I thought I would show this short film I made at Loe Bar in Cornwall. Please don’t go on the beach if the conditions are like this

Well according to according to the Channel 4 programme Britain’s Favorite Holiday, Devon and Cornwall is beating Spain and Greece as the top Holiday destination.

I have read that last year 6,300,000 people visited the two counties, almost 500,000 more than the second place destination. This trade bought Devon and Cornwall £2bn.

It seems that the beaches, cottages, hotels and quality bed and breakfast accommodation are not all people want. Memories are driving people to the region. Enjoying an ice cream thinking about the old times and revisiting the old haunts is the driving factor.

We need to keep this up know and cash in on this making Devon and Cornwall the top location for years to come.

This article is meant as a guide only. Advice should be taken from a qualified person.

Letting a fully furnished holiday home in the UK may mean the income made is treated differently than other rental income. Holiday lets are considered a business, where as other property letting income is classed as investment income.

The are some tax incentives for holiday lets, but your accommodation must comply with inland revenue rules, referred to as “QUALIFYING TESTS” which are:

* Based in the UK.

* Furnished rental accommodation.

* Available for holiday letting to the public for at least 140 days a year.

* Actually let as a holiday let for at least 70 days a year (and
these must be commercial lets, not at cheap rates to friends and
family).

* Your occupier cannot stay for more than 31 days in any 7 month period.

* Lets must be at the full market value. This means letting your
cottage to family for £2 a week will not count.

And holiday lets must be (both):

* Short term lets of not more than 31 days.

* The only lets over a period of at least seven months.

Your income from you holiday let is subject to income tax, but you can off-set expenses for example:

* Repairs and maintenance.

* Decorating.

* Heating & lighting.

* Legal and letting agent’s fees.

* Management fees and cleaning costs.

* Insurance.

* Mortgage interest payments.

If you make a loss, you can off-set this against your other income to reduce your tax bill. You can avoid paying capital gains tax on the sale of the property if you roll-over the income within 3 years to another holiday letting property.

There are other advantages, and as stated before, take professional advice before heading into holiday letting. There are many mortgages available for the buy to let market and spending some time with a well regarded mortgage advisor would be in your best interest

Well it has taken alot of hard work but I am really pleased with the new site. There are a few areas to be finished, one of these is adding all the lat and longs into the data base for the mapping system. Here is an example of a propertys map page http://www.visitdevonandcornwall.com/rental-map/1

The navigation splits the site for Devon or Cornwall, making it easier to located your holiday rental. We kept the map navigation after alot of requests, and improved the quality of the mapping images.

You can now search for available dates, but this requires property owners to keep thierdetails updated.

All in all there are some massive improvements alot of which is behind the scenes

A new faster email booking request form has been added, to encourage more quality enquiries, as well as better intergration of the magazine you are reading now.

Experience and enjoy the peaceful river Lynher, on the latest event designed to help you make the most of the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The 3-hour trip aboard a gaff-rigged South West sailing boat, will take you along this deserted tributary that was once a busy waterway.

Sailing will take place between the 16th and 20th September (dates/times according to tides). Cost: £20 per person (maximum of 6 per group). For more information, or to secure your place on one of these dates, please contact TamarSail on 01752 840599 or email: info@tamarsail.co.uk.

For a FREE events programme, highlighting guided walks and other events that are taking place throughout the Tamar Valley for the remainder of the year, please contact 01579 351681 or email: info@tamarvalley.org.uk and ask for a copy of The Valley.

Explore a Lost Village and discover Creatures of the Night… in the
Tamar Valley.

The Tamar Valley Programme of Events continues this week (week
beginning 28th August 2006) with four activities to choose from,
helping you to enjoy, and learn more about, the Area of Outstanding
Natural Beauty.

This Thursday morning (31st August), Paul Rendell leads a circular
walk exploring life in the lost village of New Quay and Morwell Woods
(near Morwellham). Please wear stout footwear and bring a packed
lunch. Cost for this walk is £2 adults, 50p children, payable on the
day. The walk begins at 10:30am and finishes at 1:30pm.

The following evening (Friday 1st September), discover the wonders of
night-time flying creatures with the aid of bat detectors and moth
traps. Martin Summers will lead this Creatures of the Night event on
Kit Hill, starting at 7:30pm and finishing at approximately 11:00pm.
Cost - £2 adults, £1 under 16s/over 60s (to include a cup of soup),
payable on the night.

On Saturday (2nd September), join in with the fun that begins at
2:00pm – Minerals, Moths & More. Morwellham provides the venue for an
afternoon’s stroll along a nature trail learning to recognise the
abundance of flora and fauna that lives there, including reeds and
orchids. Discover medicinal uses of many plants, and folklore, or
make your own collage of things that are found along the walk. Martin
Summers will explain the geology of the area (including the formation
of granite and why the Tamar and Tavy have such steep, gorge-like
sides so close to the sea) and examine the mineral pile on site.
Following soup, an evening of Bat & Moth Watching can be enjoyed. The
programme is as follows – you are welcome to join in with all, or
parts, of the programme;

·      Nature & Geology Walk: 2pm – 5pm

·      Soup (and geological activities for children): 6-7pm

·      Bat & Moth Watch – 7pm til late

Cost: Adults £2, Children 50p, payable on the day

A 2-mile Lowland Amble around Kit Hill Country Park is on offer on
Sunday afternoon (3rd September). The Countryside Wardens will help
you discover the wonders of the Western Heath and learn about local
history. Please note, the terrain is rough and uneven. There is no
charge for this walk, that begins at 2:00pm and aims to finish at
4:00pm.

