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Monthly Archives: January 2011

New Canterbury Cathedral “Transport” sculpture is a bunch of old nails

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Posted by trev on January 31, 2011 – 5:29 pm
Filed under Attractions

Antony Gormley has unveiled his latest sculpture which hangs in Canterbury Cathedral and is made from old nails extracted from the roof of the cathedral and takes another human form, entitled “Transport”.

Gormley who seems to specialise in human forms, is best known for his gigantic Angel of the North and the “Another Place” on Crosby beach near Liverpool, featuring several human sculptures standing in the sands.

His latest sculpture is a human shape made entirely of rusty nails which were being thrown out while the roof was being repaired. The sculpture now hangs above the first tomb of Thomas Becket who was murdered at the alter of Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. Apparently this new work is shows “We are all the temporary inhabitants of a body. It is our house, instrument and medium”, according to Antony Gormley.

Mixing modern art works and an ancient building such as Canterbury Cathedral, which is afterall the headquarters of the Church of England, will likely prove controversial. I’m sure some will even try to link the rusty nails with the whole crucifiction of Jesus, but maybe that is trying to connect the ancient and the modern a little too far.

There’s bigger pictures of the art work on the Daily Mail web site.

More Canterbury Resources:
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Authentic log cabin accommodation in Cumbria

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Posted by trev on January 31, 2011 – 4:05 pm
Filed under Accommodation

The Canadians have been doing log cabins for years, but more recently the popularity of log cabin holidays in the wilderness has increased dramatically.

Not surprisingly, two of the choices are in the wilderness of Cumbria which for area is the most sparsely populated county in England, although encompassing the English Lake District within the boundaries does certainly help.

Shank Wood near Longtown log cabins were hand crafted out of sitka spruce from Kielder Forest giving them that authentic locally crafted feel. The impressive cabin offers peace and tranquility in a private area of the 140 acre woodland close to the river Lyne in North Cumbria, close to the Scottish border.

It should be noted, this cabin really does take you back to nature with no running water and an outside toilet, so isn’t really for anyone who’s used to en-suite and room service, but if you really want the log cabin out in the wilds experience this might be the best bet.

Electricity comes from solar power so you’ve ticked the “green” holiday box and heat comes from a woodburner. The cabin might be out in the wilds, but the town of Brampton and city of Carlisle are close by so you don’t need to know how to tickle trout (of which there are plenty) from the local river. Of course if you want to turn this into a Swallows and Amazon’s type adventure, you could give that a shot.

More details at the Fishing Hideaway web site.

The Lodge at Eden Hall, Penrith is about as close to a riverside log cabin experience as you can possibly get, with the The Lodge situated just yards from the banks of the River Eden in Cumbria. With just woodland all around and the river to the front, the cabin truly feels as if it has dropped out of the sky from the Canadian wilderness.

A big difference from Shank Wood is that The Lodge kitchen is fully equipped with a four hob gas cooker, dishwasher, kettle, toaster and a dining table; although with a number of top class restaurants in the area, it is unlikely you’ll want to use it. You can even have your own personal chef come in and create your meals, which is especially good for anyone entertaining guests.

Pets and children are welcome, and logs are included for the wood burner although there is central heating.

More information on The Lodge at Eden Hall web site.

For even more holiday log cabins in Britain, see Hoseasons who have a large selection around the UK.

Staycations increase Mountain Rescue callouts in Lake District

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Posted by trev on January 31, 2011 – 2:27 pm
Filed under Attractions

Staycations became a big buzzword in 2010, but an unexpected side effect was the large increase in Mountain Rescue callouts especially in the Lake District.

Tourist boards made a big thing about the increase in people staying in this country to holiday during 2010, but this unexpected and rather unreported side effect has put a strain on the service which is purely run by volunteers with all equipment and vehicles paid for out of donations.

Nick Owen, team leader and a youth hostel manager in Ambleside put the increase partly down to the staycation promotions and the TV programmes which are encouraging people to get out and about in the countryside. He said “I’m all for that. I won’t knock anything that brings anyone to the area”, but noted that people are possibly taking risks beyond their experience and think they’ll be whisked off a mountain in minutes if they get into trouble.

“People think they’ll be popped down the hill in a helicopter rather than having to endure the five-hour bounce down – but that’s not the case.”, Nick Owen said.

