For the latest availability please check online or contact us.
Self-catering holiday cottage, sleeps 5. 01538 703163. Alton Towers 3 miles and Peak District walking from the doorstep. Family & pet friendly accommodation barkshc@gmail.com
self-catering holiday cottage, holiday rental near Alton Towers and Peak District
Alton Towers October opening times 2019
For the latest availability please check online or contact us.
Is it autumn? Peak walking season?
Even though everywhere is green and lush, there is the hint of autumn in the air. Especially in the mornings and evenings. This is my favourite time of year for walking in the Churnet Valley. Soon colour will appear in the woodlands and there might even be those breathtaking early frosts. Not too soon on that, my bean row won't cope!
So we have moved the holiday cottage into autumn mode too. The family room is now laid out as a twin room as its default setting. One twin, one double. With the children back at school this week, the guests we have booked in for September are adult groups or couples. Probably with a dog.
Because it is peak walking season, and where better to walk than round here, in the Churnet Valley woodlands and the hills of the Peak District?
Is it walkies time? |
For the latest availability please check online or contact us.
Holiday insurance for your self-catering break.
It is always very sad when a family have to cancel their holiday plans or leave early because there is a crisis. It is rare, possibly once or maybe twice a year.
This year we had a group leave early because of health issues and have just had a cancellation email from the family that booked the August Bank Holiday weekend.
We can only presume that people have some sort of holiday insurance to cover their costs. A non-returnable booking deposit is just that - non returnable - so this is where holiday insurance comes in handy.
I hope I am wrong, but I have a suspicion that people don't take out insurance for UK holidays. Is it something about taking a flight that makes a holiday worthy of insuring?
Sometimes there is insurance bundled into your bank account fee - it is worth checking. But if not, can I just remind people that holiday insurance can be a good idea to cover any costs of a cancelled or curtailed holiday.
Summer holiday mini breaks for Alton Towers
Please contact us for autumn breaks and Scarefest at Alton Towers.
Make your stay action-packed with Alton Towers, Splash Landings, country walks, animal park, pub meals, tea rooms, ice cream parlour and loads more....
Barks Cottage ST10 3DX to Alton Towers ST10 4DB the recommended route is 9 mins and 3.4 miles |
Barks Cottage is near enough to Alton Towers that if you want to drop the children off and do something different for a while, or come back and chill out, it is easy to do. But if you want to go with the kids for a bit of theme park fun, we can look after the dog for you.
Last minute holiday cottage Peak District and Alton Towers
Cottage sleeps 5 in two bedrooms, pet dog welcome.
And don't forget, if you want us to look after your dog while you and the family go to Alton Towers please book that in straight away 🐶
Barks self-catering holiday cottage - last minute deals self catering, sleeps 5 in two bedrooms |
Suitable for short holidays in the Peak District and to Alton Towers. Ideal for a couple for a walking holiday, possibly with their dog. Perfect for a family to spend a day or two at Alton Towers, maybe flexing your Merlin pass. Alton Towers is only 3 miles away, hidden out of the way in the valley and woodland.
Holiday Cottage feedback June 2019
Feedback June 2019 on Barks Holiday Cottage |
For the latest self-catering availability please check online or contact us.
For last minute availability check our latest offer
Last minute weekend break in the countryside
How about a last minute break in the countryside? What would work for you - a romantic break for two or a family escape to Alton Towers? Email or ring us to check availability and reserve your break.
There are lots of things to do. Alton Towers is the most obvious, but there are gorgeous walks, tea rooms and pubs. Our local towns have much to offer, with lots of shops specialising in antiques and collectibles.
And in the evening, you could cook something, better still you could order in or go out to one of the local eateries. See how you feel after a busy day...
Special offer
If you book a short break directly with us as a result of seeing this post we will put a bottle of fizz in the fridge for you. Email us on barks@btconnect.com to book this special offer.A wet week in the Peak District
We have a lovely crew that have come down from Bridlington and guess what... they chose Barks Holiday Cottage because it has an open fire. It's June, so I was surprised that was such an important criterion when selecting a self-catering holiday cottage in summer. If it had been a last minute booking I might not have been so surprised.
Anyway, they chose Barks because it is all on one floor and has an open fire. One of the ladies has restricted mobility so it is perfect for her. She hasn't been able to go out very much with her companions, but has stayed in the cottage and enjoyed a roaring fire and the views across the Churnet Valley.
Self catering holiday cottage, single storey accommodation. |
July opening times at Alton Towers
If you are planning a trip to Alton Towers and need to juggle opening times, travelling times and booking accommodation, I hope you find this information useful.
