Here’s an itinerary for one way to spend a week’s holiday in North Devon. Of course, there’s a lot more to see and do in the area but this should ensure you arrive home with a host of memories and a desire to return to this unspoiled corner of England.

Assuming the itinerary is sufficient to lure you, it also includes recommended holiday cottages in the area for you to consider. Of course, you can only choose one so please accept our apologies for spoiling you for choice!

  Sunday: Buckets, Spades and Culture.

Start your day in the Victorian bucket and spade resort of Ilfracombe. You’ll find plenty of shops piled high with beach equipment – pick up a windbreak while you’re at it. Wander down to the town’s harbourside to visit ‘Verity’, Damien Hirst’s towering statue of a sword-bearing pregnant woman (taller than the Angel of the North) who stands guard at the pier head. Stop off for a snack or full-blown lunch at the Bistro on the Quayside – another

An article describing the merits of self-catering holidays in the Peak District, including information about cycle paths and recommended cycle-friendly Peak District holiday cottages.

Here's why the Somerset coast village of Dunster which offers easy access to Exmoor and sandy beaches is a popular destination for self-catering holidays.

Maggie Watson and Ian Ripper run Wheatland Farm, a ‘conservation with accommodation’ project in Devon (that's one of their cottages in the image above). Wheatland Farm has twice won Visit England’s top award for sustainable tourism (2012, 2015).

Maggie says: “Your voice and choice really count in greening tourism. So use reviews to share green holiday destinations, but also don’t be afraid to ask for improvements.”

My Favourite Holiday Cottages asked Maggie’s advice on ways to find and enjoy a relaxing ‘eco-holiday’ without it proving a chore. Here are Maggie’s top ten recommendations for finding the best cottage holiday on earth -that is also kind to the earth. Suffice to say; the Wheatland Farm eco-lodges tick all the boxes!

Holidays should be packed with treasures - sunny memories, fabulous food, and time to recharge.

But would you also like to know your holiday didn’t leave a grubby mark on the glorious countryside you visited

Six good reasons to visit The Peak District for a self-catering holiday in winter - and recommended holiday cottages in which to stay.

Imagine your online advert for your holiday cottage is a noticeboard on a busy corridor. Lots of people will pass it. However, if you don't update it regularly, people will stop paying attention because it never changes and, worse still, is out of date. Nothing will kill a potential booker's interest in your cottage faster than out-of-date prices, a lack of recent reviews or an empty availability calendar. 

You have to update it. 

Now imagine that Google is the noticeboard monitor. You may have paid for the right to be on the board, but the more out of date it becomes,  the more Google will move it towards the less-seen corners of the noticeboard - even placing other adverts over yours.

Alan Egan at Vacation Soup (a holiday rentals expert for whom we have the highest regard) has published an interesting and helpful article explaining why and how your website will die (if you let it) and what you can do to keep it alive and flourishing.

First impressions count!

Making guests feel expected, welcome and cared for right from the moment they set eyes on your holiday cottage has many benefits:

* Fewer, if any, complaints (any minor transgressions will be overlooked)

* More repeat bookings

* More 5-star reviews and 'word-of-mouth publicity.

A creative floral welcome makes a significant impact on arriving guests

Read this intelligent article on more options to make your guests feel cared for from the moment they arrive.

Subliminal things like ensuring the temperature inside the front door is a few noticeable degrees warmer than on the outside, or the way the house 'smells' as you cross the threshold, are all important. Leaving lights on for 'after dark' arrivals or a handwritten note on a tasteful card all play their part

You know you've not got that welcome quite right if you find guests sending you a list or minor 'niggling' complaints - a

A welcome pack is more than just a handful of teabags, milk and a packet of Digestives. Making guests feel loved, welcome and cared for the moment they arrive is a great way to ensure:

*  No complaints

*  Great reviews

*  Repeat Bookings.

Here are six interesting suggestions for the contents of a welcome pack to greet and totally wow your guests.

To view Lodgify's list of suggestions for your welcome pack, click here.

 

Read these articles for more information on Welcome Packs for Holiday Cottages: 

1. Ways To Ensure Your Holiday Cottage Guests Feel Welcome

2. Ten Ways to Ensure Guests Feel Welcome and Cared For

3. A North Yorkshire Holiday Cottage Welcome

4. What Should You Include In A Holiday Cottage Welcome Pack to Impress Guests?

 

Send Us Your Welcome Pack Photos for Our 'Welcoming Cottages'  Blog

We would love to see and publish them!

Avoiding flights, ditching the car and staying on top of recycling are all effective ways to help the environment while on holiday. It’s also worth shopping around for accommodation with eco-credentials such as solar energy and hydroelectric power. The following cottages provide beautiful self-catering accommodation while doing their bit for the environment.

 

Woodville, North Yorkshire – Sleeps 4

Rustic woodland lodge on the North Star Club resort in the Yorkshire Wolds near Pocklington

There is no TV or internet in this cosy countryside cottage, making it the perfect place to get back to basics. Look out for passing wildlife on the veranda, walk in the surrounding woods and fall asleep to the crackle of the wood burner. The award-winning pub, the Star Inn, and the Michelin-starred Pipe and Glass are nearby.

 

Tehidy Yurt, Cornwall – Sleeps 4

Eco-friendly yurt near a sandy beach on the North Cornwall coast

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