PaddyDraws Scenes of Nostalgic Northern Ireland - Treat Yourself This January 2020 With a Print of Auntie Annies, Bangor High Street, Or The Cabin in Donaghadee

When @ngorlly posted her snazzy new print she had bought off Etsy at Christmas, I got very excited and just as nostalgic as she was with it being our old stomping ground Auntie Annies. The now closed down pub and club was home to my favourite Saturday night indie dance club, Skibunny, DJed by Mark Gordon and Tanya Melotte, with the occasional appearance by Rigsy. Quite frankly I would have gone to Skibunny seven nights a week if they would have indulged me during 2004-2006.

The print in question was the work of PaddyDraws, who has a splendidly quaint Etsy store described aptly as ‘nostalgic Northern Ireland’. One of his other standout pieces is an ABC of Northern Ireland, with the ‘J’ of course being for ‘our Julian’, and 'T’ for ‘Tayto’.

Check out Paddy’s store for prints in various sizes, including locations like The Cabin in Donaghadee, and Bangor’s kebab sauce legend Piccola Pizza.

A Look Back At Our Summer Visit to Portstewart Strand & Details of Their Free Half-Term Scavenger Hunt!

A week into school and summer already feels like months ago, but in July we were jumping down the sand dunes on the North Coast at one of the National Trust’s beach properties, Portstewart Strand. 

We stay in Portstewart for a week every summer in a house there, quite close to the beach. The beach is free to walk down on to, so you can park on any of the surrounding streets and carry your beach supplies down with you, or you can pay £6.50 to drive your car down on to the sand and along as far as you want in front of the dunes to find a space to make your own. 

 The beach is really popular for surfers,  and there’s always lots going on. The sand dunes are another great attraction, especially for kids who love to explore and jump down the slopes.

Even though the summer has ended, the beach is still great for autumn walks, and during half term there will be a whole week of free scavenger hunts, more details on the National Trust website here. 

Snout to Trotter Tasting Evening at The Salty Dog; What We Tried & Loved

The Salty Dog hotel and bistro in Bangor is one of those spots on our doorstep we always mean to try but hadn't got round to. The special 'Snout to Trotter' tasting evening was the ideal time to dip our toes in the water.

Head chef Tim Brunton served up six beautiful courses, each full of flavour and so different to the one before, but originating with a pork ingredient. The waiting staff were completely knowledgable about the dishes, and accompanying wines. The dining setting is relaxed and bright, with views over the marina and Belfast Lough. 

We will definitely be returning for date nights in the future. 

Thank you to Richard & all the staff for a great evening.

Cadbury Easter Egg Trails All Over the UK this Weekend. We Took Up the Quest at Mount Stewart.

We are just back from a lovely day out at Mount Stewart, one of the National Trust's Northern Irish properties. This long weekend, all over the UK, Cadbury are holding Easter egg trails, and you can find your nearest trail here.

We had a lot of fun. The trail costs £1 on top of National Trust admission. Your child receives a special Cadbury Passport, a Safari hat, and on completion of the trail each child gets an egg. 

Mini Hunter S Thompson

This is a 'stop taking photos and get on with the trail' face.

Michael with his egg

We brought a picnic, but there is also a small restaurant/cafe at the property.

On the way home to Bangor we cut across the peninsula and stopped in Donaghadee for a paddle and to share a parcel of chips. Perfect day.

A Crafty Secret Coming Soon to Belfast

A guest post from Emma from Crafty. 

"Hello from Crafty's shack (chalet) out country! We are delighted to be embarking on new boutique premises on the Dublin Road.

Crafty Hair & Custom Clothing Boutique will open its doors late Oct and we are so excited.

You will be able to book your new hair style whilst getting thrifty fashion hints and tips from myself, chief crafter Emma Gilles.

Crafty art design homewares antiques and the usual pruck will all be available to purchase everything for sale ethos!

