Our A to Z of the UK is an opportunity for us all to share our knowledge of the UK and hopefully discover one or two gems along the way. Today we’d like to hear what your favourite place in the UK is, that begins with the letter ‘X’… it’s a tricky one, we know!! It can be a city, a town or a tiny village (if you know of any). Or it can be something more specific such as a particular tourist attraction. Whatever or wherever it is, please post a comment and tell us what makes it special…
Monthly Archives: November 2011
A to Z of the UK: your favourite place in the UK beginning with the letter X?
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Filed under Miscellaneous
One of the UK’s lesser known islands set to see a 30-fold increase in visitor numbers
Filed under Miscellaneous, Transport
A little-known UK island in the southern Atlantic is to get its own airport. St. Helena – perhaps most famous for being where Emperor Napoleon was exiled to after his defeat in the Battle of Waterloo – will see work commence on a £200 million airport in 2012, with completion anticipated for 2015 (the 200th anniversary of Napoleon’s arrival on the island). It will be built by South African company Basil Read and financed by the UK government.
Situated midway between South America and Africa, it is one of the most remote islands on the planet, yet has a population of more than 4,000 people. Currently the only way to get there is by the last remaining dedicated Royal Mail ship, RMS St Helena which runs from Ascension Island, and so St. Helena only receives around 900 visitors a year. It’s thought that the introduction of the new airport could see this figure rise to as many as 30,000.
To give you a bit more idea of what St. Helena is like, here are a couple of videos.
Useful link:
St. Helena Tourism
More about St. Helena from the BBC
A to Z of the UK: your favourite place in the UK beginning with the letter W?
Filed under Miscellaneous
Our A to Z of the UK is an opportunity for us all to share our knowledge of the UK and hopefully discover one or two gems along the way. Today we’d like to hear what your favourite place in the UK is, that begins with the letter ‘W’. It can be a city, a town or a tiny village. Or it can be something more specific such as a particular tourist attraction. Whatever or wherever it is, please post a comment and tell us what makes it special…
Consider the UK for that next holiday…
Filed under Uncategorized
When thinking of holidays we often dream about sun-kissed beaches on tropical islands but it is possible to have a fantastic, if different, kind of holiday in the UK. Often when you live in a country you disparage everything about it. The countryside is not quite as spectacular, the sea not as blue, the food not as wonderful and well let us not start on the weather. However, in reality the UK has great coastline, vibrant cities, a fascinating history, some amazingly varied countryside and the food is definitely improving!
Variety is really the key to the UK’s attractions. Scotland has its remote beautiful highlands and fantastic cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh. Both cities offer world class hotels and restaurants. Quality and luxury are not just for the cities as there are plenty of resorts out in the wilds of Scotland, many offering golfing holidays on some of the world’s most famous courses.
Northern Ireland’s stunning countryside is also the major draw of that part of the country. Again, the major cities provide top end accommodation for the visitor all within easy reach of local airports.
Wales too has its scenery. Snowdonia is breathtaking as is the coastline. Whichever part of Wales you aim for you can enjoy great hotels, not only in cities but also in rural areas. Swansea and Cardiff are the major urban centres and offer everything you would expect from major cities.
No visit to the UK would be complete without a stay in London. The major problem with London is there is so much to do and see that it is almost impossible to put its attractions into a few words. London has some of the world`s most famous hotels offering incomparable service to those who can afford it. In addition, restaurants and nightlife abound.
Outside of London, England has so much to offer. The north not only has some of Britain’s liveliest cities but also some breathtaking areas of outstanding natural beauty. There are great cities to see from the nightlife mecca of Newcastle to the historic beauty of York down to the lively cities of Leeds and Sheffield. Crossing the Pennines brings you to Manchester and Liverpool which are both well worth visiting for their history and culture. All these cities have top class amenities for the well-heeled visitor, both are within easy reach of the Lake District and the Peak District too.
The south west has the stunning counties of Cornwall and Devon as well as the cities of Bath and Bristol. The southern counties of the UK have rolling countryside and famous towns such as Bournemouth and Brighton. From London, you can head further east to Kent or into Norfolk and Suffolk to encounter a completely different landscape.
The Midlands is perhaps the best place to start any tour of the UK, thanks to its proximity to the rest of the country`s attractions as well as its own. The city of Birmingham is close to Stratford, Oxford, Cheltenham and Worcester and convenient for every part of the country. Hiring a car can be one of the best ways of getting around and it is easy and convenient to arrange.
Doug Scott is Owner of 121carhire.com.
If you would like to be a guest blogger on the UKseries.com UK Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.
Useful links:
Hotels in the UK
B&Bs in the UK
Self-catering accommodation in the UK
Tourist attractions in the UK
Could changing from GMT really boost UK tourism?
