Category Archives: holidaycottages.net

The top ten mountain bike routes in the UK Part 2

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We’re continuing on from our last post listing the top ten mountain bike routes in the UK. Last time, we covered Swinley Forest in Berkshire, Fort William in Scotland and Coed y Brenin in Wales. Today we’re going to cover more fantastic routes.

Each of our top mountain biking locations has been specially selected as it not only offers fantastic biking, but also has one or more holiday cottages located nearby. You, your bike, your kit and one of our great little cottages is all you need to make a mountain biking experience to remember!

Afan Forest Park

Afan Forest Park in Wales is the next mountain biking trail to hit our list. It is another sensational place to ride with purpose-built trails, a visitors centre, café, spares shop and supporting infrastructure to make mountain biking a big part of local life.

The trails very from easy to hard, with a new 25km red route opening this year. There are over 130km of trails around the area, all within the park that offer amazing scenery, technical sections, fast descents and some jaw dropping forest. Afan Forest Park.

Coed Llandegla

Staying in Wales, next we’re visiting Coed Llandegla near Wrexham. This is another purpose built outdoor centre with many mountain biking trails as part of the activity mix. There are a number of trails, from blue to red stretching over the thousands of acres of forest.

Unlike the others, this is private land but it makes no difference to the experience. The routes are well thought-out, the descents are suitably fast and the technical sections are challenging to say the least! Coed Llandegla.

We have some great holiday cottages near Afan Forest Park and Coed Llandegla too!

Glentress

Glentress in Scotland is widely regarded as one of the best mountain biking destinations in the UK. It’s part of the famous seven stanes and really is somewhere you have to try if you like your biking.

Located near Peebles, south of Edinburgh, Glentress offers trails for all experience levels, as well as walking, tree-top activities and some amazing trails and scenery in the Tweed Valley. It’s a top place for mountain biking! Glentress.

Grizedale Forest

Grizedale Forest in Cumbria offers one of the best single trail experiences in the UK. The 14km North Face Trail within the forest offers a challenge, which is what we love! It has ascents, descents, technical sections, a few jumps and some amazing scenery.

Being set in the Lake District, there are hundreds of other trails within easy reach as well as a few dozen fantastic holiday cottages! Grizedale Forest.

That’s it for part two of our top ten mountain bike routes. Join us again for the final part of our list of top ten mountain bike routes in the UK!

Top ten mountain bike routes in the UK Part 1

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With the good weather finally here, it’s time to get your mountain bike out of the garage, do some maintenance and get out there. We have some excellent holiday cottages near some of the best mountain biking routes in the UK, so there really is no excuse not to hit the trails!

In this three-part series, we’re going to list the top ten mountain biking routes in the UK. We are spoilt for choice and selecting these top routes has been more difficult than you might think. Each has a challenging or fun biking route and each as one of our holiday cottages within easy reach. Everything you need for the ultimate mountain biking experience!

There’s nothing like whizzing through forests, down hills, over jumps and experiencing the adrenalin rush of navigating a tight, twisting track at speed. That’s the experience mountain biking provides, which is why it is so popular across the world.

So without further ado, here are our top ten mountain bike routes in the UK.

Swinley Forest

Swinley Forest in Berkshire is widely regarded as one of the best mountain biking areas in the south of England. It has numerous trails for all experience levels, has a convenient café called The Lookout and is convenient for the M4 motorway.

Located near Bracknell, this 2,600 acre forest has purpose-built trails, natural routes and even a jump area. It is well supported by local riders and clubs as well as the local council. It’s also close to some decent bike shops too should you need spares or repairs. Swinley Forest.

Fort William

Fort William in Scotland is another fantastic mountain biking area and plays host to the Mountain Bike World Cup. Located near Ben Nevis, this multi-use area includes dedicated mountain biking trails covering all disciplines, downhill, jumping, trail, cross country and beginners.

Located in Lochaber in Scotland, the region is in the Scottish Highlands and offers some fantastic scenery as well as local shops and areas of interest. We have a number of holiday cottages within a short drive of Fort William too! Fort William.

Coed y Brenin

Coed y Brenin in Wales is one of the best regions in the world for mountain biking. It also has one of the best purpose built areas with a café, spares shop, bike hire, changing facilities and everything you need to make the most of your time here.

