If you’ve never heard of Birdland, the chances are you have never visited the Cotswolds before.

It is situated in the pretty village of Bourton on the Water, an ever popular place to stay for those spending a weekend break in the Cotswolds, or perhaps a longer UK holiday too.  We have some stunning English country cottages you can stay in when you visit, including the wonderfully named Bobble Cottage!  Or perhaps you like the sound of Chilli Cottage even more?

Wherever and whenever you decide to stay in the Cotswolds, Birdland is a joy to visit.  Everyone loves the venue, but it is especially good fun for kids.  Here is why you can expect to tire them out when the whole family pays a visit.

1.    There are plenty of penguins to keep an eye on.  And since this is the only place in the whole of England that has King Penguins, there is even more for them to enjoy.  We’re not sure why kids find penguins so fascinating, but it’s good to see!
2.    They’ll have the chance to see some of the more popular species of bird during their visit.  Alongside pelicans and owls there are parrots and storks as well.  And being able to see them all on a Cotswolds holiday is quite an experience.
3.    There is plenty of space and fresh air to enjoy.  Of course this comes free with all holidays in the Cotswolds, but at Birdland you have the added bonus of lots of unusual birds to watch as well!  If the kids aren’t tired out by the end of a day of running around finding all there is to see here, we’d be very surprised.
4.    You can teach them to watch and wait to get some better rewards.  Because some of the birds in the enclosed houses are small, it’s difficult to see them if you don’t spend some time there.  Patience will bring its rewards though, enabling them to see and hear everything there is to appreciate about a very different environment.
5.    They can explore the gift shop!  This might prove expensive for you, but there are some fine things worth buying here.  And if you buy a paint your own penguin set, you’ll have something that’s guaranteed to keep them quiet in the evenings as well!

There are other added bonuses to making sure Birdland is included in your Cotswolds holiday plans.  For starters the River Windrush flows through the park itself, and you will cross it from time to time as you explore the different exhibits.

And there are plenty of locations to accommodate a nice family picnic, which certainly beats any other form of lunch in our opinion.  It’s cheaper too, and you don’t have to worry about queuing – unless it’s for the obligatory ice cream of course!

So there you have it – some great reasons why kids of all ages will love Birdland.  It’s an educational trip that always proves to be good fun as well.

When you visit somewhere on holiday, you tend to forget there are people who live in that place all year round.  As such, they will also work there too.

This is one of the reasons why the Bath at Work Museum has come into being.  It has actually been on site for just over thirty years, but the exhibits and displays stretch back a lot further than that.  They also provide a wonderfully different view of the city when you are staying in bath accommodation.

Whatever Bath self catering apartments or cottages you might be staying in, make sure you make the trip to this museum.  It is located on Julian Road, which is a pleasant ten minute walk from the famous Pulteney Bridge in Bath.  But why should you be heading in that direction in the first place?  Here are some good reasons.

1.    You can discover how Bathonians – residents of Bath – used to work hundreds of years in the past.  Two thousands years of history are on display here, and it all makes for fascinating viewing.  It is a testament to the museum itself and its inherent quality that so many locals love it as well.
2.    You can view reconstructed workplaces, just as they would have looked all those years ago.  Your holiday in Bath may well be to take a break from your own job, but it’s interesting to compare your own work surroundings to those you’ll find in this museum.
3.    You can visit a factory that has its roots in 1864.  But this isn’t a reconstruction – it is the real thing.  The factory closed some forty years ago, but luckily when it did it was saved and eventually found its way to the museum.  Needless to say this is even better than a model, and you can vividly imagine what it must have been like to work at the machines and go to the factory every single day.  People worked here during the Second World War too.
4.    There are other workplaces in the museum too, but one of the most unusual must surely be the Bath stone mine.  A stone mine indoors?  Yes you’ve got it – and since the museum is in an old real tennis court dating back well over two centuries, you can see how strange this might seem!

