Cottageline Blog

Are you considering a holiday in the great outdoors? 2012 marks the 60th anniversary of the beautiful Pembrokeshire Coast National Park being granted national park status, and it is no secret that Spring is the very best time to make the most of the region's wealth of wildlife and scope for adventure.

Springtime sees Pembrokeshire's award-winning coastline come alive with birds, fish and marine mammals, the inland riverbanks bustling with feeding otters and voles that have been drawn here by the clean waters and the sheltered bays that offer a safe habitat for raising their young.

This may come as little surprise, but what if we told you that the tranquil waters are also frequented by three different species of dolphin? Springtime sightings are common, plus there's a chance you could lay eyes on orcas, blue sharks, sunfish and even turtles. You may even get lucky and spy a friendly basking shark filtering its lunch of plankton down in the turquoise depths! What's more, marine experts recently confirmed that groups of fin whales – the second largest living animal after the blue whale and an endangered species – are returning to the seas around Wales on an annual basis. These are busy waters, for sure!

One of the best ways to get up close and personal with these fascinating creatures is to take part in one of the many adventurous activities on offer. While you’re coasteering or sea kayaking, pay attention to what's around you, because there's a real chance you'll lock eyes with an inquisitive Atlantic grey seal. On rugged Skomer Island, a real bird watchers' paradise, check the cliffs for puffins; at last count there were 6,000 breeding pairs. You can also see guillemots, razorbills, Manx shearwaters, choughs and short-eared owls.

Heading inland, discover the Secret Waterway – the River Cleddau – on the Haven Explorer. This motorboat is licensed to carry five passengers and a qualified skipper. Go wherever your family wants, taking in the scenery, the history and the wildlife. Try to spot some beady-eyed otters as you go. If your children grow a little tired of seals, birds and newborn lambs, then head to Folly Farm or Manor House wildlife park for something a bit more exotic. However, getting bored in Pembrokeshire is unlikely. The region is like one giant adventure playground.

With family-friendly holiday cottages throughout the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, FBM Holidays are local experts offering not just accommodation, but advice on recommended walks, activities and great places to spot wildlife. For all the information you'll need to have a brilliant holiday in West Wales, visit FBM Holidays.

There is a certain satisfaction to be taken from others marvelling in the surrounds in which you live. If a West Countryman’s home is his castle then the land around it is his territory and he is well entitled to strut about it, with canine companion, like Lord of the Manor, breathing in the splendour of his empire and only waking from the illusion when passing another Lord, of the same Manor.

Hence, when arguably the most famous film director in the world waxes lyrical about the West Country we collectively sit back in our chairs, take a deep breath of satisfaction, try not to look too smug and say “we know!”.

Steven Spielberg brought Hollywood to Dartmoor last summer to make the film adaptation of War Horse. Already a smash hit in the West End, the seasoned director took a slice of the region and put it on the big screen to world-wide acclaim. Spielberg said of his time on the historic moor, “I have never before, in my long and eclectic career, been gifted with such an abundance of natural beauty as I experienced filming War Horse on Dartmoor”, praise indeed for Southern England’s largest area of open country.

It doesn’t stop there mind you; 2011 saw a string of the acting world’s biggest names descend upon the South West, led by directors keen to make the most of this vast and varied landscape. Pulses in Devon and Cornwall were set racing and women all over the region gave new credence to forgotten dreams of being whisked away by Messrs Depp and Pitt as both the Hollywood heart-throbs arrived on location to work on separate films; Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows and Marc Forster’s World War Z respectively. Depp was to be found shooting sceneson South Devon beaches whilst Pitt and family spent time in and around Falmouth and along the Cornish coastlines.

As well as playing a star role, the West Country has also provided inspiration to movie makers in recent times with titles such as We Bought A Zoo, starring Matt Damon and due to be released in March this year, recounting the story of Benjamin Mee and his purchase of a dilapidated zoo in Devon;Dartmoor Zoological Park now stands proudly as one of the county’s best attractions.