Coed y Brenin sits inside Snowdonia National Park, which in itself is a fantastic place to visit. Add purpose built biking trails, jumps and challenges and come of the best forest riding anywhere in the world, it’s no wonder it’s on our list! Coed y Brenin.

Holidaycottages.net has self-catering cottages within easy reach of all of these locations. Check them out now!

Join us next time for more of our list of top ten mountain bike routes in the UK!

Spring family breaks in a luxury holiday cottage

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Family holidays are about spending quality time together, reconnecting outside of busy schedules and for having fun and enjoying yourselves. Having somewhere nice to do all that is at the centre of what a spring family break is all about. That’s where a holiday cottage comes in.

With accommodation taken care of, you can concentrate on enjoying each other’s company, finding things to do, learning new skills, trying new activities and growing together.

A luxury holiday cottage from holidaycottages.net is just the ticket!

Base of operations

Using one of our high quality holiday cottages as a base of operations is the ideal way to begin a spring break with the family. We have thousands of self-catering properties, in almost every part of the UK and Ireland. So no matter where you want to go or what you want to do, we can help.

Here are some ideas of the kind of spring break your family could be enjoying in just a couple of weeks.

Family seaside breaks – What better way to enjoy the spring sunshine than with a holiday cottage by the sea? As an island we have more coast than many countries so we should really make the most of it.

Have a short break in a seaside resort, or somewhere quieter among the sand dunes. It’s your break, have it your way.

Family fishing breaks – Fishing is one of the most relaxing pastimes we can think of. You get fresh air, sunshine and get to spend time next to the water. With thousands of miles of rivers and hundreds of lakes, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to locations.

With thousands of holiday cottages near some of the best fishing spots in the country, we can help you find that perfect place for a spring fishing break.

Family cycling breaks – With cycling more popular than ever, what better time to spend time on two wheels than the Spring bank holiday? Get your kids into the habit of exercising while enjoying themselves, explore new roads, new forests and new trails, or get some miles in on some of the most challenging ascents and descents in the UK.

However you like your cycling, a family cycling break this spring bank holiday could be just what the doctor ordered.

Those are just three of the many holiday ideas you could enjoy this Spring bank holiday. Whatever you want to do and wherever you want to go, holidaycottages.net has the perfect cottage for you!

Golf weekends and holiday cottages

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Golf is one of our favourite pastimes, with thousands of people tramping the greens every weekend. If golf is your thing and you want to spend more time playing than travelling, a golf weekend in one of our holiday cottages is for you.

With hundreds of golf courses across the UK and Ireland, choice is something you’re never short of. Add over 15,000 holiday cottages in every town and city in the country and you have a marriage made in heaven!

Now you can combine a golf weekend with a luxury holiday cottage anywhere in the country. Whether you’re travelling alone, as a couple or with a group, we have some amazing holiday cottages in some truly idyllic locations.

Think of some of the most famous golf courses in the country. Think Royal Birkdale, Sunningdale Old, Woodhill Spa Hotckin, Royal Lytham & St Annes, Royal St George's, Saunton East, Wentworth West, Ganton, Swinley Forest, Alwoodley, Hillside White or Royal Cinque Ports. There are hundreds of top quality golf courses in the UK and we have a holiday cottage within easy reach of all of them.

The best of all possible worlds

Want a round or two of golf without leaving a golf widow or bored family? Our holiday cottages may be near golf courses, but they are also within easy reach of some other exceptional attractions too. You don’t need to go far in the UK to find something to do.

Whether it’s wandering around historic monuments, quaint market towns, busy cities, walking along the beach, exploring forests or walking along the thousands of miles of canals. While you’re off playing golf, your family can also be amusing themselves in numerous ways.

It isn’t often everyone is a winner, but this is one of them!

For many of us, spending a morning on the green and an hour or two in the 19th before going home is our idea of heaven. If you go home to a happy family who have also had a great day, that’s the icing on the cake!

If you’re planning a golf weekend this May bank holiday, choose a holiday cottage with holidaycottages.net. with thousands of high quality self-catering accommodation near to some of the best golf courses in the country. With enough around to entertain the entire family, it’s one time you really can please everyone.

