Sponsored: Earlier this month, we shared this sweet video of former X Factor star Lucy Spraggan’s recent mini break in the English county of Cornwall.
Since then we called the openly gay pop star to get the lowdown on her romantic trip to Looe, Southwest England, with her wife Georgina.
The pair, who married in June last year, were joined by their dog Steve for their trip to Kilminorth Cottages in Watergate near Looe with Hoseasons.
Here, the Last Night (Beer Fear) singer talks dog-friendly breaks, life on the tour bus and her and Georgina’s recent foray into foster caring…
How was the trip?
Great! It didn’t rain once! I reckon it was about 16 or 17 degrees. It wasn’t super boiling, and it was windy, but it was really nice!
Have you been to that part of the country before?
I’ve been to Cornwall, I’ve done a few shows down that way. I’ve never been to Looe before.
Have you ever stayed with Hoseasons before?
I haven’t. I was shocked by how beautiful Kilminorth Cottages were.
Was it busy?
Not at the actual place. It was full, but it didn’t feel busy. It felt like a really relaxed place to be!
What else did you like about it?
We loved it, and we loved Looe. Kilminorth is actually managed by two women, a couple. They were really, really nice. We went out on a night out with them! There were definitely selfies afterwards. Looe is a really gay-friendly place. We went and sat in places and it was obvious we were together and we didn’t feel any animosity. Some small towns in the UK you can feel a bit of that!
Tell us about your dog who took with you…
My dog’s a Boston terrier called Steve. He comes on tour with me and whenever we go on holiday, so long as it’s in the UK. So does my wife actually, so we’re all pretty much together 24/7!
A post shared by Lucy Spraggan (@lspraggan) on Apr 28, 2017 at 5:43am PDT
You went to Paris the other week – did you take him there? Does he need a passport?
He does have a passport! If we travel by plane he doesn’t come with us. If we’d gone with the Eurostar he would’ve done.
What does a dog passport look like?
It’s not like a human one, but it does have photos!
So he’s a good traveler then?
He is, he’s good, he does what he’s told. He’s one of the most obedient dogs I’ve ever known! I don’t know how I [managed] that! But he knows how to behave. And he doesn’t behave any differently in other places than he does at home.
Can it be a nightmare traveling with a dog if the accommodation isn’t dog-friendly?
We often see in advance if they’re dog-friendly. He comes with us to so many things that it is sometimes hard to find somewhere that is dog-friendly. It causes quite a bit of hassle. Especially if I’m traveling with the band, somewhere with eight rooms available and dog-friendly, it can be quite difficult.
And if it’s a relaxing getaway, it needs to be relaxing for him too…
Yeah, of course. It’s nice to be in a nice, spacious environment. It was brilliant to be able to take him somewhere so lovely. There were so many places to take him for a walk, and he could sit out on the decking. There aren’t that many places you can take your dog, really. Even little cottages and stuff, people sometimes don’t like dogs.
You were near the coast, weren’t you?
Yeah, and there’s loads of countryside on your doorstep too. You can walk in pretty much any direction. You can follow the river up, or go down to Looe itself. There’s so many things to do. And all of the bars are dog-friendly.
We saw you got an impromptu tattoo while you were there. What’s the story with that?
Well, I was saying I was in Cornwall [on Twitter] and a super fan who follows me around the country said ‘I work in Plymouth! Please come down and get a tattoo!’ It was only half an hour away so I said ‘OK then’, which I don’t think she was expecting!
That’s amazing, what was the tattoo of?
She designed a little message in a bottle. Then she’s got her own signature that she’s got so I let her do that too.
So you took your car with you and were able to get about the county a bit?
Yep. We drove to a beach about 50 minutes away nearer Newquay and it was just so gorgeous.
You were there for four days total. Did you spend any days nesting at the cottage?
We did, we just chilled on the first night. It was a home away from home really. On the last night I cooked for us, we got in the hot tub. You feel quite excluded but also you’re around other people. You just don’t know that you are!
What was the wi-fi like?
It was great, really good. Speedy and stuff. I do loads and loads of stuff online, my phone is always going off, so it’s really good to have decent wi-fi.
Did you go in the pool?
There was a pool, which was really big, but we didn’t go in it. It was a little too cold by the time we got back each day! There was an area for barbecues and stuff.
What did your wife make of it all?
She loved it, she absolutely loved it. She loved the surrounding area, she loved how nice the accommodation was, the presentation of the rooms, the decoration. It was all really clean. And the standards of things.
What did you do for food?
We went out for food a couple of times. We brought some bits and bobs for the first night. Then we bought some local seafood, and we had handpicked Looe mussels in one of the nearby restaurants.
You obviously gigging here, there and everywhere – how important is it to you to take a break like this?
It’s really important, to take time off and be on your own. When you’re touring you’re with 12 people every day, the crew on the tour bus or whatever. it’s nice to be able to sit back
Do you have a preference when it comes to where you travel to?
We like all kinds of places. We’ve done a camper van holiday around the Highlands and we just love the fact we can just travel down to Wales and Cornwall and other parts of England. I don’t think it’s utilised enough!
Have you seen literally every corner of the UK now, doing your job?
I think so. I actually can’t think of a place I haven’t been! Someone will be like ‘Oh, I live here’ and I’m like ‘Oh, I’ve been there!’
Where else have you been?
I did a show in Sweden recently, a place called Lund, which was incredible. I never thought I’d get to go to Sweden. It’s not the kind of place I’d go on holiday.
What’s the most random gig you’ve done?
I’ve also done a competition once where people could win a living room gig. It was in Rotherham, just outside Sheffield.
What are your plans for the year?
We have a massive festival season coming up. I don’t have a weekend off until late September. I’m going on tour after that as well! I’m writing my fifth album now, getting my head down.
What’s the latest on you and your wife becoming foster parents?
We’ve been providing respite care for fosters for five weeks now.
How’s that going?
It’s good, it’s fun. We are qualified to do short term and respite care. So we can do a couple of weeks here and there, or a weekend, and we have all sorts of different young people coming in and out of the house, which is really nice.
Do you have to be at home when you’re doing that? Could you take them to Cornwall for example?
We could, we’d just have to risk-access the places and stuff like that, and get approval. But absolutely, you can take young kids on holiday, just like a normal family really.
So you just want to integrate them into your everyday life, I guess?
Some respite care that we offer, you should try and make it feel like they’re getting a bit of a break themselves. Often their primary carer will be going on holiday, so it’s nice to treat them like they’re on holiday too.
Would you consider taking a child on a trip like the one you were just on?
Yeah, of course, I definitely would. I actually thought while we there, it’s a great place to relax, with plenty of child-friendly things to do.
Discover dog-friendly UK holidays and book yours at hoseasons.co.uk
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