Cartmel is a medieval village situated on the edge of the southern Lake District. The 12th century Cartmel Priory typifies this village both in architecture and history. It is still used for worship today as it has been for over 800 years and attracts thousands of visitors each year.

The other main attraction for visitors to Cartmel is the racecourse. With the first recorded race said to have taken place on the mid 1800’s, Cartmel races continues to grow in stature and popularity year on year. The creation of a new grandstand, with the back drop of the beautiful southern Lake District coupled with catering to rival any top race event has really put Cartmel on the map.

Cartmel is very much becoming a gastronomic destination. Cartmel and its surrounding villages have some of the best examples of Lake District gastronomy in the whole of Cumbria and the Lake District. Even though many of the restaurants and public houses are located within historic buildings, the food served is right in the 21st century using the finest locally sourced produce that is found in an abundance in the south Lakeland area.

Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding is one of the most famous exports from Cartmel. The pudding is now sold all over the United Kingdom and even world with high class restaurants in London serving this still handmade in Cartmel pudding.

With its top quality food, beautiful historical buildings, race course and spectacular scenery, it’s not hard to believe that Cartmel attracts a cosmopolitan visitor. Luckily, Cartmel offers some stunning Lake District self catering properties. When attending the races, what better place to stay in than a beautiful Grade II listed manor house or a beautiful double-fronted period property in Cartmel.

Nearby attractions also include Holker Hall (a stately home with lovely gardens and grounds and a cafe, Cark-in-Cartmel), the Lakeland Motor Museum (In addition to vintage and classic motors, the museum now features of faithfully recreated period shop fronts and also has a themed gift shop. It is now located at its new site in Backbarrow, on the main A590) and Brantwood (an historic house & gardens which used to be the home of John Ruskin with a shop, café and terrace on the east side of Coniston Water).

Windermere is a popular destination for people of all ages, all tastes and all interests. Of course, Windermere is very famous as a base for walking the Lakeland fells and for doing many other outdoor activities but more and more visitors are coming to Windermere for a bit of luxury.

To add to the already long list of Windermere’s attributes and lures comes luxury. Windermere has some of the most stunning buildings with many of the larger residences being luxury hotels. In recent years, some of the luxury hotels have taken their attention to detail to another level. They have refurbished, redesigned, added on, decorated and paid even more attention to detail than before. Windermere now has some of the best hotels in the country and more than rival some of the famous hotels in south.

Dining has become a more prevalent factor in many hotels these days. Hotel restaurants often used to be of a pretty poor standard even when the hotel itself was of a high standard. Michelin starred restaurants are now common practice in hotels with big name chefs taking control at these luxury complexes.

Windermere couldn’t be in a better location for a restaurant to obtain top quality produce. Cumbria the Lake District has some of the finest local produce in the country from lamb and sausage to cheese, bread and cream. It really isn’t hard to understand why the Lake District is also now home to some of the finest restaurants in the north of England. Being relatively close to the coats means even the freshest seafood can be found.

Attention to detail is key for luxury Windermere hotels from the service to rooms and outside areas. One hotel in Windermere which has seen recent refurbishment has produced a collection of rooms without compromise, most with patio doors leading onto the gardens and with either spa baths or hot tubs. They have also created luxury suites in a renovated Lake house with many having stunning views over a private lake.

Constant refurbishment is essential in luxury hotels for complete perfection. Its gardens are as well looked after as the inside of the hotel with different seating areas. Their aim was to create a terrace that comprised different ‘rooms’ for people to sit in.

This has been created by breaking up the terrace with different materials and features such as ponds with water features and raised beds. During the day, the south-facing terrace enjoys the sunshine, and at dusk the sunset can often be enjoyed with pre-dinner cocktails. On warm evenings the terrace is candle lit. Pathways lead from the terrace to the south gardens and to the wild meadow and llama paddock.

The special services available set a luxury hotel apart from the rest. Organisation of spa treatments for example, private dining rooms, chauffeurs and touches such as the turning down of bed covers at night.

With the festival season in full swing fashion retailers are focusing their attention on the ultimate festival style.

It has become apparent that these days festivals are about more than just the music. Despite being cooped up in a tent for days and up to their knees in mud, festival-goers have never looked more glamorous.  In the last few years the festival has become an open field fashion show for trend setters and fashion lovers alike.

But whatever the weather, music taste or style, Wellington boots are the one item no seasoned festival-goer would ever be without.  Thankfully the Hunter Wellies collection provides not only comfort and protection from all weather conditions but offers a wide range of products for the fashion conscious.

