What’s on your Christmas and New Year checklist?

Are you one of those people who likes to rigorously plan their Christmas & New Year? Do you have a long to-do list of present-buying, food-shopping and card-writing? Sometimes it can seem too much like hard work!

For a truly magical Christmas and New Year, why not get away to a cottage in the wonderful West Country? Whether you’re looking to escape or entertain, you can be sure of making it memorable with a change of scene.

If you’re the type who likes to escape, we’ll help you find hideaways. Once there, grab scarves and hats for a blustery moorland walk and a pint at a fire-warmed pub. Try this for a more enjoyable checklist: stroll coast-path; ice-skate at Eden; grab your wetsuit and brave the Christmas Day surf, or just toast your toes beside the fire, put on the TV and relax.

We have lots of properties ideal for entertainers too - If you’re a crowd, book with us to enjoy some additional elbow room. Here your checklist is slightly different but just as much fun: set the table, cook the goose, fluff the potatoes, mash the swede (plenty of black pepper and butter) and light the candles.

So if either of those checklists sound appealing, do browse our cottages with availability at Christmas and New Year.

Our big houses are popular for family gatherings and get booked up fast so it’s also worth taking a look at our holiday homes sleeping 12 or more available for Christmas and New Year.

The Fal River Autumn Walking Festival

We are proud to be one of the sponsors of the Fal River Autumn Walking Festival, which kicks off on Friday 21st October and runs (or perhaps we should say ‘walks’!) until Sunday 6th November.

St Mawes

Encompassing the very best of the Fal River, the wide range of walks takes in various historical points of interest as they meander along coast paths and pass through areas of outstanding natural beauty and world heritage sites.

The walks are either guided or self-guided and pass through some of the most stunning scenery Cornwall has to offer, taking in areas from Falmouth to Truro, the Roseland to the Helford Passage. They are graded for all the family (and the dog!) in order to suit all abilities.

We’re sponsoring a self-guided walk – St Mawes, round the headland, which is approx 3-½ miles and should take about two hours at a gentle pace.

This video gives a great overview of what to expect from the Festival:

Details of the festival and all the walks are included in the festival programme (you can look at an interactive copy on their website). You can also find the Festival on Facebook and Twitter.

Our 2012 brochure is out...

You'll find an even greater choice of holiday cottages in east Devon, Dartmoor, South Hams and Cornwall for 2012. The number of places carrying our top 4½ or 5 star rating has also risen, reflecting our holidaymakers' demand for high quality places to stay.

The new brochure (our 30th!) is packed with more than 560 holiday homes throughout the West Country, ranging from romantic retreats for two up to big country houses sleeping a maximum of 48 guests; prices are from £167 to £6,440 per week. The portfolio also includes several Dorset cottages within easy reach of Weymouth for the 2012 Games sailing events.

Q10, SeaDrift, Mawgan Porth

We've continued to see high levels of enquiries from both holidaymakers and home owners. Our General Manager, Moray Bowater, comments, “People booking holidays this year have been seeking value, but are happy to pay a good price for top properties and high standards of service. We believe our quality/price ratio is a major factor and are confident that the market will continue to grow at this level.”

Now in our 30th year, we estimate nearly two million people have stayed in our properties. “We are grateful to everyone who gave us their trust in our early days and the many who have continued to holiday with us almost every year,” continues Moray Bowater.


E20, Stonedge Cottage, Bath

All of our holiday homes are regularly inspected and star rated by our team so we can advise you honestly through first-hand experience and help you find just the right place for a happy holiday.

30 of our holiday homes carry a top 5 star rating, whilst 55 have 4½ stars; 80 have use of a heated swimming pool, some have private moorings or fishing rights; others are on working farms and most have stunning views across countryside or out to sea. Many are within ambling distance of the beach or local pub, and over half welcome pets. We also have some exceptionally plush, big and beautiful places - 73 sleep ten or more and many can organise catering and maid service. Something for everyone!

For a free copy of our 2012 brochure, call on 01647 433593, order or download a copy online or email help@helpfulholidays.com. Every property in our brochure is also featured on our website.

View a list of all the new properties in our 2012 brochure.

Happy browsing!

October foodie heaven...

The West Country is renowned for its abundant, tasty produce and is home to many celebrated chefs.

Next month is bursting with mouth-watering foodie events, so what better time for an autumn break?


We've selected a few to whet your appetite...

Mitch Tonks

Exmoor Food Festival 30th September to 9th October  



Boscastle Festival 1st to 2nd October

Celebration of Food 1st to 31st October

  

Falmouth Oyster Festival 13th to 16th October

Dartmouth Food Festival 21st to 23rd October

We've some fabulous holiday cottages still available during October where you can enjoy your tasty treats or perhaps experiment with your own culinary creations?

