The Ribble Valley - a Hidden Gem

Lancashire - Ribble Valley is the hidden gem of England, 40 minutes from Manchester and an hour from Leeds - but could be worlds away.

Currently we have a snow covered Pendle Hill and views out over Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent, just about an hour from here.

Staying in the vicinity of Clitheroe takes you back to traditional values and shops like the famous Cowmans butcher in Clitheroe who has 20 plus types of sausage.

A fantastic outdoor shop, Ken Varey's who has every type of Barbour and Musto jacket you could wish for. We are as rural as you are going to get, with fields, walks and wildlife all around us. Short eared owls, kestrel (we had two babies in our nest box this year), badgers and deer, they are all around.

The River Ribble is a beautiful place with riverside walks and is excellent for dogs, especially if they like swimming. Superb birdlife along the river, as it winds its way through the woods and quarries, with a backdrop of Pendle and the Trough of Bowland Moors. Beacon Fell and Waddington Fell are favourite outings of ours, Beacon Fell having developed excellent disabled access and Trampers to ensure everyone gets the best of the countryside.

In terms of eating out - you are spoiled for choice: Indian, Chinese, Italian, great pub food, great take aways.

We love the place, the peace, the tranquillity of an early morning sun on Pendle, or a spectacular sunset. Throstle Hall Cottage is a fantastic rural retreat. It sleeps 8 and has with every convenience you could wish for and more. Everyone who has stayed here has fallen in love with it and we have several repeat bookings already.

Karen Preece, Throstle Hall Cottage ©

Throstle Hall Cottage is listed in Cottage Holidays

Gloucestershire Life – How things have changed.

In Gloucestershire today we celebrate fantastic food and superb drinks produced right here in our county.

When we talk today about our enjoyment of dining out or eating here in the county of Gloucestershire we sometimes forget just how far we have come in such a short space of time.

It wasn’t long ago that most pubs in the Cotswolds and through the Gloucestershire county served the original ‘pub grub’ – a scotch egg, a packet of cheese and onion or scampi in the basket if you were lucky.

We know that the great and the good and the rich and the famous all come down to Gloucestershire for a break or even live full time. Why? We know that one reason is that the produce on offer from local suppliers gives everyone a choice of fantastic organic home grown food.

Pubs and restaurants alike, cooks and chefs all go for locally produced food and drink to give the discerning public the very best choice fresh from our soils. And that is not to mention the locally made award winning wines that go with every dish.

Today and almost on the doorstep of Rofield Barn there is a multitude of great pubs, superb eating places and fine dining houses with such high standards that must be the envy of every other county in the UK.

Come and enjoy what we have to offer in Gloucestershire, stay at Rofield Barn for a short break or a week long holiday and get to taste the wonderful flavours of what a real county has to give you.
Jeremy Lewis, Rofield Barn ©
Photo: Rofield Barn

Rofield Barn is listed in Cottage Holidays

Cornish Riviera - Polperro

Polperro is a historic Cornish fishing village located on the Cornish Riviera coast just 26 miles from Plymouth, virtually unspoiled by time.

Surrounded by the natural beauty of the rugged coast and marine blue sea, this is the fairy tale setting for the perfect holiday.

Polperro has it all. A superb climate, quaint friendly pubs, fine restaurants serving locally caught seafood, a variety of individual shops including art galleries, antique and gift shops and a smuggling museum, model village and some fabulous historic sites.

Activities abound for the entire family - you can hire a fishing boat and try your hand at catching your evening meal, pack a picnic basket and head out along the beautiful Cornish coastal paths.

Polperro has a sandy beach for children to enjoy, rocky coves to explore and Chaipel Pool - an inviting rock pool large enough to swim in, which appears as the tide recedes each day. Or if its total relaxation you’re after, simply sit and watch time pass by as the boats gently bob up and down in the picturesque harbour.

Polperro is well placed for exploring other parts of Cornwall. The Eden Project is only 20 minutes away while Tintagel Castle (the legendary birthplace of King Arthur), Plymouth Aquarium, The Lost Gardens of Helligan and The Shipwreck and Heritage Center are also within easy reach.

Places to stay include Crumplehorn Cottages, seven delightful Cornish Cottages, individually situated in the heart of the village of Polperro.

Victoria Richardson, Crumplehorn Cottages ©

Crumplehorn Cottages listed in Cottage Holidays

The Cotswolds

The village of Birlingham is one of those secret places, tucked away on a "village only" road wending its way around an ox bow of the River Avon. The cricket ground is notably attractive and behind it stands the Church of St James with its Norman Arch.

In springtime people come from miles around to see the bulbs in the churchyard. Snowdrops were planted at the beginning of the last century and now form a thick carpet. The river with its otter reserve, weir and lock make an interesting walk. Nic our landlord of The Swan has mapped a number of walks.

Our cottage "The Pigsty" was converted twenty years ago and we are always interested in the variety of people who visit us. Many come from abroad and although we have had a number from New Zealand, five years ago we were visited by a family from The Faulkland Islands.

The drive to Broadway is only twenty minutes and many picturesque villages stretch out into the Cotswolds.

Stratford on Avon can be reached in half an hour so a trip to the theatre is practical.

But for a really relaxing holiday just to wander around the Bredon Hill villages and walk up Bredon Hill is a delight in its self.

Marian Kirkland ©

Cottage Holidays