It’s that time again, another HUGE Travelodge sale! This morning, at 6am, the Travelodge £10 sale will launch. The rooms sell out pretty quickly so act NOW! The end date is ‘until stocks last’. At the start of the sale, there will be 26,000 £10 rooms for stays during 10th June to 30th September 2011 at selected hotels on selected nights. Sale and saver rate rooms can only be booked online at www.travelodge.co.uk, and are available on a first come, first served basis. Rates must be paid for by a credit card or debit card at the time of booking and cannot be refunded. A booking fee is applicable for credit card payments, but there is no charge for debit card payments.
Monthly Archives: June 2011
Get ready… steady… GO! (Be quick, Travelodge £10 sale is underway)
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Filed under Accommodation
First glimpse inside Glasgow’s world-class Riverside Museum
Filed under Attractions
It stands as a shining beacon of architectural and engineering innovation on the banks of the River Clyde. The Riverside Museum is Glasgow’s newest visitor attraction, home to the transport, engineering and shipbuilding legacy that made Glasgow great.
The Riverside Museum is an architectural masterpiece, designed by Zaha Hadid, arguably the world’s most in-demand architect. The £74 million museum is Hadid’s first major public commission to open in the UK. It houses more than 3,000 exhibits, in over 150 interactive displays telling the stories of the people who made the term ‘Clyde Built’ one which travelled the world and spoke volumes about unbeatable quality.
From massive steam locomotives, to the recreation of a city street during the 1900s, the cathedral-like structure provides a stunning backdrop to showcase the innovation and ambition of what was the ‘Second City of the Empire’.
Opening on Tuesday 21st June 2011, The Riverside Museum has been funded by Glasgow City Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Riverside Museum Appeal. Like all of Glasgow’s 10 civic museums, entry is free. Here we give you an insight into what you can expect.
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A day at the races with Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London
Filed under Accommodation, Events
The British social calendar blossoms in the summertime and Royal Ascot is at the very forefront of the festivities. This summer, Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park invites guests to enjoy the benefits of town and country with a stay at the historic hotel, standing proud in the heart of Knightsbridge, followed by a day at the races, complete with lunch, drinks and afternoon tea in a private box.
Famed for its rich heritage, tradition, pageantry and style, Royal Ascot has established itself as a national institution and the most beautiful racecourse in the country. A place where royalty and the glitterati combine in a glorious setting, there can be no finer British sporting event under the summer sun.
A Day at the Races includes:
1 night in a Deluxe Room Full English Breakfast A day at Royal Ascot Racecourse on Friday 17th June 2011 including drinks, lunch and afternoon tea in a private box Transfers in luxury coach and refreshments to and from the races Advice from the concierge team for suit hire and hat purchases in London.
Priced from GBP 2,300 for single occupancy and GBP 4,000 for double occupancy, A Day at the Races is valid on 16th June 2011 and is exclusive of VAT at 20% and 5% discretionary service charge, subject to availability.
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We’d like to hear your views on tickets for the London 2012 Olympics!
Filed under Events, Miscellaneous
So here’s the deal. Over one million of the 1.8 million people who applied for tickets for the London 2012 Olympics – some 55% – have been left with nothing. We were understandably led to believe that if you applied for the most popular events such as the 100m final or the opening or closing ceremonies – or even for popular events with British medal hopes – then the chances were you might end up with nothing. So the people who did exactly that perhaps shouldn’t be too surprised, unless they applied in such huge numbers in the hope of getting at least one success. The secret, many of us thought, was to apply not only for those key events, but also for less mainstream events. BMX or archery, for instance. But it sounds like the majority of people doing that have also been unsuccessful. So what’s going on? Here we’ve identified what we think are a number of problem areas, but we’d like to hear your comments on the matter too. We’re pretty sure we won’t have covered them all!
Too many seats going to sponsors et al
Huge numbers of tickets are automatically allocated to sponsors. They presumably take the lion’s share of the best tickets for any event, as well as a hefty percentage of the main events. It’s little wonder that so few people are getting those 100m finals tickets they hoped for. Is the Olympics really the people’s Games, or is it the sponsors’ Games nowadays?
And how come the Government has ordered 9,000 tickets at the taxpayers’ expense?! These tickets are to be used by politicians and visiting dignitaries, apparently for “the benefit of the whole of the UK”.
Then there’s also the tickets being dished out to FIFA bosses. £1.5 million worth, apparently, and it includes tickets to events such as the 100m finals and the opening and closing ceremonies. The likes of Sepp Blatter (who has hardly done England many favours with regards to its World Cup bid!) will apparently have an access-all-areas pass.
A fair system?
