A Bit About Britain: End of the line for Eleanor

A Bit About Britain: End of the line for Eleanor

Things to do at Christmas

Christmas is coming and the days are getting colder, time to start planning for the holiday period. What are you doing this year?
If you don't fancy the usual home Christmas with family and friends round your house and all the work that entails there are plenty of alternatives. How about hiring a cottage in the country for a nice change of scenery, a nice cosy cottage for two or a large property for a get together with all your friends for a lively Christmas or New Year celebration. Suffolk Secrets can help. they have a great selection of cottages both large and small to cater for any size party. They have over 160 properties for Christmas at the moment and over 120 for the New Year but hurry before they get booked up.

If you would prefer to sit back and have everything done for you and entertainment thrown in why not try a holiday camp or hotel break. Pontins have some good offers, Christmas and Twixmas at Pakefield Holiday park. Pontins has been bringing you great family memories for over 65 years, why not make your own memories by visiting them for a Christmas or Twixmas Break. Join them at Pontins with your friends and family for a festive break to remember.
New Years Breaks at Pontins. Want to celebrate in style but don’t know where to go on a New Year break? Then see in the New Year at Pontins with your family and friends for a magical break filled with fantastic live entertainment and late night party’s.

Hotels
Britannia Hotels are hosting 4 night Christmas Breaks from the 23rd December 2012 until the 27th December 2012.
So relax and unwind, enjoy the entertainment and let us take care of the stress for you.
Christmas Breaks 2012 Rooms are selling fast...REDUCTIONS ONLY AVAILABLE UNTIL THE 30TH NOVEMBER!
New Year 2012 Breaks!! Have the best New Year's Eve ever. Book one of our great value New Year Breaks today and know that your enjoyment is guaranteed! Our hotels are hosting 3 night New Year Breaks from the 30th December 2012 until the 2nd January 2013 based on 2 people.
Festive Twixmas Breaks Book a Festive Twixmas Break and relax after all the excitement of Christmas. Sit back and enjoy all your meals cooked for you and evening entertainment thrown in. Our hotels are hosting 3 night Twixmas breaks from the 27th December 2012 until the 30th December 2012.

Theme Parks.

What about adding adventure to your Christmas break with a three day Christmas break at a theme park. Enjoy an incredible 3 night festive break at the Chessington World of Adventures Resort from 24th — 27th December! Stay for 3 nights in the Chessington Resort Hotel with breakfast, meals, special activities and evening entertainment. The kids get a visit from Father Christmas and each receive their own gift, plus the family can meet their favorite animals at the Zoo and SEA LIFE center on Boxing Day. Find out more about this unique Chessington Christmas, and book your magical family break today!

Pre Christmas shopping adventures.

This year why don't you escape the high street for a short time and treat yourself to a pre-Christmas Eurostar break and finish your festive shopping with a mulled wine in hand with Short Breaks.
From late November to December some of the prettiest squares in Europe turn into Christmas Wonderlands where you can sample traditional Christmas Fayre and possibly buy a few presents. Whether you want to visit the Christmas Market in Lille, Bruges, Brussels , Antwerp, or Strasbourg we are confident we can offer the best value possible. So why don't you add a special gift for your loved one this Christmas?

If you don't want to travel by train try the Rhine and Moselle Christmas Markets River Cruise from Shearing's Holidays. Your ship: MPS Rotterdam. Soak up the enchanting atmosphere at the Christmas markets in Koblenz, Cochem and Cologne as you enjoy a relaxing river cruise. You'll have time to explore the markets and pick up unique Christmas gifts at our ports of call, plus the chance to take in some truly spectacular winter views as your cruise ship meanders along the Rhine and Moselle.

Christmas abroad.

