We go around seeking out weird and wonderful places to stay. This blog is full of things we love, things we’ve found and some vague outdoorsy musings.
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Motu Tetaraire - Tahiti, French Polynesia - Private Dream Island
On a dotted atoll with unhabited islands in Rangiroa, Tahiti, you will find...
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“The autumn leaves are falling like rain
Although my neighbors are all barbarians,
and you, you are a thousand miles away,
there are always two...” -
just gonna go glamping everyone.
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Sometimes I can’t even remember how I find some of these links but if having a holiday in a posh tent is your kind of thing...
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38 posts tagged People we love
A FAMILY WITH MHOR TO GIVE A FESTIVAL THAN MOST!
The Lewis family have always had a lot going on. They run the Monachyle Mhor Hotel and cater for its restaurants and the new Mhor 84 eatery with their own bakery, smokery, herd of cattle and farm produce. So they’re pretty well placed to bring it all together for The Mhor Festival taking place on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th of May, 2013.
This year’s highlights for the feast of fun and, of course, food include:
- THE MAIN EVENT: A five-way bake off with top chefs including Tom Lewis of Mhor defending his home turf. Plus Andrew Fairlie (Scotland’s only 2 Michelin star chef), Roy Brett, Michael Smith and Neil Forbes. Each of them must cook a course for the Festival Feast!
- A Ceilidh kicked off by Trad Music Award winning Session A9
- An opening Raft Race on Loch Voil to kick off DJs and live music; food and market stalls; afternoon tea; beer, wine, champagne and Pimms; oysters, a barbeque and a hog roast
- Tonnes of traditional kids activities from a coconut shy to plant potting
To get involved or just to turn up and taste some fabulous cooking, take a look at The Mhor Festival.
You can also stay on site in the quirky and brilliant Pilot Panther, a showman’s wagon for 4 in the hotel grounds with stunning loch views from £125/night.
ARTIST OF THE MONTH - ALABAMA SHAKES
A band from Athens in…..wow, Alabama, who bring together a bit of rootsy folk, some Bowie/prog rock influences and the edginess of their punk drummer to make a sound all their own. One of our team has their album Boys & Girls, their debut, on constant repeat at the moment. We’re just hoping she doesn’t try and grow that beard.
They’re going to be at Glastonbury and then backing up Bruce Springsteen on 30th June in London. Find out more here: http://www.alabamashakes.com
NEW: ROCK CLIMBING AT THE OLD FORGE
Explore the fossil beaches and rugged cliffs of Dorset from the rock face, with a picnic waiting at the top…
The Old Forge is home to Rosie the Gypsy Caravan, Sam the Shepherd’s Hut, Scrumpy Jack the mischievous donkey and of course Tim and Lucy, your lovely hosts. Their daughter Sophie recently got married at The Old Forge, in a vintage, homespun, unique wedding of her own creation, to Alex, a qualified climbing instructor. So take someone intrepid along and the two of you can join Alex and Sophie to explore the world-famous Jurassic Coast…
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ARTIST OF THE MONTH - SARAH MASON
Sarah is a specialist portrait and wedding photographer based in the Calder Valley between Manchester and Leeds. She prefers to use the stunning scenery around her as a backdrop for her personal work and occasion shoots. We first came across her after she stayed at Scales Plantation and also when she sent us a lovely photo of a boy named Jacob looking a bit surprised! We took a little time to get to know her better.
Which living person do you most admire and why?
My uncle Jim for his joie de vivre and for alll his sporting achievements to raise money for breast cancer awareness and care.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
Abseiling and having a wardrobe malfunction at about 100ft from the ground.
What would your super power be?
To persuade Kate Bush to play live…just one more gig. I would LOVE that to happen!
What is your most unappealing habit?
I have a habit of sneezing very loudly and making everyone jump. I did it in the cinema once and the person in front if me chucked their popcorn up in the air.
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Cheese slice toasties. They remind me of being ay my Grandma’s house. You have to watch that molten cheese on the roof of your mouth though.
What is the worst job you’ve ever done?
Working on an onion farm when I went travelling. Cutting the tops and bottoms off the onions all day, every day. Tears for the first hour and then stinging eyes for the rest of the day! Ouch.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Setting up my own business. Doing something I am passionate about and love every day.
What was your best holiday?
After leaving college, a friend and I went on a round the world adventure for a year and a half. 20 years on and those experiences are still with me.
What was your worst holiday?
