Tour-Smart Limited

West Country Cottages are giving parents a helping hand by NOT increasing their prices for the February school half-term holiday for both full weeks and short breaks.

Their availability remains good across most of Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset starting from £317 per week (£79pppw) for four from 13th February at Bex Cottage, which is on a farm near Cheddar, now home to chickens and rescued horses and ponies.

Sleeping four, Jordan House at the edge of Boscastle on North Cornwall’s coast is £406 for a week from 13th February and welcomes pets, while guests staying at Lower Well Cottage, near Ughborough in South Devon have shared use of an indoor heat swimming pool. Cosy and characterful inside, this detached holiday home has been designed with the beamed and vaulted living room and main bedroom on the first floor; it’s priced at £498 for a week from 12th February.

For larger families the Old Quarry log cabin, which nestles in its own woodland wildlife haven close to Wiveliscombe on the Devon/Somerset border, sleeps five at £455 for half-term week from 12th February. Bigger still is 16th century Higher House Farm a short distance from the coast at Branscombe, East Devon which has space for eight and welcomes dogs. An abundance of oak beams, woodburners in ancient fireplaces and two winding staircases leading up to the four bedrooms, all add to its charm; there’s also a games room in a small, converted ban. It’s priced at £1,021 per week from 13th February.

To book call 01803 814000 or visit www.westcountrycottages.co.uk

The Arborealists, a major new exhibition at St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery, Lymington will showcase works by 35 contemporary artists on the common theme of trees. Although united in their subject, they use an incredibly varied set of working practices. The exhibition opens on Saturday 23rd April and runs until Saturday, 3rd June 2016.

In 2013, St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery mounted a successful two-part exhibition Under the Greenwood – Picturing the British Tree; the second exhibition featured contemporary artists’ responses to the subject. Such was the impact of this show, and the spirit of camaraderie engendered in a truly diverse group of artists, that they took on a more permanent identity as the Arborealists.

The artists have joined together for exhibitions in galleries across the south and are now coming to St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery in April. Their artworks are at turns dramatic and contemplative, demonstrating that trees still have relevance in contemporary art and retain the power to move us all as a vital element in our landscape and sense of national identity.

Those exhibiting also include Jemma Appleby, Mary Anne Aytoun-Ellis, Jo Barry, Guillaume Brandy and Francis Dalschaertt, Tim Craven, Michelle Dovey, Dan Hays, Ffiona Lewis, Fiona McIntyre, Wladyslaw Mirecki, Michael Porter, Howard Phipps and Celia de Serra.

Trees provide a wonderfully versatile subject for artists, not only in terms of the incredible diversity of form, character and colour they provide, whether individually or collectively, but also in terms of the wealth of association, myth, folklore, religious and symbolic significance, which they have come to embody. In Britain they have inspired artists from Gainsborough and Constable through to Paul Nash, the Neo-Romantics and the Ruralists.

The Arborealists at St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery will be open Monday-Saturday, 10am-4pm. Tickets, which include entry into the museum, cost £6 for adults, £5 for senior citizens and students, £3 for children aged 5-15 years and £12 for a family of two adults and up to four children (including a voluntary gift aid donation); under fives are admitted free of charge. For details visit www.stbarbe-museum.org.uk or telephone 01590 676969.

Listings Information:
The Arborealists 
Trees in art exhibition by 36 contemporary painters 
St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery, Lymington, Hampshire
Saturday 23rd April - Saturday 3rd June 2016, 10am – 4pm (closed Sundays)
Adults £6, concessions £5, children £3 aged 5-15, family (2+4) £12

Spoil the special person in your life with a luxurious weekend of romance at the 15th century Swan Hotel & Spa at Lavenham in the heart of Suffolk’s countryside. The picture-perfect, half-timbered hotel with its ancient oak beams, cosy nooks and crackling log fires is offering a special Valentine’s weekend break during February with dinner by candlelight in the elegant AA two rosette Gallery restaurant and full Suffolk breakfast served at your table.

