There is still life left in the Summer and I for one need little excuse to spend time in North Wales come rain or come shine.The following is a short round-up of news on family days out with food found this week on websites covering this wonderful region which is full of interest and contrast for the visitor. Continue reading “An 80th birthday celebration and family days out with food in North Wales”
As we head towards Easter, Ian Cochran is heading away from the Pyrenees and on towards Santiago de Compostela and the fifty odd miles beyond to Cape Finistere, having set out on his 571 mile walk for charity on 28th March. Self-funded,70 year-old Ian,who is a diabetic, intends to complete his walk in 58 days and to raise much needed money in sponsorship for Helplink Community Support based on the Wirral. This 20 year-old charity helps not only elderly but other needy,vulnerable and disabled Wirral residents. Practical assistance is at the heart of the charitable work which is carried out by an army of approximately 100 volunteers. Without further funding a service currently providing invaluable help to over 800 people is at risk.
The Pilgrim’s Way, also known as the Way of St James, is followed by pilgrims and tourists who use the ancient routes across Galicia in Northern Spain. The tomb of St James at Santiago is supposed to have been discovered in the 9th century and is known world-wide as a religious shrine of great importance.Ian will be looking to put in at least 5 hours walking per day. While the going under foot on the camino (“way”) is generally good walking, it is the amount of walking day after day for a period of over 50 days that is very demanding, and hard on the feet!
Good luck Ian! As I write he has 52 days left to go!
You can follow his progress at the Helplink website.If you wish to sponsor him during this valiant project you can do this at www.justgiving.com
Warner Leisure’s 7 country hotels are open to welcome you this Spring. Take an April or May Spring Break.
Some bookings are still available for Easter.
Explore the Jurassic Coast, Sherwood Forest or the Yorkshire Dales.
Get the sand between your feet on a stroll along the beaches at Hayling Island, Isle of Wight or the Suffolk Coast. Fresh air, great views.
In the mix is simply an unforgettable recipe for good food, entertainment, and relaxed surroundings.
Prices held until 2nd April, so book now!WarnersLeisure Hotels.
AND THERE IS MORE!
You can save up to £350 per room in 2015 with Warner, plus you’ll receive an extra £10 saving per person when you quote your Senior Railcard promo code ‘PHCSRC’.
And that’s not all, as a Railcard holder you’ll also benefit from:
Half price holiday protection plan
Deposit of only £65 per person*
No booking fees
No credit card charges
Have you got itchy feet? Raring to go on that holiday you’ve always promised yourself?Maybe you are a seasoned traveller, but are looking for fresh ideas to satisfy your wanderlust. Well you have come to the right place.Here are a few things to consider to help you make the right travel arrangements to suit you. Continue reading “5 or more things for baby boomers to consider when making travel plans”
Many 60lifers are fortunate to be able to travel frequently at different times of the year and may wish to take a holiday rental.
If you are planning to rent a holiday home or villa, spare a thought for the man who was reported as having recently paid his deposit on the holiday home of his dreams in Spain discovered when arriving at the address he had been given that the villa did not exist. He had been well and truly conned, and there was no compensation available for his loss of around £1,000. Sad to say this is not an isolated case,and this type of fraud has been going on for years. The widespread use of booking online has added to the risks.
The holiday scams can take many forms. For instance,the holiday property is non-existent, or the owner is not the person who advertised the property for rent.
What to Do?
There are several fairly easy things you can do to help minimise the risk of your own holiday rental horribilis , including :
‘Buyer beware’, has never been more appropriate in these transactions. We often spend a great deal of planning in detail where we wish to stay on holiday. Loss may be difficult to completely eliminate from the acts of determined fraudsters, but being alert to the dangers and spending a little time in ownership research should prevent you from being one of their victims.
There are many excellent articles on travel and insurance websites. Here is one site concerned with the prevention of fraud in the holiday homes sector which may offer you some helpful advice.
Here’s wishing you a happy and carefree holiday!
You are aged 60 or over. Time to to do those things you always promised you would when you reached a certain age and retired from full time employment. Travel widely.
If you hold a valid UK passport and driving licence, you can apply – no affiliate sale here – for a senior rail card. A whole new world of travelling at markedly reduced prices will open up for you. A senior rail card will cost you a mere £28 per annum and currently will save you 1/3 on rail fares for journeys throughout Great Britain.
For instance, you can enjoy 2 for 1 value deals visiting London for days out.
Apply for a senior rail card and enjoy exploring the UK.