Book your bank holiday break with a holiday cottage from holidaycottages.net today and make the most of the long bank holiday weekend!

Let your holiday cottage with holidaycottages.net!

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With hundreds of websites out there offering to feature your holiday cottage for the world to see, why should you choose holidaycottages.net?

There are many reasons and we’re going to highlight just a few.

Personal service

Here at holidaycottages.net, we believe in the personal touch. You may have noticed there is no automated holiday cottage submission page or online payment system. That’s deliberate.

We want to introduce ourselves to you, talk to you and get a feel for what you’re offering. We can then create a completely tailored holiday cottage listing for you that makes the best of what you have.

It also reduces the number of scammers on this site, making it a better place for visitors and for you!

Growing fast

Holidaycottages.net is a relatively new venture, having been online only a short while. In that time, our personal approach and insistence on quality has brought many new clients into our business. Many holiday cottage owners appreciate the way the site looks, how easy it is to navigate and the positive user experience it generates.

Many also like the fact that we’re trying to offer something more personal than many other holiday lettings websites.

Sustainability

We may be growing fast but we’re also ensuring we can sustain the rate of growth and traffic coming through the site. We’re not resting on our laurels, we are constantly refining our offering, streamlining the website and doing everything we can to make the listing and letting process as fast and as easy as possible.

Visibility

As part of holidaycottages.net’s vision for growth, we are undertaking a digital marketing campaign that will elevate this website across the search engines and generate positive press. While this benefits us as a business, it also benefits you.

The more visible our website is, the more enquiries your holiday cottages are likely to receive!

Diversity

You may have noticed, but we don’t just do holiday cottages, we do boats too. This is a niche market with a very avid following. That following is larger than you think and we do everything we can to attract and maintain contact with this market.

If you have a narrowboat or cabin cruiser you want to let for holidays, we can help you too!

Those are just five of the many reasons why holidaycottages.net is the place to be if you own or manage holiday cottages or boats. If you’re looking to list your holiday lets or your boat, you now know where to come. Contact us today to learn more!

Enjoy a holiday cottage this bank holiday weekend

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April and May are fantastic times of year. Not only are we enjoying some lovely spring sunshine, there are also three bank holiday weekends in a relatively short time. We have Easter, early spring bank holiday and Spring bank holiday all within a few weeks of each other.

What better time to get away from it all in a lovely holiday cottage?

Not only do we have some long weekends, the trees are green, lambs are out, flowers are budding and life is renewing once more. It’s a fantastic time of year, especially after the winter we had!

Wherever you live, wherever you want to go, we have a holiday cottage for you. With over 15,000 high quality holiday lets on our books, there really is something here for everyone. Whether you’re looking for a romantic cottage, something near the city, by the seaside, a holiday cottage for all the family, with a pool, a pet friendly holiday let or something else. We can help.

The origin of bank holidays

There are eight public holidays in a given year and we have had three of them already. That leaves just five for the remainder of the year. They are:

  • Early May bank holiday – Monday 5th May
  • Spring bank holiday – Monday 26th May
  • Summer bank holiday – Monday 25th August
  • Christmas Day – Thursday 25th December
  • Boxing Day -  Friday 26th December

Originally, bank holidays were exactly that. The Bank of England would close its doors for business to observe saint’s days and religious festivals and no business was conducted. This had a ripple effect, which led other businesses to close their doors too.

There were 33 bank holidays a year until the Bank Holidays Act 1871 which reduced it to four. They were Easter Monday, Whit Monday (which could fall anywhere between 11 May and 14 June), the first Monday in August (later changed to the last Monday) and Boxing Day  on 26th December.

August bank holiday was introduced in 1965 and formalised in law by the Financial Dealings Act 1971, which also reaffirmed the existing bank holidays. The Spring bank holiday was added in 1978 and the early Spring bank holiday was introduced to replace Whitsun.

So while the banks aren’t popular for much these days, at least they were the reason we get extra days off during the year!

If you want to make the most of your bank holidays, why not try a holiday cottage somewhere nice? Holidaycottages.net has a huge variety of cottages, of all shapes and sizes, across the UK and Ireland. Each has something different to offer and each will offer excellent value for money!