A misjudged trip to the South of France with a bunch of school friends when we were teenagers. To top it off, I had tonsillitis.
Where next?
Rurall Suffolk. I’m doing a pre-wedding shoot and then I’ll have a couple of days to explore.
What’s your best piece of travel advice?
Don’t plan too much in advance. See how the mood takes you when you arrive.
How would you like to be remembered?
That lass that was pretty nifty with a camera
Have someone you think would be perfect for our Artist of the Month spotlight? Email your suggestions to: peoplewelove@canopyandstars.co.uk
To see more of Sarah’s skills, visit her website!
ARTIST OF THE MONTH - CATRIN LEIGHTON
Meet Catrin Leighton, a face you may recognise from our two-minute glamping holiday video (conveniently seen here). Catrin has the ideal combination of being high on talent but low on ego. She’ll do anything to get the audience laughing or crying and she’ll do it well. And although she didn’t get to dress up in 3D for our video, she happily agreed to be our Artist of the Month for February. Watch her space - she’s definitely an ‘up-and-comer’.
Where do you live now and what do you ‘do’?
Right now I live in Cardiff and I’m studying my 3rd year of a BA hons Theatre and Drama through the medium of Welsh. I’m also working as a tour guide for the Millennium Stadium.
Which living person do you most admire and why?
I admire my tutor for my last course Paula, she has such an eye for theatre. Just a genius.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
I was working in a café in Newport Pembrokeshire when I was about 14/15 and some of the other girls who were working there were talking about the lead singer of Feeder and how he was having lunch in our café at the table by the window. Now, I wasn’t really into music and had no idea who this person was so I told them to just go and ask, and they wouldn’t, so I boldly strutted over and asked the man at the table “Are you the lead singer of Feeder?” and he said “No.” That was fine and I walked away, but as I was walking I heard the words “I am though!” but I was already walking away and was too mortified to turn round. I had actually asked the lead singer of Feeder’s brother if he was the lead singer of Feeder. Embarrassing but I still couldn’t pick him out of a crowd, and I still haven’t bothered to find out his actual name.
Who would play you in the film of your life?
I’d like to say Helena Bonham Carter…or Jennifer Saunders, but I’d probably be closer with Dawn French or Miranda Hart.
What would be your fancy dress costume of choice?
Well it would have to be a one-piece, I do like a good onesie, and tassels, tassels are good. BUT having said that I’ve always wanted to dress up as something 3D like an Airport of the Eiffel Tower.
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Probably musicals, anything I can sing along to and I’m there.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
“Literally” and not even in its correct context, which is worse.
What is the worst job you’ve done?
Well I used to work in a burger van, I actually quite enjoyed myself but my friend Edward called me white trash once.
What album are you listening to now?
I’ve just discovered ‘The Asteroids Galaxy Tour’.
Best holiday?
I’ve been Skiing a few times and I always absolutely love it, but I went to Amsterdam last year and that was also really fun, oh and Scotland for the Fringe Festival, that was great and a kind of ‘fly off the seat of your pants’ type of holiday.
Where next?
Berlin! I’ve been before for a weekend with University but I’m going again in Easter time. Also I’m hoping to do a Ski season in Canada this winter.
Beach bum, culture vulture or adrenalin junkie?
All of those rolled into one, everything in moderation.
What’s your best piece of travel advice?
If your accommodation falls through, there are always people willing to put you up if you put an ad on Gumtree.
Which is your favourite country and why?
Well I haven’t been to many but Scotland is up there, and so is Amsterdam, and good old Cardiff has never let me down.
Have someone you think would be perfect for our Artist of the Month spotlight? Email your suggestions to: peoplewelove@canopyandstars.co.uk
WANDERLUSTS & BARNY + CHARLIE & BOB + STEVE & LISA
Wanderlusts is a unique and enchanting trundle, a beautiful place to stay that travels with you, a tour of secret Cumbria and much more.
Our first guests, Steve & Lisa, sent us their holiday snaps to share. “It was the most relaxing holiday we have ever been on,” they said afterwards. “So well planned out.”
After a busy year, they just wanted to take life at a gentle pace and enjoy every single moment of a well-deserved break. They started by driving through the country lanes with Barny, their easy-going guide, on the reins, and Charlie and Bob the horses in front. Stopping at a private little camping spot (complete with loo, shower and campfire) they pitched up for the night to watch the stars and sleep soundly in their caravan, a beautiful carved wagon restored by Barny himself.
