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Category Archives: Miscellaneous

Try your hand at power kite flying at Airbossworld’s Airfield

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Posted by Paul on March 5, 2010 – 12:01 am
Filed under Accommodation, Miscellaneous

This adrenalin-inducing treat is perfect for anyone that embraces the ‘you’re never too old’ philosophy. With 52-acres of flat green grass to fly on, the Airfield at Airbossworld in Loughborough is the biggest dedicated powerkite park in the UK, offering powerkite flying facilities for all abilities. Never flown a four line powerkite before? Fear not, as the centre offers day-long courses in the very basics of powerkite flying. By the end of the day you’ll have total control of your powerkite and a breathtaking experience you won’t forget in a hurry.

Stay overnight at imago at Burleigh Court – a contemporary hotel offering exceptional leisure facilities like a well equipped gym, spa and sauna. Twin /double rooms with breakfast start at £99.

Pick and mix outdoor activity breaks in Northern Wilderness

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Posted by Paul on February 23, 2010 – 12:07 pm
Filed under Accommodation, Events, Miscellaneous

Durham’s Outdoor and Active Week runs from 5th to 11th April 2010, as part of National Outdoor Adventure Week, and features more than 17 free and great-value events for visitors to pick from and construct their own bespoke activity holiday.  Events include guided mountain biking, orienteering, guided walks and hiking, landscape photography workshops and entry to high ropes activity courses.

In 2007, the Campaign to Protect Rural England carried out a tranquillity mapping survey of the UK, looking for the least polluted, quietest and best preserved natural environments.  North East England was voted the most tranquil region in Britain and County Durham was voted its fourth most peaceful place. Many events are taking place in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and European Geopark, an area known as “England’s last remaining wilderness,” and in the Durham Dales. The area is known for its high sweeping moorland ridges, heather clad uplands, powerful waterfalls and isolated reservoirs.  The AONB shares a boundary with the Yorkshire Dales National Park in the South and extends as far as the Tyne Valley in the North. Its western boundary follows the Pennine Escarpment and in the east it grades into West Durham.

In addition to the organised events, many self catering cottages, guesthouses, hotels and B&B’s are offering special short break packages during Spring and into Summer, including three nights for the price of two, 25% off, or discounts on mountain bike hire and outdoor activities. For full details about Outdoor and Active Week and accommodation packages, log onto www.thisisdurham.com/active

Events so far include:

5th-11th April
Try Orienteering
Race against the clock to find the checkpoints around the 1km course in the Durham Dales.
Weardale Outdoor, Coves House Estate, Wolsingham, DL13 3BG
Time: anytime during opening hours, all day all week
Contact: James, 01388 529 354, or email: james@weardaleoutdoor.co.uk

Mountain Bike Taster Sessions
Weardale Outdoor, Coves House Estate, Wolsingham, DL13 3BG
Time: anytime during opening hours, all day all week
Contact: James, 01388 529 354, or email: james@weardaleoutdoor.co.uk
Price: £2 for an hours ride
Under 18’s must be accompanied by an adult.

5th April
Cotherstone and Deepdale Woods
Time: 10.30am (4.5 hours) 9 miles MEDIUM/LONG
Contact: Ian Gray – Voluntary Countryside Ranger
Start: Post Office, Galgate, Barnard Castle. GR NZ049166 OS map 92, Explorer OL31
Buses: No suitable service
£2.50, packed lunch needed
Tel: 0191 383 4144, or email: countryside@durham.gov.uk

Outdoor Tennis at Crook Hall and Gardens
Learn to play tennis with coach Andrew Burn.
Times: 11:30am -1pm and 1:30pm till 3pm.
Usual admission to the gardens applies – tennis is free.
Web: www.crookhallgardens.co.uk
Tel: 0191 384 8028

6th-11th April
Guided Mountain Bike Rides
Hamsterley Forest, Teesdale, DL13 3LN
Times: 10:30 -12:30am
Tel: 01388 488 222
Email: shop@woodnwheels.co.uk
Web: www.woodnwheels.net
Rides every day throughout Outdoor and Active Week

6th April
Mountain Bike Ride for the girls
The Hamsterley Trailblazers are running a female rider only guided mountain bike ride on green and blue trails for beginners and intermediates.
Hamsterley Forest Visitor Centre, DL13 3LN
Time: 6:30pm
For more: Vicky Chilcott, vicky@century.gb.com or tel: 0191 4168200.