Check out our range of holiday cottages this bank holiday weekend. We think you’ll love them!

Enjoy a lovely holiday cottage this May Day bank holiday

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If the end of winter and the fact that spring is well under way isn’t enough to warrant a weekend away, what about the fact we have three set of bank holiday weekends to enjoy? If that isn’t a great reason to rent a holiday cottage somewhere nice, we don’t know what is!

Here at holidaycottages.net, we have thousands of the highest quality holiday cottages available to rent all year round. We have cottages in just about every area of the UK and Ireland, with some offering discounts for last minute bookings. Even on a bank holiday!

Check out our interactive map to find your perfect holiday cottage for May Day bank holiday weekend. Treat yourself or your family to a weekend by the seaside, a break in the country or by exploring a city you haven’t seen before.

Holiday at home this May Day bank holiday

Wherever you want to go, whatever you want to do, we have the perfect holiday cottage for you. Want a cottage with a pool? Check. Want a pet-friendly holiday rental? Check. A cottage by the sea? We have those too. Want to explore Ireland? We have hundreds of holiday cottage that are just perfect as a base.

Don’t want to spend hours at the airport waiting for a flight? Don’t want to contend with queues? Ever-decreasing weight limits for your luggage? Would you prefer to holiday your own way, at your own pace? Then a holiday cottage is for you.

Explore a different part of the country at your pace, at your leisure. We have cottages in every part of the country from Cornwall to Cork, London to Londonderry, Exeter to Edinburgh and everywhere in between. If there’s a part of the country you have always wanted to explore, this May Day bank holiday is the perfect time to do it!

With over 15,000 listed holiday cottages and ABTA registration, holidaycottages.net is the perfect place to plan your spring break. With great cottages and great savings, why go anywhere else?

Fancy something a little different? Holidaycottages.net also lists boats. If you fancy a long weekend on the water, we can help there too. We have hundreds of boats of all shapes and sizes from cruisers to narrowboats and all offer the same kind of quality as our cottages.

So wherever you want to spend your May Day bank holiday, holidaycottages.net can help. Book your next holiday today!

Want a last minute break? We have a wide range of holiday cottages available this week or next for anything up to 30% off the normal price! 

Let your dog enjoy Easter alongside the family with holidaycottages.net!

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Renting a holiday cottage over Easter is a great way for all the family to escape the world and spend quality time together over the long weekend. But there’s no reason to leave the dog at home or in a kennel while you’re away.

Many of the 15,000 holiday cottages on the holidaycottages.net website are completely dog friendly. So there’s no need to leave man’s best friend at home. You can bring them with you to enjoy the time away. You don’t miss them, they don’t miss you and you don’t have to pay for a kennel stay either.

The popularity of holidaying with dogs has allowed the holiday cottage industry to rise to the challenge. Self-catering holidays are now the prime way for families to enjoy family time with their pets.

A cottage is warmer and more comfortable than camping and offer much more space than a caravan, so it perfect for an Easter break with your dog.

Don’t forget, you can take your dog on the train as long as it’s on a lead. You can take them on ferries too if you’re travelling to Europe. Just check with the train operator or ferry company before travelling to ensure you have everything you need.

The EU Pet Passport also allows you to take your dog abroad to Ireland and the rest of Europe. That’s great news if you want to go a little further afield. Check out the government website if you want to know more about taking your dog abroad.

Pets and holiday cottages

Many of our holiday cottages are quite relaxed about allowing dogs. Many will charge a small fee to cover extra cleaning and wear and tear but these are generally sensible.

There are a few things we would like to remind pet owners about when using our holiday cottages though.

  • Keep animals off the furniture wherever possible
  • Bring lots of things for them to do to avoid boredom and furniture chewing
  • Don’t leave mess behind when you leave
  • Ensure your dog is safe and secure while travelling and while in the cottage
  • Don’t leave animals unattended while in a holiday cottage

That’s it!

As we have said before, ensuring you have a well behaved dog and cleaning up behind yourself ensures more holiday cottage owners have positive feelings about allowing dogs. Following these guidelines means we can all benefit from having animals around us when we go away.

So check out our range of pet friendly holiday cottages and book one for yourselves this Easter. Book it when you see it as this is a busy time of year!

