please use your own judgement - this is a restaurant which contains gluten and we completely appreciate that it's often the staff member that you deal with who makes the experience. On this occasion, we were very satisfied customers. 

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady.

This was something I had been interested in trying for a very long time. That being said, I really had no idea what to expect and I'm so pleased to say that I wasn't disappointed by the experience.

Having already watched the video and filling in the forms before arrival, all I had to do was get there and enjoy the experience.

For context, I have always suffered with mild body pains and aches, and have a brain that goes at a million miles an hour. 

I couldn't help but feel a little bit daunted once I reached Reception. But, the welcome was very warming and I felt more at ease once I chatted with the owner and had a reminder of what to do. I was then given a little tour and shown where my pod room was.

I was then given time to use the facilities before heading into the pod room. Once in there I had to have a shower before getting into the pod itself. The shower is crucial so as to not add oils to the salt content in the pod.

Once in the pod, for about 10 minutes music plays to guide you into a sense of relaxation. I turned the lights off from the start but you can keep them on if you'd prefer.

Having led there for about 50 minutes I started to get restless. This is nothing to do with the experience itself but more to do with my own mind. I led there playing with the lights and slowly moving about in the pod. 

A few minutes before the end the music plays again and the jets start again. This is then time for another shower before heading to the chill room where there are complimentary teas to get your land feet back.

I'm not sure what I expected to feel, both when in the pod and afterwards, but I definitely felt more relaxed and calm from as soon as I got into the pod. What I wasn't expecting was for this feeling to last and to wake up without any aches or pains the following morning!

This is something I'm definitely going to do again and I'd recommend you give it a go!

Flossie. 

I wasn't invited on this adventure 😕 

Ady & Meg.

Unfortunately we had quite a strange experience here.

The pub's website / online reviews did not mention anything to do with dietary requirements, let alone gluten free or Coeliac, so because there were so many other great places for Coeliacs in the area, we didn't plan to give this place a second thought. 

But then our Airbnb host recommended it for a gluten free sunday lunch, so we decided to  enquire further.

As per usual process, we emailed them to check that they could cater to our requirements. They took so long to respond that we nearly wrote them off for a second time, but they did eventually confirm that they could cater to us. We booked a table and pre-ordered two gluten free vegetable loaves and a gluten free cauliflower cheese, and the pub confirmed. 

When we arrived, there were no other customers there yet. We were greeted with "you're the gluten free ones aren't you?", shown to our table and given drinks. We then had no further contact with staff for 20 minutes. By this time, other customers were coming in and starting to receive their meals.

Eventually the waitress came over and said "I don't know if you are aware, but the food board is around the corner". We stated that we had already pre-ordered, and she looked confused. This resulted in the waitress to-ing and from-ing from our table, first claiming that we hadn't pre-ordered (luckily we had the email to hand...) and next offering us a different meal. When we queried if this was because they didn't have any gluten free vegetable loaf, the response was that they did have it and it would be a 10 minute wait. 

At this point Meg was feeling quite concerned as to whether our meal would actually be gluten free. When she asked the waitress, she sarcastically answered "Yes: loaf gluten free, cauliflower cheese: gluten free" and rolled her eyes. 

Our meals finally arrived an hour after we were first seated. They were nice enough (and no reaction for Meg) but funnily enough we aren't going to be heading back there in a hurry...

Flossie.

I don't have any words for this one... 

Ady & Meg.

This is a great short walk across the fields to see Hartland Point Lighthouse. Access is restricted so you can't get super close to it, but there are some great views from neighbouring cliffs.

On the day we went the weather was atrocious - we are sure that this walk would be even nicer on a good weather day! 

Flossie.

Considering this walk was so wet, I was disappointed that there was nowhere for me to paddle  ☹

Ady & Meg.

For a short walk, this was absolutely amazing!

The car park on the AllTrails route appears to be non-existent, so we followed the (very narrow and bumpy!) track down to the beach. There was a free car park there and from here we could easily pick up the walking route. 

