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Monthly Archives: October 2010

Spooky looking Corfe Castle photo wins national prize

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Posted by trev on October 26, 2010 – 11:00 am
Filed under Miscellaneous

A rather sureal photo of Corfe Castle in Dorset, which might have come straight out of Lord of the Rings, has scooped a national photographic prize.

The photo, shown here on the BBC shows the castle under a veil of mist and frost, giving it a totally new look as if it had come straight from the pages of a book.

Local photographer Antony Spencer won the £10,000 prize beating off 1000s of other entries from around the country, in the competition run by Network Rail and Natural England.

Some of the best images including this one will be displayed in a free exhibition at the National Theatre in London from 22 November.

London Olympics may have unexpected impact in Weymouth

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Posted by trev on October 26, 2010 – 10:46 am
Filed under Events

The majority of the Olympics might be taking place in London, but there might be side effects of the games felt as far away as Weymouth on the south west coast.

Some of the Olympic events will be taking place away from the capital in Southampton and Weymouth areas, but the Olympic sailing races which will take place in Weymouth mean that a large exclusion zone will have to be setup around the harbour and coastline.

This exclusion zone according to tourist boat owners could actually have a negative effect as they won’t be allowed to take visitors on the usual routes around the harbour and local area, thus any positive financial effects from the 2012 games might not be felt by all. Fishermen in the area are also likely to feel the effects as they will be excluded from their traditional fishing grounds for 16 days during the games.

One obvious solution, at least for the tourist charter boats, would be to take tourists outside the sailing area but to give them a closeup view from a designated viewing area. Unfortunately this proposal was turned down by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games [LOCOG] (organisers of the games).

The impact is likely to be doubly felt by the local fishermen and fish traders as demand for their fish, especially spider crab, is very likely to significantly increase when 10,000 visitors flock to the town, but any fish will need to be imported from elsewhere.

Local Councillor John Birtwhistle told the BBC – “I want the Olympics to be welcomed to this town. I don’t want people saying ‘we don’t want it here’.”

Do you think the Olympics should be paying compensation for the loss of income due to their events? Or is something like this happening in your town? Have your say in the comments section below (or click the speech bubble if on the home page).

Weymouth Links:
Weymouth visitor attractions
Hotels in Weymouth
Self-catering cottages in Weymouth

Cardiff half marathon turns out to be 193m too short

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Posted by trev on October 25, 2010 – 5:00 pm
Filed under Events

Cardiff half marathon was run on a perfect Summers day all around the city centre and Cardiff Bay, except a last minute change of route meant it was 193m short.

Barnardo’s who organised the half marathon said they had to make a very last minute change to get around an [unspecified] obstruction which meant that the race which should be 13 miles 192.5 yards, fell short by the 193 meters or around 211 yards.

It was only well after the race that the the organisers discovered the change in route has meant it was short and have apologised to the fun runners and more serious club runners.

More Cardiff Links:
Attractions in Cardiff
Hotels in Cardiff

Bonfire Night in London: four of the best displays

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Posted by admin on October 25, 2010 – 4:31 pm
Filed under Attractions, Events

As London braces itself for another Guy Fawkes’ night, we bring you details of some of the best firework displays in the city.  Plan your evenings carefully and you could get to at least three of these!

Clapham Common fireworks
Friday 5th November 2010 at 7.30pm

Crystal Palace Park fireworks
Friday 5th November 2010 at 6pm
www.crystalpalacefireworks.co.uk

Battersea Park fireworks
Sat 6th November 2010 at 6pm

Lord Mayor’s show and fireworks
Saturday 13th November 2010
www.lordmayorshow.org

Useful links:
London hotels
London attractions (including the Houses of Parliament which Guy Fawkes had planned to blow up!)

New cemetery trails – finding local heroes?

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Posted by trev on October 25, 2010 – 4:30 pm
Filed under Attractions, Miscellaneous

Its a curious concept, but cemetery trails and especially guided tours are becoming more popular originally to find famous people, but now to find local heroes too.

Tours and mapped out trails of London cemeteries for example have long been popular with tourists, with Highgate Cemetery in London probably being the most famous. However it seems more and more smaller cemeteries are finding that they too can generate interest in more local heroes and celebrities.

An example is Treorchy cemetery in Rhondda, South Wales, where a tour was started by two local funeral directors originally for local school children. The tour of the 70,000 grave cemetery is being taken by Mr Reynolds who worked there for 65 years. As well as the everyday citizens of Treorchy, there are plenty of graves of more general interest including:

- William Abraham (Rhondda’s first MP)
- Henry Lewis who faught the Zulus at Rorke’s Drift (made famous in the 1964 film Zulu)
- Boxer David John Bowen who died on the Titanic en-route to fight in the US
- Manchester City captain Roy Paul who captained the club to 2 FA cup finals, and won it in 1954.

There are many more people of historic interest buried here and of course in the many other semi sizeable cemeteries around the country. As more and more cemeteries open their doors to historians, school children and the general public the local hero will become just as recognised as the national celebrities.

For details of local tours, the council offices or tourism information centres are probably the best bet.

Useful links:
Tourist information centres around the UK
Visitor attractions around the UK (including many churches)

Tourism boost from proposed Kent to M11 bridge bypassing London

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Posted by trev on October 25, 2010 – 4:25 pm
Filed under Transport

A proposed new £1 billion bridge would connect Kent with the M11 in Essex, allowing traffic to bypass the M25 and thus making it much easier for traffic to move around London.

If the route is built as looks likely would be especially good for Cambridgeshire and East Anglia as it would give quick access for visitors arriving at Dover and the Channel Tunnel to get to the north east of London without having to negotiate the M25 and Dartford Tunnels.

