New Year Breaks in Cornwall

Looking for a bolthole to escape to for New Year in Cornwall ? 

 

 

How about a warm and cosy cottage at Merlin Farm at Mawgan Porth on the North Cornwall Coast...

 

All cottages have a woodburner and a real Christmas tree (except Daymer Studio due to size) providing a relaxing post Christmas break or a base for friends to see the New Year in together.
  

Enjoy the peace and tranquillity of Cornwall during the festive season, explore beautiful deserted Cornish beaches, enjoy ice skating at the Eden Project, or just retreat to your Cottage and snuggle up in front of the woodburner with a glass of Mulled Wine.

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New Years Eve  Dining Ideas:

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Jamie Oliver's 'Fifteen' Restaurant at Watergate Bay are hosting a themed night, a four course menu and dancing through to the early hours.

8pm arrival for dinner at 8.30pm with disco until 1am.

£110 per person (children over 12 welcome)

 

The Merrymoor Inn at Mawgan Porth is offering a 3-course New Year's Dinner

@£27.50 per head with live music til late - Merlin Farm guests will recieive a free

glass of wine or soft drink with their meal

 
Cornwall's recently acclaimed Restaurant of the Year - The Herring Restaurant in Mawgan Porth is offering a five course dinner followed by live music and fireworks @£60 per head
 

We have cottages sleeping 2 - 4 people available for 5 nights. If you would like to receive a quote for a stay at Merlin Farm over New Year please click here

 

 

Top Storm Watching spots in North Cornwall

Cornwall is perfect for a break in the Winter, not just because of the deserted beaches, quiet roads and cosy Cornish pubs, but for the dramatic seascapes...

Here are our recommendations for great storm watching spots whilst staying in North Cornwall !

The Merrymoor Inn overlooking Mawgan Porth Beach | 01637 860258

 

 

 

The Beach Hut overlooking Watergate Bay | 01637 860877


 

The Headland Hotel's Terrace Restaurant overlooking Fistral | 01637 872211

 

The Watering Hole overlooking Perranporth Beach | 01872 572888



Click here to check availability & rates at Merlin Farm Holiday Cottages

Top Sunday Roast Spots on a gloomy Sunday

Here are our top recommendations in North Cornwall for a great Roast on a wet and gloomy Sunday...

The Travellers Rest at nearby Trevarrian is a traditional cosy pub with open fire. It offers the ultimate Sunday chill out, a fabulous Carvery with a band playing throughout the afternoon. If you feel it necessary to walk off your dinner, Watergate Bay and Mawgan Porth are only a few minutes drive in either direction. Advisable to book ahead, tel 01637 860245

The Merrymoor Inn overlooking Mawgan Porth Beach offers a great carvery, book in advance to try and get a table in the window and enjoy the view of the rolling waves ! 01637 860258

The Falcon is a 16th Century Inn at the nearby Village of St Mawgan, complete with open fire this is the perfect cosy pub on a cold damp day ! 01637 860225

Many a wild and windy Sunday we have ventured through the sandstorm to reach 'The Watering Hole' Pub on Perranporth Beach. It's a great way to blow away the cobwebs before tucking into a fabulous carvery lunch. Popular place so be sure to book ahead ! 01872 572888

Take a look at our website for cosy Winter Breaks in Cornwall, all our cottages have woodburners too !

Polo on the Beach | Watergate Bay | May 2013

It couldn't have been a more perfect weekend for Polo on the Beach, bright and sunny and a huge turnout. Usually on a midweek September day, this year spread over a May weekend, which proved hugely popular ! Various events were put on throughout the afternoons leading up to the match, a band each evening, Champagne and Barbeque tents and stunt shows by the Devil's Horsemen were on twice prior to Sunday's match, we watched with a glass of Veuve Cliquot in hand ! A great atmosphere and an enjoyable weekend, roll on next year's Polo on the Beach !

