Britain Calling

Tourism and travel news from England, Wales and Scotland

May 2005

BRITISH RESTAURANT IS ‘BEST IN WORLD’
A restaurant in a small Thames-side town west of London has been voted the best in the world. A panel of more than 500 international chefs, critics and restaurateurs has given the prize (April 18) to Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck in Bray, Berkshire. The accolade, in Restaurant magazine’s “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants” awards, means the English eatery has raced ahead of top restaurants in Australia, France, Spain and the USA.

Fourteen of the top 50 establishments are in England, including Gordon Ramsay and Nobu in London, Raymond Blanc’s Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons in Oxfordshire, and The Waterside Inn, also in Bray. The judges praised the sheer variety of food, the quality of fresh produce and the number of Michelin-starred chefs among the reasons for Britain’s success.

GOLF STARS IN NORTH-EAST ENGLAND
Some of international golf’s famous names will be competing at The Wynward Golf Club in Tees Valley this September in the Seve Trophy 2005 (Sept. 22-25). The tournament sees a team from Great Britain and Ireland led by Colin Montgomerie challenging five times Major winner Severiano Ballesteros’ team from Continental Europe. The Wynyard Club’s par 72 Wellington Course has been acknowledged by the European PGA Tour and with its rolling parkland and woodland it represents a challenge for all levels of golfer.

The club is near the town of Middlesbrough (240 miles north of London). The area has much to offer the visitor including the World Heritage site of the Roman Hadrian’s Wall, the historic City of Durham with its cathedral and castle and beautiful countryside.
Website: www.sevetrophy2005.com

FLEXIBLE WALKING IN THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND
England’s first ‘fully flexible walking holiday’ is being offered on the borders of the south-western counties of Wiltshire and Dorset and in The Cotswolds. The self-guided trails allow guests the flexibility and independence to decide when they wish to start their holiday, how long they wish to stay and exactly where they want to walk, depending on their interests and ability.

The holidays, designed by Foot Trails, include accommodation, maps, route directions and local information for walkers of every level. The area of the Dorset/Wiltshire border offers a choice of self-guided walking days including ‘Thomas Hardy Downs’ and ‘Medieval Wiltshire’ with luxury bed and breakfast accommodation at The Lamb Inn (prices from £136 for two nights) while the Cotswolds offers walks along the Thames and Severn Canal and a chance to visit Westonbirt Arboretum while staying in a self catering cottage at Owlpen Manor near Stroud (prices from £159 for two nights).
Website: www.foottrails.co.uk

EDINBURGH FESTIVAL’S WORLD PREMIERES
The programme for the Edinburgh International Festival 2005 will include six major new productions, three of which are world premieres and several unique collaborations between companies and artists. The three plays commissioned by the festival and written by Scottish writers are David Harrower’s “Blackbird”, Shan Khan’s “Prayer Room” and Chiew Siah Tei’s “Three Thousand Troubled Threads”.

Other highlights include the complete stage works of Irish playwright J.M. Synge presented by Druid Theatre Company; and a collaboration bringing together the American Pennsylvania Ballet with the Russian Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio, for a new production of Swan Lake. The festival runs from August 14- September 4.
Website: www.eif.co.uk

WALK LONDON’S OLYMPIC BID SITES
On July 6 London will find out if it has won its bid to stage the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Residents and visitors to the capital are being encouraged to see the proposed sites with a new walking guide. “Walk the Bid” which has been produced jointly by five local councils, provides illustrated maps and information about existing landmarks, the Games and its venues and describes the 500-acre Olympic Park in the Lower Lea Valley of East London.

Three routes, from 5km in length, use the area’s network of heritage walks and public footpaths, linking the proposed Olympic village, main stadium and aquatic centre as well as the Millennium Dome, ExCeL centre and the equestrian venue in Greenwich Park. For a free copy of the guide, e-mail: walkthebid@newham.gov.uk

NEW HOTEL FOR WELSH CAPITAL’S AIRPORT
A new hotel has opened half-a-mile from Cardiff International Airport in Wales. Days Inn is situated in Port Road, 14 miles from the city centre and has 36 en-suite rooms with satellite television and tea and coffee making facilities. There is also a restaurant and bar offering breakfast and snacks.