So the secret’s out and, fortunately for our average reader, you don’t have to have your name on Hollywood Boulevard to enjoy the benefits of a holiday in Cornwall or Devon, neither do you have to be married to someone who has. With holiday cottages in Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset, Toad Hall Cottages have one of the largest portfolios of self-catering properties in the area so you’re sure to find the right place, in the right location, at the right price to make your very own West Country based blockbuster… just don’t forget your camera, there may well be some A-listers around.

Discover more famous film connections in our previous blog, On Location in the West Country.

For those of you who think Norfolk as flat and boring, then you are in for a very pleasant surprise. This is the county of diverse scenery and 100 miles of coastline, seven rivers and 63 Broads, some of the best bird watching sites in the country, the magnificent cathedral city of Norwich and historic sea port of Kings Lynn, the Royal Estate of Sandringham, mazes of country lanes and national cycle routes and some superb off road walking – The Peddars Way is one of the longest at 46 miles and was a former Roman road. Have I whetted your appetite yet?  You need several weeks to explore this large county so don’t restrict yourselves to one week, come and visit us again and again.

City centre breaks in Norwich give the opportunity to enjoy the historic and cultural aspects, indulge in some fine dining or café style eateries and excellent shopping.

If the big open spaces appeal then there is nothing better than a walk along one of our fine sandy beaches, the wind in your face, the cries of the curlews and oyster catchers and the waves  bursting upon on shore, take a look at Norfolk’s best beaches.

Norfolk Country Cottages have an excellent selection of properties to suit every pocket and party size.  We cover the whole county and can offer you the best choice ever, take a fresh look at Norfolk and enjoy browsing and choosing your Norfolk destination.

For those of you who are considering your first venture to North Yorkshire, you could not start with a better place than Whitby. With the sea, beaches, fishing boats, a marina and centuries of history you will come to love this wonderful town as millions have before you.

Choose a Whitby cottage as a base for your holiday and then spend your time soaking up the unique atmosphere of this little gem of a town. The century’s old Abbey stands magnificently above the maze of small lanes and cobbled streets in the old part of Whitby. Church Street leading to the famous 199 steps (up to the Abbey) has a grand array of small quirky shops selling their wares, including Queen Victoria’s favourite Whitby Jet and, of course, Fortune’s kippers.

Over the old swing bridge, opening for ships and boats at least twice a day, and crossing the River Esk you arrive in the west of the town with more exciting shops and even more excellent restaurants. (Trenchers and the Magpie Café are just two of the places you can visit for magnificent fish and chips).

Piers on both sides of the river, boats to hire for fishing or a trip out to sea and the Dracula experience (Bram Stoker’s character was reputed to have landed in Whitby) are just some of the other attractions not to be missed.

Interested? Then please call us on 01723 376777 or visit our website www.ingridflute.co.uk - you will not be disappointed!

A little-known gem in Brighton & Hove is Volks Electric Railway. Situated on Madeira Drive, directly on Brighton’s seafront, it can boast the unique title of the ‘World’s Oldest Electric Railway’.

The railway opened in 1883, yes folks, 100 years before this author was even born, and was the brainchild of Magnus Volk –hence the name.

I call the Volks Railway the little-known gem because it may not be as fun as the Palace Pier, or as historic as the now-defunct West Pier, but it is a quaint and jolly useful piece of track running for just over a mile between the Aquarium and Black Rock (for access to the Brighton Marina complex).

The railway originally ran between the Chain Pier (West Pier) to the Aquarium by the Palace Pier. In 1930, no sooner had they sought to extend it westbound to Black Rock than the original connection to the Chain Pier was removed! The railway shut in 1940 due to the war, and re-opened in 1948, with updated cars purchased for the line.

The railway now closes for a winter break from 30^th September through to 1^st April. A return fare from start to finish costs £3.00 for an adult return, £1.50 for a child and £1.90 for a senior. Family SAVER tickets are also available.

If you are looking to stay in Brighton then have you considered a holiday home? Freedom has a wonderful property in this vibrant city as well as many cottages along the Sussex coast.

So the next time you’re in Brighton, pop along and see for yourself; it mightn’t be the most famous of Brighton’s landmarks but you will be able to say you took a trip on the world’s oldest electric railway!