A chilled bottle of champagne will await your arrival in the room along with a ‘Do Not Disturb’ gift box of Temple Spa products containing a body scrub, bath and massage oil, a calming room mist and lavender infused pillow for pure relaxation.

For an extra treat, order a bouquet of fresh spring flowers and handmade chocolates for your loved one, or book the double treatment room in the hotel’s luxurious Weavers’ House Spa and share a relaxing and restorative face or body treatment.

Prices start from £280 per room per night based on two sharing a double room with a three course dinner from the House Menu, upgrades are available at a supplement; to book call 01787 247477 or visit www.theswanatlavenham.co.uk.

Converted from a three bay cart shed, Bramble Barn is a mile outside the historic town of Shaftsbury in the hamlet of Longcross. Sleeping four plus a cot for little ones and the family pet dog, the cottage is within easy reach of Longleat House and Safari Park and Gold Hill Museum, which was made famous by the Hovis advertisement for days out; the nearest pub is just under half a mile. The original openings for the carts have been replaced with floor-to-ceiling windows and a sliding glass door onto the patio, which has lovely views over the ancient woodland of Duncliffe Hill and Blackmore Vale. Bramble Barn is priced at £386 (£96pp) for half-term week from Friday, 12th February through West Country Cottages on 01803 814000, www.westcountrycottages.co.uk.
 

Whisk your loved one away for a romantic Valentine’s weekend break by the sea at the White Lion Hotel in Aldeburgh on Suffolk’s stunning Heritage Coast. Between Friday 12th and Sunday 14th February, the hotel is offering a one night stay including a special French inspired candlelit dinner with a gift for your partner from £199 per couple.

The delicious three-course meal, with your choice of fine wine or bubbly, will be served in the hotel’s intimate, but informal Brasserie Bleue, sure to set the mood for love; afterwards take a romantic walk along the beach under the crescent moon. The seaview rooms face east; perfect to watch the sun rise over the glistening waves in the morning.

Based on two sharing an Explorer inland facing room, the Valentine’s break at the White Lion includes a rose in the room on arrival and full Suffolk breakfast. To book call the White Lion on 01728 452 720 or for more details visit www.whitelion.co.uk. Upgrades to seaview rooms are available at a supplement and Saturdays may be subject to a minimum two night stay.

A weekend of guided walks along the magnificent south Pembrokeshire coastline with professional Visit Wales accredited guide Andrew Dugmore of www.pembrokeshirepaths.co.uk is being organised by Tenby’s Giltar Hotel from Friday 26th to Sunday 28th February.

The 6-7 mile walks will be taken at a relaxed pace, stopping for lunch at a cosy inn or country lodge with a maximum of 10 people for each outing.

Highlights include walks along the stunning sea cliffs and coves of the famous Pembrokeshire Coast Path, part of Britain’s National Trail, taking in the coves of Skrinkle Haven, Lystep Haven and Penally with panoramic vistas out to Caldey Island. There will also be visits to limestone kilns, a prehistoric cave and ancient standing stones plus a chance to discover Tenby’s key attractions including the town walls, harbour, Castle Hill and four award winning sandy beaches.

Andrew Dugmore is a natural storyteller and will bring the people and places of Pembrokeshire to life as he guides walkers through the region’s landscapes, wildlife and incredibly rich heritage.

The price for a two night stay at the Giltar Hotel is from £189.95 per person based on two sharing a premier room with views over South Beach including full breakfast, a two course dinner both evenings and tea and cake after returning from the day’s outings on Saturday and Sunday. The guided walks are an additional £28 per person per day. An extra night’s stay on Sunday, 28th February is from £91pp dinner B&B.

Call 01834 842507 to make a booking, www.giltar-hotel.co.uk. For details about other things to see and do visit www.visitpembrokeshire.com; to request a copy of the free Pembrokeshire visitor guide call 01271 336100.

Treat your loved one to a Valentine’s weekend away with West Country Cottages and you won't even need to take the bubbly and chocolates - these will be waiting for your arrival. You can spend the day together exploring the stunning West Country and when you return to the peace and quiet of your cottage enjoy a bottle of bubbly and chocolates, which has been kindly left for you by the owner. Make your choice from nearly 20 holiday homes then call West Country Cottages on 01803 814000 to make the booking, or visit www.westcountrycottages.co.uk.