Enjoying the fells: If treated properly, the Lake District fells are of course a great place to explore and have some of the best views anywhere in the country, even from the lower fells. The following was advice I was given by my late uncle who was an experienced rock climber and longterm member of the Kendal Mountain Rescue Team.

Keeping safe on the fells:
- Watch the weather forecasts before setting out as the weather on the fells is very different to the valleys.
- Make sure you take decent quality fleeces and especially footware, ie: trainers for Skafell Pike = bad news!
- Take a couple of mobile phones ideally on different networks (Vodafone works best in the Lake District).
- If going anywhere more than the lower fells, leave a route plan with someone.
- Please remember, it costs about £10,000 to send one of those RAF helicopters out every time.

Mountain rescue teams:
Ambleside and Langdale Mountain Rescue Team
Kendal Mountain Rescue Team
Penrith Mountain Rescue Team
Keswick Mountain Rescue Team
Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Teams

More Lake District links:
Outdoor Gear walking clothes and gear
Simply Hike – outdoor accessories

Visitor attractions in the Lake District
Lake District hotel accommodation
Self-catering in the Lake District
Campsites and caravanning in the Lake District

National Trust online walks see huge increase in popularity

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Posted by trev on January 31, 2011 – 1:35 pm
Filed under Attractions

The National Trust has seen a 40% increase in the overall popularity of its downloadable walking routes which take visitors to many of the National Trust properties around Britain.

There are currently around 240 walks on National Trust land available from the web site, although the trust hopes to increase this to around 1000 National Trust walks by 2012. In 2010, more than 350,000 walks were downloaded with the Bath skyline walk proving to be the most popular averaging 14,000 downloads during the year.

Second in the download list was Alderley Edge in Cheshire, often regarded as one of the most affluent areas of the country with many of the North West’s top footballers living there. The walk itself however focuses more on the ancient mines and woodland beauty of the area.

The third most downloaded was Flatford Mill in Suffolk which was made famous by Constable and his landscape paintings which adorn many National Trust properties. Ashridge in the Chilterns was forth and Clumber Park in Nottinghamshire was fifth, possibly due to the close connections to Sherwood Forest and of course Robin Hood who myth states came from nearby Edwinstowe.

The trust also wants to add cycle routes, horse-riding routes and canoe trails to the trails to increase the diversity and access to its lands.

The full top 10 downloaded National Trust walking routes were:

1 Bath Skyline, Somerset (14,066 downloads)
2 Alderley Edge, Cheshire (8,494)
3 Flatford, Suffolk (6,582)
4 Ashridge, Hertfordshire (6,071)
5 Clumber Park, Nottinghamshire (6,005)
6 Knole, Kent (5,246)
7 Stourhead, Wiltshire (4,964)
8 Brownsea Island, Dorset (4,724)
9 Formby, Merseyside (4,541)
10 Lansallos, Cornwall (4,177)

National Trust walks web site

More Links:
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Rekindle your love affair with North East England

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Posted by admin on January 30, 2011 – 4:33 pm
Filed under Accommodation, Attractions

Surprise your loved one this Valentine’s Day with a romantic interlude in North East England, with its idyllic places to hide away, beautiful accommodation and fine restaurants.

Set the scene with an enchanting walk along Durham’s tranquil riverside or stroll hand in hand along one of our peaceful golden beaches. Or why not pack a picnic and escape to the magical Holy Island to savour real quality time surrounded by the breathtaking views?

Wander the woodland paths of Gibside, Belsay or Howick Hall and Gardens and see the nodding white heads of the snowdrops announcing that spring is on its way. Indulge your love of the finer things in life at Rockliffe Hall or Jesmond Dene House, or make a romantic gesture with a difference: a hot air balloon ride over Durham or star gazing at Kielder Forest and Country Park.

Useful links:
Hotels in North-East England
B&Bs in North-East England
Self-catering in North-East England
Tourist attractions in North-East England

Big days out for little ones in the North East this half term

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Posted by admin on January 28, 2011 – 4:22 pm
Filed under Attractions, Events

Witches, wizards, villainous Vikings and Cheshire cats are some of the magical characters on North East England’s Children’s Book Trail. Come and discover exciting locations such as Tynemouth, from Robert Westall’s The Machine Gunners, and Hadrian’s Wall from Rosemary Sutcliffe’s Eagle of the Ninth, the tale of a heroic Roman centurion which has been adapted into a film: The Eagle, launched this spring.

