We visited lots of beautiful castles on this holiday which were in various states of ruin and disrepair. Tilly was allowed inside of all these castles, and she loved it. Hear me out, I know it sounds weird, but I think that all these castles must have smelt amazing to Tilly’s nose and that is why she loved them so much. Imagine for just a minute how many centuries of life have passed within the very stones of these buildings. Consider how many servants hurried up and down the towers serving daily feasts. I like to imagine that Tilly could smell the mongrels who lived in the servant’s quarters and the chicken bones they were tossed to knaw at. And what about the long gone smells of freshly baked bread in the kitchens and fresh game brought in from a muddy, sweaty hunt? Surely some of these scents must have secreted themselves within the cracks in the walls, still lingering so that only dogs could detect their faint aromas.

Between my dad’s ability to devour any information board no matter what information displayed ( anything from educative facts about medieval dresses to  directions to the nearest café)  and Tilly’s need to sniff every corner these historical castle visit formed a significant part of our holiday.  However, we still had time for plenty of long walks and good food. Tilly surprised us by being well- behaved in all the dog-friendly cafes we visited and was in fact often one of the better mannered dogs! She would lie quietly under the tables and wait patiently while we devoured our snacks. This might be because she was tired from her hectic, fun filled days! Whenever we got in the car to drive somewhere she would curl up with her harness on (we bought her a new camouflage one as a holiday souvenir!), tuck her paws under nose and squeeze her eyes tightly shut as she blissfully dozed. I never got tired of gazing at her as she slept. She would always look so comfy, calm and in my opinion the absolute definition of cuteness. Tilly would always no when we were nearing a good walking spot though because she would instantly be wide awake, looking out the window with her paws propped on the side. Tilly got her fair share of romps on the beach this holiday! On one beach we also had a picnic and of course Tilly had to share! Tilly’s very important job was to lick clean our ice cream tubs, and boy did she do this with relish! In typical Tilly style she plunged her nose in, covering herself in flecks of Mr Whippy and delightfully licked both herself and the tub clean with her tongue.

It is safe to say that Tilly loved her holiday to Wales, and we loved taking her. It would not have been the same without out fourth little member and gave us some beautiful memories of our best friend.