We would recommend completing this walk clockwise - although this means a very steep climb up the cliff, we feel it was definitely safer going up it rather than coming down it! 

This walk has great coastal views from the off (if you park by the beach) and after our walk we walked down to the beach to see the waterfall and caves. 

Flossie.

This was one of my favourite walks - plenty of streams, rockpools and the sea to paddle in! 

Ady & Meg.

We visited Appledore as we had a bit of spare time between other activities. The walk was very easy (which is what we needed) but we can't say we were particularly wowed by the views. We completed the loop clockwise, and had to return around and follow the original route towards the end as the route passed through a field of horses. 

This is a great option if you are in the area looking for a flat walk with easy parking.

Flossie.

This was a nice easy walk, but I would have liked more opportunities to swim...

Ady & Meg.

Clovelly is a gorgeous and very picturesque fishing village, which was once owned by the Queen! Until the middle of the 19th century, it was unknown to the outside world.

Entry into the village is chargeable and cars are not allowed into the village itself, so you need to park in the visitor centre car park and walk down. We visited whilst the visitor centre was closed, so therefore visited for free. 

The walk down the high street to the harbour is very steep and cobbly, so this may not be suitable for people with poor mobility.  Once at the harbour, we watched the sunrise and over the sea and went to find the waterfall which is to the right over the pebble beach.

If you visit within opening hours, the village also has several pubs/eateries, shops and some donkeys to visit! However, we can imagine that it will get busy on a sunny day, so we'd recommend that you go early/late!

Flossie. 

I enjoyed the beach and the waterfall... and barking at the cats! 🐶

Ady & Meg.

This pub is amazing for Coeliacs! 

As per usual procedure, we contacted them in advance to check that they could cater to us. They responded quickly and it was clear that they understood how to avoid cross contamination successfully. The majority of their menu could be made coeliac-safe, including pizzas, fish and chips (in a gluten free fryer), burgers, chilli and pudding!

When we arrived, the excellent customer service continued and we absolutely loved our gluten free pizzas and chips! They also had gluten free brownies and syrup sponge up for grabs, but we were too full from our mains!

Obviously as always, please use your own judgement - this is a restaurant which contains gluten and we completely appreciate that it's often the staff member that you deal with who makes the experience. On this occasion, we were very satisfied customers. 

Overall, this is without a doubt our favourite place to eat in Hartland. It was great value and we 110% recommend that you visit. 

Flossie.

I enjoyed my trip here... especially as the owner gave me some yummy treats! 😋

Ady & Meg.

This converted coach was a great quirky home for our long weekend visiting North Devon! It was decorated beautifully and being visited by the onsite donkeys was a lovely bonus!

Although the kitchen was fully equipped to make our own meals, we only did this once as after booking we discovered the Airbnb host was a fellow Coeliac and was able to recommend a great dog friendly pub to have dinner at!

The coach is on a glamping site, which has another bus, some holiday cottages and space for campers. There was also a small bar, games room and you could hire the hot tub. 

The only downside to staying on this coach was the shower. We were warned that the boiler was small so would only allow a 5 minute shower - it was more like a 2 minute shower which was either boiling hot or freezing cold. 

Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our stay here and it was a great base for exploring North Devon!

Flossie.

I enjoyed my stay here and luckily for the Donkeys I was asleep whenever they visited!

Ady & Meg.

This is a great circular walk to see some rugged North Devon Coastline! We did this walk on a rainy day, which did make it a bit slippery under foot, but equally made for a lively waterfall!

We completed the route clockwise, visiting the waterfall first and then going very slightly off route towards the end to let Flossie dip her paws in the sea. We did not see many people at all on this walk, but that may have been thanks to the weather! 🌧

Flossie.

I enjoyed this walk, especially being able to play in the sea at Blackpool Mill Beach!

Ady & Meg.

This 100% gluten free cafe is amazing for coeliacs!

