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

People going on a Norfolk holiday could spot a number of exotic birds on their travels.

Norfolk Wildlife Trust (NWT) has revealed that during the second week of February, two flocks of waxwings arrived in the county, which may have been seen by those staying at Norfolk holiday cottages.

This follows on from a sighting in early January of a single waxwing close to Norwich train station.

According to the trust, the exotic-looking birds can be spotted by the small red tips at the end of the feathers on their wings.

While there is an online gallery for people to look at, the organisations wants individuals including those staying at Norfolk holiday cottages to take their own pictures of the creatures.

"They quite often visit gardens – even in the very middle of towns and cities where they are indifferent to people and traffic – and can be observed at close quarters," explained David North, education manager at NWT.

NWT claims to be the oldest wildlife trust in the country, providing the "blue print" for the rest of the UK to follow regarding nature conservation.

Posted by Toby Lawrence

Norfolk’’s historic churches are to get a share of the £15.7 million fund that has been set up to carry out repairs on places of worship across the UK.

A total of £1.4 million has been allocated to help restore structures across Norfolk and Suffolk, potentially opening them up to more people who head to the region for a Norfolk holiday.

According to Network Norwich, Grade I-listed St Margaret’’s Church in Little Dunham, near Swaffham is one building that will benefit from the cash, as £175,000 has been set aside to pay for work on its roof, windows, drains and walls.

Elsewhere, the Grade II-listed medieval church of St Andrew near Fakenham will benefit from £129,000.

Rev Robin Stapleford explained that problems at the church, which is almost 700 years old, are frequent and can be "costly" to occur.

Chief executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund Carole Souter said that the money will help "safeguard these precious and important buildings", which are a "key part" of the country’’s heritage.

Posted by Matt Smith

Individuals staying in Norfolk holiday cottages can enjoy an unusual act during the Norfolk and Norwich Festival – a world premiere of a composition performed by ice-cream vans.

The festival is now in its 238th year and according to the Norfolk Eastern Daily Press, people staying in Norfolk holiday cottages will be treated to a line-up of local talent, international acts and "outdoor spectaculars".

Jordi Savall will reveal the UK premiere of his performance, which charts the history of Jerusalem, while David McAlmont and Michael Nyman will perform a collaboration.

A daytime programme of tea and swing dances and a circus can also be taken in by those choosing Norfolk holiday cottages as their base for the festival.

Norfolk County Council, National Express East Anglia, Norwich City Council and Arts Council England have all teamed up to fund the event.

The festival will be held between May 7th-22nd. Last year saw the successful delivery of 47 bespoke Creative Learning projects at the festival.

A further eight professional development events were also provided.

Posted by Toby Lawrence

A new campaign encouraging people to head to the Norfolk Broads has been launched at this year’’s Boat and Caravan Show.

The Broads Authority has teamed up with the Broads Tourism Forum to introduce a new brochure designed to encourage people to book a Norfolk holiday in the area.

It includes useful tips on things to do, as well as a map pinpointing some of the best attractions.

"We are keen to encourage more visitors from the Midlands and throughout the UK," explained Bruce Hanson, head of tourism for the Broads Authority.

"This is the biggest tourism promotion the Broads has ever seen," he added, noting that it is "great to see" so many local businesses supporting the initiative.

So far, 36 firms have lent their voice to the campaign, including BeWILDerwood, a treehouse adventure park.

Located in Hoveton, the attraction offers young and old alike the chance to explore treehouses, zip wires and jungle bridges.

Posted by Matt Smith

Visitors planning a stay in a Norfolk holiday cottage in the coming months might want to consider checking out Hungate Medieval Art – the city’’s newest arts and heritage venue – which has just launched its programme of events for spring and summer 2010.

Among the offerings are workshops where people can learn more about specialist art, such as how to produce stained glass – a course that was especially popular last year.

"The new programme …gives people the chance to try stone carving and pen and ink drawing," explained centre manage Dale Copley.

Also on offer is Music in the Glass, a special concert by Minstrels Gallery, which specialises in medieval music.

And Tea and Talking Points is returning this year, which gives people the chance to discuss topics of historical interest over a cuppa.

Visiting Hungate Medieval Art costs £3 for adults, while concessions can gain entry for £2.50.

