As night falls prepare to be spooked as you journey through Dover Castle’s haunted history on a ghostly guided tour. Hear tales of strange sightings and sounds as you venture underground into the castle’s maze of eerie tunnels. Above ground, journey back to the 12th Century as you enter the recently transformed Great Tower of King Henry II to learn the paranormal secrets and even meet a few ghosts! Tours take place every Saturday and Sunday in January and February.
Monthly Archives: December 2009
Dover Castle: not for the faint-hearted!
0
Filed under Attractions, Events
New demo courses launched at Swinton Park
Filed under Eating & Drinking
Swinton Park, the luxury castle hotel in the Yorkshire Dales, has launched two new demonstration courses which will be running at the Swinton Park Cookery School throughout 2010.
The two hour demonstration course allows guests to watch a demonstration of various dishes and techniques, with a choice of seven course themes – Yorkshire Fare, Tapas, Stocks Sauces & Foams, Italian, Bread & Patisserie, Butchery and Canapes. The course does not involve hands on cooking in the same way as the cookery school’s day courses, but allows guests to enjoy an introduction to cooking, with a demonstration of various skills and dishes. The two hour demonstration ends with service of a three course lunch served at the demonstration table. The event is very relaxed and informal, and guests are welcome to ask the Cookery School Chef, Robert Taylor, for information, ideas and suggestions throughout the course. The course charge is £60 per person and there are up to 10 on a course.
Christmas Day with a difference… on the Thames
Filed under Eating & Drinking, Transport
If you are looking to celebrate Christmas Day with a difference or don’t want the hassle of all the cooking and washing up, then look no further, as City Cruises has the answer.
Let someone else do all the work and jump on-board the Christmas Day Lunch Cruise . As you cruise leisurely along the Thames you can enjoy an aperitif followed by a sumptuous four course meal complete with all the Christmas trimmings. The cruise departs from Westminster Pier at 12:30pm and returns to the pier at 15:15 for disembarkation. The price of this special cruise is £97.50 per person.
Alternatively why not enjoy a special Christmas Day lunch, in a unique setting with spectacular views, on the Restaurant Ship Hispaniola, which is permanently moored on Victoria Embankment. You will be welcomed on-board with an aperitif, followed by a festive three course lunch. The price of this special Christmas Day lunch is £60 per person.
Spaces are limited and booking is essential.
Springtime jazz in Northumberland
Filed under Accommodation, Events
If you love jazz then let John Peters and Classic Lodges invite you to A Springtime Jazz Party at the White Swan Hotel in Alnwick, Northumberland. It will be a whole weekend of toe tapping fun where true jazz lovers can immerse themselves in everything from the magic of Duke Ellington to a night at Eddie Condon’s. The jazz weeked kicks off on Friday 19th March 2010 at 2.30pm with a salute to Kid Ory and finishes on the Sunday night with Louis & the American Songbook. Book early to get your accommodation sorted so that you can really enjoy your weekend in style.
All angles covered by Pollaughan Farm Cottage
Filed under Accommodation
Whilst some accommodation providers may excel in certain areas of expertise Pollaughan Farm Cottages has set an example in the South West region for accessible, sustainable and high quality holidays, picking up awards for each during 2009.
Not only were they awarded a gold self-catering rating by VisitBritain but two of the four cottages also offer level access, open plan layouts with wooden floors and colourful wet-floor showers. This means they can be used easily by everyone, as demonstrated by the silver ‘Access for All’ win in the recent South West Tourism Excellence Awards.
And families are catered for too. There’s an animal farm, a tennis court, trampoline and all the little extras to make holidaying with children that little bit more relaxing.
But proving that they have covered all angles, there’s a green ethos and a commitment to minimising the impact of the business on the environment evident throughout. From simply encouraging visitors to recycle and use public transport to harvesting water and planting trees, the ‘how to holiday greener’ message is clear. As a consequence, Pollaughan Farm Cottages has been recognised with a gold accreditation in the Green Tourism Business Scheme and is held as an example to the tourism industry by CoaST (Cornwall Sustainable Tourism Project) which works to help businesses adopt and improve sustainable working practises.
Train service boost for Wiltshire
Filed under Transport
Tourism bosses in Wiltshire are hoping a new regular rail service from London into Salisbury and Tisbury will further boost visitor figures in 2010. The service, which launched last week, provides a daily, hourly route out of London’s Waterloo to Salisbury and Tisbury, and on to Exeter. It is both faster and more regular than anything previously offered, with the average journey time between London and Salisbury being under two hours.
