The Great British Beach Clean

Watch out for the Great British Beach Clean, coming to a beach near you, from 19th to 22nd September 2014.

With your help the Marine Conservation Society can take Britain’s beaches back to a time when litter was the exception and not the rule. They’re aiming to get a record breaking 10,000 people cleaning at least 400 beaches around the UK. 

It's a real and growing problem. Last year the South West had well below the national average in terms of litter levels, even though in last year’s beach clean more items of litter were found per kilometre of beach cleaned than ever before. The Marine Conservation Society makes a compelling case for clean beaches:

• Clean beaches could save the lives of some of our best-loved marine wildlife.
• Clean beaches will protect our kids when they are building sand castles.
• Clean beaches will show the world what's really great about the British seaside.

Register now for the Great British Beach Clean and let's get our beaches back to their litter-free glory days!

No event organised on your favourite beach? Then why not organise a clean up of your own?

Watch out for Wiggo!

Or to put it more correctly, watch out for Sir Bradley Wiggins as the Tour of Britain cycle race is returns to Devon for stage 5 on Thursday 11th September. Sir Bradley will defend his Tour of Britain title after being named as the leader of Team Sky’s squad for the eight-stage event.

The Tour of Britain is the UK's biggest professional cycle race, with some twenty teams competing. Stage 5 starts in Exmouth at 11am, winds and climbs its way right across Dartmoor, then heads up to Okehampton, before the pedal pushers turn for home and the finishing line in Exeter. The near circular route means there’s a great opportunity for spectators to watch the both the start and the finish of this great race, with many of Europe’s and indeed the world’s finest cyclists taking part as the leading teams battle it out for sprint, climb and line honours. The Exe Estuary Trail (a cyclepath and walkway constructed by Devon County Council as part of the National Cycle Network Route 2 ) links Exmouth and Exeter so spectators will be able to cycle to Exeter in good time to see the frantic sprint for the finishing line.

The tour is the country's largest free-to-spectate sporting event, and there are plenty of excellent spots to locate yourself along the route - see this ETA Guide for approximate timings so you can plan your day and pick your spot accordingly. See this spectating guide for details of fixed road closures in place at the start (Exmouth) and finish (Exeter) locations and rolling road closures all along the route of the stage.

After Devon the tour moves east along the south coast before heading into London for the final stage on 14 September.

If you happen to catch the tour flying by and manage to take any snaps, do post them to our Facebook page, we'd love to see them!

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Photo credit: Robert King

Our latest catch up with Gorgs Geikie

As readers of this blog will know, Helpful Holidays sponsors Georgina (Gorgs) Geikie, British number one ladies pistol shooter. Here's the latest from Gorgs:

What an experience the Glasgow Commonwealth Games were for me. Obviously I was very disappointed not to be selected back in January, but sometimes that's just the way it goes. 

Therefore I made the most of the opportunity for the first time to watch my opponents from afar and learn from their mistakes and positives in their preparations and performances at a major championships. Having a backstage job made this very interesting and informative as I look forward and prepare for next season.

My job at Glasgow was in Sports Presentation, liaising with the technical officials that ran the events and the media/broadcast/announcers etc. Ensuring all ran smoothly in the eyes of the spectators at the event and watching on TV.

Also to support the TV coverage, I did a lot of the BBC commentary which I know many people heard and hopefully enjoyed. For the spectators on the day I also spoke to the crowd for each event, preparing them for what was going to happen and building the atmosphere.

Having this role behind the scenes was great fun, but there is obviously nothing like actually competing. Glasgow has helped me build my CV content and importantly fuelled my enthusiasm for Rio 2016.

To find out more about Gorgs, visit Gorgs’ website or follow her on Twitter.

Like to rhyme? You're running out of time!

In holiday mode, some are inclined
To warble in verse, about nice things they find
They rhyme and they riddle
And have a good giggle
But we'll tell you one thing they should bear in mind...

Our poetry comp deadline is approaching quite fast
A £400 voucher awaits the winner unsurpassed
So compile the odd stanza
Hold your own poetry bonanza
But those rhymes are worth nowt when the deadline is passed...

You've till the end of September to create your verse
It can be about anything - we celebrate the diverse
So take a short moment
And don't forget a comment
And you could be the winner of our £400 voucher purse!

