cottages4you blog: inspiration for your cottage or villa holiday in UK, Ireland and Europe

Holidaymakers looking to placate their hungry bellies are advised to check out Dordogne in France. It is delicious.

Jim Fisher, an owner of a cookery school in the south of France, said that Dordogne can "rightly stake its claim to be the gastronomically heart of France".

You want duck? You got it. Pork and sturgeon? Sure bet. Home-grown and natively produced garlic, walnuts prunes, asparagus and strawberries? You can bet your bottom franc you can have it all.

"Dishes unique to the Dordogne and the south-west are, confit – [a] preserved, slow-cooked duck leg, magret – [a] pan-fried duck breast, pommes sarladaises – potatoes and garlic, fried in duck fat and organic and free range foie gras," said Mr Fisher.

"The Dordogne produces the best foie gras in the world, which is [also] sent to some of the best restaurants in the world. Creme brulee [I believe is] one of the sexiest desserts ever [made]."

The south of France offers families an abundance of things to do, made possible by four very unique landscapes; in the west, from Bordeaux to Biarritz, there is a brilliant stretch of the most golden beaches around; in the south the Pyrenees offer excellent foothills and high mountains ideal for walking or cycling; the east has the rolling highland areas of the Auvergne and Massif Central, with deep gorges; and south-west lies the "jewel" Dordogne.

"Sarlat is the unofficial capital of the Dordogne, with its eighty or so restaurants, serving any or all of the above dishes," commented Mr Fisher, who has also worked with top chefs such as Rick Stein, Tony Tobin and Alistair Little.

According to the chef, the south-west of France simply has it all. From "reliable" sunny weather to, of course, great food, to beautiful scenery and a laidback atmosphere – what's not to love about it?

Posted by David Sollberger, cottages4you

If, like us, you enjoy staring at stars, but find that there’s just too much artificial light in your everyday environment, a seven-day holiday to somewhere like Wales’ Brecon Beacons will give you an opportunity to see the night sky in all its natural glory. For those looking to keep themselves occupied during the day, there’s plenty to do. It’s a great place to go vacationing.

“Starting with food, there’s bushcraft and foraging going on,” said Frank Marr, director of Alexandra Marr & Associates.

“There’s a new book that’s come out from a local author called ‘The Hedgerow Handbook’ [by Adele Nozedar], and the whole British countryside is scattered with hedges where you can go foraging.”

He added that those looking for a bit more adventure to tide them over before star gazing can enjoy a plethora of activities including kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing and horse riding.

“For nature lovers there are about 20 different types of birds there,” Mr Marr noted. “It’s two and a half hours from London and probably two hours from Birmingham, so it’s easy to get to if you have a car and buses go there fairly frequently as well.”

You’ll be also interested to learn that Brecon Beacons National Park has applied to become an international dark sky reserve, which is a special protective measure that protects the region from “light pollution”. This will keep the sky clear, allowing for people to enjoy spectacular views. Nothing but you, your loved one(s) and bazillion, gazillion stars. Sounds perfect.

Posted by David Sollberger, cottages4you

Have you ever wanted to take a step through time, in order to walk with the big names and be a part of the standout moments of years gone by?

Well, I’m afraid I haven’t had the time to create a wonderful time machine which allows you to jump from decade to decade, century to century.

But don’t walk away just yet, as I can still have you strolling through history in an instant. All it involves is taking a trip to the majestic British haven of the Isle of Wight.

No, this destination is not living in the past but it does have so many links to some of the world’s greatest people and moments.

Bookworms among you will be able to get up close to some of the sights and sounds which inspired a collection of the greatest words ever wrote.

For instance, I bet you didn’t realise that the early works of John Keats’ Endymion were penned when the poet took a break in Carisbrooke.

Charles Dickens also wrote two drafts of his famed tale David Copperfield while on the Isle of Wight and Lewis Carroll searched the British destination for inspirations for creating the character of Alice.

Hey, you never know, settling into the island yourself could give you the confidence to pick up a pen and paper and start scripting a masterpiece yourself.

If you’re more attached to your kings and queens, the Isle of Wight has many attractions linked with our great Royal Family too.

King Charles I made the southern English region his temporary home in 1647 when he escaped from prison in Carisbrooke Castle, while the island’s Osborne House once accommodated Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

Why not live like a powerful king or an elegant queen yourself and discover the royal links which are chained together through the spine of the Isle of Wight?

Posted by David Sollberger, cottages4you

I bet you’re ready to enjoy that brilliant summer British holiday, with a climb up Mount Everest in the morning, followed be a rest on Ayers Rock during the afternoon.

Wait, what? Unless my geography teacher was telling me some huge porkies when I was trying to learn, I am almost certain that these two locations are much further away from Blighty.