Filed under Events
An age old argument is brewing once more with a Conservative MP proposing once again that the UK move in line with Central European Time and effectively abandon GMT, but do the arguments stack up?
The general ideas behind the argument have remained very similar over the years with suggestions that this would help promote tourism and safety with longer daylight during the evenings, but also moving sunrise an hour forward which has little effect for anyone in Summer.
The trouble comes in Winter where especially in northern England and Scotland, sunrise can be as late as 8am anyway, so moving this forward 2 hours means some areas would not become light until at least 10am for the more northerly reaches of Scotland. Last time this was tried from 1968 to 1971, a significant increase in road injuries were reported in Scotland.
The Scottish Parliament did suggest recently that if the UK moved times, it might consider staying with the current time differences which would cause quite a bit of confusion – effectively moving England and Wales in line with France, but Scotland being at least an hour behind.
Could this help tourism? One of the newer arguments for this change is that it will help evening tourism as people will be able to stay out more and presumably spend more money in outdoor attractions. Personally I can’t quite see how this works, as anyone who has actually travelled north of London will tell you, it gets a little bit chilly in the Winter evenings thus it would be highly unlikely that more tourists would venture out except perhaps under the pub beer garden heaters.
Could we perhaps become fitter? One new idea that has been proposed is that being lighter in the evenings would assist the country in getting fitter by encouraging more people out and about, but perhaps the same argument will apply about the weather? Granted, being colder we would all burn more calories.
Quirky arguments: As with all debates, there are quirky arguments on both sides with Mail on Sunday columnist Peter Hitchens complaining that not only does it affect the milking in northern Scotland, but it will mean we’ll all be watching Newsnight when it’s light outside.
The big question is – could this possibly work? Can we really drop GMT or is that too much part of our culture?
UK Resources:
Visitor attractions around the UK (daytime & night-time)
Hotels in the UK
UK self-catering cottages
A to Z of the UK: your favourite place in the UK beginning with the letter V?
Filed under Miscellaneous
Our A to Z of the UK is an opportunity for us all to share our knowledge of the UK and hopefully discover one or two gems along the way. Today we’d like to hear what your favourite place in the UK is, that begins with the letter ‘V’. It can be a city, a town or a tiny village. Or it can be something more specific such as a particular tourist attraction. Whatever or wherever it is, please post a comment and tell us what makes it special…
Gazing into England’s darkest night sky
Filed under Events
Twice a year, groups of very hardy amateur astronomers gather beneth England’s darkest skies in Kielder Forest to (try to) gaze up at the stars.
The events run by the Kielder Observatory Astronomical Society, allow anyone to come along and camp in the forest for up to a week and see the night sky in a way few people ever do without all the light pollution generated by man-made lights.
Of course being located in Northumberland there is always the chance of cloud covering the sky and the accompanying rain, but surprisingly there are usually plenty of nights where a clear sky allows for some spectacular views and photographs to be taken.
Whether you’re a keen astronomer with large telescope or simply want to lay back and gaze up at the wonders of the Milky Way, why not book your place for the next Star Camp in the Kielder Forest.
The next camp is available from 21st to 25th March 2012 at a cost of £13 per night for pitch with electric hook up, but early booking is recommended as places do fill up fast.
For more details and to book – Kielder Forest Star Camp.
To get you in the mood, here is a time lapse film from a previous Kielder Forest Star Camp.
Luxury breaks in the UK
Filed under Miscellaneous
When it comes to luxury breaks, the United Kingdom has a lot to offer. Simply choosing accommodation offers up a range of tempting options – visitors might choose to stay at a chic boutique hotel in a vibrant city, a spa resort set in beautiful countryside, or even rent a room or suite in an historic castle or stately home. The shopping opportunities are plentiful, with designer department stores such as Harvey Nicholls and Selfridges selling everything from luxury home furnishings and gourmet goodies to designer clothes and fine fragrances. Shopoholics in London will of course want to pay a visit to Harrods – the most famous luxury department store and a major tourist attraction in its own right. Outside the capital, other cities famous for their excellent shopping opportunities are Manchester, Leeds and Edinburgh, all of which also have plenty of acclaimed restaurants and plenty of chic places to enjoy a cocktail or two.
London will be the first port of call for many a visitor to the UK and there are plenty of opportunities to live the high life here. How about taking a boat trip down the Thames, followed by taking to the skies in a private capsule on the world famous London Eye? For a price, Champagne can be included to make the trip on the world’s largest Ferris wheel even more memorable. London has luxury accommodation to suit every taste, so visitors can relax in complete comfort during a stay in the British capital.