Want to go away for Christmas? Get some exercise as well. Ski France offers ski and snowboard holidays to the French Alps. They are passionate about the sport and thus equally passionate to ensure that their guests have the most fantastic experience when holidaying with Ski France. They can offer full holiday packages, accommodation only or flight only plus a great selection of extras including Ski and snowboard hire, lift passes and tuition. They also have loads of latest offers and promotions every day on their website. Plus their Christmas Lift Pass Deal! - FREE LIFT PASSES FOR EVERYONE! at Hotel Le Mottaret,*Hotel Courchevel Olympic,*Hotel Spa Royal Ours Blanc. Use promo code: XMASFREEPASS

For all equipment needed for your Ski holiday Camping world have a huge range of winter clothing and equipment in stock. Men's and Women's luxury snow boots, children's winter boots, Men's and Women's winter jackets, coats, wellies, hats, scarf's and gloves. Up to 40% off sledges and toboggans and a great winter collection from Hunter. Ski suits, ski equipment and snow boards. Everything you would ever need to enjoy the winter both home and abroad.

Another company for all your ski needs is Simply Piste, a one stop skiwear store for the entire family with a large range of skiwear at all price points. They also cater for skiers of all abilities from beginners to the most seasoned and demanding skier. 
Simply Piste also have a range of accessories to compliment their large skiwear range stocking branded ski wear for men, women and kids, plus ski goggles, ski helmets, accessories and sledges. They also offer skiwear hire mail order services which has proved very popular.

Enjoy the next couple of months

Enjoy your autumn days and night by visiting some of the beautiful countryside, haunted castles for Halloween, firework displays. there is always an excuse to get away for a short break before starting Christmas.
Enjoy a coach trip through the autumn scenery, sit back and relax and let somebody else do the driving.
Take a trip through the Peak district, catching Chatsworth House and Buxton. Enjoy the Lake District with it's fantastic scenery and lake views, stopping for a trip on the lake if you have the time. If you want something different visit Blackpool Illuminations.
The New Forest, the Cotswolds even the Highlands of Scotland are a site to see at this time of year.
Many national and local coach companies have hundreds of trips, both day trips and longer breaks for you to enjoy.
Try Shearings for breaks in the UK and Europe.
If you fancy an early Christmas take a trip to the coast for a Turkey and Tinsel break being offered at some of the top hotels. If you have a destination in mind National Express will take you there for £6.50 or less. Britannia Hotels have some great short seaside breaks in November and December.
Get scared to death for Halloween with trips to theme parks with special "Fright Nights" like Thorpe Parks Fright Night, Chessington Adventure Park and their "Halloween Hocus Pocus" or even Twin Lakes and their "Xtreme Fright Night" to name but a few.
Do you fancy a more relaxing break, book a holiday cottage or lodge or even mobile home in the country and get your hiking boots out or your bike and enjoy the local sites and scenery.English Country Cottages have some of the finest country cottages for you to pick from be it the coast or the country. Another firm favorite is Hoseasons country cottages offering cottages at the seaside or in the country.
Whatever your budget you will always find somewhere to go to enjoy the next couple of months.

Goose Fair and a good Scare

Autumn is upon us again and once more the annual Goose Fair is hitting Nottingham.This is one of the great events that takes place in the city.
The Nottingham Goose Fair is an annual fun fair held in Nottingham, during the first week of October. It is largely provided by traveling fair people. The fair dates back more than 700 years and was once said to be Europe's biggest. The consensus among historians is that the fair probably started just after 1284, when the Charter of King Edward I referred to city fairs in Nottingham. The Goose Fair was cancelled due to the bubonic plague in 1646 and again during the two World Wars in the 20th century. Until 1928 it was held in Old Market Square in Nottingham city centre, but it was moved to the Forest Recreation ground because of redevelopment of the area. The Goose Fair started as a trade event and enjoyed a reputation for its high-quality cheese, although it is now known for its rides and games. Its name is derived from the thousands of geese that were driven from Lincolnshire to be sold in Nottingham.
It now runs from 5.30pm Wednesday 3rd October until 9pm Sunday 7th. During the 5 day fair visitors can enjoy over 500 rides, including thrilling white knuckle rides, family rides and favourites including waltzers, carousels and Hook-a-Duck plus fairground treats, market stalls and an unbeatable atmosphere.
Having spent many a fun filled day at the fair from watching the children on the baby rides, helping them on the toddler rides, joining them on the Ghost train and the Fun House and as they got older being battered, twisted, turned and generally shaken up on any number of heart stopping rides, their main weapon of torture being the Waltzers. This was usually followed by a good quantity of Candy Floss, Toffee Apples, mushy peas, chips or pork baps, not always in that order. The day ended usually with a trip home with at least a goldfish in tow, these days its uaually something that flashes and makes a lot of noise, or maybe I am just getting older.
Whatever your age the Goose Fair always brings back memories of good times and the sight of it and the smells and sounds are something you will never forget. Wherever you are it is well worth a visit.
HALLOWEEN
After all the excitment of the fair the next big treat is Halloween.

