So we are on the final count down to opening, which is pretty exciting. It is nice having a rest in the winter but the park feels so empty without guests to bring it alive. This week we have begun to stock the shop, we are putting the final touches to the French drains (some of you may remember me mentioning the work starting on them a few months back but the weather stopped play), we have removed a couple of trees and we have nearly finished putting in the new pitch dividers. This week sees the final touches to the tarmac in the late arrivals area, work begins on a deep clean and we will be out gardening, admiring our very impressive daffodils which are out in full bloom.
I have been lucky enough to go on lots of outings this week as my parents have been down visiting. As an annual pass holder at Heligan we were back there again. A lovely walk from the Little Winnick Touring Park, Heligan really is a great day out - I know I rave about it a lot, but right now the flowers are sensational and with it being pretty quiet you can visit without seeing hardly a soul. We also ventured up to The Eden Project. We only popped into the shop for lunch and a few sovereigns for my parents to take home - but the gardens were looking beautiful - again the daffodils are a delight right now with so many different and interesting varieties out. Don't forget though if you are planning a visit to book your tickets online, or search for an offer as it is pretty pricey to get in. If you are a National Trust Member you can get in half price for example.
We also had our first ever trip to Trebah Gardens. Over near Falmouth the gardens are well loved by young and old with a stunning selection of plants coupled with a brilliant children's play area. The walk down to the beach is magical - a real must if in Cornwall.
I was also spoilt on the food front with a lunch out at the Duchy Nursery. I love the Duchy; the plants are stunning, and I always have to stop myself spending a fortune - and as for the food. Well it is delicious. You have to get there early to nab a table but even if you have to wait the food is well worth it. As you arrive you are greeted by the smell of a roaring log fire and a huge selection of cakes. The millionaires shortbread (by which I judge most tea rooms) is one of the best I have tasted - worth a visit just for that!
No blog would be complete without a weather update. It is good news I am pleased to say. After a very long wet period we have been enjoying wonderful warm days and stunning blue skies. It is so strange not going out for the day without layers and layers of coats. It really feels like spring is on the way and with the nights really drawing out there is a real buzz in the air that we can finally start thinking about the summer in front of us.
Saturday, 22 March 2014
Thursday, 6 March 2014
Spring is springing!
It is finally here - Spring started on 1st March officially and according to some it will be barbecue weather next week which is so exciting. And I have to say when the sun is out it is glorious and so many of Cornwall's Tourist Attractions are coming to life. Jessica and I had lunch at Heligan last week, not only was the food delicious but the lambs they have to pet are adorable. There are also pigs onsite now too. We also popped into The Eden Project recently. That was a lovely day out with so much for children to do and of course dogs are now welcome at both.
We are busy bees with only a few weeks until opening. We are cracking on with sprucing up the early arrivals area with new tarmac and the ground work is being done for additional site lighting. There is also a great deal of painting going on and ordering of new site maps and such like. Today I will be turning my mind to the shop and getting the huge shopping list ready to restock in the coming weeks and I shall begin the arduous task of choosing ice creams for the freezer!
Perhaps most exciting is the news that we have been granted planning permission for improvements to the exisiting toilet block. Whilst the facilities that we currently have are very good, with great showers and very clean and tidy, especially the current new block, we would like to consolidate everything under one roof and provide more facilities for our disabled guests and a family bathroom suite to make life easier for parents. So with that in mind at the end of the coming season we shall be making major changes to what we currently have. We will have full plans on display at Reception throughout the season so please do come and have a look and ask us any questions you may have.
Friday, 14 February 2014
Cornwall is open for business
'Cornwall is open for business' that is the message for VisitCornwall and one we fully endorse -although we are not open for a few more weeks. Weather seems to be the main content of my blogs these days and it is hardly surprising, however we are, thankfully doing okay. As I have previously said the drainage is working a treat and we have little standing water. The vast amount of work early in the close season in the bottom field has paid off it would appear and the entire site is draining much better. Outside work has been stopped since before Christmas, however we are confident the weather will change for the better soon and we can crack on with improving the lighting around the site and other outside projects.