While Britain`s cosmopolitan cities have plenty to offer the visitor, much of the UK`s real charm lies in the beautiful countryside, with areas such as the Scottish Highlands, the Lake District and the New Forest offering unrivalled tranquillity, breathtaking views and a real opportunity to relax and get back to nature. Visitors will find stunning spa resorts in all of these locations, many of which offer visitors a chance to enjoy gourmet dining along with a range of spa, beauty and relaxation treatments.
Scotland, meanwhile, is another part of the United Kingdom that is blessed with staggering natural beauty as well as some of Britain`s best golf courses and some good skiing during the winter months. Visitors to Scotland may choose to stay in Edinburgh, a beautiful historic city with some fine boutique hotels, or escape to farther-flung regions, where country hotels and guest houses welcome travellers with roaring fires and comforting food.
The United Kingdom has a great deal to offer the traveller and those with a healthy travel budget will find themselves truly spoiled. And with some good off-season deals to be found, it needn’t always cost the earth to indulge in a little luxury on your travels.
Chris Frost is owner of Secret Hotels Revealed.
If you would like to be a guest blogger on the UKseries.com UK Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.
Useful links:
Hotels in the UK
B&Bs in the UK
Self-catering accommodation in the UK
Tourist attractions in the UK
Top tips for UK camping holidays
Filed under Accommodation
If the mere mention of camping in the UK has you shuddering in horror, you probably haven’t yet experienced the joys of ‘glamping’. As the name suggests, glamping is camping with a glamorous twist and glampers can enjoy nights under the stars without compromising on comfort. Forget leaky tents, soggy sleeping bags and an uncomfortable night’s sleep and think bright designer tents and tepees, often rigged up to receive electrical power, wonderfully comfortable mattresses and top rate facilities.
The glamping idea was spawned at the UK’s notoriously muddy summer music festivals, where partiers with a love of live music but little taste for roughing it in the rain-soaked fields began to demand something a little more luxurious. Glamorous camping, or glamping companies began to offer festival-goers the choice to relax in comfortable accommodations with gourmet food, hot showers, comfortable beds and electricity – at a steep price, of course.
The glamping movement soon caught on away from the festival circuit, with a new breed of camper enticed by the idea of spending time in the beautiful British countryside without sacrificing any home comforts. Many UK campsites now have special ‘glamp sites’, where accommodations may include anything from wooden ‘camping pods’, tree houses and eco chalets, to gypsy caravans or, at the top end of the scale, vast bell tents filled with every modern convenience imaginable, right down to hot tubs and air conditioning. Many truly luxurious glamping sites even provide room service, allowing the glamper to experience the same level of comfort as they would find in a top hotel.
Top range glamping experiences can be every bit as expensive as a stay in a five-star hotel and many would-be glampers have started to ramp up the glam factor of their own camping equipment in a bid to enjoy the glamping experience at a more accessible price. There has been a surge in demand for luxury tents, air beds and electrical generators, while many UK campsites have begun operating glampsites that offer a more comfortable camping experience with fewer frills and less intimidating price tags.
As glamping is still a new industry, there is not yet any universal regulation over what constitutes a ‘glam’ camping experience, so one glamping trip may be very different from another in terms of the level of luxury one can expect. Even at the most basic level, however, glamping will deliver a far more comfortable camping experience than British campers have been used to in the past. Come equipped with an umbrella and waterproof clothing, however – even the plushest of glamping sites can’t promise to keep the rain at bay.
Ian Oakes is owner of holidayparks4u.co.uk
If you would like to be a guest blogger on the UKseries.com UK Travel Blog in order to raise your profile, please contact us.
Useful link:
UK campsite
Bronze Age hoard from Pembrokeshire is declared treasure
Filed under Events
A collection of very significant Bronze Age tools and other artifacts unearthed from a field in Pembrokeshire have today been declared to be treasure by the county’s coroner.
Originally unearthed by Gavin Palmer last August while using a metal detector in a field near Manorbier, the finds caused great excitement amongst historians and archeologists from the National Museum Wales. The artifacts give a good insight into how people around 1000 BC lived and worked.
Following a survey of the site, no other items of the period were found which allowed the coroner to conclude they were deliberately buried and thus are made available to local and national museums. These days, the pieces have to be valued with the settlement money being split between the finder and the landowner.
Whether the pieces were buried in some kindof ritual such as to apease a god, or whether perhaps the tools were buried before a battle to be retrieved later we can only speculate, but what is sure is that the National Museum Wales is keen to obtain the artifacts and put them on display.
Manorbier is roughly half way between Pembroke and Tenby on the South West Wales coastline.
More South Wales Links:
Tenby visitor attractions
Hotels in Tenby
Tourist attractions in Pembroke
Hotels in Pembroke
