Unbeatable sea views in Cornish idyll of St Ives
Idyllic hideaway with mountains, sea & a great café!
Spectacular sea views and a premium position within one of Cornwall’s most popular holiday towns are just two great reasons to stay at The Lighthouse St Ives. The accommodation itself is both luxurious and quirky. With the pristine Porthminster Beach and South West Coast Path just outside the door, it’s also close to alluring boutique shops, gorgeous gourmet restaurants, cosy coffee shops, hospitable pubs, lively entertainment, efficient public transport and fantastic walks.
Stunningly located at the foot of Northern Ireland’s beautiful Mourne Mountains are Carrick Lodge holiday properties, two generouslyproportioned rustic houses and two deluxe glamping pods, all with their own private hot tubs. Families, couples and sometimes mixed generations love spending quality time together in the peaceful surroundings or perhaps celebrating a milestone birthday, anniversary or other special event.
The spacious four storey property of The Lighthouse St Ives has two double bedrooms and offers sea views from all windows, with a wide front-line panorama from the Towans sand dunes to Godrevy Lighthouse and St Ives Harbour. Guests enjoy ever-changing vistas depending on meteorological moods from balmy sunshine to extreme storms, but are always safe and snug within this well-equipped gem of stylish modern self-catering. Reviewers invariably enthuse about the great location.
While all the accommodation is well equipped for self-catering, many guests frequent the on-site Carrick Cottage Café, serving mouthwatering meals, snacks and treats with views across the Irish Sea. and settled, bringing their Bohemian lifestyle leanings with them. These innovators were enchanted partly by the quality of light, as reflected, refracted and diffused by the sea and other features of this special corner of the Atlantic coast. The same qualities subtly uplift all visitors, whether or not they visit outstanding local galleries in such as the Tate St Ives, Hepworth Gallery and Mariners.
As well as being a magnet for tourists and surfers, St Ives has been The Lighthouse, Crab Rocks, famously attractive to artists since the St Ives, Cornwall T 01736 796198 www.thelighthousestives.com 1920s, when modernists first arrived
The local terrain is a magnet for walkers, whether they challenge themselves on Slieve Donard, the highest peak in the province of Ulster, and its slightly smaller companion, Slieve Binnion, or take a flatter route on the coast or the tranquil trails and reservoirs of Silent Valley Mountain Park. The attractive seaside town of Newcastle is only 10 minutes’ drive away and the fishing village of Annalong within a mile.
Carrick Lodge, 204 Head Road, Annalong, Newry BT34 4RJ T 07595 929307 The cottages, Carrick Lodge and E carrickcottagecafe@gmail.com Sage Gables, each sleep eight in four www.carrickcottagecafe.co.uk
Camp or glamp in delightful conservation village
Luxury cabins and friendly animals making Border Country beautiful
Set in the delightful conservation village of Folkingham, South Lincolnshire, Low Farm Park campsite offers a peaceful environment within walking distance of village amenities including a family and dog-friendly pub and a general store for all those self-catering supplies. It’s open all year round in a Dark Sky zone perfect for stargazing, with great walks, cycle routes and a creative arts centre on the doorstep, while just a short drive away are fishing lakes, a spa offering luxurious wellbeing treatments and several fascinating National Trust and English Heritage properties.
Tucked away in the peaceful beauty of the Lammermuir Hills in the Scottish Borders are Sunnybank Wigwams. On the outskirts of the small village of Auchencrow which has a dog friendly country pub. Within a few minutes’ drive to the east coast and seaside town of Eyemouth and the coastal National Nature Reserve of St Abbs.
Low Farm Park is a rural site surrounded by rolling fields in the grounds of a Grade 2 listed 18th century farmhouse, with 36 grass and hard-standing pitches for tents, caravans and motorhomes, plus the chance to glamp in authentic Gypsystyle bowtop wagons equipped with everything needed for a couple or young family’s self-catering break. The amenity block with shower, toilet and laundry facilities has been recently renovated to a high standard and well-behaved dogs are
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welcome. There’s even a rally field so, by arrangement, campers can get together for special occasions, while from April there will also be an on-site tearoom and children’s play area. Folkingham itself is well worth exploring for its deep history, but there are also great places within driving distance, including the city of Lincoln, Stamford with its 600 listed buildings, Belvoir Castle, Burghley House and Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre. Low Farm Park Spring Lane Folkingham, Sleaford, Lincolnshire NG34 0SJ T 07539 077142 E info@lowfarmpark.co.uk www.lowfarmpark.co.uk
bedrooms. Cosy and welcoming with log burning stoves, they are furnished and equipped to a high standard and have large, private gardens, safe for children and dogs alike. The pods are stylish, deluxe and purpose-designed for high quality glamping. Binnian, for five, is split over two levels and incorporates a Swedish hot tub and sauna and changing room. Donard sleeps four on one level.
Sunnybank is a small site with two fully-equipped luxury cabins that sleep six people with a separate double bedroom, en-suite facilities and your own private decking area with an electric heated hot tub. Sit back and listen to bird-song and watch the visiting wildlife – letting the world go by. Enjoy having barbecues under the beautiful dark skies in your own safe enclosed garden allowing your children and/or dog to run free.
Pamela Knox, who lives on site with her husband, Barry, says: “We moved down here seven years ago and fell in love with the peaceful calmness, dark starry night skies and wealth of places to visit in the surrounding area. This is why we set up the Sunnybank Wigwams so others could share what we live with every day.”
Sunnybank is well placed for country walks, beachcombing and delving into the rich Scottish Borders and Northumberland history or even just relax and enjoy the tranquillity at the site. Sunnybank Wigwams, Auchencrow, Meet the friendly residents, pet sheep, Eyemouth TD14 5LS; T 07598 169883 miniature Shetland ponies, chickens E sunnybank@wigwamholidays.com and an amenable loving horse. wigwamholidays.com/sunnybank