Do you know the Charlie Bear Dance? Get involved by dancing along to the Official Charlie Bear Dance Video!

Learn the moves to the Official Charlie Bear Dance by watching him perform at Talacre Beach Resort in North Wales. Turn up your speakers and let the kids burn off some energy… Have fun! Remember to share your own Charlie Bear Dance videos with us on Facebook and Twitter using the hashtag #CharlieBearDance


family breaks at Talacre Beach Resort


Talacre Beach is the perfect location for fun family holidays on the North Wales Coast. Set beside miles upon miles of Golden Sands, it is an idyllic location for families to spend quality time together in a safe and secure environment. Book your next family break with Darwin Escapes at Talacre Beach.

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Summer is fast approaching and if you are lucky you might get the opportunity to enjoy a day out at the seaside and really make the most of the weather as the sun makes a welcome return to the UK shorelines.

But how often have you turned up at the beach and realised that you have left an essential at home? I’ve become reminiscent of a lobster on multiple occasions as a result of not bringing enough sun cream to see me through the day. Of course, this is not a clever thing to do with Skincancer.org recommended that we reapply skin protection every two hours.

With this in mind, Darwin Escapes have put together a list of the top ten beach essentials which you simply can’t go without when you are heading to the seaside this summer. Other essentials of course include handy tips such as taking a flask with you; after all flasks are just as effective at keeping your cold drinks cool as they are keeping your tea or coffee warm. Another handy tip is to take talcum powder with you, there really is nothing better at getting pesky sand off your feet. Take a look at all of our handy tips in our below infographic.

Infographic of all the beach essentials you will need

Darwin Escapes have a number of seaside holiday resorts across the UK where you can enjoy beach holidays in locations including the 5 star Talacre Beach Holiday Home Park on the gorgeous North Wales coast.

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Whether Harry Potter’s universe is an enviably enchanted world of wonder or alternately a frightening destination best visited only in books and films is a matter of debate. However, the good news is that all of the locations from the movies are in the UK and most of them can be visited by the general public (read: Muggles).

In between the forbiddingly expensive (it’ll cost a family of four upwards of £75 to visit the reptile house where Harry learnt he could speak Parseltongue) to the forebodingly remote (Dumbledore’s grave is free to visit if you can make it to the middle of Loch Eilt), there are plenty of more accessible options to bring the magic to life.

Diagon Alley, for example, is played by London’s Leadenhall Market in The Philosopher’s Stone. It’s still a working market and can be accessed for free, notwithstanding any trinkets and morsels you might buy. Malfoy Manner – Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire in real life – is accessible from late February through to December, tickets are cheap, and the gardens are exquisite.

Die-hard fans, however, will want to make their way straight to Hogwarts. While the main exterior is at Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, the quadrangle can be found at Durham Cathedral, which is free to enter and easily reached from Durham city centre and train station.

Wherever you’re heading, if you’re setting out from London then Kings Cross Station might make an appropriate portal: the famous Platform 9 ¾ has been immortalized with a plaque and half-disappeared luggage trolley, and the station has now conjured up a Harry Potter shop, well-stocked with wands, house-ties and, of course, the books. Here’s twelve top picks for broom-bound fans, from casual drop-ins to full-on magical treats.

Infographic of a muggle's guide to Harry Potter

Sources

Cornish, J. (2013). 6 Reasons Why Living In The Harry Potter Universe Would Suck. whatculture.com
Ross, A. (2015). J.K. Rowling Reveals the American Word for Muggle. time.com
ZSL London Zoo (2016). Entry costs. zsl.org
National Trust. (2016) Hardwick. nationaltrust.org.uk


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Mullion Cove Coastal Retreat is Darwin Escapes’ luxury Cornwall destination. In three words it is picturesque, stunning and breath-taking.

Mullion Cove is a fantastic place for Insta-enthusiasts, the picturesque beauty of the surrounding area and the cove itself is unbeatable…a complete Instagramer dream! Here are our Top 10 Instagram Mullion Cove photos for you to marvel at…

1. what a stunning view – check out that greenery

2. beautiful whatever the weather – magicial even in a storm

3. breathtaking scenery

4. beautiful sandy beaches – peaceful horse ride

A photo posted by Lera Hatton (@lera242) on Mar 26, 2016 at 1:53pm PDT

5. traditional fishing village – wait, are those lobster cages?