BAFTA afternoon tea at The Dorchester
Filed under Eating & Drinking, Events
A BAFTA Afternoon Tea will be served in The Promenade at The Dorchester on 21st January 2010 at two sittings, 2.15pm and 4.45pm, transforming it into a fashion show reminiscent of a red carpet awards evening.
And to celebrate the partnership with the Orange British Academy Film Awards, The Dorchester will automatically enter all BAFTA Afternoon Tea guests into a prize draw for one lucky recipient to win the official nominee gift bag which is given to all nominees, whether they win the coveted BAFTA masks or not.
The tea is priced at £48.00 per adult including a glass of Champagne (Prices are inclusive of VAT and exclusive of service charge at 12.5%).
Two AA rosettes for The Bath Arms At Longleat
Filed under Accommodation, Eating & Drinking
The Bath Arms at Longleat has been awarded two rosettes by the AA inspector for its culinary excellence. The hotel which was taken over and refurbished by Hillbrooke Hotels in 2006 has demonstrated a commitment to British food with head chef Frank Bailey sourcing seasonal produce from within 50 miles of the Wiltshire hotel whenever possible.
Recently the hotel has taken the local food aspect even closer to home with hand reared pigs within the grounds being used for fresh pork dishes, sausages and cured hams. They have also developed their own vegetable garden to provide the freshest possible ingredients for the kitchen including a selection of seasonal vegetables, herbs and salad crops.
White sand beaches… in Scotland, not Thailand
Filed under Attractions, Miscellaneous
As reports circulate that a Thai holiday resort used an image of one of Scotland’s top Scottish beaches in their marketing material (credit goes to blogger Ian McNamara at iamkochang.com for spotting it!), research conducted by Opinion Matters shows that Scotland’s stunning winter white beaches are often mistaken for more exotic climes.
The survey, conducted earlier in the year for VisitScotland, asked respondents around the UK to look at a picture of the Isle of Harris’ idyllic white beach and asked them to say where they thought it was. 26% of those who replied thought it was Mauritius, 17% thought it was New Zealand and 13.7% thought it was Thailand. Only 22% of those surveyed correctly guessed it was Scotland.
Earlier in the week, the media widely reported that an image of the island of Berneray was used in marketing material for the Thai resort of Koh Chang. But you needn’t go as far as Thailand to find such a beautiful beach. There are many beaches in Scotland offering long stretches of white sand and are the perfect locations for winter strolls:
• Enjoy a stroll along the beaches of Harris with miles of scenic contrasts that have to be seen to be believed. Revitalising winter sea breezes straight from the Atlantic Ocean will take your breath away amidst the sound of waves breaking. Just a few miles south of Tarbert, the island’s main port, Luskentyre is one of the most spectacular stretches of sand, offering views of majestic snow-capped mountains in the distance. Harris has many more special beaches to choose from, including Seilibost and Traigh Mor.
• For a walk along uncrowded stunning white sands, look no further than Montrose’s Lunan Bay. This award-winning beach is the perfect antidote to an indulgent Christmas and just the place to blow away the winter cobwebs.
• Stretching for almost two miles, and famous from the opening scene of ‘Chariots of Fire’, St Andrews’ West Sands beach is nestled between the refreshing sea swirl and the town’s world famous Old Course. The dunes which the beach backs onto provide a perfect sheltered spot for a winter picnic, before stretching your legs for a leisurely walk along the seashore to take in the crisp, fresh winter air.
• Surf’s up this winter as Aberdeen City and Shire is the place to be for white waves. Whether you are into wind surfing or kite surfing, Aberdeenshire’s white beaches are an ideal destination. With large, open and un-crowded white sandy stretches, where better to relax and invigorate.
• The Highlands also offers a range of stunning beaches, where an invigorating winter stroll along the white sands of Arisaig, Traigh and Morar beaches is an experience not to be missed.
For information about Scotland’s white beaches and wide range of other winter white activities to see and do in Scotland, log on to VisitScotland’s White Invite.
Where to eat, drink, see and be seen in London
Filed under Attractions, Eating & Drinking
The Times has published an article that claims to be the ultimate city guide to London as it contains information on where to eat, drink, see and be seen, according to four authors of the latest guides to the capital (Marsha Moore, Ruth Jarvis, Michael Kasparis and Grant Thatcher). They have some great suggestions which are well worth browsing. If you notice any omissions, please post a comment on this blog and tell us what you think should have been included.