If you stick with one insurer for any type of cover,you may find over time that you are paying many times more for the same product as a new customer. Fact.
Today,there are frequent reports of misplaced loyalty ,where longstanding customers find themselves substantially out-of-pocket when compared with others who move their insurance business around. According to a recent BBC news report one such disadvantaged customer was a lady who had insured her house, a two-bedroom terrace house, and its contents with the NatWest for 38 years. Every year, it was reported, Alison Gann allowed her policy to be renewed when she received her annual renewal letter. Over the years the annual rate of premium just went up and up, until her latest premium rose above £1,000. Apparently, she had a good claims record with only two minor claims in the last 20 years. Her requirements had otherwise little changed.
Take action at annual renewal time
The key thing to do when you receive a letter inviting you to renew your policy is ACT ON IT! A large number of renewals go through ‘on the nod’, no action to see if what is being quoted is reasonable in line with the market.Alison didn’t act. She trusted her bank to do the right thing.Then,when she found out she was paying (and probably had been for a number of years) many times more than some of her neighbours she was ,at first given the ‘brush-off’ being told she should have allowed the policy to lapse if she did not want to renew. Later, after some intervention from the BBC consumer affairs programme Moneybox offered a review to see how much she had overpaid.She did not accept a much reduced figure, deciding to go elsewhere for yet an even lower payment.Good on her!
Why is this happening?
It seems that the loyalty of longstanding customers has diminished in value in recent years, as comparison web sites have entered to influence the market. Customer loyalty is no longer seen to be something to be rewarded. This is the view of a money expert at Which? The insurance provider’s view appears now to be : you have the opportunity at renewal to shop around to see if you can obtain a better deal.It is your responsibility to do so.
The view of the Financial Services Agency is that customers should be treated fairly.Until they are, you should look around for yourself every year at renewal time.It is worthwhile and there are significant savings to be had.
All around the UK there is the buzz of concern and outrage at the recent announcement that the over 60s are to lose the concessionary rate bus fares which enable so many, who would otherwise find the cost prohibitive,to travel on journeys from within the UK .
You can read one full report here – threat to resort after concessions face axe
This is just one of many seaside resorts and visitor attractions expecting to be seriously affected by the withdrawal of the funding provided to bus operators to enable them to offer concessionary fares. The operators are faced with closing routes if they become unprofitable. It has been suggested that they should introduce schemes similar to the Rail Card currently available to the over 60s.
Tip: If you know you want to travel you can beat the deadline for the end of the specially reduced rates by planning and booking now. Tickets bought in this way will be honoured after the deadline.
The60LifeWeekly
30th September 2010
· Where to Profit from your unwanted collectables
· Why not take a garden tour next year?
· You, too, could have many holiday places of your own
Hi,
Remember last week we looked at finding cash in the attic. Well this week there is a little more on where to go for advice…Also, fancy a garden tour? …or perhaps an affordable holiday place of your own, in a sunny paradise…
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Where to profit from your unwanted collectables
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If you are fortunate to be in a position to bolster your cash with the sale of some antiques or collectables that are surplus to your requirements, then it pays to have a second opinion. In addition to last week’s online suggestions you could go to an antiques’ fair. At the least you can have a great day-out! Have a look at the Antiques Trade Gazette or antiquesguide.com for details.
For a guide price on your goods, it can repay you to visit the new website at millersantiquesguide.com. On site there are also many interesting articles – Mark Hill’s current piece on ‘writing collectables’ particularly caught my eye’, vintage propelling pencils, fountain pens, desk stands, all that. You may also be able to borrow a copy of Miller’s Antiques guide from your local library.
And, finally, don’t forget eBay, for a guide as to what your stuff is worth in the current marketplace; and also as a place to sell it online.
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Why not take a garden tour next year?
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Love gardens? Looking for something a little different for a holiday break next year? Well, you could visit and be inspired by the gardening masterpiece created by Peter Wolkonsky who, according to Financial Times columnist, Robin Lane Fox: “Aged 65,[he] took on a valley of 40 acres and turned it into a garden which still attracts 20,000 visitors a year from all over the world.”
The gardens at Kerdalo, 10 minutes away from Treguier situated on the north coast of Brittany, France, are” the creation of a family in direct descent from Tolstoy’s War and Peace .”