Posted by Ben Webster

A Norfolk brewery has launched a new beer that will help raise money for the county’’s armed forces.

Wolf Brewery, which is based in Besthorpe, is producing the Hero cask beer after teaming up with a Norwich landlord, the Norwich Evening News reports.

Dougie Clarke convinced the brewery to introduce the drink after reading a book about his grandfather, who served in the first world war.

It will be on sale in his pub – the Duke of Wellington – as well as over 200 other outlets, meaning those wanting to sample it while staying in a Norfolk holiday cottage will probably not have to travel far.

"We hope the beer will play its part in demonstrating to our soldiers that we are behind them in the difficult challenge they face in a very dangerous part of the world," owner of Wolf Brewery John Edwards was quoted as saying.

And visitors to Norfolk can even check out the beverage being made, as the brewery offers tours to groups of between eight and 25 people.

Posted by Toby Lawrence

People heading to Blakeney National Nature Reserve as part of their stay in a Norfolk holiday cottage might want to keep their eyes peeled for insects, as species of beetle new to the area have recently been discovered.

The pair – known as the red data book rove beetle and the fungus beetle – were discovered by experts, who catalogued 187 different varieties while scouring the landscape, the BBC reports.

Nature conservation advisor for the National Trust Stuart Warrington praised the work done by the team.

"Without them we just would not know how important Blakeney Point is for insects and other invertebrates," he was quoted as saying.

The research at Blakeney Point – which is traditionally known as a gathering point for seals – was conducted during September 2009 and also resulted in 41 lichen species, 24 spider types and five ant varieties being identified.

Blakeney point is located between Sheringham and Wells-next-the-Sea and, according to the National Trust, is "one of the largest expanses of unspoilt coastline in Europe".

Posted by Matt Smith

Nature-loving music fans could find that Norfolk holiday cottages provide the perfect venue to indulge both of their passions this summer.

On July 9th, girl band the Saturdays are due to play a concert in Thetford Forest in East Anglia.

Band member Mollie King says: "We”ve never played a gig in a forest before; I feel like Maid Marian!

"It sounds like fun and we are looking forward to it; I”ll keep an eye out for Robin Hood."

People interested in playing Robin Hood to Mollie’’s Maid Marian may want to book Norfolk holiday cottages ahead of the event.

However, the forest is not only about the music, as it provides a stunning natural environment all year round.

Its heathland and lofty pines are home to a wealth of animals and smaller plant life, making an adventure playground for any eco-lover to enjoy while on a holiday in the region.

Posted by Ben Webster

Those staying in Norfolk holiday cottages this weekend will be able to check out a piece of British history before it goes under the hammer at an auctioneer in the county.

A cigar half-smoked by Sir Winston Churchill is currently on display at Keys in Aylsham and is expected to fetch as much as £350 when it goes up for grabs, the BBC reports.

The item was picked from an ashtray by Nellie Goble, a member of the staff at 10 Downing Street, after it was discarded by the then-prime minister 69 years ago as he rushed to a cabinet meeting.

It was passed down through the generations to an anonymous woman, who has now decided to put the cigar up for sale.

Measuring 9.5cm in length, it is embossed with Sir Winston’’s initials and Andrew Bullock of Keys told the news source that the item will attract a lot of attention.

"It is a collector’’s dream to own something that is so very, very scarce, or even unique," he stated.

Sir Winston was famed for his love of cigars and was rarely seen without such an item whether the country was at war or peace.

Posted by Toby Lawrence

Tourists flocked to west Norfolk during 2009, according to new figures.

Statistics produced by West Norfolk Council showed that there was a year-on-year increase of almost 16 per cent during 2009, Lynn News reports.

Visitor numbers – which came in at just under 154,000 for the year – were boosted by the number of people opting to enjoy staycations, rather than jetting off abroad in the recession.

Demand for Norfolk holiday cottages may well be high over the coming months, as councillor Jason Law said in a report submitted to the council that people who have visited Hunstanton "want to come back next year".

"Hardly a week goes by when you don”t see Norfolk in the media. It’’s selling itself quite well," he added.

Norfolk could be set to get a further tourism boost in the coming months, as it was recently announced that the iconic St Benet’’s Abbey in Horning is to receive £51,000 in Heritage Lottery Fund money to make it more accessible to visitors.

Posted by Toby Lawrence