A Tribute to little Pickle Valentine: Snowdrops in our little Nature Reserve

In the land surrounding Barks Holiday Cottage's we have created a little nature reserve. At this time of year the snowdrops begins to emerge, heralding the early whispers of spring. This enchanting display is not just a natural spectacle; it's a tribute to a little soul that left paw prints on our hearts. Pickle Valentine, a beloved companion and a friend to many of our guests, found her final resting place among the tranquility of our nature reserve. Born on Valentine's Day, our little white terrier's spirit is commemorated with the blossoming of snowdrops around her birthday, transforming the area into a living memorial.

The snowdrops at Barks Cottage are more than just flowers; they symbolize renewal, resilience, and the enduring love between humans and their furry companions. Many of our holiday cottage guests bring their four-legged companions, so will totally understand. February is normally a quiet time at the holiday cottage, but anyone booking for some winter walking is invited to wander through this special part of our grounds, where each snowdrop serves as a reminder of Pickle's gentle spirit and the joy she brought to all who knew her.

Our little nature reserve, one of our commitments to conservation, offers guests a moment of reflection and connection with nature's delicate beauty. As these snowdrops bloom, we remember the joy that Pickle brought to our lives and the beauty of life cycles in nature.

Join us this season to experience the serene beauty of our snowdrop garden, a heartfelt tribute in the midst of our little sanctuary. It's a place where memories bloom as brightly as the flowers, and where the spirit of Pickle Valentine lives on in every delicate petal.

Signs of spring

It is chilly this morning, with just a handful of snowflakes decorating the grass. Snow drops are well named.

I have heard a woodpecker drilling against a tree trunk, and we took two bookings last night for our holiday cottage near Alton Towers, both signs that spring is coming.

Barks Holiday Cottage is well placed to enjoy spring countryside and the alternative charms of Alton Towers less than three miles away.

Catherine & James
Barks Holday Cottage
barkshc@gmail.com

Staffordshire Alps

Went out for a walk with the dogs.  Lovely drifts of snow in the open, but blissfully sheltered in the woods.  Bizarre to think that in a few months time this area will be buzzing with bees enjoying the bilberry flowers.

Catherine and James, Barks Holiday Cottage, 01538 703436

Alton Towers Spa reopens for 2012

Now I do love a spa evening and it is very spoiling and indulgent for me that Alton Towers is less than 3 miles from here.  Even more luxurious is that during the winter season when Alton Towers theme park is closed there a many fewer tourists here and the spa is blissfully quiet of an evening.  (Obviously, the fact that Alton Towers is closed has an impact on our holiday cottage bookings because we are having to rely solely on people coming walking in the Churnet Valley.)

Anyway, the Alton Towers spa is re-opening today after a few days closure for a refurb.  Yippee!!! It was time for a spruce up!  I hope the price remains £12.50 because that is affordable for an occasional treat for me and in the range for the holiday cottage guests who want to pamper their tired walking legs after a day hiking the Churnet Valley hillsides.

If you are looking for a spa break - this might be an option.  A short break at Barks Cottage for 3 nights - come back from the spa and put your feet up in front of the log fire.  How about it?

Spring at the Holiday Cottage

I have to confess that I have egg on my face. Well technically I suppose I actually don't have egg on my face because I made such a fundamental cock up that it isn't possible. Sorry if anyone thinks this is offensive language but you'll see where I'm going with this in a second.



Ashes the hen outside the holiday cottage

 Those that follow 'Barks Holiday Cottage nr Alton Towers' on Facebook might remember that some time ago I asked for suggestions for names for our new hens, the offspring of Stewart and Ashes. I can't say that we were overwhelmed by suggestions from our Facebook fans (you miserable lot!) so after much thought I named the two chicks myself. I sought names to do with fire (after Ashes and their aunt Cinders) but also I need to consider their markings because otherwise I don't have a clue which hen is which.

Chicks reach 'point of lay' after so many weeks and I was expecting some egg laying action from these youngsters anytime after November, but probably more like now. One of the ways to tell if a hen is about to lay eggs is to check the fullness of its crown. Recently these plump birds have been filling out in the crown department and as the other hens begin to lay in earnest I thought it was time these ladies joined in.

Yesterday my elderly neighbour and her grand-daughter joined us for lunch prior to our visit to nearby Blackbrook Zoo (only 99p entry right now so those looking for last minute self-catering ideas please take note that it's all go around here even when Alton Towers is closed). My neighbour catches sight of our hens lazily looking for pickings beneath the bird table outside our french windows and casually asks me when we took ownership of a different cockerel. No such thing had happened I reply assuredly, we were retaining Stewart despite his unhealthy intimacy with his sisters. And no, those young birds are Phoenix and Flash, last year's chicks and no, they are most definitely hen birds. How do you know? I just know!

