Alton Turns into a Winter Wonderland

We went out for a walk today and couldn't resist sharing this beautiful photo.  It was great to wrap up warm, get some fresh air and watch our dog Poppy enjoy herself.  Snow fell in Alton on Boxing Day making it look and feel extremely festive! 

 

 

We hope that Christmas has been a special time for you and your family and wish everyone we know a happy and healthy 2015. x

Holiday Tails

Sorry it's been quite a while since our last blog!  Our excuse is that we've been busy taking care of  guests staying here at The Malthouse.  Following a hectic season we went away for a well deserved holiday.  We decided to go to the seaside so that we could take our dog Poppy along too.  She loved Skegness beach, here she is on the sand.

 

 

Now, everyone in Lincolnshire is VERY friendly and Poppy is welcome in many of the shops. 

BUT there are non more friendly than two lovely ladies at a market stall near Fantasy Island in Skegness.  The stall is called 'Paws a While' here is Poppy modelling one of the creations they sell.  Doesn't she look gorgeous? 

 

 

We spent ages looking at the pet stall choosing several items including a new perfume for Poppy called Kennel No 5!  Well a girl has to be pampered and treat herself when she's on holiday!!!

 

Bye for now, back to the decorating.  Lots to do ready for the 2015 season!

The Autumn Seems to be Arriving in Alton

What a wonderful September it's been so far, the weather here in Alton has been just fabulous! 

Mind you we've been pretty lucky weather wise this summer, it's generally been lovely.

 

However, the last day or two have seen a change to damper conditions than we've seen for a few weeks.  The good news though is that the sky has turned brighter this afternoon and we're hoping that it stays that way for a little while longer before Autumn really arrives.

 

Here are a couple of our favourite photos that we took during the Summer.

 

Lilac and purples are such beautiful colours we think!

Poppy - Before and After

Our dog Poppy has had a very busy afternoon at the dog groomers.  She looks so different after her pampering session that we thought we'd show you a before and after photograph.

 

BEFORE

 

 

 

 

AFTER

 

We promise that this is the same dog, we haven't swapped her!  We're sure you'll agree that the groomers have totally transformed Poppy in just a couple of hours.  She looks and smells fabulous.  Wonder if they can fit us in next week?  Might need more than just a couple of hours though!

Visit Our New Website

We are delighted to announce that our new look website has been launched this week.

Visit  www.the-malthouse.com to take a look.

We're really pleased with the results, hope you like it too!

Here is a picture of our front garden that we love, sadly there wasn't enough space to fit it onto the website so we thought we'd show it off here. 



HUGE THANKS go to the team at Tourist Net UK Ltd for their hard work upgrading our website.
Special thanks to Mr J for his advice, care and attention to every detail, we really appreciate it.   
We cannot thank Tourist Net UK Ltd enough and highly recommend their friendly service

Hello From a Very Sunny Alton

It's been a while since our last blog, sorry!
Our excuse is that we've been busy taking care of the guests staying at our B&B.
Since the Scottish children broke up for their school holidays back in June swiftly followed by the English children starting their school holidays it's been all go here. 
Mind you we're not complaining, it's good to be busy!

The weather in Alton has been fabulous for what seems like weeks now.  There has been an odd storm or two but on the whole it's dry and pretty hot.  We're hoping that the sun sticks around for a while longer, it would be nice to feel as though we've had a proper Summer.

Here is a photo we took recently in our front garden.  It was yet another Sunny Day!

Looking for accommodation near to Alton Towers?
Why not contact us at The Malthouse B&B to see if we can accommodate you?
Telephone us 01538 703273
Email us enquiries@the-malthouse.com
Book Online www.the-malthouse.com

Hope you're having fine weather in your part of the world!

Our Guests are Loving Alton Towers!

The vast majority of guests that come to stay at our B&B The Malthouse in Alton are staying with us while they visit Alton Towers Theme Park.  Most visitors seem to enjoy their time at the theme park but of late the feedback they are giving to us is particularly good.  We are really pleased as we do our very best to make sure our guests enjoy their time in the area and want to come back again!

