Get down on the farm at the Purbeck Folk Festival

We love a good music festival and this little boutique gem is an award-winner!

The sixth annual Purbeck Folk Festival, on Dorset’s beautiful Jurassic coast, is the place to be this bank holiday weekend. From 21-24 August the award-winning music festival features headline acts including Eddi Reader, The South, Turin Brakes and Lloyd Cole alongside Nizlopi, Idlewild Acoustic, Sally Barker and British folk legend Chris Wood.

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Festival goers can look forward to an eclectic mix of folk, world and pop music on a 600-acre working sheep farm in the heart of the beautiful Isle of Purbeck. Purbeck Folk Festival has music on four stages in the farm’s covered barns and a marquee venue that hosts the Purbeck Rising talent show final and open mic sessions.

Named the Countryside Music Festival of the Year in the prestigious Fatea Music Awards, as well as a line-up of well-known artists you can expect a dynamic bill of emerging and undiscovered talent including Emily Barker’s new band Vena Portae, folk legend Ashley Hutchings’ son Blair Dunlop, the Cajun powerhouse Sarah Savoy, multi award-winner Martha Tilston and Senegalese griot Amadou Diagne.

This family-friendly festival has a chilled-out vibe and offers loads of entertainment for all ages, including workshops, a poetry slam, spontaneous happenings, a cinema programme, the famous ‘beard offs’ contest, a beer festival (including the Festival’s very own beer, Buzz Lightbeer made with Purbeck honey), art interventions and a fancy dress parade.

Like all the best festivals, Purbeck Folk Festival likes to keep it green. All campers will be given recycling bags to collect their recyclable rubbish over the weekend; the composting toilets on site provide great fertiliser for the farm, and flush toilets use harvested rainwater. The organisers employ local tradespeople and try and reuse as much stored material as possible when constructing the new festival site each year, reusing lycra, bamboo, wood, paint, carpet and fabrics from previous years.

Snap up your tickets before 20th August: Weekend tickets (Fri-Sun) include free camping are on sale at just £100 (£50 12-17 years, £20 4-11 years, under 4s free). Day camping is available on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at £10 a night on arrival. A limited number of Festival day tickets are also available.

For ticket booking and more information, visit www.purbeckfolk.co.uk

Full line-up

Friday
Eddi Reader, Nizlopi, Martha Tilston Band, Furrow Collective, ODi, Dan Whitehouse, Moscow Drug Club, Flats & Sharps, Macaferri Club, Winter Mountain, Murphy’s Lore, Drew Allen, Big Tent & the Gypsy Lantern, Kadia, Beth Johnstone, Tim Somerfield, East Creek Union, Djambo, The Jack Ratts, Threadbare Ravens, Tred, Aimee McKenzie

Saturday
The South, Idlewild Acoustic, Sally Barker, Sarah Savoy, Phil King Band, Gigspanner, Martha Tilston Band, Roving Crows, John Langan Band, Gren Bartley Band, 4Square, ODi, Lizzie Nunnery, Louise Jordan, Threepenny Bit, Sarah Savoy (workshop), Sound of the Sirens, Macaferri Club, Big Tent & the Gypsy Lantern, Kadia, Mother Ukers, Catherine Burke Band, Feral Beryl, Kaia Vieira, Aimee McKenzie

Sunday
Turin Brakes, Lloyd Cole, Blair Dunlop, Emily Barker & the Red Clay Halo, Caravan of Thieves, Coco & the Butterfields, Chris Wood, Amadou Diagne Band, Gren Bartley Band, Vena Portae, Alex Roberts, Tinderbox, Polly Paulusma, Fearne, Aimee MacKenzie, Ian Brown, Will McNicol, Flats & Sharps, Gill Sandell, Emily Barker (solo), Tori Read, Kate Lomas, The Jimmy Hillbillies, Ceilidh Band, Quinns Quinney, Krista Green, Inu

Five of the Best Vegetarian Fine Dining Menus

At Goodtrippers we love to champion good, ethical, sustainable food, and great vegetarian eateries top the list! Here are five of the best vegetarian tasting menus served at some of the UK’s finest dining establishments.