 

View this post on Instagram

 

MULLION COVE WEEK #harbour #cornwall #mullion #mullionharbour #mullioncove #workingharbour #southwest #swcoast #winch #kernow

A post shared by Darwin Escapes (@darwinescapes) on

6. Mullion Cove fishing lodge – I bet a wizard lives there

A photo posted by Wouter Boer (@wouter.boer) on Feb 11, 2015 at 3:01am PST

7. perfect for a day out – beautiful weather for a bike ride

8. beautiful skies – I love those stormy clouds

A photo posted by Caitlin (@thepigmypossum) on Jul 27, 2015 at 4:42pm PDT

9. fantastic friendly wildlife – he just popped up to say hello

A photo posted by Lena (@prumstaengel) on Sep 15, 2015 at 11:38am PDT

10. see the stars – taken at Mullion Cove, sheer beauty

A photo posted by James (@jw.andrews) on Nov 2, 2015 at 1:21pm PST

11. fascinating history – I couldn’t leave this one out, beautiful historic fishing village

A photo posted by Michael (@mikerooney_1) on Nov 23, 2015 at 1:30pm PST


Jealous? I am too, but here’s your next trip to plan! When you visit Mullion Cove and post your lovely pictures on ‘the Instagram’ as my mum calls it, use the #mullioncove or check in to Mullion Cove Coastal Retreat and maybe you will end up in one of our posts! Thank you to the Instagramers above for their wonderful, breath-taking images!

Happy Adventuring Ladies and Gents!

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New Pines Holiday Home Park is in the centre of three of the most beautiful places in North Wales. The perfect places for a breath taking snap and selfie. New Pines is close to the traditional seaside holiday destination of Rhyl, as well as the up and coming town Prestatyn and a stone’s throw away from stunning Dyserth. With beautiful sandy beaches, fantastic Welsh countryside and fascinating wildlife, New Pines makes the perfect base to explore the region from your very own holiday home.


1. family fun

A post shared by Darwin Escapes (@darwinescapes) on


2. colourful wildlife – a little more exotic than you might think

3. beautiful beaches – check out that outstanding sunset

A post shared by Ry Higgins (@rydavidhiggins) on


4. stunning in any weather – just a breath-taking photo

5. dyserth waterfalls – yes, this is in North Wales

A photo posted by @paul762 on Jul 6, 2015 at 10:11am PDT


6. picturesque & peaceful – even in the dark, lighting up the skies

7. seaside – everyone loves sea shells, what did they put inside this one?

8. even the pets love it here – he’s probably wondering what a boat is dong on land?

9. follow the wooden road – truly magical

A photo posted by Charlie (@charlie0696) on Apr 4, 2016 at 4:01pm PDT


10. pure beauty – simply breath-taking

How beautiful is the Welsh landscape? It reminds me of Middle Earth! You can explore the region while on holiday at New Pines, or even enjoy it every single weekend using your very own holiday home as a base with our ownership options! When you visit us please use the #newpines or check-in to New Pines Holiday Home Park, as well as the local areas, that way we can find your sure-to-be stunning insta-images!

Thank you to the Instagramers above for their wonderful, breath taking and beautiful images!

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Based in North Wales, June and husband Billy educate and excite people with their beautiful exotic animals! Animals Out The Box work with the local pet store, Chrysalis Pets, and offer exotic animal encounters with the aim to educate. June holds a BSc (Hons) in Animal Science and is under taking a PGCE too, both June and Billy adore their animals and love to introduce them to the children and adults alike, loving the smiles on the faces of someone meeting a lizard or snake for the first time. Being so knowledgeable in the care of exotic animals they take part in birthday parties, events and also help with phobia curing, being patient and giving someone the knowledge around the animals and letting them become comfortable around them.

In their family of exotic animals, joined with Chrysalis Pets, they have lots of snakes, a whole host of arachnids, insects, mammals, rodents and lizards! With a particularly friendly gecko, who loves to jump on your chest for a cuddle and hello – he’s irresistible with his cheeky smile; a posing and beautifully photogenic rat; plus chinchillas, hedgehogs and an extremely relaxed guinea pig. But the undoubtable star of the show is Bandit, the Tanuki (or Racoon Dog), which is actually closer in relation to a fox rather than a dog. Bandit is something of a local celebrity and when you meet her you can understand why, gentle in nature and breath-takingly beautiful, she is a joy to see!

Recently visiting Talacre Beach Resort, Animals out the Box delights everyone – including Charlie Bear and his Rangers, who were on top form to help June and Billy take care of the animals!

Collage photo of Charlie bear and his rangers holding different types of animals
Entertainment staff and Charlie bear holding different animals

Collage of Talacre Beach staff holding different animals including a rat and raccoon

A fantastic treat for everyone at Talacre Beach! Lots of fun was had, with loads of knowledge too! June and Billy are two of the most friendly, knowledgeable and patient people you could meet, with a family of relaxed and happy creatures to boot! (I now really want a smiley gecko!)

Check out their pages and see the beautiful pictures of their stunning family for yourself! Great family fun with a twist!

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With 16 luxury UK holiday destinations, 8 of which offer holiday home ownership, Darwin Escapes are sure to have a location that fits your needs perfectly!

And now, we are adding to our holiday resort portfolio with the beautiful Keswick Reach Lodge Retreat in the stunning Lake District! This luxury location is currently undergoing a major redevelopment to turn it from the tired touring and camping park into a sure to be mouth watering, secluded and stunning resort! Keep your eyes peeled for updates on our latest development in the coming months!

