Glasgow has just launched the first official Charles Rennie Mackintosh audio bus tour. It uses a vibrant pink 33 seater bus and is hoped that it will increase visitor numbers to the city. Organisers are aiming to carry over 5000 passengers this summer. The tour runs until 30th September 2009. The tours shows the places Mackintosh liked to visit, his architectural legacy and his life. The bus tour is part of Mackintosh 100 a Homecoming Scotland campaign celebrating the build up to the centenary of the Glasgow School of Art in November. The chair of Mackintosh Heritage Group comments “Mackintosh is as important to Glasgow as Gaudi and Frank Lloyd Wright are to Barcelona and Chicago. His work is respected across the world and the potential for Mackintosh tourism is still to be fully realised. The Mackintosh Experience Bus tour is a milestone in our efforts to help grow tourism in the area.”
Monthly Archives: May 2009
A history of Scotland
Sit back and enjoy ‘A history of Scotland’, a BBC production presented by archaeologist Neil Oliver (also of ‘BBC Coast’ fame). The series was 2 years in the making and cost over £2m to produce.
Part I:
Part II:
Part III:
VIP days at Wimbledon
In June 2009 Britain will once again be gripped by the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. Sportsworld is offering VIP days to Wimbledon starting from £220 between 23rd June and 5th July 2009. The package includes excellent seating on the No 1 court and all day hospitality in the Fairway Village. Also included is morning coffee or tea, buffet lunch, afternoon tea with strawberries and cream, scones and sandwiches. In additon a choice of beverages is available throughout the day. Official Wimbledon souvenir merchandise including a tournament program and seat cushion will be yours to take home at the end of the day. These tickets are sure to be snapped up quickly so get booking now!
Top 50 British sights
MSN fears we are overlooking our own national treasures in favour of those abroad and believes that with spiralling travel costs, the credit crunch and the weakening pound – to rediscover the best that Britain has to offer. They polled their readers and discovered the top 50 of Britain’s very best sights. Making the top ten of the list is:
10. Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
9. The Tate Galleries of London
8. Hadrian’s Wall
7. Giants Causeway
6. Tower Hill
5. British Museum
4. Lake District
3. The Great Glen
2. Eden Project
1. Stonehenge
Glasgow’s West End Festival
Make sure you’re in Glasgow this summer as the streets come alive with a week-long carnival and some feel-good jazz music. The West End Festival is a carnival of music, film and performance that will take over Glasgow’s West End venues from 12th to 28th June 2009. With the focus firmly on music and the visual arts, this is a full-on, fun and vibrant festival that all the family can go to, and it’s right in the heart of Glasgow, a city renowned world-wide for its cultural variety and heritage.
Get back on your bike with Parkdean Holidays
Supporting the government’s Change4Life campaign, Parkdean Holidays is encouraging families to get back on their bikes and explore the countryside for Bike Week (13th-21st June 2009).
Parkdean Holidays’ parks are set in some of the most beautifully idyllic locations around the UK; from Cornwall to Wales, Norfolk to Scotland, and offer the perfect opportunity to put those pedals through their paces.
You could use White Acres Holiday Park as a base and pedal around the rugged Cornish coastline, visiting hillside villages such as the picturesque St Agnes. Alternatively, from West Bay Holiday Park you could cycle along Dorset’s famous Jurassic Coast, known for the dinosaur fossils found there. The Jurassic Coast will hold cyclists mesmerised, and you’ll lose hours foraging for fossils along the way!
12th Appledore Visual Arts Festival
At this weekend’s Appledore Visual Arts Festival you’ll be able to see blacksmiths at work, help make kilns, make paper clay sculptures, enjoy dance workshops and watch cooking demonstrations. You can even create your own costume for the Festival Finale Carnival Parade which takes place on the Sunday afternoon on the quaint Appledore Quay.
London has best taxis in the world
A poll conducted by Hotels.com which surveyed 1,400 travellers has shown that London taxis are the best in the world, however they are also considered the worst for value for money. However, London could point to having the friendliest cabbies, with the city’s taxi drivers also being considered the safest and having the best knowledge of their area. Travellers also commented that London had the cleanest and most available taxis. London beat off competition from cities around the world such as Paris and New York. Hotels.com communications director Alison Couper said: “It’s great to hear that London has won the best taxi vote. The journey to their hotel is often travellers’ first experience of the destination they are visiting and so a friendly, knowledgeable taxi driver can help form a positive first impression.”
Jersey’s beaches best in Britain
The 22nd edition of Good Beach Guide was published last week and an amazing nine of Jersey’s beautiful beaches were awarded the highest possible rating – MSC Recommended. When a beach is considered for this prestigious accolade they must have the highest water quality standard and they must not be affected by inadequatley treated continuous sewage. Jersey receives the most sunshine in Britain and combined with the excellent beaches it is the perfect place for a UK summer break. David de Carteret, director of Jersey Tourism commented: “We are delighted to be recognised so highly in such a prestigious guide. This affirms Jersey’s appeal to families for beach holidays and to those who enjoy water sports. The Good Beach Guide is extremely well respected throughout the UK and we are very proud of our consistent results.”
VisitBlackpool ad… what do you think?
You’d be forgiven for thinking that the following advertisement is tongue-in-cheek. Apparently it’s not, though. It’s a serious ad with Blackpool trying to re-brand itself, intending to convey the message that the town is striving to be more stylish.
What’s your take on it? Is it a stroke of genius or just plain ridiculous? Please let us know your thoughts by posting a comment.