Trick-or-treating now seems to be a customary celebration for children on Halloween. Children go in costume from house to house, asking for treats such as candy or sometimes money, with the question, "Trick or treat?" The word "trick" refers to a (mostly idle) "threat" to perform mischief on the homeowners or their property if no treat is given. In this custom the child performs some sort of trick, i.e. sings a song or tells a ghost story, to earn their treats. There are many places now where you can go for a great Halloween evening and many pubs, clubs etc put on special evenings. Also a number of the big theme parks have special activities to boost their season and let everybody have a good time. One of these is Thorpe Park in Surrey, only 20 miles from Central London between Junc 11 and 13 on the M25.

FRIGHT NIGHTS at THORPE PARK 12-14, 19-21, 26 October - 4 November
Prepare for another nail-biting Halloween experience as Fright Nights returns for 2012!
Are you brave enough to enter the blood-curdling world of horrifying sights and sounds in the Park's live action horror mazes?
Plus you can take on some of Europe's most extreme thrill-rides in the dark as the gates stay open as late as 9pm. Take a terrifying flight on Europe's tallest winged rollercoaster, THE SWARM, new for 2012. Brave the stomach-churning horror-coaster SAW — The Ride, or take on the 'Unholy Trinity': Stealth, Colossus and Nemesis Inferno, a triple dose of extreme thrills!

Book a short break to THORPE PARK and enjoy an epic adventure to remember. Pay less than a tenner more per person than the standard online Park ticket price and stay overnight in a nearby hotel when you book with THORPE Breaks. What could be better?

Whatever you plan to do this month have a great time. Find lots of other treats at Seasidevans.

Around the World and Skegness - Part 3

Just a quick update on all the traveling going on at the moment.
Our Daughter is over half way through her trip to Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. She is taking a tour this time with G Adventures. the trip is their Mayan Sun tour which is a 16 day trip from Playa Del Carmen in Mexico to Antigua in Guatemala with some very nice stops in between. She is beginning to wonder how much can happen in 16 days. After flying to Mexico to start her trip via Miami she just made it before the hurricane. Now after her adventures with Tarantulas she is in Antigua and there was an earthquake off Cosa Rica which prompted a tsunami warning on all the coastal areas. Following that a volcano eruption in the area and the locals have been evacuated to Antigua. She can see the volcano from where they are. Will just have to see what happens next, hopefully nothing.

Her other half was, this morning, the highest man in Africa after standing at Uhuru peak, the highest point in Africa and as the tallest man on the climb he got to be the top man, all 19,341 feet of it, and on his Birthday to Happy Birthday to Darren and a great feat. See his web page for the full story. Still needs more sponsors.

Are you looking for adventure? some great trips can be booked through our website.

Around the World and Skegness - Part 2

Well its back to school for all the children now and hopefully they have had a great break and an enjoyable time. Now is the time for the parents to sit back and relax and think "thank god for that" well some maybe. We managed to enjoy our 3 day break at our favorite Park Resorts holiday camp, Southview, and the weather was great.
At the other end of the scale our Daughter is half way through her trip to Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. She is taking a tour this time with G Adventures. the trip is their Mayan Sun tour which is a 16 day trip from Playa Del Carmen in Mexico to Antigua in Guatemala with some very nice stops in between. She spent a few days on Caye Caulker Island off the coast of Belize where she seemed to be having a great time, or so she thinks, eating ridiculous amounts of lobster and snorkeling with Sharks, Sting rays, Turtles and Manatees!! The second day they were going kayaking in the morning and hiring a golf buggy in the afternoon for a tour, apparently they are used instead of cars.
Day 8 found them in Tikal in Guatemala where they visited Mayan ruins. The last message, hopefully not, they were in a jungle lodge, there were Tarantulas everywhere, in every bedroom. All the girls on the trip decided to evacuate spider rooms and share one room after getting the guide to check and clear it. This is a girl who had to seek a hypnotist to cure her of a fear of spiders before she went on her first overseas trip, think it worked. Should be in Antigua now.