So many people didn’t get tickets and yet somewhat incredibly those that were successful got an average of 8 tickets each. This would seem to suggest that many people were bidding for a lot of tickets. Ergo… if you were prepared to bid for a lot of tickets (either because you’re rich or you were simply prepared to take the risk), then you were more likely to get rewarded. London 2012 claim they are doing everything in the “fairest possible”‘ way, but is this fair? Surely there are better alternatives that would enable more people to attend at least one event…
Tickets are easier to come by in other European countries
Is it right that tickets are seemingly much easier to buy in other EU countries when the ordinary British tax payer (who, let’s not forget, helps to fund the Games) is having such difficulties? Unsuccessful applicants from the first ballot might like to explore this possibility further as European ticket agents are obliged to make their allocations available to residents of all countries in the EU.
The second ballot
The second ballot is for those who have not succeeded in getting any tickets first time around, only this time it will be different and tickets will be issued on a first come first serve basis. Although this was always part of the original plan, it surely needs to be reviewed. There are many people who failed to get tickets so demand is going to be huge. Let’s not forget that LOCOG had to extend the deadline on the last day as the system failed to cope, and let’s not forget how Ticketmaster struggled to cope with ticket sales for the current Take That concert not very long ago.
A first come first serve system is also not fair to those who happen to be at work when the tickets go on sale… or who are away… or who are ill… or who have a slower internet connection… or whose computers/internet connection aren’t working… surely a system like the first round would be much fairer.
What’s more, those people who, say, applied for £5,000 worth of tickets in the first ballot, but perhaps their only success was a couple of tickets to a preliminary gymnastics event that they’re relatively indifferent about but included in their mix so that they weren’t left without anything… as I understand it, the second wave of ticket sales is geared towards those who got nothing at all, so those people would be ineligible for the first 10 days (by which time anything half-decent will have been taken). Does that seem fair?
The secrecy of it all
Why didn’t LOCOG release statistics at any time? How many tickets were available at each price bracket for each event? Which events were over-subscribed? Which had little demand? What is the reasoning behind still not telling people exactly what tickets they have bought? And so on and so forth… people wanting tickets would have be able to make far more rational choices if this kind of information was more forthcoming.
And finally… the delivery fee
Is a £6 delivery fee for tickets justifiable? Afterall, a Royal Mail recorded letter costs just £1.13.
What did you apply for in the first ballot of ticket sales, and what did you end up with? Are you feeling rather underwhelmed about the Olympics because of the problems with getting tickets or are you still just as excited as before about the spectacle? Please post a comment and tell us your thoughts.
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I-Spy guide to Scottish Nature
Filed under Attractions, Miscellaneous
VisitScotland has teamed up with Scottish Natural Heritage and Michelin to produce the first ever I-Spy guide to Scottish Nature. Perfect for family breaks closer to home, the guides are a surprising way to learn about Scotland’s wildlife and nature in a responsible manner this summer.
From forest and farmland to mountains and moorland, Scotland’s National Nature Reserves (NNR) can be found across the country, from the northernmost tip of the Shetland Isles to the country’s most southern coast at Dumfries and Galloway.
With pages of spectacular images and information on many of the country’s natural wonders, discover where to find wildlife gems. Track down the elusive wildcat at Loch Fleet NNR; encounter captivating capercallie in Abernethy NNR; see hen harriers soar in Loch Leven NNR and watch grey seals bathe in the waters at Caerlaverock NNR.
Each NNR is free to enter and reserves are open all year round, housing some of Scotland’s most surprising hidden residents. These include:
- The largest single island gannet colony in the world at Bass Rock, off the coast of East Lothian
- Sutherland’s Eas a’chual Aluinn, the highest waterfall in Scotland
- Pine Marten, a cheeky cousin of the badger which can be found in coniferous forests mainly in the Highlands
- Bog Myrtle – a natural midge repellent found on Scottish hillsides
As readers discover each of the guide’s natural surprises, they can collect points, with double points for species found on NNR’s, and for each 1000 points reached readers can claim an I-Spy certificate.
To receive a free copy of the I-Spy guide log on to the website and download a voucher. Then simply present the voucher at any VisitScotland Information Centre across the country to receive your guide.
Delicious nights out at London Zoo with Zoo Lates
Filed under Attractions, Eating & Drinking, Events
ZSL London Zoo is this year hosting a very exciting summer series of events called Zoo Lates. Following the roaring (excuse the pun!) sell-out success of the event of the same name in 2010, event organisers at ZSL London Zoo have this year doubled the number of events so that it will be held every Friday night in June and July in 2011.
For the first time ever, ZSL London Zoo has teamed up with the Eat Street Collective – an organisation that celebrates street food vendors to bring a huge (and delicious) variety of cuisine to Zoo Lates. With food being cooked from scratch, with fresh ingredients and right in front of guests, the smells wafting from the food court yard were simply mouth watering. There were ten caterers at the first Zoo Lates and these included the Churros Bros, serving divine chocolate coated churros, and Bhangra Burger – who were dishing up Indian spiced burgers in wraps that went down a storm with Zoo Lates guests.