Animal lovers can visit Saltholme Wildlife Reserve and Discovery Park, feed the lambs Whitehouse Farm and ride a donkey at Hall Hill Farm. Animation lovers can see original sets at the Wallace and Gromit World of Invention Roadshow at Life Science Centre. And lovers of children’s classics can see Enid Blyton’s archive collection at Seven Stories. You can even build your own magical house for a fairy or an elf at Cragside.

Useful links:
Hotels in North-East England
B&Bs in North-East England
Self-catering in North-East England
Tourist attractions in North-East England

The 5 best budget restaurants in Oxford

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Posted by trev on January 28, 2011 – 11:09 am
Filed under Eating & Drinking

You might expect Oxford to be exclusive and expensive when it comes to eating out, but there are plenty of good quality budget restaurants for all tastes within this historic city.

If you arrive in Oxford, you won’t need Inspector Morse to find the best places to eat as the list is influenced by the folks at Oxford City Guide, so remembering the advice “Always eat where the locals eat”, this is where we would recommend heading.

The Big Bang restaurant is one of the most popular theatre restaurants in the city, but remarkably this doesn’t mean you’ll be paying the usual theatreland prices. It also follows the ethical and ecological ethos which seems to have developed in Oxford, with most of the produce used in the restaurant coming from within a 20 mile radius.

The cuisine is traditional British and they have recently been awarded the “Finest Sausage and Mash in Britain” by Restaurant Magazine, quite some accolade although we think they should have called it “Bangers and mash”.

Nosebag restaurant is a rather unusual name, but the food is the best of British and the soups are especially recommended. They also specialise in various homemade casseroles and plenty of vegetarian options too, so if you’re looking for some good old fashioned British grub, this might be a good alternative to The Big Bang. Why it’s called Nosebag we’re not completely sure.

The Mission Mexican Grill is ideal if you fancy something a little different with fresh Mexican food in the centre of Oxford. Much of the food is influenced by the California-Mexican mixture often known as Cal-Mex in the US. For fresh burritos, head for the Mexican Grill on St. Michaels Street.

Greens Cafe is a hot favourite with the students, so you know it’ll be good value. A local coffee shop with lots of seating and wi-fi Internet to boot, this is the place to head if you want hot bacon rolls, sandwiches, soups, jacket potatoes, bagels, fruit smoothies and milkshakes…and anything else you can think of that students usually eat.

Atomic Burger is as the name suggests a burger bar, but this is a lot lot better than any of those burger chains (and they have a better logo too). If you fancy an American style breakfast, head over to Atomic Burger on the weekend from 12 noon to 10.30pm. Burgers, fries, nachos, classic desserts and milkshakes are all on the menu.

More resources in Oxford:
Visitor attractions in Oxford
Hotels in Oxford

£10 charge to stand on the Greenwich Meridian Line

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Posted by trev on January 27, 2011 – 1:04 pm
Filed under Attractions

From the 8th March 2011, visitors to the Greenwich Museum will be charged £10 to stand on the Meridian Line.

The Meridian Line is where the 0 degrees longitude runs through, diving the earth into the western and eastern hemispheres. The attraction has become very popular with locals and especially tourists alike as they jump across between the two sides.

Greenwich Museum became free in 2001 and has seen a massive increase in the number of visitors, now reaching 1.58 million in 2010. The museum has said the £10 charge is simply to allow it to maintain the courtyard around the line which is marked by 2 pieces of metal in the ground and ensure safety of the public.

The per person admission charge will cover visitors for a year, although as most are tourists this probably won’t really make any difference and children under 16 will still be free, but as the visitor numbers aren’t likely to fall much, £15m in revenue each year does seem a little steep to renew a few cobble stones.

Compared to other museums in London this is still rather inexpensive, although many of the publically owned London Museums are now free of charge.

More Resources:
Greenwich Meridian Line
More things to see in Greenwich
Hotels in Greenwich, London

Bletchley Park museum receives £100,000 windfall

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Posted by trev on January 27, 2011 – 12:48 pm
Filed under Attractions

The National Museum of Computing at Bletchley Park has received a £100,000 donation to help keep it open and expand the facilities.