The museum has plenty more than this to offer as well.  Perhaps most importantly it shows you the roots of the city and how its people have worked through the years.  Work may be the last thing on your mind while you are enjoying a city break or holiday in Bath.  But this is one exception you should definitely make room for.

During the busiest time of the year from the beginning of April to the end of October the museum is open all week from 10am until 5pm every day.  From the beginning of November until the end of March that changes to weekends only.  Be aware though that it does not open at all during December.  But it is well worth planning a Bath holiday to coincide with their opening times, whatever time of year you visit.

Probably the best way to explore any town or city is to walk around it.  It may take longer than a bus journey would to traverse the streets, but there are lots of reasons why you should opt for the power of your feet over any other method.

Stratford upon Avon is no exception when it comes to finding out as much as you can about the town.  But you can go one better than simply walking around and take a guided tour instead of going it alone.  Here are some excellent reasons for doing just that.

1.    You will get to see areas you may have missed otherwise.  When you arrive in Stratford upon Avon for the first time, you will soon find out about all the Shakespeare properties.  But it has a lot more to reveal to its visitors as well – and you can find out many of its secrets by enjoying an in depth tour on foot.
2.    You will be able to find out lots of knowledge about Stratford that you wouldn’t have discovered any other way.  It’s those little snippets of information about Stratford that make such a tour so much fun.  It makes any holiday in Stratford upon Avon one to remember.
3.    You can opt to take more than one walking tour, with each one offering something different to look forward to.  The town boasts a ghost tour as well as a more traditional walking tour.  And if you would like a cruise on the river, there is a ghostly version of the tour which takes place on water as well.
4.    You can learn as much about the history of the town as you can about the present day.  You can see a town through different eyes once you start learning about how it came to be as it is today.  And since Stratford goes back to Shakespeare’s time and before, there is plenty to learn!
5.    You can enjoy being entertained!  Most guides are highly experienced and they know all there is to know about the town.  Not only this, but they are also good at delivering that knowledge in a way that is far different from reading the same information from a guide book.  Why not choose the more entertaining route while you are in town?

A cheap UK holiday in Stratford upon Avon is a great way to wind down and take a break from your everyday routine.  And as you can see, with tours and insights into the town on offer virtually every day, you can really enjoy your time in the town and learn lots more about it.

And of course, after all that exercise wandering around and discovering parts of Stratford that you may otherwise have missed, there will be plenty of venues to stop and get some refreshments afterwards.  What better way could there be to rest your weary feet than to enjoy a drink and a light snack?

No matter where you decide to spend your UK holiday, there are always ‘must see’ places at every location.  And if you happen to be booking a holiday in one of the beautiful countryside cottages  somewhere in the Forest of Dean, you’ll want to add Clearwell Caves to your list of ‘must see’ places to go.

Lots of places in England have underground cave systems and similar places that offer you an intriguing insight into how they work.  But Clearwell Caves are arguably one of the best of them.

So let’s take a look at why they make a great day out when you are on holiday in the Forest of Dean.

1.    Walk back into the Stone Age.  As soon as you head underground you will be leaving the 21st century firmly behind you.  The Clearwell Caves go back thousands of years, and they don’t look much different to how they would have done to Stone Age people.  It’s definitely a great experience to tell people at home about when you finish your Forest of Dean holiday.
2.    Regular events make for an even more memorable trip.  You can always explore the nine caves that are open for you to see, but the family run caves also lay on special events.  These take place on a frequent basis but the dates vary depending on what is happening.  It might be worth phoning ahead of your visit, or checking their website, to see if you could plan your own visit to coincide with a special event.
3.    They have fabulous and very educational guided tours.  And they aren’t expensive either.  You can expect at least an hour and a half going into the caves and learning about their past.  You’ll also be able to find out more about free mining, ancient peoples and much more besides.
4.    You can go much further into the mine if you opt for a deep level tour.  This isn’t for the claustrophobic and you’ll need a certain degree of physical fitness too.  But if you are willing to go beyond the usual extent of the caves available, you can enjoy deep level mining at its best.  And of course, it all takes place with qualified leaders and with all the right equipment.
5.    It’s a wonderful way to keep the kids entertained!  People of all ages love Clearwell Caves, but there is no doubt that kids in particular find it “awesome!”  It should come as no surprise to learn that the caves are a hot spot for school tours.  But if you are on holiday in the area and staying in a Forest of Dean holiday cottage, you can still take full advantage of the tour as a family group.

