UKseries Home       Blog Home       UK Hotels       UK B&Bs       UK Self-Catering       UK Camping       UK Tourist Attractions

Monthly Archives: January 2011

Britain has the best B&Bs in the world

0
Posted by trev on January 20, 2011 – 3:31 pm
Filed under Accommodation

Britain has a total of 6 out of the top 10 B&Bs in the world according to Tripadvisor’s “Travellers’ Choice awards” for 2011.

The news was rather excitedly reported by the VisitEngland web site, as the annual awards were announced by the Tripadvisor ratings and reviews site.

The top prize went to The Old Manse in Invermoriston, close to Loch Ness in Scotland (pictured), which is now “officially” the best B&B in the world according to Tripadvisor’s 40 million users, and the others were scattered around the UK.

As Rachel Dixon writing in the Guardian pointed out, there is a distinct lack of B&Bs in London appearing anywhere in the lists.

Tripadvisor’s “Travellers’ Choice awards – best B&Bs:

The Old Manse in Invermoriston
Saltcote Place in Rye
Number One B&B in Deal
Riverside B&B in Ambleside, Lake District
Creston Villa in Lincoln
The Twenty One in Brighton

Well done to all those who made it onto the list!

More resources:
1000s of hotels and B&Bs around the UK
Visitor attractions around Britain

The LoveUK teapot searches for the best cuppa in London

0
Posted by trev on January 20, 2011 – 2:15 pm
Filed under Eating & Drinking

This video was produced by LoveUK and essentially features a giant walking teapot trying to find the best cuppa-tea in London.

We’re not exactly sure what the point of this is either, but it’s entertaining especially in the afternoon so we thought it was worthy of the UKSeries blog. There are also some quite interesting tea facts included alongside the video.

As for where the best cup of tea is in London – try Teapod which have 3 shops now around London, including Covent Garden.

A guide to celebrating Burns Night in London

0
Posted by trev on January 20, 2011 – 1:40 pm
Filed under Eating & Drinking, Events

Burns Night on January 25th might be a traditionally Scottish affair, but that doesn’t mean Londoners and refugee Scots in London can’t join in.

The celebration of Scotland’s national poet is one of the biggest events in the Scottish calendar, second only perhaps to New Year Hogmanay but those far south of the border need not fear – there are plenty of Burns Night options in London.

Albannach in Trafalgar Square is perhaps one of the more pricey options for celebrating the main man, but if you splash out the £95 per person, you’ll be treated to a piper, five course menu and a ceilidh with lots of dancing.

Gordon Ramsay Gastropubs are all celebrating Burns Night which as you might imagine should be a very good affair. Each will be offering a full Scottish menu. The Narrow in Limehouse will include poetry readings from actor Cameron Jack, and The Warrington is hosting a whisky tasting sessions (presumably on or off the rocks).

The Athenaeum in Mayfair has a Burns Night supper for a remarkable £25 a head, which may make the Albannach blush a little. As you would expect from a Mayfair hotel, the food is of the highest order with Shetland smoked salmon and Skye prawns, roast ribeye, honey and rosemary ice cream. There will even be own whisky pairings on each course from the hotel’s whisky sommelier (I didn’t know that was a job either).

Sam’s Brasserie is offering something a little different for their Burns Night supper, which includes lambs’ kidneys devilled with soft polenta; haggis neeps and tatties and winter squash and goats’ cheese lasagne. There will also be a bagpiper from 9pm, all for around £25 per head.

There are even more Burns Night options.

For this to be a proper Burns Night, haggis should always be served and the host should address the Haggis.

For those who are a little unsure what a Haggis is – this picture of the illusive Haggis should explain all.

More London Links:
London Hotel accommodation
Visitor attractions in London

“Up Helly Aa” – Burning the Viking longship on Shetland

0
Posted by trev on January 20, 2011 – 12:30 pm
Filed under Events

The annual Up-Helly-Aa festival will take place on the evening of Tuesday 25th January with the traditional burning of the Viking longship.

The festival is believed to date back 100s of years and reconnects the people of Shetland with their Viking roots.

The main event takes place during the evening of the 25th when the ‘guizers’ gather in the centre of Lerwick for the torchlight procession. They follow a life sized Viking Longboat which is dragged through the town by the Jarl’s squad (video), all dressed as Viking Warriors, including axes, shields and horned helmets.

At the burning site, the guizers throw their torches into the ship to create a spectacular bonfire, very similar to the events which took place when a Viking warrior chief died.

After this various events take place during the evening and the next day with songs performed at various local halls by the 40 or so different guizer squads, along with the ceilidhs – think Scots having a really good party.

If you can make it to Shetland for the 25th, this is well worth seeing.

A video of the Up Helly Ya from 2008:

More Shetland Links:
Northlink Ferries (from Aberdeen to Lerwick)
Hotels on Shetland
Tourist attractions to see in Lerwick

London’s O2 Arena is world’s most popular music venue

0
Posted by trev on January 20, 2011 – 11:31 am
Filed under Miscellaneous

According to several news sources, the O2 Arena in London is the most popular music venue in the world.

The arena which was once the failing “Millennium Dome”, has definitely turned its fortunes around with major artists now playing to huge audiences in the city. During 2010 the venue hosted some of the biggest names out there including Arcade Fire, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Bon Jovi.

No doubt having Wembley Stadium out of action has helped the arena get a foothold, but the vast space and infrastructure in place also gives the O2 major advantages over other venues worldwide.

Ticketting site Pollstar which made the announcement has said the O2 in 2010 was 50% more popular than even Madison Square Garden in New York.

In 2012 the venue will also host several sporting events for the Olympic Games.

