We’ve received the following email from the editors of Holiday Villas and Cottages magazine, which is relevant to all people who advertise their property on holidaycottages.cc and any other web site or magazine:

Please be aware that a number of advertisers in our publication Holiday Villas & Cottages have recently received calls from sales people improperly claiming to work for, or on behalf of, the magazine.

In a number of cases individuals have been persuaded to hand over credit card details after being offered renewal of their advertisement booking at a low price, subject to immediate acceptance of the offer and payment by credit card. Their card is then debited in that amount, often several times.
No written or email confirmation is supplied until after payment has been taken.

Any advertising supplied as a result appears to be in a freesheet style publication, not in a bona fide magazine.

These calls are not in any way connected with Holiday Villas & Cottages, Merricks Publishing Ltd, holidaycottages.cc.

Calls to our advertisers are almost certainly just the tip of the iceberg. Anyone advertising in any publication or on any website could be called by these people.
If you receive an advertising sales call seeking a repeat booking in any publication/website and you have any doubts at all as to whether it is genuine, ask the caller for his/her name and the name of the company and publication, then call that publication (making sure you call the genuine number, not one that you are given on the pretext that ‘the switchboard is always busy.’) In our case, the number to call is 01458 274447.

Allegations of improper sales activity of this sort have been covered by the BBC and discussed online, for example here and here.

If this has already happened to you, call me, Hamish Watson-Grey, or e-mail info@merrickspublishing.com and we will advise what steps you can take to recover your funds.

With kind regards

Hamish Watson-Grey
Managing Director
Merricks Publishing Ltd

Tonight temperatures could drop as low as -10C in many parts of the UK.

The alert is also passed on to Age UK as part of the government’s cold weather planning strategy, as older people are at risk during cold periods of weather such as this. Michelle Mitchell, director of Age UK, said: “It may have been relatively mild so far this year but the winter can be a dangerous time for older people. Low temperatures raise blood pressure, which puts people at a greater risk of heart attacks and strokes, as well as increasing the likelihood and severity of flu and other respiratory problems.”

A warm front is set to come next week however, which will raise temperatures slightly, but it will still be seasonally chilly and could cause snow.

If we think that it is getting cold here though, think about those in other parts of Europe, such as Italy and Northern Greece, where temperatures are at a chilly -16C!

The clock is ticking! Picture by Flickr User Ben Sutherland

Over 1 in 10 Brits will be going abroad on holiday specifically to avoid the London 2012 Olympics. 12% of the 2,018 adults asked in the ABTA commissioned poll, said they would b going overseas between 27th July and 12th August to get away from the games. Whereas 9% said they were looking for a holidays in the UK that was Olympics free.

Of those who were staying put, 30% said that they ignore the Games completely, whereas 11% are planning to take time off to watch the Games on TV, and 5% will take time off to attend events. 31% said that although they will not take time off during the events, they are excited about them nonetheless.

ABTA head of communications Victoria Bacon said: “With only six months to go until one of the biggest sporting events in our country’s history, it’s clear that hundreds of thousands, especially the young, will be taking time off to enjoy London 2012. However, for those who don’t love sports or want to escape the crowds, going abroad will provide a welcome alternative.”

The research was conducted by Arkenford Ltd, which specialises in tourism and leisure market research.

So, will you be staying for the Olympics, going away, or ignoring them? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.

National Express, First Capital Connect and London Midland received the most bad feedback. The worst for value for money, with only 27% customer satisfaction, was National Express East Anglia’s Stratford line. However, West Anglia services only performed marginally better.

Overall, 84% customer satisfaction is the same figure as last year, however, as Passenger Focus chief executive Anthony Smith pointed out ratings for services only ranged from “mediocre to good”, and “satisfaction with value for money has gone down, illustrating the impact tough economic times coupled with fare rises are having.”

Michael Roberts, of the Association of Train Operating Companies, had a more positive view of the results: “Overall, customer satisfaction remains at a record high level, though the survey results by route show there is no room for complacency.”

What do you think about your train services? Are the price hikes in comparison to the level of service provided justified? Please comment below.

Searching for travel information across Greater London was already possible but now internet and mobile users have access to timetables and train information for routes across the whole country.

Richard Rowson, Product Development Director at thetrainline.com said: “We’re delighted to be providing train travel information through Google Maps for the first time. We want to make sure that consumers are always able to consider rail options when making a journey and this innovation will help train travellers nationwide to do that by planning their route more easily. This is a fantastic partnership and demonstrates what two market leading brands working together can achieve.”

Ed Parsons, Google UK’s geospatial technologist, said: “Google Maps seeks to provide a wide range of relevant local information, and public transport station and schedule information is definitely a part of that. It is great to be able to partner with companies like thetrainline.com and have their schedule information available in Google Maps for the whole of Britain. This means we can reach and help a larger number of people with useful national rail train information.”

Google Maps is available in over 50 languages, so as London gets set for the 2012 Olympics and an even bigger influx of tourists, it is hoped that this technology will help them to find their way around the city and country.

Christopher Rodrigues, VisitBritain Chairman said: “We want to encourage visitors to explore the whole of Britain. With the Olympics less than 200 days away Google’s new initiative is exciting news. Millions of visitors plan their itinerary using Google maps and this additional information will act as a catalyst and inspire them to discover all that is wonderful about our great country.”

The 250mph line which is due to be completed in 2026 is the first stage of the project and will cost £16.3 billion. The second stage will run two more lines from Birmingham to Leeds and Manchester, and eventually it is envisaged that the lines could extend to Edinburgh and Glasgow.