Announcing the new holidaycottages.net iPhone app!

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You’ve heard the saying “there’s an app for that” right? Well now there really is. Holidaycottages.net is pleased to announce it has released its very own iPhone app!

The app installs in seconds and will have you searching our selection of thousands of holiday cottages within minutes. With the holidaycottages.net app, you can do everything you can do on our website, from anywhere!

The app is only 2.5mb and allows you to search out database of over 15,000 holiday cottages across the United Kingdom and Ireland and see what holiday cottages are near to your location. If that wasn’t enough, it can also tell you what attractions are around you too.

So even if you’re already in one of our amazing holiday cottages, you can use the iPhone app to find local attractions. There need never be a dull moment at any time of year when you’re in a holiday cottage from holidaycottages.net!

You can search our database, book a cottage via the app or by calling our reservations team from within the app. You can pretty much find, book and arrange your entire holiday through this app alone. If that doesn’t make it worth downloading, we don’t know what will!

The holidaycottages.net iPhone app can work in concert with other popular apps such as Google Earth, TripAdvisor, National Rail Enquiries, Live Traffic Info and many more to offer a lot of value for your trip. Mobile phone apps are a great way of accessing information while on the move. Ideal for when you’re on holiday.

We hope you find our app as useful as we do and use it to find the perfect holiday cottage for your needs.

If you already have iTunes, the app is here. If you need iTunes, you can find it here.

We have designed the holidaycottages.net iPhone app to be as simple and as effective as possible. There are no excessive bells and whistles, no gaudy graphics or confusing messages. Just the app and its ability to make your holiday dreams come true and enhance the holiday you’re already having.

If you have any ideas or feedback on the app, let us know through the app, through iTunes or through this website. We’d be happy to hear from you!

The UK’s Ten Best Easter Walks Part 2.

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Continuing our Easter roundup of Britain’s best Easter walks, we now have the final six. All of these are great reasons to get away for the Bank Holiday weekend and rent a holiday cottage somewhere beautiful.

Try one, try them all!

5.    Pennine Way

The Pennine Way has to be one of the most famous walks in the country. The trail stretches over 429km from from Edale in Derbyshire’s Peak District, through the Yorkshire Dales to Kirk Yetholm.

The path traverses some amazing countryside, including three National Parks. It would take around three weeks to walk it all, so a holiday cottage somewhere strategic would make as much of this as accessible as possible within a four day weekend!

6.    Cotswolds Way

The Cotswolds Way is another famous walk that shows off the best of the English countryside. This trail lets you enjoy everything the Cotswolds has to offer between Bath and Chipping Campden over 164km of relaxed trails.

The Cotswolds area is one of outstanding beauty and now the floods are over, most of it is now passable once more. We have plenty of holiday cottages in the area too.

7.    Offa's Dyke Path

Offa's Dyke runs the entire length of the England-Wales border for over 130km. Originally built to separate the two warring kingdoms of Mercia and Wales, the dyke stretched for over 286km.

Some of it has now gone, but the Offa's Dyke Path now runs from Sedbury in the south to Prestatyn in the north.

8.    Kintyre Way

Kintyre Way in Scotland stretches 140km from from Tarbert at the north end of the Kintyre peninsula to Dunaverty in the south. It’s a coastal walk that is largely unknown, having been open only 8 years.

It’s a mixed trail with some easy walks and some serious hikes, making it ideal for an Easter getaway.

9.    Yorkshire Three Peaks

If you love a challenge, you’ll love Yorkshire Three Peaks. The trail is “only” 42km long, but includes Yorkshire’s three highest points. It’s a loop that includes Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-Ghent. While only 42km long, 1.6km of that is ascent!

If you’re competitive, the goal is to complete the walk within 12 hours. If you’re not, it’s an excellent place to spend Easter weekend. We have a few holiday cottages within easy reach too.

10.    South West Coast Path

The South West Coast Path is an epic trail spanning 1011km through Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset. You certainly couldn’t do this route over an Easter weekend, but you could enjoy a decent portion of it!

If you want to see dramatic coastline, beautiful fields, forests and beaches, this is the trail to do.

We have holiday cottages throughout the UK that would serve as an ideal base for walking these top ten trails. Book yours today before it’s too late!