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

People set to stay in Cornwall holiday cottages and who want to visit Newquay Zoo can witness some of the environmentally-friendly changes that have been put in place.

The zoo has signed up to the 10:10 campaign to reduce its carbon emissions by ten per cent by the end of 2010, the Guardian has explained.

Newquay Zoo attracts 200,000 visitors a year, many of whom will use Cornwall holiday cottages as their base.

It plans to fully insulate its older buildings over the coming 12 months, meaning those who come to see the 534 animals will experience a greener attraction.

Speaking to the newspaper, Newquay Zoo’s environmental officer Ruth Morgan said: "We are now researching how we can mimic the natural temperature variations these animals would experience in the wild without causing them distress. For example, some birds can start to breed if the temperature goes down too low."

The zoo opened in 1969 and has won a number of accolades, including the Silver Visitor Attraction of the Year at the South West Tourism Excellence Awards 2007-08.

Posted by Ben Webster

A new crop circle in the fishing port of Looe is the latest attraction that could encourage people to book Cornwall holidays.

According to the Telegraph, the piece is the work of Caroline Petherick, who has described it as "a gentle pleasure for people to enjoy".

She arranged the 60-foot wide "seven-fold labyrinth" at a cost of £500, moving 14 tonnes of soil and grass over a two-week period in order to complete the design.

It is located on the cliffs above the port and Ms Petherick told the news source that she picked the location due to the quartz and slate stone found in the area, after finding the intersection of two "energy lines" using divining rods.

The "crop circle with a Celtic twist", as Ms Petherick has described it, is located on the South West Coast Path National Trail, which runs for 630 miles between Minehead and Poole Harbour in Dorset.

Posted by Andrew Hill

Food lovers could have another reason to embark on a Cornwall holiday after plans to rebuild a fish market in the county took another step forward.

Newlyn Fish market has been given a £2.3 million provisional grant from the European Fisheries Fund for the redevelopment of the site, along with £970,000 in investment from the European Regional Development Fund.

The money will only be given if the remainder of the cash needed is found by Newlyn Harbour Commissioners, but, provided this is achieved, the port – which is 47 m in length between the north and south pier heads – could soon be teeming with fresh seafood caught by fishermen – something that may also boost the availability of local fish in nearby restaurants.

"This is very good news and what we need to do now is to get the whole of the fishing industry of Newlyn behind it," West Cornwall MP Andrew George was quoted by the BBC as saying.

Posted by David Sollberger

One of Britain’’s most threatened songbirds is continuing its fightback from the brink of extinction in Cornwall.

This is according to a new survey conducted by the RSPB and Natural England, which showed that numbers of the cirl bunting have increased by 25 per cent since 2003, with 862 breeding pairs spotted during 2009.

However, the fact that the species is still confined to Devon and Cornwall means birdwatchers wanting to catch a glimpse of the cirl bunting in its native habitat may find booking a Cornwall holiday cottage and packing their binoculars is the way to go.

Director of conservation for the RSPB Mark Avery described the results as "fantastic news".

"We are all very excited that these fascinating birds are starting to make a comeback," he remarked.

A Biodiversity Action Plan focusing on preserving the cirl bunting was established by the government in 1998, with the aim being to raise the UK population to 1.050 by 2010, a target that has already been passed.

Posted by Toby Lawrence

Visitors planning to stay in a Cornwall holiday cottages next month may want to plan their trip around a new incentive being offered by the National Trust.

The organisation is offering everyone in the country free access to its hundreds of sites during the weekend of March 20th and 21st as part of its Bonus Time initiative.

And Cornwall is certainly not short of National Trust attractions to check out, as the area is home to some of the country’’s most spectacular sites, such as St Michael’’s Mount, an island upon which stands a church and castle.

Or if that doesn”t tickle your fancy, there’’s always Glendurgan Garden near Falmouth, which features a laurel maze dating back to the 1830s.

"You are never more than 40 minutes away from a place looked after by the National Trust, wherever you are in the country," observed director general of the National Trust Fiona Reynolds, adding that this is a "perfect excuse" to explore the trust’’s venues.

Posted by Andrew Hill

Those staying in Cornwall holiday cottages next month may be in for a treat if they visit a local animal shelter.

Wild Futures Monkey Sanctuary, which is situated near Looe in the south-east of the county, is set to take on three black-capped capuchin monkeys that have been bred in the UK as pets, the BBC reports.

Native to South America, the animals – known as Gizzie, Grips and Kiwi – have spent the first years of their lives in converted dog kennels, but will now be permanently placed at the more suitable Cornwall location.

Petra Osterberg, from the primate welfare team at the sanctuary, said: "Very rarely do we find anyone who has the time, skills or knowledge to care for monkeys appropriately."

He added that socialisation of the animals will allow them to lead "full and interesting" lives.

Wild Futures aims to support conservation of the environment and sustainable living – along with protecting primates – and 30,000 visitors each year enjoy watching the monkeys in the habitat.

Posted by Andrew Hill

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 Lawrence

A David and Goliath contest is taking place in the seas off of the Cornwall coastline – and David may be winning.

For many people who head to Cornwall holiday cottages, the fresh local seafood could be a major attraction.

However, Cornish oysters are now under threat from an unlikely-seeming invader.

The tingle, a tiny whelk that bores into the oysters and then eats them from the inside, is causing a catastrophic decline in populations.

With some oyster beds at an all-time low, the time to head to Cornwall holiday cottages could be now, before the tingle removes one of the region’’s delicacies from the menus completely.

Oysters are not the only thing under threat in Cornwall, as trees in the region are also facing attack from a fungus.

First seen in the US six years ago, the Times reports that the Phytophthora ramorum fungus has previously killed trees in the US.

Posted by Toby Lawrence

Following the staycation trend of 2009, even more people could be booking Cornwall holiday cottages this summer as the international economic climate encourages holidaymakers to stay within the UK.

Industry analyst bdrc Continental research reveals that domestic overnight breaks increased in number by 13 per cent in the first nine months of 2009, compared with the previous year.

But the analyst adds that the big question for the industry since has been whether 2010 would see the trend sustained, or whether people would begin to head abroad once again.

Figures from the organisation now show that one in three people consider the UK to be growing in its appeal, while 70 per cent are likely to choose to holiday within the UK during 2010.

People planning a Cornish holiday this year may want to book Cornwall holiday cottages well in advance.

Research conducted in 2009 by the Cornwall Tourist Board found that the typical lead time for people to book their accommodation is one month or more before their arrival in the region.

Posted by Matt Smith

Those staying in Cornwall holiday cottages this year will be able to check out the views from a historic ferry crossing before they set off, thanks to the new installation of a webcam.

St Mawes Ferry Company, which runs the Falmouth ferry crossing, has set up the device onto the Duchess of Cornwall, transmitting an image every ten seconds for visitors to the company’’s website.

According to the Packet, the route has been popular for 120 years and could be a must-see for those spending some time away in Cornwall – with the webcam acting as a way to find out if the ferry is running.

Paul Harry, who installed the webcam, told the newspaper: ””We are now looking at other webcams … that we can install around the river in addition to the cameras already installed at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall and on Gyllyngvase Beach."

The King Harry’’s Cornwall website currently offers webcam views of the Falmouth docks, Trevano Gardens and Events Square.

Posted by Ben Webster