Helsbury is awarded 5 Star Gold for the 5th year running...

Our recent Quality in Tourism inspection has resulted a 5th year of being awarded 5 stars with a coveted GOLD standard. Scoring in the high 90% and in some cases 100% on all of the criteria we are very proud to be offering our guests a unique dog friendly experience whilst maintaining these incredibly high standards.

Special mention was made of our housekeeping team: "An absolutely excellent standard of housekeeping and cleanliness seen at the time of the assessment. With attention to detail seen at both high and low levels, furniture pulled out and surfaces dust free. Sue and the team are to be congratulated on maintaining this standard."

Helsbury Dog Walk Map

We've been meaning to do this one for a while, it's a map of the key tracks which you can use for walking your dog here at Helsbury. In truth you can take your dog anywhere on site but these are the areas we tend to maintain as tracks throughout the year. It shows which areas are gated and roughly the best areas to walk. The map represents about 3 miles of tracks which are available here on site, as a guide to get down to river and back would take 20-30 minutes, if you take a full loop of the park then you'd be looking at 45-60 minutes of walking. Or you can do what I do which is to try and go a different way each day, there's at least 6 variants so ideal for a week's stay!

You can download it from here, it's a pdf, Helsbury Dog Walk Map

Vet Tourism

Here's an interesting idea, we've had great comments about our local vet, Penbode Veterinary Group, especially in relation to their costs. They are perceived as friendly, efficient and great value for money. I was talking to their man in Camelford this morning and he told me that they get a bit of business from people bringing their dogs down to Cornwall for procedures which would be costly where they live. It's an intriguing idea and one on which I'd love to hear your views. The idea of combining your holiday with a visit to the vet and a bit of convalesence here on site might not be a bad idea!

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Protect your dog this summer...

As the grass gets longer the weather warms up it's not a bad idea to consider giving your dog a dose of a really good flea and tick treatment. We use Advantix on our dog which you can get from most vets, it has a range of benefits as well as being very easy to administer it...

• is a highly effective parasiticide against the most common and important external parasites
• repels ticks, sand flies, mosquitoes and stable flies before they can bite and suck blood
  
• reduces the risk of parasite-transmitted diseases and the stress for the pet
  
• has been developed specifically for dogs
  

For more information, check the Advantix web site.

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Keep Beaches Open For Dogs, Says Kennel Club

Access for dog walkers to England’s beaches is under increasing threat from the onslaught of beach bans being introduced by local authorities. Of the approximately 90 local authorities with coastline under their jurisdiction, at least 60 have already banned dogs from some part of their beaches during the summer months, or in some cases all year round.

In light of the continued threat, the Kennel Club has proposed amendments to the Marine & Coastal Access Bill due to come before the House of Commons shortly, in order to ensure that England’s beaches remain open for dogs. The Bill will create a walking route around the entire English coastline, which the Kennel Club believes should be open to everyone, including responsible dog owners.

Click here for more

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Our Free Doggy Soap...

We've been putting a dog soap in our barns as part of our welcome for some time and we've had some really good feedback about it, we've just received this one from Jennie Comley: "We have been extremely lucky in as much that neither of the dogs have rolled in the desirable badger perfume since our return from Helsbury; and we are not habitual dog bathers! That was until yesterday, Buntie really perfected the art !!!!!! When it is that bad, I find sometimes after drying I still need to rub her with a little lavender oil, as the eau de badger still lingers, but with your soap it was not necessary. I think using a bar rather tipping from a bottle, we either use less or it certainly seemed not to lather up so much, thus making rinsing a much easier task and all these days later Buntie's coat is still beautifully shiny, very soft AND still sweet smelling. Yep I am impressed!!!"

You can purchase the soap from So Soapy's web site.

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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."

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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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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Helsbury Park Dog Photo Competition 2008/09 Entry 4

Dawn Moore sent these lovely shots of Bella, she said: "Just wanted to send you some photos of our wonderful holiday (Marhayes March 2008) our Weimeraner Bella had the best time thanks!Looking forward to seeing you again."

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Helsbury Park Dog Photo Competition 2008/09 Entry 3

Beth Currie sent these lovely shots of her dogs Neo and Eddie frollicking in the field at Broadview, looks like they had a great time and the photos have come out beautifully.