For all events, booking is ESSENTIAL. Please call the Tamar Valley
AONB team on 01579 351163 or email info@tamarvalley.org.uk (office
hours Monday-Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm) to secure your place and for
details of where to meet.

Please wear sensible footwear and clothing. Bring a torch and wrap up
warm for the evening events. Under 16s must be accompanied by a
responsible adult.

It has become a very popular past time for the beach goers amongst us to want to hire equipment when we are at the beach. There is a massive trade in hiring out wet suits, surf boards, body boards and kayaks by beach traders. All the traders I have met offer a top class service and tuition before hiring and at the very provide recommendations on safe practice with the equipment. Sadly these companies are having to cover their arse, as if something goes wrong they will be liable in the eyes of many, it’s the society we are living in!!

Having spoken to many of them this weekend it seems that the hiring of  sea kayaks may become a thing of the past due to a huge rise in insurance premiums for the hire of Kayaks. I spoke with one owner who stated that she had been to over 25 insures before she found a company who was affordable enough to be a viable proposition. She has had to increase the cost of her hire by 20% to cover the new costs.

I know that this isn’t the most important thing in the world, but I feel it’s a sad reflection of things to come and the fact that we are no longer able to decide for ourselves what is or is not safe to do!!

I would like to add, please check any equipment you hire for its functionality and integrity and ensure you have an understanding of what to do if things do go wrong – the sea is an unforgiving environment. Please take responsibility for yourselves!!

Muse was the latest band to sell out for the 2006 Eden Sessions Nr. St Austell in Cornwall.

Muse proved to be the most popular band ever booked by the Eden Project selling out within one day from going on sale. However for those that have got tickets for one of the sessions the support bands are as follows

• José González provides support for The Magic Numbers
• Ladytron for Goldfrapp
• Rocco DeLuca and Liam Frost and the Slowdown Family for Snow Patrol

The support band for Muse has yet to be released.

Dave Meneer, Eden’s Marketing Director, said: “Getting a group of bands at the top of their game like those playing the Sessions 2006 is every music venue’s dream. This line-up represents a massive coup for Eden and it’s unsurprising that they’ve sold out so quickly. We’re now in our fifth year of Eden Sessions and they’re going from strength to strength. This year’s gigs promise to be some of the best and we hope everyone has a great time at them.”

The music sounds great due to the the natural acoustics of the location and the astmosphere created by the enivornment and structural delights of Eden. This will be a night to remember in East Cornwall

Common Standards

Accommodation is assessed by the AA and then graded using a set of quality standards agreed by national tourist boards. The aim is to give the holiday maker a clear and easy method to understand the standards expected from an establishment.

3 groupings have been employed,

• Hotel
• Guest Accommodation
• Budget Hotel

These can be further split into,

HOTEL -

Hotel formal accommodation with a full service
Country House peace and quiet with ample grounds or gardens
Small Hotel limited service with a personal touch
Town House Hotel a high-quality distinctive service in a city-centre location
Metro Hotel a full service except dinner, close to town centre restaurants

B&B
Accommodation provided in a private house by the owner for up to six paying guests.
Guest House
Accommodation for more than six paying guests, with the owner and staff providing more services, e.g. dinner.
Farmhouse
B&B or guesthouse accommodation provided on a working farm.
Inn
Accommodation provided in a fully licensed establishment. The bar will be open to non-residents and provide food in the evenings.
Restaurant with Rooms
A restaurant offering overnight accommodation.
Guest Accommodation
Any establishment that meets the minimum entry requirements and chooses to use this general category description.

A simple star rating is used to help you gain a quick understanding of the quality you should expect.

	Staff provide a prompt, polite and informal service. The majority of rooms are en suite and there is a designated eating area serving breakfast everyday and dinner most evenings.	A clean establishment, offering a minimal service with a full cooked or substantial continental breakfast available.
	Staff are smartly presented and provide a well-informed service. Rooms are generously proportioned. Breakfast and dinner are available seven days a week.	A courteous and helpful service. Breakfast is prepared with a good level of care and bedrooms are comfortable.
	An ample number of easily identified staff, who are able to anticipate requirements. All rooms have en suite bathrooms. Meals are cooked and presented to a good standard, using good quality ingredients.	A positive and friendly service. Breakfast will be prepared using good quality ingredients. Rooms will be well-appointed and comfortable.
	Attentive staff provide a very good level of service. At least half of the rooms will have an en suite bath and a shower. At least one restaurant offering a good range of hot and cold skillfully prepared food.	An attentive and welcoming service. Breakfast is prepared using fresh ingredients with a high degree of care. Rooms have comfortable beds and furnishings of high quality.
	Impeccably dressed staff provide attentive and unobtrusive service. All bedrooms will have an en suite bathroom with a bath and thermostatically controlled shower. Meals are cooked and presented to an excellent standard using high quality ingredients.	Guests are made to feel at home and extra services are offered. Breakfast is of an excellent quality, prepared using fresh, local and seasonal ingredients. Rooms have comfortable beds and furnishings of excellent quality.