The Proof of the Pudding

 There is only one way to find out how good a service is, and that is to use it yourself.

So when, a couple of weeks ago, I had a few days in Scotland, it provided the ideal opportunity to see how well Get Back to Me would perform.  The result was even better than I anticipated.

I had intentionally made no bookings beforehand and use Get Back to Me to find a B&B each afternoon for that night.

 The first day, after visiting the standing stones at Kilmartin Glen, I sat in the car park in mid afternoon, typed ‘Oban’ and ‘5 miles’ into the enquiry box on the Get Back to Me website and within 7 minutes I was booked into a four star B&B just south of Oban, I had been called by the owner, told what the room was like, given directions and, had chosen and ordered my evening meal too!  

Kilmartin Glen, Oban, Scotland

The highlight of all the B&Bs booked through Get Back to Me was Achnadrish House, on the beautiful Isle of Mull, with the most charming of hosts, Mike and Jane. I had a huge and very comfortable room with a private bathroom, delicious food, a guests’ sitting room with a roaring log fire – yes even in August, and an always full decanter of the local whisky from Tobermory. Mike was a font of local knowledge, he booked me on a boat trip, advised me on things to do and places to eat.

 

Fingal's Cave Staffa

Mull is magical, but more of that in the future.

 Here are some essential links from Mull.

 Made on Mull  www.madeonmull.co.uk Online shopping for delicious Mull products, cheese, smoked salmon, delicious cheese etc. (That’s my Christmas shopping taken care of.)

 Turus Mara Boat Trips  www.turusmara.com Fantastic wildlife and sea life cruises and trips to Staffa, Iona and the Treshnish Isles with wonderful commentary and good coffee onboard. I did Staffa to visit Fingal’s Cave and Iona – the ‘Cradle of Christianity’.

 Am Birlinn Restaurant  www.ambirlinn.com  Near Dervaig, and an ideal stop after a Turus Mara boat trip.  Delicious modern cuisine, with plenty of very locally sourced fish, shellfish, meat, and the best cheeses ever!

 Kalaekilohana  Hawaii  For those of you looking a little further afield, I met the owners of this beautiful sounding, purpose built B&B on Hawaii  www.kau-hawaii.com who were staying at Achnadrish House at the same time as me.

Pembrokeshire Coast Path

Yesterday, in the Mirror, the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path was voted the 3^rd best walk in the World!

Better even than Mount Kilimanjaro which was placed 4th, and only beaten by the Appalachian Trail, in America and the walk between France and Spain known as – Camino Frances.

Throughout the UK there are numerous wonderful long distance paths, we, as a family all have differing favourites, I love coastal paths, my husband has ‘planting flag syndrome’ he like summits! One son plans walks that include castles, the other, pubs. Our daughter, who had to be motivated with snacks at strategic points for years, has recently completed the famous 3 – Scafell Pike, Snowdon and Ben Nevis.  What is so pleasing is that having done walked en famille from a young age, they have continued to enjoy it, and have subsequently introduced various friends to some of our favourite walks.

The Mirror’s Top Ten was world-wide. We’d like to know what your top 10 UK long distance paths are.

You can comment below of email us at  info@GetBacktoMe.co.uk

1. Appalachian Trail. USA
2. Camino Frances. France/Spain
3. Pembrokeshire Coast Path.  Wales
4. Mount Kilimanjaro. Tanzania
5. Zion Narrows. America
6. Tongariro Crossing. New Zealand
7. Paine Circuit Trail. Chile
8. West Coast Trail. Canada
9. Tiger Leaping Gorge. China
10. Inca Trail. Peru

 Facts about the Pembrokeshire Coat Path

The trail is 186 miles long from St Dogmaels to Amroth. The 35,000 feet of ascent & decent is said to be the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest.

The suggested itinerary is divided into 15 days walking, plenty of B&Bs along the way for overnight stops.

For those not wishing to do the whole trail it is possible to walk much shorter sections in a day or weekend.

The following website provides all the information you need to plan your trip. http://nt.pcnpa.org.uk

Big Butterfly Count – Get your B&B guests involved

 Today sees the start of the Big Butterfly Count. http://www.bigbutterflycount.org/ You have until the end of July, to take part so hopefully, unlike today, there should be some sunshine!

Comma Butterfly

All you have to do is spend just 15 minutes recording the numbers and species of butterflies you see.  Choose a time when the sun is shining and a location amenable to butterflies and you’re bound to see some.

You can then download your results onto the website which builds a map of the range of each species.

 Butterflies are a great indicator of the state of the wildlife of your area, whether you live in an urban or rural environment. 

Many butterflies thrive on weeds and in particular nettles and thistles, so let a small area of your garden or grass margins grow wild. Garden plants that invite these attractive visitors include any with nectar producing flowers, in particular Buddleia which is also known as the butterfly plant.

Encourage your Bed and Breakfast and Hotel guests to get involved:

Guests with a little time to spare may like to join in, as there may be different species in your locality. Download the identification chart from the Butterfly Count website, or use the link to this website:  http://www.britishbutterflies.co.uk/index.asp 

Is it a moth or a butterfly?  There are two generalisations on the differences between butterflies and moths.

