The Trebah 'Dog' Trail

From the 2nd January to 7th February at Trebah Gardens there is a specially created trail for four-legged friends and their owners. The trail will take the dogs around a specific route in the garden that will be of special interest to both owner and pet. It will not only include plants that have certain scents that dogs will love, but plants that have colour and form, providing a winter visual treat for their owners. Owners will be asked to follow the trail, they will need to identify certain breeds of dog and at the end of the trail, the dog will receive a special 'doggie treat' as a reward for all its hard work!!

Throwing a stick could kill your dog!

Yeah right, you've no doubt seen this story in the press, I'm sure it happens but there is some nonsense out there is health and safety world and this just adds to the catalogue of "good advice" we get from "experts", its a wonder we go out at all! Our old dog Dexter was a great collector of sticks , here's a picture of one he was was particularly proud of.

Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...

Or AONB for short, there's a lot of them, no less than 12 in Cornwall and 3 on the doorstep of Helsbury Park. Bodmin Moor is one of the biggest, the Camel Estuary one of the most spectacular and the North Coast is an absolute treaure. For more information check out the Cornwall AONB web site which is packed with further information and news.

Helsbury Park Dog Photo Competition 2008/09 Entry 17

Jayne Lees sent these superb shots of their dogs, Alfie and Linus, enjoying themselves at Helsbury. Jayne said:"We had a fantastic time, the weather was good, the cottage was amazing and Cornwall is a great place to come on holiday. We had our first holiday with our two rescue greyhounds Alfie and Linus and they had a ball as you can see from the photo's. (Alfie is the handsome black boy and Linus is our blue brindle boy.)"

Helsbury Park Dog Photo Competition 2008/09 Entry 16

Niki Boho sent us this lovely message and this great shot of Zorro the dog. "Helsbury Park has everything you could wish for, so why leave?" Jake, Niki's son, said "I never want to go anywhere else ever again!" Niki added: "We're looking forward to seeing the pool as if the standards are equal to the barn it will be impressive!"

Helsbury Park Dog Photo Competition 2008/09 Entry 15

Pauline Droy sent thse cracking shots of Finn and George, taking a rest after a hard day enjoying themselves.

Helsbury Park Dog Photo Competition 2008/09 Entry 14

Kirsty Hillen-Clarke sent us these lovely shots of Star, her doberman, who had a very busy time on holiday here leaving him utterley 'Helsbury'd'.

Helsbury Park Dog Photo Competition 2008/09 Entry 13

This lovely pack of dogs had a wonderful time earlier in the year, Anne Chambers bought Finn, George and Mia down to show them a bit of North Cornwall and they loved it.

New collar tag helps dog owners meet new friends

It's a well-known fact that dogs can be conversation starters that help break the ice with people their owners meet. Taking the notion a step further, a new collar tag from Boston-based SNIF Labs lets pet owners forge new connections with fellow dog-walkers, both online and off.

Available in a range of colours and patterns, the SNIF Tag is a small RFID device that attaches to a dog's collar and records his or her daily movements and social encounters. On the social side, each SNIF Tag emits a unique signal that is sensed by the SNIF Tags worn by other dogs. When Fido meets such tag-bearing playmates during a jaunt to the park, his collar stores that information and later uploads it automatically into the accompanying base station, which stays plugged into the owner's PC at home.

The dog's owner can then log in to view the profiles of the owners of those other dogs and decide if they want to connect online as well. In addition to monitoring social interactions, the SNIF Tag also uses an accelerometer and motion-analysis software to record a pet's activity. Owners can monitor the dog's movements in real time while he's home but they're at work, for example; alternatively, when Fido is out with the walker, information on his activities will be automatically uploaded when he returns. Activity levels can be reviewed by the hour, day or month, and owners can compare them with those of the other SNIF Tag-wearing dogs in the neighbourhood.

As ever the Americans are one step ahead and we'll probably pick up on this next year but it could be big and you saw it here first!