 

Merlin Farm Holiday Cottages Cornwall - near Watergate Bay Cornwall

Classic Air Force Opening Weekend

Wow what a fabulous opening day at the Classic Air Force. We were itching to get up there on Good Friday, we had cottage changeovers do do first and were being teased by seeing and hearing all the air activity and managed to get up there by about 3 o'clock !

It was heartwarming to see just how many people turned up to support this new Cornish tourist attraction, a couple of thousand I believe averaging each day over the Easter Weekend !

A lot had changed since our sneak preview just 13 days before, new aircraft, restored aircraft, a cinema, a great cafe and shop (which we hadn't seen first time round) and as we arrived the Dakota flew over which was a fantastic welcome !

We saw lots of people we knew and stopped and chatted whilst the kids were entertained by the cinema film, karts, bouncy castle, lazer tag and simulator. They were also given an aircraft themed quiz to keep them busy and they were delighted to earn a goody bag at the end. Darrel was interviewed by BBC radio Cornwall, giving his thoughts on the new attraction and recounting memories of original RAF St Mawgan Air day's.

Saturday evening was spent up at the Hanger Bash, a great band and hog roast. Again, a fantastic atmosphere and great to see so many supporters. The kids were happy to do everything they had done the day before and we literally had to drag them out of the hangar at the end of the night !

In the last week we have enjoyed being kept up to date by The Classic Air Forces Facebook page, real time information on which aircraft are flying, we have leaped out the house many times with the camera, they fly past Merlin Farm so it is very exciting for us !

We wish the Classic Air Force continued success !

Written by Ruben: On Good Friday we went to the opening day up at st.morgan.last time we talked about me going there 13 days before it opened and a few of the things coming up,ok now you can be exited because I'm going to finish of what I talked about last time (the hog roast and the new arrivals)but I'm also going to finish my blog posts,give me a boo, but I will do some talk about some more little things that might pop up at the hanger.lets talk about some things that don't involve sadness and sorrow,now as I was talking about there is one new plane witch is the second dragon Rapide but most of the planes have been re painted and re built,also there was a lot of stuff for the kids like the go karts and the lazer tag but there was also a bouncy castle,a simulator,a hog roast and a band.I truly think it was an amazing time writing and seeing the true history of wwII and I would like to rate it five star,so now you go and see for your self at the classic Air Force museum.

Classic Air Force

Written by Ruben (age 9)

On Sunday the seventeenth of march we visited the newly created 'classic air craft museum'. Let's go back a couple of years, remember that R.A.F station hanger(404) well it's now a place where you can see 10 classic air planes and even fly in 3 of them, awesome! And the fun doesn't stop there, 8 more air craft are on their way and also a delicious hog roast for the opening day. Ok you may be thinking why in the world would I be there 13 day's before it open's. It's a long long story well maybe not that long, even though its the seventeenth of march it's also my grand dad's birth day so as a surprise my mum arranged that we'd go for a sneak peak before it opened and so on.........Coincidentally my grand dad also used to work on nimrods when he was at R.A.F St Mawgan, so it was a familiar sight for him and a great surprise. I was also very interested about all this history and being the little photographer I am, I captured many great photo's and these are the names of the planes I took.

Vampire

Sea Devon

Sea Hawk

Jet Provost

Hawker Hunter

Dakota

Percival Proctor

Varsity

Auster

Dragon Rapide

I will tell you about the 8 new planes in my next blog post and about the delicious hog roast yum...yum...yum...

http://www.classicairforce.com/

Winter Beaches in Cornwall

Beautiful winter beaches is the inspiration for today's post. It had only occurred to me this morning that we pass THREE stunning beaches on the school run each morning and afternoon ! Mawgan Porth, Watergate Bay and Porth, and they are just the ones visible from the road, we also pass Whipsiderry and Beacon Cove.