For further information you can check out
Next year a tour of Kerdalo will be run in May, by French Gardens Today, with the help of Peter Wolkonsky’s daughter Isabelle. Further details at frenchgardenstoday.co.uk or contact [email protected]
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You, too, could have many holiday places of your own
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Hopefully, gone forever are the spivs who several years ago accosted holidaymakers in the Costas, and elsewhere, selling and scamming with timeshares, giving that industry a bad name. “26 years ago a more flexible alternative to timeshare emerged with the Holiday Property Bond which turned the traditional timeshare on its head,” say the Holiday property Bond people.
It offers its” investors a financial interest in an entire portfolio of villas, cottages and apartments. And enabling them to holiday at a choice of popular UK and European destinations rent free – at times to suit them.”
So (as they say) why settle for one place to own when you can choose from 1,300? You can check it out here at http://www.hpb.co.uk
I hope I have given you some food for thought when planning your holidays next year.
Don’t miss your next weekly issue!
If you have missed earlier issues of The60Life Weekly – these can be found by scrolling down the categories in the right hand column at http://www.the60life.com.
Yours,
Mike Paterson,
The 60Life Weekly
PS: Please, if you have your own stories, tips, or feedback send them to me at
Disclaimer: It is always my intention to be as accurate in fact, detail and comment as possible. However, I cannot be held responsible for any error in details, accuracy or judgement whatsoever. This e-letter is produced on this understanding.
The60LifeWeekly
29th July 2010
• Save money with this summer holiday offer only open until the end
of August
• Discover a world of writing for pleasure and profit
• How you can stretch your way to fitness
Hi
I’m spending a wonderful few days break surrounded by the
spectacularly beautiful scenery of North Wales in the UK. So where
exactly am I? If you would like to you can check it out here at
http://www.porthtocynhotel.co.uk
For my headlined summer holiday offers find for this week, though,
please see below – I have absolutely no affiliation with
these holiday opportunities, or the one above, and therefore
receive no payment or commission of any kind.
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Save money with late summer holiday offers
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• You can access a number of exciting offers for a late summer
booking.
Last minute deals
Guardian.co.uk posts its editor’s picks:
“We trawl through hundreds of deals from tour operators and hotels
each day to bring you the pick of the best offers
around.Guardian.co.uk receives no payment or commission of any kind
from the operators listed”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/lateoffers
Or maybe you would particularly like to travel in Ireland :
From Discover Ireland:
“Here in Ireland we believe in rewarding maturity and experience so
we’ve worked hard to bring together amazing deals throughout the
island of Ireland so Silver Surfers can put together an ultimate
summer package that won’t break the bank. Even better – you don’t
need to travel with another person over the age of 66 to take
advantage. Our 2-for-1 and reduced rate accommodation offers
require only one Silver Surfer between two, and if you want to go
self-catering then you only need one pass for the whole property.
And this summer you can travel by rail in the Republic of Ireland
and Northern Ireland for free if you are over 66 – it’s called the
Golden Trekker.
These super summer savings are only valid from 17th May to 31st
August, so don’t miss out! All you have to do is surf through our
offers, download your Silver Surfer Summer Savings Pass and, most
importantly, remember you’re never too old to have the experience
of your life!”
http://www.discoverireland.com/gb/campaigns/silver-surfers
.
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Discover a world of writing for pleasure
and profit
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For excellent writing resources, providing tips, guidance and
inspiration you can subscribe to leading magazines (or perhaps read
in a public library) like Writing Magazine or Writers Forum. The
latter publication welcomes readers to its site thus:
‘Each month Writers’ Forum helps thousands of new and aspiring
writers to achieve their dreams. It’s packed with up-to-date market
information, advice from experts in the publishing industry and
inspiring stories and tips from fellow authors and writers.
We also feature interactive reader workshops in fiction, poetry,
children’s books and self-publishing, so you can see at first -hand
how to improve and successfully target your own writing.’
http://www.writers-forum.com
There is a vast amount of information on this site as well as
http://www.writingmagazine.co.uk
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How you can stretch your way to fitness
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At the pilatesguide.co.uk a forum member asks:
‘Am I too old to do Pilates?
I am a 63 year old woman and want to start a Pilates class but I am
worried that I am too old and that I could injure myself
________________________________________
Answer from Brenda Phillips, Cheltenham:
You can never be too old to do Pilates. If you feel fit enough you
can do it at any age. The beauty of Pilates is that all the
exercises can be adapted to meet the specific needs of each
individual which means it can be tailored for you no matter what
age you are. Pilates can be adapted to make it less strenuous and
gentler so it will suit any ability. A lot of older people are
turning to Pilates to keep themselves suppler and fitter. Pilates
is known to help prevent age related conditions such as
osteoporosis.
http://www.pilatesguide.co.uk/answers/8.html
and for more health benefits check out:
http://www.naturalnews.com/pilates.html
Coming-up in the next issue, news and tips about:
• more good reasons if needed to include regular cycling in your
life
• looking at ‘home’ business opportunities (‘biz opps’)
• 4 easy steps to a richer life
and soon, we’re looking at personal computing: problems and remedies
Don’t miss your next issue by email on 5th August.