And yet, a new survey by OnePoll for Journeys of Distinction has seen at least half of us Brits claiming that Everest is England’s tallest mountain.

Despite dominating a large part of the skyline in Asia, many people are confident that they can begin scaling it without stepping abroad.

Good luck to them, but in reality it is in fact Scafell Pike in the Lake District which presents people with the chance to reach England’s highest point.

Those of you who were paying attention to your geography teacher will also be able to realise that Ayers Rock is one of Australia’s famous landmarks – and yet about a quarter disagreed and thought they could find it in England.

I think they will have a better time trying to find Stonehenge on home turf, although I’m a bit surprised to hear that five per cent of people surveyed thought this was a foreign site.

Honestly, it would be bad enough if a foreign tourist wouldn’t be able to identify one of our most iconic landmarks, but our own countrymen!?

I’m not the only one concerned though, with Karen Gee, managing director of Journeys of Distinction, stating that “it’s such a shame, because the UK has so many national treasures for people to experience, right here on their doorstep”.

Let me give you a word of advice, take a look at what the UK really has to offer and I will bet my bottom dollar that you will write up a list as long as your arm of must-see sights and sounds.

Are you sitting next to a window right now? If so, just take a minute to pull your eyes away from your computer screen and have a peer outside.

Chances are you will see the faint ray of sunshine and the smell of spring in the air, so what better way to ring in this jolly season than taking a stroll outside.

This is not just some easy stroll in the park though – come on, we all want to shake off some of those niggling winter pounds.

Instead, I suggest you head to cottages in Scotland and participate in a trip along the Cape Wrath Trail, known for being the UK's toughest long-distance trail.

I know it sounds like a challenge, but where is the fun in life if you don't push yourself just a little bit?

Just in case you are feeling jittery about the task laid out ahead though, author Iain Harper has already set up a website to give a list of tips for completing the trail without so much of a hitch.

Harper is already launching a guidebook to the Cape Wrath Trail later this year, but has decided to go online too for holidaymakers looking to head to the most north-westerly point in Scotland in the weeks ahead.

Highly-regarded by backpackers from any part of the country, the trail stretches from Fort William to the extreme north-west of the breathtaking country of Scotland.

Along the way, you have the chance to feel like you are walking above the earth along some of the UK's highest cliffs, while seals, seabirds and colourful wildlife usually accompany you for many steps of the way.

Commenting on his new website and how it can help in the challenging trail, Mr Harper said: "The Cape Wrath Trail is unique in that there are so many potential variations and this is an aspect that can be better explored via a website than a book."

Posted by Matt Smith, cottages4you

Cullercoats is a quiet little area in the north-east of England. A maritime and fishing port, its nice beaches, caves and cliffs draw in locals and people from afar. It remains, we are led to believe, an exceptionally popular place to go for day visits.

It first came into being in the last quarter of the 17th century when Lady Elizabeth Percy obtained permission from the powers that be to raise a quay, from which she would be able to conduct her business in coal with a lot more efficiency.

Although the region was dependent on fishing as its main industry, there was also a fairly thriving trade in coal. Beyond this point, Cullercoats grew with each passing year into the varied local attraction it is today.

One of the most interesting things about this beautiful area was that it was home to a group of artists, who were drawn in by the gorgeous natural landscapes, vistas that demanded to be captured on canvas.

Some of the artists include Stephen Brownlow, JW Carmichael, Robert Jobling, George Balmer and Henry H Emmerson.

Their story is being told through their work at a new exhibition at Segedunum Roman Fort, Baths & Museum in North Tyneside. A selection of artwork has been selected from the North Tyneside Council and Tyne & Wear Archives & Museum's collections.

"The Cullercoats artists are not very well known outside of our region. This is partly because, as artists, they remained very local", Mike Campbell, arts development manager for North Tyneside Council, was quoted by the Guardian as saying.

"Quite a lot had exhibitions at the Royal Academy but they were mostly concerned with setting up local networks. And most of the artists tended to be from the North East already.

Geoff Woodward, manager of North Tyneside Museums, added that the story of this band of artists is fascinating.

Cullercoats: An artists' colony by the sea is on until April 15th.

With the London 2012 Olympic Games being one of the biggest live sporting celebrations in the UK this summer, many businesses involved in events will take it as a cueto host spectacular offerings of their own.

Jonny Sullens, a representative for Britain for Events, explained that the Olympic Games is a “conduit” through which Britain can show the rest of the world what they are made of during and after the sporting bonanza in terms of cultural, music and outdoor celebrations, festivals and shows.

“From that perspective, businesses can benefit from the Olympics,” he explained.

