Congratulations to Cartwheel member Wheatland Farm! Wheatland Farm Eco Lodges has been named as a finalist in the Sustainable Tourism category of the prestigious VisitEngland Awards for Excellence 2012.

As one of just five finalists in this category - sponsored by the Green Tourism Business Scheme -  Wheatland Farm now goes forward to the glittering Awards Ceremony, which is being held on 22 May 2012.

Owner Ian Ripper said, "It's quite something to get this far - in the top 5 across the country! We have to wait until the big night to find out whether we're Gold, Silver, Bronze or one of two Highly Commended. We daren't hope for the top slot - any of them will be a big achievement!"

Commenting on the finalists James Berresford, VisitEngland's Chief Executive said "I would like to congratulate all those nominated as VisitEngland Awards for Excellence finalists this year. Wheatland Farm can justifiably take credit and pride in earning a place in the top 5 in their category in England.

Get your taste buds tingling and take a short break in the countryside. To celebrate Organic fortnight Cartwheel has put together a selection of members offering guests the opportunity to learn more about life on an organic farm. Enjoy a delicious organic cream tea, collect fresh eggs for breakfast, watch the morning milking or relax by a river with a glass of local organic wine. For more short break ideas visit: www.cartwheelholidays.co.uk. 

Redivallen Farmhouse B&B
Historic 17c Farmhouse near Boscastle Cornwall. Secluded, five star accommodation set on 340 acre farm producing organic beef from own suckler cows. Superb home cooking with local produce. Close to North Cornwall coast. Prices from £30 pppn.

Pebblebed House
Comfortable and atmospheric, four star, converted riverside warehouse in Topsham, nr Exeter, sleeps eight, with stunning river views over the river Exe. All guests are invited to a tour of the owner's organic vineyard, located nearby.  These wines regularly win awards in national and regional competitions. Short breaks from £395.

Old Newham Farm
Cosy, four star character cottages sleeping 2-4 on 30 acre organic beef farm near Camelford, N. Cornwall. Bordered by the River Ottery with a wealth of wildlife - heron, kingfishers, and otters. Three miles from coast. Short breaks from £150. 

Callestock Courtyard
Idyllic, four star barns on organic dairy farm, near Truro, Cornwall. Help with the milking and learn about organic farming first hand. Collect fresh organic eggs for breakfast and enjoy delicious cream teas. Relax with four poster beds, whirlpool baths and log burners. Private patio and BBQ area. Barns sleep up to four people. Price from £300 per week.

Tamarack Log Cabin
Traditional, four star, luxury log cabin on family run organic livestock farm, near Chard, Somerset. Beautiful views across the Yarty Valley and two wildlife sites to explore. Curl up in front of cosy log burner or walk across the Blackdown Hills. Cabin sleeps up to eleven people. Three night short breaks from £235.

Dreams definitely are made of this 

Well, fortune was on my side and I did make it to the wonderful Farm holiday at West Ilkerton Farm .

What a wonderful place this was, modern and comfortable, yet far removed from the real world!

As a competition winner, I won a three night break at the farm, but, unfortunately could not arrange to take all those I had hoped to s

hare the holiday with because of the short notice.

Having sorted out who could make it I travelled up the North Devon Link Road on the Friday afternoon and arrived at the farm just before 17:00. The farm is located about 2 or 3 miles from Lynton and Lynmouth and has it's own world dedicated to it.

I went with my daughter and her friend, both recently relieved to have completed their GCSE's. We were met on arrival and shown the accommodation, it was all we could have hoped for.

I had a king sized four poster bed, and they shared a room with two singles. The other king sized bedroom was spare! We rattled around in the space, but it was so good to be able to relax without any constraints. 

We took plenty of BBQ food and decided that we should get the most out of the outdoor cooking facility, and we certainly did that! As we cooked on the first evening we had the delights of rural North Devon to survey and were accompanied by some of the farm animals to help us out. The homemade burgers, with a hint of curry and chilli were a hit, along with the sausages and accompaniments. The wood for the BBQ was given to us by our host and certainly did the trick. To cleanse myself of the smell from the BBQ I took a soak in the bath, which was long enough for me to lay almost flat, that was so relaxing.

On the second day the girls went off into Lynton and Lynmouth, travelled back by bus and then walked the last mile up the rather steep approach and they had a wonderful time. They toured the selection of shops they found and also went for a dip in the rather chilly sea, time for another BBQ, followed by a few drinks and a relaxing time with some of the video's that were available in the house. The girls also found the table football entertaining, but I was limited by a cricket injury to my hand, so couldn't make much use of it. Luckily, that was good news as I was also chief BBQ cook.

