Well, the day started with a bit of a disaster—whoops! We flooded the utility room with the washing machine, not once, but twice! Needless to say, I ended up hand-washing everything and feeling a little bit frustrated. Grrr. But after clearing up the mess, we were determined to make the most of the day.

Our next stop was Middleham Castle, and thankfully, the day got much better from there! The sun was shining, and we had an amazing time exploring the castle grounds. The castle turned out to be much bigger than we had first expected, and we all enjoyed wandering through the ruins. The boys especially loved clambering over the walls and finding little nooks and crannies to explore. It was the perfect spot for them to let off some steam, and the whole place had such a great atmosphere on that beautiful day. We even had a lovely lunch within the castle grounds, soaking in the views and the sunshine.

After that, we decided to head to Ripon, a charming town not too far away. We popped into the Ripon Cathedral, and it was absolutely breathtaking. While we were there, we were lucky enough to catch the choir practising, and I have to say, it gave me goosebumps. The sound was so beautiful and powerful, it felt like the whole place was alive with music. What an incredible experience.

Despite the chaos of the morning, it turned into a really special day—one full of history, beauty, and a bit of unexpected magic.