Being Buttons

A festive day out at Bath Christmas Market

A festive day out at Bath Christmas Market
The best part of the festive season, for me, is Christmas Markets. With the smell of mulled spices and caramelised nuts in the air, and stalls adorned with unique Christmas decorations, there’s nothing that captures the spirit of Christmas better for me. My first experience of a ‘proper’ European Christmas market was when I was 12, and I can still remember the feeling of enchantment on my first evening. I get a similar feeling when I go to markets now, although I usually have a better idea of what to expect. Although I have a list of European markets a mile long that I’d like to visit, this year we stuck closer to home and decided to check out what festive delights Bath has to offer. View Post

Exploring the Southern Cotswolds: Castle Combe, Tetbury and more

Exploring the Southern Cotswolds: Castle Combe, Tetbury and more
The Cotswolds is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty which stretches across parts of Southern England. It’s characterised by picturesque villages made of yellow Cotswold stone and is what many people might think of as ‘typical England’. Although I’ve heard lots about the Cotswolds, and seen plenty of pictures of some of its famous villages, it isn’t an area that I’ve explored extensively. However, with some recent time off I was determined to change that, particularly as the Cotswolds are within surprisingly easy reach of Bristol. A number of locations across the Southern Cotswolds were what I had in mind, and I’ve shared a few in this guide. View Post

My favourite places in and around Bristol

My favourite places in and around Bristol
I’ve been living in Bristol for almost a year now and time really seems to have flown! I was quite intimidated by moving to a bigger city than I’ve ever lived in before, but it’s nice to be somewhere where there is always something going on. I’m aware that this list that I’m about to share is quite limited, but getting to know Bristol better is still one of my aims for this year. It might be because there’s so much to explore, or it might be because I haven’t actually visited that many different areas (I’m definitely guilty of just going back to the same places!), but I know there is still a lot to see. View Post

Taking the West Somerset Railway to Minehead

Taking the West Somerset Railway to Minehead
I’ve never really classed myself as a train enthusiast. I enjoy travelling by train, and I do find there is something rather magical about steam trains, but I’m not mad about them. However, when I found out that part of The Blogger’s Retreat Visit Somerset trip was a ride on the West Somerset Railway, I did get a little bit excited. There’s something rather quaint about heritage railways that makes them rather appealing. I’m not an expert, but in my experience the stations are usually very pretty, the railway is usually run by volunteers, and it’s a lovely way to watch the countryside go by. The West Somerset Railway certainly fitted that description! View Post