Archive for category Devon

New Year group holiday offer

Nov 21

Posted by elisa in Advertisers, Availability, Devon, Group holidays, West Country | 1 Comment

Wondering what to do this New Year? How about a break away with friends or family? This Helpful Holidays house is a beautiful break away that sleeps up to 30. Near the pretty village of Porlock, it’s set in over 12 acres of grounds full of mature trees, huge lawns, small stream and rhododendrons. There’s a pebbly beach (great for surfers) only 250 yards away across two fields.

The property is set at the top of a curving drive, the inner hall opens up to a heavily beamed living room with snuggly leather chairs, and an open fire with impressive mantelpiece. Off the living room is a bar to one side, bathroom and two more sitting rooms, one brilliant for children as it has TV/DVD, games and half-sized snooker table. The other is French windows to the terrace with beautiful views, perfect for evening drinks. There is a dining room and large kitchen with commercial gas cooker, domestic gas cooker, two dishwashers, microwave, washer-drier, freezer, commercial fridge, and access to large terrace. There is also access to professional catering if you didn’t want to assign the cooking to just one of you!

A lovely curving staircase leads up to the first floor and eight bedrooms – four double (two with 5’ beds, one with 6’ bed), four twin, all with either en suite shower-room (suite) or bathroom (suite). More stairs to the second floor and seven more bedrooms, all with either en suite bathroom (suite) or shower-room (suite), many with terrific views – five double (four with 5’ beds), a single, and a room with twin beds (zip-linkable) and a single.

All of this can be booked for a New Year special stay with a saving of £1000 off the usual price for a 6 night stay!

photo of Holiday cottage in Porlock Vale, Exmoor with 4 stars, sleeps 30

Half Term holidays in the West Country

Oct 12

Posted by elisa in Advertisers, art, Cornwall, Cottages Search, Devon, family days out, Festivals, Food and Drink, Fun, Group holidays, Walking, West Country | No Comments

With half term fast approaching you may still be scratching your head about what to do and where to go. Well, ponder no more with our list of things going on in the West Country!

24th – 28th October is spooky time at Pecorama in Beer. There are shows such as Ben the Juggler, A Wizard Called Ozz and Dan the Hat. Alongside these are face painting, special dishes in the Garden Room Restaurant and free spooky treats for children as part of the fancy dress party!

27th October sees a return to nature with the Mortonhampstead Family Bush Craft Day with Dan Thompson-Mills. Learn the skills of wild fire-making, making shelters in the woods, collecting and eating wild foods, and other outdoor skills. Also, learn how to read the language of the birds and develop a deeper connection to nature. The best thing is that children under 15yrs go free with a paying adult.

22nd – 30th October allows visitors of Lanhydrock in Bodmin to join a spooky garden trail for just £1.50 a ticket. Or you could learn how to make a lantern with local artist Liz Tyrell for £5 a ticket.

22nd – 30th October Celebrate Halloween at the Eden Project on their beautiful and unique wintry rink, which has a new design for 2011. Halloween activities and events include: ice skating, pumpkin carving demonstrations, wand making and potion mixing.

If any of these take your fancy, look at Helpful Holidays for accommodation down in the beautiful West Country.

Vote for Helpful Holidays!

Sep 17

Posted by elisa in Advertisers, Cornwall, Cottages Search, Devon, News, Tips, West Country | No Comments

We’ve been working with Helpful Holidays for quite some time and we think that they are a brilliant company with some outstanding cottages! Their standing as a great company has now been officially recognised as they are nominated for the first time in the British Travel Awards!

They’ve been nominated for the ‘Best UK Cottage/Self Catering Booking Company (UK Properties)’ and are in the running with 12 other companies in this category. Most of the other companies are big national players, so Helpful Holidays will need your help to be in with a chance of winning!

Please support them by clicking here or going to https://britishtravelawards.com/vote_form_secure.php before the closing date of 30th September.

Abbfest 23rd – 25th September

Sep 15

Posted by elisa in Advertisers, art, Availability, Cottages Search, Devon, family days out, Festivals, Food and Drink, Group holidays | No Comments

Abbfest is a celebration of local food, drink, crafts and entertainment. It’s held in the field next to Fermoys Garden Centre Totnes Road, Ipplepen, Newton Abbot, TQ12 5TN.

