Alton Towers | Travel

If you go down to the woods today...you'd better not go alone 

 Due to not being able to leave the country due to corona but also finances... Beth and I decided to take a little mini trip to Alton Towers somewhere we have talked about going for years. I have talked about wanting to go to a cottage for years also so maybe that will happen soon *hint hint* 

Alton Towers is a theme park in Staffordshire, England about 4 hours away, both Beth and I went as kids with our families so nothing was new to us except that we were going as adults and without our parents. Since I got my car back in January we have been talking about the idea of going on a road trip and having a weekend away so we decided to risk it for a chocolate biscuit and give it a go *spoiler, it went really well*

I was a bit nervous to drive all the way as I had never done a long drive really, so like a couple of losers a few weeks before we did a test drive, yes we did drive to a service station and back I have anxiety people this isn't new! So that went great and I ironed out some things I was worried about and was ready to go!

We drove down on Friday in the aggressive heat, it was so hot I felt like I was driving a portable sauna.   As a new driver (passed in January) I was quite nervous but once I got onto the motorway it was fine, apart from the heat it was actually really enjoyable. Could probably do it again but not on my own because I'd get bored.

We stayed in a really nice premier inn in Stoke Trentham Gardens was only £74 for 2 nights, not sure if we just got lucky or they were socially distancing the hotel guests but we ended up in a really big room with a beautiful view. We ended up bringing our own pillows just as another Covid safety precaution. 

On the Friday we went to see my bestie Molly for dinner, we had Pizza Hut and chatted it was wonderful. 

Also huge congratulations to Molly and Jay, they are pregnant and I am very excited to be an unofficial auntie!

On the Saturday we headed to Alton Towers, I am not a fan of driving down country roads and it was country roads all the way I did it but I did not enjoy it. 

Saturday was so unbelievably hot, it was rough. The park was quite busy on the Saturday as it was sold out sat-tues, I hope the park was at a limited capacity but it really did not feel like it. Wait times were between 45-120 minutes which is unheard of for Alton Towers. 

On the Saturday we tried our best to do everything we wanted, we started the day by riding nemesis which was my favourite ride growing up and it did not disappoint me as an adult. We also rode oblivion and duel this day and they were both amazing.

On Sunday we decided to head to the park a little earlier so we could try and ride thirteen. I had spoken to a member of staff the night before and they explained that the park doesn't open until 10am however, they open the gates around 9:30 and allow guests to enter the park and begin to queue ahead of the rides beginning at 10. We arrived at the park around 9:30 and by 10:15 we had rode 13. Another amazing ride!

We then went on oblivion once again and headed home. I was nervous to drive from Newcastle as it was about 4 hours and was the first long drive I have ever done but Beth and Harry Potter audio books kept me entertained and although it was like driving in a sauna it wasn't bad at all.

I was hesitant to include this but I read a lot of forums and they really helped me with my confidence going to Alton Towers. I am plus size so theme parks can seem incredibly scary. For the majority of the rides I asked for modified seating which is the same size seats but instead of one strap clipping your restraints in there are two. This is due to the overhead restraints having a bump around the stomach. In modified seats there are two straps that go around the bump rather than over. The staff were amazing and incredibly helpful, there was certainly moments that made me incredibly anxious but reading lots of forums before hand helped to calm my nerves. 

The links below I found incredibly helpful but there are many many more online.

Forums

https://plussizedguide.com/plus-sized-guide-to-alton-towers/

https://forum.towerstimes.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=41926

http://ramblesofanimpatientgirl.blogspot.com/2016/05/plus-size-at-alton-towers.html

COVID-19 Precautions

Going on a trip during the current global climate was always going to be risky and nerve-racking but with holidays cancelled earlier in the year and all the stress Beth and I decided to take a trip. During the entire lockdown we have been as safe as we possibly can. Alton Towers was no different. 

Anytime we stopped at a service station or going in and out of the hotel we wore masks as well as sanitising and trying our best to keep our distance. 

In regards to Alton Towers, it was incredibly busy and hot. You were only required to wear a mask on the rides along with anytime you are inside the ride stations or shops. We tried our hardest to wear a mask at all times but it was just too hot to do so. It was hard to socially distance as it was so crowded but we tried our best and didn't spend the entire time within the parks.

I feel they are doing everything they can, from cleaning the ride vehicles to temperature checks before entering the park. In regards to the temperature checks it is a gun type machine held at a short distance from your forehead, if your over 38 degrees (I believe) you will be asked to take a break to cool down afterwards they will take your temperature a second time and if again it is over the limit you will not be allowed to enter the park. I found this extremely reassuring as just like bag checks you know everyone has had to go through this in order to gain access limiting the threat.