Among them are two farm cottages at Pendeen in south west Cornwall with stunning sea views. Owned by the same family for over a century, the farm is now worked in a small way with some free range poultry, but most of the animals are retired. Full of character is 400 hundred year old, stone built Jenny’s Cottage, (£312pw or £225 for three nights from 12th February), which features a large inglenook, and the more contemporary single storey, detached Quillet (£312pw or £225 for three nights from 13th February). Sleeping two, both cottages are set within a World Heritage Site half a mile from the nearest pub and close to the South West Coast Path and Portheras Beach.

Book Lower Well Cottage (£498pw or £330 for three nights for two sharing from 12th February), near Ugborough in South Devon and enjoy some great walks or a round of golf with your special other and then relax in the heated indoor pool (shared). Cosy and characterful inside, the detached holiday home has been designed with the beamed and vaulted living room and main bedroom on the first floor and the large farmhouse style kitchen/diner below. Two good food pubs about a mile away in the village square include The Ship, which is known for its West Country inspired dishes.

Escape with your partner to detached Acorn Cottage (£317pw or £212 for three nights for two sharing from 12th February), romantically set amidst four acres of meadows and woodland off a country lane near South Brewham, Somerset. Dating back several hundred years, it’s been transformed from a cattle stall to create a spacious, comfy cottage with a traditional wood burner in the living room to snuggle around. Spectacular country views and two excellent pubs around a mile; pets welcome.

Also in Somerset is the smartly furnished Old Cider Barn (£322pw or £214 for three nights for two from 13th February) in peaceful Wookey village, near the famous Wookey Hole caves and Cheddar Gorge. Light and spacious inside with an oak floor, handmade wooden staircase and selection of paintings by local artists, the detached cottage is a short walk from the 16th century Ring O’Bells village pub; the cathedral city of Wells and mystical Glastonbury are also within easy each.

To book call West Country Cottages on Tel: 01803 814000 or visit www.westcountrycottages.co.uk.

Create Valentine’s cards, try candle dipping and try other hands-on activities 13th – 21st February at Blists Hill Victorian Town. 
Go along to Blists Hill Victorian Town, near Ironbridge between 13th and 21st February and take part in a variety of fun, drop-in activities. Over the weekend of Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th February you can typeset and print a Valentine’s card for someone you love using Victorian techniques in the Town’s Goods Shed. Then from Monday 15th until Friday 19th there will be sessions making miniature roof tiles from air-drying clay. Each tile will be personally decorated using alphabet stamps and hand prints. A variety of other activities will also be on offer throughout the half-term holiday including candle dipping; building a wall with mini-bricks and colouring-in pictures of Victorian scenes. You’ll also be able to discover more about the history of sweets and get up close to some unusual objects from the Victorian sweet industry. All drop-in sessions take place from 11am to 1pm and 2pm to 3.30pm with activities varying day-to-day; candles and roof tiles also carry a small extra charge in addition to the museum entrance fee.

Design and launch pneumatic rockets and discover the fun of flying
13th – 21st February at Enginuity
Design, build and launch a pneumatic rocket and discover the fun of flying between 13th and 21st February at the Enginuity hands-on design and technology discovery centre, near Ironbridge. The drop-in workshops (10.30am-3.45pm) will use craft materials such as paper, card and plastic to create model rockets of around 30cm in length, which can then be ‘fired’ from Enginuity’s air powered pneumatic launcher through a selection of suspended targets. Afterwards see a display of flight-related exhibits and discover more about the engineers and inventors that helped us take to the skies such as the Wright Brothers, who flew the world’s first successful airplane back in 1903. Activities will vary from day-to-day and some additional costs will apply.