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Helsbury Park Dog Photo Competition 2008 / 09 Entry 2

Tony Madge, the winner of the 2007 Photo Competition took his prize week last week and the weather was absolutely stunning, Tony emailed to say: "We returned home from our wonderful break at Broadview this week fully relaxed and refreshed. It is not often that we can go on holiday with the 3 woofers and relax in comfort and beautiful surroundings, this is possible at Helsbury Park. We had a great time and once again thank you for inviting us down as a prize for the photo competition."

Here's his entry for this year's competition.

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Walkies...

We're currently being featured on the brilliant Lookaround Cornwall web site, we asked them to come and take some photos of the site to really try and convey the unique offer we have here in terms of dog walking. Our little [100 acres!] doggie haven is fantastic for dog walking with everything from open fields to the woodland. A neverending supply of sticks and a river too! Check out the brilliant panoramas so you can see for yourself.

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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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Pets & Travel Web Site

Check out the pets and travel web site with expert tips on travelling with your pets, the organisation was formed to offer a unique reference point on travelling with your pet. There's a lot more to pet travel than popping Rex in the boot of the car or onto a plane. This site offers all the advice you'll need to take your pet anywhere. It was created out of the concern that there was no single UK resource for interesting features and practical advice on this subject. The features and articles are written by professional journalists and experts - who have a particular interest, or a background in this area.

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Photo of the Month: November

Having seen some stunning early mornings this month, we're going for this photo as our photo of the month, we think you'll agree its an absolute stunner. Almost worth getting up for, if you weren't on holiday!

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Dog Kennels Now Available on Site...

We’ve recently installed custom built kennels by each one of our cottages. They’ll allow you to be more flexible in how you manage your dog(s) while you’re on site. The kennels have a covered area, an enclosed area and a run giving your dog maximum comfort if they need to stay in there for any reason. The kennels are free to use at your own discretion, we hope you find them useful. They’ve been installed to support our drive to be the UK’s leading dog friendly accommodation.

This is the one at the back of Westhayes

And this one is behind Marhayes. The one for Broadview will be fitted over the next few weeks while we complete the rebuild of the garage. We hope you find them useful and we'd welcome any feedback.

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Pampered pooches, fat cats living large in luxury pet hotels

More American madness...

http://beta.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/worklife/09/12/travel.pets/index.html

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Cani-Cross Come to Cornwall...

Cani-Cross (canine — cross-country) means running with your dog (any breed). If you're already running with your dog/s — you already do cani-cross! Previous events have included vision impaired entrants running with a human guide, hearing impaired entrants running with their Hearing Dogs, people who have had a triple heart by pass, 10km/ marathon/ ultra-endurance athletes, to kids, have-a-goes and those that just love to do things with their dogs.

No special equipment or training is needed. You can start today, go out for a training run and enter cani-cross races with your dog on collar and lead. Many choose to harness their dog’s pulling power and chase instinct with a dog running harness, waist belt and cani-cross line. This is more comfortable for both you and your dog and gives you extra assistance (handy for the hills)! Dogs soon learn the difference between their collar and their running harness – understanding that they can pull with one and not the other. The running harness directs all the pulling power to the dogs chest and shoulders away from the neck. The feel is totally different to the collar and significantly more comfortable. Running with your dog in harness can help with loose lead walking. Cani-cross is a brilliant way to get out in the fresh air and spend quality time with your dog. You and your canine chum can enjoy the peace and tranquillity of your surroundings and get in shape at the same time with an invigorating workout.

Cardinham Cani-Cross event (5km and 2.5km)
Date: Sunday 6 April 2008
Closing date: 2 April 2008
Venue: Cardinham Woods, Bodmin, Cornwall
Link: http://www.cani-cross.co.uk/Cardinham%20CaniCross2.shtml

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Helsbury Park Photo Competition 2007 / Entry 11

Rich and Lynda Lovatt sent these lovely shots of Jazz and Hextall [great name!] after they recently returned from a fantastic week at the Farmhouse, they said "Having stayed at Broadview last year we knew what a great area it was for the dogs, the highlghts were Daymer Bay, a beach just up from Widemouth and of course on the Helsbury grounds. We would like to thank you for a great week in superb accommodation and surroundings (thanks also for the recomendation of 'The Old Inn' - delicious food). We hope to be back next year."

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