The entries were so good this month that two winners were announced for the February writing competition! Congratulations to Jim Metcalf and Jacob Wiggins, both of whom have been rewarded with a £50 Marks & Spencers voucher, and both will go into the prize draw to win a short stay in one of our finest properties! Jim enjoyed a stay at the charming Fish Cellars in Portwrinkle, while Jacob and his family explored picturesque Paignton. If you fancy a chance of winning this fantastic prize, simply email an article around 500 words long, to ewan@bluechipvacations.com. To read more of Jim’s Portwrinkle adventures, click here, or to read Jakob’s charming account of pretty Paignton, click here.

With summer breaks still available, why not book your summer holiday in Devon or Cornwall today?

 The opening races of the Zapcat powerboat season will take place in Newquay, Cornwall on 24 and 25 April, when the Blue Chip Newquay Zapcat Grand Prix race weekend takes place at Fistral Beach.

Viewing will be free and a range of entertainment and freshly prepared food and drink will be available for spectators. Opportunities to meet the race teams and see the powerboats up close will be laid on to encourage a growing following for the championship, which already has international status

 Cornwall’s largest St Piran's Day celebration takes place on 05 March, close to the charming town of Perranporth, where thousands dressed in black, white and gold will march across the dunes to St Piran's Cross.  The colourful flag-bearing pilgrimage culminates in a traditional play on the beach re-enacting the life of St Piran, the Patron Saint of Tinners, starting at 2pm.

Congratulations to Susan Jones from Atherstone , the January winner of our writing competition, winning a £50 Marks & Spencers voucher and the chance to win a short stay at one of our finest properties! She and her husband enjoyed a stay at the charming Pilots Rest, Brixham, and managed to take in some of the spectacular scenery and attractions that the English Riviera has to offer. During their winter break in the South West they managed to enjoy the rural splendour of Berry Head Country Park, the Coast and Defence Harbour Battery Museum and take in the views of the bay from nearby Torquay. If you fancy keeping up with the Joneses and entering our writing competition, simply email around 500 words on your favourite activity in the South West to ewan@bluechipvacations.com. To read more of Mrs. Jones' winter break in Torquay, click here.

 This week, Blue Chip Vacations has three late special offers for properties in Devon and Cornwall that are still available for half-term week, so its not too late to bag a half term bargain and enjoy a fantastic break in the South West!

 This weeks green blog reports on Jon Presslings recent trip to the Green Awareness Training that he attended earlier this week. 

Two years ago, Blue Chip Vacations was rewarded for its work towards sustainable tourism by being awarded the Silver Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) award. This involved our business being assessed against a rigorous set of criteria covering a range of areas including energy and water efficiency, waste management, biodiversity and more.

Not wanting to be a business that lets the grass grow beneath us we are now striving towards achieving a Gold Award. As part of this I recently attended a course on "Green Awareness Training", organised by the Devon Tourism Skills Network.

  The beautiful panorama of the South West was enjoyed by Blue Chip Vacations Marketing Executive Michelle Roberts this weekend when she enjoyed a bike ride from Brixham to Coleton Fishacre along the coastal path, taking in Sharkham Point and the striking Mansands Beach.

 This week's green blog comes from the charming Old Walls Vineyard in Teignbridge, the perfect place to sample the fantastic taste of the West Country. Read on for an account of Blue Chip Vacations' Environmental Coordinator Jon Presslings' visit.

Deciding where to take anyone to showcase the best of the west is difficult. Deciding where to take an Australian friend only visiting South Devon for the weekend is a real challenge. Therefore it may seem a somewhat risky strategy planning a trip into unfamiliar territory but that's what exploring the unknown is all about and often provides the best memories.

 North Cornwall surf instructor Nick Tiscoe reports here on the ideal surfing conditions that can be enjoyed during your holiday in the South West. 

Once again we have seen a record number of participants taking to the waves over the New Year desperate to start the year with a bang (or end the previous one in style, depends which way you look at it!).

As always we have surpassed people’s expectations of the temperature, many people come along assuming it will be freezing and all go away saying, and I quote, ‘I can’t believe how warm I was!’. To think all these years that dedicated surfers have been enjoying this fantastic sport year round and most of it crowd free, always under the suspicion from onlookers as total nutters. If people are still not sure then the newest accessory is the heated wetsuit!

 If odd, unusual and entertaining Cornish customs are your thing, the annual Hurling of the Silver Ball held each year in St Ives, could be just the thing for you.

Held on Feast Monday, 08 February, the celebrations start at 10.30am when the silver ball is thrown from the wall of the Parish Church into the thronging crowd below. The ball is then passed from one person to another over the beaches and through the streets of the town, and at noon, the person in possession of the ball receives a traditional reward of five shillings from the Mayor at the Guildhall.