July opening times at Alton Towers |
And here is a tip - The theme park is enjoying peak season in July, particularly with traffic approaching from Uttoxeter and A50 in the mornings. Midweek there are school and uni trips, with lots of coaches. Weekends the roads are noticeably busy with cars queuing through the villages at arrival and departure times.
Beat the queues when you stay at Barks holiday cottage which is 2.6 miles away and enables you to approach from the quieter direction,
Single storey, ground floor, self catering
We have recently taken a couple of bookings because people were particularly looking for single storey, ground floor accommodation in a country cottage. I can confirm, the cottage meets that description.
If you are looking for a bungalow in the countryside just drop us a line with your booking requirements and we can get your dates reserved straight away. Email us on barks@btconnect.com or phone 01538 703436. Many thanks
Barks Cottage - single storey self-catering |
Alton Towers Easter 2019 Opening Hours
... Anyway, here are the opening hours for April 2019, in case you are planning a family self-catering holiday near Alton Towers.
Alton Towers opening times April 2019 |
Keep the family happy with some thrills up the road at Alton Towers, then drag them for a walk, something cultural or a family meal out on another day. Lot's of family time - that's what it's all about.
Holiday cottage near Alton Towers
Hard to believe sometimes that Barks Holiday Cottage is so near Alton Towers |
Snowy
Christmas at the Holiday Cottage
Christmas availability at Barks Holiday Cottage from 22nd December |
For a number of years the holiday cottage was booked by family members coming up to visit local friends. They could just about walk across the fields for their family get together. I was slightly nervous at the idea of them staggering back across the moorland after a few glasses of Christmas cheer, but it seemed to work out OK.
This year our booking agents took a booking for Barks Holiday Cottage back in August for a couple and their dog. That's organised, I thought, well done them! Very, very unfortunately, they weren't quite organised enough to take out holiday insurance. This bit is rather sad - one of them has been involved in a bad accident and so they can no longer go away at Christmas. Their deposit, taken by the agents, is non refundable which reminds me to stress the importance of taking out insurance on UK holidays, something people seem not to want to do.
Anyway, the cottage is back on the market for Christmas. It is available for 5 days from 22nd December for £475. There is some flexibility in those dates (however we are already booked for New Year).
We can also be very flexible as to how much we decorate the cottage for our Christmas guests. This year we are thinking we might put a tree on the terrace. We generally do some indoor decorations, unless asked not to, and give our guests a box of chocolates.
Halloween at the holiday cottage
The holiday cottage has entered its orange phase, in perfect time for Halloween and Alton Towers Scarefest. A season highlight in the Alton Towers calendar.
A young family are staying in cottage and their friends are joining them for a couple of nights in the Annexe. They've come up from London, equipped with their Merlin passes, to make the most of the season.
They even stopped en route at Sudbury Hall, as they didn't get there last time they booked the cottage. I wonder if they'll find a moment to carve our pumpkins!
Meet Issie
Autumn days
This lovely lady was sunning her bones on the holiday cottage terrace this morning and looked such a happy picture that I nipped off to get my camera. Standing around photographing her was clearly very suspicious behaviour that required her to get up and investigate. A polite woof alerted her people, so then we had a jolly chat about the important topic of unmissable walkies destinations in the Churnet Valley - the list is long!
Holiday cottage in the pink
The terrace garden goes through different colour phases throughout the season. It is in a pink phase right now, with a strong splash of bright magenta from one rose and a contrasting white from another.
I am glad we took the hebe down and opened up the view down the valley. A hyacinth is now in its place, adding more pink to the mix. You would almost think we'd planned it!
Blooming June at the holiday cottage
The holiday cottage terrace is buzzing with activity. Not from holiday guests but from the bees that are loving the pyracanthus flowers. I have been pruning it a little to keep it in shape.
Flowering pyracanthus being lightly chopped. |
And so a decision has to be made...
... is this the year to chop back the hebe? It had a major, to the ground, chopping when we put in the terrace a few years ago. Since then it has pleasantly regrown and reformed. Suddenly, it is a giant bush that is obscuring the view over the valley from the kitchen window. The other factor in this decision is that my husband is in outside mode with garden implements in hand. He just needs directing towards the hebe....
Hebe - about to be majorly chopped?? |
For those that actually know something about gardening and are planning a holiday in the Churnet Valley or near Alton Towers, may I suggest Consall Hall Gardens and the National Trust's Biddulph Grange.
Merlin passes
I will also mention the other bit of feedback we just received as it is something we were pleased to hear. Our holiday cottage guest was pleased to be able to comfortably accommodate her three children in a bedroom by themselves (so that she had a room to herself) in a sweet cottage that is close, but not too close, to Alton Towers ST10 4DB... all within her budget.
Family time, that's what we believe in.