This year Cardiff marks its 50th anniversary as the capital of Wales and 100 years as a city. As well as being convenient for travellers to the airport, the hotel is well located for visitors to enjoy the celebrations and visit the variety of attractions in the city including Cardiff Castle, Cardiff Millennium Stadium and the Wales Millennium Centre.
Website: www.daysinn.com

‘MONKEY FOREST’ IN THE POTTERIES
Visitors to Trentham in Staffordshire will have an opportunity to come face to face with around 150 Barbary Macque monkeys this summer. The Monkey Forest (opening July 19) will incorporate an acre of woodland where visitors will be able to walk and enjoy direct contact with the monkeys in the first attraction of its kind in the UK.

Formerly known as Trentham Park, Trentham is set to be one of Europe’s biggest leisure destinations, costing an estimated £100 million. The attraction includes England’s largest Italianate garden, a passenger launch offering cruises on the lake and waymarked woodland walks through some of the 750 acres of land. The site also houses a garden centre and retail outlets offering products from arts and crafts to luxury homeware. A further 40 shops will be open by the end of the year and the Trentham Hall Hotel will open in 2008.

Trentham is near Stoke-on-Trent (170 miles north-west of London) which is best known for its fine china potteries such as Wedgwood and Spode, which have visitor centres and shops open to the public.
Website: www.trenthamleisure.co.uk

JOUSTING AND ‘BRAVEHEART’ EVENTS IN SCOTLAND
The sights and sounds of World War II, medieval jousting knights and the story of William Wallace (‘Braveheart’); all of these can be enjoyed by visitors to Scotland this summer in a series of events organised by Historic Scotland. Bringing some of the country's most historically significant properties to life, highlights of the event programme include:
• 1945: World War II at 18th century army base Fort George near Inverness - on the 60th anniversary of VE Day, this will be the largest living history event in the North of Scotland, with a cast of period characters from the 1940s (June 25/26 -adults £ 6).
• Saturday Knight Fever and Spectacular Jousting at Linlithgow Palace, once home to the Stuart kings - medieval costumed events with music and barbeque food for all the family (July 9-10 - adults £6)
• William Wallace Extravaganza at Stirling Castle - on the 700th anniversary of his death, one of Scotland's greatest heroes will be the theme of this event to include combat displays, drama and music (Sept. 10-11)
Website: www.historic-scotland.gov.uk/events

HARRODS TO CELEBRATE BRITISH PRODUCTS
London's best-known department store, Harrods, will be celebrating all things British this autumn. “Truly British” (Sept. 5-Oct. 15) explores the innovations and brands that have become a part of everyday life in these islands. Features include:
• Personal appearances from some British icons.
• Special collaborations between British brands of heritage and contemporary talent.
• The ‘best of British’ brands, showcased in themed window displays.
With an average of 30,000 customers visiting the store daily, nearly half from overseas, Harrods is an icon of the London shopping scene. In the heart of exclusive Knightsbridge, visitors can also sample the other luxury retail highlights in the area, including Harvey Nichols, Janet Reger and Burberry.
Website: www.Harrods.com

BOOK CHARTS MARITIME BRITAIN ATTRACTIONS
Britain is an island nation, and is celebrating its maritime heritage this year through hundreds of ‘SeaBritain 2005’ events. A new book complements this perfectly as it details 600 maritime museums and ships around the country.

“Maritime Britain”, by broadcaster and writer Paul Heiney (Adlard Coles Nautical, price £12.99 from British bookshops) features everything from lighthouses and Cornish shipwrecks to Admiral Lord Nelson’s birthplace, tea clippers, the Greenwich Meridian and maritime sights. Each regional section includes a gazetteer of contact details and opening times, which makes it a useful travelling companion on land as well as water.
Websites: www.adlardcoles.com | www.seabritain2005.com

WELSH TOWN HAS BRITAIN’S ‘PIER OF THE YEAR’
The Victorian seaside pier in a Welsh town where the real-life Alice in Wonderland once holidayed has been voted Pier of the Year 2005 by Britain’s National Piers Society.

The pier at Llandudno, an elegant resort in North Wales, is the fifth longest in the country (2,295ft.), having opened in 1877 and hosted events from political rallies to summer shows over the last 100 years. Despite a mysterious fire in 1994, it remains remarkably unaltered from its Victorian heyday and offers visitors a pleasant stroll out to sea. Pleasure boats still dock at its landing stage.

