CONTENT
1. Great British Web Sites
2. New at Britain Express
3. UK Destinations
4. Travel news and tips
Welcome friends, its time to put the kettle on, settle into a comfortable armchair, and enjoy the best of Britain with Britain Update. But before you do, please take the time to forward this newsletter to someone who loves Britain as much as you do.
David Ross, Publisher
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Great British Web Sites
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Looking for a day out from visiting London? Surrey Choicenet may be just the ticket for planning your excursion. This site is packed with useful information about the Surrey region: there's a pictorial guide to the county of Surrey, history, town profiles, a virtual walk, a guide to the Thames River, the countryside, FAQ about Surrey, and biographies of famous Surrey people. This is a delightful site - highly recommended.
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New at Britain Express
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We've transformed our "Great British Sites" directory of UK web sites! The expanded listing of sites now includes a description of each site, and the directory has been divided by county and region to make it easier to find what you want. We've also added categories for travel services such as car rental and tour operators.
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UK Travel Tips
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From the Electronic Telegraph
Downpour opens up 40ft hole in ancient monument
By Sean O'Neill
One of Europe's most significant ancient monuments has become dangerously unstable after heavy rain caused a gaping hole to open in its surface.
The 40ft deep hole, which measures six feet across, appeared in Silbury Hill, the oldest earthen mound in Europe and part of the World Heritage Site at Avebury, Wiltshire. The National Trust, which manages the monument, was working urgently yesterday to cap the hole to prevent injury to the public and stabilise the mound to avoid further archaeological damage.
Experts believe that extreme wet weather, culminating in a huge downpour on Sunday, caused the collapse of the upper part of a 100ft deep shaft dug in the 18th century in an attempt to discover if the hill was a burial site. Silbury Hill was built in three phases about 4,500 years ago with chalk dug from nearby quarry pits. It covers five acres and pre-dates both Stonehenge and the stone circles at Avebury.
DURHAM'S GHOST WALKS
Durham, north-east England, is the latest city to start regular guided ghost walks. With hauntings, hangings, ghostly pipers, grey ladies and haunted prison cells on the menu, it promises to be an eerie evening. The walks start outside the city's tourist office at 18:30 on Mondays (July-September) and cost £3. Durham's ancient castle and cathedral, high above the River Wear, are a World Heritage Site. A Summer Festival is staged on July 1-2.
YORK'S VIKING 'SKULLSPLITTER'
The war-like traits of Britain's Viking invaders are explored in a new permanent exhibition in York. "Skullsplitter" (opens May 27) at the Jorvik Viking Centre, a recreation of the city in its Norse period, includes the skeleton of a real warrior, his mortal wounds still in evidence. Using archaeological discoveries and sketches, the exhibition shows how experts can determine battle techniques from the nicks and scars left in 1,000-year-old skeletons. The Jorvik Viking Centre, Coppergate, York, is open daily, admission £5.65 adult, £4.25 child. Web site: www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk
ARCHBISHOP'S LONDON PALACE OPENS
Lambeth Palace, London home of Archbishops of Canterbury since 1197, is open to the public for the first time ever. The palace, near Lambeth Bridge, is open Tuesdays to Saturdays until November 4. Admission - £6 adults, £4 concessions - is by pre-booked timed ticket only.
Highlights of the guided tours include the 12th-century crypt; the Great Hall dating from 1660; the library, with over 4,000 manuscripts and 200,000 printed books, including a 1455 Gutenberg Bible; the Guard Room, where Sir Thomas More is said to have refused to swear the Oath of Supremacy; the chapel, and portraits of archbishops. The palace opening is part of London String of Pearls, a millennium festival under which a variety of famous buildings near the River Thames are opening to the public this year. Web site: www.stringofpearls.org.uk
That's all for now. Until next issue, let me remind you that laughter is contagious. Be a carrier.
David Ross, Publisher, Britain Express