In the morning, a sizzling breakfast set them up for a day’s adventuring and a visit to Long Meg, the ancient stone circle. But each Wanderlusts break is unique: you could be stopping off at a working watermill, charming pub, or wood-fired lakeside sauna - with a dip in the lake to follow, of course!
ARTIST OF THE MONTH - HEATH ROBINSON (1872 - 1944)
All hail The Gadget King! We’re not saying that dealing with the holiday work backlog has made us feel like we’re whirring away fruitlessly. Not at all, no. But it has got us thinking, by a suitably roundabout and convoluted chain of events, about our January Artist of the Month: William Heath Robinson.
Known as British cartoonist and gadget enthusiast, Robinson originally wanted to be a landscape artist but pressures of family and money lead him to follow his two brothers into book illustration. He supplemented his income with drawings for weekly magazines, finding some success with The Tatler and The Sketch. By the time World War I crashed the book market, his now famous humorous drawings were his main source of employment and in the years since, they have become a by –word for the arcane and over elaborate.
Mr. Robinson is our well deserved (and perhaps, TOO deserved for such a small accolade) Artist of the Month for the simple reasons that his drawings always result in a smile and that a part of you always finds the machine’s oblivious operator guiltily familiar.
Interesting fact: In the US, Rube Goldberg, who followed a similar career path occupies Robinson’s place in popular culture.
ARTIST OF THE MONTH - GAVIN REPTON
Meet Gavin Repton - one of the faces behind our 2012 collection of places and owner videos (which you can view here). Gavin is an up-and-coming self-employed videographer based in Wirksworth (a tiny town out in the sticks in Derbyshire), who, much to our relief, enjoys being paid in peanuts (who said that?!). For that alone he gets our December Artist of the Month shout, but also because of his extraordinary love for animals. Oh, and because we just really like him.
When were you happiest?
Hmmm, not sure, does ‘were’ include now? ‘Cus if so…. now. If not, probably the last time a saw a dog leaning out of the window of a moving car, loving life.
Which living person do you most admire and why?
All of my closest friends & family, ‘cus they’re all real good’uns.
What would your super power be?
Flying for sure. and if not, being able to understand dogs, I think they’d have a lot of stuff to say.
Who would play you in the film of your life?
That guy from The Office, Martin Freeman, just because my ladyfriend thinks i look like him. But if he wasn’t available, Bill Murray.
What would be your fancy dress costume of choice?
One of those costumes that looks like you’re riding an emu with fake legs and stuff.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Shouting “Doooooogggggyyyyy!!!” whenever i see a dog.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Keep doing the thing you want until you get paid to do it.
What are you reading now?
Bob Dylan Chronicles vol.1 - a good car boot sale purchase.
What album are you listening to now?
The new Man Man Album. And Miles Davis - 100 Masterpieces, when I’m driving. It makes me feel like I’m in a film montage.
Worst holiday?
Renting a campervan out which broke down on the first day and we had to get towed home… But there was a good pub while we were waiting so It wasn’t too bad!
Beach bum, culture vulture or adrenalin junkie?
All but beach bum, I’m too ginger to sit in the sun for too long!
What would you most like to find in your welcome hamper?
Bacon, loads of tea & coffee, and marshmallows if there’s a fire, and even if there isn’t. And some Old Tom ale.
Check out Gavin’s videos here.
TIS THE SEASON…
Tis the season (almost!) of giving, and the experts at AskHerFriends have got all the top tips to help you plan one of the best gifts of all – a holiday. Men, time to pay attention, and ladies…perhaps casually leave this page open on the computer as a not-so-subtle hint!
Step 1: Destination, Destination, Destination
First things first, where to? Obviously, nailing this part is pretty useful. Have a think about what kind of holiday she’d appreciate. If she has a pet hate for her hectic lifestyle and is constantly waiting for the sun to come out, a beach holiday will fit just right. For the more adventurous, you’ll be on the adrenaline trail, or disappear with her to a country retreat if you’re looking for relaxation.
Step 2: Be Prepared
Before you book something, you’ll need to make sure that she will be able to get the time off work and that she doesn’t miss anything important to her. If you can, have a secret word with her boss and perhaps let her friends and family in on the surprise, so they don’t arrange anything while you’re away.
Step 3: The Big Reveal
A great idea would be to buy some brand new luggage for her and slip the tickets inside. Romantic, spontaneous and plenty of brownie points for you!