Vegetarians often have to trawl through those ‘top 50’ style restaurant lists and guides to find somewhere that offers more than the sole ‘vegetarian option’, so to highlight the best dining options for veggies, Travelzoo has created a map of the UK’s best fine-dining restaurants, showing where to go in Britain for an elegant night of exquisite food. The map has been created with the help of the UK’s food bloggers and there were clear favourites for vegetarian fine dining. Here we take a look at five of the most exclusive fine-dining restaurants in the UK and their meat-free menus:

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Pied a Terre, Fitzrovia, London
This two-Michelin-star restaurant in the heart of London has chef Marcus Eaves at the helm, creating dishes that have been meticulously prepared and perfectly executed. The dishes sound delectable with courses on the taster menu including delights like a salad of white asparagus with shaved parmesan, confit meyer lemon and black olive dressing. The atmosphere is sophisticated; the right blend of polite, professional and relaxing.

A 10-course vegetarian tasting menu is available from £94 a head

Manchester House, Manchester
Located in Tower 12, the Manchester House restaurant is not what it first appears to be. The ‘normal’ façade of a city tower shouldn’t fool you – inside is Aiden Byrne’s restaurant, serving up luxurious dishes in a comfortable and fun atmosphere. How you dine is up to you – choose à la carte or dine at the Chef’s Table. A tasting menu is available for both lunch and dinner and includes scrumptious morsels such as Hot and cold pea soup, pea mousse and lemon emulsion; Braised salsify with artichoke gnocchi and cavolo nero; Apple and eucalyptus sorbet, verjus granite.

A vegetarian 13-course taster menu is available from £95 a head

The Ledbury, Notting Hill
Located in Notting Hill, The Ledbury received its much coveted second Michelin Star with Head Chef Brett Graham at the helm. Brett started his career is Australia in a simple fish restaurant at 15 years old, working up to a role at the Banc restaurant in Sydney where he won the Josephine Pignolet Award. Brett’s roots in seafood echo through the vegetarian menus with dishes like Sliced Turnips with Seaweed and Frozen Horseradish. Although the atmosphere is as professional as you would expect from a restaurant with two Michelin stars, there is a very welcoming and laid back tone to it whether you enjoy a visit at lunch or at dinner.

The vegetarian tasting menu starts at £100 a head

Texture, Marylebone
Diners who enjoy a wine experience as much as a food experience are in safe hands at Texture; Agnar Sverrisson and Xavier Rousset, Head Chef and Head Sommelier respectively, established Texture in 2007 but have a long history working alongside each other and have picked up many impressive awards along the way. Head Chef Sverrisson grew up in Iceland and the menu has an obvious Scandanavian influences with ingredients like skyr, Iceland’s famous yoghurt-like export. The vegetarian tasting menu showcases the chef’s modern European style with dishes like New Season English Beetroots with goat’s cheese snow and pistachios.

The taster menu starts at £72 a head (with five complementing wines available for £52)

Blue Elephant, Imperial Wharf, London
Using the freshest ingredients and exotic fusions, Head Chef Khun Noroor Somany Steppe has created a collection of authentic vegetarian Thai dishes for Blue Elephant’s tasting menu. Using a mix of traditional methods and novel flavour unions the Blue Elephant has reached global success with 12 sister restaurants around the world. One of the most popular vegetarian dishes is the Doi Kham Eggplant Salad; during her collaboration with the Royal Project, using vegetables and herbs from the farm at Doi Inthanon, chef Nooror created a purple eggplant salad with towhu, herbal spice and a hint of truffle oil.

The vegetarian tasting menu is available from £38.00 per person

Find out more: Travelzoo has created a fine-dining map showing 200 of the best restaurants all over the UK, with recommendations from the UK’s foodie bloggers.

How to have a truly green holiday in the New Forest

If you go down to the New Forest woods today, be sure of a big surprise… From treehouses that float above the forest, a bedroom suite where even the TV is pedal-powered, and a fleet of whizzy electric cars – this is how to have a green holiday!

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The beautiful forest, pasture and heathland of Hampshire’s tranquil New Forest National Park is a firm UK ‘staycation’ favourite – and the eco accommodation on offer makes it an even bigger draw. Goodtrippers loves…

The Treehouse Suites at Chewton Glen

Young or old, who doesn’t love sleeping in a treehouse? Located in the grounds of luxury hotel Chewton Glen (voted Conde Nast’s Most Excellent Hotel), these luxurious tree houses are up on stilts giving the impression of floating above the forest canopy. Each suite has floor to ceiling glazing offering magnificent views of the surrounding area.

With a hot tub on the deck and an outdoor covered area, these suites offer a secluded and romantic setting. Each treehouse is equipped with a compact kitchenette, and a breakfast hamper is delivered to your suite daily.