6th April
Deerness Valley reclaimed
Time: 1pm (3.5 hours) 4.5 miles MEDIUM
Contact: George Wharton – Countryside enthusiast
Start: Car park behind the Co-op, New House Road, Esh Winning. GR NZ 191417 OS map 88, Explorer 307
Buses: Arriva 43
£2.50
Tel: 0191 383 4144, or email: countryside@durham.gov.uk

7th April

Viewing the start of original Stockton and Darlington Railway
Time: 10am (3 hours) 5 miles MEDIUM
Contact: Derek S Newby – Local Historian
Includes a guided tour of the Railway Musuem
Start: Meet outside Timothy Hackworth Museum, Locomotion, use any car park, Shildon. GR NZ231256 OS map 93, Explorer 305
Buses: Any bus or train to Shildon
£2.50, packed lunch needed
Tel: 0191 383 4144, or email: countryside@durham.gov.uk

Photography walk: Durham by twilight
Time: 8pm (2 hours) 2 miles EASY
Contact: Philip Nixon – Photographer
Booking only. Call 0191 384 5058. Bring a tripod
£2.50

8th April

Causey Arch and Beamish
Time: 10am (4.5 hours) 7 miles MEDIUM
Contact: Mike Munro – Countryside Ranger
Start: Causey Arch picnic area, on west side of A6076, near Stanley. GR NZ205562 OS map 88, Explorer 308
Buses: Go North East x30, x31 to Causey Arch Inn
£2.50, packed lunch needed
Tel: 0191 383 4144, or email: countryside@durham.gov.uk

9th April

A tale of two reservoirs – Smiddy Shaw and Tunstall
Time: 10am (5.5 hours) 10.5 miles MEDIUM/LONG
Contact: Brian Page – Voluntary Countryside Ranger
Start: Waskerley Station picnic area, Waskerley village, off Castleside to Stanhope road. GR NZ051454 OS map 87, Explorer 307
Buses: No suitable service
£2.50, packed lunch needed
Tel: 0191 383 4144, or email: countryside@durham.gov.uk

10th April

Waldridge Fell and No Place
Time: 10am (5 hours) 10 miles MEDIUM/LONG
Contact: Steve Shippen – Voluntary Countryside Ranger
Start: First car park on left coming from Waldridge Village, behind St Barnabas’ nursery. GR NZ253496 OS map 88, Explorer 308
Buses: Go North East 25
£2.50, packed lunch needed
Tel: 0191 383 4144, or email: countryside@durham.gov.uk

11th April

Easter walk: Sunderland Bridge to Bowburn
Time: 10am (4.5 hours) 9 miles MEDIUM/LONG
Contact: David Spence – Voluntary Countryside Ranger
Start: Sunderland Bridge, old road over River Wear, off B6300. GR NZ265377 OS map 93, Explorer 305
Buses: Go North East 21, Arriva 7
£2.50, packed lunch needed
Tel: 0191 383 4144, or email: countryside@durham.gov.uk

Fencing for beginners
Introduction to fencing techniques – anyone welcome.
Booking only, please call 0191 383 4144 during office hours
Free of charge, no dogs.

Watch the London Marathon and enjoy a sporty day out with London Pass

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Posted by Paul on February 22, 2010 – 11:00 pm
Filed under Attractions, Events, Miscellaneous

The London Marathon is the biggest sporting event of the calendar and the perfect opportunity to visit the best of the Capital’s sporting attractions with the London Sightseeing Pass. Perfect for sports fanatics, the London Sightseeing Pass gives free admission to join a Chelsea FC Stadium Tour, allows cricket fans to go behind the scenes at Lord’s Cricket Ground and gives access to Wimbledon’s Court No.1 as part of the Wimbledon Tour Experience. With free entry to all these and many more top London attractions such as St Paul’s Cathedral, The Tower of London and The Churchill Museum & Cabinet War Rooms, alongside discounts at restaurants and shops, the London Sightseeing Pass give you a great day out for less.  Users have priority access at the busiest sites to avoid queues, a free guidebook and over 40 additional deals and discounts.

