Win £1000 of cottages4you vouchers

February 4, 2010

As it’s been a cold start to the year we’ve decided to give one lucky person the chance to get away from it all with £1000 of C4Y vouchers. With a fantastic portfolio of properties in the UK, France, Ireland Italy, Spain, Portugal and Cyprus, cottages4you offers something for everyone, and with £1000 to play with, we’re sure we’ve got the dream holiday  property for one lucky prize draw winner.

Entry is free and to be in with a chance of winning simply become a fan of cottages4you on Facebook and keep an eye on our ‘Guess the item prize draw’ photo album. We’ll be uploading a close-up photo of an item commonly found in holiday cottages (though some of the ones we feature are so well-equipped, this may prove a challenge!) When we have enough new fans, we’ll release another photo of the item until it (hopefully!) becomes obvious. And when we’ve uploaded all the photos, we’ll pick one of the correct names out of our magical cottages4you hat to win the vouchers.

Once you’re ready to guess then you can email your answer, with your contact details to: prizedraw@cottages4you.co.uk. Remember, you need to be a Facebook fan of cottages4you to enter – we’ll be checking! Also, you’re only allowed one entry so make sure you’re confident before you send your answer!

We’ll also be awarding a crate of wine to the first person to guess the photo correctly, so make sure you keep checking our Facebook page! If you don’t have a Facebook profile then you can sign up for free at www.facebook.com and you can find the cottages4you page by clicking this link.

Good luck!  You can find the prize draw terms and conditions by clicking this link.


Lake District shops offer “high-quality service”

February 8, 2010

If you fancy a bit of retail therapy during a stay in a Lake District holiday cottage then you certainly won”t be short of options.

At least this is the opinion of Carissa Lough, policy planner for the national park, who was commenting on the results of a survey regarding shopping trends in the area.

"Given the size of our towns and villages, there are a lot more shops than you would expect compared to other similar-sized places," she remarked, adding that a high proportion of these outlets are independently run and provide "high-quality service" to customers.

The aim of the research was to see if the volume of visitors that travel to the Lakes has an adverse affect on shopping for residents and Ms Lough noted that this doesn”t seem to be the case.

Visitors who missed out on souvenirs during their Lake District holiday can now stock up from home, as the Lake District National Park’’s website now has an online store selling items like books and DVDs.

Posted by David SollbergerADNFCR-2558-ID-19598486-ADNFCR


Bamburgh Castle ”a top Northumberland attraction”

February 8, 2010

Sites like Bamburgh Castle and Cragside are must-sees for those that are planning a stay in a Northumberland holiday cottage.

This is according to spokeswoman for Visit Northumberland Sheelagh Caygill, who noted that these are among the top visitor attractions in the area.

Visitors heading to the north-east during half-term will have a variety of events to choose from, she remarked, especially at Cragside, as the National Trust site will be used to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Lord Armstrong.

Ms Caygill explained that more and more people have been opting to take Northumberland holidays over the past year, with the rise in staycations helping to push visitor numbers up during 2009.

"The coast in particular was really busy," she observed, adding that Hadrian’’s Wall, Alnwick Garden Castle and Holy Island are another three attractions that tourists should add to their to-do lists.

Northumberland could be set for another busy summer, as travelsupermarket.com figures recently showed that 21 per cent of Brits are planning on taking three or more holidays this year.

Posted by David SollbergerADNFCR-2558-ID-19600983-ADNFCR


Lake District boating centre set for reopening

February 5, 2010

If you’ve been waiting for confirmation that Coniston Boating Centre is back open for business before booking a Lake District holiday cottage then you’re in luck, as the attraction is set to be up and running later this month.

The centre, which attracts around 180,000 visitors a year, was badly hit by flooding that occurred in the area recently, but is now ready for use.

“It’s quite literally been all hands on deck after the centre spent several days submerged in the heavily swollen lake,” explained manager Dave Coxton.

He added that taking a boat out is one of the best ways to enjoy the scenery on offer in the Lakes and predicted that demand will be high on Valentine’s Day, as romantic couples look to take to the water.

A wide variety of vessels are available for hire at the centre, including electric and rowing boats, sailing dinghies, canoes and kayaks.

Posted by Andrew HillADNFCR-2558-ID-19596128-ADNFCR


On This Morning

February 5, 2010

Following our recent TV ad, we were back on the nation’s screens again this week in a travel segment on ITV’s This Morning.

In his holiday segment, travel guru Craig Doyle detailed some of the fantastic French gites that can be booked through cottages4you. And don’t worry if you missed it as you can watch the whole segment on the ITV website by clicking here (though feel free to switch off after the France bit!)

If you’d like to book your own summer sun accommodation then you can click here to search from a fantastic selection of cottages, gites and villas on the cottages4you website.


