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Monthly Archives: March 2010

Take afternoon tea at Belvoir Castle

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Posted by Paul on March 8, 2010 – 8:01 am
Filed under Accommodation, Attractions, Eating & Drinking

It is a little known fact that the area of Melton gave the country one of its most enduring traditions: Afternoon Tea. Anna Maria Stanhope invented the tradition when she was staying at Belvoir Castle in the 1840s with the then Duke and Duchess of Rutland. Today the stunning regency-era Belvoir Castle is one of the region’s most popular attractions, offering superb art and European sculpture collections and, of course, Afternoon Tea at its magnificent Stewards Restaurant.

Stay overnight at the Manners Arms Country Hotel – a stunning country house hotel managed by the Duke and Duchess of Rutland. Twin /double rooms with breakfast start at £80.

Did you know it’s currently British Pie Week?

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Posted by Paul on March 5, 2010 – 9:06 am
Filed under Accommodation, Eating & Drinking, Events

As British Pie Week (1st-7th March 2010) is celebrated all over the country, one Western Lake District village is laying claim to the title of Britain’s Favourite Pie Parish and to the creation of a new tourism niche – Pie Tourism.

The village of Gosforth, near England’s highest mountain (Scafell) and its deepest lake (Wastwater) is enticing holidaymakers seeking a pie-fect experience that combines one of the country’s favourite dishes with a unique blend of other attractions.

The Gosforth Hall Inn first put a Supper Pie on its menu in January 2008. The Steak, Bacon and Mushroom pie, filled to the brim with local Lakeland steak slow-cooked for at least four hours, proved a huge hit and added to the village’s existing ‘lunch time pie’ offer from Gill Unsworth’s bakery.

The creator of the Supper Pie, Rod Davies, decided his inn should experiment with other pies. These were seen as perfect food choices into which walkers, cyclists, foodies and other visitors could tuck in after a fabulous day out enjoying ‘Britain’s Favourite View’ – Wastwater, just a few miles from Gosforth – and the stunning scenery all around.

Along with wife Barbara, Rod set about concocting delicious pie varieties for his Inn’s menu and now offers a rotating selection of pies, including Wild Boar with Wholegrain Mustard, Moroccan Lamb, Wild Game and Plum, Pulled Pork and Sweet Chilli, Venison and Haggis and Broccoli and Stilton.

All of these can be washed down with four real ales, at least three of which are always Cumbrian, served by an inn that was the 2008 runner-up in the CAMRA Pub of the Year awards.

Pie lovers hungry for more than just fabulous food, are satisfying their appetites by feeding on the rich history of the Western Lake District. This includes Roman occupations at nearby Ravenglass and Hardknott, as well as Roman activity in the Eskdale Valley. This is explored by the Steam and Romans experiences organised by the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway.

There is also the legend of St Bega and early Christianity within the area, to add to the historical backdrop ,and visitors can also revel in the area’s unique traditions, such as the annual gurning Championships, staged in Egremont. Others are building up the appetite by following one of the Gosforth Walks described by a book of that name.

Welcoming the Light and Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall

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Posted by Paul on March 5, 2010 – 1:39 am
Filed under Attractions, Events

Carlisle is set to shine during a magical free event including a torchlight procession designed to celebrate the once in a lifetime illumination of Hadrian’s Wall on Saturday 13th March 2010. Hundreds of people are being invited to arm themselves with flaming torches and march through the streets of the Border City for the Welcoming the Light event. Street entertainers and musicians will accompany the parade which will culminate at Bitts Park with an exciting finale.

Welcoming the Light is being held as part of Illuminating Hadrian’s Wall – one of the most spectacular events planned in the UK this year. Led by Hadrian’s Wall Heritage Ltd it will see a total of 500 points of light stretch from one side of Britain to the other. It’s the first time that the full length of Hadrian’s Wall from Wallsend in the North East to Bowness-on-Solway in the North West has been illuminated in more than 1,600 years.  (2010 marks the 1,600th anniversary of the end of Roman Britain in 410 AD.)

Try your hand at power kite flying at Airbossworld’s Airfield

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Posted by Paul on March 5, 2010 – 12:01 am
Filed under Accommodation, Miscellaneous

This adrenalin-inducing treat is perfect for anyone that embraces the ‘you’re never too old’ philosophy. With 52-acres of flat green grass to fly on, the Airfield at Airbossworld in Loughborough is the biggest dedicated powerkite park in the UK, offering powerkite flying facilities for all abilities. Never flown a four line powerkite before? Fear not, as the centre offers day-long courses in the very basics of powerkite flying. By the end of the day you’ll have total control of your powerkite and a breathtaking experience you won’t forget in a hurry.

Stay overnight at imago at Burleigh Court – a contemporary hotel offering exceptional leisure facilities like a well equipped gym, spa and sauna. Twin /double rooms with breakfast start at £99.