There has been opposition against the cost of the project and its effect on the landscape that it travels through; such as the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty where less than two miles of track will be visible. However, the route will consist of 28 miles of tunnels and 40 miles of cuttings in order to reduce noise levels to those close by.

“This is not in any way a vanity project, this is a key and vital investment in Britain’s future,” said Greening. The Government also argues the project will generate £44billion of benefits to the economy over 60 years.

The journey from London to Birmingham will take 45 minutes, a 39 minute reduction from the current time, and a trip from Birmingham to Paris will take three hours instead of the current four.

Research from the TravelSupermarket Travel Trends Tracker has revealed that of the 5,000 people questioned, only 8% intend on taking a short city break this year, compared to 11% last year. The research indicated that this is because holidaymakers are less likely to plan for an ‘extra’ break away this year, making all short breaks on the decline.

Bob Atkinson, of TravelSupermarket said: “We have seen that in 2012 there will be a significant decrease in those taking a short break of less than seven nights.

“Perhaps thought of as an ‘extra’ break the research also shows a reduction in the number of people going away for stag and hen dos, nights away for a special occasion and for friends or family weddings.

“However, the reduced demand may well lead to an increase in the number of bargains around, in which case we may see short breaks pick up again in the second half of the year.”

The most popular holiday (37%) is by the beach. For those of you in this camp, you can find plenty of beach-based cottages on the Holiday Cottages site.

Merry Christmas from the Holiday Cottages blog! We hope all our readers have a wonderful festive break. Keep visiting the site for places to stay, travel news articles and features on activities to do while on holiday. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @Holcottagescc

The Met Office has issued a red alert, and police in Scotland have told people not to travel. There are long delays at Glasgow and Edinburgh airports as the wind speeds have made it unsafe for many aircraft to travel.

Network Rail has imposed a 50mph speed restriction on trains operating north and west of Edinburgh. The Tay Rail Bridge has also been closed. Passengers are advised not to travel north of Edinburgh for the time being as the conditions worsen.

The River Clyde has burst its banks in Glasgow, parts of buildings have fallen down as well as the city’s large Christmas decorations strewn across pavements.

The Atlantic storm is expected to cause further disruption across Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North east of England tomorrow.

The strongest winds are expected to affect central, southern and north eastern Scotland, northern parts of Northern Ireland, and North East England. The risk of snow is also likely in Western Scotland, Northern Ireland and Northwest England on Friday and Saturday for which there are also weather warnings.

The Met Office have published a selection of some of the highest winds recorded around the UK today (Thursday 8th November):

Cairngorm Summit: 165 mph

Aonach Mor: 145 mph

Tiree: 90 mph

Dunstaffnage: 86 mph

Aberdaron: 81 mph

Church Fenton: 73 mph

Glasgow, Bishopton: 71 mph

Edinburgh, Gogarbank: 69 mph

St Bees Head: 74 mph

Mumbles Head: 62 mph

Below is a guest post from Kett Country Cottages in Norfolk. Let us know what you think — it’s always interesting to get a different point of view, and we’re hoping to do more of these in future. Looking for more ideas? You can read our Norfolk holiday guide on the main Holiday Cottages site.

We all enjoy the traditional Christmas feast with our family, but what else is there to do if you decide to go on holiday in Norfolk this festive season? Going on holiday to this part of England can add some extra excitement to your family Christmas, so go out and have an adventure this year!

1. Going for a Christmas swim. In Norfolk, the glory of the North Sea is there for all to enjoy, with a number of hardy folk jumping into the sea over Christmas time. There are 3 on consecutive days, so you can go to one or all of them, depending on your tolerance for cold.
   • Hunstanton Round Table Christmas Day Swim (Hunstanton, 25^th December at 11am)
   • Cromer Boxing Day Swim (Cromer, 26^th December at 10am)
   • Overstrand Boxing Day Swim (Overstrand, 26^th December at 11am)
2. Enjoy a Christmas Spectacular. In Thursford, you have the opportunity to enjoy one of the most popular Christmas shows, which features carols, dancers, beautiful costumes and wonderful music. It’s an event the whole family can enjoy. (Shows every day at 2pm and 7pm until the 23^rd December)
3. Take a trip on a heritage railway. A number of different lines throughout Norfolk, including the Poppy Line, are running festive services where you can enjoy a train journey to see Santa, travelling through the countryside while munching on mince pies.
4. Visit a Norwich Christmas Market. There are a large number of special Christmas Markets happening throughout Norwich, which each offer a unique range of little gifts and treats for the whole family to enjoy when you return to your Christmas holiday cottage. In the Mall, you can find the Norwich Christmas Craft Fair (From 9am every day until 24^th December)
5. Attend the Pantomime. This year Sleeping Beauty is playing at the Norwich Theatre Royal until the 14^th of January, so you can take the whole family to enjoy the fun and laughter of a panto featuring well-known actors, and songs that everyone can sing along to.
6. Take a guided walk or tour. Some of the most interesting sights in Norfolk can only seen if you know where to look and a guide can help you find them. There are a number of different guided tours happening, including:
   • Victorian Ghosts, a walk hosted by the Man in Black, who will tell you the unusual stories that aren’t told on most ghost walks. You can also finish off in the festive spirit with some mulled wine (Adam & Eve Pub, Norwich, 22^nd December at 7pm)
   • The Boxing Day walk at Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden, will allow you to get a guided tour around this beautiful garden from its head gardener, ending with mince pies and mulled wines (South Walsham, 26^th December at 11am)
7. Watch Morris Dancing. This traditional English dancing is being performed by the Kemps Men of Norwich, including their Mummers Dance. This is a fun event that the whole family can watch and enjoy. (Banningham Crown Pub, 26^th December at 12 noon)