Fish in many guises can be seen, heard and eaten! this summer when the Newquay Fish Festival gets under way. With most events being based around the old harbour everything is easy to get to and to see. With 7 beautiful beaches to choose from surrounding the town, a holiday here, based in one of our beautiful self catering Cornish Cottages, will give you plenty of opportunity to join in or observe the activities. Whilst visiting why not walk through the underwater tunnel at the Blue Reef Aquarium. Everyone will love watching the Manta Ray’s gliding effortlessly above in the blue dome, as well as seeing how many other native and not so local species you can name.

If you find that you can get away quite soon then look at our great Special Offers currently on Trewin Court, Bedford Cottage and Millers Rest. All are in great locations and offer a unique home from home stay.

If I asked you where Britain’s tallest trees and tallest mainland cliffs are……. would you know? This beautiful area is also famous as the only place in the world where two indigenous rare breeds live in the wild together. It has a unique medieval village, is a national park and is the first international dark sky reserve in Europe. Have you recognised Exmoor, where the ponies and red deer roam freely, where sea birds hug fantastic sheer cliff and rock formations and where the nights sky is so clear and free of light pollution that the stars seem to be reachable.

Lorna Doone added to this area’s fame and you can walk along the River Barley or cross Tarr Steps just as the heroine did. Join an Exmoor Safari and go off-road in a long wheel base Landrover to get really close to the wildlife.

Staying in Exmoor is also a real treat with Marsdens Cottages. With lovely country cottages in Lynton, Lynmouth, or the five star luxury of Keepers Cottage Brendan, we are sure you will enjoy every moment of a holiday in this most romantic and beautiful corner of North Devon.

Tales of the Sea, fantastic super yachts, rugby 7 teams from all over Europe and world class cricket all in one week? There’s certainly a lot on offer when you Visit Cornwall this July. You can mix traditional sea-shanty’s and tales of old at the Mousehole Sea Salts and Sail festival, held in this beautiful iconic Cornish harbour, with great local shops to browse in too.

If super – sailing gets your pulse racing then the magnificent yachts at the Pendennis Cup event in Falmouth will give you an exciting opportunity to view the stages and  stroll through this important maritime town.

We will be hosting a Marsdens Cottage Holidays stand at the Truro Cricket Festival and as a complete cricketing novice this maiden may not be bowled over, but please come and visit us.

With some availability in Moonstones and Pennti, close to these great events, our Holiday Cottages in Cornwall will give you the perfect base to enjoy a holiday with great events to see to.

Boutique shopping and items made from Driftwood now feature in most Coastal villages or towns. However with Marsdens, Driftwood is a beautiful Coastal Cottage. Set in the heart of Braunton, this immaculately presented, comfortable sea-side cottage for four, is welcoming and convenient. There are great places to walk to – from the doorstep, as well as fine eating to be had in the village. With Braunton Burrows and the further beaches of Croyde and Woolcaombe  nearby, everyone will be fully occupied on holiday.

In planning your trip to this lovely home from home, self-catering cottage, why not check out Visit North Devon. Some of the highlights this summer include the Woolacombe National sand-castle competition on 8th July, or the amazing Birdman competition in Ilfracombe on 29th July. Who says men can’t fly? For the culture vulture then Jane Austen’s Emma will be re-enacted at the National Trust’s Arlington Court, on 29th August.

The 2012 Coast awards have honoured both a North Devon beach and a Cornish beach this summer. Coast readers chose Woolacombe as the overall winner, with Gwithian snapping at its heels. Marsdens are proud to offer fabulous cottage holidays in both areas, so if you are wanting to enjoy a fantastic sea-side holiday this year check out our selections. There are a number of great locations in North Devon to consider, as well as our growing Cornish Cottage collection.

If surfing is a must for your family you may want to visit Braunton this summer, which celebrates the opening of the British Surf Museum, full of interesting facts and memorabilia. Driftwood is a beautiful property right in the centre of Braunton, with easy access to all its services and close to those fabulous beaches, and boasts some special offers at the moment.

For a larger group wishing to holiday close to town and the North Devon beaches, then a new property to Marsdens may have the availability you need – Priory House offers a stunning setting for a party of twelve and pets are allowed too.

Wow – what an amazing Jubilee time we are all having, community spirit is alive and well in good ole GB. Its been great to see so many family events and street parties taking place and it’s by no means over yet. Thursday sees the first day of Cornwall’s own Royal event, at the Cornwall Show-ground in Wadebridge. News hot off the press is that Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall will be present also, on Thursday, adding yet further Royalty to the occasion.

Marsdens Cottage Holidays, representing the best of self-catering cottages in North Devon and Cornwall, will be most happy to see you at the show. Look us up in area C1 on stand 374. You will be warmly welcomed by the team, who will be happy to discuss how we can help market your holiday cottage and increase your revenue.

If you are looking to snatch a last minute holiday special offer to the beautiful South West, then check out our Special Offers page running at the moment, and perhaps we will see you at the Show too!

This weekend sees the start of the Fal River Festival, based around the Town and on Events Square, Falmouth. So if you are staying in one of our lovely Cornish Cottages, over the next 10 days, make sure you check out the events programme so that you can enjoy either a river walk, a story telling boat trip to St Mawes, or watch some famous chef’s cooking up a storm in the marquee on the square. There are also live music events, drama productions and for the more sporty amongst us – the RNLI Castle to Castle swim, from Pendennis Point to St Mawes Castle. Not for the faint hearted, but an amazing event.

For last minute availability in Cornwall, please call our wonderful reservation team on 01271 813777 and they will do all that they can to help find the perfect Cornish retreat for you. However you can also check out these Cottages available from 8th – 15th June yourself, and you could still take part in the Fal River events.

Don’t forget to bring your swimming things as Falmouth, has some delightful beaches – Castle, Swanpool and Gyllyngvase, where the Gylly Cafe has outstanding food and a terrace overlooking the beach…… sublime!