U.K./Ireland Travel
© Mike Gerrard
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Jul 18, 2008
The Durham Miners' Gala
Every July the beautiful cathedral city of Durham is transformed for the historic Durham Miners' Gala, and the streets are filled with colorful banners and brass bands.
I've long wanted to see the Durham Miners' Gala. I grew up in St Helens in the north of England, which is best-known for glass-making. But there were collieries too, and with an uncle and a grandfather who both worked in the coal mines I've always been aware of the tough and dirty work that the miners do in the pits.
Although we were a long way from Durham, their annual Miners' Gala was not just a physical get-together for the Durham miners, but was a spiritual gathering of miners from everywhere in Britain. Whether you lived in a mining town in Lancashire or Yorkshire, in south Wales or Scotland, you were there supporting the miners in Durham, as they celebrated the work they were proud of, and remembered their colleagues who had lost their lives.
So to be in Durham last Saturday was a very special day for me. It's rare these days to see such a gathering of working men, especially as the last coal mine in Durham closed in the early 1990s. The miners who helped to build Britain will never be forgotten, though, and it was heartening to see so many young people in the brass bands, continuing the musical traditions, and to see the older men proudly marching. And if there was an occasional tear in my eye, it must have been caused by the wind blowing in off the River Wear.
To read more about the Durham Miners' Gala,
click here.
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Jul 5, 2008
London Travel & Guidebook Reviews
Reviews of the best London guidebooks and other travel guides including walking in London, movie locations, bars and pubs, restaurants and the stylish Wallpaper guide.
Jun 25, 2008
Top Ten Free Europe Attractions
The TripAdvisor website, the world's biggest travel community, has released its list of the top ten free European attractions, with England and Northern Ireland on top!
England has three entries in the TripAdvisor top ten list, the same as Italy, but with the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland included as well, that makes the UK the best place in Europe for free attractions.
I was delighted to see the list as I spent this morning writing about the Giant's Causeway for my next book, the Traveller's Atlas of Europe. It's published in February 2009 (order your copy today!) and is my personal choice of the 50 'must see' travel sights in Europe. I was fondly remembering my trip to the Giant's Causeway, and all along the fantastic North Antrim coast, so was pleased to see that the users and editors of TripAdvisor acknowledged what a great place it is – and that thanks to the National Trust who manage it, admission is still free (with donations always welcome, of course.)
So here's that list in full, so you can debate whether you agree with the TripAdvisor choice. But I'm not arguing with their pat on the head for the UK:
- Pantheon, Rome, Italy
- National Gallery, London, England
- Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, England
- Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France
- St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral, Brussels, Belgium
- Duomo, Florence, Italy
- Retiro Park, Madrid, Spain
- Westminster Abbey, London, England
- St. Mark’s Basilica, Venice, Italy
- Giant’s Causeway, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
I'm not sure about Westminster Abbey. You can enter for free if you only want to pray, but visitors are requested to pay a hefty admission fee!
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Jun 16, 2008
2010 Ryder Cup Course Open
The 2010 Ryder Cup course is the first to have been purpose-built for this great golf competition. The Twenty Ten course is open at the Celtic Manor Resort in Wales.
I've unfortunately never stayed or played golf at the Celtic Manor Resort near Cardiff in Wales, the venue for the 2010 Ryder Cup. But I have been to a big function there, when a few hundred members of the Society of American Travel Writers attended their annual convention in Cardiff. I went along with other members of the British Guild of Travel Writers, having a rare chance to meet up with our American colleagues. We were all stunned by the quality of the Celtic Manor. It was stylish, and then some.
The new Twenty Ten Ryder Cup course is the first golf course in history that has been custom-designed for this biennial tournament between Europe and the USA. The course, and its clubhouse, were opened on 28 May 2008 by the Right Honorable Rhodri Morgan, the First Minister for Wales, which shows how important this event is for the country.
The Twenty Ten course and clubhouse cost about £16 million to build, and have been designed not only to challenge the golfers but also to appeal to the spectators. Steep hillside runs alongside the closing three holes, to allow the maximum number of spectators the best view of the final action. The course is a par 71, and half the holes have water hazards that are described as both picturesque and penalising.
The new Ryder Cup course sounds amazing, and I know people attending the tournament will have a fabulous time. I'm a big fan of the city of Cardiff, and the beautiful area surrounding it. And of the Celtic Manor Resort. I must go and stay there sometime!
Check out the
Celtic Manor Resort website and see what I mean.
Find out a little more about the Ryder Cup course and the Celtic Manor Resort by reading an earlier article.
Click here.
Jun 7, 2008
Best Bed and Breakfasts in Britain
The winners of the AA's 2008 B&B Awards are announced, naming London B&B of the Year, Funkiest bed and breakfast, and best accommodation in England, Scotland and Wales.