Circus themed tile decorating workshops
13th and 15th – 20th February at Jackfield Tile Museum,
Join a circus themed, drop-in workshop at Jackfield Tile Museum, near Ironbridge during the February half-term and decorate ceramic tiles with your own colourful designs. The motifs can be as creative as your imagination allows; perhaps a clown, juggler, trapeze artist or tightrope walker. These fun and informal sessions will take place on Saturday, 13th February and again between Monday 15th and Saturday 20th February. The Victorian tube lining technique will be used to decorate the tiles, which are priced from £5 per tile (p&p extra to have your tile sent home after firing) plus the museum admission fee. Workshops start from 10am, but allowing up to 1½ hours to decorate your tile, last admission is at 3.00pm.

Celebrate Chinese Year of the Monkey
15th – 19th February at Coalport China Museum
Oriental themed family activities and hands-on workshops celebrating the Chinese Year of the Monkey are being held at Coalport China Museum in Shropshire’s Ironbridge Gorge during the February school half-term. Join the drop-in sessions from Monday 15th – Friday 19th February and decorate your own Chinese design on a clay plaque or try your hand at sculpting a monkey, pagoda or lotus blossom from clay. You can also paint a delicate china flower or fridge magnet and join in free paper based activities. The half-term workshops at Coalport China Museum will be held from 11am until 1pm and 2pm until 4pm; ceramic activities carry an additional fee from £1 for unfired clay modelling or £4 to paint on biscuit-ware.

Opening times and ticket prices
Enginuity, Coalport China Museum and Jackfield Tile Museum are open 10am to 5pm and Blists Hill is open from 10am to 4pm. A great value Annual Passport Ticket allowing unlimited entry into all ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums costs £27.95 per adult, £21.50 for seniors, £16.95 for children under 18, £68 for a family of two adults and all their children and £50 for a family with one adult; under 5s free (terms and conditions apply); Passports can also be bought online in advance saving 10% and individual entry tickets are available at each museum.

For further information, contact the Ironbridge Tourist Information Centre on Tel: 01952 433 424 or visit www.ironbridge.org.uk. The Gorge is easily reached via the M6 and M54 motorways exiting at Telford (M54 junction 4 or 6).

This Valentine’s whisk your loved one away to a wildlife haven in the heart of Dartmoor National Park. Foxgloves, a romantic couples retreat sits in two acres of gardens a short walk from the River Tavy nature reserve at Lopwell Dam. The Old Pump House Café is open for lunch beside the river or the 16th century Who’d Have Thought It inn is just over a mile away at Milton Combe. Converted from a barn near the owner’s Georgian house, the single story, detached cottage sleeps just two priced at £212 for three nights or £317 for Valentine’s week from Saturday 13th February with West Country Cottages. To book call 01803 814000, www.westcountrycottages.co.uk
 

Great Bidlake Manor, an outstanding Grade II* listed manor house on the edge of Dartmoor National Park near Bridestowe, recently renovated in partnership with English Heritage, has joined Helpful Holidays portfolio for 2016. Sleeping thirteen in six bedrooms/six bathrooms, it has been the ancestral home of the Bidlake family since 1268 and was rebuilt in Elizabethan style around 1594.

Now set in 13½ acre of gardens, woodland and paddocks with uninterrupted views over the rolling Devon countryside, the manor was once part of a vast estate. Henry Bidlake, a Royalist, sold part of the land during the English Civil War to pay fines to Cromwell; Charles 1st also reputedly stayed at Great Bidlake in 1644.

Approached via an impressive tree-lined drive, the house sits grandly facing its gardens and grounds. At the front there is a lawned courtyard with mature planting, specimen trees and a large terrace surrounded by striking stone walls, while to the rear are a number of outbuildings including an old cider press.

Beautifully furnished inside, Bidlake Manor has masses of space. The main entrance opens into an impressive dining hall with a huge open fireplace bearing the family’s ancient coats of arms; this in turn leads into the library, an elegant living room with another open fire, a cosy TV room, a fun music room with baby grand piano, guitars and other instrument, and a big breakfast room off the kitchen.

Two staircases lead up to a huge landing called the ‘Solar’, with an ancient barrel-vaulted ceiling and quiet sitting area, and five beautiful ensuite bedrooms. There’s also a games room on this floor and a second, more modest fitted kitchen. The sixth large bedroom is on the second floor in the tower.