Her other half, has arrived in Africa after a "ropey" flight although arrived on time. He then decided to take the plane to Kilimanjaro which he said was a good choice as the views were unreal. He has now joined the party and should be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro as I write and hoping to get to the top, all 19,341 feet of it, on his Birthday Saturday 8th September. See his web page for the full story. Still needs more sponsors.
Anybody thinking about the next school holiday, already, can still find some interesting breaks on our website.

Around the World and Skegness

Well the last Bank Holiday of this glorious summer season!! is upon us and I am sat here watching the rain pour down the windows. At least the last few weeks have been really good and hopefully a lot of school children have been able to enjoy some sun, sea and sand around our beautiful coasts. It may not have been to good for a lot of the big holiday companies as there are some great bargains to be had even now. We have managed to bag a 3 day break next weekend at our favorite Park Resorts holiday camp, Southview, at a good price so hoping the weather will play nice for next weekend and we will see some sun.

At the other end of the scale our Daughter has decided to go off, again, on one of her trips to foreign lands. This time to Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. She is taking a tour this time with G Adventures. the trip is their Mayan Sun tour which is a 16 day trip from Playa Del Carmen in Mexico to Antigua in Guatemala with some very nice stops in between.
Having left home on Thursday for a very early trip to Heathrow to catch her 0950 flight it started ok with only a 30 minute delay which ended up with the flight arriving 10 minutes early in Miami so the pilot must have put his foot down. From there it was down hill. She was due to catch a connection to Cancun about 1 hour later so not much hanging around in the airport. Approx 3 hours later they left after a 110 minute delay, apparently they had mislaid the pilot. Anyway she arrived safe in Cancun early evening, Friday morning UK time. The last message received stated the weather was fantastic, the place was great and the beaches beautiful so a good start. She joins the tour today at Playa Del Carmen, stops a couple of days with tours around either Mayan ruins or the beach... not sure which she is doing. I hope to bring updates over the next few days if she manages to get in touch.

Her other half, not to be outdone is heading in the other direction, both outwards and upwards. He is heading to Africa in a few days and climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and hoping to get to the top, all 19,341 feet of it, for a very good cause, the Alzheimer's Society. See his web page for the full story. We wish him the best of luck for what will be a tough climb.

Hope to be able to update on all the adventures soon although don't think our trip to Skegness will be quite as exciting.

 

Helpful Hints to Avoid Holiday Hassles

Your holiday is a great time to get away from it all and relax but there is always a lot to do before departure day arrives and some careful forward planning can help to avoid last minute problems that can spoil your holiday. Work out everything you need before setting off. Here are some hints.

TAKE VITAL DOCUMENTS.

• Make sure everybody, including young children, have valid travel documents. You wont be able to fly with an expired passport. Some countries insist your passport is valid for another six to twelve months after departure.
• Also check if you need a visa for your destination and apply well in advance.
• Check what vaccinations you may need and get the correct medical documents.
• Check what flight documents you need especially if traveling by budget airlines, some charge you if you fail to print your boarding card.
• Make sure you know how much luggage you can check in as there may be penalties for exceeding the limit.
• Some airlines charge for food so save money by taking a packed lunch.

BUY TRAVEL INSURANCE

You will be taking a big risk if you travel without insurance. Claims over £10,000 are not unusual from popular destinations like Spain and Greece and £50,000 claims from the USA. Get your insurance as soon as you book your holiday, that will give you protection if you are taken ill or maybe lose your job or even strike actions and you have to cancel. You can shop around using a price comparison site and you can find some good deals from the Insurance section in the Travel Services section of Seasidevans.co.uk. Check the small print carefully. If, say, you injure yourself while drunk, any claim for hospital treatment may be rejected. You may also consider taking out the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). It's free, valid up to five years and gives access to state healthcare in Europe. Find out more at http://www.ehic.org.uk

ORDER FOREIGN CURRENCY

Buy your holiday spending money before you leave home as you may get a much better exchange rate, if you buy at the airport or an overseas ATM you will pay over the odds. Some of the best rates are available online through companies like ICE, Travelex, The Post Office, Thomas Cook and Tesco. You will also pay hefty foreign transaction fees if you use your credit and debit cards in Hotels, restaurants etc. It's a good idea also to take emergency contact details for every card in case of loss or theft.