Another of the town’s century-old attractions, an Edwardian tramway which climbs to the beauty spot of Great Orme, has reopened after a facelift costing £4.5 million. The family of Alice Liddell, the girl for whom Lewis Carroll wrote “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”, were frequent visitors to Llandudno and there is a White Rabbit statue in the town. Runners-up in this year’s Pier of the Year competition were Southend, Essex – the world’s longest – and Cromer in Norfolk. Website: www.piers.co.uk

A TASTE OF KENT AT BRITAIN’S OLDEST BREWERY
Britain’s oldest brewer is extending its guided tours to include a tutored tasting session. Shepherd Neame has been creating ales in the historic Kent town of Faversham, not far from Canterbury, since 1698 – though brewing has gone on in the town for 850 years. The beers carry distinctive names such as Bishop’s Finger and Spitfire.

The tour includes a brewhouse which features original 1914 Russian teak mash tuns, and there is a fully stocked shop. The cost is £5.80 (£5 senior citizens) including the beer tasting: advance booking is essential. Also new this year is an evening tour followed by a tasting session that matches beers with a variety of foods. Faversham holds its traditional Hop Festival on September 3-4.
Website: www.shepherdneame.co.uk

EXPLORE THE UNUSUAL CHURCHES OF SUFFOLK
For lovers of church architecture, the Eastern England county of Suffolk is a treasure-trove. Ornate and unusual 12th and 13th century churches, many built on the proceeds of the area’s prosperous medieval wool trade, are dotted throughout picturesque towns and villages. Ranging from round towers to gothic pointed arches, their diverse styles offer a variety of distinctive features.

If you know where to look, you can follow a trail of churches off the beaten track, on rural roads, calling in on other attractions, such as the award-winning Wyken Vineyard, one of England’s best. A new booklet, “Explore Suffolk Churches”, suggests six country trails visiting some of Suffolk’s most historic and beautiful places of worship. Each trail is accompanied by a route map, brief history of the churches and their location, plus helpful information such as country pubs and rural shops to complement the experience.
Website: www.stedmundsbury.anglican.org

40 EVENTS FOR ‘FISH WEEK’ IN SOUTH WALES
Something fishy will be going on in South-West Wales this summer. They include a ‘speed filleting’ competition, sushi tasting and a ‘seashore safari’. These are among the 40 events in and around hotels, pubs, restaurants and cafés during Pembrokeshire Fish Week (June 25 – July 3).

It is an opportunity to sample local fish and shellfish at their best, and as well as the food, other events include storytelling, street entertainment, cookery demonstrations and tastings. The area boasts lovely countryside, including the cliff walks and harbours of Britain’s only coastal national park, as well as pretty resorts such as Tenby. The area is 90 miles west of the Welsh capital, Cardiff.
Website: www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/foodanddrink

LONDON SUMMER EVENT HIGHLIGHTS
Rock stars, maritime leaders and forgotten empires all feature in cultural events coming up in London this summer.

David Bowie: Pin Up is a photographic celebration of the career of one Britain's most enigmatic performers. Redferns Music Picture Gallery (June 15- August 13) shows rare and unseen images by photographers such as Terry O'Neill, demonstrating Bowie's mastering of rock's visual appeal.
Website: www.redferns.com

The Royal Academy of Arts holds an exhibition of paintings by French and American masters at the Sackler Wing of Galleries (July 2-Oct. 2). Impressionism Abroad: Boston and French Painting explores the influence of French Impressionist painters on Boston's artists and collectors during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Website: www.royalacademy.org.uk

Forgotten Empire: the World of Ancient Persia at the British Museum (Sept. 8-Jan. 10) uses the art and archaeology of its rulers to reveal the splendour of this vast empire which was the largest and wealthiest state in the Ancient Near East, 550-330 BC. The display will include pieces from The National Museum of Iran never seen before outside Tehran
Website: www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk

The first exhibition to explore together the lives of British admiral Horatio Nelson and Napoleon Bonaparte will open at the National Maritime Museum (July 7- Nov. 13). Nelson & Napoleon will form part of the SeaBritain 2005 celebrations to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar and will include uniforms, weapons and letters examining the leaders’ personal lives and military careers.
Website: www.nmm.ac.uk

Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Mahatma Ghandi and Adolf Hitler are four of the famous faces examined in an exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery exploring the way photography has been used to shape images and create propaganda. The World's Most Photographed (July 6-Oct. 23) uses familiar and little known photographs to reveal the personalities and intentions of the 10 subjects.
Website: www.npg.org.uk

For the first time this summer the Tower of London will hold a Festival of Music (July 6-16). The festival will feature six nights of famous names from the international jazz scene including Acker Bilk and five nights of grand opera with Donizette's 'Anna Bolena' being staged in the actual place where Queen Anne Boleyn was detained and executed.
Website: www.towermusicfestival.com