Bletchley Park became famous after the world’s first modern day computer was built to crack the German Enigma code during World War II, but after the war the centre was rather neglected. Years later, the house was turned into the National Museum of Computing including a replica of the Colossus Computer – the basis of all modern computers.

Surprisingly, for such an important site, the museum receives no government funding.

A few years ago, a science business park was created on land around the museum and is it the company running this which has stepped in to help the museum with an initial £100,000 donation. The money will partly help the museum pay the rent on the house, and partly to redecorate the historic “Block H” part of the museum.

Further funding has been promised which should ensure the continuation of this historic museum.

The top 10 beaches in Britain revealed

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Posted by trev on January 27, 2011 – 12:05 pm
Filed under Attractions

As we look forward to long warm Summer days, VisitBritain have released their list of top 10 beaches in Britain.

1) Bournemouth in Dorset comes out the top which isn’t too surprising as visitors to this seaside resort are rewarded with 7 miles of sandy beaches and some of the warmest weather in the country.

The town has also built Europe’s first artificial surf reef which it hopes will make this one of the mecca’s for surfing in Britain, and possibly draw some of the crowds from the North Devon coastlines.

2) West Wittering in West Sussex offers almost everything families look for in a beach with gently sloping waters, safe bathing and those little rockpools which are refilled at high tide with all kinds of interesting creatures. The beach also has some of the best coastal flora and fauna of any beach in the country.

3) Croyde Bay in North Devon has been popular with surfers for years ever since they discovered you don’t need to fly vast distances to catch a wave. If you’re not a surfer don’t worry, there are plenty of areas on the beaches for simply relaxing and building the odd sandcastle.

4) Holy Island in Northumberland is the site of one of the oldest monasteries in the country, and it’s not hard to see why. The miles of sandy beaches and relative lack of crowds make this one of those ideal locations to contemplate life, the universe and whether to have cod or haddock with your chips.

5) Holkham in Norfolk was possibly made most famous when Gwyneth Paltrow wandered the beach in the final scene of Shakespeare in Love, but the vastly long and wide beach was a secret haven for sand lovers for many years prior to that.

The beach also receives regular royal approval, with the Queen reportedly talking her Corgies for a walk along it when she is in residence at Sandringham.

6) Great Bay in St Martin’s, Isles of Scilly is one of those beaches which most visitors never make it to as you can’t get there by car. However it’s only 20 minutes from the quay in St Martin’s and well worth the walk if you’re looking for relatively deserted beaches.

As the Isles of Scilly are much further south than any mainland beaches, the sea has a distinctly tropical feel about it with kelp forests and colourful fish.

7) Blackpool in Lancashire has grown up an awful lot in recent years and although you can still of course buy Blackpool rock, fish n’ chips and play in the arcades, the sea front and beaches are much more family friendly again.

Possibly the most successful of all the seaside resorts, Blackpool is the family mecca when it comes to British seaside holidays and although we can’t promise the sea will be exactly warm, it will be clean. Evening walks along the sands are especially recommended.

8. Abereiddi Blue Lagoon in Pembrokeshire is rather lacking any sandy beaches, but the sheltered Lagoon could be taken out of any romantic novel or film. The sea does have the tropical deep blue colour and because it’s not covered in sand, it is more ideal for those romantic getaways where you don’t want to share the area with hundreds of others.

9) Sinclair’s Bay in Caithness is one of the remotest beaches around, being located close to John O’Groats (the most northerly part of mainland Britain). This remoteness also brings less crowding so it is quite likely you will have the entire three miles of beach to yourself. Just remember this beach probably won’t have shorts and bikini weather.

10) Porthcurno in Cornwall has some of the whitest sand in the country as most of it comes from seashells rather than rocks. The craggy cliffs and long sandy beaches provide the perfect atmosphere for long days sitting making sandcastles and generally having fun.

The spectacular Minnack Theatre runs plays during the Summer months. Clinging to the side of the cliff-face, the theatre has only the sea as its backdrop making it pretty much unique in the world.

More resources:
Original listing from Yahoo
Visitor attractions around the UK
Hotels in the UK
UK self-catering cottages