The weather had been good to us, especially after recent wet periods, and on Sunday we travelled to Porlock where we met up with a couple of friends who would share the day with us. Of course, we also shared another BBQ and went to town with Prawns, kebabs, more home made burgers and so many sausages! Just for consistency and to keep ourselves lubricated, we also had a few drinks, testament to this could be found in the recycling bin in the kitchen. We had a race against the weather as signs of wetter things to come greeted us. We managed to get the BBQ done and eaten and cleared away before the low cloud over the hill (which felt like rain) brought an end to our outdoor eating. We retired to the comfort of the lovely farmhouse and chatted whilst we finished our drinks. 

Such a simple, but hugely relaxing time was had, no mobile phone calls or messages, there's virtually no chance because of the lack of signal, and that gave us the opportunity to remove ourselves from everyday life.

I must recommend the farm itself and the holiday company CartwheelHolidays because they have been fantastic. Just enough involvement, but not too pushy to put you off. I managed to give my head an almighty clatter on the way out of the back door, it nearly brought me to my knees, but this was to be expected at least once, having been warned about it, but luckily there was no lasting damage and I look forward to another opportunity to share the delights of this farm. The next time will hopefully be with more of my close family, but this was certainly special.

 By Simon Bailey, Blog competition winner

Westcountry beaches are top of the bill when it comes to 'walkies' a new survey has revealed.

According to dog owners, Beer near Seaton and Village Beach at Woolacombe both in Devon and Penhale Sands at Perranporth in Cornwall are among the top ten most dog friendly beaches, across the UK.

The questionnaire carried out by Coast magazine and website 'allaboutyou.com' asked dog owners for their favourite coastal destinations for exercising their pets.

The list, sponsored by Pedigree, covers walks for little dogs, best walks for old sea dogs and even best beach for a dog friendly pub!

Beer was chosen as the best beach for old sea dogs, a quiet place with plenty of opportunity to take in the air and admire the view without too much strenuous walking.

With its glorious golden sands and fine surfing conditions, Penhale Sands - between Newquay and St Agnes - was voted the best beach for sociable surfers and their dogs. Village Beach at Woolacombe on the North Devon coast,was voted best beach for a long run with the dog.

The study is the latest boost for tourism in South West England, after viewers of the Blighty TV channel, last week, voted Cornwall the country's most scenic county, followed closely by Devon. According to those polled, the South West scored highly for natural beauty, weather, tourist attractions and cleanliness.

FIREWORK  FESTIVAL - 6th November 2010

The Pirates Revenge Bonfire  - Fancy Dress Competition at 6.00pm, 6.30pm  March of the Pirates - the best dressed Pirate will light the Bonfire. Top Guy competition, Devon's Monstrous Firework display, Sideshows, BBQ , refreshments, Ben the Master Juggler & Spangles the Clown and Live Band.

All the extra entertainment on special event days is included in the usual admission price to the most exciting family theme park in Devon. 

16 family rides, 10 playzones for all ages and 100,000sq.ft. undercover - All weather fun guaranteed!

For full info check out www.woodlandspark.com or phone 01803 712598

Woodlands Family Theme Park, Dartmouth, Devon. TQ9 7DQ

HALLOWEEN SATURDAY PARTY TIME - 30th October 2010

The Spooky party with Spangles the Clown, New Spectre of the Abbey Ruins, Daring Phantom Pirates Maze, Trick & Treat Hunts, Workshops, Ghoulish Ghost Train,  Flying Spooks Tractor Ride, Free pumpkins & Pumpkin carving competition, Wicked Witch of the Woods Procession, float your wishing candle in the Monks Cave and Best Spooky Fancy Dress competition.

Woodlands Family Theme Park, Dartmouth, Devon, TQ9 7DQ. Telephone 01803 712598 or visit the website http://www.woodlandspark.com/home.html

Family Fright Week at Woodlands Family Theme Park - 23rd - 30th October 2010

Captain Skeleton and 6 Beastly Attractions will be raising screams for 9 days of the best Halloween ever at Woodlands from Oct 23rd - 30th.

Woodlands Family Theme Park near Dartmouth is famous for it's free Pumpkins and daily Carving Championships. The ghastly rides & spooky attractions are perfect for families wanting to celebrate the fun of Halloween.

Win creepy prizes in the Fiendish Workshop making Marvellous Masks, Lanterns, Ghostly Lollies & Batty Bats. Find a Haunted House Trick or Treat Ticket to win another prize, it's all Free!