“If you focus on that part of the summer specifically, obviously it’s not just about the track and field events or about the football and whatever’s going on. There’s also an incredible amount of corporate activity going on around that – big brands having product launches, running hospitality and big brand experiences in and around the event.”

Mr Sullens went on to discuss the benefits the Olympics has on the wider country courtesy of the fact that many of the training camps for respective teams are dotted about. This is great for local businesses, as although they will be keeping to strict diets and routines, sports stars will no doubt be pottering about spending some of their cash on food and goods and accessing local services. And they’re only the tip of the ice-berg.

“All their support staff, their dieticians and coaches – they come with quite an entourage, and if they return to see a bit more of the country that’s where those regions can really pick up [new tourism],” he added.

Beyond that, of course, are domestic and foreign tourists looking to enjoy the UK. As for the latter, the country’s excellent infrastructure allows them to get around very easily. While London will be chaotic, and brilliantly so, the rest of the UK offers more tranquil alternatives.

You can bet that there will be lots of events happening. After all, this is a unique time. Enjoy.

Trees are a wondrous thing. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and the variety of them is outstanding.

There is, at a glance, the magnolia tree, the birch tree, the pecan tree, the oak tree, the walnut tree, the elm tree, the ash tree and the hackberry tree. There’s even a tree with the name Douglas…true story we kid you not.

The French Fauvist painter Georges Henri Rouault captured this innate beauty of trees eloquently in words when he said they “possessed the same interest, the same character, the same expression as the figure of a human”.

Their value can be found in what they offer the world, principally producing oxygen and reducing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Their absence, which is ironic given man’s history in ripping up their deep roots, would be the stuff of apocalyptic nightmares.

Not as serious but no less significant, they offer shade against the beating sun, they help great minds discover ideas – Newton and gravity – and are pretty to look at. Though we might not think it, especially for those of us who work in cities where any sign of trees or foliage is minute, we need to be in their company.

Tree aficionados will be pleased to hear that the National Trust has discovered one of the tallest trees of its kind in the Lake District. The Grand Fir has been measured and revealed to extend at 57.8 metres into the starry sky. So brilliant is this discovery that the powers that be have crowned it the tallest fir tree in Cumbria and England.

“A survey 20 years ago suggested that some of these trees were going to get really big,” said lead ranger John Pring.

“We decided to get them resurveyed this year and Toby Fisher, a local forestry consultant, kept coming back with the same figure for this tree. We knew it was something special and decided to get it more accurately measured.”

For those of you curious as to its natural beauty, a modest website dedicated to the tree can be found here. It charts climbers Mark and Mick’s journey to measure it, and seemingly shot in autumn, the rich auburn and golden hues of the season give it a magical look. You just gotta love trees.

Posted by David Sollberger, cottages4you

It's a truth universally well known that customers are right (even when they potentially might be wrong). Any organisation that has a product to sell or a service to deliver appreciates that however amazing their 'thing' is, if they lack the tact, nous and expertise to be able to engage with people, they're effectively sitting on nothing.

Funny then that we could all describe numerous instances where we've experienced dire service, the kind that has us rendered speechless. Technically, it shouldn't happen, but that's one of the many funny things about life. As the old saying goes: "It is certain because it is impossible."

Although Gatwick Airport has, for its entire history thus far, been attuned to the fact that superb customer service is vital, it has been thinking about how it can further develop this to be more in tune with what someone expects from 21st century travel.

In signing up the distinguished Goring Hotel to assist it in dramatically changing the way it delivers customer service, Gatwick Airport is sending out a message that is loud and clear: we want to be known as the airport of airports when it comes to interacting with the public.

The Goring Hotel, which is based in Belgravia in London, a stone's throw away from Buckingham Palace, is a five star hotel known for its excellent customer service, the kind you would expect was only reserved for members of the Royal Family, high-powered individuals and foreign dignitaries. Gatwick Airport, seeing how unimpeachable the staff at the hotel are, thought they would like some of that. The hotel agreed and will now put Gatwick's frontline staff through a master class in customer service.

"We are passionate about providing the best passenger experience for all visitors to Gatwick – a focus only heightened in 2012 as we look to welcome an unprecedented number of travellers through our doors," explained Paul Fitch, Gatwick Airport’s head of terminals.
"The Goring is renowned for offering the highest levels of personal service and we want our passengers to benefit from that same subtle but flawless assistance."

One of the triggers to this happening was that a body of independent advisory experts gathered by the airport – dubbed the Airport Passenger Panel – came to the conclusion that customer service is the defining factor of an experience at an airport.

Now it's all about waiting to see how this goes down. It's a good effort from Gatwick Airport, proactive, a move that shows it really cares about the whole package. We often find the airport experience to be a bit tedious and protracted and the last thing we want is for those who should be helping us make it a seamless experience to make it even worse.