Alton Towers 2012 Scarefest & Fireworks

Looking to take a break away this Autumn?  Why not visit the fantastic Scarefest or Fireworks at Alton Towers Theme Park?  These events take place at the Theme Park most years.  Both celebrations are very popular and guests staying at our B&B in Alton return year after year to enjoy them.

Alton Towers Scarefest celebrates Halloween, there's fun and frights with something for all ages.  The Fireworks take place just before the theme park closes for the year.  Don't forget that the theme park is open until 9pm each night so you can enjoy the rides in the dark.

Scarefest runs from 13-14 October & 19-31 October 2012 and the Fireworks can be enjoyed from 2-4 November 2012.  At the moment you can save up to 40% on tickets so hurry and plan a short break away.

See www.altontowers.com for full details of these celebrations.

If you'd like to check accommodation availability at The Malthouse B&B telephone 01538 703273.

2 for 1 offer to Alton Towers with Daily Mail & O2

Save money on your visit to Alton Towers, get 2 for 1 entry with the Daily Mail Newspaper and O2.

Be quick and get a copy of tomorrow's (Monday 20 August 2012) Daily Mail to find out about their theme park 2 for 1 offer.  You may need to purchase a couple of newspapers this week and collect tokens. 

If your an O2 mobile phone user and get Priority Moments you can collect a code to get the 2 for 1 offer on Alton Towers tickets.  There is sure to be a time limit so hurry.

Restrictions to these offers will apply so please read the small print!

A day out at the fantastic Alton Towers Theme Park is great but very tiring!  If you have far to travel and need accommodation telephone us at The Malthouse B&B 01538 703273 to check availability and prices.

20% Off Merlin Annual Pass

Many of the guests that stay at our B&B in Alton are 'regulars' who we look after during their trip to Alton Towers Theme Park.  Some of our adrenaline junkie visitors love the theme park so much that they come to stay with us on several occasions during a 12 month period.  If you plan to visit Alton Towers a number of times during one year you MUST consider purchasing an Annual Pass to save money.  If you purchase a Standard Merlin Annual Pass during August you'll save a massive  20%!
See http://www.altontowers.com/merlin-annual-pass/ to get all the info regarding this great offer.  

Need B&B accommodation while you visit Alton Towers?  Why not telephone us at The Malthouse B&B to check availability 01538 703273.  If you prefer you can book online http://www.the-malthouse.com/onlinebooking.htm it's easy!  Simply enter the date you want to start your stay and the number of nights you need and follow the instructions.

Bird Bonkers!

The weather in Alton has been pretty kind over the last few days.  After weeks of poor weather the summer seems to have finally arrived.  We're busy indoors at this time of year looking after the guests staying at our B&B but we like to spend as much spare time as we can in our garden.  As we have quite a large garden we're often busy working outside to keep the garden looking at it's best.  Working outdoors is thirsty work though, so we have plenty of tea breaks!  During a tea break one of our favourite occupations is to watch the birds that visit our garden.  We like to keep our bird feeders well stocked with a selection of treats to try and encourage a variety of different birds to stop for a snack.  Here you can see the bird feeding station in the orchard at the side of the house. 



So far this year we have been lucky enough to spot blue tits, chaffinch, yellow wagtails, great tits, gold finch, siskins, yellow hammers, bull finch, long tail tits, green finch, jays, sparrows, herons (not too welcome as we have a fish pond!) pied wagtails, robins, and here you can see a young greater spotted woodpecker that we managed to get a photo of last week.  We also seem to have attracted a family of squirrels who take great delight is stealing the bird food when they can get away with it!  Oh well we guess even squirrels have to eat!

Happy Birthday Smudge!

Yesterday was a very important day here at The Malthouse, it was our cat Smudge's 5th Birthday.  Here's the Birthday Boy enjoying an afternoon nap! 



As we think this picture shows he can be a bit of a grumpy cat.  He didn't seem too impressed with the new collar he got for his birthday BUT he loved the birthday treats he had!  If you come to stay at our B&B keep a look out for Smudge, he's always around first thing in the morning for his brekkie or late afternoon when it's time for his tea.  Smudge loves his food so he's particularly friendly just before mealtimes BUT be warned if you stop to pet him don't take your eyes off him as he's pretty keen on nibbling fingers!  If he tries to taste your fingers don't take it personally as he often give us 'love bites' too!

Make Your Holiday Last Longer!

Most of our guests are coming to stay at our B&B in Alton to take a well deserved holiday with their family or friends.  Holiday time is precious so why not make your vacation last just a bit longer by leaving home early and stopping off on your way here OR maybe take a break on your way back home?

There are plenty of things to see and do, here are just a few ideas:

Pack a picnic lunch and stop off to eat it on your way here.  Afterwards take a stroll to let you lunch go down!  Choose a nice location like - Cannock Chase (a few miles from M6 Junction 11), The Peak District (National Park covering a huge area from Manchester down to Ashbourne 12 miles from us) and The Malvern Hills (Worcestershire).     

Stop off for a spot of shopping!  There are plenty of places to choose from, here are a few - Meadow Hall (Sheffield), The Trafford Centre (Manchester). Metro Centre (Gateshead), Bullring (Birmingham), Merry Hill (Dudley), Bicester Village (Oxfordshire) and Bluewater (Nr Dartford).

Visit a Zoo or Wildlife Park.  Consider one of these - Chester Zoo (Chester),West Midlands Safari Park (Nr Kidderminster), Twycross Zoo (Atherstone, Warwickshire) Longleat Safari Park (Warminster, Wiltshire) and Woburn Safari Park (Woburn, Bedfordshire).

FUN, FUN, FUN - Drayton Manor Theme Park (Tamworth), Cadbury World yummy! (Birmingham), Blackpool Pleasure Beach (Blackpool) and National Sealife Centre (Birmingham).

Something different?  The National Memorial Arboretum (Alrewas, Staffordshire), Black Country Living Museum (Dudley), Warwick Castle (Warwick) and Severn Valley Railway (Kidderminster) and Albert Docks (Liverpool).

Something for nothing!  Visit for free, here are a few - Imperial War Museum North (Manchester), Coventry Transport Museum (Coventry), National Railway Museum (York), National Football Museum (Preston) and Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery (Birmingham). 

Why rush?  Relax and make the most of your time away.  Remember your on holiday until you get home!
Whatever you do on your way to stay with us OR on your way home we hope you have a safe and pleasant journey.          

40% Off at Alton Towers! Hurry Offer Ends Soon.

Alton Towers have just announced a 40 hour sale!  The sale has started so hurry - to get 40% off theme park tickets all you have to do is book them online at the Alton Towers website before 10am on Friday 3 August 2012.



Looking for quality accommodation near to Alton Towers?  Why not stay with us at The Malthouse B&B.  We're located in the village of Alton just one mile from the theme park.  After a long journey or busy day at the park there are pubs to choose from all within easy walking distance of The Malthouse so that you can relax and enjoy a meal.  To check availability/make a booking telephone us 01538 703273 OR book online at www.the-malthouse.com.