What's the best bed and breakfast in Britain? Impossible to say. But each year Britain's AA announces the winners of its B&B Awards and highlights some of the people giving outstanding service in guest accommodation in the UK.
The winners this year are:
London B&B of the YearSan Domenico House, Chelsea
Although the 16-room San Domenico started as a luxury B&B, these days's it's more like a boutique hotel in Chelsea, so not quite the average British b&b, and prices start at £230 per night. It's a 3-minute walk from Sloane Square tube station and 45 minutes by taxi from Heathrow, and obviously a superior stop if you want a quality London boutique hotel.
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Funkiest B&BThe Enchanted Manor, Isle of Wight
Landscaped woodlands, outdoor sculptures, indoor artworks, four-poster beds and slipper baths are all part of the experience at this magical boutique retreat on the Isle of Wight.
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Friendliest Landlady of the YearMargaret Frost, Diggins Farm, Chipping Ongar, Essex
Margaret has been welcoming guests to her 16th-ccentury farmhouse for 8 years, and provides extra treats like homemade cakes, complimentary taxis to Stansted airport, and even surprise gifts to guests who stay a few days.
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AA Guest Accommodation of the Year: EnglandThe Stables Lodge, Lamesley, Newcastle
Indulgent luxury in a 'Hunting Lodge' theme in a semi-rural retreat but close to one of England's liveliest cities, Newcastle.
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AA Guest Accommodation of the Year: ScotlandFauhope House, Melrose
Luxury 5-star standards in the Scottish Borders in an 1897 house that still manages to feel like home.
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AA Guest Accommodation of the Year: WalesTan-y-Foel Country House, Betws-y-Coed
Just 6 bedrooms, all with views over Snowdonia, with country house luxury but an informal feel have won Tan-y-Foel several awards.
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May 25, 2008
The Death of Robert Mondavi
Robert Mondavi, the man who really helped turn Napa Valley and California wines into some of the best wines in the world, beating top French wines, has died.
The death of Robert Mondavi on May 16, 2008, at the age of 94, saddened me. It wasn't that I knew him, but I have enjoyed many of his fine California wines, and he was a figurehead and a pioneer in improving American wines. He was also a very real person, a friendly-sounding name at a time when it seemed you had to be a Baron in France in order to make good wine.
When I first drank American wine in England, there was only one choice. It was Paul Masson wine, red or white, and it owed its popularity as much to the fact that it came (as it still does) in unusual large bottles with metal caps that you prised off. Afterwards the wine bottles made good flower vases, or you could put kitchen utensils in them. It's amazing to think back, not so very far, to a time when that was the only non-European wine you would find in most stores. It was a time when
Monty Python made sketches about Australian wines – the very notion of a decent Australian wine made us laugh.
It was also about the time when Robert Mondavi was opening his first Napa Valley vineyard, in 1966, independently from his family firm. By 1976 Napa Valley wines, including Robert Mondavi's, were beating the most expensive French wines at the infamous
blind tasting in Paris.Yes, California wines have come a long way in a short time, and the death of
Robert Mondavi – the man who invented Fumé Blanc, among so many other achievements – should make us all sad. But happy too for a long and full life.
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Here's a link to a piece I did for Suite101 about
visiting Napa Valley vineyards, including Robert Mondavi's.
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May 11, 2008
This Man Isn't Tired of London
When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life. Dr Johnson's famous quotation to James Boswell about London is as true today as it was when he said it in 1777.
It was September 20, 1777, when Dr Samuel Johnson made his famous remark about London to James Boswell:
"Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford."I am indebted to the
Samuel Johnson Soundbite Page, for this and other marvelous quotes by Dr Johnson. This in particular appealed to me right now:
"Sir, if you wish to have a just notion of the magnitude of this city, you must not be satisfied with seeing its great streets and squares, but must survey the innumerable little lanes and courts."The reason I went looking for that famous Johnson quotation, which is as true today as it was when it was said, over 200 years ago, is because of some London walks I've been reviewing lately. What would Dr Johnson have made of audiowalks, or podcasts? As he was a man of intellectual energy and great curiosity, I'm sure he would have loved them. He would have been fascinated by the way
Brick Lane, for example, had changed over the centuries.
And he would have loved the London walks booklets produced by
Louis' London Walks, which explore those little lanes and courts, and cover the tapestry of London life that Johnson relished so much, from
the Beatles to
Jack the Ripper, from the
historic riverside pubs (old enough for Johnson to have drunk in them) to Princess Diana, and from the fictional London of
Sherlock Holmes to the all-too-real London of the Kray Twins.
Next weekend I'm off exploring Maritime Greenwich, and can't wait. I'm not yet tired of London, and so thankfully not yet tired of life.