Crafty custom clothing and wooden jewellery will be available to purchase along side our new section for makers and fashionistas.

“Crafty Paraphernalia” Find, hoke, purchase all sorts of things to create with.

A haberdashery of the extraordinary kind - vintage beads, cloth, bottle caps, screws, thread, jam jars, hooks, eyeballs, bulbs, cogs, broken jewellery, things, lego, more things..things we don’t know what they are but they are cool for embellishing all for sale in our new boutique.

Crafty's customising service will be available to add an embellishment or twist to your clothes to make them unique to you. Just

Our country chalet is available for hen parties and birthdays and our Dublin Road boutique too !

Check out our haircrafting and fashion workshop menu to book us for your next hair style or party get in touch and get ethical and crafty!

Free eyelash tint for all bookings and £5 off voucher for Kitsch readers! Just quote this blog!

Help save the world whilst looking damn good book a crafty workshop and learn how ;)!

Photograph of Kitsch box  Erin Elizabeth Kelly.

Have a Look at Some Enchanting & Inviting Stepping Stone Paths from All Over the World

We went to Tollymore Forest Park today. Situated close to the town of Newcastle in Northern Ireland, the park covers a section of the mountains of Mourne, an area of outstanding beauty. 

As a child we stayed caravaned here many a summer, and I found my mind map of the section of forest quite useful. We visited the two sets of stepping stones that cross the river, a favourite place of children along the deep, wooded walk. 

The first photo is mine, from today, and the others are some interesting or pretty stepping stones from all over the world. 

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city stones

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A Grand Day Out- National Trust Property- Mount Stewart

Mount Stewart is a beautiful day out, only a thirty minute drive from Belfast. Despite living close by, quite embarrassingly I had never visited this National Trust property. As a child my parents took us to all the other properties in Northern Ireland, but bizarrely we never came to stroll the gardens of the estate closest to us. 

This gave me the chance to approach the day out as a true tourist. We picked the perfect day, warm, dry and a nice amount of visitors. We started with a picnic on the lawn, then explored the house gardens. The exquisitely kept gated gardens are peppered with fountains, topiary animals, exotic plants & trees and a menagerie of carved stone beasts. I adore topiary, but throw a couple of statues of dodo birds in there and I'm in garden heaven.  

Next we took the mile or so walk around the lake to find The White Stag in the meadows. Very peaceful.

We were lucky that day the house, which is still used as a residence, was open to the public. I was blown away by this part of the property. It is well into its refurbishment and the rooms are stunning. I highly recommend touring the house as part of your visit. I plan on returning some day in the autumn when my son is in school and getting a guided tour, as its my dream mansion, full of curiosities and I'm sure the curious tales behind the objects.

All in all, a fantastic day out, and very entertaining for little ones too. My son loved spotting the statues, unusual trees in the atrium and the treasure hunt in the grand house kept that part fresh for his tired eyes and legs at the end. If you live here, visit, if you don't, add Mount Stewart to your trip itinerary for a relaxing day out. 

Cheese and Onion Crisp Flavoured Chocolate Bar from Tayto

I hadn't planned on blogging about this, but so many people are sharing my photo of this bar I added on my Facebook I reckon you all might like to see it too.

Tayto Ireland have made a limited edition chocolate bar with bits of their world famous Cheese and Onion crisps through it. I checked out www.TaytoCrisps.ie and their online shop doesn't seem to stock it, and it was only released in the south of Ireland.

My husband went down to Dublin last night to see a Mastodon gig and I requested he brought me a bar back. I just had to try it! It tastes like sea salt Lindt only greasier. I certainly wouldn't buy it again, but I'm glad I got one to try.

Below are some photos of our Easter-time visit to the Tayto Factory in Northern Ireland, which is located in a castle. They run a 90 minute tour that takes you round the working factory and shows you the steps in making your favourite crisps. It has to be pre-booked through the website www.Tayto.com but its very cheap, very fun and informative and you get free crisps to take home!