Yours ,
Mike Paterson,
The 60Life Weekly
PS: If you have your own stories, tips, or feedback please send
them to me at
[email protected]
PPS: If you have missed earlier issues of The 60Life Weekly these
can be found in the archives at
http://www.the60life.com
Disclaimer: It is always my intention to be as accurate in
fact,detail and comment as possible. However, I cannot be held
responsible for any error in details ,accuracy or judgement
whatsoever. This e-letter is produced on this understanding.
In October 2007, I wrote the following post in an early blog of mine:
Eating-out in the 60s and 70s meant for many sampling the delights of that staple three course menu promoted by the Berni Inn restaurant chain:prawn cocktail for starters,then steak diane with chips and peas,finishing with black forest gateau and cream,and coffee. Wine if ordered would most likely be a bottle of the ubiquitous Mateus Rose or Blue Nun. So what was wrong with that, you may ask.
Tastes in food may have moved on but thirty-odd years ago there was not the variety and availability of food produce for the table, particularly for a popular and affordable establishment. Abundance of a kind required a very deep pocket from the diner at a top restaurant.
My attention was drawn recently,though,to the report by Frontier PR recently of the Porth Tocyn Country Hotel (above), on the Lleyn Peninsula near Abersoch ,which recently celebrated its appearance in the Good Food Guide for the 50th consecutive year. This still family-owned bastion of good food and service was first listed in the Guide in 1957. Owner Nick Fletcher-Brewer says that keeping high standards year-in-year-out has been the recipe for success – no dishes served in the beginning have survived,though. This is a pity. For those of you who would like to retickle your tastebuds with this retro fare, or experience what it was all about, you can see one revival recipe by clicking here for the prawn cocktail! http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/cuisine/european/english/prawn-cocktail.html
…and the Blue Nun? Well, I am told more bottles per annum are currently consumed than in its supposed heyday in the mid-80s, but then we are consuming more of everything today.’
So why have I resurrected this piece? Well,perhaps only to add that since 2007 I have tasted for myself the culinary delights of the Porth Tocyn Hotel on several occasions while staying there for short breaks. As I write over looking a spectacular view of Cardigan Bay and the Snowdonia mountains beyond, here we are again! Last night’s menu? Oh, an excellent ham hock terrine, with a mouthwatering Welsh beef main course to follow; and all helped down with a glass or two of the house merlot.If you are interested in this “little gem” of a place check out the details at www.porthtocynhotel.co.uk
The world maybe your oyster, and all that. You’re able to travel, and you’ve planned your trip. So why is travel insurance difficult to obtain, or so darn expensive for older people? The people at moneymagpie.com put it this way:
‘It’s because you become more susceptible to medical conditions, many of which could make you a higher risk when travelling, and particularly flying.
Nevertheless you’ve got to have it, so you need to make sure you choose a policy best suited to your needs without having to pay too much for unnecessary extras.
Factors affecting travel insurance for the older generation
•The over 60s have more time and money to travel than ever before. Because you’re more active and living longer, travel insurance policies specifically designed for the older age groups are becoming increasingly popular. Of course this is good news; it means there is more competition, so better prices are available.
•When you’re travelling, insurers are aware that you’ll be taking far fewer risks than say, the backpacker who plans to jump out of an aeroplane! This acknowledgement should be reflected in your policy and hopefully help to decrease your costs.
So, how do you get the best deal?
Unfortunately, unlike life insurance, you have to fully declare any existing medical conditions for all travel insurance policies. However, there are some companies out there who won’t increase their premiums when you declare certain pre-existing medical conditions.
Once again, it’s essential to shop around for the best deal. Which? Money reliably informs us that buying your policy online is almost always cheaper, so get checking on our comparison pages.
With the help of some research carried out by our friends at Which?, we’ll now show you a few of the very best deals around. Just make sure you read all the terms and conditions carefully to check the level of cover you are getting with each policy. And bear in mind that these premiums may increase for anyone with pre-existing medical conditions.’
If you would like to see the full article why not go to:
http://www.moneymagpie.com/article/978/insurance-best-deals-for-the-over-60s-2/