The bridge would be a toll bridge, but part of the costs would be paid for by the existing Dartford Tunnel and bridge which take M25 traffic across the Thames on the east of London at Gravesend. Currently northbound traffic has to take the Dartford Tunnel and southbound crosses the Queen Elizabeth Bridge.

Halloween and half term science fun in At-Bristol

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Posted by admin on October 25, 2010 – 4:22 pm
Filed under Attractions, Events

Visit At-Bristol, a popular science centre on Bristol’s Harbourside, for spooky hands-on fun this October half term. With a special Halloween trail, freaky face painting, amazing science shows and over 300 interactive exhibits… families are in for a real treat this week.

The following half-term activities are all included in At-Bristol’s admission price:

Tricky Halloween trail
Put your brains to the test and see if you can follow spooky clues around the science centre to unravel a mystery Halloween word… you could win a family ticket to At-Bristol!

Freaky Halloween face painting
Get into the atmosphere of Halloween and have your face painted – become a scary witch, a spooky skeleton, or a plump pumpkin!
Available Monday 25 – Friday 29 October

Feel the force!
The live science team will be out and about engaging visitors with their science busking activities. Take part in some inspiring experiments including milk fireworks, balloon kebabs and a friction tug-of-war…feel the G’s!

Altitude – the fantastic flight show!
Fasten your seatbelts for one of the last chances to see At-Bristol’s special show about the science of flight!
Daily shows: 12:15, 13:30, 15:45

Take-off in the Live Science zone
Take your interest in the science of flight to dizzy heights with lots of hands-on activities in the Live Science Zone!

Storytelling
Let little ears get swept up in special story time sessions in At-Bristol’s exploration areas for under eights – Jet Set Go! and Fossils and funnybones.
Daily: 11.00 & 14.30

Autumn Night Sky Planetarium show
Take a trip to the stars and navigate your way through space. Discover amazing planets, coloured stars and giant galaxies.
Daily shows: 11.00, 12.30, 13:15, 14:45, 15:30, 16:15

Little Stars Planetarium show
Get star-struck in At-Bristol’s brand new Planetarium show ‘Little Stars’, especially for At-Bristol youngest visitors of under five years
Daily shows: 11.45 and 14.00

Useful links:
Bristol hotels
Bristol B&Bs
Bristol tourist attractions

Brand new £1bn nuclear submarine bumps into Isle of Skye

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Posted by trev on October 25, 2010 – 3:10 pm
Filed under Transport

Locals on Skye got a slightly unusual view on Thursday morning when a new £1 billion nuclear submarine “bumped” into sands off the coast of the Isle of Skye and got stuck.

The HMS Astute, which is described as the stealthiest submarine ever built, had been delivered from BAE Systems in Barrow in Furness (south Cumbria) some weeks earlier and was on sea trials before being put into active service when it somehow drifted off the normal shipping lanes and ran aground on a seabank just off the Isle of Skye.

This isn’t the first time a submarine has run aground off Skye. In 2002, HMS Trafalgar suffered millions of pounds of damage when it ran into rocks while on military exercise. Ironically, HMS Astute was due to take over from the Trafalgar which was retired in 2009.

The nuclear powered engines should be fine, but as a former submarine engineering told the BBC, they still need to get water into the reactor which is a little tricky when the tide goes out. Another worry for the MOD is that the propulsion system on the sub will also have been exposed, along potentially with other secrets about it’s design.

The submarine was today floated off and tugged back to Faslane on the Clyde which suggests it might have sustained slightly more than a little scratched paint.

So if you reverse your car into a bollard in a car park, at least you can be sure the insurance excess isn’t
going to be quite as expensive as a “left hand down” incident in a billion pound submarine.

More Skye Links:
Visitor attractions on the Isle of Skye (minus any stray nuclear subs)
BBC Video of submarine being towed

Scotland’s best golf resort and spa

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Posted by admin on October 25, 2010 – 2:40 pm
Filed under Accommodation

The five-star Fairmont St Andrews resort has been recognised as Scotland’s best golf resort and spa by the World Travel Awards. The awards have been dubbed the travel industry’s Oscars and the Fife venue fought off competition from a host of high-profile rivals to scoop the prestigious accolade.

The five-star Fairmont St Andrews resort boasts two championship golf courses, the Torrance and Kittocks, and has played host to a number of prestigious events, including both the Open Championship’s final local qualifying and the Scottish Senior Open.

A recent £17m redevelopment has benefited the entire resort, including the sumptuous spa complex which offers a range of treatments including locally-themed massages, facial and relaxation therapies and exclusive Kerstin Florian treatments in 12 chic treatment rooms.

Useful links:
Hotels in St. Andrews
Tourist attractions in St. Andrews

Two Shetland bars hoping to become next Local Hero’s Pennan Inn

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Posted by trev on October 25, 2010 – 2:01 pm
Filed under Events

Two Shetland pubs are hoping to become as famous as the Pennan Inn (from the film Local Hero) after being chosen for a new British film called “Between Weathers”.

The pubs were chosen by Aberdeen-based director Jim Brown who searched all over for the perfect bar with the right character for the film. The Pierhead in Voe will be the main bar in the film, and The Lounge in Lerwick will also have a major co-starring role.

The film Between Weathers is described as a modern-day David and Goliath story on Shetland, with themes such as depopulation on an island and the power of the internet. As well as the bars, many locals have been cast in the film too. It also has a celebrity producer in Carol McGregor, mother of Ewan McGregor.

Full details about the film can be found on the Between Weathers web site.

If you’d like to visit before the hoards arrive, there are plenty of things to do on Shetland especially in Lerwick, and a selection of hotels in Shetland too.