Scotland is perfect for bigger families, larger, wilder, cheaper, kind of like the Mongolia of England. Return visit to Blairemore, where we could take some calls and wash some laundry, while the kids followed the farm feeding rounds. Farmer Ailsa and James Clark quit their professional jobs in Edinburgh to invest in this joint business of idyll ….

Find someone in life who looks at you the way Pips looks at an ice cream. Pictures from the slow southern drive back- Roro protecting her waffles from Pip’s guilty face and folded hands. Making roasted char siew soup noodles for breakfast. It’s gratifying just to learn their patterns, and for them to learn each other, and to have time for morning cuddles. Pips is the worst sleeper and rises earliest, usually followed by Roro or Wes.

Lovely stop at York, the last time I was there, I was 17! I remember gazing at the massive stained glass windows and I’m not sure I thought I’d ever be back! It was the first time I’d ever been to England, to study literature at the university.

Scottish summer strawberries, packed lunches of M&S sandwiches and apple juice, and waterfalls hikes. Heavenly and grateful to just spend 24/7 being together, especially after this busy half-year. The best thing about the challenge of nature, is watching them help each other.

Dressed up because it’s not every Sunday you get invited to a castle! Our dates finally aligned to be able to stay at the Monzie Estate, the family home of David and Alexandra Crichton. When his father’s passing left him clan chief, they moved back from their jobs in London and New York to take on the monumental task of restoring the castle, the joinery and historical hydroelectric plant that his grandfather dreamt up in 1950s, after returning home from WW2.

Summer nights. One of the boys’ happiest places is any lake, they spent hours just chasing each other in a kayak while I introduced Rowan to the culturally dubious tradition of making a feather headband. My memory of the Lake District was that it is poor value, the rooms are small and squeezed,

Youlgreave is round the corner from Bakewell and the magnificent Chatsworth House, the seat of the Duke of Derbyshire (as Oliver told me, definitely not one of those left off Charles III’s coronation guest list!). I did not realize it was Pemberley, but it really does rise spectacularly to meet you from the dales and definitely one worth selling your daughter and dignity for.

British summer blackberries and cream, collecting sticks on hikes, walking on walls and walking alpacas- Wetly Moor Alpacas, Staffordshire.

So glad I listened to a close friend’s sage advice- the initial road-trip reservations melted away in the crisp morning temperature and we all fell in love with this stables house Airbnb in the truly beautiful and expansive Lomberdale Hall.

CA-MT-WY-WA: Have van, will travel. A campervan was Iggy Goh’s idea of rolling travel and accomodation expenses into one, he also found a great resource called Harvest Host, for an $84 annual subscription, you can stay at 4000 farm, winery and attraction locations across the US. These provide safer private land overnight parking,

CA-MT-WY-WA-OR: Multnomah Falls to Bend, Oregon to spend time with Dad’s roommates and Purdue swimming alumni families.