Keep an eye out for information, we will share development news as soon as we have it for you to feast your eyes on!

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It’s that time of year where we all have to figure out how to change our car clocks again, but the same things happen every year…

Now if you didn’t know how this all started, we can blame a gentleman named William Willett, not Benjamin Franklin as most people think. Good old Will first came up with the idea in the 1700’s because he wanted to be able to get up an hour earlier for a horse ride around London before it got ‘busy’, and not be in the dark, so cheers Will! But to be fair to him, we didn’t actually adopt the practice until during the Second World War to help conserve energy and resources.

So now we are at that time of year where we have to change the clocks and lose an hours sleep. Now in the grand scheme of things my brain says, logically it’s only an hour, it doesn’t make that much difference, but my brain is lying. It makes a big difference to the amount I moan at everyone for not getting enough sleep, for about a week afterwards.


every year the same things happen when the clocks go back, it’s inevitable, do you recognise any of these?

1. You worry your phone won’t automatically change, like they all do. So you end up using Google to find out, still not believing in it and setting another alarm just in case your phone is the only one in the world that won’t change.
2. Your parents become obsessed with telling you when the clocks change (every year without fail my mum texts me to tell me, and it’s generally the only reason I actually know)
3. You will forget to change the clock in your car for months – oh well it’s right for 6 months out the year.
4. You struggle to remember the saying “spring forward, fall back” – because we aren’t American and it’s called autumn.
5. Your tummy doesn’t understand that clocks have changed and grumbles away, a lot! How is it possibly another hour until lunch? (although mine grumbles ALL day anyway)


How many of these happen to you? Hawaii, Pueto Rico and Arizona State don’t have daylight saving, because I guess they don’t need to get up earlier for more sun, another reason to move to Hawaii (apart from being able to see the Hawaii Five- O show!). There are some adverse side effects to the clocks changing, there is a high risk of car accidents and workplace injuries so please be careful guys! There are also major cases of cyberloafing (you’re probably doing it now) by fatigued workers, and not to mention everyone is in a bad mood from losing an hour sleep – like me.

However, it does mean that we get an extra hour in the afternoon to be able to do whatever we want with without being in the dark. Like going out for a walk on the beach, or playing a round of golf, or like me you could pop to a spa and have a lovely treatment or get your nails done, perfect way to relax!

So good and bad points to the clocks changing – just bare with me while my mood adjusts to this new sleeping schedule, after a few coffees I’ll be back to normal!

Be Safe, Enjoy Sleep and Happy Extra Hour Adventuring!

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A family favourite for the past 50 years, Talacre Beach offers fantastic entertainment on the North Wales Coastline! Located just a stone’s throw away from the beautiful sandy beach Talacre Beach Resort is a family favourite. Offering a traditional seaside feel, including its own fish and chip shop, with all the mod cons and luxury that Darwin Escapes offer. Being close to the up and coming town of Prestatyn and the beautiful city of Chester, there is always something to do in and around this 5 Star holiday park.

Our fabulous entertainment team have worked hard to create an egg-tastic Easter programme (see what I did there?) Along with plenty of party dances, laughs and of course Charlie Bear, we have fun Easter Crafts, where you can make a fun Easter card and paint some eggs. Get your running shoes ready for our fun traditional family sports day, will you find the gleaming golden egg in the Easter egg hunt? And don’t miss the fascinating creatures and the beautiful, infamous, Racoon Dog from *Animals out the Box, and join in the cheering and fun at the **Basix Wrestling show!

We also have a fun night time entertainment programme, with fantastic vocalists, such as the family favourite tribute ‘The Frozen Show’, join in the singing with some fun karaoke, win big at bingo and meet Charlie Bear too!

*Animals out the Box dates: 31st March, 7th & 14th April 2016
**Basix Wrestling dates: 6th April 2016

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Easter delights at Bath Mill Lodge Retreat for guests and foodies alike! Bath Mill is steeped in relaxing nature, surrounded by woodland and the beautiful babbling Newton Brook streaming through the retreat, you would never know we are only ten minutes away from the busy, bustling city. Having recently under gone a multi million pound redevelopment, adding a state of the art gym, and renovation the beautiful 350 year old Mill House. Bath Mill is one of the most sought after holiday destinations in Somerset…

The Brook & Bar Bistro has become known as one of the best places to eat and is located on site at Bath Mill. Offering unpretentious fine dining set in a contemporary and cosy décor. If you reserve a table with us this Easter, you will have a personalised Easter egg with the surname booked under as your reservation table card! Beautiful chocolate in a beautiful setting! And don’t forget the fantastic Easter egg hunt on Sunday 27th all around the retreat, great fun for all the family!

Easter delights for our guests and foodie lovers visiting The Brook, a relaxing Easter break in a secluded retreat, just a stone’s throw away from the bustling city centre.

Happy Easter from Bath Mill!

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