Dog Friendly Beaches in Cornwall

Another handy guide, and yet more proof that North Cornwall really is the best place for dog friendly beaches and there's no better location that Helsbury Park.

iWalk North Cornwall

Check out this great web site for details of walks in the North Cornwall area. You can view the walks by type (ie is there a pub en route) or by area (ie Camelford). There is an app version and qr codes to download maps and routes. Very professional and a useful resource if your are coming to stay.

http://www.iwalknorthcornwall.co.uk/

Helsbury Dog Photo Competition 2014 Entry 13

Andy and Louise Taylor came to stay recently and had a lovely time: "We had a lovely stay at Marhayes, Helsbury Park at the end of June, it really is a dogs paradise not to mention luxury for humans!  We will certainly recommend your holiday cottages to our friends, and for sure will visit again ourselves."

Comprehensive Online Beach Guide

Cornwall has a unique and magical coastline with over 400 beaches that are accessible on foot. Collectively they are the most varied in character of anywhere in the UK and arguably in the world. The North Coast has iconic sandy beaches backed by either high windswept cliffs or sand dunes and exposed to the Atlantic swell and wind which produces outstanding surf. By comparison the South Coast is more sheltered with wonderful coves and backed by a legendary coastal landscape with picturesque fishing harbours and stunning estuaries.

This new web site has detailed information on every beach however big or small. Just click on to the section of coastline of interest and then to the beach required. Alternatively click on to the A to Z list of beaches if the name of the beach or cove is known.

www.cornwallbeaches.org.uk

Availability for New Year 2012...

Before we close down our 2012 bookings we thought we'd better mention that we still have one cottage available for New Year. If you're interested please let us know asap, we're probably up for a deal so get in quick!

Bird's Eye View of North Cornwall

Check out this spectacular video of the North Coast from the air!

Cornwall Hosts a Feast of Food Festivals in the Fall

Cornwall has one of the finest reputations for food and drink in the whole of the UK which it celebrates in a feast of food festivals. For many, our celebrated harvest of the sea is at the heart of the festivals with Newlyn, Newquay and Falmouth Oyster Festivals showcasing the freshest fish and shelfish caught from around our coast, with cookery demonstrations from top local chefs and samples to tempt the taste buds.

Celebrate all things fishy on August Bank Holiday Monday in one of Cornwall's most distinctive and original fishing ports. Newlyn Fish Festival is the biggest of its kind in the country where you will find a huge fish display, six cooking demos from top local chefs, two fish auctions, a lobster workshop and the Big Fish Filleting Challenge. You can buy fish fresh, cooked or smoked from the best of Cornish seafood merchants.

Newquay Fish Festival runs from 9th to 11th September and grows in popularity each year with more and more to see and sample. Try delicious fish dishes, watch local chefs rustle up amazing food from local produce, purchase a range of Cornish food and produce. The Chefs are the characters of the Festival using their flamboyant demonstrations to show off their culinary skills - and you get to eat the results!! As well as live cookery, smoked fish, a pilchard BBQ, on site fish sales, crab sandwiches, oysters, fish filleting demos and all sorts of other ‘fishy'  will be on offer. There will also be Cornish a range of food and craft stalls as well as family fun and entertainment over the weekend at The Harbour, Newquay's hidden gem.

The imposing city of Truro is the venue for Cornwall Food & Drink Festival which draws thousands of visitors to the event which takes place from 23rd to 25th September.  The festival is the biggest celebration of Cornish food and drink in the county attracting artisan producers from chocolate to chutney; bakery to butchery; ice cream to clotted cream; or pasties to paella - whatever your fancy, this festival has got it licked, with the finest quality produce from all over Cornwall.  If that’s not enough, come and see at least a dozen of the county’s top chefs in action and learn new tricks and hot tips from selected food experts.  Kids can get creative in the Funky Food Zone and, new for this year, the festival fun goes on after sunset with some special treats for true food lovers.

The first weekend in October sees the Boscastle Food, Arts & Crafts Festival with eight fabulous Cornish Chefs demonstrating over the weekend, including high rising stars such as Nathan Outlaw, proud owner of 2 Michelin Stars  from the St Enodoc Hotel, Andy Appleton from Fifteen Cornwall, winner of this year's desert course for the Great British Menu,  three chefs from outstanding restaurants in Padtow including Paul Ainsworth from Number 6, Paul Harwood from Rick Stein’s St.Petroc’s Bistro and Adrian Oliver from Margot’s, also Phil Thomas from Rosewarne Manor and Aaron Janes  from Silks Bistro at Newquay’s Atlantic Hotel.  A host of stalls will be selling and sampling Cornish food and drink and original arts and crafts in the huge marquees in this picturesque harbour side village.

