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!

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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.

Alton Towers Scarefest until 1st November

17th Oct to 1 Nov is Alton Towers Scarefest

Barks holiday cottage is only 3 miles to Alton Towers

Availability in October for 3 night (for £295) and for a weeks self catering holiday (£450) for family of 4/5

9th October - for 3 nights self catering £295

16th October - for 3 nights self catering £295 or full week for £450

Fully booked 23rd October - 1st November, sorry.

After 1st November we will be taking bookings for walking weekends - please call 01538 703436 or email to check availability and prices.

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Scarefest season

Alton Towers is quite tempting at this time of year, even for me who wimps out of any kind of scary ride. The children are back at school so there are no queues, the weather is sunny and warm and the gardens look amazing.

It is nearly Alton Towers Scarefest time! At aged 3 my son was terrified by the painted faces and witches hats, now a few years on he'd probably love it!

We still prefer Splash Landings and the thrills of the waterpark, which reminds me that I am on a promise to take him there after school one day.

Tour of Britain cycles the moorlands

Barks Holiday Cottage, self-catering accommodation near Alton Towers and Peak District

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Tour of Britain cycles the Moorlands

James made a deliberate visit to King of the Mountain – Wootton Hill and was given a flag to wave encouragingly at these keen cyclists as they powered up the hill to the ‘finish line’ (although there was no finish in the sense of them stopping). Three riders were clearly leading the pack, as announced by a van with loud speaker courtesy of ITV, heavily escorted by motorbikes. A few minutes later the peloton arrived, whizzed through en masse and that was it.

I caught the Tour of Britain inadvertently as I returned from a meeting in Matlock along the A52 between Ashbourne and Stoke. At the highest point of the ridge, with a grand view of most of Staffordshire and Derbyshire, I became stuck in a traffic jam. A traffic jam that is not causally linked to Alton Towers is such a rare occurrence it is almost worth blogging in its own right. I figured out it was the Tour of Britain when the motorbikes, 40 or more, roared past with lights flashing. Meanwhile the A52 in both directions gently filled with quarry lorries, the main traffic on this stretch of road. Then the pack of riders, tightly packed together and seemingly not in a rush to my inexperienced eye, breezed over the ridge and off in the direction of Blackbrook Zoo. The view and zoo would not have registered with the riders who were head down and intent on their mission. Before the quarry lorries and I could resume our journeys, there was the amusing spectacle of the 50 or so support vehicles with the cycles on the top. More cycles were visible on the top of 4x4s than in the peloton.

It’s quiet in these rural parts, can you tell?

Walking routine

Holiday Cottage - £295 for 3 nights and £450 for a week

Alton Towers 3 miles; walking in the moorlands, woods and valleys is on the doorstep

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I hadn’t walked through Carr Wood since the last day of term when we picked the raspberries.  Seven weeks of summer holiday have passed and we have had a lovely time and met some interesting people and lovely families who stayed in our cottage, Barks, for a self-catering holiday.  All but one group of guests went to Alton Towers, and some stayed longer and took in some extra local attractions. 

 

During this time I didn’t do much walking.  My old dog Echo was pleased about this but the young dogs wanted more.  So the young ones were pleased by the resumption of our school routine this morning, and I am sure Echo joined us in spirit.  Raspberries have been replaced by blackberries but we didn’t stop this morning.  It is time to shed some calories and get marching up that hill again. 

 

The walking is so wonderful around here that I am disappointed that more guests don’t pack their walking boots.  Having said that, with Alton Towers Skyride out of action I would recommend walking boots for the miles you need to walk when you go for the day.

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

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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.

Family Holidays

Barks Holiday Cottage: - for booking enquiries please call 01538 703436 or email barks@btconnect.com

3 nights £295

7 nights £450

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We've had a couple of lovely families come to stay at the holiday cottage last week. A family with two young children took in Cariba Creek water park one day and a day at Alton Towers theme park the next. I am pleased that the sun shone on their stay because they had a couple of days exploring the local area after that and took in Blackbrook Zoo (pictured), Trentham Gardens and Waterworld. We enjoyed a lovely game of cricket with them in the garden, which particularly pleased my son. Their children enjoyed feeding the hens and playing with our dogs. The hens mobbed me this morning, clearly disappointed that this family and all their treats had finished their family holiday and returned home to Cardiff.