Hunter Wellies have been producing Wellington boots for more than 150 years.  Today, the reputation of Hunter boots’ performance, durability and outstanding comfort has become legendary. The Hunter Wellington boot is globally recognisable and has become a lifestyle statement around the world.

Originally designed for stomping through rugged terrain, Hunter Wellies have since become the first choice for festival goers and country types alike, making them an all year round boot.

The expanding Hunter range continues to inspire the great festival look and is a must-have for fashion fanatics.  The variety of colours, patterns and styles means that there is a pair to suit everybody, from the basic to the extraordinary.

Over the years the Hunter boots have been the exclusive choice for many celebrity festival fans, from style icons Kate Moss and Sadie Frost, to pop idol Lily Allen. Most recently, the iconic Wellington boots have even attracted collaboration with the infamous Jimmy Choo, inspiring the sleek and sophisticated Carnaby boots collection.

This year’s definitive festival boot look comes in the form of the Hunter Wellies Festival 2010. Individual styling, consisting of Hunter rivets, strap and stirrup detailing sets these boots apart. Style and street cred are apparent in the wearer whilst the message is exclusivity and seasoned festival goer.

For ultimate festival glamour in 2010 the beautiful new Wedge Wellies range introduces a 2½ inch wedge heel to the originally flat Wellington boot.  This brilliant new design incorporates the much loved high heel with the functional rubber boot without any of the usual impracticalities of wearing heels at a festival.

Wedge Wellies have been designed specifically with festivals in mind.  The wedge provides a cushion to maintain an extra comfortable fit while the incredibly unique styles, such as the Wedge Welly Curve Candy Girl boots and the Wedge Welly Curve Maneater boots ensure that any festival-goer will attract attention and stand out from the crowd wherever they go. Ugg boots are still just as popular.

How can we conserve energy at home and in our garden offices and other domestic buildings? There has been much talk about renewable energy and new technologies such as ground source heat pumps and grey water recycling for use around the home. Most new domestic technologies are still in the development stage, and have twenty or thirty year pay-back periods.

A wind turbine in the garden would suffer from limited wind speed in urban areas, needs planning permission, and unless 2 or 3 metres in span produces very little electricity. However, if you live on the top of a hill in Scotland a wind turbine is a good idea. Solar panels for generating hot water are worth considering, and are cost effective on your house rather than on your garden office.

The investment in new technologies is definitely worthwhile personally and globally if you are building a new house or if you intend to live in your home for life. But there are simple measures that all of us can take in our homes and our garden offices to help reduce our carbon footprint.

So what are the simplest and fastest ways of reducing energy consumption in a new garden office, granny flat and in our homes?
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MailSave+ Optimisation Event is a complimentary, invitation-only event taking place at a Village Hotel near you.

You simply can’t afford to miss this if you want to get the most out of mail and postal optimisation.

What is MailSave+?
In today’s deregulated postal market all dispatch and facilities managers must look for the most cost-effective way to send out business critical documents. MailSave+ is a new and unique service that gives you the choice of postal provider and discounts when you send your mail.

Who’s it for?
Small to medium sized businesses and public sector bodies whose mail volumes do not meet the traditional pre-sorted or Cleanmail volume criteria.
Postrooms who want a cost effective service for non time critical traditional second class mail.

What are the benefits to you - the customer?
•    Reduced cost per item on every item
•    Lower volume thresholds attract discount on every item
•    Volumes can be averaged to meet collection minimums
•    Collections times that are convenient for you
•    A cost-effective and flexible way of achieving daily mail discounts

The Mailing Room is a leading supplier of mailroom equipment and consumables including franking machines, postal scales, folding and inserting machines and letter openers. The Mailing Room is brought to you by an alliance of FP Mailing (North West) Limited, FP Mailing (South) Limited and FP Executive Agency Limited.

For more information on MailSave+ from The Mailing Room, visit http://www.themailingroom.com

Steeped in history Yorkshire, incorporating the North, East and West, is a region that has a plethora of attractions and activities to keep even the most active children entertained all day long.

Below is a selection of attractions and Yorkshire days out from across the county and combined will not fail to keep the whole family happy.