Britains' No 1 Food Spot...

Lincolnshire, are you sure? Vote for Cornwall now before this poll turns into a travesty and embarrassment for the whole country.

http://www.lovebritishfood.co.uk/votefoodspot/

I Love Cornwall...

Cornwall devotees can now share all that they love about Cornwall on a new micro-site which has launched just in time for Easter.

www.ilovecornwall.com is the creation of VisitCornwall, and has been designed to be an official online space and community which will be driven by the passion felt for the county with user generated content, polls, competitions and incentives. Uniquely, it promises to skip the hard sell typical of tourist websites, which is guaranteed to turn off the majority of social media users, relying instead on increasing awareness of Cornwall through credible word-of-mouth recommendations.

The micro-site offers a base for VisitCornwall's social media campaigns that is separate from, and with a different offer to, the main tourist board website, www.visitcornwall.com. It forms part of VisitCornwall's social media strategy for 2011 which has already seen the successful launch of the 'I love Cornwall' Facebook page and Twitter account.

Lauren Hogan, VisitCornwall Digital Marketing Manager, comments: "Social media is increasingly becoming the 21st century version of word-of-mouth travel recommendations and research shows that it now accounts for 11.5% of all UK internet visits, with Facebook accounting for 1 in 6 page views in the UK*. www.ilovecornwall.com will provide destination inspiration in an entertaining way and our aim is to make it a website that people will want to visit for five minutes everyday - while you're on your coffee break, at lunch or on the train on the way to work. We have some fantastic prizes on the site including VIP and luxury holidays in Cornwall."

VisitCornwall will facilitate and encourage social media advocacy and positive online discussions about Cornwall by inviting users to share their own content. As well featuring photos submitted by the community via Facebook, Twitter and Flickr VisitCornwall will engage with site visitors by initiating communication about favourite things to do, upcoming events, the best beaches, the best places to eat and even the best place to watch a sunset.

Cornwall Named Top UK Holiday Destination

Cornwall has once again fought off competition from across the country to be crowned ‘Best UK Holiday County or Region’ in the British Travel Awards (on Thursday 4th November) for the second year running. The county attracted the lion’s share of the public vote outshining neighbour, Devon, which along with Cumbria in the Lake District, was announced as a runner-up. This marked an impressive double award win for Cornwall as St Ives was also named ‘Best UK Seaside Town’. On top of this the Eden Project also scooped silver for ‘Best UK Day Out Experience’.

Over 220,000 people voted in this years British Travel Awards which boast over seventy categories and span every type of holiday experience, making them the largest awards programme in the UK. They are widely referred to as the “Oscars” of the travel industry and are the most recognisable and sought-after accolades in the sector.

Malcom Bell, Head of Tourism at VisitCornwall, the Cornwall Development Company tourism service for the county, collected the Awards on behalf of Cornwall and St Ives at the glittering ceremony which was held at Battersea Evolution in Battersea Park, South West London: “I am immensely proud to accept these Awards for Cornwall and St Ives. To win at both county and town level is a huge achievement and the fact that the Awards are based on public opinion make them even more significant.

“This is the third time in five years that Cornwall has come out on top in the British Travel Awards which proves that the county is leading the way and offering the quality holiday experience that visitors demand. The Awards give real creditability to the promotion of Cornwall and St Ives as visitor destinations and there is significant leverage to be enjoyed from the publicity that a national award such as this brings.”

Carolyn Rule, Cabinet Member for Economy and Regeneration and Tourism Portfolio Holder, adds: “These Awards are testament to the commitment and hard work of the tourism sector in Cornwall and St Ives and are wholly deserved. The industry is becoming increasing competitive, especially under the current economic pressures, and these awards will play a significant role in reassuring both previous and potential visitors of the quality status of Cornwall.“

The announcement of these Awards completes an award-winning year for Cornwall and St Ives; as well as these awards, Cornwall has been named the country’s most scenic county and St Ives was declared Best Family Holiday Destination in the prestigious Coast Awards 2010 as well a favourite seaside town in a Which? Holiday Survey.