Suites come in various sizes and layouts: choose from Treehouse Studio Suite, Treehouse Loft Suite, Treehouse Hideaway Suite, and the Private Treehouse.

For more information and booking visit www.chewtonglen.com

Cottage Lodge Hotel

You can’t be a couch potato in the activity-filled New Forest – even the TV in this eco-friendly boutique hotel is powered by an exercise bike! The award-winning, eco chic Cottage Lodge is located in the New Forest village of Brockenhurst. Guests can stay in a room built from New Forest Douglas Fir, including the four-poster beds, and enjoy the award-winning ‘New Forest Breakfast’ where all produce, from the yoghurt to the tea, the mushrooms to the sausages and eggs, are sourced from the New Forest area.

Heating and hot water is powered by a wood burning stove and solar panels. Low-energy LED lighting is used throughout, and the flush toilets use harvested rainwater.

For more information and booking visit www.cottagelodge.co.uk

Get around with a Twizy

When you’re looking out for New Forest ponies, you may spot another mobile addition to the New Forest landscape – the UK’s first fleet of Twizy electric cars. With a comprehensive network of charge points throughout the New Forest, they’re a great eco-friendly way to get around the National Park quickly (and if your cycling legs need a rest).

Also, those arriving a Brockenhurst train station can hire an electric van to transport their luggage to their accommodation while they take a bike and enjoy a more leisurely journey to their destination.

Visit www.thenewforest.co.uk for full details and to book.

 

The ‘super eco’ barns for holidaying in North Norfolk

This complex of cottages and converted Victorian farm barns in Norfolk offers some of the most ec0-friendly luxury accommodation available in Britain…

In the wilds of the North Norfolk countryside, near the market town of Fakenham just a few miles from the heritage coast, sits the ‘flock’ of Cranmer Country Cottages – ‘flock’ due to the cute naming of each self-catering cottage; choose from ‘Coot’ (sleeps 2), ‘Tern’ (sleeps 4), ‘Wagtail’ (sleeps 4), ‘Owl’ (sleeps 4), ‘Woodpecker’ (sleeps 5), ‘Swallow’ (sleeps 6), ‘Avocet’ (sleeps 6), plus ‘Garden House’ (sleeps 6).

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Family-friendly accommodation and facilities

Whichever cottage you choose you’ll be treated to stylish, contemporary interiors, whether the cosy one bedroom ‘Coot’ or the larger 3 bedroom cottages. Each is kitted out with eco-friendly, energy-efficient facilities (kitchen, washing machine etc).

And children, from babies to active kids, are positively encouraged with an outdoor fenced play area (visible from each cottage), two all-weather tennis courts, a timber playhouse, solar panel-heated swimming pool, fully-stocked games room and lots of safe outdoor space to run around and play games. Cranmer are also more than happy to provide child-friendly extras such as bed guards, booster seats, baby listeners, baby baths and steam sterilisers. To make your holiday even more relaxing they can also provide food delivery and baby-sitting services!

Things to do

This is rural Norfolk so you can truly get away from it all and explore the wilds of the coast or countryside. Guests are encouraged to enjoy the open spaces around Cranmer – staff regularly post notices of wildlife spots (many areas of the surrounding Home Farm are managed to preserve local wildlife). A stay here requires at least one trip to some of the award-winning beaches (Wells-next-the-Sea, Holkham, Blakeney, Salthouse, Sheringham) along the heritage coast not too far from Cranmer. North Norfolk is perfect for cycling, walking, bird-watching and exploring the coast, plus the area is awash with top class country pubs serving locally-sourced food and local ales.

Strong eco credentials

The site is a mix of renovated Victorian farm barns, and new build cottages and the owners have gone to great lengths to create a ‘super eco’ site which goes above and beyond the regular eco-friendly credentials of much green accommodation. This complex of cottages uses 100% energy from its own on-site renewable energy sources including a wind turbine and solar panels. The new builds boast heat-saving Argon-filled glazing, underfloor heating and very high levels of insulation, while all of the cottages are fitted with low-energy lighting, water-saving devices and energy-efficient white goods.

A commitment to sustainable living is evident throughout Cranmer, including Home Farm which houses the holiday complex. Staff encourage guests to reduce, reuse and recycle wherever possible, and local businesses are used and promoted wherever possible.

Recommended for… Those who love the truly rural, wild outdoors.

