an evening with sir clive woodward

A couple of Fridays ago, I dressed up all fancy and made my way down to Norwich City Football club with my other half for an evening with Sir Clive Woodward, which involved a drinks reception overlooking the pitch followed by a three course meal at Delia's restaurant. 

In honesty, I haven't a clue about rugby or who does what, but my sport obsessed boyfriend was delighted at the prospect of a one-on-one chat with the man himself and was thrilled to have a professional photo taken with him. Even if it did mean me being awkwardly squashed in the middle of the two. 

Between courses was a low-key chatty interview with Clive, and with my lack of rugby knowledge aside, I still found really engaging. He had plenty of stories to tell surrounding his involvement in leading the England team to world cup victory in 2003, and the odd slither of juicy insider gossip too.      

As most of our dates usually involve the cinema or bowling, the evening made for the perfect excuse to dress up and enjoy something outside of the box. I live just a fifteen minute drive from the stadium and pass it by almost daily, so relished the opportunity of finally having a nosey inside, prosecco in hand and all.   

Delia's regularly host events so it's well worth keeping an eye on their Facebook page if you're fairly local to the stadium and fancy an evening out. 

Sponsored post. 

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mountain hiking and wine tasting, barcelona

Last month, I had my first taste of the summer heat on a three night trip to Barcelona. My flight took a mere one hour thirty minutes to take me from dull and rainy England to a sun bathed Spain. I've visited Barcelona once before, in early 2015 on a trip with University and had a wonderful time (blog posts here and here) so couldn't wait to head back for more exploring. This time round was a blogger trip, and the focus was on showing us all of the sights outside of the city itself. 

Bright and early in the morning we headed out for a two hour trek down the side of the mountains. There were so many beautiful photo opportunity spots to take full advantage of along the way, even if it meant half hanging off a rock face, and we didn't spot another tourist on the entire walk. Seeing parts of a destination completely away from the tourist track really is the key to getting the unspoilt feel of a place.  

Early evening we headed to the Pares Balta owned vineyards to hear all about their organic (and vegan!) wines. I seem to have spent the majority of my 20's convinced that Pinot Grigio is the only wine for me, and that wine isn't wine unless it's from Italy or France. Two Cavas, one Rosé, two whites and two reds later, and I felt more than ready to give up my crutch of Pinot Grigio. I fell so in love with a white named Cosmic the I pledged to spend my night reshuffling my suitcase just to get a bottle home. At just €10 a pop it would have been foolish not to. 

Mildly tipsy on good wine and slightly hazy from a sunshine filled day, we pulled up to Hotel Mastinell. I've stayed in my fair share of swishy hotels over the past few years, but this one really was something special. The food was incredible as was the wine that's made by the hotel itself. I have it firmly set in my mind to book a longer stay in a few summer's time. 

If you're planning a trip to Barcelona any time soon, you absolutely must consider leaving the city behind for a day or two and discovering the rest of the region. The trip completely opened my eyes to taking a hop, skip and jump away from city life and embracing the more rural, traditional parts of a destination. 

www.catalunya.com

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the angel hotel, bury st edmunds

If any of you have had a read of my blog post on the Salthouse Harbour Hotel around this time last year, you'll have spotted the same copper bath in both posts. Both hotels are by the same brand, and share similar design, menus and service. 

I studied at college in Bury St Edmunds years ago, so I'm more than familiar with the town itself. I always like to go back for a visit to the Christmas market and for a chill out in the Abbey Gardens around spring/summer time. 

Back to the hotel. We stayed in their top of the range fancy pants contemporary suite, which is blessed with the biggest bathroom I've ever wandered into, with an oversized bath and shower to match. The bed is fit for a giant, and has the squishiest pillows, duvet and mattress ever made. Perfect to jump back into after overindulging on afternoon tea. 

The breakfast is of top quality but lacking in the option of a vegetarian sausage or some form of meat substitute. I no longer eat dairy or eggs so after passing mine over to my other half felt rather underwhelmed with what I had left. The croissants also arrived cold, which in a luxury hotel isn't what I'd hope for. 

If you're looking for a new town in a different county to explore, I'd definitely recommend giving The Angel a thought. There's an underground cocktail bar that serves a long list of drinks and makes for a fun evening, be it midweek or weekend. They also offer a wonderful afternoon tea if you're a fan of cake and loose leaf tea, I'd highly recommend opting for the vanilla green tea which I'm still craving as I write this. 

The Angel Hotel Contemporary Suite from £230 per night 

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