Most of the comments we hear at the moment regarding Alton Towers are about how short the queue times for the popular rides are and also that younger visitors are really enjoying the new Cbeebies land that opened recently.  This new area at Alton Towers seems to be a big hit with little ones and their families.

If you're planning a get away to Alton Towers why not contact us to check accommodation availability and prices.  Telephone 01538 703273, email enquiries@the-malthouse.com or visit our website www.the-malthouse.com.  You can book online, just visit our website.  Or take the old fashioned route and telephone us, we love to chat!

The Malthouse B&B Gets an Award from TripAdvisor

We are thrilled to announce that TripAdvisor have just presented our B&B with a Certificate of Excellence Award.  The certificate is given to business that consistently earn top ratings from travellers.  A huge THANK YOU to all the Malthouse guests who have taken the time and trouble to add their reviews, we really do appreciate it!  

Need B&B in Alton near Alton Towers? 

 

Why not come and stay at The Malthouse B&B!

Telephone us 01538 703273 OR if you prefer book online via our website www.the-malthouse.com.

Cbeebies Land at Alton Towers Opens in Just 10 Days!

It's just 10 days to go until the new Cbeebies Land opens at Alton Towers Theme Park!  On 24 May 2014 the start of the half term holidays sees the opening of Cbeebies Land.  This week TV presenter Justin Fletcher and a few children's favourites such as Postman Pat and Igglepiggle flew into the park on a surprise visit.  Here they are! 

 

Alton Towers has lots of thrilling rides and attractions for visitors of all ages.  However, the anticipation of Cbeebies coming to the theme park is causing lots of excitement, we are sure it will be a huge hit with young visitors and their families.

Don't forget children under 4 years of age get FREE entry into Alton Towers and children 11 years of age and under get reduced price entry into the park.  If you are planning a trip to Alton Towers always look out for money off or 2 for 1 deals, there are plenty to be found if you look.  Lately we have noticed vouchers on Kellogg's cereal boxes in our local supermarket.  As you can imagine we use plenty of cereal!  We usually have a spare voucher or two that we are happy to pass on (free of charge of course!) to our guests.

If you are planning to visit the theme park and particularly if you have youngsters with you getting accommodation near to Alton Towers is essential.  After a busy day you will need to rest up!
Why not contact us at The Malthouse B&B to check availability/prices?
You can telephone us 01538 703273
You can email us enquiries@the-malthouse.com OR
You can visit our website www.the-malthouse.com and click on the 'book online' button.

If you are trying to make your visit into a short break why not consider visiting the Waterpark at Alton Towers?  Families staying at our B&B give it a big thumbs up!

We are located in the heart of Alton village just one mile away from Alton Towers. 
At our bed and breakfast we welcome couples and families with children of all ages. 
Our accommodation is very comfortable a 'home from home' we are told!     

PS: The weather here is fabulous right now and we understand it is set to continue for a few days! 

A Walk Around Alton

We decided to make the most of the fine weather we've been having and went for a stroll around Alton a day or two ago.  Here are a few pictures we took along the way that we'd like to share.

Plenty of the trees, shrubs and plants we came across are coming into bloom.  There were LOTS of bluebells that are just opening. they looked really pretty.

We took a long break at the Ramblers Retreat and enjoyed a delicious lunch in their lovely garden.

 

 

When we got back home to The Malthouse look where we found our cat Smudge taking a nap, he did look comfortable!

 

 

CBeebies Land Opens Soon at Alton Towers

The May 2014 half term sees the opening of CBeebies Land at Alton Towers.  Young visitors to the theme park should really enjoy seeing familiar characters.  There will be rides, live entertainment and more to amuse little ones.  

 

CBeebies Land is scheduled to open from 24 May 2014. 
For more details visit  www.altontowers.com and click on the CBeebies Land button.

We have double, twin and family rooms at our B&B.  Children are always made very welcome. 
Call us at The Malthouse 01538 703273 to check availability and prices. 
OR visit our website to book online.

Happy Easter from The Malthouse

A very Happy Easter from everyone at The Malthouse B&B.

Spring is in full flow now here in Alton.  There is plenty of blossom on trees, plants are starting to bloom and lots of lambs can be seen skipping around in the fields.  Life is beautiful!