With easy access from the A30, Great Bidlake Manor is an excellent base for exploring Devon and Cornwall. Bridestowe with its village pub and shop is around a mile while Okehampton (Devon) is seven miles and the historic Cornish town of Launceston eleven. To book contact Helpful Holidays on 01647 434063, www.helpfulholidays.com, ref A240; pets welcome.

A new, and totally indulgent, afternoon tea experience with traditional, savoury and high tea options is being introduced at the 15th century Swan at Lavenham Hotel & Spa in the New Year.

Each menu will be served course-by-course at tables with pristine white tablecloths in the hotel’s elegant AA two rosette Gallery restaurant. The tempting delights will be offered on bespoke Royal Worcester fine bone china, specially commissioned for The Swan from Walpole of Stoke-on-Trent finished in translucent white with delicate gold decoration. Walpole’s expertise has been developed over several years, supplying some of the most prestigious brands in ceramics as well as special commissions for the Royal palaces.

The Traditional Afternoon Tea starts with a selection of finger sandwiches followed by raisin and apple and walnut scones with clotted cream and house made jam and preserves. The third course is a delicious choice of individual cakes and patisseries, all served with a choice from 22 fine teas or infusions by Newby’s of London. The Swan’s specialist Tea Sommeliers will be on hand to recommend the ideal blend for each guest.

Savoury Afternoon Tea also begins with the finger sandwiches and includes the Newby’s of London teas but that’s where the similarities end. The sweet scones are replaced with Parma ham and sage and tomato and parmesan scones with basil butter, and instead of the cakes there is a choice of tasty savouries. These include a smoked coronation chicken tart with yoghurt; peppered mackerel, Innes log goats cheese with beetroot tapenade and smoked salmon with crab blinis and caviar.

Guests booking the High Tea can choose from six savoury dishes to start such as a Dingley Dell Scotch egg; smoked salmon and chive omelette or crab cakes with champagne beurre blanc; there’s also a vegetarian option of port soaked blue cheese with salt baked beets. Scones with cream and jam and a selection of cakes follow, plus the choice of teas.

Served between 12 noon and 5pm, Monday to Saturday from January, the Traditional and Savoury Afternoon Teas are priced at £19.50 per person, while the High Tea is £26.50. A glass or bottle of sparkling champagne, as recommended by the Swan’s Head Sommelier, can be added for an extra treat or celebration.

To book a table for afternoon tea at The Swan at Lavenham Hotel & Spa call 01787 247477, details can also be found on www.theswanatlavenham.co.uk.

Discover more about the religious beliefs and passage from life to the afterlife in ancient Egypt at a new exhibition at St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery, Lymington open from 16th January until 27th February. Out of Egypt explores the elaborate rituals intended to prepare the departed for an everlasting life after death.

Displays will feature original artefacts from the Hampshire Cultural Trust and Bournemouth Natural Science Society collections including coffin masks, animal mummies, and canopic jars, which were used during the mummification process to store and preserve the viscera of their owner for the afterlife. Also on show will be items that would have been placed in tombs such as amulets for protection from harm and danger; scarabs symbolising the holy beetle in ancient Egypt and Shabti figures, as well as a beautiful funerary boat
 

Photo by Bournemouth Natural Science Society
 

Out of Egypt at St Barbe Museum & Art Gallery will be open Monday-Saturday, 10am-4pm. Tickets, which include entry into the museum, cost £6 for adults, £5 for senior citizens and students, £3 for children aged 5-15 years and £12 for a family of two adults and up to four children (including a voluntary gift aid donation); under fives are admitted free of charge.

The exhibition is sponsored by Thesis Asset Management. For details visit www.stbarbe-museum.org.uk or telephone 01590 676969.
Hardy Pembrokeshire folk enjoy

 

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Boxing Day and New Year’s Day Swims


Saundersfoot - photo by Gareth Davies Photography

Whatever the weather, every winter the hardy folk in Pembrokeshire, South West Wales turn out in their hundreds for festive outdoor swims in the freezing coastal waters all in the name of charity.
 