Black Sheep Brewery
Situated at the gateway to Wensleydale, Masham is the home of the Black Sheep Brewery. On this site you can learn how the Black Sheep Brewery was established in the early 90’s, find out about our range of traditional ales, discover how they are brewed and where to drink them. You can also see what our Visitor Centre and famous Bistro have to offer, and can buy on line from the Brewery shop.
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Combining a spa treatment with a holiday or weekend away is becoming more and more popular and thankfully now, you do not have to go abroad and spend a fortune in order to do so. With the stresses of work and family life, the ability for total relaxation and making the most out of a much deserved weekend break is a must and places such as Surrey have seen high quality Surrey spas hotels opening recently.

Spa’s located within hotels are the most convenient and give the most relaxation as the guest can simply come down from their room and within a matter of seconds be in having a spa treatment, no need to get in a car or walk for miles.

Spa treatments can be anything from a variety of massages to facials, tanning, waxing, manicures, pedicures, anti-ageing, eye treatments, facials and bridal treatments. With the popularity of having a civil ceremony in a hotel, a Surrey spa hotel offers ultimate pampering for the bride and her friends and family.

No destination hotel would be complete without a destination spa. A life spa environment within a hotel can reflect the perfect balance between cutting edge design and classical therapies, such as wet and dry treatment rooms, his & her steam rooms and saunas, outdoor hot tubs, a meditation room with gentle warming water beds and super-chic relaxation areas.

Even the treatments within spas are becoming more luxurious and being tailored to a guest’s specific needs and requirements. A number of highly quality hotels and spas now have exclusive signature treatment menus.

Some of the beauty industry’s most enchanting brands are now creating ranges and therapies for spas. Some of which can only be found of the cream of the world’s beauty salons, for example:

Facials by Lubatti - created by the celebrated and legendary facialist Tracey Malone, sister of Jo Malone and daughter of 1970s’ London society skincare expert Eileen Malone.

Massages and body treatments created by Jane Scrivner - a contemporary treatment designer with more than 20 years experience, and the originator of hot and cold stone massages in this country.

Manicures and pedicures by Butter LONDON - the new face of the nail industry. With a colour range covering catwalk inspired shades, the sexy, the classic and everything in between, manicures and pedicures have never been so on-trend.

A spa really does cater for every pampering and rejuvenation requirement. For the more active spa guest, personal trainers in state of the art gyms can be arranged for those who require detailed instruction and motivation. Equally a spa can be for complete relaxation in the form of beauty treatments, also mind and body treatments such as hot stone treatments and meditation. Men are also now seeing the benefits of visiting a Surrey spa hotel with specialized male spa treatments and remedial procedures perfect for sportsmen for example.

The August Bank Holiday weekend has always been one of the busiest and most popular Bank Holidays to go away. It is in a prime summer month and also the last Bank Holiday before Christmas. The weekend is one of the last before children return to school and the timing of it is ideal for both tourists taking their first break of the summer or as a short get away for those who have taken a holiday earlier in the summer.

Getting away for August Bank Holiday in the UK is a great idea especially in 2010. The Sterling to Euro exchange rate is still fairly poor and with holidays and prices abroad rising, staying in the UK has been a popular choice this summer. A long weekend is an excellent choice if money is tight and a holiday for a whole week is unaffordable. Another reason could be or if the time off work cannot be had.

Cumbria - The Lake District is a great place to visit for a Bank Holiday weekend as it is easily accessible, has a wide range of locations, activities and places to stay and visit and offers something different from a city break or holiday abroad. Keeping children entertained is easy in the Lake District with such a broad range of Lake District activities. Listed below are a selection from across the region.
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Modern fire extinguishers are highly sophisticated items of equipment and strict regulations are in force in the manufacture and maintenance of each appliance.

The Construction and Operation of Modern Fire Extinguishers

Modern portable fire extinguishers are typically Stored Pressure or Cartridge Operated Fire Extinguishers. Manufacturers of fire extinguishers tend to produce both types of fire extinguisher with stored pressure fire extinguishers being the most common.

Fire Extinguisher Construction Materials.

Typically modern fire extinguisher bodies are constructed from Steel, Aluminium or Aluminium Alloy. These materials give the fire extinguisher a durable exterior to withstand knocks, external temperatures and corrosion. The cartridge in gas cartridge operated fire extinguishers is usually coated in plastic to give the cartridge extra protection against the contents of the fire extinguisher. There are two types are gas cartridges in modern fire extinguishers, these are; piercing disc and frangible pip cartridges. The piercing disc gas cartridge features a diaphragm which is pierced by a suitable shaped spindle. The frangible pip gas cartridge features a pip which is broken by a blunt spindle. In a gas cartridge operated fire extinguisher only the cartridge itself is pressurised whereas in a stored pressure fire extinguisher the entire body of the fire extinguisher is pressurised.
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Hansons Used Caravans specialise in the buying, selling and transporting of quality used mobile homes and static caravans throughout the UK and Europe.