South Lakeland Parks’ flagship park re-opens after floods

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Posted by Paul on March 1, 2010 – 8:38 pm
Filed under Accommodation

South Lakeland Parks flagship park White Cross Bay has become one of the first businesses in the Lake District to re-launch after it opened its doors today. The site was badly flooded in November 2009 leading to an early closure and a £2 million refurbishment. Over the past few months the park has undergone an extensive refurbishment programme which has included:

  • New luxurious hire fleet lodges
  • State of the art new multi sports play area
  • New beer garden
  • Full boat and club house refurbishment
  • New restaurant and caterers: The Flying Boat
  • Development of new owner pitches

White Cross Bay is one of the nine parks owned and managed by South Lakeland Parks, with the others located around the Lake District, Morecambe Bay and Ribble Valley. It occupies an enviable position in the northern tip of Windermere with a number of its lodges directly overlooking the Lake and surrounding mountains.

Arty breaks in Eastbourne

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Posted by Paul on March 1, 2010 – 8:34 pm
Filed under Events

Art lovers and creative visitors can discover a haven of exhibitions and events in Eastbourne this spring including a Dark Weekend at the resort’s award-winning Towner Gallery and the return of the Eastbourne Festival.

The packed season ahead kicks off on the first weekend of March 2010 with a themed weekend at Towner, the new contemporary art museum for the South East, based on The Dark Monarch exhibition that is currently on display. The Dark Weekend from 5th-7th March offers visitors the chance to unleash their dark side with a series of screenings, talks, workshops and even a young people’s disco, inspired by the world of mystery, myth and the supernatural. From The Dark Screening showing Séance on a Wet Afternoon and The Wicker Man to The Dark Silent Disco where the club phenomenon sweeping the country comes to Eastbourne, Towner will be a hive of activity.

The Dark Monarch exhibition will continue until 21st March, so there are still a few weeks left to see this magical show, which features some of the most important British artists of the last 100 years – including Graham Sutherland, John Piper and Damien Hirst.

The first weekend of March also welcomes the opening of ‘Charles Bartlett – Etchings from His Studio’ at the Emma Mason Gallery. The free exhibition running until 27th March showcases etchings made by Bartlett between the late 1960s and 1980s and is his second solo exhibition in the town, after first exhibiting at the former Towner Art Gallery back in 1956! Bartlett, now 88, is returning to Eastbourne to open the exhibition himself.

Elsewhere in Eastbourne, Henry Paddon’s Spring Exhibition opens on 6th March promising driftwood sculpture and furniture by Terry Warren and fine art photography by Karl Andre Terblanche, while Viewpoint Art Gallery hosts original artwork as well as collections by artists such as Doug Hyde.

April 2010 promises a busy month too with the third annual Eastbourne Festival taking place from 3rd-25th April, a celebration of arts, culture and entertainment in the south coast resort. As well as various venues around the town hosting different events, including a Marshmellow Night Art Trail and Boudoir Burlesque, the Artists’ Open Houses will return offering visitors and residents the chance to view and buy locally produced artwork from the local artists themselves.

2010 Malcolm Wilson Rally

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Posted by Paul on March 1, 2010 – 11:13 am
Filed under Events, Transport

Motoring enthusiasts from across the country are being urged to travel by car, train, bus or whatever other form of transport they wish, to help businesses in the Western Lake District rally once again and provide the warm Cumbrian welcome for which they are renowned. The Western Lake District Tourism Partnership is encouraging rally driving fans, and those interested in other forms of motor sport, to head to the beautiful gem town of Cockermouth, to see the start and finish of the 2010 Malcolm Wilson Rally, on 6th March.

The Rally, in its 35th year, is returning to Cockermouth, which suffered so badly during the November flooding, to show solidarity with a town that has done so much to support it in the past. The Rally has also created various fund-raising initiatives, to help raise money for those affected by the floods, as a thank you for the welcome the town has always provided.

Radisson Edwardian New Providence Wharf voted Best London Hotel

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Posted by Paul on March 1, 2010 – 12:13 am
Filed under Accommodation

The Radisson Edwardian New Providence Wharf has been voted the traveller’s choice for Best London Hotel , according to reviews left by customers on leading accommodation website Hotels.com.  The study, based on the analysis of independent reviews posted on Hotels.com by customers who have stayed at the hotels, found that with an average rating of 9.2 out of 10, the Edwardian New Providence Wharf clearly hit the spot with visitors to the capital city – receiving praise from the majority of guests for its ‘great service’ and ‘friendly staff’.  With over 150 superior or deluxe rooms, each individually designed with unique art, 16 suites, and a fabulous penthouse with views up and down the river, The Radisson Edwardian at New Providence Wharf has been a welcome addition to London’s Docklands since it opened in 2008.