Be aware that… Although there are a number of small towns (with pubs, shops, restaurants etc) within easy driving distance, this is a rural area so not for those wanting busy nightlife on their doorstep.

For prices, availability and booking visit www.holidaycottagecompare.com

‘Good’ credentials:

  • Installation of 20KW wind turbine
  • Use of green electricity supplier Ecotricity for imported power when needed
  • 40KW solar panels on south facing slate roofs
  • 16kw heat pump with in-ground installation 80 meters below ground
  • Installation of energy saving under-floor heating in new cottages
  • Argon filled glazing installed in the new cottages to minimise heat loss
  • Very high levels of insulation in all barn conversions and new build Garden House
  • Energy saving lighting systems and light bulbs in all cottages
  • Exterior lighting set on PIR system reducing light pollution at night
  • Installation of 80m borehole and UV water treatment system
  • Installation of irrigation system fed by our borehole to water tubs and hanging baskets – timed to irrigate early morning and evening
  • Communal laundry provides energy efficient gas powered tumble driers at a nominal charge – monies go towards an ongoing tree planting programme
  • Toilets are fitted with flush restricting devices to reduce water consumption
  • New larger cottages are supplied with energy efficient washing machines and line drying facilities
  • Swallow cottage Rayburn converted from oil to electricity with instant switch on and off. Now powered by the wind turbine.
  • Composting facilities in place
  • Recycling and waste management – glass, metal, plastic, paper and card
  • All timber FSC sourced and where possible locally grown e.g. oak cladding and structural timber
  • Recycling of building materials i.e. bricks, slates and timber and use of lime free mortar as original buildings
  • Swimming pool water and air temperature heated by Calorex heat exchange unit – maximising energy use
  • South facing solar panels heat pool water in summer and supplement heating throughout the year
  • Pool water treated with UV and salt chlorination system reducing the amount of chlorine in the pool water and reducing the amount of chlorine pumped out as waste on to the land
  • Guests are supplied with eco friendly cleaning and washing supplies
  • Locally sourced welcome hampers and fair trade tea and coffee
  • Recycled chlorine free paper toilet rolls. Bio cleaning products reducing dispensing of harmful surfactants into water course
  • Staff share lifts to work
  • Local purchasing and promotion of the local farm shop in Walsingham, local bakery in Fakenham and local pubs and restaurants
  • Converted two existing cottages – Swallow & Woodpecker heating systems use alternative green energy sources of a ground source heat pump and solar panels
  • Good quality carbon neutral accommodation in the three converted Victorian barns
  • Sponsorship of the local community nature reserve at Sculthorpe Moor –part of the Hawk and Owl Trust

 

Please note: Google Map does not indicate the exact location

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Longhorn Farm, Devon – perfect for big get-togethers

This stunning luxury eco property has ample room so no excuse not to book a huge get-together with family or friends this year!

Longhorn Farm, in the Dartmoor village of North Bovey in Devon, has been renovated throughout and oozes contemporary eco style. An awesome raised ceiling and glass walls ensure this home is flooded with light and offers an uplifting stay whether it’s summer or winter.

Sleeping up to 14 guests across the main house and converted milking barn, the self-catering property is set in 58 acres of land including 20 acres of ancient bluebell woods, lakes, waterfalls and wildflower pasture. It gives plenty of opportunity for guests to enjoy their own space, allow children to play freely and then convene in the large communal living areas at Longhorn.

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Accommodation

The main farmhouse has four bedrooms; two king-size double rooms with en suites, plus a twin room and a zip-and-link bedroom which can either be arranged as a twin or super-king double as required. The twin room and the zip-and-link room share a shower room. The adjacent milking barn has a king-size room plus a bunk room on the ground floor (with shared ground floor wet room), as well as a master king-size bedroom on the first floor with en suite. Each of the seven bedrooms are peppered with stylish touches throughout.

Facilities

Families are more than welcome here with cots, highchairs and a safe garden all available. Wifi and iPod docks are also present throughout. Hang-out in the garden with the barbecue on sunny days or gather around the fire pit to toast marshmallows on cooler evenings.

On request, you also have the option to book in-house caterers, spa treatments and welcome hampers full of gastronomic goodies.

The surrounding area is a walking paradise with Dartmoor National Park to explore, plus quaint Devon villages and the coastline.

