Did you see us mentioned on The Paul O'Grady Show?
14 November 08
HF Holidays received a special mention of thanks from the popular TV programme The Paul O’Grady Show.
Aired on Friday 14 November at 5pm on Channel 4, HF Holidays took part in the Big Audience Giveaway and invited every audience member of the show to sample the best of the great British countryside on a FREE 1 night Freedom Break.
Our NEW Freedom Breaks package includes overnight en-suite accommodation at a superb Country House, a three course dinner on arrival, continental or full English breakfast, and a picnic lunch on departure.
Audience members will have the choice to visit and explore such beautiful locations as the beaches of Cornwall, the rolling Fells of the Lake District, the mountainous expanse of Snowdonia, or the foothills of Ben Nevis in the Scottish Highlands. As part of the holiday package they will also receive a Freedom Breaks guide packed full of local information, walk routes and transport ideas. An Ordnance Survey Explorer map is provided as part of this handy guide.
Still looking for that perfect festive break? You’ll find plenty of ideas from our range of Christmas and New Year holidays. Below is a selection of our favourites.
Festive Walking in Great Britain
Explore England’s winter wonderland. Fun, laughs and Hogmanays in Scotland. All the festive timings in Wales. Guided walks with experienced leaders. Sightseeing tours in the Cotswolds or North York Moors. Country House party atmosphere. Roaring log fires. Tinsel and turkey. Christmas pudding and mulled wine. Sociable evening activities. 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 nights. 17 beautiful locations to choose from. All-inclusive prices start from £255.
New Year Leisure Activities
Kick start your new year. Bridge playing. English country dancing. Yoga. Singing. Health and wellbeing. Learn a new skill. Improve your technique. Meet likeminded friends. Something for everyone. Stay in full featured Country Houses. Style, character and great facilities. 4 night short breaks. All-inclusive prices start from £314.
Festive Breaks in Europe
Escape the winter weather. Explore warmer climes. The very best resorts and cities. Spain. Portugal. Germany. France. Belgium. Czech Republic. From surreal volcanic deserts, fields of olive groves, and picturesque coastal path; to Gothic architecture, colourful Christmas markets and excellent local cuisine. 4 or 7 night breaks to faraway shores. Prices start from £269.
HF Holidays’ Flights
At HF Holidays we consider the quality of our flights to be a key part of our overseas holidays. We therefore work with a number of well-established and high-quality airlines, in particular British Airways who operate many of our European and long-haul services. Our other most commonly-used carriers are Lufthansa, Thomas Cook Airlines, Air Canada, Air New Zealand and Virgin Atlantic.
Over the last few days, following the collapse of XL Airways and problems at Alitalia, there has been much speculation in the media about the future prospects of both airlines and tour operators. With 94 years’ experience of running overseas holidays, HF Holidays is in good financial health and is currently enjoying record-ever bookings for its abroad trips. All guests booking ‘with-flight’ holidays with us can be reassured that we have full ATOL bonding in place. We will continue to work with the best airlines in the business to provide a high-quality and reliable service for our guests.
Eurostar Services
Following the fire in the Channel Tunnel, Eurostar is currently running a reduced service from London St Pancras to Paris and Brussels. We anticipate all our future holidays will run as planned, but that travel through the tunnel may be subject to delays. We will contact all our Eurostar passengers before their holiday to let them know the latest situation.
HF Holidays opens its ‘Heritage Room’ at Bryn Corach in Conwy
22 September 08
We where delighted to officially open out Heritage Room last Sunday at Bryn Corach Country House in Conwy. Dedicated to the history of the tour operator, the room provides an insight for all visitors and guests into its 95 years of existence. Based in an enviable position overlooking the town of Conwy, Bryn Corach was the first ever Head Office of HF Holidays when established in 1913.
The Heritage Room was introduced and formally opened by the curator of the featured collection, author of The Story of HF Holidays book and member of the HF Holidays’ Board of Directors Harry Wroe. 80+ visitors had the opportunity to view the priceless collection of artefacts relating to the history of the company and meet the current Members of Board of Directors and the Management Team.
The dedicated presentation room offers a fascinating glimpse into the last 95 years of HF Holidays with displays of brochures and other literature, walking itineraries and maps dating back to 1914, photo compilations and other memorabilia such as badges, branded ‘potties’ and a typical walking gear from the first half of the century. It is now open to guests and general public (upon arrangements with Bryn Corach House management).
Pathways Fund donations going a long way and making headlines
6 August 08
A wonderful event took place last Friday at our Monk Coniston, which delighted all guests and other attendees who were holidaying or visiting this charming Country House located on the National Trust’s Coniston Estate in the southern Lake District.
Thanks to a generous donation of £1,500 from our Pathways Fund earlier this year, the local Coniston Mountain Rescue Team was able to purchase a brand new defibrillator to add to their essential equipment.
Three representatives of the 40-strong team came to Monk Coniston last Friday to showcase the new life-saving machine and the Team Secretary, who is also an HF Holidays Walk Leader, Bob Henson gave a fascinating talk about the history and recent rescues of the Team. Search and rescue dog handler Christine Judge spoke of the day-to-day life of a volunteer with Mountain Rescue and didn’t spare the listeners of a trick or two with her dog Sky.
Bob Henson highlighted how extremely valuable the defibrillator was to the team and thanked HF Holidays for the donation from its Pathways Fund. Following the event, the enchanted audience, who appreciated the Pathways Fund and its use, gave generously using the collection box on the premises. To the delight of all guests, the team members joined us for dinner afterwards where they shared more interesting stories.