1. Butterflies gernerally fly during the day, whereas most moths are nocturnal.

2. At rest, most butterflies have their wings closed at 90 degrees to their body, whereas moths settle with their wings flat to the surface they are resting on.

There are of course exceptions,  below is a Ringlet butterfly with the underside of the wings showing in a typical butterfly pose, whereas the Comma butterfly, above, likes to sun itself with its wings open.

Ringlet Butterfly

Invite butterflies to stay! Some caterpillars are plant specific, while others eat a wide variety of vegetation, if you live in an area where there are butterflies relying on a specific plant, encourage them by planting in your garden.  The Small Tortoiseshell, below, lays its eggs on nettles, on which the caterpillars feed exclusively. I have plenty in my garden (Nettles and Small Tortoiseshells!)

Small Tortoiseshell

Butterflies are notoriously difficult to capture on camera as they flutter from flower to flower, but with a little patience you can be rewarded with some fantastic results.

Marbled White on Field Beans

For more this website is comprehensive and informative, as well as providing a useful identification tool.  http://www.britishbutterflies.co.uk/index.asp

Tick Bites and Lyme Disease in the UK

Finding a tick on my dog this week reminded me that we should all be aware of the dangers of tick bites and the devastating effects of Lyme disease, for which they are responsible.

If you run a B&B or hotel you may like to use the following information for your guests.

Its summer time, people are taking off layers of clothes and exposing large areas of skin! Ticks love skin, it’s their dining table – They bore their heads through skin to suck blood, in the process their saliva enters their hosts’ blood stream. If a tick is carrying Lyme disease, the host may become infected.

A tick may stay on a host for a couple of days while it gorges before is drops off onto the ground, later the process is repeated. Ticks can remain dormant for long periods of time, until another potential host is available.

Ticks are prevalent throughout the UK, so whether you’re sunbathing in Hyde Park, central London, or walking in the Highlands of Scotland, you stand the chance of being bitten and  because the bite is painless, you are not likely to be aware of it.

The symptoms of Lyme disease are diverse, and may not become apparent for weeks, months or even years. They include headaches, fever, joint pain and arthritis, swollen lymph glands and blurred vision. There may be a characteristic bulls-eye rash at the site of the bite, which may move to other parts of the body. Diagnosis can be difficult as blood tests may give a negative result, even when the disease is present.

What to look for:

Ticks are small, spider like arthropods that have three stages of development, each being capable of biting. It is the adult form that you are most likely to notice on you, or your pets, because as they gorge on your blood, their body swells up to the size of a small pea and becomes light grey in colour. The larvae and nymphs look like small specks of soot.

What you should do:

Prevention is obviously the best action.

• There are sprays available from pet, camping and outdoor shops.
• Wear shoes or walking boots and socks, rather than sandals.
• Tuck trousers into socks.
• Walk in the centre of footpaths, rather than letting grass and plants brush against you.
• Sit on a picnic blanket, or use towel when sunbathing, rather than lying directly on grass.
• Check yourself over for ticks for three days after you have been out and about.

If you find a tick, it is important to remove it carefully:

• Do not pull it off by hand, as the tick’s head is likely to remain in the skin, along with the regurgitated stomach contents!
• Use a tick remover, which is designed specifically, available from most pet shops.

You can find out more at the Lyme Disease Action website: http://www.lymediseaseaction.org.uk/ticks.htm

Green Tourism Week.

Many B&B owners are leading the way when it comes to offering green tourism, and the number of guests looking to reduce their carbon footprint is rising rapidly, so this week  is a good time to blow your own trumpet by informing your guests of the measures you are taking to enhance their stay. However, we think it is equally important to encourage your guests to ‘go green’ when they are staying with you.  Guests are used to the requests for using less water and not changing towels so frequently, so we asked some of our registered accommodation providers what extra measures they have implimented to encourage their guests to take the green path.

Here are 5 of their tips for green guests.

1.  I offer incentives for guests who leave their cars at home and travel by public transport by including free use of bicycles during their stay.  Wendy S. Somerset

2.  We help guests cut down on their food packaging by providing packed lunches with local and homemade produce (that is used in our restaurant) in re-usable containers. Steve M. Scotland.

3.  Remember you probably know your local area better than your guests, so share your favourite green providers:  Shops, Farmers’ Markets, craft outlets, tourist attractions. Recommend local pubs and restaurants with green credentials. Jane D Buckinghamshire.

 4.  Marmalade, jams and honey are either made by us or sourced locally. We keep a ready supply for guests to take home for those ‘thank-you gifts’ and ask guests to make a donation over and above the cost price that we pass on to a local green project such as Fix the Fells.  www.fixthefells.co.uk    P.W. Cumbria. 