More London Links:
Greenwich hotel accommodation
Tourist attractions around the O2 Arena

The Peppa Pig live show is coming to the UK

0
Posted by trev on January 20, 2011 – 9:20 am
Filed under Attractions, Events

Peppa Pig is coming to over 30 towns across Britain with a live puppet show version of the hit children’s TV series.

The TV show is being brought to life and has already become a major hit in London. Now the show is going on tour around the country where children can both sing along and dance to the music.

In the show, Peppa Pig is having a birthday party and has invited all her friends, so you’ll get to see all the cast of the TV series. The puppets are under the directorship of Nigel Plaskitt who also worked on the West End puppet show Avenue Q.

More details about the show are available on the Peppa Pig tour web site.

More resources:
Hotels around the UK
Tourist attractions in the UK
Self-catering in Britain

Waterline – A photographic history of cruising in London

0
Posted by trev on January 19, 2011 – 4:03 pm
Filed under Transport

Waterline is a new photographic exhibition detailing the “golden age of cruising” now showing at the National Maritime Museum.

The exhibition contains thousands of photographs from 1925 to 1970 showing both how cruising has changed and behind the scenes on cruise ships such as the various jobs which were at one time available.

One of the most spectacular photos is of a cruise ship navigating the end of the Panama Canal in the 1960s, although that probably hasn’t become any easier-a-task.

Preview video of the Waterline exhibition:

Links around the National Maritime Museum:
Tourist attractions in Greenwich
Hotels in and around Greenwich

7 London restaurants newly awarded Michelin Stars

2
Posted by trev on January 19, 2011 – 2:05 pm
Filed under Eating & Drinking

Seven restaurants in London are celebrating today after being awarded a coveted Michelin Star for 2011.

These restaurants join the 53 others who have already gained one or more of the Michelin Star awards promoting excellence in service and food. Gordon Ramsay was amongst those who’s restaurants were found worthy, which is one of 12 Michelin Stars he now holds.

Hélène Darroze of The Connaught is also no doubt celebrating having been awarded two Michelin Stars for her restaurant, which was formerly a one Michelin Star establishment.

100th anniversary: Michelin themselves are this year celebrating the 100th anniversary of the publication of the Michelin guide which was originally designed more as a manual for motorists dealing with complications such as flat tyres than flambe’s. It has since evolved into one of the world’s most prestigious restaurant guides.

The restaurants newly awarded Michelin Stars in 2011 are:

Kitchen W8
Petersham Nurseries Café
Viajante
Galvin La Chapelle
Pétrus
Seven Park Place
Gauthier Soho

The best holiday resorts in Britain

0
Posted by trev on January 19, 2011 – 1:10 pm
Filed under Accommodation

British holiday camps have moved from Hi-de-Hi to high-tech, so we’ve included a rundown of some of the best in the country.

There are both family holiday camps and those exclusively for adults with some very upmarket options available, along with the traditional family fun.

Butlins in Skegness is one of the oldest camps around, but things have moved on a long way since Billy Butlin set out to create holidays for all families over 70 years ago.

Today both the camp has been massively revamped and the seaside town has undergone a makeover which is why 100,000’s of visitors flock to the seafront every year. There are numerous facilities for both the adults and kids including very stylish bars and restaurants.

Mill Rythe in Hayling Island is another veteran of the holiday camps and even featured in Hi-De-Hi. The camp has modernised through the ages and now offers teen-only discos, as well as being adults only out of season.

Littlesea Holiday Park in Weymouth is run by Haven Holidays and overlooks Chesil Beach in Dorset. You’ll never be short of things to do with the SportsZone activities programme during the day, and lots of night-time entertainment throughout the year.

Potters Leisure Resort in Suffolk is the only 5 star holiday resort in the country, ideally suited for those who want to mix comfort with convenience. The site has its own private sandy beach as well as tennis courts, pitch-and-putt and lots of indoor activities too.

Norton Grange Coastal Chalet Resort is an adults only holiday resort located on the Isle of Wight and run by Warner Leisure. As well as the heated indoor pool, short-mat bowls and nightly entertainment, there are regular special activities such as photography, wildlife watching and arts & crafts workshops.

Manjushri Kadampa Meditation Centre offers something a little different to the above. Situated in south west Cumbria just below the Lake District, the centre offers Buddhist education and meditation courses for true get-away relaxing breaks.

There are of course plenty of other quality holiday resorts around the UK run by various companies including Hoseasons, Haven Holidays, Park Resorts and Butlins.

Looking for a truly remote hotel in the Lake District?

0
Posted by trev on January 19, 2011 – 12:28 pm
Filed under Accommodation

As remote as many parts of the Lake District are, it is rare to find a hotel situated well away from the crowds in the popular Lakeland towns. The Haweswater Hotel however might be the answer.

The hotel is situated next to the Haweswater Reservoir which was created when the Haweswater valley was flooded in the 1960s to provide drinking water for Manchester and the North West of England.

Being remote, the hotel has not always been treated with the greatest respect by its owners, many of whom it seemed thought the only tourists in the area were walkers who apparently wanted rather run-down accommodation – possibly the reason it didn’t really do too well.

Luckily, the new owners have spent a year and around £1 million renovating the unique features of this hotel and turning it back into an slightly art-deco styled holiday location, along with uncovering the wooden floors and varnishing the banisters back to their former glory. The new hotel looks a world away from what many have seen and is set to become a true remote getaway location for those seeking solitude in the Lake District.

For a complete review of the Hawswater Hotel, see the Independent Newspaper article.

More links around Hawswater:
More hotels around Penrith (nearest town to Hawswater)
Visitor attractions around Penrith
Holiday cottages around Penrith