This year’s festival has loads of arts, crafts and food stalls, as well as providing lots of entertainment for your little ones and a fair few ales for the adults to sample! Saturday will have local celeb Ann Widdecombe as acting sous chef to famous chef, Michael Caine in his live cookery demo. Check out the list of things to do and ticket prices and online offers at the website.

Want somewhere to stay? If there’s a large group of you then you could go to this Helpful Holidays art-deco style house (B23) that sleeps 10 (3 doubles, 2 twins) in nearby Teignmouth. With panoramic views over the estuary towards Shaldon and the pretty fishermen’s cottages and bathing huts along Teignmouth’s river beach, this property is set just back and above the road (very occasionally heard) which runs along the river Teign, this smartly restored home is comfortable and well-equipped with good-sized rooms and lots of space.

Sight of fish in harbour provokes complaint

Sep 5

Posted by elisa in Articles, Devon, News | No Comments

$Ilfracombe Harbour picture by Flickr user Sue Hasker - Slowly but Surely!$

Ilfracombe is a beautiful town in Devon. It also has a working harbour which is popular with tourists, however, one tourist felt differently when faced with the sight of some dead fish and crabs by the harbour side.

According to a report in the Telegraph, the holidaymaker was so disgusted by the sight and smell that he and his children, aged seven and nine, had to endure on their trip out, that he not only complained to the harbourmaster, but also the North Devon Journal! Apparently the ordeal left them all “quite distressed” and the holidaymaker demanded to know why the harbourmaster was not more considerate to the needs of tourists.

The harbourmaster, Rob Lawson, tried to explain that fishermen depended on the daily catch for their livelihoods and that it was a common site on a working quayside.

“He was very upset that he had come across the boxes of fish and thought it was entirely inappropriate and not a good sight or smell,” he said.

“I explained the workings of the harbour and that it was a working quay and that while it was not ideal, sometimes this happened.

“But he didn’t calm down, he went to the local newspaper and then when they printed his complaints, he came back to me to see what I had to say.”

The locals were pretty gobsmacked by the complaint, one said: “Ridiculous. Does he think all his food comes in packets? What did he expect to see at a working harbour?”

Have you been to the Ilfracombe harbour? Has the smell put you off visiting or is it interesting to see how a real harbour works, (excuse the terrible pun) guts and all?

South West bookings soar

Jun 23

Posted by jason in Cornwall, Devon, dorset, Holiday advice, reports, Somerset | 1 Comment

Early bookings this year for self-catering rental properties in the South West were up by almost 70 per cent compared with the same time last year, according to data from the Exeter office of estate agent Knight Frank.

And properties in the region are also being let out for longer. Miles Kevin, head of Knight Frank’s residential development team in the South West, says that existing holiday property owners should be optimistic:

“The number of letting weeks has increased significantly in recent years. Five or six years ago, it typically was around 25 weeks but now it runs for around 32 weeks, driven in part by people opting to take long weekends earlier and later in the year – in the softer climate of Devon and Cornwall, this can be as late as November. The signs suggest that holiday properties will remain in demand as the economy improves.”

Knight Frank has also seen a rise in the number of people considering a second home as a stable, long-term investment. Many holiday home buyers are approaching retirement age and looking for a wise use of equity released from selling the large family property; some relocate to the area and live in their property while they search for a new primary residence. There has also been a rise in the number of buyers who see a second home as a mixture of business and pleasure, planning to use the property themselves for leisure as well as to rent it out.

“Current yields for new-build properties in prime (coastal, or historic town) pockets of the South West are healthier than ever,” says Miles Kevin. “We are seeing some of the schemes we’re selling achieve a yield of up to eight per cent. For example, a two-bedroom flat with a modern interior in Newquay, Cornwall, can command £1,000 or more a week during July and August. However, a less-modernised property might only bring in £650. The holiday letting market looks for quality and will not put up with ‘Granny’s furniture’ any more, so a newly built, well furnished property often better fits the bill.”