 5.  We encourage guests to dump their cars and ‘stay local’ for days out with our library of OS Maps, wildlife identification books and local history information.  We’ve created simple leaflets of walking routes ranging from a 30 minute wildlife stroll, right through to our own favourite full day walk taking in places of historical and geographical interest. We’ve laminated them and ask guests to return them for future use.  Nicky B. Hertfordshire.  (See below)

 We’d love to hear from you with additional tips for helping your guests enjoy a greeener stay.

We’ve  reproduced Nicky’s 30 minute walk leaflet below, although it doesn’t do it justice  here and there is a beautifully annotated map on the reverse of hers.  This is just so you can see how simple it is to produce a lovely leaflet.

 We are fortunate to live on a large rural estate in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).  This walk is not all on designated footpaths, but the landowner is happy for you to enjoy the walk . Please respect his generosity by sticking to the route and not picking any wild flowers.

 Turn Left out of the farmhouse entrance, and follow the path through the ancient woodland.

From January through to July there’s a succession of flowers, starting with snowdrops, then wild daffodils and primroses, which are followed by a carpet of bluebells and then foxgloves.

Bluebell woods

Wild Fox Gloves

At the end of the wood turn left and follow the track through the farm to the lane. Cross the cricket pitch and you will see the pub across the road which always has a fine range of real ales and local cider as well as hearty home cooked food.

Red Kite

Wend your way back through the Victorian stable yard, past the walled gardens and the ice house to the back of the mansion house.  Go through the kissing gate and follow the footpath from where are fine views across the parkland to the river. In the spring there are always lambs to watch and you will usually see Red Kites and Buzzards soaring on the thermals. In the evenings this is a lovely spot to watch the setting sun.

Evening Swan

Turn Right and head to the gate at the top of the hill, go though into the woodland. Take the first track on the left and after 100 metres you’ll be back.

Keep an eye out for other birds and there is a good variety of butterflies on sunny days. Early mornings and evenings are the best time to see mammals, including  Badgers, Hare, Rabbit, foxes, Munjac and Fallow Deer.  Do let us know species you see as we keep a record.  Thanks Nicky.

We’d love to hear your own ideas for green guests, you can comment here on the blog,or send us an email to info@GetBacktoMe.co.uk   Anne.

 

Visit a British Castle

If you’re looking for a day out with children, try a trip to a castle. There are hundreds of castles throughout the UK, so wherever you live, there is bound to be one close by.

Here is one of my own favourites, but you’ll have to wait to find out where it is, as it’s one of the clues in the Get Back to Me Know your British Castles Competition.

Des res with outstanding views!

Berkhamsted Castle

Castles offer so much for children of all ages, even if it’s only loads of space for a spot of marching, hand to hand battle or just running around!  

Berkhamsted Castle is local to me, and although only ruins of the 12th century stone castle remain, the earthworks of the motte and bailey built by William the Conquerer’s half brother - Robert Count of Mortain – in the 11th century, are still intact.  It’s well worth a visit and is conveniently close to the train station, Grand Union Canal and Berkhamsted high street. (Probably not the reasons it was sited here initially, but jolly useful for 21st century visitors!)

It’s worth doing a little research online before you set off so you can fend off any questions about who fought who and when.

One of my personal favourites is Richmond Castle, North Yorkshire. If you have a favourite Castle we’d love to hear about it. 

Richmond Castle

 

Richmond Castle is another fine example  built during the Norman Conquest in a commanding position on a bluff overlooking the river Swale.  The castle had fallen out of use by the end of the 14^th century, but surprisingly it was used during the First World War to contain conscientious objectors and conscripts who refused to fight.

I first visited Richmond as a stopover point on Wainwright’s Coast to Coast walk, and it’s well worth the effort to deviate of the riverside path and climb up to the castle for a quick tour.  There are lots of warm and welcoming B&Bs in Richmond including the fantastic Millgate B&B where I was fortunate enough to stay.

 To coincide with featuring some of our favourite castles Get Back to Me is running a competition on Castles. Heere is the first one of 12 to identify

You can enter at www.GetBacktoMe.co.uk  View the different images each day, to win a free night’s B&B for 2 booked through the Get Back to Me website

Top 5 Seasonally Named B&Bs

There is still time to get away for a couple of days over the Easter Break, even one night away from home can leave you feeling restored and refreshed.

Treating  yourselves to a stay at one of thousands of Bed and Breakfasts throughout the UK is a far more relaxing experience than a self catering cottage and much better value than even ‘value hotels’  Here are 5 seasonally named B&Bs to get you away from it all. Local produce, ensuite accommodation and fantastic hospitality in wonderful surroundings.

Easter  Cottage  Bed and Breakfast   www.easter-cottage.co.uk   Lilliesleaf,  Borders,  Scotland

Easterside Farm    www.eastersidefarm.co.uk  Hawnby, North Yorkshire

Easter Glentore Farm   www.easterglentorefarm.com  Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland

 Spring Cottage  www.springcottagebb.com   Felpham,  West Sussex

 Springhill Bed and Breakfast www.springhillbandb.co.uk   Coalbrookdale, Iron Bridge, Shropshire