A one-day London Pass costs £39 for adults and £26 for a child. A two-day London Pass costs £54 for adults (£40 for children aged between five and 15 years), three-day passes are £65 for adults and £45 for children and a six-day option costs £89 for adults and £62 for children.  Check out all the activities on offer with the London Sightseeing Pass at the above link. The website includes a London map tool to plan visits, details on all the featured attractions, and comprehensive information on special offers that are exclusive to London Pass holders such as free gifts at Harrods and commission-free currency exchange.

More Europeans heading for the West Country

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Posted by Paul on February 16, 2010 – 8:53 am
Filed under Miscellaneous

Tourism Newquay and a number of the town’s leading hotels are reporting an increase in European bookings for the 2010 season, giving the popular resort a boost to its year round trade. The Euro to sterling conversion rates would appear to be making the UK, and in particular Newquay in Cornwall, a very popular destination for the overseas market.

Cornwall and Devon have always been popular destinations with overseas visitors with people from Germany, Holland and Belgium making up the bulk of European customers. And a number of hotels in the seaside resort have seen a clear increase in the number of group bookings for 2010. The Esplanade Hotel, for instance, has seen an increase in the number of European visitors staying at the hotel, with a growth of more than 20% year on year from 2008 for private and group bookings.

Fistral Spa at The Bay Hotel shortlisted for prestigious National Award

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Posted by Paul on February 11, 2010 – 1:24 am
Filed under Accommodation, Miscellaneous

With Atlantic washed beaches, breathtaking views and fresh sea air, Cornwall has long been synonymous with rest and relaxation and now, thanks to the lavish treatments and sublime facilities offered at the pampering paradise of Fistral Spa, the county is in the running for a prestigious national award.

The Newquay-based Fistral Spa – which opened just two years ago – has been shortlisted for a highly sought-after Professional Beauty Award, flying the flag for Cornwall in the Residential Spa of the Year category. Open to resorts with up to 10 treatment rooms, the shortlisting places Fistral Spa among the finest six spas in the country.

Nestled at the heart of The Bay Hotel overlooking Fistral Beach, the spa boasts nine ESPA treatment rooms and a tranquil relaxation room, in addition to an indoor child-free heated pool with underwater music, Jacuzzi, steam-room and sauna. Treatments ranging from aromatherapy and massage to facials and full body wraps are available, along with more distinctly Cornish choices such as the ‘Surfer’s Massage’.

Having already been mystery shopped and visited by the expert judging panel which included the likes of George Hammer, owner of Aveda and Urban Retreat, and Debbie Green, Operations Director at The Sanctuary, Fistral Spa is now awaiting the final awards ceremony which takes place at the Park Lane Hilton in London on 8th March 2010.

Isle of Wight: safe from triffids

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Posted by Paul on January 13, 2010 – 8:37 am
Filed under Accommodation, Miscellaneous

At the end of John Wyndham’s 1950s classic sci-fi novel The Day of the Triffids, shown on BBC TV over the New Year, the hero and heroine make their escape from the UK mainland and its man-eating plants to the safety of a new world colony on the Isle of Wight. Half a century after the publication of the post-apocalyptic novel, the Island remains a safe haven for endangered flora and fauna and a holiday playground for the eco-orientated. Wightlink’s free, downloadable Rare Plant Trail guide is one way to check out the safe locations for wildlife and its Green Getaways eco-holiday hideaways provide rural accommodation close to the wild

Big freeze grips Britain

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Posted by Paul on January 12, 2010 – 12:36 am
Filed under Attractions, Miscellaneous

One of the Lake District’s most iconic Lakes has frozen over. Spectacular Lake Derwentwater at Keswick has become a stark reminder of the big freeze gripping Britain last week. The three-mile long lake in Cumbria which is around 70ft deep, became reminiscent of the Arctic plains as temperatures across the UK plummeted to their lowest levels this winter.

The Isles of Scilly – a top destination for 2010?

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Posted by Paul on January 1, 2010 – 10:48 pm
Filed under Miscellaneous

Voted one of the top global destinations to visit in 2010 by Frommer’s (published in December 2009) the Isles of Scilly lie just just 28 miles off the southwest tip of Britain, the UK’s only island archipelago and the UK’s most Westerly holiday destination. Mile after mile of white sandy beaches, acres of stunning natural landscape to explore, and a rich and fascinating history, combine with a wonderfully safe environment and a list of things to see and do which is too wide to list.