The next family had teenage children who energetically pumped up the tyres on our old bicycles. I warned them that cycling from the holiday cottage is either freewheeling downhill or pushing uphill, without much pedalling required. They still seemed to have energy for a good day out at Alton Towers followed by a vigorous game of giant frisbee.

It is great that families enjoy their holidays here, but now my son wants a giant frisbee and the hens won't be satisfied with layers pellets.

Total peace and quiet

We have had a planned power outage today. We had a letter reminding us to fill thermos flasks if we have a coffee addiction, find alternative power sources for vital health-related equipment, and find somewhere else to get online to get on with work. Helpful letter, if any of us could retain such information in our minds or had included it in the diary. I remembered too late when there was a final-sounding click as equipment powered down. Coffee-less and unable to get on with my day job I sat in the garden and enjoyed the sunshine in total peace and quiet.

The hens clucked cheerfully, the birds fluttered past and I even wondered if I could hear butterfly wings against the warm air. Possibly lack of coffee was starting to make me fanciful. After a while I thought I ought to get on with some domestic chores and personal jobs. There is a pile of holiday cottage sheets that need ironing, there are booking enquiries that need an email response and I've been meaning to transfer photos onto a memory stick for printing. I remembered I was powerless.

Eventually the postman broke the peace and my brain returned to normality. My addiction needed to be fed. Coffee or no coffee, I simply had to get online.

Alton Towers in the rain

It is truly lashing down with rain right now. Our last holiday cottage guests told me that the Skyride is still closed following a fire. It is quite a hike from one ride to the next. Everyone at Alton Towers must be drenched. British summers . . .

Holiday Cottage near Alton Towers - we are in the next  village just 2.6 miles to the gate.
We offer 3 night and 7 night self catering breaks, sleeps 4 or family of 5.
Enquiries and reservations 01538 703436
barks@btconnect.com

Wild raspberries in the woods

I love to forage and wild raspberries are one of my favourites. We have just picked a good pot full from the woods. All year during our hikes to school I have been keeping an eye on these fruit stems, wondering if they would produce any wild raspberries. On literally the last day of term we went picking.

Picking pots can be provided to all our holiday cottage guests, although they are not much use to those that limit their pleasure to Alton Towers.

Country Walking Magazine recommends Churnet Valley walks

I have just placed an advert in Country Walking Magazine and while chatting to Natasha about the booking was simultaneously checking their website for information on our area. There I was trying to persuade them to think about some editorial to raise the profile of the Churnet Valley, a hidden gem for walkers, and to my surprise walks available from our doorstep are featured in their ‘recommended routes’. So Natasha is hopefully going to speak to the editor about planning a Churnet Valley feature for the printed magazine. It’s time!

Check what they say online about the Churnet Valley at http://www.livefortheoutdoors.com/Destinations/Search-Results/UK/England/Heart-of-England/Staffordshire/.

The Yew Tree, Cauldon

As featured in The Guardian's guide to pubs this weekend, The Yew Tree is one of our locals. I mentioned in another blog about 'interesting' pubs near to our self-catering holiday cottage; it was this establishment to which I referred. Chain pubs try really hard to create character, but The Yew Tree in Cauldon proves that only years of neglect and a passion for collecting really odd stuff can achieve the right feel. Gotta love it!

Dimmingsdale and the Ramblers Retreat

I wanted a place to walk on flat ground today. I met Clare by chance in Oakamoor and together we walked along the disused railway track from Oakamoor to Dimmingsdale. The rhododendrons are beautiful around the lake at the moment. We resisted the temptation to stop for coffee on this occasion. There is a lot to do today to get ready for weekend holiday cottage guests.

Walking weekends

Book a 3 night weekend at Barks self catering and enjoy a relaxing and possibly invigorating walking weekend.

Barks is a rural self-catering holiday cottage with fantastic unspoilt, varied countryside where you can walk for miles direct from the front door..