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May 1, 2008
Venice Guidebook Expert Wanted
Lonely Planet author admits he didn't visit destinations, didn't eat in restaurants, so is the expert guidebook writer on Venice, Athens or anywhere really an expert?
This week I'm wanted as a Venice guidebook expert. A few months ago it was Amsterdam. Before that it was Paris, and before that Athens. Given the recent storm caused by the Lonely Planet writer who claimed he wrote about Colombia without setting foot in the country, you might like to ask if I've actually been to all these places. Well, yes I have. Frequently.
It's a shame Lonely Planet took the flak, because it seems the author concerned only wrote the History section of the guide, and you don't need to travel to a country to do that. The fact that he had a book to promote, about writing guidebooks, means it should all be taken with a pinch of salt, to use one of those clichés we guidebook writers are meant to love so much.
There are several sides to the story, and one of them is that, yes, some publishers pay guidebook writers very little. But there are also guidebook writers who abuse their publishers by not doing a professional job. I know several who take the money and run - though not to the destination concerned.
For the Venice guide I'm updating, the publishers (the AA) not only write it into the contract that I have to go, they are also paying a reasonable sum in expenses. Not enough to stay at the Gritti Palace and dine Michelin-style, but enough for basic living expenses.
Last year I updated my Essential Athens guide and turned it into Essential Spiral Athens, the new-style AA series – after ten days in the city. So yes, most guidebook writers do go to the places we write about. That's the best part! I don't need asking twice to go visit Venice, and maintain my credentials as a guidebook expert.
Apr 18, 2008
How to Avoid Lost Luggage Misery!
Lost luggage is a travel nightmare, but a Global Bag Tag helps ensure frequent flyers never lose their checked-in baggage by giving online access to a special website.
Lost luggage is one of the worst fears that frequent flyers face. Waiting at the luggage carousel while everyone else's bags arrive, but not yours, is something that we all have a chance of facing at some time in our travels. Yet most lost luggage is not in fact lost. It's more often simply been parted from its owner and its luggage tags, and most baggage is eventually fund and returned to the right people.
The problem with most lost luggage is in finding the right people. Many travelers use a flimsy luggage tag, which can easily be ripped off leaving no owner's details in the bag. If the airline's own barcoded baggage tag also comes off – and it happens – then the bag is unidentifiable. The lost luggage could belong to anyone, anywhere in the world.
There are about 250,000 reports of lost baggage in the United States alone every month. And rising. Six years ago a traveler named Chris Truelove and his wife lost one of their cases. They had to survive a three-week trip on what they could buy locally, and were disappointed by the compensation the airline offered them.
So Chris and his wife set up
www.globalbagtags.com. For £9.95 you get a pair of sturdy luggage tags, each of which has a unique code on it. You also get a year's access to the online database. Here you can record your itinerary and contact details, every time you travel, and if your luggage is lost the airline can track you down and get it back to you by going online and finding you. You should also, of course, write the information on a card and put it inside your luggage, for double security. I use them myself and hope I never find out how well they work.
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Apr 6, 2008
Florida Wildlife Beats Theme Parks
Florida's wildlife, like bald eagles and alligators, is easy to see in Tampa, Orlando and on the Space Coast so go beyond the theme parks and get some natural thrills.
I expected to enjoy Disney World, Epcot, Universal Studios, SeaWorld and all the other theme parks and fun experiences when I went to Florida recently. The Spiderman ride? Fantastic! Go back and do it again. We went Soarin' at Epcot two days in a row. And who doesn't enjoy Pirates of the Caribbean? But what really blew me away about Florida was the wildlife.
We saw manatees swimming at the Blue Springs State Park, and again at the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, just a few miles from the Kennedy Space Center. We saw 'gators, bald eagles and wild pigs, right in the Space Center itself. Injured manatees were being cared for at Epcot and SeaWorld, under the excellent wildlife protection programs that many theme parks operate.
Two of the best days we spent in Florida were when we got out and did some wildlife watching with knowledgeable guides. One was with Boggy Creek Airboat Rides, who are just south of Kissimmee, and with our excellent guide Martin Wallace we saw osprey, bald eagles, snail kites... and, of course, 'gators.
The other great wildlife experience was with Brian Faulk, who runs Canoe Escape and was our guide on a canoe trip of a few miles down the Hillsborough River. It was a rich and relaxing experience, getting up-close views of roseate spoonbills, anhingas, hawks, all kinds of herons and ibis, woodpeckers, and, yes, Florida's 'gators. As Brian said to us at the end of the trip: 'That's an experience you don't get in a theme park.'
The wildlife of all of the United States, not just Florida, is wonderful and precious. Protect it and cherish it.
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Read about the Boggy Creek Airboat Rides near Orlando and Kissimmee here.
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Read about the Canoe Escape near Tampa here.
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