Overall I had a lovely trip away with my dear friend, it was the first time we have really had a trip together and it was super nice just to spend some time together and chill out after talking about it for so long. 

if you have any questions or concerns about being plus size or the safety precautions please leave a comment and I will try my hardest to answer them as I know I had a lot of questions before my trip. 

23 Things I've Learned at 23

Happy Birthday to me, I have offically made it to 23 years old! It's taken me a long time to get here but I have finally achieved it, I wanted to do a little birthday post a classic 2014 YouTube trend of 23 things i've learnt at 23 i'm not expecting this to be breathtaking for you all or even life changing. I just want to drop the experience bomb. I don't want to make this all philospofic but it might turn into that.

1 | It's okay to say no 

Sometimes you just want to stay at home in bed doing nothing but scrolling through the instagram explore page or going clubbing really isnt your thing. I put myself in a lot of situations that I found difficult or made me anxious for the fear of saying no, I learned a long time ago that it not worth putting myself through something that is going to make me sad just to please others.

2 | Do whatever the hell you like

If you want to post something a little "cringe" on your instagram story, start a blog, become a singer literally anything that you enjoy just do it, the judgement from other people truly isnt worth it. When I first started my blog I was so scared of what people would say about it, or if people would laugh at me so I didnt share it for months barely even letting my closet friends read it until one day I thought fuck it and i'm so glad a did. I still sometimes get that fear when I post something a little out of my comfort zone but in all honesty people who dont care wont read they'll just scroll past and that is okay with me.

3 | You don't need a thousand friends

In school life felt like a popularity game, now I have a handful of close friends that I know are friends for life and I wouldn’t trade any of them for a thousand friends.

4 | Just let it go

It's not worth holding grudges, yes there is people that I don't like and don't agree with some of the things they have done in the past but it's just not worth being caught up over. I'm alsotrying to apply this to myself too, not let myself get caught up in mistakes i've made in the past.

5 | Take as many pictures as possible

The people we see most often are the ones we tend to have the least pictures with, with the creation of snapchat I feel like I capture a lot more moments but I have learnt that there is never enough pictures of you with your loved ones.

6 | Be nice to everyone 

Whether it's a shop assistant, someone on the bus or your best friend in the world. Live life being as nice as you possibly can it makes all the difference to you and everyone else. Negativity attracts negativity.

7 |  It's okay not to be okay 

It can be a little cliche but I think it's true we all get a little sad sometimes and that's okay supressing thoughts and feelings in my experience just makes them worse and harder to deal with in the future. There is no shame in therapy and it can help more than you could imagine.

8 | School isn't the best time of your life

There is no way in hell that school was the best time of my life, I hated it. University might have been the best time in my life so far due to the people, the exprience and I was finally learning infomation about a subject I have a passion for. Don’t feel pressured if school or uni life isn’t going as good as you thought you have forever to have the best time.

9 | Long Distance Friendships Can Work

It can be extremley hard when you can't just text and meet up in an hour but myself and Molly prove that it can work, she is one of my best friends in the world we speak everyday and make a conscious effort to meet up. This is also the case with my uni friends we often communicate with each other about life. You just have to put in the effort, your best friends arent nessecarily the people who live next door.

10 | Read More

Whether it’s books, articles or blogs reading is good for clearing the mind and helping to de-stress but also reading the news and popular articles not just relying on Twitter moments for all of your news helps to broaden your knowledge and understanding as to what is happening around us. (Edit; the world right now is scary but twitter is where the real stories are being exposed not the news)

11 | Spend Less Time on Social Media 
I can not deny that social media is amazing! I have met some of my best friends in the world online and started my own photography business using social media as my main business platform however, there is also a lot of negatives that social media brings from body image to not being in the moment. Try spend even an hour less a day on your phone, you’ll feel the difference.

12 | Try Not to Judge One Another

First impressions matter I can’t dispute that but I try super hard everyday to just let people live, what others do tends to not effect or concern you. Let people do what they wanna do and be who they wanna be you’ll be a much better person for it.

13 | Not Drinking Alcohol is Totally Fine

After my anxiety issues alcohol was a big no no for me, the thought of clubbing was just too much and I wasn’t sure how alcohol would affect me and that worried me a lot. A couple of years later and I know I can have a pint or a couple of gins every once in a while but I don’t feel pressured to drink if I don’t want to. Throughout university I would often just stay home and have a movie night for one whilst my friends went out drinking because I didn’t enjoy it so I didn’t want to go and that’s totally cool! Don’t let anyone force you to drink and don’t force yourself it’s just not worth it.

14 | Write A List

 Personally setting myself little goals and ticking them off gives me a feeling of being productive. Keeping your life organised can help to keep your brain organised too. It can often get a little hectic and even a list can’t solve it but it’s a start.

