Self-Catering Holidays at Britain's World ChampionshipsIt's so hard to choose where to go for a weekend break in the UK. Few corners of this fine country don't offer visitors stunning views, historic houses, idyllic villages, buzzing towns, moorland and beautiful beaches (phew!). But why not book a short break in a holiday cottage that includes a morning or an afternoon spectating at a World Championship? Britain has so many, from bog snorkelling to worm charming. You wouldn't believe just how extreme we Brits can be when doing something totally bonkers while taking it seriously. Laugh through you may; they all provide unique and eminently watchable experiences to build a short holiday. You might even want to enter one as a competitor!

Here's a list of our favourites - together with some suitably world-class self-catering cottages to enjoy your evenings away from the sport of the day.

Let's kick off our list with the funniest-sounding world

January 2016

Welcome to the first My Favourite Newsletter of 2016. We’ve got lots of news for cottage owners, from interior design to how the advertising market is changing.

This Newsletter is published every month, and we think it is essential reading for anyone interested in holiday cottages - especially their owners. Please click here to subscribe to the Newsletter (free).

For all you long-time subscribers – our new format includes a title and a short snippet that conveys the purpose of the article and the benefits in store should you choose to read the full article. To read the rest, click on the link.

Good News for Holiday Cottage owners – occupancy rates are on the up! Boshers Insurance looks at the latest tourism trends forecast from the experts at Visit England. Especially useful if you want to know which aspects of the market are on the increase so you can adjust your advertising accordingly.

Read more: Boshers

Dog-Friendly Cottages for Holidays With Your Dog

‘Dog-friendly’ or ‘Pet-Friendly’ are terms thrown around a lot in the holiday cottage world. But like most labels, different levels of “dog-friendliness” abound. In this blog, we’re going to explore how a holiday cottage owner will cater to your pet’s needs to justify its claim as a true dog-friendly holiday cottage properly. And we’ll also highlight the practical actions they might take to save you a lot of time, effort, and potentially money!

In an ideal world, there would be two categories’ Pets Accepted’ and ‘Pets Welcome’. At My Favourite Holiday Cottages, we urge people to differentiate between the two! But in the real world, they are used interchangeably, with one sounding more appealing than the other! The question is, what makes a self-catering cottage truly ‘Pet Friendly’?

In using the term ‘pets’, owners for the most part, actually mean ‘dogs’. However, pets also refer to a host of other

THE PERFECT GIFT FOR CHRISTMAS!

Travelling can be expensive! But it’s the little additional charges that get you. When you turn up to that attraction and payout for tickets, you almost don’t notice it’s happening! But fear not. There are ways of cutting these costs drastically and making that holiday outing just a little bit less painful.

We all know that friend or family member that can’t seem to get enough of the world! And being so adventurous, they don’t care much for your average Christmas gift. So instead, get them something they will appreciate... Experiences.

National Trust Membership

The National Trust is arguably the most influential force in preserving the UK’s most precious treasures. They are a non-profit charity, but those fees on the door will still set you back quite a bit! Of course, like most things, there’s a way around this. For Christmas this year, buy a loved one the gift of Membership for free access to hundreds of sites

Dear Owners!

Well, the short dark days of November are upon us with thoughts of long hot sunny days little more than a memory, hopefully, kept alive by the number of bookings already in your diary for summer 2016. If your availability calendar is still vacant, this month’s Newsletter contains valuable tips on attracting more visitors to your advert.

Get Better Stats

No - this isn’t a ‘Get Well Message’ to your old mate Stats - but it is a recommendation to those who’d like to find a way to improve the statistics for their advert on My Favourite Holiday Cottages.

We regularly analyse the site’s traffic flows and try to understand why some properties do better than others. Aside from the usual factors such as location, our analysis often yields exciting results. We have noticed that owners who have invested in uploading a complete portfolio of 20 high-quality photos enjoy more enquiries and click-throughs to their own cottage’s website. Here’s why

CHRISTMAS BLOG

On the twelfth day of Christmas, My Favourites gave to me

Twelve months a year Alleviated Fears Ten search options Nine to nine calling Late Booking Discount Seven days a week Six Santa’s helpers Five Star Reviews Four bedrooms Three en-suites Two parking spots And a cottage for my family and me Welcome to our ho-ho-homely Christmas Cottage blog!

This week, we’ll look at some lovely lights and yummy bites around Christmas time. And while we’re at it, we can let you know which Christmas Cottages you can stay at to enjoy them.

MOUSEHOLE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Let’s get the snowball rolling with the Mousehole lights in Cornwall! Which is apparently pronounced ‘Mouzle’; that’s not helpful. Maʊzəl? also not helpful if, like me, you don’t happen to know the International Phonetic Alphabet! Look, it’s probably best if you wait until you hear a local say the name before attempting it. Maybe engage them in some chitchat about the town’s

Whether you're into scaring children or would rather be the one running, we have the perfect self-catering holiday suggestions for you this Halloween. Here are some of our favourite attractions and holiday cottages where you can stay to experience them!

 

The West Somerset Railway - Steam and Scream!

When it comes to entertaining children, nothing quite gets them excited, like large machines, weird animals, and goodie bags. Well, the Steam and Scream spoo-oo-ooky evening promises to keep everyone happy or terrified, whichever emotion floats your haunted boat.

The night will begin with a train ride from Bishops Lydeard for a trip through the haunted countryside of Somerset till you end up in Stogumber, where you can enjoy an hour in the creepy station gardens until the ghostly train re-appears to take you back. Some of the things to do include fireworks, the Exmoor Zoo Animal Roadshow and, of course, Goodie bags.

If you want to read

A Change of Address for My Favourite Holiday Cottages

 

We have moved!

As of the 1st of April 2018, My Favourite Holiday Cottages will be operating from a new address:

Barnfield Cottage

Bratton Fleming

Barnstaple

Devon

EX31 34RT

 

Tel: 01598 710631

E: info@mfhc.co.uk

 

Rick Bond

Director

My Favourite Holiday Cottages Ltd

Feature Your Cottage in Our Blog

As well as moving and re-building websites, we have also appointed a new member to the My Favourites team, young James, who will be taking charge of our Social Media postings. He will be publishing a fortnightly News Blog on the site promoting self-catering holiday destinations to those planning a holiday. Each blog will contain an image and a link to holiday cottages relevant to whatever the topic of the blog is about. This could be you! For an example, see our Blog on British Beach Cafes or our latest one published this week on Finding The Perfect Holiday Cottage. These articles attract a lot of attention as they are often shared by readers via Twitter and Facebook – not least by owners of the properties mentioned, as well as potential bookers. It is well worth being included if you have the chance. These blogs aim to encourage more out-of-season bookings for you and your fellow My Favourite Holiday Cottages subscribers. When we