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Category Archives: Transport

One of the UK’s lesser known islands set to see a 30-fold increase in visitor numbers

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Posted by admin on November 4, 2011 – 8:41 am
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

Win a 2-night family escape to the Scottish Highlands

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Posted by admin on October 25, 2011 – 2:26 pm
Filed under Accommodation, Attractions, Transport

Annabel Karmel is giving you the chance to win a family holiday at Inverness in the Scottish Highlands, worth £600. Simply register on the Annabel Karmel website and answer a simple question to be entered into the prize draw. The winner will receive a stay at the 4 star Kingsmills Hotel for 2 adults and 2 children, as well as a family ticket for the Loch Ness Centre & Exhibition and a one hour tour with Jacobite Loch Ness Cruises. The closing date for entries is 31st October 2011… so hurry!  More information here.

London RIB Voyages support Children in Need

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Posted by admin on October 22, 2011 – 6:55 am
Filed under Events, Transport

Head down to the London RIB Voyages launch site today and you might just spot Children in Need’s very own Pudsey Bear. London RIB Voyages, Children in Need and the children’s charity Brainwave have all joined forces to offer deserving families a complimentary trip on the Thames. Pose for a photo with Pudsey and drop him a nice donation in the process… afterall, it’s a great cause. Pudsey will also be joining Thames Clippers and City Cruises during Children in Need week (22nd-28th October 2011).

Useful links:
Hotels in London
B&Bs in London
Self-catering in London
Tourist attractions in London

The painting of the Forth Bridge IS set to finish!

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Posted by admin on September 5, 2011 – 2:45 pm
Filed under Attractions, Miscellaneous, Transport

There are various UK expressions that have lost their significance over the years. “Sending coals to Newcastle”, for instance, was once a term reserved for something that was regarded as pointless. Yet in 2004, Newcastle began importing Russian coal.

Now one of the UK’s most famous idioms is also set to become obsolete.  ”It’s like painting the Forth Bridge” was a term used to describe a never-ending task, the belief being that once you’d got to one end of the bridge, it was time to start painting again at the other end.  But apparently, completion of the painting of the Forth Rail Bridge – a cantilever railway bridge over the Firth of Forth in the east of Scotland - is just around the corner, and scaffolding will begin to come down in December 2011.  Network Rail, which manages the bridge, has said that it will not require further painting for another 25 years.

Useful links:
Hotels near the Forth Bridge
B&Bs near the Forth Bridge
Self-catering near the Forth Bridge

Download Northumberland GPX cycle routes – and get pedalling!

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Posted by admin on August 25, 2011 – 10:20 pm
Filed under Miscellaneous, Transport

Northumberland’s Haltwhistle and Wooler cycle hubs each consist of seven cycling routes of varying terrain and difficulty.   And now you can download the GPX files for these cycle routes to use on your desktop PC or mobile phone. You can then use these files to navigate the cycle routes. You’ll also find a quick and easy online guide to show you how to download the files and access them from your mobile phone.

Useful links:
Northumberland hotels
Northumberland B&Bs
Northumberland cottages
Northumberland campsites
Northumberland attractions

The London Underground style police are watching you…

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Posted by trev on August 25, 2011 – 10:04 am
Filed under Transport

Just when you thought it was safe to sneak out in those baggy jeggings and unironed top on the London Underground, a new web site has popped up giving visitors a chance to critique your fashion choices.

One of the unwritten rules of the London Underground has always been that you don’t stare at other passengers which made analysing and criticising their fashion choices a little hard for wannabe Gok Wan’s – experienced users have worked out ways around this. But now thanks to small mobile phone cameras, people can take photos of “fashion disasters” and post them for others to comment on.

The site is Tubecrush.net and was originally set up as a light hearted version online of a dating quiz programme where contestants, but it soon expanded into much wider circles and is now often used for those more worried about general fashion sense than whether the anon Underground user is “hot or not”.

So next time you think about popping out onto the underground without first looking in the mirror, perhaps it would be wise to check for tucked in collars, stray hair-do’s and whether other passengers can tell if you were eating spaghetti bolognese last night.

Who knows, your mother might be reading the site and you did promise to always make sure your shirts were ironed!

Of course if you avoid the gaze of the cameras of people using this site, there are another 12,000 CCTV cameras around the London Underground, and we’re pretty sure the staff manning those cameras thought of this idea long before the students behind TubeCrush ever did.

Note: At the time of publishing, it seems the web site has collapsed presumably under all the publicity, so might be worth visiting it later on today.

London Links:
TubeCrush.net
Hotel accommodation in London
Things to see and do in London (apart from check fashion sense)
Transport for London

The UK’s greatest drive?

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Posted by admin on August 22, 2011 – 4:53 pm
Filed under Transport

Inside Volvo UK have announced that the winner of their Greatest Drive Competition – and the proud owner of a brand new S60 R-Design – is Martin Baker with his “Pass? Me? Never?” entry! Many congratulations to him for his drive through the Lake District which is truly stunning.

It starts at the Apple Pie Eating House in Ambleside, before heading out to Little Langdale, then Coxley Beck and what’s known as the Wrynose Pass, with challenging steep U turns, sharp 1 in 3 rises, more continual rises, and constant twists and turns. After the decent, the route heads towards Beckfoot on the Hardknott Pass where there’s a stunning view from the top. The journey finishes with a sampling of real ale in The Boot Inn.