WARN YOUR BANK

If you do plan to use your credit and debit cards abroad consider informing your bank. If it spots a number of overseas transactions it may suspect your card has been stolen or cloned.

CHECK YOUR TRAVEL PLANS

If you are on a package holiday don't forget to take all your booking confirmation slips, hotel details, airport transfer information, tour operator contact details etc. If you have arranged a DIY holiday you should print hotel booking slips, pre-booked transfers, train and coach tickets and any other tickets. Plan your routes and have a copy of all the details such as local bus and train times and have a good local map. If you are driving to an airport you can save money by booking parking in advance. See some parking offers at http://www.seasidevans.co.uk/journey-planners/45-airport-parking.html If you don't want to take the car check out the coach times to your departure airport.

Hope this information is of help to you.
Most of the details above have been taken from the Daily Express "Your Money" on 4th July 2012.

 

Get fit for the Olympics

The prelude to the greatest sporting event of the year has passed through Nottingham. The Olympic torch stopped off for the night after thousands of people had lined the streets of the City and surrounding towns and villages to watch it pass. Undeterred by heavy downpours, which at one time stopped the runners, and some sunny spells the crowds were there with their flags cheering the runners ever forward.

Hopefully all this thought about sport, and don't forget Wimbledon, will give people the idea that more sport will lead to greater fitness and get them interested it taking more exercise.
Swimming is a great all round exercise for the family and the cost is not to great. Take the kids, go as a family and enjoy an afternoon/evening together in your local pool.

Simply Swim offers swimwear for the whole family, swimwear for men, women, girls, boys, toddlers and babies. We also provide a comprehensive learn to swim section full of the latest approved aids to help younger members of the family to learn to swim safely.
We stock adults and children'sswimming goggles by top brands, all the swimming equipment you need, including watches, footwear, aids and accessories. There are more than 100 adults and kids swimming caps to choose from too. If you're a music loving swimmer, check out the MP3 and iPod cases, waterproof headphones and accessories in our waterproof music department.

If you are wanting to get into the whole fitness idea you can always join a local gym where you can get to use all the latest fitness equipment under the helpful eye of a fitness trainer who will help you to use the equipment safely and even work out a fitness programme for you.
You could also purchase your own equipment and do it in your own home. If the gym doesn't appeal there are plenty of other fitness groups around like Yoga, Palates and Aerobics.

Simply Sweat is your one stop shop for sports wear, fitness clothing and exercise equipment. We have specialist sections within our site for niche sports like Pilate's and Yoga.
Whether you are a serious marathon runner or part time jogger, addicted to the gym or like to work out on the Wii, we have the clothes for you. We also offer high end specialist brands such as Manuka who deliver comfort and function in luxury soft fabrics specifically designed for Yoga and Pilate's.
Here at Simply Sweat we sell an extensive range of fitness equipment designed for all ages and fitness levels. These products include the simple exercise ball, right up to the extravagant multi gym. You can also find a great range of accessories including gym bags, hats and gloves to first aid kits.

Whatever you fancy just go out there and have fun, enjoy yourself and get fit at the same time.