Watergate Bay 12.3.13

Whipsiderry 12.3.13

Mawgan Porth 8.3.13

Mawgan Porth 8.3.13

I can not recommend enough visiting Cornwall in the Winter, you get a sense of exclusivity, the beaches are all yours quite literally ! We are often the only people on the beach. There is nothing better than embracing a cold and blustery beach and rewarding yourself with a hot chocolate in front of the logburner in your holiday cottage or ending up in a cosy Cornish Pub ! Here are a few recommendations for places to go following an invigorating winter beach walk:

Mawgan Porth: The Merrymoor Inn, just a stones throw from the beach with fabulous views.

Watergate Bay: The Beach Hut, right on the beach. Try the Extreme Hot Chocolate topped with marshmallows, jazzies and cream !

Bedruthan Steps: Carnewas Tea Rooms nestled on top of the cliffs above Bedruthan Steps Beach. Best Cream Tea in Cornwall ! A consistent supply of scones always fresh out the oven !

Check out this inspiration video from Visit Cornwall: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acCFZ7agPRs&sns=em

Spring is coming !

Latest News from Merlin Farm 4/3/13 

 

We have reached March and I am getting a little excited about Spring approaching ! The days are getting longer and with the milder weather we have been trying to get out and about as much as we can and experience our lovely County. 

 

 

Taking a little walk around the farm today we were shocked at how much our little sustainable forest has grown, seedlings were planted out only three years ago !

 

 

With all the fine dry weather Denzel has been delighted to have had more walks than usual ! It's such a wonderful experience walking along deserted beaches. Just leaving the office for half an hour and getting some fresh air feels so refreshing. This was Mawgan Porth this morning, the tide just going out. I must try not to forget how lucky we are living so close to this beautiful beach !

 

 

When the sun shines I just can't help but crave Cornish Cream Teas ! Last Sunday we went back to Cardinham Woods near Bodmin for a walk and popped into Woods Cafe for Lunch, as you can see they did not disappoint ! And yes it tasted as good as it looks ! (we actually sat outsde !) Cardinham Woods and the Cafe always seem busy, it's a very popular place and I can see why. There are a number of leisurly walks through lush woodland and alongside a river and a lovely children's adventure playground. For those wanting more of a challenge, there is a new Cross Country Track - The Bodmin Beast cycle trail, 12km of single track, with climbs, descents and technical features (you’ll need a good level of fitness to complete the route).

 

 

When the sun shines, Merlin Farm's Hens will lay !

With eggs a plenty I find myself cooking up culinary delights like this Eggs Benedict, just look at how orange the yolks are ! Merlin Farm guests recieve fresh free range eggs on arrival (subject to availability). Come the Summer the Hens don't lay as well, they love to lay in the Spring. Our Ducks which were born last Summer have also now started laying huge blue eggs and shortly the geese will be laying, book a stay with us and come and have a try !

 

 

If you've ever driven down to Cornwall, you would have passed over Bodmin Moor on the A30, but probably never noticed nor appreciated it's true beauty. We visited our friends that live on Bodmin Moor last weekend and took a snapshot looking across to the South Coast. Bodmin Moor is a wonderful place, it's worth just stopping to have a short wander around or a picnic and the kids love looking for the wild ponies ! Try to get as high as you can to experience a 360 degree view of Cornwall.

 

And Finally.............

 

Easter is fast approching, if you fancy escaping to Cornwall for the holidays take a look at our Easter page, full of things to do, Easter themed activities and if you book a stay at Merlin Farm from 29th March - 5th April the Children recieve an Easter Gift Hamper on arrival !

http://www.merlin-farm-cottages-cornwall.co.uk/#!easter-breaks-cornwall/c1qen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Easter in Cornwall

Easter is only a few weeks away ! Still considering where to go on holiday ?