Brush up on your history at a Lake District exhibition

February 3, 2010

History lovers heading to Cumbria for a stay in Lake District holiday cottages are in luck, as a new exhibition detailing 12,000 years of human activity in the area has just opened in Whitehaven.

”Unlocking the past, understanding the present”, has started at the town’’s library and runs until March 8th before departing for the next leg of its tour around the county.

And those with young children who may have been put off from visiting for fear of their kids getting bored may want to try and get there on February 25th, when a special family day will be taking place.

"The open day provides a rare opportunity to handle real artefacts, along with activities," explained Eleanor Kingston, Lake District National Park archaeology and heritage adviser.

And visitors who want to learn more about the area during their stay in Lake District holiday cottages are likely to be spoilt for choice in the coming months, as it was recently announced that Bassenthwaite Reflections’’s community projects initiative is to continue for another year.

Posted by Andrew HillADNFCR-2558-ID-19590825-ADNFCR


Campaign launched to keep Wainwright’’s works in the Lake District

February 3, 2010

Lake District holiday cottage users will be able to see the work of Alfred Wainwright on their trip if a new bid is successful.

The writer and illustrator, who used his talents to humorously document the region and his experiences walking through the fells, spent much of his life in Cumbria and the campaign is hoping to keep his work in the Lake District.

Grough.co.uk reports that the original papers, worth £200,000, are due to be bid on by Cumbria County Council, which would keep the items in the county and make them available for researchers.

Subsidies from the Heritage Lottery Fund will cover part of the costs, but the public is now being asked to help support the campaign by sending letters to the County Record Office explaining why keeping the work will be good for the Lake District and its visitors.

Next year is the 80th anniversary of the author’’s first visit to the Lake District and the Wainwright Society recently announced it is planning a special event to mark the occasion, the Lancashire Telegraph reported.

Posted by David SollbergerADNFCR-2558-ID-19588602-ADNFCR


Cash and plastic ”necessary for a France holiday”

February 3, 2010

People heading over the Channel for a stay in a France holiday cottage should pack plastic as well as euros, it has been suggested.
 
According to the Post Office Travel Services, travellers should have credit or pre-paid cards in their wallets or purses when they go abroad, so as to "cover all eventualities".
 
Head of the organisation Sarah Munro explained that cards can help people avoid carrying around large amounts of cash, adding that they are more secure than notes or coins in the event that they get stolen.
 
However, she noted that currency will still be important, as it is vital for paying for taxis rides or a round of drinks at the bar.
 
She was commenting after new figures were released by Santander, showing that over half (52 per cent) of Britons travelling abroad use cash as their primary method of payment.
 
One in five opted for credit cards, while just five per cent favoured traveller’’s cheques.

Posted by Daniel LerayADNFCR-2558-ID-19588604-ADNFCR


VisitBritain campaign to boost Northumberland holidays?

February 3, 2010

The number of people heading for a stay in Northumberland holiday cottages may be about to get a boost, as VisitBritain has launched a new campaign to encourage incoming tourism in the UK.
 
UKinbound is hoping to attract more people to take a trip to the country’’s cities and nearby Newcastle is one area that is being given particular emphasis.
 
Chief executive of UKinbound Mary Rance said that the move is aimed at getting more people from across the world – and European countries in particular – to sample the delights the UK has to offer.
 
"We …welcome the variety and range of great destinations which are included in this promotion," she remarked, adding that they are home to some of the "best tourism products" in the country.
 
Northumberland itself was recently the subject of a new marketing campaign seeking to encourage more visitors to check the area out in 2010.
 
Known as Northumberland: An Independent Spirit, the initiative is targeting people that have perhaps never considered the area as a potential holiday destination.

Posted by Andrew HillADNFCR-2558-ID-19588605-ADNFCR


Cornwall’’s Victoria Inn ”a great dining pub”

February 2, 2010

Those planning on staying in Cornwall holiday cottages may want to visit the Victoria Inn on their visit to the county.

The pub has been noted as one of the best in the region by the Telegraph’’s Cornwall Pub Guide for its efforts to surpass the traditional offerings of gastropubs with its haute cuisine.

Situated near St Michael’’s Mount in the village of Perranuthnoe, the Victoria Inn is more of a restaurant with a bar than a pub, according to the guide, selling dishes such as garlic and herb roasted chicken with ratatouille, green beans and pesto.

"At lunchtimes The Vic serves a pared-back menu catering for day-trippers and coastal path walkers. Ciabatta with grilled goat’’s cheese, tomato, rocket and pesto shows just how far even the humble ‘’sarnie” has evolved," the newspaper noted.

Teresa Timms of VisitCornwall recently told Business Cornwall that the standard of entries from restaurants, cafes and other attractions for the Cornwall Tourism Awards gets better every year.

Posted by Toby LawrenceADNFCR-2558-ID-19588600-ADNFCR