I've had a blogger account for a while now (4 years apparently). Originally I posted a couple of photos on there and waited to see what happened. Well, nothing!

Recently I had another look and have become enthused again. There are a few reasons for this. Firstly Blogger is fairly customisable right up to the point that you can use your own domain name. This inspired me to set up the Cornwall and Cornish Holiday Guide, a blog of ideas, articles and tips for holidays in Cornwall.

Today I posted an article about my hometown, Penzance, and last week an article about the merits of glamping. I have a few more articles waiting in the wings including one on Cornish beaches and another on St Ives. I'll post these over the next week or so and keep an eye on what happens.

Since I've finished my degree and Plan B didn't work out I'm on Plan C which is actually the same as Plan A - i.e. carry on as before. So here is a short piece about holiday cottages in Cornwall which my income seems to revolve around even if I can't quite resolve the use of holiday homes with my conscience!

The Cornish Cottage Story

Over recent years self catering options in Cornwall have become the norm for family holidays. 20 years ago there was as much chance you'd be staying in a guest house, B and B, upstairs of a pub, or if you were a bit fancy a hotel. However, the convenience of being able to sort out one's own meals, take the dog and have a separate room for the kids has proven a knockout blow.

Not only have we seen an explosion in the number of cornwall holiday cottages, there has been a corresponding growth in diversity of self catering options. From luxury cottages with hot tubs and the like to farm cottages on working farms.

There is a downside to the Cornwall cottages growth story. Firstly, they weren't built as holiday homes, they were intended as houses for local people. This has made the archetypal granite cottage out of the price range of many Cornish families. 
Another negative for the local economy is the self-catering aspect. Instead of going out to eat at local cafes and restaurants people renting cottages tend to load up from Tesco berore they leave home and so spend less locally.

Being an island the UK is literally surrounded by beaches, and many of them are well worth a visit. Having built websites featuring Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Cornwall and even Portugal's beaches I thought I'd turn my hand to creating a beach guide for the whole of the UK.

The UK Beach Guide features around 1,500 beaches in all regions of the British Isles. There are maps, photographs and I'll be adding tide and weather information in the near future.

This is still a project very much under construction but what better way to get the site indexed than linking from a .ac.uk domain!

Another little travel guide for you. This time one of my favourite, and closest seaside towns.

St Ives is possibly the most archetypal of all the Cornish fishing towns and villages. A clutch of higgledy-piggedly whitewashed cottages and cobbled lanes radiate out from the harbour where small fishing boats bob around in the turquoise water.

Situated on its own peninsula (or isthmus if you prefer) St Ives is virtually surrounded by beaches. To the north facing into the Atlantic Ocean is Porthmeor, which translated means 'big beach'. Here you can take on the surf, eat great food and visit the St Ives Tate gallery all in the same day. Porthminster is St Ives' other main beach and again there is great food to be had at the beach cafe. However, Porthminster is more sheltered from both the sea and the wind so has a much more genteel feel to it.

My preferred pastime in St Ives is to wander the maze of tiny streets and alleyways that make up the Downlong district of the town. If you can get over the wheelie bins outside every cottage this really does feel like a trip into the past. These days though you are unlikely to find a barrel of pilchards in the basement and chances are it is a holiday rental - the owners will have moved somewhere more salubrious where space isn't at such a premium and you can park a car.
Another great thing about the Downlong is the street names; there is a Teetotal Street, a Virgin Street, a Salubrious Place and of course a Fish Street.

If you are considering a visit to St Ives then you would do well to avoid the holiday season where mcuh of the town's charm is obliterated by a relentless horde of holidaymakers marching from gallery to giftshop armed with icecreams in hand!

As one of the UK's most popular tourist destinations Cornwall has a flourishing tourist industry providing plenty of accommodation options. Regardless of your budget , Cornwall offers a wonderful range of holiday accommodation including hotels, self-catering, B&Bs and camping in all areas. Offering everything from apartments in Newquay, hotels in Looe, self catering Fowey, Padstow cottages and Falmouth B&Bs. If you want a pet friendly cottage, or somewhere with a garden, beach view or open fire we know where to stay.

The beaches in Cornwall are without compare in Britain for their beauty and variety. Towns such as Perranporth, Polzeath and Newquay are some of the better known of these, with some excellent surfing beaches. In my opinion the most beautiful are the tiny coves that dot the coastline like Coverack and Porthcurno (home of the Minack Theatre).

Also on the coast are some of Cornwall's picture postcard fishing villages and harbours like Looe, Mevagissey, Tintagel and Mousehole. The towns of Cornwall are rich in history and attractions of their own. Padstow, home of Rick Stien, Falmouth - one of the World's biggest natural harbours and a charming shopping town.

Truro is the only city in Cornwall with the cathedral dominating the skyline.

Penzance is one of Cornwall's largest towns and has a good range of restaurants and attractions. From the towns ancient harbour to the sub-tropical Morrab Gardens.

In terms of history Cornwall's rich industrial herritage can best be seen in and around Redruth and Camborne. Once at the heart of the mining industry these towns have spent many years in decline but are finally bouncing back.

Cornwall's ancient past is written all over the moorland countryside of Bodmin Moor and West Cornwall which are littered with ancient sites such as standing stone and stone circles. Other ruins that abound are the remenants of the mining industry, in many places these share the same sites the ancients chose to build on and add to the sense of history.

Oh, and don't forget the Eden Project!