Have a look at the video below to see Martin’s drive for yourself.

Useful links:
Lake District hotels
Lake District B&Bs
Lake District cottages
Lake District attractions

London Underground meets the twilight zone…?

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Posted by trev on August 22, 2011 – 12:10 pm
Filed under Transport

The following suggestion came from a Guardian newspaper reader and suggests that the London Underground might have more mysteries than previously thought, perhaps even entering into the realms of the twilight zone.

The reader known only as “KS66″ suggests you do the following northbound trip on the underground which creates an infinite travel loop.

“Harry Potter’s Platform 9¾ is not the only weird feature of King’s Cross. it is also one end of possibly the only place in the universe where you can go on an “infinite loop” by continuously taking the “northbound” tube. Sounds impossible? Welcome to the twilight zone. Go to King’s Cross and take the Northern line “northbound”, at the next stop get off at Euston. Now take the “northbound” Victoria line, and at the next stop get off at King’s Cross!” – KS66

We’d be interested to know if anyone has tried this and even more interested to know if you actually came back without vanishing into an inter-dimensional portal (or even made it without a train breaking down!).

The Transport for London Underground maps might give a clue to this, or possibly even other quirks of the underground.

Finally – are there such quirks available with Boris Bikes?

More London Links:
Things to see and do in London
Hotels in London (might need one to recover from the dizzyness)

The Outdoor Capital of the UK takes mountain biking back to the mountains

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Posted by admin on August 11, 2011 – 10:27 am
Filed under Attractions, Events, Miscellaneous, Transport

The Outdoor Capital of the UK, which encompasses Fort William and Lochaber, has long been a Mecca for mountain bikers and cyclists. With thousands of square miles of hills, glens and forests, the Outdoor Capital of the UK attracts a huge number of mountain bikers and cyclists each year and it’s easy to see why. From flat forest tracks providing great views and gentle exercise for beginners, to all day epics through remote highland glens designed for fit, experienced and skilful riders, the Outdoor Capital of the UK has got it all.

The Outdoor Capital of the UK’s fame in downhill biking circles has undoubtedly been enhanced since it began hosting the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup at Nevis Range ten years ago. Whilst this event is undoubtedly the pinnacle of The Outdoor Capital of the UK’s mountain bike calendar, it certainly isn’t the only highlight.

The forthcoming Tour de Ben Nevis, which takes place on 24th September 2011, is considered to be “the race that took mountain biking back to the mountains” and the ultimate MTB challenge for endurance athletes and people with a sense of adventure.

Run by the highly acclaimed and extremely passionate team at No Fuss Events, the Tour de Ben Nevis entails a 72km circumnavigation around Ben Nevis – the UK’s highest mountain. Starting out at Fort William, it is an arduous journey of discovery which travels down the spectacular south side of Kinlochleven before heading back up towards Spean Bridge over some of the most dramatic scenery in the UK.

In addition to the numerous mountain bike events that the Outdoor Capital of the UK hosts during the summer months, there are hundreds of routes for cyclists and mountain bikers to undertake at their own pace.

At the centre of mountain biking in the Outdoor Capital of the UK is the Nevis Range, the venue for the annual UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, one of the best mountain bike trail centres in the country and the only course in the UK with gondola access. Given that the downhill course is designed to challenge the world’s best mountain bikers, it goes without saying that Nevis Range’s downhill course is a testing one. With a vertical drop of 525m and a length of 2.66km, it is regarded as an expert level track which fast riders can complete in four to five minutes.

Meanwhile, the Glencoe Mountain Resort, which is situated in an area of outstanding natural beauty on Rannoch Moor, is also fast becoming a high profile cycling destination and is soon to host the Scottish Downhill Series (13th and 14th August 2011), proving its position within the cycling world.  Glencoe Mountain Resort’s black graded downhill track has quickly built up a reputation as one of the toughest, steepest and most technical tracks in the UK. Yet, in a similar fashion to the Nevis Range, the Glencoe Mountain Resort also offers riders access to a variety of trails for those with a higher sense of self preservation!

Whilst the area certainly has some outstanding mountain biking credentials, it isn’t just about the longest downhill or the most challenging cross country. Within the Outdoor Capital of the UK, there is easy access to a variety of trails for those with a higher sense of self preservation!

Both the aforementioned Nevis Range and the Glencoe Mountain Resort offer a variety of beginner, intermediate, advanced and family trails in addition to their downhill routes. There are also gentle, flat trails along the Caledonian Canal; cycle trails around Glen Nevis, which follow the base of Britain’s highest mountain; family friendly routes that pass through friendly crofting townships; lengthier ones which travel out to the Ardnamurchan Peninsula and many more.

Useful links:
Fort William hotels
Fort William B&Bs
Fort William cottages
Fort William attractions

RAF Harrowbeer Airshow

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Posted by admin on July 21, 2011 – 8:40 pm
Filed under Attractions, Events, Transport

RAF Harrowbeer Airshow is being held on 13th and 14th August 2011 to commemorate the opening of this former RAF airfield and the history of its vital role during WWII. The main focus of the event will be the archives and history of the airfield and there are plans to include RAF/wartime displays and exhibits with a static full size replica Spitfire with Merlin engine. There will also be a full size replica of Joseph Kennedy Memorial Hurricane and an aerial display/flypast by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and music provided by well known local jazz bands, Jazzacadabra and Roger Marks’ Spitfire Five.