They provide second hand static caravans and quality used touring mobile homes to a varied customer base including;

• Full ownership on or off a holiday park
• Additional storage units
• Temporary accommodation
• Self build / renovation projects
• Staff accommodation for companies with seasonal work

Mobile homes range in price from £500 to £20,000 and should they not have a suitable caravan in stock, they guarantee to source one.

Various layout options are available (e.g. 2 or 3 bedrooms, double / single glazing) and all used static caravans and secondhand tourers are fully cleaned and prepared to a very high standard before they are delivered, enabling our customers to be able to move straight in.

Hansons Used Caravans are always looking to purchase static caravans and touring mobile homes. If you are looking to sell your mobile home or tourer, then please call Hanson on 01759 304996 / 07980 669774 for a quotation.

In additon to caravan sales, Hansons also provide caravan transport throughout the UK and Europe and they provide timed deliveries. This is a very specialised service, which can be difficult to source as various “wide load permits” are required. Hansons offer free quotations and site surveys regardless of whether you purchased your static caravan from them.

There is a lot of confusion as to exactly how sealed lead acid batteries are constructed.

The construction of sealed lead acid batteries is in actual fact it is not as complicated as people may let you believe.  The following is a short piece on exactly how these batteries are constructed.

The whole ethos of how the battery construction is designed is basically to eliminate the loss of electrolyte through evaporation, gassing or spillage.  The basic premise that the batteries are sealed leads to a longer battery life and also reduces the amount of maintenance needed compared to other varieties of batteries.  Other types of batteries have simple valve caps to let gas escape from the batteries, whereas sealed lead acid batteries are constructed using pressure valves which open in extreme conditions.  To reduce the release of oxygen and hydrogen in the air by galvanic action as the sealed lead acid battery is charging the electrolyte needs to have an adapted design.  The electrolyte is designed in sealed lead acid batteries in such a way that it triggers the oxygen and hydrogen to re-amalgamate into water and is often known as a recombinant technique.  Because of the reasons given above and the sealed nature of the batteries, sealed lead acid batteries are much safer than other variants of batteries for a mobility scooter battery for example.

Purchasing holiday property is on the up in the UK with a wider choice of property including caravans and lodges. Devon is an excellent location for buying a holiday property. The choice of the different property types and locations are varied and it is a destination that never gets boring. The North Devon coast especially is beautiful, most is an area of outstanding natural beauty and the amount of activities on offer can entertain even the fussiest of children.

Of course, surfing is a large draw to this area. The beaches of Woolacombe, Saunton and Croyde are always full of surfers in the summer months but even out of season. The mild climate in the south of the UK means Devon can be visited out of the normal holiday’s seasons with very pleasant weather conditions. In surfing terms, it is often the slightly wilder and duller days that produce the best surf. The Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, or AONB, was given this designation in 1959. The North Devon AONB is an area totalling 171 square kilometres, from Marsland Mouth on the Cornish border to Combe Martin.

The countryside is splendid with plenty of walks for the less adventurous walking along the miles of beaches is really quite a spectacle. Then just a short drive away in the large town of Barnstaple. It is in Barnstaple that many self catering holiday makers will visit to stock up on food and other supplies being the largest town in the area. It is now far easier to access both from north Devon and the M5 by the new bypass which opened in 2007. Previous to the bypass being constructed, congestion was a large problem, especially is the height of summer. The market in Barnstaple is found on a Tuesday, Friday and Saturday and has stalls selling all the fantastic local produce available in this highly fertile area.

When purchasing a static caravan or Devon holiday homes from an established caravan site you get peace of mind that the security of your home as the resort will provide a range of security and maintenance services including a private access controlled entrance to ensure your investment is protected all year round. In keeping with such a luxury investment, you will not be responsible for chores such as grass cutting and ground care around your lodge. These tasks will all be taken care of for you so that you are free to relax and make the best of your holiday time.

Modern touring caravans for sale and holiday lodges come with better specifications than a lot of houses with broadband, sky TV, spacious plots, large decked areas, paved courtyards and all year round holiday use. Better still on some of the top Devon resorts you will also be able to make use of the onsite facilities such as heated indoor swimming pools, golf courses and equestrian centres.