So what will the parents want to do ? Relax in pleasant surroundings, eat nice food, want the children to be happy ?..........And the children ? Play, visit the Beach, have a go at Bodyboarding/Surfing ? Merlin Farm Holiday Cottages in North Cornwall should fit the bill nicely. 4-5* Family Friendly Cottages surrounded in Cornish Countryside a short walk from Mawgan Porth Beach, a superb lifeguarded beach where you'll find a great Surf School (http://www.kingsurf.co.uk). Merlin Farm as the name suggests has friendly farm animals; a donkey called Horace and Horses Bonney, Meg & Holly who roam in the fields in front of the cottages, happy to come up to the fence for a pat in return for carrots and apples ! Children can groom Horace donkey and take home a certificate, and pet the bunny (Smokey) and the guinea pigs (Toto & Blizzard). There is a small play area for under 6's too. Fabulous Restaurants are close by, celebrity Chefs Jamie Oliver's Fifteen at Watergate Bay, Rick Steins and Paul Ainsworth at Padstow to name a few. Book a week over Easter 29th March - 5th April and Children will recieve a surprise Easter Gift ! Easter themed suggestions on where to go and what to see can be found at http://www.merlin-farm-cottages-cornwall.co.uk/#!easter-breaks-cornwall/c1qen where you will also be able to check availability and rates.

Have a great Easter !

Self Catering Web Awards Finalist

Ok, so we didn't win this time (boo hoo), but we did well to find ourselves one of the twenty runners up out of 372 self catering websites !

It was nice to recieve feedback from the judges on our website and they added :

"The website stands out and is memorable and unique."

 

 

 

 

2013 Self Catering Web Awards

Merlin Farm has been shortlisted for the 2013 Self Catering Web Awards ! We've got through to the final 20 out of 372 entries ! Winners will be announced Friday 18th January - wish us luck !  www.selfcateringwebawards.com/winners

About the Award
Competition in the self-catering market is growing; and as consumers our methods of searching for, and booking holidays are changing. Figures show that seven in ten people who took a holiday last year booked entirely online [source: Mintel]. The Self-Catering Web Awards have been established to recognise self-catering property owners, managers and agencies who have embraced these progressions and are providing an excellent online customer experience.

UK Holiday or Abroad ?

UK versus Abroad, beat the rain !

So now that the Christmas and New Year celebrations are out the way, one ponders on where to book their next holiday. Like many the main decision is UK or Abroad ? Now obviously I am biased towards the UK as I have 6 holiday cottages that I'd naturally love to be able to fill all year round ! The truth is we love our abroad holidays too. In fact the last time we went to Spain our plane was unnecessarily cancelled due to the Ash, we had to dash to another airport and book an alternative flight, it then rained heavily for half the week ! We made the most of it by choosing undercover activities on those days, i.e really cool Caves in the mountains ! I think that planning is the secret to a successful holiday, not planning every day meticulously, but having a rainy day list so that you get to see the best of where you are no matter the weather, never waste a day ! If the weather is fine it's cheap and easy, head for the beach and take a picnic. Rainy days don't always have to come with a price tag, head to the beach in your waterproofs then take some Pasties back to eat in front of the fire ! Go surfing, you'll be getting wet anyway ! If you are a beginner we recommend booking some lessons with the fabulous http://www.kingsurf.co.uk. Being on holiday for us is being away from everyday life, away from work and familar surroundings and exploring new ones. The weather is important but not the be all and end all, it mustn't be ! We have come across a fabulous website: http://www.101-things-to-do-on-a-rainy-day-in-cornwall.co.uk/, it proves invaluable to planning a great holiday in Cornwall, rain or shine !
Another great thing about booking a holiday in the UK is you are in control (to a certain extent). For me a holiday abroad can be quite stressful, will the flights be cancelled ? what if we miss our plane ? what if we lose our passports ? (highly unlikely I know), I only relax once I'm in the air ! OK so it will be worth it when you get there, fabulous sunshine (hopefully) but remember wherever you plan to go, UK or Abroad, make sure you check out those rainy day options before hand to make the most out of your holiday !

Still fancy the UK ? North Cornwall is BEAUTIFUL ! Please check out our website http://www.merlin-farm-cottages-cornwall.co.uk