Well all back from the East Coast trip. A great few days in a lovely caravan at Park Resorts at Skegness, Southview Leisure Park. 3 days of nice dry sunny weather and then rain in the mornings and dry afternoons the next 2, plus gale force winds, glad the van was well anchored down. As usual excellent service from the staff and good entertainment in the club. Enjoyed it so much booked again for September.
It might not be sunny every day but with a good swimming pool you have something to do. Help encourage your littlest ones to enjoy swimming with the help of some swimming aids from Simply Swim. All designed to help children and non-swimmers, gain confidence in the water.
Plenty to do in Skegness, the funfair open every day now, plenty of amusements and good fish and chips.
If you are planning a British holiday National Express have got a great offer for the Summer, 1 Million fares from £4.00 one way.
If you are going abroad you can catch a National Express coach to the airport and we'll drop you at the airport door, so there is no hassle getting you and your luggage to the airport.
Flying from Stansted? Travel to/from Stansted to London from just £5 one way (plus £1 booking fee per transaction). Includes free Wi-Fi onboard. The shuttle travels into London over 100 times a day so you can rely on us to get you to your destination on time.
The season for music festivals and concerts is upon us. Simply choose the festival you want to go to and use the National Express Journey Planner to make sure you get to your destination, ready to enjoy the greatest events of the year.

Get planning your Summer now.

The great British seaside

Well it's holiday time again and Seasidevans are off for a jolly in the sunny!! UK. Even better to the East Coast. The East Coast of England has a great selection of diverse and interesting seaside resorts and beaches to please everybody from lively bucket and spade resorts to nature reserves to miles of empty windblown sandy beaches.
This time we are off to the lively Lincolnshire coast, more specific, the resort of Skegness.

Perched on the official 'drier side of Britain', Skegness is a seaside resort that's small enough to offer a friendly atmosphere but large enough to provide hours of entertainment for young and old alike. A large number of B&Bs, hotels and caravan parks plus of course BUTLINS where you will find their 100 acre caravan village where you can hire a caravan or own your own and of course you still have the use of all the facilities and the BUTLINS resort.
There are also a large number of private and large company caravan parks in the area including PARK RESORTS premier Southview camp and HAVENS camp up the coast at Mabelthorpe, Golden Sands. All these companies have some great special offers and deals for the Summer holidays and last minute deals.

We are stopping at Southview and can guarantee a great time having stopped their many times and have always been well looked after by the very helpful staff and great caravans. You can always find a great selection of new and used caravans to buy at their large caravan sales area if you fancy getting a home there.

If you do not want the self catering side with a caravan there is always the Southview Park Hotel situated just before the caravan park and you still get to use all the facilities on the park.

Something to look forward to in the summer is the Skegness Carnival. It's always fun fun fun so come along and join in with the party atmosphere. Skegness Carnival takes place on 12th to 17th August 2012.

Will let you all about it on our return. Find more great holiday ideas at Seasidevans.co.uk

All the best in beachwear and accessories,

Simply Beach stocks over 3000 items from 40 top brands of swimwear, beachwear and underwear. Bikinis, designer swimwear and one piece swimsuits, tankinis, bikini separates , plus size swimwear and maternity swimwear. Also summer dresses, beach shorts, playsuits, beach hats and beach bags.
Labels including Seafolly, Freya, Sunseeker and ViX, to high end swimwear labels such as Jets by Jessika Allen and Melissa Odabash.

Simply Beach designer lingerie department is home to a huge range of new season lingerie, shapewear, knickers, bras and nightwear.
You'll find all your favourite collections; from Freya bras to Calvin Klein underwear, as well as designer lingerie by Elle MacPherson Intimates, Verdissima and many more.
Their website stocks a huge range of products throughout the year, so customers can find new season beachwear 365 days of the year.

Welcome to the new blog from Seasidevans

Seaside Caravans offers some of the best holidays at some of the best locations in the UK and abroad. Be it a caravan by the sea, a lively holiday camp, comfortable cottages in the country or a nice hotel break.

We also have some of the best camping locations and a big selection of camping and adventure equipment.

Touring holidays by coach or rail, adventure holidays, theme park play and stay holidays and hotels in the UK and abroad.

Going abroad? Find out the best coach times to your airport of choice or to your destination. Want to take the car?  Find the best parking at the best prices and book in advance at a number of major UK airports.

We have some great offers and the latest news from some of the top names in holidays and we don't just offer you the best holidays at home or abroad but also all the things you need to help you enjoy your holiday. We have clothing, swimwear, ski wear and equipment for all types of holiday. Camping and adventure gear, travel help and insurance. Seasidevans, your on stop shop for a great holiday.
Find everything you need at Seasidevans.