BookCottages.com Blog July 2011

Game and country fairs are bucolic bliss.  A mecca for country sports enthusiasts and a great showcase for all things rural, country fairs are a great day out for all the family on your UK holidays. Fill your lungs with fresh, country air and maybe develop a new passion or two - check out our round-up of the best UK country fairs before you head off on your self-catering UK holidays.

CLA Game Fair - Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Think big - that seems to be the motto of Blenheim Palace's CLA Game Fair, the world's leading country fair. UK holidaymakers renting one of our Co...

Nestling in the heart of England just North of Birmingham, the Shires have long been an inspiration for modern cookery. The 'Black Country' as it was once known (due to it's mining economy) comprised of a resourceful and inventive populace, whom created the sweetest of oatcakes and biscuits from the harvests of the land. Stoke, often referred to as the 'chimney city of Staffordshire'  is historically renowned for it's potteries - the birthplace of Wedgewood and Royal Doulton. It is here too that a number of signature Staffordshire foods and dishes first came to prominence, since the city had some of the toughest working conditions and poorest areas of all Industrial powerhouses in the U.K. Much like it's Northern counterparts, Stafford... Read More ->

Scotland might have St. Andrews and England it's Sunningdale, but when it comes teeing off with a view, Wales wins hands down with it's 1907 Nefyn layout. With eight holes alone dotted along a sea-bounded peninsula, Nefyn promises 'a view of the sea from every tee'. Royal St. Davids in the heart of North Wales is equally as magical, lying among the foothills of Snowdonia and in the shadow of Harlech Castle, while James Braid's Porthmadog course in Gwynedd has been likened to a miniature Troon. Ache for the challenge of a windswept ocean fairway? Wales could prove the ultimate test of your handicap!

Royal Porthcawl, Mid Glamorgan Read More ->

Hell bent on horticulture? Fair-weather gardener? Or do you just enjoy a spot of tranquillity now and then? No matter how your garden grows, UK holidays are the perfect opportunity to have a nosey round someone else's! You may not find silver bells and cockle shells, but you will see natural beauty in abundance. If you're taking a self-catering UK holiday this year, then check out our pick of the best gardens in England.

University of Oxford Botanic Garden - Oxford, South East England
The UK's oldest Botanic Garden, this is a little gem in the heart of historic Oxford. Oxford Botani... Read More ->

Quaint old inns and cattle roamed fields define Gloucestershire in the way it has largely remained for centuries - a predominantly agricultural county. Unlike it's northerly counterparts whose cuisine is characterised by dairy, Gloucestershire is rather more renowned for the meat derivatives of it's cattle - namely the grouchy Gloucestershire 'Old Spot' pig found in Berkeley. Old Spot pork is regarded a pedigree meat since there are fewer than 2,000 of the species in existence. Old Gloucester cows once favored for the fattiness of their milk (the integral factor in the fine texture of Double Gloucester cheese) are becoming an inc... Read More ->

From the teepee-like crannog dwellings of Perthshire, to the mist engulfed ramparts littering the Highlands, the sheer depth of Scotland's historic heritage makes it almost impossible to explore it all in it's entirety. The “land of the free” also bears a fascinating associated football history, most notably between the Celtic and Rangers football clubs – now celebrated across a number of museums in central Scotland. Insightful, diverse and full of unique insights into a regal, tumultuous and creative past, Scottish museums are now tipping the scales within several guide compilations, as Britain's foremost attractions to visit!.