A girls’ night away at Greenbank Barns, North Yorkshire

Beautiful countryside, a luxury barn conversion, a hot tub and friends – that’s how I spent a night away in a picturesque part of North Yorkshire last weekend.

I stayed at a place called Greenbank Barns, nestled in a village called Ravensworth halfway between Richmond and Barnard Castle. I’d had it booked in for months after Sarah asked if Karen and I wanted to go, and there was no way I was going to miss out on this girlie getaway.

It was so nice to be able to take a day to drive about an hour away from home, meet up for a pub lunch then head to our home for the evening, this spacious, wonderfully light and perfectly decorated holiday home called Shorthorn. With four double bedrooms (three of which were en suite, the fourth was next to the main bathroom), an enormous kitchen/diner and two living rooms, there was plenty of space to accommodate a few families for a big party weekend, or as a break away with friends as we did.

On the afternoon we arrived we spent a good while going from room to room and just saying ‘wow, look at this room, it is gorgeous!’ and deciding which bedroom was our favourite. I went for an upstairs one which was painted a blue/grey colour, with natural, earthy coloured cushions and throws on the bed and big oak beams up above. To say I felt at home was an understatement, it was just so lovely, chic and luxurious – great for stealing some decorating ideas too.

It had been a while since we had seen one another so we settled down in the kitchen for a drink and a catch-up, before retreating to the lounge for a few cheeky glasses of pre-dinner prosecco. When I say we went to the lounge, we had a choice of two lounges as there was the main cosy living room with a wood burning stove and rolling countryside view, and an adjoining, brighter games room with a sofa and table football game too.

When it came to making dinner, we had a Riverford organic recipe box delivered which was a great way of easily making some really tasty dishes with minimal effort. You can read more about how we got on on Karen’s blog (she has two!) Fuelled by Latte. I’ve also reviewed these boxes before if you’d like to have a look, they are such a good idea for easy entertaining and much better value than you might think.

After dinner, we changed into our dressing gowns and went out for a chill in the hot tub, with a glass of something cold of course. What a way to spend a Friday night, total relaxation in great company with two of my best blogger friends who never fail to make me feel motivated and inspired. One of the great things about blogging is the amazing women I have met through it, the sharing of ideas and the inspiration and support. It’s safe to say I left the next morning feeling totally refreshed and recharged, and ready to book in our next meet up.

I had such a good night’s sleep and even though I still woke up at 6, it meant I could drink tea in bed and write rather than be woken up to referee the kids! I am hoping for many more relaxing weekends away like this this year, god only knows as a single parent the break is needed and after the hectic pace of the past few years it’s great to take some time to breathe out a little.

The barn we stayed in was called Shorthorn but was joined onto a larger one called Dexter. Either would be a perfect location for a big get together or family celebration.

Can’t wait for the next one.

x Julia