This week has been the worst week of weather to hit us. On Wednesday the rain, hail and wind was unbelievable. Jessica and I walked to playgroup at 100 miles an hour as we were blown along all protected in full waterproofs! Today is pretty bad too. I am sitting at home in the office watching the trees bend in two and the hail come in side ways. However Carol Kirkwood, who we now watch every morning without fail promises a better week next week so we can look forward to that.
I am feeling a bit spring like despite it all. The nights are without doubt drawing out now - we have light until 5.40pm and the bulbs are battling against the odds to come up and when it is nice the Cornish sun has a real warmth about it too - you can't help but smile when you feel that warmth. You see that is one of the many things we love about Cornwall is that we seem to feel the warmth of the sun first and the first signs of spring are always early and offer us hope that there is warmer weather just around the corner. Lets face we have got to have a stunning summer after the last few weeks - so get booking to avoid disappointment!
This week has been the worst week of weather to hit us. On Wednesday the rain, hail and wind was unbelievable. Jessica and I walked to playgroup at 100 miles an hour as we were blown along all protected in full waterproofs! Today is pretty bad too. I am sitting at home in the office watching the trees bend in two and the hail come in side ways. However Carol Kirkwood, who we now watch every morning without fail promises a better week next week so we can look forward to that.
I am feeling a bit spring like despite it all. The nights are without doubt drawing out now - we have light until 5.40pm and the bulbs are battling against the odds to come up and when it is nice the Cornish sun has a real warmth about it too - you can't help but smile when you feel that warmth. You see that is one of the many things we love about Cornwall is that we seem to feel the warmth of the sun first and the first signs of spring are always early and offer us hope that there is warmer weather just around the corner. Lets face we have got to have a stunning summer after the last few weeks - so get booking to avoid disappointment!
Wednesday, 5 February 2014
Book online
The online booking is now available again - apologies for the small technical issues we were having but all is fixed now so please do book online to ensure you get the best rates available.
Despite the truly horrid weather we are all still standing - just- down here. It has been a scary 24 hrs. So far the only casualty seems to be a flag pole from on top of reception. We are hoping all this rain now means we are all set for a glorious summer!
Despite the truly horrid weather we are all still standing - just- down here. It has been a scary 24 hrs. So far the only casualty seems to be a flag pole from on top of reception. We are hoping all this rain now means we are all set for a glorious summer!
Sunday, 2 February 2014
Bookings
Hello,
I am afraid we are having a little technical issue with our online bookings at the moment, so until it is fixed we have removed that option from the website - hopefully we should have it working in the next few days. In the meantime please do give Richard a call in the office on 01726 843687 or email mail@littlewinnick.co.uk.
Talking of bookings - the first two weeks in August are getting very busy - we have limited availability left so please do get in contact sooner rather than later if you have specific weeks you would like to come and stay at Little Winnick Touring Park.
Last blog I was off on my first aid course - it was a Family First Aid Course - very interesting and useful but hopefully something I will never have to put into practice at Little Winnick or home. Home life is certainly busy for us at the moment. Jessica is now 18 months old and in to everything as you can imagine. She loves coming to the site and helping us but at the moment is a particular fan of puddles, well more to the point jumping in them!
Puddles leads me on nicely to the weather. Right now we are meant to be in the eye of yet another storm. Well, thankfully it seems very calm and dare I say it, we even have blue skies to enjoy at the moment.
I am afraid we are having a little technical issue with our online bookings at the moment, so until it is fixed we have removed that option from the website - hopefully we should have it working in the next few days. In the meantime please do give Richard a call in the office on 01726 843687 or email mail@littlewinnick.co.uk.
Talking of bookings - the first two weeks in August are getting very busy - we have limited availability left so please do get in contact sooner rather than later if you have specific weeks you would like to come and stay at Little Winnick Touring Park.
Last blog I was off on my first aid course - it was a Family First Aid Course - very interesting and useful but hopefully something I will never have to put into practice at Little Winnick or home. Home life is certainly busy for us at the moment. Jessica is now 18 months old and in to everything as you can imagine. She loves coming to the site and helping us but at the moment is a particular fan of puddles, well more to the point jumping in them!
Puddles leads me on nicely to the weather. Right now we are meant to be in the eye of yet another storm. Well, thankfully it seems very calm and dare I say it, we even have blue skies to enjoy at the moment.