Tags: Knight Frank, Miles Kevin, Newquay

Go for a walk on Exmoor

Jun 8

Posted by elisa in Advertisers, Cottages Search, Devon, Events, Group holidays, Walking, West Country | No Comments

For all the keen walkers out there, this 25th June is the annual Exmoor Perambulation, the longest circular one day walk in the busy Exmoor calendar taking participants around 31 miles of wonderful countryside. The walk dates back over 725 year and its route covers areas of the National Park not normally open to the public, so it’s a great opportunity for exercise and beautiful scenery.

The Perambulation of Exmoor Forest is organised annually by the Exmoor Tourist Association and the Exmoor National Park Authority. The walk is rather arduous and would require a bit of training for the inexperienced, but if 31 miles isn’t quite your bag then there is also a half distance option. It starts at the same time and place as the main event but terminates at Check Point 5 (Picked Stones Lane) where you can enjoy a BBQ while waiting for the free mini bus service to the finish at the Pinkery Centre.

After such a long walk it would be lovely to collapse down in one of these two beautiful adjacent cottages in Barbrook, Exmoor from Helpful Holidays.

Devon’s big day out!

May 9

Posted by elisa in Advertisers, Articles, Availability, Cottages Search, Devon, Events, Exhibitions, Festivals, Food and Drink, Somerset, Tips, Walking, West Country, wildlife | No Comments

From the 19th – 21st May is the Devon County Show in Exeter. Enjoy three full days of West Country food and drink, the very best horses, goats, sheep, bunnies and cows, including the famous Devon cattle known as Red Rubies. Kids can plant seeds, bake bread, milk Daisy the model cow, weave willow wands, see chicks hatch and pet gentle farm animals. For those of you interested in craft there are lace-makers, quilters, weavers, spinners and dyers. Look out for demonstrations and take the chance to talk to these skilled crafts’ people to get practical advice on anything you may be working on at home. For a nibble, check out the BIG Devon cream tea marquee, with scones made by Richard Hunt, Executive Chef of the Grand Hotel, thick clotted cream and lashings of jam. There is such a huge list of things to do, it’s probably best to go to the website for full details. If that’s not tempting enough, then kids go free on Saturday!

After all this excitement, why not go back to nearby Ottery St Mary (of flaming barrel running fame) to this gorgeous little cottage from Helpful Holidays that sleeps 4. A long, elegant hall leads to L-shaped living/dining/kitchen with TV/DVD and beautifully fitted kitchen area (dishwasher, washer-drier, microwave, fridge-freezer, gas hob) with small breakfast table (larger table/chairs kept folded in hall for more formal dining). French windows open to small patio area (table/chairs) immediately to the front of the house.. Oak stairs to first floor and two bedrooms – a double, and a single; very luxurious bathroom. On the second floor, a double bedroom under the eaves with smart en suite shower-room (suite) and 2 steps up to French windows to a small and very private roof terrace (table/chairs) with fine views over the town.

Tags: Cottages, Devon County Show, Helpful Holidays

Petrol prices boost bikes

May 6

Posted by jason in Devon, dorset, Lake District, Peak District, Wales | No Comments

Sportives, National Trust

Will rocketing petrol prices create a holiday bicycle boom? More and more tourism businesses seem to believe so. For instance, April saw the launch of Cambridge Bike Tours, the first of its kind to provide a programme of bicycle tours around the city and surrounding areas. As well as modern bikes, tourists have the opportunity to try some nostalgic and immaculately refurbished historic British bikes.

Cambridge is famous for its cycling and has over 80 miles of cycle paths and lanes to explore. The company claims its tours offer tourists a unique outdoors experience and enable them to see more of the city and river than on the many walking tours available. Surprisingly, Cambridge Bike Tours is the first tour company in the city to offer a programme dedicated purely to bicycle tours.

The company runs a programme of four different tours operating every day of the week in the summer except Tuesdays. Three of the tours cost £20 and the full day tour costs £33, including bike and helmet. Discounts are available for students, families and groups.

Also getting busy on two wheels is the National Trust, which has launched a new series of challenge rides (also known as sportives). Anyone who’s ever fancied the idea of taking part in a challenging cycle ride through stunning countryside or around a beautiful country estate could be in for a treat with one of them.

All of the routes start and finish at National Trust sites and the first ride will take place in Pembrokeshire in West Wales on 1 May.

