Argyll Museum up for Guardian Award

Posted on April 8, 2011 by

Are you planning on taking a break this year in one of the many great holiday cottages in Scotland? If so then you could visit the wonderful Kilmartin House museum in the wonderfully scenic Scottish region of Argyll.

The Museum itself is one of just six museums shortlisted by the Guardian newspaper in their family friendly Museum award for 2011. The results of the competition will be announced during April and it will of course be a great scoop for whichever museum should win. Some of the other shortlisted Museums include the potteries museum in Stoke-on-Trent and the Mansfield museum in Nottinghamshire. The winners of the award will be chosen from recommendations by families to the sites and marked in accordance to the papers ‘Kids in Museums’ manifesto.

Kilmartin House is no stranger to awards and has won many awards relating to its exhibitions and contributions towards the Scottish tourism trade and heritage. It is also shortlisted for this year’s museums and Heritage award for excellence.

The Kilmartin museum is set within the town of Kilmartin which is centralised in an area of archaeological importance with almost three hundred and fifty ancient monuments and sites within a small radius of the museum.

A large part of the museums exhibitions centres upon the areas heritage and history and includes many artefacts that were discovered within close proximity of the area making it even more special. Along with the exhibitions and artefacts visitors can enjoy a snack within the museums grounds, set in a wonderful oak lined conservatory cafe. With views of Argyll cottages and ancient historical mounds, the museum is a wonderful and interesting day out for all of the family and even better enjoyed in one of the area’s many wonderful Cottages in Scotland.

The Best Beaches of Torbay

Posted on April 3, 2011 by Gerard

beaches of torbay

Torbay, or the English Riviera as it is also known, is packed full of fantastic family friendly beaches right along its 22 mile stretch of beautiful Devon coastline.

Maidencombe is an award winning sandy beach which boasts great rock pools at low tide. There is plenty of parking too as well as a café and toilets. The beach lies on a particularly beautiful stretch of the South West Coastal path and offers some great walks.

Oddicombe is another award winning beach with both a sand and shingle surface. The access to the beach is step but the cliff railway is a great alternative to walking. There is a café, beach shop, toilets, deck and sun bed hire but the car park is a half mile from the beach.

Torre Abby beach is just across the road from the Torre Abbey Meadows parklands. This tidal sandy beach is right in the heart of Torquay and has lots of amenities nearby as well as deckchair and sun bed hire.

Paignton beach is a long sandy beach in the heart of the town and also features Paignton Pier at its centre. Because of its location the beach has plenty of amenities close by and even offers you the chance to hire a pedalo.

Goodrington Sands is a long and sandy beach with Quaywest Waterpark, Seashore Centre and Youngs Park are all adjacent. Low tide reveals some great rock pools and if you pop into the Seashore Centre you can find out more about the numerous creatures that call these pools home. The beach has plenty of amenities and deckchair and sun bed hire.

This is just a sample of the great beaches you can look forward to when staying on your Devon holidays.

Romantic Cornwall

Posted on April 1, 2011 by Gerard

couple on the beach

Cornwall is not just a great family destination; it is also a perfect getaway for couples looking for a romantic break.

What could be more romantic than walking hand in hand with your loved one along a golden sandy beach at sunset or having a cosy picnic on top of a sun-drenched cliff overlooking a wide blue sea. You can find all of this and more on a romantic holiday in Cornwall that is sure to provide many fond lifelong memories.

Its not just the great outdoors that provides the romantic opportunities in Cornwall, the county is full of wonderful restaurants serving everything from modern cuisine to good old fashioned pub grub. The region is also famous for its sea food and there aren’t many places in the UK where you will find fresher sea food. The most famous eatery is of course Rick Stein’s restaurant which is renowned across the world as one of the finest sea food restaurants around today.

Most romantic evenings are accompanied by wine so what better way to spend your romantic break than a trip to a vineyard. You may not realise it but Cornwall has its own vineyards thanks to its warm summers and good climate. Take a tour of one of these beautiful vineyards and see how the nectar of the gods is created, then perhaps best of all you get to sample some delicious wine afterwards.

Cornwall also provides the perfect accommodation for your romantic break too. Why not rent Cornwall cottages by the sea, you could even find one with an open fireplace for some cosy nights in front of the fire with a bottle of wine from the local vineyard and some freshly caught seafood.

Family Days Out in Cornwall

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Gerard

cornwall holiday

Thousands and thousands of Brits and many more travellers from across the world will be heading to Cornwall this year for their summer holidays. Cornwall is a great attraction for any tourist be they a couple seeking a romantic getaway or a family on their summer holidays. In this post we will look at some of the great attraction that Cornwall has to offer families staying in Cornwall holiday cottages.

Flambards offer some of the best family rides and thrills in Cornwall and includes an undercover play area, summertime entertainment shows, award winning exhibitions, children’s ride area and the famous Victorian village.

Get ready for the thrill of Morgawr the new roller coaster at Crealy Adventure Park Cornwall. Crealy offers plenty of wild rides, cute animals, thrilling adventures and indoor play areas for family fun whatever the weather.

Newquay Zoo is regarded as one of the finest zoo’s in the south west and is home to animals from right across the world. Here you will find all your favourite animals from penguins to lions set amongst exotic lakeside gardens. The zoo also has children’s play areas, a Tarzan trail, tropical house and much, much more besides.

The Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay is one of the finest aquariums in the UK and allows you to get up close and personal with the wonders of the underwater world.