The over-18s event gives visitors a chance to return to their childhood days of visiting the Zoo, with a grown-up twist. Getting the chance to experience the Zoo in a whole new light, there’s evening animal feeds and demonstrations, as well as special entertainment in the form of an improvised comedy performance in the Aquarium, a burlesque inspired Twisted Cabaret and the hugely popular Silent Disco where Zoo Lates revellers can boogie next to the flamingos as the sun goes down.
Friday just gone saw the first of the Zoo Lates get off to a cracking start, with over 5,500 tickets sold and London’s big kids flocked to enjoy a night out with a difference in the Zoo.
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Kate Middleton’s wedding dress to go on display at Buckingham Palace
Filed under Attractions
Officials have confirmed that the dress worn by the Duchess of Cambridge on the day of her Royal Wedding to Prince William will go on display at Buckingham Palace later this year. The news comes as Clarence House also reveals that the happy couple are also taking up residence at Kensington Palace, alongside their present location in North Wales. Buckingham Palace re-opens to the public from 23rd July to 3rd October 2011 and there will be a multi-tiered replica of the wedding cake also on view.
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Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site celebrates 25th anniversary
Filed under Attractions, Events
This year is very special for the Ironbridge Gorge in Shropshire’s stunning Severn Valley as it marks the 25th anniversary since it was designated as one of the UK’s first World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in November 1986, alongside such sites as Stonehenge and the Giant’s Causeway. A series of exciting events, festivals and activities is planned to celebrate this significant milestone, which look back over its history and forward to the next 25 years.
Describing the area UNESCO said, ”Ironbridge is known throughout the world as the symbol of the Industrial Revolution. It contains all the elements of progress that contributed to the rapid development of this industrial region in the 18th century”. Sites and buildings from early industry survive but the Gorge is now a peaceful and beautiful place to visit; and home to the ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums which reflect its history over the past 300 years.
Amongst the first celebratory events will be a free entry exhibition showcasing fascinating, historic images alongside contemporary photography at the Footprint Gallery at Jackfield Tile Museum from 1st July – 30th September (open daily 10am – 5pm). Anyone with interesting photographs or special memories of the World Heritage Site over the years is invited to contact the museum with a view to their memorabilia being included in the display.
The highpoint of the celebrations will be on Saturday 24th September with the World Heritage Site Festival. A huge street market will fill the Gorge and throughout the day there will be live entertainment including brass bands, choirs, street entertainers and historic characters in costume as well as lots of fun interactive activities for youngsters. In the evening the Iron Bridge will be illuminated in spectacular style and a firework display will light the night sky.
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Missed out on Olympic tickets? This second ballot might help…
Filed under Events
For those who tried to get London Olympic tickets but received non of them, there might be a second chance as a new ballot for unsold tickets is planned for later this month.
Around 55% of the people who applied for London Olympic 2012 tickets didn’t receive anything they asked for, but in a number of areas there are still quite a lot of tickets available, especially in the team games such as volleyball, hockey, tennis, basketball and handball as there are lots of events and rounds.
Now those people will be given priority in this second ballot which gives them a bigger chance to get at least one ticket, although it should be noted that most of the cheaper tickets have gone and all the tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies have also gone, plus of course the 100m final.
Surprisingly, sports such as the BMX competitions and archery have also gone.
According to the BBC, a London 2012 spokesman said: “Those who were unsuccessful in the initial process will have priority in the next round of sales which start later this month and they will be contacted soon to inform them about the next steps.”
The BBC has an interview with the chief executive of London 2012 here.
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A first for Guernsey: camping on the wild side
Filed under Accommodation
WildGuernsey’s WildCamping will be the first eco-campsite and eco-accommodation on the island with tipis for guests to stay in and luxury bathroom facilities. Guests will have the option to stay at either personal tipis or canvas tents, choosing between:
Barefoot WildCamping: Pitch your own tent in a private area amongst mature blackthorn hedges
Bare Canvas Comfort: Canvas tents uniquely fitted out
Simple Luxury: Just turn up and everything will be ready for you, including comfortable sleeping arrangements.
WildGuernsey will offer a choice of tailored packages and activities such as WildSwimming, WildForaging, WildSeaSnorkelling, surfing, guided walks, cycling, beach craft, fishing and kayaking.
A range of locally sourced products will also be available, from sloe jelly, lemon curd and seaweed crisps to bath truffles, massage bars, hand woven gathered baskets and even wedding favours.
WildGuernsey will be an interactive farm experience: it will feature demonstrations on how to live sustainably and will encourage guests to enjoy the island car free, with incentives such as free cycle rental and giving them bus pass during their stay.
And for the first time this summer, motorhome owners will also be able to travel to Guernsey, as the Vaugrat and Fauxquet Valley campsites have now opened their doors to motorhomes for overnight stays.
Other accommodation options on the island include a range of upmarket hotels and boutique-style B&Bs.
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