All this should certainly convince you that Clearwell Caves are one of the highlights of any stay in the Forest of Dean.  Complete with a blacksmith’s shop and of course the obligatory gift shop too, you will find it to be the perfect day out, no matter how far into the caves you choose to go.

If you are a sun, sea and sand sort of person, then you probably won’t even think about taking UK holidays.  But it’s amazing how many people don’t even consider taking a break in this country even if they were staying in one of the finest countryside cottages.

That’s a shame, because there is so much on offer here to tempt people into staying.  The Cotswolds alone are filled with pretty villages, amazing history and so much to see and do that you’d need weeks on end to do it all.  UK holidays are sometimes rather overlooked by people who are constantly going abroad.  If you are one of them, perhaps it’s time you reconsidered your own country?  Here are some convincing reasons for staying in the UK and heading to the Cotswolds.

1.    Let’s think about the weather first of all.  We may not get the kind of weather that other countries get, but 2009 has given us some reasonably good weeks so far.  And there is usually plenty to do even when the weather isn’t on our side.  Here in the Cotswolds we can give you some great UK holidays that include browsing round villages, stepping inside stately homes, and much more besides.  There is a lot to see and do every single day of the year.

2.    You don’t have to be near the sea to have a wonderful break either.  Let’s face it, the Cotswolds aren’t located near the sea, but if you want to get a taste of the water you still have places like the Cotswolds Water Park to enjoy while you are here.

3.    There is no doubt that cheap UK holidays are very tempting, especially when you have delights such as the Cotswolds available in your own country.  Booking up a cottage for the week – or even for just a long weekend – can be surprisingly cheap especially when you consider that it is self catering.  Perhaps this is why cheap UK holidays are more popular than ever this year, as the recession limits our choices of where to go for a break from reality.

There used to be a time when the great British holiday was something to really look forward to.  It was only when package holidays abroad became more readily available that things changed.  Perhaps it will take a recession to swing things back in our favour again?

After all, nothing much has changed in this country when it comes to finding fantastic destinations like the Cotswolds to go to.  Stunning villages like Bourton on the Water and Banbury are still there and still drawing in the visitors, as are many other places offering a taste of history and comfort.

A lot of people go to the same foreign country and destination for years on end before deciding to change things a bit.  And this year it would seem as if more people than usual are deciding to stay at home.  This is largely because of the recession, which has made taking a holiday more of a luxury than a necessity for many people.

So why not stay here this year and visit us here in the Cotswolds instead of heading abroad to the beaches?  You might just start a new trend…

Manor Cottages concentrates their efforts on Bath accommodation

Manor Cottages are set to launch their new website www.bath-accommodation.org.uk.

After taking on numerous amounts of new properties, they feel that specific targeting to this popular, historic city is a way to boost Manor Cottages reach across the world wide web and it’s continued domination of self caterig properties in the Cotswolds.

Based in the Somerset Countryside, only 100 miles west of London lies the mystical and enchanting city of Bath. A unique city renowned for its history, Georgian architecture, famous Abbey and shopping haven.

The website is similar in design and feel to the Manor Cottages original site and will work well as a side arm to help penetrate highly competitive keywords such as Bath accommodation, cottages in Bath, self catering accommodation in Bath.

Chris Grimes owner of Manor Cottages said ” adding extra strings to our bow is always a must for our ongoing advertising strategy, and having another web presence can only benefit us as a business, and help us move forward in this ever competitive market.”

As with all new websites the new Bath site will continue to grow, and with ongoing work will hopefully start to drive good traffic to Manor Cottages.