Get away for October half-term…

If you’re hankering after a relaxing break at half-term, it’s not too late. We’ve still some super cottages left, and as you’d expect they’re all good places for happy holidays. Don’t delay though, we recommend you book now to avoid missing out on your favourite cottage.

There are lots of family friendly attractions in the South West and they’ll all be geared up for lots of fun activities to keep your kids entertained. Here are some ideas…

The Dairy is a detached, neat and comfy single-storey cottage on the edge of Hawkchurch, where Dorset meets Devon. Situated in Wyld Court, home to a striking Elizabethan manor house, it’s surrounded by acres of peaceful, rolling countryside with pretty villages and stunning coast nearby. The cottage has its own private enclosed outside space, plus shared use of a games room with a pool table, darts and table tennis. The friendly owners, who live in the manor house along the drive, are happy for you to help with the feeding of their many family pets (ducks, chickens, cats, dogs) and miniature Shetland ponies and goats that reside in fields around the cottages. Nearby places to visit include Pecorama, Forde Abbey and the Donkey Sanctuary. There are also plenty of fossils to discover along the Jurassic Coast.

Safe Haven is a welcoming 200-year-old, end-of-terrace stone/cob house in the heart of the pretty boat building and fishing village of Appledore. As well as lovely, long views over the Taw and Torridge estuary, the cottage boasts a super, sunny, enclosed garden with a summer house and a play fort. The big sandy beach at Westward Ho! provides energetic youngsters with plenty of space or perhaps enjoy a leisurely family bike ride along the Tarka Cycle Trail? Nearby places to visit include The Big Sheep, Exmoor Zoo and Hartland Abbey.

Kings Corner is a pretty, Grade II listed, thatched cottage in the off-the-beaten-track little village of Kingston, just a mile from the river Erme’s beautiful wooded estuary. Nearby places to visit include Pennywell Farm, Woodlands Leisure Park and the National Marine Aquarium. There are also fine sandy beaches at Bigbury-on-Sea – children will love walking out to Burgh Island at low tide or trying out some watersports.

Treworgie is a handsome detached house with Georgian origins, wonderfully tucked away on a 140 acre dairy and sheep farm 1¼ miles from Manaccan. The accommodation is a self-contained part of the family home, and you’re welcome to watch the milking activities on the farm. There’s also a very large first-floor games barn with lots of toys, table tennis, air hockey and table football. Nearby places to visit include the Seal Sanctuary, National Maritime Museum and Pendennis Castle.

Browse through our holiday cottages available for half term and use our ‘Explore the Area’ map to find places to visit near your favourite holiday cottage.

Get classical at the Two Moors Festival…

The Two Moors Festival is the South West’s most prestigious classical music festival. Made up of 30 concerts and talks held across eleven towns and villages on Dartmoor and Exmoor, the ever-expanding festival runs each October and attracts BBC Radio 3 broadcasts and many keen concert-goers from outside the area.

The concerts, which run from 13th to 22nd October, feature a variety of both established global performers and young, local musicians. The festival’s patron is HRH Sophie, The Countess of Wessex, and past performers have included Julian Lloyd Webber.

Ksenija Sidorova

We’re supporting the festival through a part sponsorship of one of the events - a celebrity recital in Widecombe-in-the-Moor on Monday 17th October at 7.30pm. The recital comprises Mozart Adagio and Rondo, Stravinsky Concertino, Schnittke Revis Fairy Tale, Nunn Escape Velocity and Astor Piazzolla Tango Sensations performed by accordian player Ksenija Sidorova and the Solstice String Quartet. Tickets are £16.

The aim of the festival is very much to support the local community and expand musical culture in the South West. Festival-goers and visitors to the region inject much needed out-of-season funds into the local economy, while revenue raised by the concerts helps the charity to continue its work beyond October. One of its goals is to introduce music to children in rural primary schools and since 2003, 38 schools and over 3000 children have benefited from music workshops.

The festival also operates an annual Young Musicians Platform competition, a unique opportunity for youngsters aged 18 and under who live or go to school in the South West. Past winners include professional musicians, undergraduates at major universities and those studying at recognised conservatoires. The festival headquarters on Exmoor also offer young professional musicians a much needed haven to rehearse throughout the year.

If you decide to visit the festival while you’re in the West Country, do let us know what you saw and how much you enjoyed it!

Need somewhere to stay? Take a look at our holiday cottages in Dartmoor and holiday cottages in Exmoor.