Alton Towers Theme Park 2018 Season Starts Soon

Not long to go now until Alton Towers Theme Park opens.
On Saturday 17th March 2018 (in just 10 days time) the Staffordshire theme park will open
and we can't wait!
                               

New for 2018 is the Wicker Man rollercoaster.  The ride is the first wooden coaster to be built in the UK for over 20 years.

Visit Alton Towers in and experience Wicker Man if you're brave enough! 

February Already!

Where does the time go? 

It's February already, we can't believe it!

Like most areas of the UK we are experiencing cold weather in Alton at the moment and it seems set to continue for a while.

On Saturday we took the photo below of our orchard and the valley beyond, very pretty.

It was great to be outside and get some fresh air but it was cold and started to snow so, we weren't long before we went back inside for a warm.

Roll on the Spring and hopefully some better weather!

Happy New Year!

Best wishes to all our guests, family and friends for a very happy and healthy 2018 from everyone at The Malthouse.

We took this photo of the opposite side of the valley a few days ago while we were out in the garden.
A very pretty picture we thought, hope you agree. X

Love was in the Air this Weekend in Alton!

We love a bit of romance so, we were delighted to discover that a couple of our guests had got engaged during their stay with us.

Here are the happy pair showing off their beautifully engagement ring. 

Congratulations to this lovely couple from everyone at The Malthouse.

Hope it's not long before they set a date, we love wedding cake!

Poppy and Smudge Enjoy Some Sunshine

Thought we'd share a couple of photos that we took this week of Poppy and Smudge
Both our pets are pretty laid back but our cat Smudge looks totally chilled out!

Alton has seen quite a bit of rain today.
We're hoping that the sun comes back out to play soon!

Macmillan Hero Stays at The Malthouse

Many of the visitors that stay at our B&B are tourists or folk working away from home.
This weekend though we have a true hero staying with us, here she is!

Today Amy is taking part in the Mighty Hike a 26 mile walk in the Peak District to raise funds for Macillan.
We wish Amy all the very best and are sure she will complete the challenge.

If you would like to make a donation visit www.justgiving.com enter "Galloping for Gwen" then follow the instructions.

GOOD LUCK AMY!

Happy Birthday Smudge!

Our cat Smudge is 10 today. This morning one of his friends (our dog Poppy) joined him for a birthday treat of scrambled egg and sausage.

Here they are tucking in!

Alton Towers for Over 60's / Senior Citizens / OAP's / Grandparents / Concessions

Deciding on a title for this blog post has been difficult as you can see.
We welcome guests of all ages to stay at our B&B so, the last thing we want to do is cause offence to anyone!
However, we've just discovered that Alton Towers offer 50% off for the over 60's and wanted to share this information.

In the past plenty of our guests have told us that an older relation wanted to join them but decided not to come as the theme park didn't offer them a reduced rate so, we hope this information is useful.

Visit https://www.altontowers.com/useful-info/faq for more details.

Alton has a Fine Festival

What a fantastic weekend we've just had in Alton. Beer, classic cars, great music and plenty of sunshine - perfect!

After a busy Sunday mornings at our B&B we took some time out in the afternoon to enjoy the music and of course beer at The Royal Oak Pub just down the road.

Here is The Scott Ralph Trio in action. What a great set the band played, we thoroughly enjoyed it!

Alton Beer and Classic Car Festival 17 & 18 June 2017

On the 17 & 18 June 2017 a beer and classic car will take place in Alton.
For a small village Alton (where our bed & breakfast is located) has quite a few pubs, 5 in total.
A weekend of fine weather for the festival would be great so, fingers crossed!

Looking for accommodation in Alton?
Book online www.the-malthouse.com OR call us 01538 703283.

Sunny Alton

Its been lovely weather in Alton for a number of days now - just what we like!

The fine weather has allowed us to get lots of jobs done outside. In between our usual grass cutting we've been tidying up the woodwork on our greenhouses, weeding, pruning, putting out tubs with bedding plants in and in between jobs having a cup of tea or two!

Here is a picture that we've taken of the some of the rhododendron at the front of the house. To be honest there are not as many flowers on them as there usually are. In the Autumn last year we gave these shrubs a major prunning, they needed it. As a result it may be next year before we see plenty of flowers but there you go!

Our Walk Around the Lakes at JCB

A few days ago we had a little while to spare and decided to take our dog Poppy for a walk around the lakes at the JCB Headquarters at Rocester two or three miles away.

As you can see the lake at the front of the JCB factory is beautiful. It is a lovely place to walk and see the ducks, geese, fish and other wildlife that live around the lakes. Clearly lots of time, money and effort is spent keeping the area looking "just so" for everyone to enjoy. We love it and so does Poppy!

If you come to stay at our B&B and have a little time to spare a walk around the lakes is great.
If you're lucky there is often an ice cream van parked up so you can have a treat while you walk!

Merlin Pass Summer Sale - Alton Towers

Like visiting Alton Towers Theme Park?
Like days out and value for money?
If you do a Merlin Annual Pass is fabulous and right now they are on sale!