On the Isles of Scilly the skies seem bigger, the horizon is further away, the climate milder due to the Gulf Stream, making the Islands home to a wide range of flora and fauna that would not survive on mainland UK. Why don’t you pay a visit in 2010?

White sand beaches… in Scotland, not Thailand

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Posted by Paul on December 17, 2009 – 5:45 pm
Filed under Attractions, Miscellaneous

As reports circulate that a Thai holiday resort used an image of one of Scotland’s top Scottish beaches in their marketing material (credit goes to blogger Ian McNamara at iamkochang.com for spotting it!), research conducted by Opinion Matters shows that Scotland’s stunning winter white beaches are often mistaken for more exotic climes.

The survey, conducted earlier in the year for VisitScotland, asked respondents around the UK to look at a picture of the Isle of Harris’ idyllic white beach and asked them to say where they thought it was. 26% of those who replied thought it was Mauritius, 17% thought it was New Zealand and 13.7% thought it was Thailand. Only 22% of those surveyed correctly guessed it was Scotland.

Earlier in the week, the media widely reported that an image of the island of Berneray was used in marketing material for the Thai resort of Koh Chang. But you needn’t go as far as Thailand to find such a beautiful beach. There are many beaches in Scotland offering long stretches of white sand and are the perfect locations for winter strolls:

• Enjoy a stroll along the beaches of Harris with miles of scenic contrasts that have to be seen to be believed. Revitalising winter sea breezes straight from the Atlantic Ocean will take your breath away amidst the sound of waves breaking. Just a few miles south of Tarbert, the island’s main port, Luskentyre is one of the most spectacular stretches of sand, offering views of majestic snow-capped mountains in the distance. Harris has many more special beaches to choose from, including Seilibost and Traigh Mor.

• For a walk along uncrowded stunning white sands, look no further than Montrose’s Lunan Bay. This award-winning beach is the perfect antidote to an indulgent Christmas and just the place to blow away the winter cobwebs.

• Stretching for almost two miles, and famous from the opening scene of ‘Chariots of Fire’, St Andrews’ West Sands beach is nestled between the refreshing sea swirl and the town’s world famous Old Course. The dunes which the beach backs onto provide a perfect sheltered spot for a winter picnic, before stretching your legs for a leisurely walk along the seashore to take in the crisp, fresh winter air.

• Surf’s up this winter as Aberdeen City and Shire is the place to be for white waves. Whether you are into wind surfing or kite surfing, Aberdeenshire’s white beaches are an ideal destination. With large, open and un-crowded white sandy stretches, where better to relax and invigorate.

• The Highlands also offers a range of stunning beaches, where an invigorating winter stroll along the white sands of Arisaig, Traigh and Morar beaches is an experience not to be missed.

For information about Scotland’s white beaches and wide range of other winter white activities to see and do in Scotland, log on to VisitScotland’s White Invite.

Have you got the H-Factor?

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Posted by Paul on December 15, 2009 – 5:34 pm
Filed under Accommodation, Miscellaneous

Haven talentAs Joe McElderry celebrates his victory and his debut single looks set to be the Christmas number one you might be wondering where to start in order to emulate his success. Haven Holidays say don’t wait for the X-Factor – they’re looking for the H-Factor in their talent contests every single week at our 35 family holiday Parks!

‘Haven’s Got Talent’ takes place throughout the season – so whether you sing, dance, play a musical instrument or fancy yourself as a comedian – the stage can be yours. Everybody loves the talent contest and it’s a great way to start performing in front of an audience.

The talent contest is just part of a sensational programme of entertainment on Haven Holidays parks next year. Glitzy new stage-shows, brand new character shows with Rory the Tiger and his friends, professional cabaret, tribute bands, circus performers and pantos are all on the agenda for 2010. And there are Kid’s Clubs, sports and activities and first class facilities for families as well – talented or not there’s loads to keep all ages amused!

With 35 award winning family holiday parks in fabulous locations around the UK there’s a talent contest within easy reach. And with prices from as little as £129 for a Spring break for a family of four you’ll enjoy a great value for money holiday as well.