Monday, 27 January 2014
Spring is springing despite the weather
Hello,
Well we are being hit by the same weather as the rest of the UK - wet, cold and very windy with a little bit of hail thrown in for good measure. It has meant that any outside work has come to a halt for a day or so as everywhere and everything is just so wet. In fact this morning is quite odd; I arrived in daylight first thing and now I can barely see outside it has gone so dark.
All that aside spring is really starting to show signs of being just a whisker away with bulbs popping up everywhere and the precious carpets of snow drops squeezing through the damp soil. Cornwall is so lucky to have some stunning gardens which really are at their best throughout April and May. Within walking distance we have The Lost Gardens of Heligan which if you visit at no other time is an absolute must in May. The Eden Project can be accessed via bus, car or for those that don't mind a challenge and the odd hill - bike! Eden is really beginning to mature now and the outside gardens which have a stunning tulip display are in my book equally as good as the famous greenhouses.
Closer to home we are starting to see the daffodils coming up, hopefully they will produce a good show for our guests at Easter. Little Winnick HQ - better known as the office out the back is really starting to take shape now and nearly all the painting is finished in the office area. The next big job us to give the toilet blocks a freshen up - but we will wait for a break in the weather for than job. Other winter jobs include making sure our training is all up to date so today I am off on a first aid course - at least I will be warm and dry.
Well we are being hit by the same weather as the rest of the UK - wet, cold and very windy with a little bit of hail thrown in for good measure. It has meant that any outside work has come to a halt for a day or so as everywhere and everything is just so wet. In fact this morning is quite odd; I arrived in daylight first thing and now I can barely see outside it has gone so dark.
All that aside spring is really starting to show signs of being just a whisker away with bulbs popping up everywhere and the precious carpets of snow drops squeezing through the damp soil. Cornwall is so lucky to have some stunning gardens which really are at their best throughout April and May. Within walking distance we have The Lost Gardens of Heligan which if you visit at no other time is an absolute must in May. The Eden Project can be accessed via bus, car or for those that don't mind a challenge and the odd hill - bike! Eden is really beginning to mature now and the outside gardens which have a stunning tulip display are in my book equally as good as the famous greenhouses.
Closer to home we are starting to see the daffodils coming up, hopefully they will produce a good show for our guests at Easter. Little Winnick HQ - better known as the office out the back is really starting to take shape now and nearly all the painting is finished in the office area. The next big job us to give the toilet blocks a freshen up - but we will wait for a break in the weather for than job. Other winter jobs include making sure our training is all up to date so today I am off on a first aid course - at least I will be warm and dry.
Tuesday, 7 January 2014
Stormy but safe
Happy New Year from all at Little Winnick Touring Park.The South West has featured heavily in the news over recent days about baring the brunt of some fairly unforgiving storms. It has been a wet and windy few days; this morning we were awoken at 5am by a fierce thunder storm, which was directly over head - the lightning show was pretty spectacular. Richard and I live in St Austell, a short drive from the site. Opposite is our road on Friday when the hail came down so hard it was like a flowing river down the road - we are only thankful we live on top of a hill.
As for Little Winnick - it is fairing okay. Each morning there have been some pretty large puddles, and a couple of pitches are water logged but the work on the drainage is paying off already - and lets face it if it can cope with the weather we have been dealt in the last few weeks then summer storms will not be a challenge!
Locally there are reports of isolated flooding - I am sure you will have seen that Looe was flooded on the National News and in Newquay the loss of so much sand has revealed a shipwreck no one knew existed. Other than that the area was well prepared and we are coping pretty well. The sun today was a welcome relief to a tough few days.
We are pleased to report that bookings are coming in for the 2014 season so if you are thinking about coming during the peak times or would like a specific pitch then we would recommend to book early to avoid disappointment. You can book online or give us a call on 01726 843687.
One of my favourite things about Cornwall is how the mild climate makes the plants come to life earlier after the winter. Despite the aforementioned weather the bulbs are well and truly sprouting and the first snow drops are about to come into flower. For some reason this gives me hope that soon we will be in full spring here and then it is not long until we open and welcome many of you back again!
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