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| Well, this traditional weather is all well and good, but you have to admit the March gales and white Easter were just a bit over the top! By now, all those lovely chocolate eggs are just a distant memory and the school holidays are well underway. But it’s not too late to book a last minute break for the remaining week or so - do contact us and we’ll see what we can find for you. |
| There are still some great offers around, for example the lodges at Portreath, a smart apartment with long views over Fistral Beach, or an ancient old farmhouse and a large Georgian country house on the edge of Dartmoor; or if you don’t want to travel quite so far, how about a house with a hot tub close to the East Devon coast? |
Looking just a little further ahead, there’s always plenty going on around the first bank holiday in May and we’ve picked out a few festivals and places you might like to consider. Remember, our telephone team is here to help find the holiday home just right for you. It’s a great time to come to the West Country as the wild flowers start to bloom and the bluebells spread their cloaks of blue on the leafy valley floors. We’ve got lots of the best holiday homes in the South West, all just waiting to welcome you.
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We’re delighted to tell you about 43 wonderful new holiday cottages in south Cornwall, in and around St Mawes and Falmouth, many of them right on the waterside. All the properties are on our website (www.helpfulholidays.com) and in the forthcoming second Helpful Holidays colour supplement that will be landing on your doormat at the end of April. |
Even by Cornwall’s amazing standards, this is a delightfully unspoilt area with wonderful beaches, charming villages, hidden pubs, great walking and stunning scenery. And there’s plenty to keep you busy all year round; delightful gardens abound – Glendurgan, Lamorran and Trelissick are right on your doorstep, whilst The Eden Project and The Lost Gardens of Heligan are nearby; it’s a water sports haven with beachside water sports centres (Loe Beach), surf school (Falmouth Surf School) and yacht and boat hire (Mylor Boat Hire) all locally available; there’s dolphin and whale watching from Falmouth (Orca Sea Safaris); it’s positively bursting with history and heritage (the National Maritime Museum, St Mawes and Pendennis Castles); and you can even discover the dark secrets of the ancient art of brewing on a tour of the nearby St Austell Brewery. |
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| Perranwell, Cornwalls Med |
Flushing, Cornwalls Med |
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| Falmouth, Cornwalls Med |
St Mawes, Cornwalls Med |
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| St Mawes, Cornwalls Med |
Feock, Cornwalls Med |
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Museums and galleries throughout Somerset are offering special opening hours and the chance to get more involved in what they have to offer. Many museums are signing up for the Museums at Night weekend from 16th to 18th May, supported by Aardman Films of Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep fame.
For somewhere to stay try: |
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| Stogumber, Somerset Coast |
Ilminster, Somersets middle |
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The Padstow ’Obby ’Oss is reputed to be the oldest dance festival in the country. The day celebrates the Celtic festival of Beltane, the spring festival dedicated to the return of the Celtic sun god, Bel. It’s a wild, long and boisterous day starting early and ending late – if you have the stamina!
Stay nearby at: |
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| St Merryn, North Cornwall |
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Enjoy a complete day out at this superb food festival. Start with breakfast, have a spot of lunch and gently move on to afternoon tea, all accompanied by music, and there’ll still be time for a bit of shopping at the farmers’ market.
Local properties include: |
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| Henstridge, Somersets middle |
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During the course of the Beer Festival (1st to 10th May), worm charmers from all over the world will be descending on Blackawton for another attempt at coaxing - as kindly as possible - as many worms as possible to the surface. Last year’s winners came from New Zealand. And this year it could be you!
Available that week: |
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| Blackawton, South Hams |
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Join St Agnes to celebrate the rise and fall of Giant Bolster, starting with a lantern and torch procession through the village to the top of the St Agnes Beacon and a large bonfire and barbecue. The legendary Bolster was a bad tempered pain-in-the-neck and the villagers were glad to see him fall – including his long suffering wife!
Local properties include: |
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| Portreath, Newquay Coast |
Portreath, Newquay Coast |
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Groom, cuddle or just sit and watch the donkeys, reputed to be very relaxing and therapeutic. Every year The Donkey Sanctuary holds this unique week's holiday, relaxing down among the donkeys – entrance is free too!
For somewhere to stay: |
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| Cotleigh, East Devon |
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Flora Day celebrates the arrival of spring and takes place around the streets of Helston in Cornwall. Highlights include the Early Morning Dance, Hal-an-Tow, the Children's Dance, the Ancient Furry Dance and Evening Dance.
The origins of the festival are lost in time, although it takes place on the anniversary of the Apparition of St Michael, Helston's patron saint. A further legend suggests that a ‛fiery dragon’ (a meteorite?) dropped a huge rock on the village centuries ago, and the dances celebrate the people's survival.
Available for the festival:
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| St Mawes, Cornwalls Med |
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The Festival takes place in and around Fowey, overlooking the picturesque Fowey estuary, and neighbouring towns. It’s a fascinating mix of star names, guided walks, talks, drama, local events and free entertainment. If you've never been, why not go along this year? It's great fun!
Stay nearby at: |
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| Fowey, Cornwalls Med |
Trewoon , Cornwalls Med |
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This year’s Artemis Transat yacht race will be dedicated to monohulls for the first time since 1964. The 13th running of the race will see single-handed sailors facing 2,800 miles of racing across the North Atlantic to Boston. The Race Village will be open to the public free of charge from Saturday 3rd May to Sunday 11th May.
Stay nearby at: |
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| Kingsand and Cawsand, South Cornwall |
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James Nathan, winner of Masterchef 2008 is to work at Michael Caines' 2-Michelin starred restaurant at Gidleigh Park near Chagford. So if you really want to splash out on something really special and perhaps bump into him, book yourselves a table. Michael thinks he’s an ‘exceptional cook’.
Of our many Chagford properties try: |
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| Chagford, Dartmoor |
Chagford, Dartmoor |
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As we mentioned, we’ve taken on 43 super new properties in south Cornwall and these great additions to our portfolio will be included in the second of our colour supplements of new Helpful Holiday properties, which will be leaving the office at the end of April. There’s also a quirky cottage in East Prawle, close to the two very good village pubs, a spacious bungalow not far from Stackhouse Cove, a new-built stone cottage in Pendeen, a modern house at St Ives with long views over Porthmeor Beach and the island; and returning to us, the big house at Berrynarbor, a village with lots of amenities up on the North Devon coast.
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| East Prawle, South Hams |
Rosudgeon, End of England |
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| Pendeen, End of England |
St Ives, End of England |
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| Berrynarbor, North Devon |
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Easter was very early this year, making it quite tricky to get your early holiday plans just right. But with those early and rather cold Easter days now well and truly behind us (and not due to occur again for 220 years!), we are ready to welcome you to some warmer days in the wonderful countryside and on the stunning coastlines of the West Country.
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