Representatives from the local newspapers and the Cumbria County Council were also present and an article appeared in the Saturday edition of the North West Evening Mail last weekend (see website).
Our Pathways Fund is supported by donations from our guests and Members and provides grants for environmental improvement projects and worthwhile causes in areas where we walk. Over the last ten years, some £170,000 has been donated in grants to many diverse, worthwhile projects and causes including Mountain Rescue Teams and the recent £1,000 donation to the Peak District Dovedale Appeal. Other beneficiaries are amongst others the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) receiving grants for footpath and signage work on Dartmoor, Conistonwater, Brecon in Wales and Pitlochry in Scotland.
HF Holidays donates £1,000 to the Peak District Appeal from its Pathways
Fund
21 July 08
We have just donated £1,000 to the National Trust’s Peak District Appeal from our Pathways Fund. The donation will go towards the National Trust’s conservation work at Dovedale, which needs £20,000 overall and is where our Country House Newton House.
The Pathways Fund is supported by donations from the company’s guests and provides grants for environmental improvement projects in the areas where they walk. Newton House, which has been owned by the friendly society since 1991and is just one of the 17 privately owned Country Houses, is ideally located just north of Ashbourne for walking the White Peaks and the Tissington Trail. It hosts walking and leisure activity holidays bringing thousands of visitors to the area every year.
Newton House Managers Mr and Mrs Steve and Hazel Hunt handed over the Pathways
Fund £1,000 donation towards Dovedale Appeal to the local National Trust’s Acting Property
Manager Mr Russell Ashfield outside Newton House.
Get away this autumn and discover the great holidays we have to offer throughout UK and Europe. If you are thinking ahead to next year, then take a look below at our fantastic new destinations for 2009, or request your copy of our new brochure today.
Recently we announced that we were making a significant increase to our regular donations to Mountain Rescue teams in 2008.
HF Holidays have been supporting the Mountain Rescue and other similar organisations for many years. We support 20 local Mountain Rescue teams to where our guests including Kendal, Keswick, Swaledale, Ogwen Valley and Glen Coe Mountain Rescue and many others.
Other volunteer organisations benefiting from HF Holidays support are Scottish Rights of Way and Access Society, or the Ramblers Association. HF Holidays is also committed to the natural environment and has also donated over £200,000 through its Pathways Fund to worthwhile countryside projects over the last 10 years.
Presentation to the Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team
More than 8,000 people participated in the Earl Mountbatten Hospice, Walk the Wight on 18 May 2008. The Southeast's biggest charity walk was a huge success and has once again broken all records.
Over 1,000 children from 50 schools also took part, and walked the remaining 4 miles from Freshwater Bay to the finish at Alum Bay.
This is the largest sponsored walk in the South and walks across the breadth of the Isle of Wight raising money for the Island’s Hospice which cares for over 800 terminally ill patients every year. In 2007 over 5,000 people Walked the Wight raising over £217,000 towards patient care. It is a lovely walk across some of the Island’s most beautiful hills and countryside, predominantly on footpaths.
The final checkpoint of the walk was staged at HF Holidays’ Country House accommodation at Freshwater Bay and we would like to thank the members of staff and leaders who stood and handed out water and refreshments.
Our many congratulations to all whose who took part and completed their walk
As the country's biggest walking holidays company, we have, for the past 5 years, sponsored this great event and we are already looking forward to next year's walk.
Our Pathways Fund is supported by our Members and guests which helps protect the environment in our communities. Recently the Pathways Fund paid for the replacement of a footbridge on a concessionary path in the Peak District.
The new bridge has been constructed to a very high standard and the Pathways Fund involvement has established a good working relationship with the Peak Park Ranger Service.
A temporary 'thank you' notice has been erected by Peak Park which will be replaced by a permanent metal plaque thanking HF Holidays Pathways Fund for their involvement.
The Pathways Fund is kept buoyant through donations by our holiday guests. From the fund, grants are made to individuals and small organisations who seek to preserve or improve the environment in which HF Holidays' guests walk, but cannot readily obtain this funding from their own or other sources.
Guest donations make these worthwhile projects possible and we thank them for their support.
Our wonderful countryside is worth protecting - and we need your support. Please make your donations at our UK Country House accommodation or to our London office.
IF you have not received your copy of the spring HF Holidays Magazine you can now browse at your leisure online and print the relevant pages. View your copy here now.
There are several benefits to opting to read our magazine this way.
Environmental - better for the environment as it saves on paper
Speed - You will have your copy quicker than if we posted it to you
You can share the magazine with a friend by forwarding this email
and of course there are some cost savings - allowing us to use that money to improve your holidays.
However, if you would still prefer to have a hard copy of the magazine you can - just visit our website and request it now.
The air holidays and flights are ATOL Protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is 710. ATOL Protection extends primarily to customers who book and pay in the United Kingdom. Click on the ATOL logo if you want to know more
Still looking for that perfect festive break? You’ll find plenty of ideas from our range of Christmas and New Year holidays. Below is a selection of our favourites. 
Thanks to a generous donation of £1,500 from our Pathways Fund earlier this year, the local Coniston Mountain Rescue Team was able to purchase a brand new defibrillator to add to their essential equipment. 
We have just donated £1,000 to the National Trust’s Peak District Appeal from our Pathways Fund. The donation will go towards the National Trust’s conservation work at Dovedale, which needs £20,000 overall and is where our Country House Newton House.