Woodlands Family Theme Park, Dartmouth, Devon, TQ9 7DQ. Telephone 01803 712598 or visit the website - http://www.woodlandspark.com/home.html

Cornish pasty makers have been left baffled after it emerged Brussels bureaucrats have invented a "phantom turnip".

The European Commission is preparing guidelines on what ingredients should be allowed in the traditional WestCountry dish as it looks to afford the delicacy protected status.

Officials have ruled that pasties must contain swede if they want to be considered the genuine article.

But in a confusing twist that has drawn criticism from eurosceptics, Cornish pasties will be allowed to go on sale advertised as containing turnip.

Yet the dish will be considered a fake if they actually do contain the errant root vegetable.

The documents state that only minced or diced beef, sliced potato, onion and swede are permitted to fill the pastry, which has it origins in the Cornish tin mining industry.

Yet the guidelines make reference to a linguistic Cornish quirk where a swede is referred to as a turnip – even though they are very different root vegetables.

The swede is white with a sharp taste and the turnip is orange with a more earthy flavour.
The guidance reads: "Traditionally, in Cornwall 'swede' is referred to as 'turnip' so the two terms are interchangeable, but the actual ingredient is 'swede'."

A spokesman for the European Commission stressed it would be up to the British government to determine whether a pasty fell foul of the rules or not.

William Dartmouth, UKIP Euro MP for the South West, said: "It just goes to prove that anyone who tries to micro-manage the rich heritage of this country is simply asking for trouble.

"Distant Eurocrats will never understand the quirky intricacies of life in the UK, the local language and customs that have grown up over centuries.

"The case of the phantom turnip is only the latest in a long line of food-related chaos inflicted on us by Europe. It's time they learnt their lesson and gave us all a break."

The draft regulations, published last month and due to come into force in January, specify that the product must be D-shaped and crimped on one side, "never on top".

A study of 10,000 people has shown that food really can recreate the emotional characteristics of its place of origin – and Cornwall has the competition licked.

Food psychologist Greg Tucker explored how the type of ice cream, its taste profile and origin all come together to create different subliminal reactions in the brain.

The study, commissioned by Kelly's of Cornwall Ice Cream, shows that ice cream made in Cornwall creates very different emotional triggers to those from other parts of the world.

According to the findings, American ice cream brings associations of busyness and frenetic activity, and Italian ice cream evokes a sense of liveliness and sophistication.

But for those looking for escapism and a stress-free state of mind, a scoop of creamy Cornish ice cream should do the trick.

Charlotte Hambling, from Kelly's of Cornwall, said: "We want to truly understand what happens to people emotionally when they eat ice cream – and the results are fascinating.

"We're calling it The Three Ts: taste, trigger and touch. The taste of the ice cream triggers an emotional response in the brain that is then connected with how the brand touches you personally."

Greg Tucker, who carried out the research, specialises in behaviour management and consumer psychology. He analysed information from more than 10,000 adults last month.

Travel experiences are linked to the three main elements of happiness: Joy, a sense of purpose and a sense of involvement.

The positive impact of a holiday lasts until well after the break is over and can even contribute to a longer life, a recent study has suggested.

Researchers found that tourists’ experiences are linked to the three main elements of happiness - Joy, a sense of purpose and a sense of involvement.

Doctors could soon start prescribing ‘short breaks’ for patients alongside antidepressants, according to Dr Sebastian Filep, an expert in travel and wellbeing at Victoria University, Australia.
“I see an opportunity for a greater connection between tourism and health where holidays become a more important factor in leading a healthy lifestyle,” Dr Filep said.

“Happiness is good for overall physical and mental health and holidays are an ideal vehicle for experiencing happiness. Based on studies I’ve seen, I can say that there is evidence that suggests that people who are happy live longer. I think that holidays may possibly lead to people living longer, as in the majority of cases, holidays and short breaks away from normal routines, make people happy.”

“I see holidays as part of the overall treatment for making people happy because we now have research evidence that demonstrates a clear link between holidays and happiness.”

Dr. Filep believes holidays provide the three main elements of happiness. The first is positive emotions: joy, interest, contentment and love.
The next is meaning, this gives people a sense of purpose.
The final part is engagement and gives people a sense of involvement.

Analysis was undertaken with 60 different tourists examining their travel experiences. The travel motivations of 200 backpackers were also analysed.

The thesis was conducted for a chapter in a forthcoming book ‘Tourists, Tourism and the Good Life’.