Archive for category Festivals

Durham Lumiere

Nov 23

Posted by elisa in Advertisers, art, Articles, Availability, Coast, Cottages Search, Durham, Events, Exhibitions, family days out, Festivals, Fun, Group holidays, Holiday advice, shopping and culture, Tips, Uncategorized, Walking | No Comments

Cedric Le Borgne 'Les Voyageurs'

Deadgood Studio 'Rainbow'

Jaques Rival 'I Love Durham'

This weekend I went to the Lumiere festival in Durham. It was a wonderful event which showed off this beautiful city to its best advantage. Light art illuminated prominent parts of this historic place, such as Kingsgate bridge transformed into a huge illuminated waterfall entitled ‘Splash’ by artist Peter Lewis and engineered by Water Sculptures. Martin Warren lit up three more of Durham’s bridges, Cedric Le Borgne suspended brightly illuminated sculptures of men above a particularly narrow cobbled street giving a magical essence to the walk. These, along with many more made for a really enjoyable experience and would also encourage me to visit again, even without the festival.

A small drive away in Northallerton are these 4 cottages which sleep 2-4. These former farm buildings have been imaginatively converted into 4 well equipped and attractive holiday cottages. Original beams have been retained and there is central heating for year round appeal. All the cottages have TV with Freeview, video and radio cassette/CD player, fully equipped kitchens with washer/dryer, fridge/freezer, dishwasher and microwave, cots and highchairs. The cottages are set in peaceful countryside and have magnificent views. They are perfect if you want to combine a visit to Durham, with great walks and even a drive over to the seaside with Whitby within easy reach.

Londonderry announce City of Culture development plans

Nov 8

Posted by elisa in art, Events, Exhibitions, family days out, Festivals, Food and Drink, Fun, Group holidays, Holiday advice, News, Tourist Board | No Comments

Londonderry picture by Flickr user ifyr

Londonderry is to become a City of Culture in 2013 and has announced plans to upgrade its rail services, improve cultural venues and build six new hotels in preparation.

It has unveiled a programme of events throughout the year, including a music and dance festival, contemporary visual art events, theatre productions, and a comedy festival. The famous Turner Prize and the Stirling Awards will be held in the city, and it is also set to hold WOMAD (World of Music and Dance) and FLEADH, Ireland’s biggest Irish and Celtic music festival.

Martin Bradley, chair for the City of Culture, said: “It will tell a new story and completely regenerate the city. We can celebrate the history and give young people a whole new outlook.”

Last month a bomb was left outside the City of Culture offices, however he reassured visitors about the safety level of the city: ”Unfortunately there was one small incident, but because events are so seldom here they make the headlines. It is an extremely safe city. We have a very low crime rate compared to other UK cities.”

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.

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.

Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival!

Jun 9

Posted by elisa in Advertisers, Cornwall, Events, family days out, Festivals, Fun, West Country | No Comments

Fancy singing some sea shanties? Well the Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival sounds like the festival for you! This 17th, 18th and 19th June brings the best sea shanty singers around to Falmouth for this delightful festival.

The Opening Ceremony will be at 6.30pm on Custom House Quay and the singing programme will begin at 7pm on two of the three main stages (Custom House Quay and Events Square) until 10pm, and at several other venues in town until late!

Saturday’s main programme will begin at 11.00am, with the Moor Piazza main stage opening its programme alongside the other two main stages and again several venues in town. This year, there are special events starting at 10.30am with singing on board the historic replica, the Matthew and Trelissick Gardens (both of these events will carry a charge).

Check out more details at the main website.

And as a base, try the East Wing of this fine neo-classical Georgian house with extensive views over the Fal Estuary. Private gardens (patio, table/chairs) to enjoy, as well as the National Trust parkland and gardens of Trelissick Estate which stretch down to the sea and along woodland, riverside and coastal walks. Trelissick East is private from visitors to the gardens, although the National Trust restaurant and shop are within easy walking distance. Tours of the Copeland China collection are available (by arrangement), and the owner’s family live in the main house and are on hand if needed.