You can see where this is going by now, I bet. That same afternoon I heard a strange croaky sort of cock-a-doodle-do and sent my son to the window to investigate. How much proof does a person need to make her change a firmly held perception? This was not the voice of Stewart; I had accepted that immediately, but when I am told that Phoenix is crowing I needed to check. Suddenly the fullness of the crown and size of the birds couldn't be justified away as an aspect of this breed. The recent spat between Phoenix and Flash couldn't be explained away as establishing a sisterly pecking order. These adolescent birds have reached a level of maturity this week, but I hadn't really seen what was taking place in front of me because I had convinced myself way back that they were hen birds.

So I guess that we have 'chicken' on the menu soon. Stewart was so called because, as our explanation goes, he is nicknamed 'Stew, because he soon will be'. But a year has gone by and he has reverted to his full name, Stewart, because nobody in our household wants to stew such a fine creature, of whom we have become so fond. Phoenix and Flash, however have a more certain fate. Phoenix, it turns out, will not rise from the flames and Flash is now thought of as 'Flash in the pan'.

Meanwhile I wish I hadn't refuted my neighbour's assertion quite so confidently. There is no getting around the fact that I now have egg on my face over such an elementary poulty-keeping cock up.

Churnet Valley Walks

Barks Holiday Cottage accommodation near Alton Towers is also perfect as a cosy base for a weekend of walking in the Churnet Valley.

I walk down into the Churnet Valley everyday taking my son to school, and then the dogs and I walk back up the steep valley sides through the most magnificent woodland and open countryside.  The exercise is good for the heart, the views are good for the soul. 

This week there has been enough snow that we have sledged to school, which is handy because even the 4x4s were slipping on the untreated road.

Planning your visit to Staffordshire and Alton Towers?

Our holiday cottage is 3 miles to Alton Towers and 3 miles in the other direction to some of the nations favourite beauty spots in the Peak District. 

For a family of 4/5 we offer 3 nights for £295 and 7 nights for £450.  All linen included.

Alton Towers is open for February half term, (13^th -21st February 2010) and the main season begins on 20 March 2010.  We currently have availability!  01538 703436.

Nb During the winter months we accommodate walkers for weekend breaks.  Cosy log fire, underfloor heating, full central heating, frosty views, wooded walks etc.  Please email or ring 01538 703436 for prices and availability.

If you are planning a family break in this area then why not check out the deals on offer locally.  A friend of mine has been seriously busy researching what’s on locally and the best way to save your pennies on fun days out.  She is keeping her ear to the ground on Alton Towers and other attractions that would be of interest to our holiday guests.  If you are planning your visit to Staffordshire and  Alton Towers then I suggest you don’t pay for a thing until you’ve checked out her site http://blog.topdogdays.com/

Day out at Alton Towers

Barks Self Catering Holiday Cottage:

Winter weekend in the country £185 for 2 nights for a family of 4/5 with all bed linen and a real log fire included. Please email barks@btconnect.com or call 01538 703436. Winter weekends and short breaks are on offer from 1st November to 17th December so put your walking boots on and enjoy some fresh air in the Peak District.

Alton Towers 2010 season

Barks is 3 miles to Alton Towers and offers self-catering accommodation for family of 4/5.

3 nights for £295 and 7 nights for £450. Bookings require 50% deposit and remainder 4 weeks before arrival.

01538 703436 barks@btconnect.com.

-------------------------------------

I am planning our last day at Alton Towers for this season. I have 3 tickets and my 6 year old has had to make some tough choices about who to accompany him. Parents - one, other, both, none - or friends. The friends option is top priority, so much so that finding a friend with a more daring parent is in fact the favourite option. Currently racking my brains to think which parent of my son's friends would enjoy this offer the most!

Alton Towers in the Dark - Scarefest

Barks Holiday Cottage availability:

HALF TERM ALTON TOWERS - Sorry, we are fully booked from 20th – 31^st October.

SCAREFEST - We have a few short breaks available during the remaining Alton Towers season, Scarefest starts 17^th October. Please ring 01538 703436 or email barks@btconnect.com to check.

WINTER BREAKS - Alton Towers closes 1^st November but we remain open for cosy weekends by the open fire, countryside walking weekends and as a base for various outdoor activities – including pub walks!

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Alton Towers in the Dark

On Friday night I went to Cloud Cuckoo Land – and yes I have come back, but there was a moment when I started to wonder if I was going to live in Cloud Cuckoo Land forever. My son and I went because we were invited to a local fundraiser.

All my sons mates were there and they had the run-around of this one section, Cloud Cuckoo Land. It was really great fun for the under 7s and adults-in-charge. There was the Alton Towers Driving Challenge, Froghopper, the Carousel, soft play bouncy castle area, Cuckoo Tree swings and Charlie’s Chocolate Factory. Everything at Alton Towers has height restrictions and there were no exceptions granted, even for a private party. Parents were dragged onto rides where an accompanying adult was required. Nine year olds burst into tears because they were too tall to go driving. Little ones sobbed that they weren’t allowed to be propelled into the night sky on the Cuckoo Tree swings. Fair enough.

