Sean and I decided to celebrate our first anniversary recently by getting away from it all for a few days and spending a romantic weekend staying at a lovely Bed & Breakfast on the coast. Being our first year together we are not that ‘flush’. We didn’t want to spend too much money, so a B&B seemed like a great and inexpensive option. We left work early on Friday and drove for just a few hours towards the coast, arriving at our B&B by dinner time.

The landscape in this area of Britain is breathtaking. It is a land of endless green fields rolling hills and farmlands, dotted with picturesque country villages and idyllic cottages.
The B&B we selected could not have been better. It was a traditional farmhouse which had been lovingly restored with all the modern day comforts and was set in 11 acres of meadows and landscaped gardens, complete with superb sea and mountain views. The restoration had enhanced the farmhouses’ period features with fine antique furniture, open fireplaces and sumptuous carpets and furnishings …. it really was perfect.

The proprietors of the B&B, Charlie and Margery, had lived in this area all their lives and in the house itself for some 40 years. They were a hospitable generous and warm couple, abeit a little eccentric, and were clearly proud of their children and grandchildren whose photographs adorned the walls, all in their University graduation robes.

There were another two couples staying at the B&B that weekend. Right after we settled into our cozy cottage bedroom we joined everyone else in the dining room for dinner. The main course was a traditional Welsh Hot Pot loaded with garden vegetables and succulent meat served with a salad freshly prepared with vegetables from the house’s own cottage garden.

After dinner we took a bracing cliff top stroll, admired the view and the sunset, laughing and joking with each other. It was a romantic way to start our anniversary day.

There were lots of popular places and activities within easy reach of the B&B but as we were at the seaside we opted for a coastal cruise on our second day. We woke up bright and early and walked the short distance to the quaint little harbor. The cruise we had selected offered the potential of, but did not guarantee, dolphin spotting opportunities. That day though our luck was definitely in. A few hours into the cruise a school of some 15 beautiful bottlenose dolphins came alongside the vessel and effortlessly rode the bow wave. It was an inspirational site to see the dolphins in their natural environment. Sean and I stood cuddled together on the bow sprit with the wind in our hair simply blown away by this awesome site. I must have taken about 50 photographs until my fingers went numb with the cold. The yacht put down anchor in a secluded bay and we enjoyed a light lunch and Sebastiani wine before retuning quite windblown and exhausted to the harbor. Delighted at least that neither us had been seasick.


On Sunday morning, Sean and I slept in a little bit. At 10:00 a.m, we got dressed and went down for a very filling breakfast. Marg had prepared a traditional full English breakfast of bacon, eggs and sausages followed by toast and homemade marmalade. We had juice, coffee and briefly scanned the Sunday newspapers. Before driving back home there was just enough time to visit a traditional cheese making centre and do a bit of shopping for locally made goodies like pickles and preserves.

The weekend break was short and sweet and relatively inexpensive, but the real beauty was its simplicity. In our hectic modern city lives we had succeeded in spending some quality time with each other and it did bring us closer together.