For further information about the British Travel Awards and a full list of winners visit www.britishtravelawards.com.

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Cornwall Named Most Scenic County

With pretty gardens, magnificent beaches and various historic sites, Cornwall has topped a recent poll to take the title of Britain’s most scenic county. The survey was commissioned by TV Channel Blighty and supported by well known presenter Neil Oliver to launch their Great British Landscape Season.

Participants from across the country were asked to choose their most favoured counties across a number of criteria including natural beauty, weather, tourist attractions and cleanliness. Cornwall was most popular and scored highly across the set of criteria with Devon coming in a close second. Almost three quarters of those polled expressed an interest in visiting Cornwall in the coming year citing it as best for hospitality, scenic views and containing the nicest towns and villages. Neighbouring county Devon was the second favourite in these categories while Cumbria came in third overall while being named best for wildlife but was a less favourable destination due to its unsettled weather. Merseyside and West Midlands were named as counties that suffered from a lack of natural beauty.

When asked how Britain’s natural beauty compared to that of the rest of Europe, 87% of people believed the British landscape was as scenic as or better than the mainland. The main reasons put forward that might put tourists off from visiting the British Isles were weather, high costs of transport and the exchange rate.

Malcolm Bell of VisitCornwall comments: “Our visitors are consistently telling us that it is the quality of Cornwall’s natural environment that attracts them here and it is fantastic that this survey not only backs that up but recognises Cornwall’s beauty as being above and beyond that of any other destination. Any visitor to the county can’t fail to be visually impressed; Cornwall’s unique location is undoubtedly one of our greatest assets and is a invaluable unique selling point.”

The top 5 most scenic counties in Britain:

• Cornwall (65% of the vote)
• Devon
• Cumbria
• North Yorkshire
• Dorset

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Cornwall Named Best UK Holiday Destination

Its official: Cornwall is the Best UK Holiday Destination, having been bestowed the coveted title at the British Travel Awards. Open to all destinations across the country and won by public votes, the award represents the views of the consumer making it a true indicator of popularity. Over 20% of the category’s votes were cast in Cornwall’s favour pushing it ahead of the Lake District, last years winner. Steve Kessell of VisitCornwall was there to collect the trophy: “Being awarded the title of Best UK Holiday Destination is a fantastic honour for Cornwall. Not only does it recognise the hard work of the industry but it also shines the national spotlight on Cornwall. The fact that it is based on public opinion makes it even more significant as it comes from those people that count, those that vote with their feet!"

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Cornwall at it's best...

After their two previous nautical outings Griff Rhys-Jones, Dara O'Briain and Rory McGrath return for a third one. Having previously recreated the famous journey of Victorian author Jerome K Jerome, the trio let loose on a variety of vessels in Rory's home county of Cornwall.

Setting off from Plymouth with a plan to make it all the way to the Isles of Scilly, the show has some spectacular imagery from the Cornish coast particularly of the rivers Fowey and Fal. You can watch the show here.

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!!

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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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!

Cornwall's 1st Countywide Tourism Discount Card

The cards are valid for up to five persons including the holder. The Tourist Pass is sold to visitors for £7 for 7 days & £10 for 14 days. The passes can be purchased by Tourists, Students & Residents. Make the most of your visit with a pass that gives you unlimited discounted admission to top attractions for one low price. Plus savings of up to 50% on shopping and dining.

Whether you use the Pass to enjoy all the benefits in one location or many, close to home or on holiday, it offers exceptional value. Check the web site to see the hundreds of businesses who participate.

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Check out Toby's Guides...

Whether you're looking for a great walk for you and your dog or just for yourself and some friends, the walks included in Toby’s guides are beautiful, fairly straightforward walks for everyone to enjoy.

Check them out at the Scriven House web site.

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Wildlife Extravaganza...

What a week! Helsbury has really come alive over the past few days, masses of birdlife and wild flowers were topped when Solly and I walked into a small herd of deer in the woods, which are bedecked in bluebells and primroses and are looking stunning. The was topped today when Leza saw an Otter playing in our pond! She was thrilled as we know how hard they are to spot, unfortunately it was probably tempted by the ducks on the pond which had decided to take refuge up at the house!

Other spots include grey wagtails, goldfinch, greenfinch, buzzards [nesting on site], heron and masses of wild flowers.

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Helsbury on Facebook

Just so you know there is a Helsbury Park group set up on facebook, feel free to join and keep in touch with us.

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