Helsbury Park Dog Photo Competition 2008/09 Entry 12

Well, he's back! Murray, the biggest dog ever, was back at Helsbury last week picking up his prize for winning the photo competiton last year. He was in great form and really enjoyed his week, even when Solly was being particularly annoying ;o) Nick said "Once again guys, thanks a lot for the holiday, we all had a fantastic time. Murray has taken several days to regain his energy levels!!!!! Looking forward to seeing you again in the future."

Helsbury Supports Hope Rescue

We recently supported Hope Rescue , a very worthwhile charity who try and manage the stray dog population, collecitng them from pounds and moving them to safe places where they can be rehomed and looked after. We donated a week's holiday here at Helsbury and helped raise a record total for the charity. Elspeth Cameron, the fundraising coordinator said "Helsbury Park raised us an amazing £340 which will make a considerable dent in our vets bills or cover our boarding costs for 7 weeks. We can't thank you enough for your donation." To help with donations visit their website or click here for more information on how to help them for free.

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Buddies doing a good thing...

It pays to get up early round here...

Helsbury Park Dog Photo Competition 2008/09 Entry 11

Jim Mundy sent this great shot of Jake, watching Mum putting the washing out in the farmhouse. Jim said "As you may have already guessed Helsbury is Jake's favourite place in the world!"

Barn owls on site...

We've been very lucky with wildlife this year and even more so recently when we've had a paid of barn owls hunting on the land every evening. They are lovely and quite enchanting birds with total confidence and presence, they are not scared of being approached and have flown extremely close to get a proper look at us while we're walking Solly.

Cornwall - Top of the British Holiday Destinations

It's long been a belief of those who live and visit the county but hard facts are now available to prove it - Cornwall is Britain's favourite holiday destination. TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel community, conducted a poll of over 500 British travellers to find out what they think are the best and worst of Britain's coastal resorts, lakes, mountains and cities, and Cornwall come out as the clear winner. Not only did the county scoop the top title as favourite destination it also featured in all, but two, of the 'Best for' categories outshining the likes of the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales.

Cornwall pulled in most votes in the 'Best for Families' category and came in a close second in the food, accommodation and value stakes. Teresa Timms of VisitCornwall couldn't be happier with the results: "The quality of Cornwall's tourism industry has never been better and this survey shows that we are leading the field. Not only does Cornwall have some of the best accommodation and places to eat in the country but we also rank highly for our warmth of welcome which is really great news. The industry should be really proud of themselves!"

Favourite Destination
1.Cornwall
2.Scottish Highlands and Islands
3.Lake District

Best Food
1.London
2.Cornwall
3.Scottish Highlands and Islands

Best Accommodation
1.London
2.Cornwall
3.Lake District

Best for Good Value
1.Blackpool Pleasure Beach
2.Cornwall
3.Scottish Highlands and Islands, Yorkshire Dales

Best for Getting Away From it All
1.Scottish Highlands and Islands
2.Lake District
3.Cornwall

Best for Families
1.Cornwall
2.Blackpool Pleasure Beach
3.English Riveria

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Helsbury Park Dog Photo Competition 2008/09 Entry 10

Richard and Sarah Topps sent these great shots in of Gertie, their labrador enjoying her week here at Helsbury. Sarah emailed to say "Thank you again for another super holiday at Helsbury!"

Its GOLD for Helsbury...

We're delighted to announce that we picked up the top award at the 2008 Cornwall Tourism Awards last week. Standards are extremely high in these competitions nowadays so we're particularly pleased to have pulled it off. We've since learnt that we also made it into the top 6 self catering estabishments in the whole of the south west region. This shows that we're investing in the right areas and that our business model is sound so we're alread looking forward to next year!

Solly running up that hill...

A lovely Autumn morning, watch closely as he's a bit quick!

Helsbury Park Dog Photo Competition 2008/09 Entry 9

Some absolutely stunning shots of Willow, who came to stay in Broadview with her family over the summer. Anita Hope said: "She had a wonderful doggie holiday!"

Helsbury Park Dog Photo Competition 2008/09 Entry 8

Lesley and Colin Gentle stayed with us this Summer [we use the term loosely!] and sent these great shots of their dog Mole. Lesley added: "We’ve been home for some weeks now, and I’ve been suffering badly from Helsbury withdrawal symptoms!"