We stopped by quickly as it was somewhat on route whilst on a road trip. If you are able to eat in they serve breakfasts, and the day we went they also had pizzas, nachos and jacket potatoes to go. 

We were however, more interested in the cakes - the entire cake cabinet was not only gluten free, but vegan too! The portion sizes were generous to say the least, but the real headliner was the jam doughnut - The owner has worked hard to perfect the recipe, and it's safe to say that he has succeeded! 😍

Flossie.

I was not allowed inside the cafe, so stayed in the car with Ady whilst Meg brought cakes to go!

Ady & Meg.

Having visited a few years previously, Meg had high expectations and was excited to see Ady's reaction to the lights. Unfortunately, instead of improving year on year, it would seem that this display had taken a few steps backwards and there were actually fewer lights.

Admittedly we visited during a big storm which no doubt impacted our visit (and arguably the event should have been cancelled because of it) but we found that the display lacked the 'wow' factor and just didn't seem to 'pop' like it had on Meg's first visit. 

If you haven't been to a Christmas light trail before, we are sure you will enjoy it. However, we feel that there are much better (and cheaper!) ones out there.

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Meg.

This cool little place serves brunch and tapas. On this occasion, I went for a gluten free crepe - the savoury ones are naturally gluten free, and the sweet ones can be made with a gluten free batter. The waitress explained that one of the chefs is a Coeliac and that they have a separate cooking area for the gluten free crepes to avoid cross contamination.

Obviously as always, please use your own judgement - this is a restaurant which contains gluten and I completely appreciate that it's often the staff member that you deal with who makes the experience. On this occasion, I was a very satisfied customer.

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Meg.

I was so excited (and relieved!) to find a completely gluten free stall in Cardiff Centre, so that I could easily refuel during a busy day shopping.

The stall is located in The Cardiff Market, which was very busy when we visited at lunchtime on a Saturday. Although this stall did not offer the variety that I have been spoilt with at other gluten free bakeries/cafes, there was still plenty to choose from. For lunch I opted for the cheese, tomato and pesto focaccia (which was served warm) and a blueberry blondie (the gooiest blondie I have ever eaten), and then I took a double chocolate cookie to eat at home. 

Being a market stall, there of course wasn't any seating, so we took our goodies to eat on a bench in the small park opposite the market. The food was lovely and a great (and safe!) 'food on the go' option for coeliacs.

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

We'll warn you now, Durdle Door is a tourist trap - if you head here on a nice day, you can expect to find this place absolutely crawling with people. Unless you are a newcomer to our blog (in which case, welcome! 😀) you will know by now that this is definitely not our scene - so we decided to visit at 7am on a windy Monday in October. This may make you wince, but we only saw 2 other people on the beach, and in our opinion it made for a much better experience. 

After visiting Durdle Door, we continued with the route up to Lulworth Cove, again seeing very few people. There had been a landslide half way across the beach, so in order to continue with our route we had to scramble over the rocks. This was fairly easy, but the next scramble up the cliff from the beach was a lot trickier, mostly because it was very muddy and slippery - definitely not for the faint hearted / those not willing to get a bit of mud on them!

Overall this was a great walk with fantastic views - definitely recommended!

Flossie.

I enjoyed this walk because I got to play in the sea!

Ady & Meg.

We were thrilled to find this cabin situated perfectly to explore Durdle Door (it was literally a 10 - 15 minute walk away!). The space was bright, modern and clean.

However, we were disappointed when we arrived to discover that the cabin did not contain any towels - this was not made clear on the Airbnb listing. The holiday park gave us the option to hire towels, but this was very expensive (we worked out that it would have been cheaper to go and buy some from a supermarket!). Shortly after checking in, we had to rush up to reception in order to hire our towels before it closed (just 1.5h after the earliest check in time). 

Once we returned to the Cabin, we then discovered that there was no soap provided (for hand washing - surely a staple given the events of the passed few years?!)

