February 11

Going on holiday is all about enjoying the things that you perhaps don’t have access to in your everyday life. That of course can refer to sights and attractions, beautiful walks, beaches and rural tranquillity. But it can also be features within your holiday cottage itself. Few things say luxury like a house with a swimming pool, and when combined with an idyllic cottage in a fine setting, the result can be truly relaxing and exhilarating in equal measure. You might pay a little more for a cottage with pool, but the extra relaxation benefits can be well worth it. Here we take a look at a number of attractive cottages with pools.

Thomas Hardy is Dorset’s most famous writer. Born in 1840 in a cottage in Higher Bockhampton near Dorchester, he had only a modest education but soon became one of the most famous and influential writers of his time.

Places to visit in Cheshire 

Sandwiched in between the metropolis of Manchester to the north-east and the magnificent expanses of the Peak District to the south-east, Cheshire is a county that has a lot to offer visitors at all times of the year. This busy little region may not often feature on the top ten of places to visit in the UK, but we think it should! From Roman cities full of history and family days out to numerous attractions, walking and hiking opportunities and even the chance to get up close and personal with some magnificent birds of pray, Cheshire is a warm, welcoming and fun place to be all year round. Here are some of our favourite places to visit in Cheshire:

Child Friendly Cottages

A break at a luxury cottage should be a fabulous experience for everyone, regardless of age. So if you’re planning to head off to the great outdoors this year and have the little ones in tow, what should the ultimate child friendly cottage offer you and your family? Here are a few suggestions on what to look for when you’re planning your family cottage holiday:

Great Coastal Locations

That bastion of all things geographical, Ordnance Survey, estimates that the UK’s coastline stretches for an astonishing 11,073 miles (17,820 km). If you add in the larger islands (such as the Isle of Wight and the Isle of Man), that number goes up to nearly 19,500 miles.  Not only is it a long coastline, but according to the Hausdorff dimension (that measures the ‘wiggliness’ of a coastline – no, really), it scores an impressive 1.25, which is, apparently, pretty wiggly.