Editor’s Choice

Enjoy four beautiful counties from Downside holiday cottage

Perfectly placed for exploring the fossil hunters’ paradise of Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, Downside Holidays provides a peaceful semidetached self-catering cottage in a wing of the owners’ farmhouse. The spot is in the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with beautiful countryside walks close by as well as being within 20 miles of the stunning South West Coast Path and good beaches at West Bay, the setting for the TV series Broadchurch, and Lyme Regis. Guests enjoy a high degree of comfort and convenience in this choice, two-bedroomed property, which is on a working dairy farm between the pleasant towns of Crewkerne and Beaminster. They can even take up to three well-behaved dogs along to enjoy it with them, starting with the deer paths through the farm’s own woodland and the Thomas Hardy landscapes. The cottage is well-equipped for couples and families with either one or two children. Amenities include a fitted kitchen, utility room, living area with open fire, sunny conservatory/dining area and family bathroom. The shared garden has seating, parking and an EV charging point. Downside has glorious views over the Axe Valley, Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Wiltshire. The Dorset/ Somerset border actually runs through the farm. The cottage comes with Freeview TV, a DVD player and an assortment of books and games. Guest reviewers rate it ‘excellent’ and are highly complimentary about the accommodation, location and friendly owners.

Downside Holidays, Mosterton near Beaminster, Dorset T 07961 063992 E downsideholidays@btconnect.com Facebook @ Downsideholidays Sykes Cottages https:// www.sykescottages.co.uk/cottage/DorsetSomerset-Mosterton/ Downside-2896.html

Modern Mid-Wales retreat surrounded by wildlife.

Peaceful surroundings, beautiful views and stylish modern accommodation in a modern barn conversion are just a few of the attributes which make a 7even @ Porth Farm an exceptional place to spend a holiday. You’ll be staying on a working sheep farm in the unspoiled Mid-Wales village of Caersws, which is set on the picturesque River Severn. The semidetached property sleeps six in three bedrooms, one of which is a ground floor double with ensuite facilities including a walkin shower. Everything is light, bright and beautiful, including a well-equipped kitchen, open plan living areas and sliding doors to a beautiful garden. And, your dog can come too, as long as it behaves! Caersws has very pleasant local amenities including a frequent train service to notable places such as Aberystwyth and Aberdovey on the fabulous Cardigan Bay coast, shops including a supermarket for all your self-catering needs and several friendly pubs. Information boards reveal its significant Roman history. The river is well-stocked for fishing, while the area in general is great for walking, climbing and cycling, not to mention the facilities of a luxury caravan park nearby. Local wildlife is abundant and varied, including red kites, ospreys, owls, polecats and many butterfly and moth species. Owner Lavinia Vaughan recommends guests visit the breathtaking Elan Valley reservoirs and the National Trust’s Powis Castle, Welshpool.

7even @ Port Farm, Caersws T 01686 688171 E Lavinia@porthfarm.plus.com www.sykescottages.co.uk/cottage/Mid-Wales-Cardigan-Bay-Maesmawr/7evern-Porth-Farm-986384.html

Peace and relaxation are assured at the beautiful Fairwater Lodges glampsite, with purpose-made shepherd’s huts set in idyllic Devon countryside on a 13 acre smallholding, all with their own wood-fired hot tubs. Anglers can fish for trout in one wellstocked pond, enjoy the wildlife in a second, meet the resident sheep, pigs and chickens or simply walk the surrounding Blackdown Hills, which are designated an Area of Outstanding natural Beauty. The huts are geared to couples or family stays, each with a king sized bed, modern bathroom, fully equipped kitchen, log burner, sofabed, satellite TV and DVD player and outdoor seating area with fire pit. They are owned and run by a family – Lee, Kate and their daughter, Becca - so guests enjoy a personal welcome and help with any requests they have to make their holiday extra special or perhaps celebrate a big occasion. Guests can also bring a dog. Based in Hemyock, a village near Devon/Somerset border, the site is well placed for visits to the seaside, including Sidmouth with its famous donkey sanctuary and Minehead, ‘Gateway to Exmoor’ and the Jurassic Coast. Becca says: “We love Lyme Regis, which is great for fossil hunting and great for the children. Attractions close to us include Escot Park for numerous activities including quad biking, segways, karting and a wildlife park.” Fairwater Lodges, Fairwater, Heymock, Cullompton, Devon EX15, 3RU T 07925 349481 E info@fairwaterlodges.com www.fairwaterlodges.com