Hope you have some time off over the holiday weekend to relax and spend time with your family and friends.  Whatever you're doing take care!

Poppy the Wonderpup!

A quick progress report on our puppy Poppy.

First of all here she is looking totally cute after a recent haircut.  You will notice that she's not at all interested in looking at the camera.  She's far too busy sniffing the ground!  Well she is a dog!

Poppy is still attending dog training most Monday evenings and has now moved from the Puppy Class and moved into the Intermediate Class.  She really enjoys the training sessions (as do we!) and does well most weeks. This bronze award was presented to her so she must be doing OK!

Poppy will be one on 1st May2014, so we'd better start stocking up on birthday treats for her.

Where Does the Time Go?

We just realised that it's weeks since our last blog!  SORRY!!!

What can we say.  We've just been up to our ears with one thing and another and then some!

Anyway enough excuses.  We've decided to try a new approach.  From now on we shall blog little and often and see if that works!

So for a start how is the weather with you?  The weather here in Alton has been just fabulous for the last few days and just keeps getting better.  Today has been sunny and warm with hardly a cloud in the sky.  We're hoping it continues for a long time to come.  Today guests staying at our b&b have been basking in the sun enjoying a cup of tea!

Here are the last rays of today's glorious sun.

Alton Towers Opens This Weekend!

Just a quick post to say that Alton Towers opens for it's main 2014 this Saturday 22 March! 

Can't stop - lots to do!  We're up to our ears getting ready for guests to arrive this weekend!

All Change at The Royal Oak

Even though Alton is just a small village it has several pubs.  Yippee!!!

The Royal Oak is the nearest pub to us, it's just down the road.  At the end of last year Paul and Sheilagh who have run The Royal Oak for many years decided to take a well earned retirement.
The pub closed down for a few weeks and after a make over re-opened with Darren and Charlotte at the helm.  A log burner has been installed giving the pub a real cosy feel and the colour scheme of  grey with lime green looks lovely!  We have been down the road to sample a drink (or two!) and have had a meal that we thoroughly enjoyed.  We wish Darren, Charlotte and their family luck with their new venture and hope Paul and Sheilagh have more time to relax now.

Of course The Royal Oak is just one choice.  You might decided to walk a full two or three minutes to The Bulls Head or White Hart.  If you fancy stretching your legs it will take you a ten minute stroll to reach The Blacksmiths Arms.

Rumour has it that The Bridge House is being prepared for re-opening but village gossip hasn't provided any details so far.  Will keep you posted!

    

Alton Towers Opens in Just Eight Weeks!

If you're an adrenaline junkie you'll be delighted to know that Alton Towers Theme Park opens for it's main 2014 season in eight weeks time! 

 

If you love theme park rides, you might be used to looking a bit like this!

 

 

Now that the Christmas and New Year celebrations are over why not book a trip to Alton Towers to give yourself something to look forward to?  With any luck come March the weather might have cheered up a bit, well it doesn't hurt to hope does it!

Alton Towers opens for it's main season on Saturday 22 March 2014.
Need accommodation close to the theme park? 
Our B&B The Malthouse is in Alton village just one mile from Alton Towers.
To check availability telephone us 01538 703273 OR look at our website www.the-malthouse.com you can book by telephone or online via our website.

Geoff Arrives on His New Set of Wheels to Visit Us!

Our friend Geoff lives in a tiny neighbouring village just a mile away from us.  Most Sunday mornings he comes to Alton to collect his paper, then calls in to see us for a cuppa.

We've know Geoff for quite a while and over the years he's turned up in various cars, pickups and trucks.  Imagine our surprise and delight when recently he arrived by tractor for his usual Sunday morning gossip!

 

For weeks Geoff has been telling us all about the tractor he'd purchased and the work it was taking to put what was a bit of a wreck into good working order.  There have been plenty of ups and downs during the project with parts not fitting, oil leaks and lots of preparation to do before any painting could take place.  After lots of hard work and a bit of help here and there Geoff has finished work on the tractor, so quite rightly he couldn't resist showing it off to us.  We're not surprised that he's pleased with his efforts the tractor looked fantastic and so clean you could eat your dinner off it!  Not sure it will look this clean next time we see it as it's bound to have done a job or two!