The Staffordshire Moorlands is renowned as an excellent area for walking. Situated on the southern fringes of the Peak District you'll find everything from gentle strolls to energetic hill walks. Some demanding footpaths can be found among the rugged crags of The Roaches or along ancient packhorse trails. Long distance walkers can enjoy the scenic pleasures of the Staffordshire Way, Gritstone Trail and Limestone Way. If you prefer short circular walks there are plenty locally around the wooded valleys of the Churnet Valley - accessed from the front door of Barks holiday cottage.

Please check our online availability or email barks@btconnect.com for the latest information. The countryside here looks magnificent at all times of year. So pack your boots and book your stay today!

Alton Towers encourages families

Alton Towers has just issued a press release about its expansion plans. There is much talk of the employment opportunities and spin off to local accommodation providers. Good, good, we like that. The detail of the many statistics, however, didn’t mention how many of the employees at the hotels and theme park are actually from Staffordshire, I suspect considerably more are from seasonal workers from places like eastern europe. Stop me now! I am trying to stick to the the good news . . .

In the report in our local paper, The Sentinal,( http://ow.ly/5mQ7 for full report) Liz Greenwood, Alton Towers communications manager is quoted as saying that they are wanting to move from a teen attraction to a family-friendly destination. Let’s hope they are successful at that. Ms Greenwood said:

"We are trying to reposition ourselves from a teenage market to cater for families. In trying to encourage families to stay for longer, there is a need to provide further accommodation of some kind."

Ms Greenwood said the resort would seek to do more than just erect "world class" roller-coasters – such as the Corkscrew's replacement for 2010, "Secret Weapon Six" – to entice thrill-seekers from all over the UK. She said: "In 2008, we worked extremely hard to attract families and we were very successful – growing in this sector from 35 per cent to 50 per cent of our total volume.

"Now, 75 per cent of our rides and attractions are suitable for children under 10."

Trouble is, that it’s impossible just to stick to this glimmer of good news when there is detail buried in these statistics. Ms Greenwood added that only 10% of the visitors stay at the on site hotels. I shall add to that my guestimate that another 10% stay locally. That means that 80% of the 2.5m visitors are travelling to and from the resort as day trippers (although that isn’t the thrust of the story). That’s a lot of traffic on our country roads, but let’s not start the bypass debate right now! This is another reason why I am focussing on the positive of marketing to families coming for more than one day. I shan’t miss the scary driving habits of the day-tripping twenty-somethings playing hooky off work who, in their eagerness, are pumping their accelerators. Nor shall I rue encountering those enormous coaches of day-trippers that I now associate with the possibility of having dodgy brakes. I shall herald their replacements – I am imagining a stream of well driven family Prius-type cars . . .

So to end on a positive. . . .! I am delighted that more families are being encouraged to come to Alton Towers because many will stay over longer and discover that there is so much more to this area than a theme park. I am confident these families will have a holiday to remember. We will make you welcome. Families of 4 or 5 report that they love it at our holiday cottage, Barks.

Alton Towers Weekend?

Self catering holiday cottage accommodation less than 3 miles from Alton Towers. We offer from 3 nights to a week self catering, with
Alton Towers just minutes away by car.

Enjoy yourselves at Alton Towers for a long weekend. But after a busy day of screams and icecreams, get away from the crowds and have a civilised time in your own space. Put your feet up and enjoy the fine views.

There is plenty for children to do in the area besides going to Alton Towers. There are children-friendly places to visit such as a zoo, a steam railway and canal trips only 5 mins away. Enjoy freedom in the countryside and get some fresh air - climb trees in the woods, go for a picnic or a cycle. There are tea rooms galore, really unusual country pubs, farm shops, and award-winning restaurants. Do Alton Towers for a day or two and stay on longer to explore.

All enquiries to 01538 703436 or email barks@btconnect.com. 50% payable on booking, remainder 4 weeks before arrival - please ask for our full Terms & Conditions.

Seaworld at Alton Towers

It's really lovely!

I thought the Sharkbait Reef Sea Life section at Alton Towers was going to be just one room with a token shark, but then we went round a corner, and another and it goes on for ages.

I felt rather seasick looking through the magnified and curved glass tanks, but became used to it eventually. I was suprised how much I enjoyed spending a bit of time watching the Sea Life creatures and talking to the Alton Towers staff about the Sharkbait Reef exhibits. It's great that the staff are so knowledgeable and keen on what they are doing. They keep the place pristine clean, which is perfect.