And back to normal prose! Anyone taking a holiday with us can enter, all you have to do is send us your poem - in any style or form you prefer - lovingly created whilst on holiday at one of our holiday homes. Do send your submissions with a short comment – it’s always interesting to hear the stories behind the poems. To enter, post your poem to us at the address below by the end of September:

2014 Poetry Competition
Helpful Holidays
Mill Street, Chagford
Devon TQ13 8AW

Or, send your submission to help@helpfulholidays.com, with '2014 Poetry Competition' as the subject.

We look forward to being entertained by your verse!

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Photo of Holywell Bay, Cornwall by Tom Tolkien

The finest fish and chips in the West

Fish and chips evokes childhood memories of freshly cooked fish in gorgeous, crunchy batter accompanied by big, fat piping hot chips and the heady aroma of salt and vinegar wafting seductively through the air – perfect whether at the seaside or in the country. Holidays would never be complete without a fish and chip supper at least one night - or more if mum and dad could be persuaded – perfect after a hectic day’s digging on the beach or exploring the moors. And mum and dad are winners too – easy on the pocket and no dishes to wash afterwards.

Here are a few of our favourite chippies, as voted for by the team of highly experienced ‘Cod and Chips Connoisseurs’ here at HH, the ‘Triple C’ team:

Roland’s Happy Plaice in Porthleven, also known as the “Pink Chippy”. Named as one of the top 30 places to eat fish and chips in Britain by Times Newspapers in 2011, they only sell fresh fish caught locally that day, so when the fish runs out, that's it! So - make sure you head down early.

Peckish in Camelford (pictured above), committed to using the finest fresh fish from sustainable fisheries. Peckish was the first fish and chip shop in North Cornwall to obtain the 5-star Fryers Quality Award, the highest accolade Seafish gives. Peckish also entered the 2011 Fish and Chips awards, when they became the Number 1 fish and chip shop in the South West and Runner-up in the UK.

Or if you find yourself on the western edge of Dartmoor – The Tavi Friar in Tavistock were South West Regional Winners and National Finalists in the Seafish independent Fish and Chip takeaway of the year 2014.

For a real treat try Stein’s Fish and Chips in Padstow or Falmouth – restaurant or takeaway, you take your choice. All beautifully cooked with mouth-watering batter and fresh local fish.

And last but not least, try the Cricket Inn in the small fishing village of Beesands, south Devon - only metres from the sloping beach and crystal clear waters of Start Bay. What could be better than freshly cooked cod and chips and a foaming pint of best bitter, sitting in the great outdoors with the soothing sound of waves gently breaking on the beach – perfect!

If you have any recommendations we'd love to hear them!

See art in the making at Devon Open Studios

There's something about the West Country that attracts those with an artistic disposition. For some it's the captivating views, for others it's the unique personality of the place - the people, towns and traditions. Whatever the inspiration, the outstanding quality of art produced in this corner of Britain is truly something to be celebrated.

That's exactly why Devon Open Studios is so popular and enduring. From 6 – 21 September over 200 artists at over 140 venues across the length and breadth of Devon throw open their doors to the public - and invite you to visit them in their studios, many located in some of the most beautiful, unexplored parts of the county. There is so much to explore; painting and printmaking, ceramics and textiles, sculpture, jewellery, photography and more.

Now in its eighth year, Devon Open Studios provides a wonderful opportunity to meet the artists, find out what inspires their work, buy art direct from the creator, see demonstrations or even have a go yourself. As said, many artists also give demonstrations and show works in progress, allowing the rare chance to see the art being created and get a feel for the process from concept to completion.

Helpful Holidays is the main sponsor, as we have been for the last 4 years. We also sponsor the Devon Open Studios Emerging Artists Bursary Awards to encourage those taking their first steps into professional practice, returning to creative practice after a career break or change, or taking their art in a new direction. This year’s winners are showcased at a special exhibition at Thelma Hulbert Gallery in Honiton from 6 – 25 September.

This year’s winners are Rory Cunningham, Janet Sainsbury (picture above), Tessa Jane, Greg Newman and Elisa Cunningham. 

The 2014 event guide is now available to download here.