Celebrating its 45th anniversary this year the Tenby Boxing Day Swim will be taking place on the popular Pembrokeshire’s resort’s North Beach. It’s now a local festive tradition attracting thousands of spectators and around 600 crazy but brave bathers, many in fancy dress. Organised by Tenby Sea Swimming Association (TSSA), the swim goes from strength to strength each year with canoes, raft racing and much more before the great immersion which starts at 11.30am. Swimmers can collect for their own charities and good causes, or for those nominated by TSSA. There’s also a huge beach bonfire around which the shivering swimmers are presented with their commemorative medals. For more information visit www.tenbyboxingdayswim.co.uk.

Taking a dip in the icy waters off Saundersfoot, on Pembrokeshire’s south coast has been an annual New Year’s Day tradition since 1984. Last year the charity event attracted a record 1,700 hardy swimmers plus thousands of spectators to cheer them on; a similar number is expected to celebrate the arrival of 2016 on this 32nd anniversary swim. Swimmers are invited to help raise money for their chosen charity. Organised by Saundersfoot Festivities, the swim starts at 12.30pm; for details visit www.saundersfootnyds.co.uk.

For swimmers and spectators planning to celebrate Christmas or New Year’s Eve in Pembrokeshire accommodation suggestions and other things to see and do can be found on www.visitpembrokeshire.com.

Save £243 for a three night New Year’s Eve break for seven at Westcott, a charming detached 16th century cottage at Corfe Castle in West Dorset; now priced at £695 (£99pp) from 31st December. The cottage is tucked away in a pretty no-through lane in the heart of the village with its pubs, tearoom, shop and church within an easy walk. Inside lots of character with leaded windows, flagstone floors, beams and knobby walls while the open plan living room has a woodburner in the huge, ancient inglenook. Best for a maximum of five adults through West Country Cottages on 01803 814000, www.westcountrycottages.co.uk.

West Country cottage specialist Helpful Holidays new 2016 brochure features nearly 600 places to stay, with a marked increase in holiday homes across Cornwall and north Devon. There has also been a rise in the number earning higher star ratings and offering pools, demonstrating Helpful Holidays’ commitment to continually upgrade their portfolio and the quality of facilities offered to guests.

There is a huge variety of holiday homes, from romantic retreats for two up to big country houses accommodating a maximum of 38 guests, most with stunning views out to sea or across rolling countryside; prices range from £179 to £7,175 for a week’s stay.

Below is a selection of some of the best:

Cornwall
Amongst the larger new places in Cornwall is Mays Cottage on the edge of St Issey, just three miles from Padstow; sleeping eight, it’s ideal for two families holidaying together, or one larger family. Attention to detail and design flair give this delightful cottage a rustic French feel but with all modern comforts. Inside, the beamed living room has thick uneven walls, big sofas and an inglenook with woodburner. There’s also a large, enclosed sunny garden with two patios and a warm outside shower for sandy children or muddy dogs. With a high 4½ star rating, a week’s stay costs from £420 or £53 per person, pets welcome (details can be found on page 194 of the 2016 brochure, ref P115).


Pen Nare is another large family house for nine, just 150 yards from Portscatho village centre and beach in south Cornwall. Set in an elevated position, the double-fronted period house has big bay windows with stunning views across Gerrans Bay from the front seaward-facing rooms. The open plan living/dining/kitchen area has an oil-fired range and cosy woodburner to sit around, while outhouses provide ample storage for surf/beach gear. With a 3½ star rating, a week’s stay costs from £644 or £72 per person, pets welcome (details can be found on page 167 of the 2016 brochure, ref S82).


Helpful Holidays is now letting a fifth apartment at Fort Picklecombe, which was built back in 1848 to protect Plymouth from the French and is now converted into holiday homes with stunning views of the sea, boats and sometimes warships. It has shared use of the pretty terraced gardens and rock pool beach for windsurfing and fishing, there’s also sand at low tide. Sleeping just two, the elegant ground-floor studio apartment has patio doors opening onto a small balcony with splendid sea views. With a 4½ star rating, a week’s stay costs from £268 or £134 per person (details can be found on page 154 of the 2016 brochure, ref R120).