The National Trust’s Philip Broadbent-Yale said: “These rides offer a fantastic way to see amazing countryside and have been specifically designed to cater for all ages and abilities, from first-time riders to seasoned pros, there’s something for everyone.”

With distances ranging from a few miles, which is ideal for families, to more testing 50-100 mile rides for the more experienced, these cycling challenges are designed for those who love spending time in the great outdoors. The routes wind through open countryside and will be fully way-marked and marshalled by professional event organisers.

Challenge rides planned for 2011 are:

1 May – National Trust Pembrokeshire Challenge Ride at Stackpole in Wales
19 June - Father’s Day Ride at Dunstable Downs in Bedfordshire
3 July – National Trust White Peak Challenge Ride – Illam, Peak District (TBC)
3 July – Kingston Lacy in Dorset
24 July – Dunstable Downs in Bedfordshire
11 Sept – Wimpole in Cambridgeshire
2 October – Dartmoor Atlantic Challenge at the Parke Estate in Devon
9 October - Sizergh Castle in the Lake District

More information on the rides, how to register and more downloadable cycle trails can be found at National Trust website

Also happening this summer will be the Trust’s first ever Cycling Festival which will take place between 16-24 July, with bike-ride events and activities happening at 25 locations, including Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire and Scotney Castle in Kent.

Finally, March saw the launch of a unique cycle route in Dorset, where to celebrate its 50th Anniversary, Dorset Wildlife Trust has created 42toDO, a special route taking in all of its 42 nature reserves. At 260 miles through the best of Dorset’s landscapes, it is a challenge that people can take up by bike, on foot or even by car, with shorter routes also available for a more leisurely day.

Fiona Sansom of Dorset Wildlife Trust said:

“42toDO is all about celebrating our wonderful nature reserves. Anybody can do it, whether they cycle the whole thing in one go or tick off a few nature reserves at a time on a leisurely ride or walk. Our route is suitable for cyclists, avoiding main roads where possible, but you can still visit the reserves by car, so there’s no reason to feel left out!”

The Trust has produced a map which includes all you need to know about where and when to see unmissable wildlife such as wood anemones, bluebells, sand lizards, early spider orchids or red squirrels.

With different punches at every reserve to collect on the 42toDO maps, challengers will win a certificate and special badge for achieving all 42 or for more than half. There will be additional prizes for the most impressive or unusual ways of completing the challenge.

The 42toDO challenge is free. For a pack, click here

Tags: Cambridge, Cambridge Bike Tours, National Trust, Pembrokeshire

Exeter Food and Drink Festival

Apr 13

Posted by elisa in Articles, Coast, Cottages Search, Devon, Events, family days out, Festivals, Food and Drink, Fun, West Country | 1 Comment

29th April – 1st May is the Exeter Food and Drink Festival, and with the weather the way that it is at the moment, what better time to go and sample a wide variety of foods and drinks and also to watch 4 Michelin star chefs in the cookery theatre. Rob Dawe of Ashburton Cookery School will also be there – I visited the School last year and can testify that the instruction was brilliant and the food tasty! Check out the full blog here.

Mama Stone’s House Band will headline the musical entertainment on the 29th, and feature soul and R&B artist Leigh Coleman and Adam Isaac. Adam’s songs have a bouncy funk/rock edge and his music is full of energy with outstanding vocals, a perfect way to celebrate the big day. Peachy Farmer, a six piece band playing a mix of ska, reggae and dub will headline on Saturday 30th, supported by Jabbrock, to keep the crowds bouncing as the sun goes down.

The Royal Wedding day will be a particular time for celebration, so expect a big party!

Why not try this Helpful Holidays cottage (G28) in nearby Exmouth for a bit of fun on the beach before catching the train or bus to Exeter’s centre – it’s only a short trip away and very scenic (this is a route I know well from my University days). The property sleeps 6 and is ½ mile from the seafront/beach, quietly tucked away close to the heart of town (station, 500 yards), a neat, end of terrace cottage, on four levels, with a fresh, modern seaside feel, it has a pretty suntrap courtyard at the back, and, from the top floor bedroom, great panoramic views over town to the Exe estuary and Lympstone beyond.

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