15 | Work As Hard As You Can No Matter What Job You’re Working 

You are being paid so naturally you should work hard but sometimes when you’re in a job you hate that feels impossible but it’s important to work as hard as you can! This builds a strong work ethic that you will eventually take to a job you enjoy (or at-least don’t hate) it will also give you more job satisfaction when you walk out the door knowing you did all you could.

16 | I Love You 

This has became part of my everyday vocabulary I am always telling my family and friends that I love them I think it’s important, some people find it difficult to say and that’s okay but a little love and appreciation never hurt nobody. I often felt ashamed for being “too much” but now I’m cool with how loving I am and that is called growth!


17 | “Nobody Knows What They’re Doing”

This is a phrase I have heard over and over again but it’s true being in your twenties is a weird time for everyone, some people are off getting married whilst others are moving across the world. Everyone is on different life paths but no one knows where they’re gonna end up or if they’re doing the right thing, life is a personally journey not a group race.

18 | Learn How To Be Alone

I am still very much working on this I struggled a lot to be in my own company especially when I first moved back from university I’d gone from a house of five people to me and my mum. We have established that I am a clingy friend but I am slowly learning to be able to have a good time on my own, from taking myself shopping to going to the cinema on my own it’s good to be able to do things alone I’m happy I’m on the way to improving my needy-ness.

19 | There’s Some Amazing TV Shows & Films Make Time To Watch 

Again this is something I want to continue to do and make more time for there is some incredible entertainment out there especially coming from Netflix and Amazon Prime. Make time to sit down and watch them, be entertained and you never know might learn something.

20 | Everyone Can Benefit From Therapy

Everyone has baggage they need to unpack.

21 | Dogs & Pets Make The World A Better Place 

Unfortunately right now it's not fair for me to have a dog, I work full time and live with my Mum but eventually I will have a little pooch to call my own but for now I can make do with visiting friends who currently own a doggy. Just being around animals makes me so happy even as simple as seeing a cute dog across the street fills my heart with joy.

22 | Not Everyone Is Going To Like You

Personally I don't want everyone to like me, if that was the case I would feel like a robot woman with no personality of my own. The people who like me I truly value with my entire heart and I want in my life, I don't need everyone to like me.

23 | Life Is Long

I am a big believer in take opportunities life gives you and treat every month or so as your last (treat everyday like your last doesn't work for me I don't want my last day to be me at work) and live life to the fullest as much as you can and want to.
That being said, there is endless time to figure life out. You don't have to know exactly what you want to do by the time your 18 just try everything. Fail, fail and then fail again.



Well that ended up being quite deep sorry about that didn't plan it that way. I really enjoyed writing this post and thinking about what I wish I knew when I was about 15.
I'm off to celebrate my birthday now!

Self portrait | photography

When you can't meet models, become the model.

It's no secret that I am not a model, I rarely even post on instagram.

One day in quarentine I was really in the mood to do some photography, I started by taking pictures of random things round the house but it wasnt quite what I wanted to do. Next thing I know i'm doing my make up for the first time in 2 weeks, I am a different person in lashes. 

Due to not taking many selfies (apart from ugly snapchats) I didn't really know where to start. I had seen a lot of TikToks of self portraits but they were a little too extreme for me. I wanted to try something that wasn't just selfies. 

I am happy with how the images turned out, they clearly arent my best work but I did what I could. I grabbed my mums plants and stuck my face in them.

To my fellow photograhers out there I employ you to give self portraits ago, it was out of my comfort zone but I did enjoy it. I find myself watching more and more videos about it and I have so many more ideas for the next time I fancy putting lashes on.

FaceTime Photoshoot | Photography

What a strange world we are living in.

My plan for this year was to try and up the amount of photo shoots I do as I enjoy it so much but also to improve my skills. However, as we know that’s going to be harder to execute than planned.
That being said I had seen online a lot other photographers collaborating with models across the world through FaceTime Photoshoots. I quickly realised this was something I wanted to try. I reached out to a wonderful model I have worked with previously and got to work.

I want to give a MASSIVE shout out to Sibohan there is no way I could of pulled this off without her. That might seem obvious, surely every portrait photographer needs a model however, Sibohan didn’t just show up and pose. She styled each look, set up the phone and of course did an incredible job modelling. It was a weird feeling to give over all of the power, I kept finding myself wanting to slightly change the angle or fix the lightening myself so it was a new challenge to try direct the shoot remotely.

I am so thrilled with how these images turned out! I would definitely reccomend giving it a go, if anything its a cool thing to have tried and in years to come once this pandemic is over we can say we adapted our craft and tried something new.

TIP: Take your time with it, it’s not going to happen in 20 minutes just like a normal shoot out on the street wouldn’t. We were shooting for just over an hour and a half taking our time making sure it was right and the best we could make it.

 Make sure to check out the links below (simply click on the name) and let me know your thoughts and if you have done any Facetime Photoshoots.

Photography Instagram
Personal Instagram 
Sibohans Instagram