More luxury lodges at Bovey Castle Hotel, Dartmoor
The number of luxury granite lodges available for holiday lets in the grounds of Bovey Castle Hotel, Dartmoor has been increased to 12 for 2016, plus Rose Cottage, the estate’s former gatehouse. Guests staying in the individually furnished lodges, which sleep six and welcome pets, have use of the hotel’s superb facilities including the indoor pool, spa, 18 hole championship golf course, tennis courts and two refurbished restaurants. Other activities are available by arrangement and meals can be delivered to the door (extra). With a top 5 star rating, a week’s stay in a lodge is priced from £815 or £136 per person (details of the five new lodges can be found on pages 128-129 of the 2016 brochure, refs A231, A232, A233, A235 and A236).


On the edge of Dartmoor, near the exceptionally pretty village of Drewsteignton, is quirky detached Grade II* listed Honeyford Cottage sitting snug in its own three acre valley. Inside and out the cottage is the stuff of fairy tales, but if you’re over 6ft or favour level floors and ceilings then perhaps it’s not for you. Full of character with low beams, exposed stonework and masses of charm it sleeps six in four bedrooms/two bathrooms. Outside it’s surrounded by a cottage-style garden with a stream and large pond with ducks; there’s also a paddock shared with two cats, guinea fowl and hens that live in the barn at the end of the drive. Honeyford Cottage has a 4 star rating; a week’s stay is priced from £412 or £69 per person, pets welcome (details can be found on page 130 of the 2016 brochure, ref A229).


North Devon
Holiday homes joining Helpful Holidays for 2016 have included several restorations on working farms, often with a number of places on the same site.

At Pillhead Farm, two miles from Bideford in North Devon, are three individual cottages sleeping four to six. Converted from barns and the oldest part of the original farmhouse, they share an outdoor solar-heated pool, sunbathing terrace, mown orchard and picnic area; guests are also welcome to roam the 130 acre working sheep farm. The Cart Linhay, Corn Tallet and Garden Cottage have each been given a 3½ star rating, a week’s stay costs from £291 or £73 per person; pets welcome at The Cart Linhay (details can be found on page 35 of the 2016 brochure, refs K48, K49 and K50).


Striking houses in South Devon and Dorset
Tucked high on the edge of Dittisham, in south Devon is Dove Cottage, which sleeps eight. A huge width-of-house balcony makes the most of the panoramic views over the river Dart, perfect for a sundowner or stargazing; there’s even a telescope to pick-out highlights in the ever changing view. Modern comforts, original artwork, polished wood floors and soft furnishings in shades of cream and grey, with the occasional bright orange cushion, make this an elegant and relaxing house in which to linger. Rated 5 star, a week’s stay is priced from £1,096 or £137 per person (details can be found on page 72 of the 2016 brochure, ref L295).


In Milborne St Andrew in the heart of Dorset’s Thomas Hardy country, the former Methodist chapel has been recreated as a contemporary and stylish house sleeping four. Double doors open into the living/dining/kitchen with its huge vaulted ceiling and leaded-light windows. Two separate towering, spiral staircases lead up to the two ensuite bedrooms under the eaves; there’s also an enclosed garden to one side. This is an extraordinary architect designed conversion ideal for two couples or a family with older children due to the bedrooms being reached by separate stairs. The Chapel has a 5 star rating; a week’s stay is priced from £373 or £93 per person (details can be found on page 10 of the 2016 brochure, ref Y1).

Helpful Holidays has received a prestigious British Travel Award for four years in succession and has been nominated as a finalist in two categories for the 2015 BTAs. The agency has also achieved Feefo Gold Trusted Merchant Accreditation for the past two years.

For a copy of Helpful Holidays’ 2016 brochure call 01647 434063, email [email protected] or order online at www.helpfulholidays.com.

The agency’s nominated charity for 2016 will be Devon Air Ambulance Trust; in 2015 Helpful Holidays raised over £10,000 for Farms for City Children. Helpful Holidays can be followed on Twitter @helpfulholidays, Facebook and Pinterest.

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