BookCottages.com Blog April 2011

Of the many Midland counties teeming with theme parks, renowned ancient monuments and Royal retreats, Northamptonshire in the East is by far the most overlooked. Comprising an area of over 900 square miles, Northamptonshire is larger than many give it credit - it's municipal market town of Northampton alone inhabited by over 200,000 people. The county town is famed for it's abundance of historical architecture, including protected sites such as the Northampton Medieval Synagogue and the rotund Church of the Holy Sepulchre, yet also for it's market plaza - one of the largest in England. For the culture vulture, there's plenty more just waiting to be discovered! For... Read More ->

You may have experienced UK holidays from above ground, but how about underwater? Tropical, turquoise waters aren't within everyone's budget, and there's plenty of good diving to be had on a UK self catering holiday.  So, save yourself some pennies and splash out on having a great time in home waters instead. Here are our recommendations for the best UK diving spots..

St Mary's Island, Newcastle
St Mary's Island is England's first marine nature reserve and is a bit of a UK diving hotspot. Lo... Read More ->

Step your UK holidays up a gear. Why not combine a UK self catering holiday with a visit to a motor racing circuit. Whether you want to watch the professionals from a safe distance, or indulge your inner Michael Schumacher or Jenson Button, read on for our pick of the UK's top motor racing circuits. Go on, put the va-va-voom back into UK holidays.

Silverstone, Northamptonshire
Where better to start than the home o...

Surf’s up. We’ve got just the thing for the adrenaline junkies among you: our selection of the top UK surf spots. Proving you don’t have to jet off to distant shores to get the waves, UK surfing holidays will give a new lease of life to your self-catering break.

Llangennith, Gower Peninsula, South Wales
Holidays in Wales aren’t necessarily the first thing that come to mind when you mention surfing, but the principality has some of the UK’s best surf. Down south, in the heart of the beautiful Gower Penins...

Times are hard, inflation is up and your pounds are not buying as much abroad as they were a few years ago.  But it does not mean you have to ditch your holidays.  We think it's time to look closer to home.  We have beautiful towns and villages, teeming with history and natural beauty, just waiting to be discovered.

So, to help you out, we've looked for the UK's hidden gems. They're stunning and they offer you plenty to do.  No flights to worry about, no lost baggage, no language barrier, just motorway traffic to weave through.  But that's another matter, all together.

Blanc... Read More ->

For a quintessentially British break, a day or two at some of the best UK horse trials is hard to beat. Whether you're after the elegance of dressage, careering cross-country rides or some breathtaking show-jumping, horse trials demonstrate the incredible relationship between man and beast. Witness this awesome display of trust for yourself - arrange your next UK holidays to coincide with one of our pick of the best horse trials.

Badminton Horse Trials - Badminton House, Gloucestershire
Pretty much synonymous with UK horse trials, Badminton has been going since 1949. Rent one of our Cotswol... Read More ->

The U.K's top three theme parks are a G-force to be reckoned with, not least because two of them boast the scariest 'coasters' in Europe. Remember the chiller thriller movie 'Saw'? They based a ride on that. A ride which allegedly has a similarly chilling stigma attached to it - the resident ghost. Yet it still enjoys in excess of 1.2 million visitors a year at Chertsey's adventure-playground, Thorpe Park.

Of course, England and Scotland do have a few tamer theme parks, ideal for the vertically challenged and kids. There's Flamingo Land in North Yorkshire which incorporates a holiday village, wildlife park and playground, set among 375 acres of lush green parkland, and Legoland near Windsor Castle for those with the kids, or a big kid mentality.

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What have the Romans ever done for us? Quite a lot actually - discover the Romans' UK legacy on your next getaway. UK holidays are great for history buffs, with Roman villas, forts, roads and towns around every corner. Visit any UK Roman ruins and you'll get a fascinating insight into the architecture and life of Roman Britain. Step back in time with our top UK Roman sites...

Chedworth Roman Villa - Chedworth, Gloucestershire
Now protected by the National trust, Chedworth Roman Villa is one of the best known UK Roman sites.  Base yourself in one of our Cotswold cottages and discover the remains of one of the largest Roman v... Read More ->

Derbyshire; the heart of the Peak District, and the gateway to gastronomy, influenced by the harvests of earth and agriculture. With rolling hills to the North, and flatter, fertile lands to the South and West, Derbyshire's traditional foods vary greatly by district. Both rural and urban areas are attributed with the conception of many recipes we take for granted today, such as the Bakewell Tart, Thorcake and Derbyshire Savoury and Battered Puddings. For cottages in debryshire.

Derbyshire's Famous Springs
Du...