My son started quietly on the Driving Challenge – serious look of concentration and unnecessary stopping at red lights. “it’s the law mummy”, one little girl was heard saying. We moved on to the Carousel –“it’s for the little ones”, announced my son as he carefully checked his safety harness. He graduated to the Froghopper and his grin rivalled that of any wide mouth frog. “Again”, they all shouted and ran to the entrance gate and boarded straight away. There were no queues because we were all VIPs on this occasion. Half an hour from closing, pitch dark and we thought we’d exhausted available options, being too tall for Soft Play. It was at this point that a brave decision was made to try the Cuckoo Tree swings.

“Flap your arms, it will make you go faster” advised the voice in charge of the ride. My palms were sweating just watching my 6 year old flying through the air, high up in the night sky, in a chair on the end of chain. Why was I concerned? He flapped all the way round, even when others had decided holding on was sensible. My friend said “it would be better if he sat back a bit.” I flapped, in a mother hen way. He stayed on this ride continuously for half an hour.

It was well past the published close time and you’d think that the Alton Towers staff would be keen to get away but they called to children to have a last, long turn at the Driving School. Parents were wanting to leave. It became slightly surreal as the voice over the Tannoy directed the children where to go and what to do and I began to suspect that we had entered a world from which we would never be allowed to return. I imagined them saying, “And now children, you belong to us, here at Alton Towers Cloud Cuckoo Land.”

I can see why Alton Towers is staying open until 9pm during Scarefest. We all made ghost noises while we passed beneath the haunted castle and crossed the dark park next to the lake.

August Bank Holiday

Barks Holiday Cottage
3 nights for £295
7 nights for £450
For booking enquiries please call 01538 703436 or email barks@btconnect.com

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How time flies; August Bank Holiday already and although it's warm weather and the sun is shining there are hints of autumn in the air. Our self catering guests are on their way from London.

We have had a flurry of booking activity for the holiday cottage. Other families must be sharing my feeling that the summer holidays are nearly over and it is time to spring into action before you miss the moment. A couple of bookings are from families organising some last minute fun with a 3 night break for a trip to Alton Towers. Others are getting organised now and are planning half term breaks and . . . . Christmas.

Surely not time to be thinking of Christmas . . . .!? Well actually, we have received our first booking enquiry from a family wanting a cosy holiday cottage with open fire and Christmas tree etc. We can't promise snow, but we have had a few romantic flakes fall on us at Christmas in the last few years.

In the mean time, let's keep fingers crossed that we all enjoy a sunny and warm August Bank Holiday.

Winter Warmer Short Breaks - semi-catered, chalet style.

Winter Warmer short breaks at Barks are designed to cram in loads of entertainment and fresh air and minimise the time spent on anything domestic. We are describing this as semi-catered in the style of ski chalets. Weekends are great but can feel so short, so we are doing what we can to help our guests maximise a Friday evening to Sunday afternoon break. All you have to do is bundle the family into the car - which let's face it is a big enough hurdle to get over.

The highlights of our Winter Warmers are:

Friday evening - The heating is on, the fire is lit and there's a meal in the oven waiting for you. The beds are made (and any cots or extra beds are in place too). Memories of the motorway will soon fade, I promise.

Saturday - Various breakfast goods are available for you to help yourselves to a fry up or cereal and toast. For days out, walks, lunch venues and family activities we can recommend some options to suit your party. While you are out we can nip in a straighten the kitchen and lay another fire for the evening. If you want another meal prepared for Saturday night just let us know, or alternatively we can recommend restaurants and pubs meals in the area or help you source local ingredients to cook yourselves a delicious dinner.

Sunday - Make this more than just a packing up day and stay as long as you like. Indulge in breakfast then get some fresh air maybe. There are pubs to hike to, tea rooms to cycle to and a hotel to swim at . . . or newspapers to read, whatever takes your fancy.

For further information on Winter Warmer Weekends please give us a call on 01538 703436 and give us an idea of your requirements.

In the mean time, her are some activities and outings nearby that might appeal:

• -Alton Towers Splash Landings
• -Alton Towers Spa
• -Alton Towers crazy golf
• -Aerial Xtremes - nearby in Trentham and Buxton
• -Hikes and walks - we have maps, books and several recommendations
• -Cycling - Churnet Valley from Oakamoor; Manifold Valley into the Peak District; Buxton to Ashbourne Tissington trail.
• -Pub Walks - from the doorstep
• -Lights nights and Christmas shopping evenings in local market towns.
• -Theatres
• -Museums
• -Great undisturbed painting locations
• -Kayaking or sailing on Carsington Water or Rudyard Lake
• -Letting the kids clamber around on the fallen tree and taking a flask of coffee and some sweets onto the ridge then coming back and putting your feet up by the open fire with a book and cuppa (until your favourite programme comes on telly).