Relax luxuriously in wildly wonderful Norfolk hideaway

Hand-crafted yurts offer a unique and luxurious glamping experience close to nature in the grounds of Norfolk’s stately 17th century home. Raynham Hall. Set in a five acre wildflower meadow frequented by red deer, owls and butterflies, they are furnished for style and comfort and even have skylights through which to view the astounding evening starscapes while relaxing in bed. The sunsets and sunrises are spectacular. Just 20 minutes’ drive from the north Norfolk coast, the Raynham Estate stands in the tranquil countryside of the Wensum Valley and guests treasure the sense of space and exclusivity as they make new memories with their family or friends. Each yurt provides stylish accommodation for up to five people, and two can accommodate dogs as well. All have one superking-sized bed and either two or three singles. Plentiful rugs, blankets, cushions and a wood burning stove provide a cosy indoor scene and they have electricity for lamps, hobs, kettles, cafetieres and USB charging. Outdoors they have an undercover dining area and barbeque. Two have ensuite showers and toilets and are wheelchair accessible, while the others are served by a separate modern block nearby. As well as barbequing, glampers can also cook up a feast in the shared cooking and dining facilities of the Turnip Tent. This is named for one of Raynham’s famous ancestors, ‘Turnip Townshend,’ the 2nd Viscount Townshend who pioneered crop rotation in the Agricultural Revolution. Raynham Estate’s Head of Events and Marketing, Abbie Panks, says: “It’s perfect here for people who like walking and cycling and we are really spoiled for farm shops, good pubs and restaurants, including the Michelin-starred Sculthorpe Mill. “It’s only a short drive to the stunning and expansive coast and award-winning beaches of Holkham and Wells-next-the-Sea and to family-friendly attractions such as Pensthorpe Natural Park and the National Trust’s Blickling Estate.” Raynham Estate, Hall Farm, Swaffham Road, East Raynham, Fakenham, Norfolk, NR21 7EE T 01328 863746 E bookings@raynham.co.uk Raynham.co.uk Facebook and Instagram @ RaynhamNorfolk

Editor’s Choice

Catch of the Day Our Joe-L fishing holidays in Devon

If you like to tell your own fishermen’s tales rather than just listen to other people’s, book a break with the brilliant Our Joe-L Fishing Holidays and Charters in . Staying at the company’s own fisherfriendly bed & breakfast in Paignton between day trips, you can catch impressive specimens plaice, turbot, bass, bream and many other species, while also having great fun, making new friends, spotting wildlife and generating memories by the bucketful. Our Joe-L is comfy, quick and equipped for 10 people, but the main reason for its popularity is skipper Shaun Pedley. Whether taking his guests to The Skerries shingle and sandbank shallows, to the reefs or out among the hundreds of shipwrecks, experienced fisherman Shaun can promise his guests a great day’s sport and a quality catch at any time of year. The fishing holidays typically run Sunday to Saturday, with accommodation at Parkholm Hotel, part of the ‘English Riviera’ and drun by Shaun’s parents. They provide friendly, en-suite accommodation and good food – including packed lunches for the boat - just 250 yards from the harbour, in the heart of Paignton’s buzzing holiday scene. Rooms not only have TV, Wi-Fi and drink-making facilities but also freezers for storing bait and any catches destined for the table. Our Joe-L also offers whole boat charters and shorter angling breaks for groups. Find out more from www.ourjoe-l.co.uk

Our Joe-L Fishing Holidays and Charters, accommodation Parkholm Hotel, 5 Garfield Road, Paignton, Devon TQ4 6AU T 01803 551504 E sandra@ourjoe-l.co.uk www.ourjoe-l.co.uk. For fishing inquiries, call Shaun Pedley, 07876 623054 or email shaun@ourjoe-l.co.uk

Set course for adventure with Warwickshire Narrow Boat Hire

Taking the helm of a premium narrowboat from Warwickshire Narrow Boat Hire is setting out on an adventure that gives you the freedom of the waterways with numerous home comforts, including smart TV, hot showers and a fully equipped kitchen. This friendly, family-owned business is new on the scene at Glascote Basin near Tamworth, with two pristine, luxurious boats and an emphasis on excellent customer service. Equipped for families or friendship groups of either six or seven people, the boats, 69-feet Willow and 58-feet Oakwood, are fitted out to the highest standards and available to hire for Friday to Monday, Monday to Friday or for longer periods. They have everything needed to live comfortably on board, even down to a set of luxury towels for each person and a welcome pack to start them off. If you prefer eating out to cooking, they may benefit from discounts at selected pubs near the towpaths. Users typically cruise on the Warwickshire Ring, which forms a waterway circuit around the West Midlands taking in the Coventry, Oxford, Grand Union, Stratford-uponAvon, Birmingham and Fazeley canals, or even further afield. Travelling on this network puts a huge range of places, attractions and points of interest within easy reach, yet the journey itself is leisurely, peaceful and relaxing. It is one of the very best ways to experience nature close up, surrounded by ducks, swans and butterflies, a rich variety of plant life and soothing birdsong. Owner Dean Conduit and his wife provide careful tuition for novice boat handlers before they set off, including passing the first lock, until they feel totally confident. Dean says: “These holidays are all about people wanting to enjoy the outdoors, spend quality time with the children and explore on their own timetable. Our boats enable them to do that while enjoying a very high standard of living on board.”

