Cornwall voted 'most scenic' county in Britain

Cornwall's hospitality was praised as well as its rugged coastline Cornwall has been hailed as the "most scenic county" in Britain. According to a survey, its rugged coastline, sandy beaches and windswept moor lands persuaded 65% of those polled to put it top. The weather and the quality of Cornwall's tourist attractions were also highly rated in the survey carried out by a satellite television channel.

See more on bbc.co.uk

We're Off and Running - VOTE NOW!

The voting for the 2011 dog photo competition is now open, tell your friends and get voting! Normal rules apply, winner gets a free week and one lucky voter will get a £200 voucher to use against a holiday here at Helsbury!

VOTE NOW

Wildlife Gallery

Just a quick update, we're still keeping our wildlife gallery page up to date, latest spot was a Tufted Duck on the pond, particularly pleasing as we've worked hard to keep the pond clear of weed over the winter so nice to see that the birdlife appreciates it. Other recent highlights include a rather brave fox, a pair of woodcock, massive flocks of Starlings, the stoat (my favourite) and the Heron who seems to be a regular visitor to the pond now. There were lots of deer prints in the snow over Christmas, including quite a few on the deck outside the pool, they must have fancied getting in from the cold!

Helsbury Dog Photo Competition 2011 Entry 28

Jayne Freer and her partner and dog are staying at Helsbury right now, and by the wonders of modern technology they've entered the dog photo competition! This is probably the last entry as we're making a cut for the shortlist over the next day or so. Jayne said: "Having a great time here. The first one is a sepia picture down by the lake with Molly taking a breather after a bit of digging! Note the straw she has stuck to her nose! I've also sent a couple from our hike today on Rough Tor or Brown Willy Tor. Legs are feeling a bit wobbly now as a result!"

Solar Thermal Update

We did a pretty good job of tracking our use of solar thermal water heating last year and the results are in the chart below. Overall we created over 7000 kWh of energy from the sun, all of which was used to heat water in the cottages and in the pool. The best performer was Westhayes with the Farmhouse and the Pool coming out even. Marhayes did pretty well considering the roof is not South facing so all in all a good result.

PV power comes to Helsbury...

With Cornwall being the centre of the "Solar Goldrush" it seems only right that we would be part of it and here we are with our first set of PV panels up and running. They are going on Westhayes, Broadview and on the Stables by the Farmhouse to power the pool. We'll be tracking their output on a weekly basis.

Guests feedback

We've been reviewing all our feedback from last year and we'd thought we'd share some of the comments we've been getting:

"What a wonderful week we’ve all had at Helsbury Park – Broadview is just perfect for us and your fields and excellent facilities made for an outstanding, super dog orientated holiday!"

"Marhayes and Helsbury Park exceeded my expectations by a long way, it does what it says on the tin and more! We had a very enjoyable week, the setting was amazing, comfortable and well equipped."

"The accommodation excelled our expectations in every way (the master bed, I must say is by far the most comfortable I have experienced whilst on holiday). Westhayes is a real home from home – only with a slightly better view!!!"

"Really enjoyed our first stay at Helsbury Park, the pool is excellent very clever design and was used every day… we will definitely be coming back."

"This is our seventh year and eighth stay at Helsbury Park and yet again it has been a fantastic holiday! Thank you."

"We had a brilliant holiday with plenty to do on site and locally for us, our teenagers and, of course, the dogs. Would highly recommend Shona Moon as well."

"Really enjoyed our holiday – bungalow and setting really lovely – dog walks great – swimming pool brilliant – hope to see you again in the future."

"Now after visiting Helsbury Park we have had to ‘rethink’ the phrase ‘dog friendly’. Other establishments purporting to be ‘dog friendly’ we now realize are merely dog tolerant (in varying degrees) ... Helsbury Park turns that attitude on its head. Facilities for both 2 legs and 4 legs are second to none."

"Loved to see our dogs running free on your land, swimming in the stream they had a lovely holiday."

"This is our 5th visit and we’ve had a lovely week again. Although not big swimmers we both enjoyed the pool – very exclusive and notably chlorine-free and lovely showers too."

"Dave & Leza you have done a beautiful transformation, the accommodation & facilities are out of this world, whenever we visit Helsbury Park we know we are in Heaven."

"We had a fantastic holiday. We have only recently rescued our Chocolate Lab and it was great to see her have such a lovely time. You must be very proud of Helsbury Park. We look forward to returning!!"

"Once again a fabulous holiday made even better this year by the new excellent pool & facilities & unseasonal sunny weather. The bed was the most comfortable we have slept in. We will definitely be back. Many thanks."

View across Helsbury

Lovely photo across the Park here at Helsbury taken in the snow on Christmas Day.

Check it out here