Trelissick East (Ref: S231), from Helpful Holidays is self-contained with large, light, beautifully furnished rooms and south-facing views over parkland and out to sea from most windows. On the first floor there is a large living room with TV/DVD, CD player and wonderful views; 5 steps up to an elegant dining room, well-equipped kitchen and large double bedroom with four-poster bed and garden views; bathroom (suite plus bath-shower). Separate stairs lead to two more bedrooms: a double (6’ bed) with sea views from two big windows and en suite bathroom (suite), and a twin, also with sea views. On the top floor, another twin bedroom. Beautiful!

photo of Holiday cottage in Feock, Cornwall's Med with 5 stars, sleeps 8

Royal Cornwall Show 9th-11th June

Jun 6

Posted by elisa in Advertisers, Cornwall, Cottages Search, Events, Exhibitions, family days out, Festivals, Food and Drink, Fun, Holiday advice, West Country | No Comments

This Thursday to Saturday is the Royal Cornwall Show 2011, with Airborne motocross, sporty camels & parachutists. The main ring entertainment is mounted on a grand scale and the traditional steam fair is a colourful extravaganza; there are stages full of music, song and dance, a brilliant weekend for the family.

Why not keep your feet on the ground at this Helpful Holidays property in Bisland, North Cornwall, which sleeps up to 7 people. This delightful property has big rooms, good and comfortable furniture (including antiques), good pictures, and superb views. With its own terrace/patio, good-sized lawn divided from fields by ha-ha, it’s all very secluded. Inside there is an elegant living room with woodburner, fine grandfather clock, TV/DVD, good books and games for cold nights in or if the weather is not too favourable. There are four large and light bedrooms, a well-equipped fitted kitchen/diner with dishwasher, washing machine, tumble drier, microwave, fridge-freezer; dining table overlooking the terrace and garden.

Ironbridge celebrates

May 10

Posted by jason in art, Festivals | No Comments

The Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site in the heart of beautiful Shropshire will be celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with a variety of events and exhibitions. In the lead-up to the 2012 Games, the area will also be marking its connection with the modern day Olympics, which were inspired by a local Much Wenlock surgeon who created the first Wenlock Olympian Games back in 1850.

Ironbridge Gorge was the birth place of the Industrial Revolution around 300 years ago. Heavy industry has long disappeared from the valley and the ironworks are silent but the stunning Severn river valley is still impressing visitors today with its iconic Iron Bridge and ten museums, which reflect life in the Gorge over the centuries.

An exhibition to mark the 25th anniversary will take place from 1st July to 30th September in the Footprint Gallery at Jackfield Tile Museum, with displays featuring historic images and community memories of the Gorge. It will also be celebrated at the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Festival on 24th September.

Several events are to be staged in the run up to the 2012 Games to celebrate the region’s links. The Shrewsbury Olympian Festival three-day extravaganza on 17-19 June will be based on the Olympian Games held in the town in 1864; the 125th Olympian Games will be held in Much Wenlock during the second week of July and the Ironbridge Gorge Museums will be hosting a series of events, activities and exhibitions as part of the West Midlands’ Cultural Olympiad, with the support of Renaissance West Midlands.

Tags: Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site, Shrewsbury Olympian Festival, Shropshire

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

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.

Save Hastings Pier

Feb 17

Posted by elisa in Coast, Events, family days out, Festivals, Tourist Board | No Comments

The pier in its glory, photo by Flickr user drew_anywhere Hastings Pier was devastated by fire last year and British Tourism Week has teamed up with Coast magazine to launch a campaign to raise funds to restore it.

The new campaign is calling for people to take part in a sponsored Great Pier Promenade to help return the Pier to its former state. The aim is for people to walk along as many British piers as possible over spring and summer to raise money towards restoration work.

The Great Pier Promenade starts on Saturday 12th March by Hastings Pier, during a Party on the Prom, including a market and performances by local poets, musicians and comedians. This campaign is also to coincide with VisitBritain’s Party on the Pier, a celebration of British piers during British Tourism Week..

Comic Jo Brand, who is in support of the campaign said: “Every seaside should have its pier, that symbol of fun, frivolity and, for me, many nights spent drunkenly dancing at its far end to the popular bands of the time. When I got chucked out of home at 17, I rented a bedsit overlooking Hastings Pier, so it featured in my landscape for a number of years. I’d hate to see it disappear forever.”

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