Summer or Nothing: Doing Summer Right With Superdry

Summer. For me, it's all about the experiences and doing amazing things with the people you love, creating memories and moments that you can look back on in a few years time. That's why I love the idea of Superdry's latest summer campaign - it speaks to me on such a deep level. Summer or Nothing is all about pushing yourself outside of your normal comfort zone. I was challenged to find an activity in the North East that pushed my own limits and made me do something I'd never done before. Generally I'd consider myself an adventurous soul. I like experiencing new things, building up my scrapbook with interesting things and building up my memories. However, when it comes to the British summertime, I can be a little bit more reserved, especially when it comes to the great outdoors and the countryside and that's why I chose to head out to the farm world and walk some llamas. 

We all know what the Great British Outdoors is like, especially up here in the north. It's unpredictable, often cold and well, to put it bluntly, it's just absolutely grim sometimes isn't it. I won't lie, although I do consider myself to be an adventure hungry gal, as soon as there's a freezing cold wind blowing you can count me out. The weather forecast for my day of llama walking was grim, just as I expected: overcast, grey and wet - not the type of weather you hope for when you're about to go trekking in the countryside! However, *spoiler alert* we had the best time and I would 100% do it all again, rain or shine.

Let's start with my perfect summer outfit first of all. Superdry kitted me out in the most wonderful stylish, summery and comfortable outfit that I've ever had for summer and I think I might just be in love with the super cute polka dot dress. The Rae Midi Dress is a gorgeous fit, midi length with a square neckline and I layered it with a go-to long sleeved striped top. Dots and stripes are one of my favourite combinations at the moment; they clash just enough to be complimentary and cute but not obviously so, perfect for casual days out like this. As for the jacket, I'll admit that I'm not usually a fan of white denim and quite often shy away from it but I'm so glad I went for this. It's so cute and I can definitely see myself wearing this a lot over the summer (although I'd put money on me spilling something on it within 5 minutes next time I wear it).

Over the past year, I've seen myself transform for a person who exclusively wears ankle boots, to a person who exclusively wears trainers and I'm not mad about it. I love how you can throw trainers on with literally anything and it still matches and looks effortless so count me in. The Track Runner Trainers are the perfect summer wardrobe staple, especially for activities like this! 

We arrived for our llama walk in the afternoon and before we got paired with our animals, we got to meet them in the barn and the guides told us a little bit about them, telling us the difference between llamas and alpacas, the difference in their behaviours and where they've come from to be on the farm. The group then all got paired with llamas or alpacas who the guides felt matched together well and I thought this was adorable. I got paired with Dobby while Andy got paired with Dave, two best friends who don't go anywhere without each other. I was told Dobby got really excited to go trekking and loved people who took him trekking, cuddling into them throughout the way and of course, I wa's sold from that moment. 

We set off through the fields with our llamas and alpacas and it felt a bit surreal with Dobby walking next to me and I wasn't surprised how attached I got to him in the 2 hour trek. He started off a little more reserved but after about 15 minutes, he was trotting next to me while I was talking to him like a lil pet. He was a bit naughty at times, trying to eat the bracken on the side of the road but he was absolutely adorable, nuzzling into my neck and cuddling me throughout. The alpaca who was in front of us, Simon, was adorable too but he was so naughty! The guides told us that alpacas were a little bit harder to manage than llamas and they weren't wrong! Simon was jumping in bushes, frolicking through the fields and getting up to all kinds of mischief, in the most adorable way possible! 

In true British summer style, we experienced all of the seasons in the 2 hour trek. It started off with glorious warm sunshine which soon turned into what felt like gale force winds, followed by absolutely pouring down rain and freezing cold air. This then again cleared to sunshine, warmth and then we had a little spurt of hailstones, all within the space of 120 minutes, definitely living up to British summertime standards. However, none of this even impacted the trip as although I was shivering in my little summer dress at some points, I had the best time and would 100% do it all again.

I love the idea of Superdry's latest campaign. I feel it fits exactly with the vibe of their entire brand, their clothes and style fit with the adventure theme perfectly and I'd love to step more and more out of my comfort zone this summer. If you want to do some llama trekking yourself there are a few places in the North East you can do it. There's North Star Alpacas in County Durham, Teesdale Alpacas in the NE Countryside and Nidderdale Llamas in Harrogate. It was such a fun experience and definitely one to put on your bucket list!

Check out Superdry's SUMMER OR NOTHING page here and step outside of your comfort zone this summer! 

What would you do to step outside of your normal comfort zone?

Amy x

THIS POST IS A PAID COLLABORATION WITH SUPERDRY. ALL WORDS AND OPINIONS REMAIN MY OWN.