Warwickshire Narrowboat Hire Ltd, 161 The Longshoot, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, CV11 6JQ; T 07834 177598, E dean@warwickshirenarrowboathire.com www.warwickshirenarrowboathire.com

OCM, the business for sustainably recycling IT equipment

When it comes to dealing with unwanted Information Technology, OCM is the business! Corporate clients can get the best returns for their equipment, knowing it will be disposed safely and responsibly, with the utmost security for their data. Items which can be reused are sold on to the public, enabling people to buy fully reconditioned PCs, laptops, phones and other items at amazing bargain prices.

OCM has more than 30 years’ experience of providing IT Asset Disposition services (ITAD). With clients including government departments, banks, major retailers and manufacturers and utility companies, it uses datawiping technology with the highest levels of security integrity. Clients can be assured that all their unwanted equipment will be disposed of with a full audit trail and no possibility of sensitive information being leaked, lost or stolen.

OCM can collect from your site with the ability to undertake full site clearance where necessary. Convenient collection times can be organised and premium prices paid for items with resale value.

All data is wiped and destroyed with 100% accountability and equipment which can be reused is then refurbished for online retail through www.ocmstore. com. This enables consumers including students and home workers to enjoy premium products such as Macbooks and iPhones up to 65% cheaper than they would cost new. Customers have a wide choice, with new stock added constantly and orders delivered next day.

Equipment which cannot be reused is recycled, with precious metals and any other usable components being reclaimed and the remains disposed of by licensed, responsible end users. Elements which cannot be reused or recycled go for incineration, helping to generate power. Only minimal amounts go to landfill.

Operations Manager Paul Mills says: “We are as environmentally friendly as possible and working towards having zero waste going to landfill. Recent developments in the installation of 170 solar panels and LED lighting throughout the 12,000 sq. ft facility.”

OCM Business Systems Ltd, 2 Ascot Road, Pershore, Worcestershire WR10 2JJ; T 01386 555008 E customerservices@ocmbiz.com www. ocmbiz.com or www.ocmstore.com

Rural Escapes

Rural escapes don’t come more idyllic than the selection our advertisers offer in scenic hidden corners of the UK. Choose any of these destinations and you’ll soon feel you’re in an entirely different world to the land of concrete, roadworks and traffic jams you left behind.

These are all stress-busting locations, rich in the relaxation wrought by being close to nature, whether you’re glamping or perhaps enjoying a little indulgent ‘me time’ in a quality bed & breakfast. They enable people to wind down and enjoy an unhurried quality of life.

Once you’re nicely chilled out there’s lots to enjoy out and about. Take the Brecon Beacons National Park. Its imposing mountains provide an exhilarating backdrop for walkers, while attractive towns such as Llandovery and Brecon itself have charming shops and great places to reward yourself after all those outdoor exertions.

Also in Wales, the island of Anglesey offers great variety, wonderful beaches and an exquisite offering for anyone interested in geology, with more than 100 different kinds of rocks to be hunted down, among them pillow lava, deep red jasper, lime green epidote and milky calcite. Castle lovers will love Beaumaris, the last and largest of Edward I’s ‘Iron Ring’ of fortresses in North Wales.

Once discovered, the big skies of North Yorkshire beckon almost everyone’s inner explorer to immerse themselves in the national parks of both the moors and the dales, although there is plenty of scope, too, for those who prefer to drive, or take the North York Moors Railway.

For those heading south, the Kent Downs are an equally appealing Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, stretching from the London/ Surrey borders to the White Cliffs of Dover.

North Yorkshire

Off Grid Glamping under Starry North Yorkshire Skies

Hidden away in the heart of North Yorkshire, a stones throw away from the Moors, Freespirit Glamping is a family run site with just five beautiful bell tents, each with their own garden and facilities. Each of the thoughtfully decorated tents has a king sized bed, private bathroom with hot shower, washing up area, a washing line for those beach towels, a fire pit, cooking station, log store and BBQ. The tents contain everything you need, from toys and games, hot water bottles and blankets, cooking utensils and cool boxes, to vintage enamel cookware adding a quirky, nostalgic feel. The site is dog friendly and surrounded my miles of walking country. Freespirit Glamping is ideally situated only 10 minutes away from the market town of Helmsley, with many quirky cafes, pubs and gift shops. York is a 30 minute drive away, and 50 minutes in the opposite direction finds you with your pick of Whitby, Scarborough or Robin Hood’s Bay. www.freespiritglamping.com