The Monkey Sanctuary is situated in beautiful woodland overlooking the Cornish coast. The sanctuary has been home to monkeys from all over the world since it was established in 1964.

This is just a small sample of the countless great family friendly attractions to be found during a holiday in Cornwall.

Why visit Pembrokeshire

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Gerard

Pembrokeshire

Have you been looking for your next UK holiday destination? Have you considered Pembrokeshire? No! Well maybe its time to start thinking about it.

One of the first reasons you should think about this destination is its easy access to the rest of the UK. It might now sound like a great idea to choose a holiday spot based on ease of access but do you really want to spend an entire day of your precious holiday travelling the length and breadth of the country. Pembrokeshire and South Wales are just 4 hours from London, 3.5 from Birmingham and 1.5 hours from Cardiff and the Severn Bridge is just 2 hours up the road.

But you don’t want to go somewhere that’s just convenient to get to though. You want to visit somewhere that offers stunning views, an abundance of wildlife, rubbed cliffs, sand beaches, pretty coves and isolated islands, luckily Pembrokeshire has all of this and so much more.

Most of Pembrokeshire’s 258 mile long coastline is a National Park, in fact it’s the UK’s only costal Park. The reason for this is because Pembrokeshire is home to some of the very finest coastline you will find in the country. Its 258 miles is packed with scenic views, bird life, and marine life, activity sports, walking trails, golf courses and many pretty towns and villages.

The Pembrokeshire coastline is not only drawing in Brits for holidays, thanks to its starring role in the recent Robin Hood film starring Russell Crow and it being the location of Shell Cottage in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows it is now popular all throughout the world.

Another reason to visit Pembrokeshire is the amount of great Wales holiday cottages to stay in that help make this part of the world that extra bit special.

The beauty of Bath’s Architecture

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Dave

When visiting the wonderful city of Bath the first thing you will notice is its gorgeous and historical architecture. Throughout every twist and turn you can spot unique Georgian features and historical buildings. Many of the greatest architects of all time have had a hand in designing Bath giving it a unique and cultural atmosphere. One of the cities most stunning features is its many Crescents; these glorious collections of buildings have been landmarks within Bath for many years.

Why not take a Mid week break in Bath to soak up its architectural beauty, you could even combine it with one of many Spa Breaks that are available throughout the year.

Bath Hotels Business growth!

Posted on February 9, 2011 by Dave

A recent survey has given those in the hotel industry some great news, hotels in the south west, particularly in Bath, have been as a whole outperforming other cities around the country. Hotels in Bath have finished 2010 with a very strong yearly growth. The cities 9% growth within the hotel industry was the third highest recorded in the country with only London and Heathrow ahead of them.
Hotels Bath are already renowned for being wonderful value for money and amongst the most luxurious in the country. Bath hotels had an occupancy rate of 77% throughout 2010. Great news for the industry and everyone involved.

Climbing in the peak District

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Dave

Each and every day thousands of people visit the Peak District to climb and take advantage of its wonderful Tors and crags. There are well over 10,000 different recorded places that people can climb throughout the national park. Numerous different climbing groups and societies operate within the national park and you are sure to find exactly what you need whilst taking a Peak District Holiday. There are many Cottages in the Peak District that are available to rent should you decide upon a climbing holiday and are sure to make your stay as enjoyable as possible.

Time for a romantic Bath this Valentine’s Day?

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Dave

With Valentines Day approaching very fast many people are getting stuck trying to decide where to take their loved one this year for a short break. Many people will tell you just how wonderful and romantic the city of Bath is, especially at this time of the year.

Bath has everything that you could possibly wish for during a valentine’s break, wonderful restaurants, exotic Spa Breaks and amazing shopping! There is so much to do during a mid week break in Bath and combining it with Valentines Day can really show your loved one how much you care and have thought about making the day as special as possible.

Easter Airport Strikes

Posted on January 27, 2011 by Dave

Busy Airport Easter holiday makers may want to double check that their annual travel insurance covers flight cancellations as news emerges that more strikes could take part at airports over the Easter holiday period. Once again it looks like the public may play the part of pawns as unions battle British airways again. There has been no official dates released yet but even the mere worry of strike may put many people off of travelling as memories of sleeping in airports and cancelled flights are still fresh.

Last year 22 days were lost due to industrial action. This had a huge impact on holiday travellers in the country, but also cost British airways in the region of £150 million. There is at least 1 day of strike expected as the union “Unite” will want to keep the ongoing dispute live. This would give their members legal indemnity and keep them from being dismissed for the next 12 weeks.

As the airway and its staff union have their ongoing battle it is the traveller suffering the worst. Many people have needed to claim on their holiday insurance policies because they just haven’t been able to get to their pre booked holiday destinations. In the long term this could greatly affect the premiums people pay for short term or annual holiday insurance as the companies look to recoup what must be a huge peak in claims due to travel disruption. Between volcanoes and industrial action the UK tourism trade has taken a beating. Not just for tourists travelling out but also tourists unable to visit the UK. As a country the Optimist might say that the lack of international travel might help benefit the UK by increasing UK tourism but our railway networks and fuel costs for road travel are fast becoming a luxury many can not afford.

Agreement between British airways and the union was nearly finalised in October 2010, but a fall out over fine print saw a failure to end the long running dispute. A British airways spokesman has said “We urge Unite to return to the deal we negotiated, which guarantees pay rises for the next two years and secures terms and conditions for our existing crew that are the best in the UK industry.”

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