Today’s picture of the day is of Esk Pike in Cumbria. It is situated at the top of the beautiful valley of the River Esk. It is popular among walkers and is close to other peaks such as Great End, Allen Crags, Bow Fell and the Scafells.
Monthly Archives: August 2009
£35 million museum scheduled for the Mary Rose
Filed under Attractions
A visit to Portsmouth Historic Dockyard to see the Mary Rose – in the year of her 500th Anniversary – is a popular choice this summer. Visitors are being urged to enjoy the sight of this magnificent vessel, the only Tudor warship on display in the world, before she is withdrawn temporarily from view on 20th September 2009 for a new £35 million museum to be built around her.
In one of the most ambitious and significant heritage projects in recent years, the Mary Rose’s hull will be housed in a brand new boat-shaped museum and for the first time visitors will be able to see a state-of-the-art recreation of the wreck’s missing side. The Mary Rose Trust has received a £21 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to complete the conservation of the hull and build a permanent museum which will also house the thousands of treasured artefacts found with the ship.
Picture of the day: Hoghton Tower, Lancashire
Filed under Attractions
Today’s picture of the day is of Houghton Tower and was the ancestral home of the De Hoghton Family since WIlliam the Conqueror. It stands proudly 650ft above sea level. It is where William Shakespeare began his working life. Guests can see the Tudor Well house, underground passages, wine cellar and dungeons. There are beautiful gardens surrounding the Tower.
Really Wild Food and Countryside Festival, Pembrokeshire
Filed under Eating & Drinking, Events
With the credit crunch biting, there couldn’t be a better time to learn more about ‘food from the wild’ and one of the best places to do this is at the ‘Really Wild Food and Countryside Festival’ held in St David’s in Pembrokeshire on 5th and 6th September 2009. This event celebrates food and crafts which originate in the wild with cookery and craft demonstrations and stalls, plus advice on foraging to find ‘free food’. Just some of the food exhibitors at this year’s event include local makers of organic cheese, ice cream, Welsh wine and honey, while other country pursuits to be enjoyed include basket making, spinning, weaving, leatherwork and falconry.
Woodlands Country House, Padstow
Filed under Accommodation
The elegance of a Victorian house, the luxury of a modern home. This is what you can expect when you spend a few glorious days at Woodlands Country House, Padstow. This luxury guesthouse sits just above the traditional Cornish fishing town of Padstow. With elegant rooms, you can expect a touch of splendour at Hugo and Pippa Woolley’s fabulous five star guesthouse hotel.
Celebrity Chef Rick Stein’s friends Pippa and Hugo will treat you like long lost friends, while you relax in their sumptuous garden or play croquet on the lawn. With panoramic views of the Cornish countryside and coastline, you will never want to leave such unending luxury.
From the shooting set to the traditional gastronomic Padstow break – host your own house party. It’s the small details that make a big difference. From splendid bathrooms furnished with an abundance of Gilchrist & Soames toiletries, to the gathering of family photographs through the ages. Curl up in bed with one of the many teddy bears, or on the large sofas in the sitting room with a crisp glass of wine from the honesty bar.
And in the morning, enjoy Hugo’s favourite meal of the day – Breakfast! Fresh, local produce will enable you to choose from one of over ten daily specials including Kedgeree, Eggs Mimosa and Huevos Rancheros to the more traditional full Cornish breakfast or oak smoked kippers. A perfect way to start your wanders through the Camel Trail or the Coastal Path.
How do big companies get it so wrong?
Filed under Miscellaneous, Transport
If you go on to the Hertz UK site at the moment, you’ll see a big graphic on the right hand side, advertising 1,000 bonus Nectar points on half term rentals. If you click on the graphic, it takes you here and you discover it’s for the “August half term”.
Huh?! Since when was there a half term in the month of August? February, May and October, yes. But not August – that falls in the main Summer holidays.
Bearing in mind that Hertz is the world’s largest car hire brand, you really would have thought they’d get this kind of thing right. We’ve written to them to point out the error but the response simply said that we ought to get a reply within 10 or 12 days (but not with a great deal of confidence, it seemed). It doesn’t exactly sound like the epitome of efficiency.
Kenilworth Castle awaits
Filed under Attractions
The residents of the aviary in Kenilworth Castle’s recently opened Elizabethan garden are hoping to further expand their brood, with the ground-nesting pheasants and grouse now sitting on eggs!
Over the past few months, visitors to the castle have been able to see canary chicks raised successfully in the bejewelled bird house, and now the team at Kenilworth are hoping that there will be more new arrivals for visitors to admire in the next few weeks.
Picture of the day: St Andrews University Quadrangle
Filed under Attractions
Today’s picture of day is of St Andrews University Quadrangle. It is often referred to as the “Quad” and is where the historic arts school can be found. The Quad dates back to 1413 and is the sight of St Salvador’s Chapel, where students see their results each year which are pinned onto the wall.
Explore the Gardens at Eaton Hall
Filed under Attractions, Events
Explore the Gardens at Eaton Hall, Cheshire – the private home of the Duke and Duchess of Westminster – on Sunday 30th August 2009. The gardens are only open to the public only three times a year to raise funds for charity and one of those rare occasions is this coming Bank Holiday, so don’t miss out!
Tell us what you’re doing this Bank Holiday!
Filed under Miscellaneous
The August Bank Holiday is just around the corner and the official start of autumn is under a month away. So, now is a good time to get out and enjoy the last of the English summer. What are you going to be doing this Bank Holiday!
