Globesnap: Tea as far as the eye can see…Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

©Ianthe Butt 2012

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Strawberry Picking in the English Countryside

The air at West Green Farm is thick with the heady smell of

ripening fruit.

Wander past gooseberries,

clumps of rhubarb 

and tart blackberries…

Till you find row after row of

spring-green strawberry plants.

Laden with

juicy,

ripe strawberries

which whisper

 “eat me and implore you to pick them.

I might not have been at Wimbledon

but I bet you the

strawberries

I was popping in my mouth were

tastier 

than those on

centre court.

The sun is shining

The weather is sweet

What better way to

spend a
LaZy MoRnInG?

West Green Farm in Hartley Wintney, Hook, RG27 8LP  opens Tues-Sat 10-6pm and Sunday 10-5 from 1st June 01252 845772.

PYO strawberries, raspberries, gooseberries  summer veg,  and buy eggs and honey.

© Ianthe Butt 2011

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A Green Base2Stay in the Capital

Base2stay in Kensington,the second hotel in the capital to gain the Green Tourism Business Scheme’s gold award, offers guests the chance to rent an electric car.

The smart Citroen C1 EV’IE is tucked away at the back of the hotel which boasts 67 rooms and is just a short walk away from

Earls Court Tube station.

As well as the obvious green benefits, users will also save hard cash paying

no congestion charges, 

parking fees or

petrol costs while using the vehicle.

Base2stay offers affordable luxury with rooms at value-for-money rates. It is able to do this by solely providing a room; the hotel has none of the unnecessary extras (bar, restaurant, gym) which are so often rarely used by guests and consume valuable energy and resources to run.

As well as being just a stone’s throw from the Science and Natural History Museums and The Royal Albert Hall, base2stay has a huge variety of restaurants on its doorstep, many of which offer discounts to guests.

I wanted to take a peek at the electric car, so popped over for an evening and trialled a luxury bunk bed room. It was compact yet offered everything a traveller could require, without either feeling cramped, or an extortionate price tag.

Decorated in warm brown and white tones, the room felt homely and the bunk bed was surprisingly luxurious. All rooms are equipped with a mini-kitchen (microwave, sink, fridge) where you can find

free fair-trade tea and coffee.

Refreshingly there was no over-priced minibar to tempt you to fritter your money away, and instead a vending machine on the first floor offered snacks at high street prices.

Families can book rooms next door to one another which can be joined to create a

small home atmosphere

and couples/friends can opt for standard, deluxe or luxury bunk bed options.

All rooms have the same facilities and a higher cost indicates a larger room size.

Free wi-fi is offered to all guests and all rooms have a flat screen TV on the wall. Staff are friendly, helpful and have even taken to  growing thyme, mint and basil for guests to use on patio areas outside some ground floor rooms.

This is a great place to base yourself for sightseeing or to rest your head after a hard day’s work that won’t break the bank.

Rooms range from £93 to £239 per room per night. For more details see base2stay.

This article was originally published in Daisy Green Magazine.

© Ianthe Butt 2011

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