You can't judge a book by its cover.....

This week we have had a well earned week off, it wasn't until late last week that we actually decided what we were going to do after the crushing reality that a trip to Disney World wasn't really going to work when we only had 7 days off......poor James has had to put up with me sulking all week but I have come to terms with it; just

So what did we do with our week; no we didn't hop on an easy jet flight and pop over to Spain for a couple of days as if you have been paying attention you will by now know that I don't like little planes - they are just wrong!

Instead we went on a trip what seemed to be halfway round the country and visited quite a few service stations on our travels; no we weren't looking for Eddie Stobart lorries like a couple we saw (whatever floats your boat but not my thing) but we were off to visit some UK tourist attractions that were on our to do list.

Day 1 saw us drive up to Birmingham - I had booked a Travelodge in the city centre which made me slightly anxious but we were pleasantly surprised; it was in a great location and really clean and quiet. This was just a means to an end as we had tickets to Cadbury World the following day....

Tuesday morning it was an early start to get across the city to Bourneville and to say James was a little bit excited was an understatement. I wouldn't say it is the most thought out attraction but we had a good time; we saw loads of chocolate and got to eat a little bit too.....but this was in its liquid form which is a sure fire way to make you think like you've sat down and scoffed a whole bar it was that rich.

After Cadbury World it was a trip across the city centre to head towards our next destination for our second nights stay which was to be in Northampton....we were hopeful about the hotel as it had the same ratings as the one we had stayed in the previous night but lets say things didn't quite go exactly to plan

We arrived in Northampton prior to our check in time which was perfect because it meant that James could visit Franklins Gardens the home to Northampton Rugby.....I sat in the car playing candy crush while he popped to the shop cause after all rugby is just another game with men running around after a ball; albeit a funny shaped one

Back to the hotel, and we went to check in and to say this place was not good is an understatement; it was dirty and noisy not exactly what we had planned - so after much discussion we found a premier inn closer to where we needed to be the next day which although had the same trip advisor rating as the one we were in we decided couldn't be any worse so we were back in the car and off down the M1 to Luton

And what a great decision it was, the hotel was clean, quiet, great location and everything we needed. So it really does seem that you can't judge a book by its cover - if I had paid attention to the review we would never have stayed there; and this is quite true when it comes to any trip planning. One persons chocolate is another's marmite - yes read reviews before you go but be prepared to be open minded and make your own decisions (if some people listened to that advice they might just stop asking me why I go to Disney World after all isn't it just for kids?!?!?!?)

The last day on our trip meant a visit to the Harry Potter Studio Tour; now this is a well run attraction along the lines of the service you see in Florida. There is loads to see there and gave me a whole new appreciation for the films....although I am not convinced about Butterbeer but the cheese sandwich was good (easily pleased me)

Well I need to go and sort out some bits as its back to work tomorrow, until next week  xxxxx