‘Good’ credentials:

  • Underfloor heating via a ground source heat pump
  • Solar panels also provide power
  • Water supplied via natural spring

 

For more information, including prices, availability and booking, visit Unique Home Stays at www.uniquehomestays.com
 

New eco glampsite opens in Wye Valley

Fans of vintage caravans, campfires, wild swimming and stunning views should get themselves over to the Wye Valley as a new glamping site opens this month.

Mad Dogs & Vintage Vans is a boutique campsite set in a pretty wildflower meadow with views of the Black Mountains. Guests can choose one of four vintage caravans – quaintly named Gertie, Elsie, Darcy and Gloria (“the girls”!) – that date from the 1930s to 1960s. Each caravan has been lovingly restored and fitted with period details such as vintage crockery and fabrics.

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Owners Jo Pilkington and Sacha Morley met through their children’s school and found they both shared a love of the great outdoors, vintage style and simple, natural pleasures such as camping under starlight, wild swimming and toasting mashmallows over an open fire.

Food

On arrival, guests are greeted with a scrumptious homemade cream tea, but after dark the main draw becomes the communal campfire where campers can come together to cook. If that’s not your thing (or if the weather gets the better of you!), you can order up homemade meals to enjoy back at your caravan.

Facilities

The ‘shower block’ is made entirely from upcycled materials and is located in a pretty copse nearby with hot water on demand. The whole campsite uses an eco-composting system, and guests are offered organic products free of charge.

Things to do

The glampsite is a tranquil getaway from town and city life so great for family adventures, yoga or writing retreats. Tennis courts are nearby and a wealth of activities including swimming, walking, pony trekking, climbing and canoeing in the Forest of Dean which owners Jo and Sacha are more than happy to help organise for you.

This season you can also join two foraging weekends – May 10-11 and October 11-12 – with “the Carluccio of the Wye Valley” (so says the Guardian) Raoul Van Den Broucke. Raoul will take glampers on a foraging walk to look for wild delicacies which will then be cooked over the campfire back at the site.

The 2014 season runs from April 11 to the end of October.

For booking and further information, visit www.maddogsandvintagevans.co.uk

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Urban Food Fest London returns with ‘V Corner’

We’re excited to hear that last summer’s street food ‘hit’, the Urban Food Fest in Shoreditch, East London, is back for another season of fine foodie treats from Saturday 12 April. And alongside the usual plethora of organic, local, free-range, handmade and natural street food and drinks on offer, Urban Food Fest has now added ‘V Corner’ – a whole area dedicated to vegetarian, vegan and (very) raw gourmet delights!

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Promising to offer more than the token ‘salad in a pitta’, ‘V Corner’ will serve up a mouth-watering range of vegetarian, vegan and raw food delights that may turn even the most committed carnivore – think vegan sweet potato maki sushi, veggie wild mushroom burgers, veggie tofu hotdogs, raw mezze, egg-free chocolate fudge sponge, and dairy-free apple crumble pie.

Each week, the night food market (located in an unused car-park space near Shoreditch High Street station – but don’t let that put you off, it adds to that urban east London vibe!) will be filled with 15 different food trucks and stalls selling a selection of gourmet street food dishes, many created exclusively for Urban Food Fest, alongside fab cocktails, craft beers and imaginative soft drinks.

Chow down on Chinese jian bing crepes, pulled pork burgers, sliders, Austrian specknoedel, mac ‘n’ cheese, gourmet salads, Mexican tacos, Portuguese desserts, fresh gyoza, Spanish tapas, cupcakes and much (much!) more… Live music and entertainment accompanies the feasting, as well as a theme – 12 April is ‘Where’s Wally’ with free cocktails for the best fancy dress.

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Visitor info: Free entry; 5pm ’til midnight every Saturday from 12 April to 21st June 2014

Location: Euro Car Parks, 162-175 Shoreditch High Street, London E1 6HU

For more information visit www.urbanfoodfest.com

3 of the best Cornish cottages for couples

Summer is on the horizon and with it, the draw of the English coastline. Cornwall is a beautiful county for a coastal holiday but if you’re dreading the inevitable crowds that come with peak-time school holiday periods, we’ve found three of the best eco-friendly, self-catering cottages that are perfect for couples wanting a more peaceful retreat…

The Retreat, Boscastle, Cornwall

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This cosy one-bedroom cottage is hidden away down a Cornish country lane so peace and quiet is guaranteed. The sun-trap garden, full of fragrant herbs, offers clear sea views. Full of charm, this luxury cottage boasts eco-friendly architectural features throughout including the stunning carpenter oak, double-height beams in the living room, giving the cottage a light, airy feel. The interiors are stylish with colourful artwork and modern furniture adding a quirky look. You can also order extra luxuries such as hampers for two full of delicious Cornish delicacies, bubbly and pampering goodies.

