Camping tips for your next holiday

With summer supposedly here we thought we would compile some camping tips if you dare brave the out doors for a dreaded camping holiday

1. Practice pitching your tent

To save embarrassment when arriving at the campsite, why not practice setting up your tent in your garden before you leave. It may seem silly, but you will be glad that you know equipment well, especially if you arrive at the campsite and it’s dark.

2. Be Prepared

I tend to use checklists even when going on a package holiday. They are a great way of knowing that you take the things you need and you can check off the items as you pack them for your trip. This will also come in handy on the return journey.

3. Don’t trip over

Most tents now come with reflective guy lines which will hopefully lower the chance of making a fool out of yourself by tripping over the tent (we have all done it!). If yours aren’t already protective, you can use some coloured tape to make them noticeable.

4. Comfortable floor

Before setting up your tent, you should clear the ground of sticks and stones (they may break your bones) as they will be uncomfortable to lie on and may damage your tent.

5. Pitch somewhere sensible

Use common sense when setting up your tent, avoid camping near rivers or beaches where the water can rise and make sure prevailing wind will be deflected by the shape of the tent.

6. Facilities

It is a good idea to be fairly close to a campsites facilities, but if you are too close you maybe woken up in the night and mornings by noise and nasty smells.

7. Take Spares

It is a good idea to be prepared by taking spare tent items such as tent pegs, duck tape, guy lines and a tent repair kit that you can purchase from a outdoor supply shop.

Hopefully these tips will be useful for you next time you visit any of Britain’s amazing campsites

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A Great day out at Blue Reef Aquarium, Newquay.

Right in the heart of Newquay, situated on Towan beach is the stunning Blue Reef Aquarium. With over 40 displays showing a large variety of captivating marine life the aquarium has plenty to see and do. Blue Reef is a great day out for people of all ages, every time you go you will pick up something new, there is just so much to look at! Over 30,000 children visit every year to find out more about marine life and how they live.

The staff working at the Blue Reef are very informative and obviously care a great deal about marine life. They show feeding demonstrations (watching the Giant Pacific Octopus being fed is an interesting experience!) and give talks on the hundreds of tropical species and many local species that are on our Cornish coastside. Specially themed events like their up and coming Pirates weekend are also set up to keep all of the family entertained.

The main displays at Blue Reef Aquarium are as follows:

· Turtle Creek – Offering an unusual glimpse into the lives of Turtles from as far away as Brazil and Australia. The Blue Reef has also gaining international acclaim for its revolutionary work with marooned sea turtles.

· Tropical Paradise – The main centerpiece of the Blue Reef Aquarium is a magnificent coral reef based within a huge ocean display. Many exotic species call this place home like Puffer fish, Wrasse and Angelfish.

· Blue Reef Nursery – A devoted team of aquarists are involved in a breeding program designed for local and tropical species. In the nursery you will find clownfish and seahorses as well as sharks, rays and loads more.

· Predators – Oceans may seem safe from the surface but beneath they are a place where only the smart & strong survive! These depths are home to loads of bizarre and frightening creatures including Jellyfish, stinging Lionfish and the Giant Octopus!

· Claws enclosure – Discover how Lobsters, Crabs and Shrimps have been owning the seas long before the Jurassic period. Meet some of the more weird species in their rock-pools and trenches.

With all of that an many more you’ll be returning time and time again as the place is ideal for a Newquay short break so if you are down in the Cornwall area be sure to drop by!

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Fishing Trip to the English Riviera

Unsurprisingly for a beach resort the English Riviera offers a large variety of fishing opportunities and like many each year, once you fish there you’ll be hooked! The beaches and headlands of the English Riviera gives you unrestricted sea fishing and several local tackle shops are open for your convenience, advice and equipment. Obviously there are many species of fish in the sea but the popular species found around the bay are Mackeral

Mullet, Pollock, Dogfish, Bull Huss as well as Garfish and Conger. I’ve made a list of things for you to remember (or to make sure to purchase/rent) for your fishing trip.