In fact, why not up the suspense and create a treasure hunt around the house, leading to the tickets? Collect a selection of items she’ll need on the trip and scatter them in a trail with the tickets at the end. It will be a thoughtful, romantic story that she’ll want to share.
Step 4: Keeping the Memories Alive
The best way to beat the post-holiday blues is one final gift to make sure she’ll always remember your trip. Everyone keeps their photos locked away on the digital camera these days, or on the computer. Set them free! On your return, organise the photos from the trip into an album. Put her favourite snap of the two of you on the front cover, and add your own personal notes under each photo inside. Women firmly believe that this kind of gesture doesn’t exist outside of The Notebook – hopefully after all the care you’ve put into her dream trip, you’ll be able to prove you’re just as thoughtful and romantic.
About the author: Ben Blomerley is the founder of AskHerFriends, a site that helps guys get better gifts for the women in their lives. He founded the site after one or two gift disasters (one of which included a worm farm) when he realised that he had to up his game.
AN ODE TO CANOPY & STARS
Two months ago (to the day!) we sent two lucky winners on our biggest competition to date: The 2012 Great British Adventure. We have been missing our daily updates from Ed and Jenna - but when we found this on our doorsteps we miss them even more. Is it too soon to start getting excited about next year?
An ode to Canopy & Stars
A “Great British Adventure” was how it was sold,
so we sent in a picture, and a story we told.
When we found out we’d won it, we jumped up for joy,
An amazing itinerary and adventures ahoy!
In a sleeper train from London, to the North we were bound,
In Aviemore Walter greeted us, with his small loyal hound,
To the Beermoth we flew, in our vintage MG,
To be met with local produce, biscuits and tea.
A WW2 fire truck, could this be real?
With an old fashioned aga, and the cosiest feel,
Views of the Cairngorms, a bed better than home,
And fields to go wandering, for miles we could roam.
Spent the morning with reindeers, what a magical thing,
Then Full on John took us river tubing, in a big rubber ring!
What better way to conclude, than a visit to the pub,
The Old Bridge in Aviemore served us some quite wonderful grub!
The next day was peaceful, with Wooden Tom in the trees,
His woodcarving lessons really are the bee’s knees.
Our last night in Scotland went off with a bang,
For Walter’s birthday party, round the campfire we sang!
And so to the train, for the next leg of our trip,
With a bit of a hangover, Iron Bru did the trick.
The countryside flies by, into Cumbria we swoosh,
To be met by two horses, Bob & Charlie (and Katus!)
A gypsy caravan with Barney and his four legged friends,
The surprises on this adventure never come to an end.
A wood fuelled sauna is a sight to behold
But first for a lake dip, cor blimey its cold!
Wanderlusts take us wandering, it’s a peaceful pastime
To an old stone circle, then to the Watermill to dine.
Then off to Penrith, to our riverside lodge,
Tried our hand at some fishing, but those trout sure can dodge.
On to Ullswater we headed, for a great steamboat ride,
A walk round the lake, then to the lodge to get dry!
A wonderful meal by the wood burning stove,
To Riverford Organics, thanks for the food treasure trove!
So we jump in our Prius, time to head to the Hatch,
Homemade curry and beers, a delectable match.
Then Deep Elem arrive, for our own private gig
Their Blues music is extraordinary, till midnight we jig!
We are up with the larks for our high mountain climb,
Pen y Fan we have conquered; now it must be lunchtime!
To the Felin Fach Griffin we head for some nosh,
In the beautiful Brecon Beacons, this pub is quite posh!
Now its time to get dapper in our private tipi,
Fancy dress and a barbie, and the odd G&T!
Our friends come to join us and much merriment ensues;
The next day our heads hurt and we’re cursing the booze.
But mountain bikes await, and the cobwebs are blown,
Round the trails of Coed Trallwm we are skilfully shown,
Thanks to Mountain Bike Wales and the wonderful Phill,
We were swooping down red runs for a breathtaking thrill.
So, happy and exhausted to our final stop we head,
Head to toe in mud, they should have greeted us with dread,
But quite the opposite occurs and the welcome’s so warm,
Tea, scones and cake and croquet on the lawn.
When we really don’t think we can feel anymore glee,
We are shown to a slice of heaven, a house in a tree!
Charles and Linda at Harptree are a true pleasure to meet,
And provide a hamper of goodies, what a generous treat.
So the magical tour is over, the end is in sight,
To only say “thank you” just doesn’t seem right.
The people, the memories, all the effort you made,
Canopy & Stars you are legends, in the dream-making trade!
