Ever heard of Whaley Bridge? Don’t worry, most English people I told I would be stopping there had no idea where it is either! It’s about an 45 minute train ride south east of Manchester near the Peak District National Park.

When I was planning this journey I wanted to experience life as a local, as well as exploring big cities that are geared towards mass tourism. One way I decided to do this was via a house sit in a small town. I registered on trustedhousesitters.com and found a house and dog sit on offer in Whaley Bridge that fitted my dates, so I applied. The home owner accepted my application and I was set to look after their house and dog Dennis for five nights!

Whaley Bridge is a pretty little town with friendly residents, a high level of dog ownership and lots of scenic walking routes along the canal and around the reservoir.

Other than walking Dennis for one long (usually 2 hours) in the morning and a shorter walk in the afternoon, I became a home-body/couch potato. I did some cooking, which I was missing and watched the first week of Wimbledon in between naps. I also had Netflix to add to my chill – it was bliss!

I did go out for dinner on the Saturday night to a pop-up restaurant Movable Feast and it was easily the tastiest food I’d eaten out in the UK. It was also great value; 3 courses for £23 and BYO drinks.

Dennis is a really sweet boy and easy to look after. He was also a bit of a local celebrity! One morning he decided we were going to walk via the bakery and pet shop where he promptly sat down in the middle of the footpath and refused to walk any further. I soon found out why – at least six people came up to give him pats and ask how he was going! After about ten minutes of this he decided we could walk the rest of the way home. His owners later told me it’s one of his favourite places to stop.

My stop in Whaley Bridge had everthing I was looking for; an experience of local life and a chance to recharge my batteries before the next leg of my trip.