Finally, when it came to bedtime, we got to work setting up the sofa bed (there were two single beds upstairs, but the Airbnb listing said that they weren't suitable for adults due to the low ceiling). Shall we just say that the sofa bed was not conducive to a good night's sleep? 🤪😴

Overall this Airbnb is in a great location (especially if you want to take advantage of the holiday park facilities, like the restaurant), but if you are looking for something a bit more than basic, we would recommend you shop around.

Flossie.

I enjoyed my stay here, but I did spend a lot of time barking at people outside (standard campsite / holiday park noise).

Ady & Meg.

This was our favourite walk of the weekend! Following a very slight panic when google maps told us to drive down a footpath to the car park (?!), we parked up in a nearby viewpoint car park and couldn't believe how fantastic the views were from there. 

We then embarked on our hike, and were impressed at how few people we saw (considering how close we were to the tourist trap which is Durdle Door!). The route has some undeniable inclines and declines (so a good level of fitness is required) but your efforts will be rewarded with more amazing coastal views, especially on a sunny day.

The route also visits (and parks at, if you succeed in finding the carpark...) Dorset's 'lost' village, Tyneham. It was evacuated in WWII and has been deserted ever since. The area was needed for military training, but after the war ended the villagers were not allowed to return... 

Flossie.

I enjoyed this walk, but favourite part was dipping my paws in the sea 🐾

Ady & Meg.

A fairly easy walk with a couple of inclines to get the best views. Parking fills up quickly (with people parking on the side of the road when full) but we saw very few people despite how busy the car park was. 

 We can imagine that some of the pathways could become fairly slippery after some rain.

Flossie.

I enjoyed this walk - there were some cows in one of the fields, but luckily they were far away.

Ady & Meg.

We absolutely loved these lights! Most light shows are at Christmas time, so it was really refreshing to see some which were not at all Christmas themed! The colours were beautiful and really well set out - it was busy, but it did not feel busy due to the size of the grounds. It was also so nice to be able to take Flossie with us, as so many light shows do not allow dogs. 

Flossie. 

I really enjoyed the lights, but was more interested in the water (which I couldn't quite get to). We had lots of fun trying to get a photo of me through the photo frame (which was set to perfect dog-height!)

Ady & Meg.

We were pleased to find this pub recommended for coeliacs on social media - there didn't seem to be many options in the area.

As always, we contacted the pub in advance to check their procedures, and they seemed to have a very good understanding of how to avoid cross contamination. Despite putting on our booking that we were both coeliac and vegetarian, we were concerned to find only one gluten free and vegetarian option on the menu (which changes frequently). We discussed with the waitress, who consulted the kitchen and came back to tell us that the burgers could be made gluten free (not labelled as GF alternative on the menu). We even got gluten free onion rings with them - perfect!

Overall we had a nice (and safe!) meal here, but we hope that the chef will consider adding more gluten free and vegetarian items to the menu in future!

Flossie.

I was pleased to be welcome in here (dogs are only allowed in part of the pub, so be sure to add your furry friend to your booking!)

Ady & Meg.

This was a great place to spend the night following a busy day exploring. This studio flat is above the owner's garage, in a very small residential area up a tight lane - this made for a nice quiet stay, and we liked how private it felt. 

The flat came equipped with everything we needed, and although we didn't use it, had a full kitchen. The host even kindly left us a loaf of fresh bread and biscuits (which unfortunately as a coeliac we had to politely decline 🤪 but it's the thought that counts 😀)

Flossie.

I loved staying here, but was a little scared of the horses and alpacas in the field across the road (because I'm a big wuss 😂)

Ady & Meg.

We were so surprised to find a zoo that allowed dogs to visit, so naturally we decided that visiting for Flossie's birthday was a must! Turns out we weren't as crazy as we thought - we saw 3 other families celebrating their furry friend's birthdays! 

As excited as we were to take Flossie to see the animals, we were a little worried about her reaction (an altercation with a tiger would certainly have changed the mood of the day! 🤪). But we needn't have worried, the park is set out well so that the animals have plenty of room and can't really see each other (and obviously dogs aren't allowed in areas where the animals roam free, like the Lemur enclosure).