Beware the Cleaner Shrimps! You are invited to stick your hand into the tank so that these shrimps can clean off any dead skin. With kids they make for the finger nails but with adults they seemed to love a knuckle or rough thumb. I had a tiny gardening cut on my finger and they very quickly 'cleaned' the wound and left it open again - not great for the following weekend's gardening.

I enjoyed our special visit to Sharkbait Reef Sea Life at Alton Towers and anyone planning a trip should definitely navigate their way to it.

http://www.altontowers.com/theme-park/attractions/sharkbait-reef/

Les Oakes on Gardeners' World

Staffordshire rarely makes it onto TV so I was pretty stunned to see our local Cheadle ‘architectural reclamation’ yard Les Oakes featured on Gardeners’ World. I loved David Oakes’ wheeler dealer TV appearance. Les Oakes have some great stuff lurking in heaps around the yard. We have bought all sorts from there.

I have to say I preferred the original colour scheme of the reclaimed doors and wouldn’t be able to live with the giant wendy house look that the Gardeners’ World team created. I need a shed though!

Alton Towers opens

An increase in enquiries and the hawthorn leaves appearing are both proof of the arrival of spring. Alton Towers opened this weekend, which possibly explains the surge of booking enquiries that we received. Either that or the improvement in the weather. In the last week alone people have contacted us from UK and Ireland with a variety of requirements - with/without children, with/without dogs, weekend walking breaks, accommodation near Alton Towers, and a business stay that requires WiFi. All are welcome at Barks.

Perfect walking weather

I walked for miles this weekend. Our friends Lucy & Paul were staying with their wire-haired vizsla so we went out as a pack. First we had to do a short 20 minute circuit for the benefit of my 17 year old lurcher Echo. It served as a hearty appetiser because it is uphill through the woods, has a fresh wind on the ridge and then a couple of fields coming back down where the younger members of the pack can really stretch their legs. The old girl senses we are past the half way mark and trots ahead a little bit until I need to carry her over the stile.

Echo went reluctantly to her basket and we carried on for the main event; down into Oakamoor’s Carr Wood and then back up past Orchard Farm and into the woods. We were out for a couple of hours and enjoyed the best of the weather. I had put too many layers on and ended up with sweater and heavy coat tied around my waist for all serious uphill stretches. Paul had a hip replacement only nine months ago and I was somewhat alarmed when there was a plaintive cry for help at the back and he was lying in the rut of the path. It is soft peaty ground, so luckily he was enjoying the drama of it.

On Sunday the plan was to meet Karen and Megan the spaniel and go for a 1 ½ hour walk in Cotton Dell, but the clock change meant that it was just Lucy and me and the dogs. My whippety-lurcher races up the track likes she’s been let out of a trap, my terrier checks all rabbit holes and the vizsla jumps straight into the river and all further muddy pools of water. This is a fluffy vizsla and a muck magnet, who must have wondered why we were so keen to throw sticks for her into the deeper parts of the brook. The sun shone, the birds were singing and the temperature was perfect for a long walk up hill and down vale.

Later, while I was gardening, a man walked past with his dog and checked directions with me. His wife had dropped him in Alton and he was hiking back to Ipstones – approx 8 miles. We agreed it is perfect walking weather.

Following the walking and gardening, my legs feel quite stiff this morning, so instead of the hour long return walk down to school I confess we went by car, taking all of 3 mins each way. Not the same at all!

Book self catering accommodation near Alton Towers and the Peak District

I just drove past the gates of Alton Towers, some 3 miles away, and all was quiet. It felt strange because normally on a bright, sunny day I see a stream of oncoming traffic going into Alton Towers theme park. But Alton Towers is not open yet . . .

Now is a great time to walk in the Churnet Valley and really appreciate the peace and uninterrupted birdsong. The paths and woodland around Alton Towers, Alton Castle (pictured) and Dimmingsdale are a treat right now.

Now is also a great time to start booking your summer visit to Barks self catering holiday accommodation near Alton Towers and the Peak District. Ring 01538 703436 or email barks@btconnect.com for 2009 rates and availability.

Children and pets welcome at Barks holiday cottage.