• Rod and reel
• Tackle
• Bait
• A sharp knife
• A Cloth to wipe your hands and hold onto the fish
• First Aid Kit.

Harbours at Paignton, Hoburne Torquay and Brixham all offer a large choice of Torbay fishing trips and for the more enthusiastic angler, shark fishing and wreck visits are available. For the novice, mackerel fishing trips are enjoyable and should offer a good chance of making a catch! After the fishing trip you can go and BBQ your catch, relax with the family and watch the sunset, the perfect end to a great day by the sea.

Holidays are meant to be relaxing and that’s what fishing is all about, no wonder its one of the most popular sports in the UK! Crabbing is popular with the kids and even if you return without making a catch there are still plenty of local restaurants around the English Riviera to make sure you don’t go hungry!

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Birdwatching on the Isles of Scilly.

Seen as one of Britain’s most attractive tourist spots the Isles of Scilly attract over 120,000 holiday makers every year. These sub-tropical islands enjoy the UK’s best weather and is classified as an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Known as the Fortunate Isles by the locals, the Isles of Scilly are based 28 miles to the south west of Cornwall and are used as a landfall for birds originating from all around the world. The Isles of Scilly have build up a reputation for attracting Europe’s rarest birds with over 400 species recorded! Beating every other single site in the continent, with quite a high percentage being vagrants.

Obvious this calibre and quality of wildlife attracts people from afar with Scilly being particularly popular in Autumn. Around this time of year there are nearly more birders visiting the island than there are locals! As they search for a rarely sighted or never seen before bird in which they can brag to their chums of its beauty at the local pub in the evening.

Autumn however isn’t the only time of year for birdwatching. As going on a Scilly island day trip is nearly always rewarding. Puffins are around during the summer months as well as many different seabirds breeding all along the coastline. The European Storm-petrel also make an appearance with sometimes as many as 17,000 in tow. Night Herons and Little Bittern are regularly seen in spring time along with Hoopoes and Woodchat Shrikes. This is usually my favourite time to go as the warm weather, long hours of daylight and fewer birders makes it a peaceful, relaxing and intriguing time for me and the family.

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Join the Isle of Wight Walking Festival!

Set up in 1999 the Isle of Wight Walking Festival goes on between the 3^rd and 18^th of May. The walking is a great way to get fit and with over 50% of the island renowned as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty not a bad way to do it. Every year walkers from around the world (some travelling from America and Australia) come to the island to enjoy what it has to offer and it’s better than average UK weather!

The Isle of Wight has over 500 miles of sign-posted footpaths and 30 miles of Heritage Coastline to walk along. The first year featured a choice of 39 different walks, in the years since the numbers have risen to 200 with around 15,000 people taking part. All of these specialised walks are set to ability and age, whether you are an experience walker or the more laid back rambler there is something available for everyone. Some of the different types of walk are listed below:

• Family Treasure Hunt
• Speed Dating Walk
• Jimi Hendrix Garden Tour
• Newport Ghost Walk
• Reading Ramble

Those are just to name a few. There are of course a few more taxing walks if that’s for you then how about the 72 mile walk around the coast? All in 24 hours! If like many others you will be travelling from afar you’ll need some Isle of Wight Accomodation and as hotels and hostels may be full I’d book early to avoid disappointment.

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Festivals of Cornwall.

Cornwall is well known for its historical landscape and its areas of exceptional natural beauty. But beyond the picturesque views and friendly locals is an exciting cultural scene.

Whether its art, theatre, film or music that you are looking for there is always plenty going on to keep the most interested culture vulture happy.

Here are a few festivals that I plan to go to this year!

Cornwall Film Festival.

Cornwall Film Festival is unsurprisingly a festival based around Cornish filmmaking and makers. There are both local and national film premieres, workshops and parties for anyone be it novice or pro! Based in the town of Falmouth the quality of the films is very high and another plus point is getting to meet the makers themselves who can give you more background into the film and how it was made.