We spent a good 3 hours here, and would definitely recommend visiting here for an easy family day out!

Flossie. 

I enjoyed visiting the park. I wasn't particularly interested in the animals, but I really didn't like the noise the howling monkeys made (because I am a big wuss 🤪) 😂

Ady & Meg.

We attended the second night of their first year of doing lights - and we were really impressed! Our favourite view was of the lights over the water and the swans swimming made it just that little bit more magical.

For a Halloween activity this is not at all scary. The story to go with the trail is engaging and fun for all ages. 

As well as the light trail, there was the opportunity to visit the reptiles, a restaurant and there were craft activities for children.

We hope that WWT Slimbridge will make this an annual thing and that the event will continue to grow.

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

We love this 100% gluten free Thai restaurant in Gloucester! The waitstaff are very sweet and efficient and the menu being completely gluten free makes it so much easier for someone with Coeliac Disease to relax and enjoy the evening!

They have a good offering of gluten free and vegan options, but we would love to see the restaurant offering some vegetarian options of curry.

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Meg.

This is a great hike on the Malvern Hills! Being fairly easy to get to, I'm afraid you are unlikely to have this area to yourself on a nice weather day. But, this walk does (in places) offer refuge from the crowds and is a nice mix of hills / panoramic views and woodland / shelter from the wind.

That's all I really need to tell you - I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking 😀

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

We booked in for a vegetarian and gluten free celebration afternoon tea (which requires 48 hours notice even for the muggles / people without dietary requirements) and loved it!

As per our standard practice, we contacted the tearoom prior to booking to check their procedures when catering to someone with coeliac disease. The response we received was very thorough, confirming that they use separate surfaces, utensils and butter when preparing gluten free food, to avoid cross contamination. They make their own scones and cakes on site, but make the gluten free ones on a different day, to the gluten containing ones, again to avoid cross contamination.

Admittedly the response on the phone when we called to book didn't install quite so much confidence in their knowledge of dietary requirements in general, but on the day the staff were attentive and overall we came away full and most importantly, reaction-free!

Obviously as always, please use your own judgement - this is a restaurant which contains gluten and we completely appreciate that it's often the staff member that you deal with who makes the experience. On this occasion, we were very satisfied customers. 

Flossie.

I didn't come on this adventure, but I could have been invited.

Well behaved dogs are welcome here... What are you implying?! 😈

Ady & Meg.

Having never tried Lebanese food before, we weren't sure what to expect from this 100% gluten free restaurant. We booked a table for two via TheFork and were quite confused when we arrived to find just a very informal window bar...

That aside, the staff were super helpful and friendly (both in terms of finding us seating and helping us pick from the menu) and we ordered three different flavoured wraps to share - and we loved them all! We finished our meal with a complimentary yogurt/fruit pudding and left very satisfied. 

This is a must try if you are looking for quick and easy coeliac-safe food in Paris!

Flossie.

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Ady & Meg.

The Basilica is a must see if you are in the Montmartre area. Personally we think the views of it (rather than in it / from it) are the most impressive, but it does get very busy.

If approaching from the bottom of the park, there are 270 steps to climb to reach the Basilica itself. We highly recommend frequent photo stops - both of the Basilica and of the stunning view of Paris behind you! 

Once at the top, it is free to enter the Basilica and if you still have energy you may wish to pay to climb the further 300 steps up to the Dome for more lovely views - be warned, the staircase is spiral and very narrow (we consider ourselves pretty hardy, but even we felt a little dizzy on the way down! 😵‍💫😂). 

In order to climb the Dome, you need to turn left just after the bag search area (i.e. down the outside of the Basilica). On the day we went there was a queue to buy tickets from the cashier, but we were able to skip this by buying our tickets from the machine outside.

Flossie. 

I was not invited on this adventure ☹

Paris is full of beautiful sights - here are a few of the 'smaller things' we spotted whilst out and about.