Helsbury Park Dog Photo Competition 2008/09 Entry 7

Nick and Emma Schelsinger stayed in Westhayes in August and took some lovely shots of Archie, their Irish Terrier. Archie definitely enjoyed the fresh air and open fields at Helsbury, he also got along to Daymer Bay, but did have to shelter from the rain too!

Our dog whisperer...

Shona has done a number of visits now with our guests and is getting some great feedback, check this comment out from Anita Hope who saw Shona last week:

"Whilst staying at Helsbury Park, Shona Moon came to have a two hour session with our Hungarian vizsla, Willow. The session was extremely interesting and it was great to see Shona interact with Willow in a calm way (she is a very excitable dog!) We now have a number of techniques to use to help with Willow's behaviour. I would definitely recommend Shona to anyone who wants to add an extra dimension to their doggie holiday."

For more information check out Shona's web site.

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Helsbury Frisbees...

Every dog who comes to Helsbury Park get's their very own frisbee, which they can play with while they're here and take home and play with as a lasting memory, alternatively they can do what our dog Solly does and chew it pieces in about 10 minutes!

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Fledglings stay rent free...

We've been keeping an eye on a couple of nests in our log stores with the help of our guests, last week Claire Fisher noticed that the baby birds had finally got big enough to fly and have indeed left the nest, some great photos here...

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Butterflies on site

Molly Fisher recently stayed with us and kindly did some nature detecting by identifying the different species of butterfly we have on site, she saw the following species: Large White, Small Copper, Speckled Wood and Red Admiral. There may be a few more as well so we'll keep an eye out. Thanks Molly!

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Helsbury Park Dog Photo Competition 2008/09 Entry 6

Karen Arevalo stayed with us recently and left us this message: "Thank you so much for the week we spent at Broadview. Judging by the weather since I think we were very lucky as it was lovely. We thoroughly enjoyed are week at Helsbury and the lovely beaches. I have attached some photos of Maggie who loved every minute of it."

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Stannon Circle & Moor Walk

We took a lovely walk on Bodmin Moor a few Sundays ago, in reasonable sunshine we headed up to the stone circle at Stannon in the shadow of Roughtor. The stone circle itself is a good example and well worth a look. On the way back to Helsbury across the moor we passed the only remaining engine house on the north of the moor and a wonderful example of an ancient clapper bridge.

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New Barbecues...

Rather than keep throwing away the metal versions we've decided to go for something more permanent, these fantastic barbecues are not only solid but also easy to clean [get the hint?]. We hope there's still a few more sunny evenings to enjoy them.

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Eden Seed

If you needed an excuse to visit the Eden Project again, then here it is. This marvellous new sculpture is in the education centre, its actually been cut from a single piece of granite found in a local quarry here on the moor.

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The perfect place to Hide...

We've recently installed a hide in the woods to allow you to keep an eye on the local wildlife, its positioned in a great spot where we've already seen deer drinking, kingfishers and dippers.

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5 Stars Again...

Great news, we've recently had our inspection from Visit Britain and have been awarded five stars for the 5th year in succession. The standards are very high and we're very pleased that our ongoing investment in the cottages has paid off. We've also been awarded 'pet friendly' status as well.

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Spectacular summer hedgerows

The hedgerows burst into life this summer and were a riot of colour, this view of our drive gives you a feel for the spectacular welcome you get when you come on to the site here at Helsbury.

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Our new bike shed...

Our new bike shed is strictly not for smoking behind, its a great addition to our on site facilities and provides our guests with use of bikes so they can leave the car behind and enjoy a ride up to the coast or along the Camel Trail which is only a few miles away.

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Helsbury Park Dog Photo Competition 2008/09 Entry 5

Lisa Castle stayed recently and took these great shots of Benson and Oz, she said: "Thank you for yet another excellent stay at Helsbury Park, after all previous stays in the Farmhouse we weren't sure what to expect of Westhayes but it exceeded our expectations and was perfect and the dogs absolutely loved just sitting and playing on the lawn. We will hopefully be booking soon for next year. Thanks once again for the perfect holiday location!"

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