Merlin Entertainments operate Alton Towers Theme Park and lots of other attractions.
Plenty of the guests that stay at our B&B have Merlin Passes and tell us they are great!
Visit Merlin Pass Summer Sale for more information.
Hurry as the Summer sale is for a limited time only!

Alton Towers Theme Park - Offers!

Planning to visit Alton Towers Theme Park soon? 

There are some great offers to save £££'s on ticket prices!  

Here are just some of the deals that are available right now:

Save over £20 per adult ticket at Alton Towers when you book 5 days in advance,
see https://www.altontowers.com/tickets for full details.

Buy Kelloggs Cornflakes (selected packets) and get a voucher that gives an adult free entry when a full priced child or adult ticket is purchased at Alton Towers Entrance.  Get voucher then check full terms and conditions of offer.

Complete The Big Six Challenge at Alton Towers before the end of August 2017 and get a day free at the Theme Park during September 2017, look at https://www.altontowers.com/bigsix?utm_source=email&utm_medium=button&utm_campaign=Big6+May+2017 for more information.

Use Tesco Clubcard Vouchers £13 worth to get an Alton Towers Ticket visit,
https://secure.tesco.com/clubcard/boost/alton-towers-resort/UK-004589.prd to see more details.

Plenty of the guests that stay at our B&B visit Alton Towers.  The feedback we receive from youngsters, teenagers, couples (young and old!) and grandparents visiting the theme park is great.  Many of our "regulars" stay with us each year and can't wait to visit the Theme Park again!

There are LOTS of ways to save money on entry to Alton Towers Theme Park. 
Look around and find the best deal for you

Need accommodation near Alton Towers?
visit http://www.the-malthouse.com/ to book online OR telephone us 01538 703273.

A Lovely Sunny Day in Alton

What a fabulous day we've had in Alton today.  A bright cool morning followed by a sunny warm afternoon, perfect!

In between doing jobs we've had plenty of tea breaks and enjoyed the lovely weather.

Last Autumn we pruned the small fruit trees in our orchard and afterwards wondered if we'd cut off a bit too much.  I think we've done the trees a favour though, they look really good and the blossom is the best we've seen for a few years. 

Here is a photo we took this afternoon, a nice picture but doesn't do the beautiful blossom justice.

Hope it's been sunny where you are today and that you've had time to enjoy it!

Happy Easter from The Malthouse

We took this photo a couple of years ago and kept it as we loved it so much.

What a gorgeous pair!  

A very happy Easter to everyone.

Two Free Tickets for Alton Towers with The Sun Newspaper

Planning to visit Alton Towers Theme Park this year? 
Collect tokens in The Sun Newspaper and get two free tickets for the theme park!

Visit www.superdays.thesun.co.uk for terms & conditions, to download a booking form and full details of the offer. 

Basically though this is what you need to do:
1. Collect ten tokens that are in The Sun Newspaper from 18 March 2017 to 4 April 2017.
2. Complete the booking form.
3. Post the booking form and ten tokens.
4. Receive tickets.

Hurry, this is a great offer!

Our B&B The Malthouse is just one mile away from Alton Towers. 
Need accommodation?  To book visit www.the-malthouse.com or why not call us 01538 703273.

Alton Towers Open Very Soon!

On Saturday 25th March 2017 Alton Towers Theme Park opens - we know lots of roller coaster enthusiasts out there can't wait!

Looking for accommodation close to the Alton Towers?
To check availability call us 01538 703273 OR visit our website www.the-malthouse.com
Our B&B, The Malthouse is located in Alton village just one mile away from the Theme Park - perfect!

Our VERY Muddy Walk!

Last week we decided to take an afternoon off and go for a walk.  The weather was mild and still, perfect for walking.  

Our route: We left The Malthouse, walked down into the Churnet Valley, followed the old railway track heading towards Denstone, took a detour off the track to see restoration work that has been done to a bridge (photo below) over what was once part of the Uttoxeter Canal, headed back onto the track via the truly magnificent weir (photo below), walked in to Denstone taking a well deserved pit stop at Denstone Hall Farm Shop where we took the weight off our feet (photo below) and tucked in to one of their delicious sausage sandwiches, headed off again back towards Alton via public footpaths through the fields -VERY MUDDY!, then once back in Alton headed back to The Malthouse.

 

We REALLY had a great walk BUT hadn't realised just how muddy it was going to be, especially on our journey through the fields. Our dog Poppy loved the walk but was so muddy that when we got home a shower was a must.  Thank goodness for showers and washing machines!

Sunshine & Love is in the Air in Alton

What a really lovely day it's been here in Alton today.  After lots of cold and dull days a warmer sunny day has been very welcome indeed. 

Lately we've been busy doing jobs indoors getting ready for what we hope will be a busy season at our B&B.  Today though a bit of sunshine tempted us outside to do a bit of tidying up in our garden.  Bulbs were starting to appear and even a flower or two were out, very appropriate as it's Valentines Day tomorrow.

Here are a few pictures we'd like to share. 

Hope you are able to spend some time with the ones you love tomorrow - HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!