Live Art Falmouth

Yet another festival based in Falmouth and after last year’s success the LAF is back. Over 70 artists contribute over a two day period featuring a large variety of different performance art. Wellington Terrace is where all the magic happens with sound/sonic art, video screenings and interactive video installations on show all using the latest cutting edge technology!

Rip Curl Boardmasters 2008

One of the coolest festivals in Britain the Rip Curl Boardmasters features great live music, seeing the worlds finest surfers, skateboarders and BMXer’s combined with a massive bar on a beach. Does it get better than this?

The Fistral Beach is where some of the worlds finest surfers will battle it out for a huge $100,000 prize. The Skating version has a total prize of $20,000 so you know that the competition will be fierce.

Over at Watergate Bay you can watch some of the best UK talent. Bands like Groove Armada, Gallows, Audio Bullys and The Futureheads will be playing this year and it proves to be one of the best yet! This festival runs between the 4^th-10^th of August so if you are travelling down to Cornwall it is advised that you find a nice Cornwall Holiday Cottage to stay and book early to avoid disappointment.

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A day out at Paignton Zoo

Paignton Zoo is a grand day out for all the family. Home to thousands of wonderful animals and plants, the zoo is setup into six various habitats in which they all co-exist. The habitats are Primley, Savannah, Forest, Wetland, Tropical Forest and Desert. The most popular animals being the elephants, monkeys, lions (who you can all watch being fed at specific times) and the crocodiles, pythons and giant tortoises.

You have to use most of your senses to find out about the wild world. Look about, listen in on the animals, you’ll use your sense of smell too!

As well as the animals and plants the zoo has a Jungle express mini railway, a jungle bridge in Lemur wood, special feeder talks and specific feeding times, space to sit and eat in over 80 acres of natural environment.

The Zoo has a scientific and educational charity devoted to conserving out worldwide

Wildlife traditions and stimulating its visitors into looking after and respecting the environment and the animals that live in it.

The keeping staff and veterinary team look after all the animals in the Zoo, working hard alongside the research staff to make sure that the environment is right for all of them. This might sound fairly easy but due to the large variety of animals on display this can sometimes prove very tricky! All the teams in the background enable the animals to be happy, active and enthusiastic.

After a fun trip out with the family it’s pretty certain you’ll be looking for a place to stay and one of my favourite areas is Hoburne Torbay as the people are friendly and there is plenty to do.

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My time away on a Lake District Holiday.

After returning recently from a great weekend away in the lake district I thought I’d discuss what I got up too and add a few reasons why you should come to the lakes as soon as possible!

1. Hire a Boat –In the Lake District there are plenty of boats available to hire. Whether you are looking for a motor boat, rowing boat or a sail boat travelling via water is one of the best ways to see the lakes in all their glory. If you are looking for a lazy day out find a local steam boat tour, lay back and enjoy the ride. Do take note, there is a speed limit in the lakes of ten nautical miles per hour which means water skiing and power boating at high speed is now illegal.
2. Walking – The Lake District is well known for its beautiful scenery and peaceful atmosphere. How hard your walk can be is down to you as the area has both straightforward and challenging routes. The most popular ones being the exposed peaks of Scafell Pike and Hevellyn.
3. Windsurfing – Coniston water is the most popular spot in the Lake District when it comes to windsurfing. Blessed with great location and conditions. If you are a beginner like I was there are plenty of different windsurfing schools to get you on your way.
4. Cycling and Mountain Biking – Cycling is yet another great way to venture around the lakes and one of the most popular. Areas like Windermere and Ambleside are particularly fashionable with pro’s and novices alike. Once again the choice of difficulty is up to you from the woodland tracks like Whinlatter forests to the challenging descents of Skiddaw.
5. Fishing - As you can imagine the opportunities to go fishing in the Lake District is pretty vast! The lakes, fisheries, sea and rivers offer fishing for all varieties of angler. Most of the waters can be fished with the correct permits but fortunately the private areas are available for fishing on a day-to-day basis.

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