For more details, including prices and availability, click on The Retreat

The Stud, Tregonatha, Cornwall

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Although this stylish barn conversion can sleep up to five, why would you invite anyone else along when you can book it for just the two of you? Eco-friendly design features are found throughout this luxury home including an eco ground source heat pump to keep you cosy on chillier evenings. Enjoy breakfast in the sun room, on the balcony or within the enclosed, lawned garden. And if you ask in advance, the owner can give you access to the barn’s piano for those who wish to tinkle the ivories. Located in the tranquil village of Tregonatha, The Stud is also within easy access of Padstow and the north and south coasts of Cornwall. (As above, additional food, drink, flowers and pampering treats can be ordered for your stay in advance).

For more details, including prices and availability, click on The Stud

Inglenook, St Agnes, Cornwall

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This cute cottage for two combines traditional style with modern eco living (it’s insulated with sheep’s wool and is run on solar power). Its location is perfect for those who love hiking, diving or surfing as it’s situated in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with direct access to the South West Coast Path. Guests can relax in the open-vaulted living room or outside in the private walled garden looking out over the ocean. (Inglenook also offers the chance to book additional food, drink, flowers and pampering treats).

For more details, including prices and availability, click on Inglenook

All of these cottages are available exclusively through Unique Home Stays – for more information visit www.uniquehomestays.com or call +44 (0) 1637 881942.

 

A magical stay at The Straw House, Cornwall

If you’re looking for a self-catering getaway this Spring, you’d be hard-pressed to beat a stay at this ‘Hobbit style’ straw bale roundhouse in Cornwall…

What a work of architectural, eco-friendly beauty! The Straw House, new to the rental market this season and with magnificent sea views across St Michael’s Mount in Penzance, offers something a little different to your regular self-catering cottage.

Using traditional green-building techniques, the tactile smooth cob walls and natural materials throughout, make this a lovely cosy hideaway (and likened by some to a Hobbit home!). Features include sheepskin rug covered wooden floors and a wood-burning stove for chilly evenings. Outside in the private garden you’ll find vegetable plots, your own fire pit, composting loo, kitchen and wood-fired shower.

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The owners encourage guests to spend time ‘off grid’ enjoying the birdsong, stargazing, building campfires or foraging for herbal remedies. Over summer, bushcraft workshops are also available.

Accommodation

The Straw House sleeps 4 ( 1 x double bed; 2 x sofa beds) so would suit solo travellers, couples or small families (kids will love it!).

Booking

You can stay for a minimum of 3 nights between 4 April and 19 July 2014 with a flexible change over day. During peak summer holiday weeks (19 July – 17 September 2014) minimum stay is 1 week with change over days on Saturdays. Prices start from £83 per night.

For more information, including booking, visit www.holidaylettings.co.uk

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Out of this world! Stargazing at The Varsity Hotel, Cambridge

There is one benefit to winter – the longer nights lend themselves to some ‘out of this world’ experiences such as gazing up at the stars from the rooftop of The Varsity Hotel & Spa in Cambridge.

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The eco-conscious boutique hotel will hold an astronomy masterclass on Tuesday 25th February. Guests will explore the cosmos through telescopes from the hotel’s beautiful rooftop garden and find out more about the mysteries of the stars, planets, moons and galaxies above us. The masterclass will be led by Paul Fellows, Chairman of the esteemed Cambridge Astronomical Society and Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society.

The stargazing session is followed by a delicious two-course dinner from Head Chef Angus Martin’s hearty winter menu.

Tickets cost £49 and include a glass of bubbly on arrival, the astronomy masterclass and the two-course meal. Guests should arrive at 6:45pm for a 7pm start. To book call 01223 306030 or visit www.thevarsityhotel.co.uk.

The independently-owned Varsity Hotel & Spa is located in one of the most attractive spots in Cambridge backing onto the River Cam. The top two floors of the hotel are made entirely from glass allowing guests breath-taking views of the surrounding area including St John’s College spires, Midsummer Common and the punts gliding down the river.

The boutique hotel is committed to being eco-friendly (which has also meant the removal of energy-sapping mini bars in the rooms!).

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