CONTENT
- UK Destinations: Painswick
- Book Review: Britain's Waterways
- UK Travel tips and news
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
UK Destinations
Painswick
Gloucestershire, England
Sometimes called, "The Queen of the Cotswolds," the picture-perfect town of Painswick owes much to sheep. It was one of the most prosperous of the Cotswold wool towns during the medieval period, and it was this prosperity that gave it many of the outstanding variety of period buildings to be seen today. Most of these buildings are built of mellow Cotswold stone from the quarry at Painswick Beacon, which looms above the town.
The streets of Painswick meander here and there as if they have no particular place to go. Yet a modern visitor will find no shortage of places worth a stop. One such is the Post Office on New Street, which is housed in the only exposed half-timbered building in the town. This is reputedly the oldest building in England to hold a post office. New Street itself was built in 1428, at the height of the prosperity induced by the medieval wool trade.
More about Painswick ...BOOK REVIEW
Britain's Waterways: Cruising Rings and Other Things
by Brian Roberts
Brian Roberts authored one of our favourite books from the past few years, Britain's Waterways: A Unique Insight. Well, Brian is back on the water again with his new book, and he's produced a gem. Britain's Waterways: Cruising Rings and Other Things isn't the longest book around, at only 80 pages, but it is packed with useful information and suggestions for travelling the inland waterways of England, Scotland, and Wales.
The book organizes a variety of suggested cruises according to length, from single afternoons to two weeks or more. Each cruise offers places to see close to the waterway, moorage suggestions, and "Worth a Detour" options, as well as Tourist Information Centre contact information, and map suggestions. The cruises are well illustrated and backed up by excellent full-colour maps drawn from the Ordnance Survey. Indeed, the entire book is produced on heavy, coated paper stock that should stand up well to years of use.
I can heartily recommend Britain's Waterways: Cruising Rings and Other Things to anyone planning to travel Britain's Waterways. At £7.96 (about $11.30 US) from Amazon.co.uk, it's a real bargain.
UK Travel Tips and News
James Bond Boats on Display
An exhibition of boats from the James Bond films and a new motorsport gallery are among the highlights planned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Britain's National Motor Museum at Beaulieu, Hampshire. There will also be a record-breaking gathering of cars built in 1952 and also marking their half-century (June 16). The Bond boat exhibition, also including an array of props and gadgets from the films, runs from February 9 until the end of 2003. The new gallery, with famous cars mounted on steel trackways spanning the museum, opens in March. Website: http://www.beaulieu.co.uk
Steam Train Exhibitions
The Swindon Rail Museum (address below) hosts The Last Steam Locomotives, a photographic exhibition by Colin Garrett. Large colour images will be on display depicting an incredible array of smoky, fire-spitting veterans, which are bringing the great legend of steam to an end across the globe. These photographs by renowned railway photographer, Colin Garrett, feature steam locomotives from all corners of the globe and are a fascinating tribute to the legend of steam. Exhibition dates: Saturday 4th May to Sunday 30th June. Free admission
Also on during June is Royal Visits to the Works, a special display of photographs documenting Royal visits to the Swindon works is presented on the Station Platform. Timed to coincide with celebrations for the Queen's Golden Jubilee, this display will include photographs from her official visit, as Princess Elizabeth to the Works in 1950, the mounting of the coat of arms on King George V and the official opening of STEAM by HRH The Prince of Wales in June 2000. Saturday 1st to Sunday 30th June
STEAM - Museum of the Great Western Railway, Kemble Drive, Swindon, Wiltshire, England, SN2 2TA
website: http://www.steam-museum.org.uk/
Submarium opens in Yorkshire
The world's first "submarium", an aquarium with a difference, opens in Yorkshire on March 23. At 10 metres (about 33 feet), the main tank at The Deep, in the city and port of Kingston upon Hull, is the deepest in Europe. It includes a unique lift ride which enables visitors to experience exotic marine life at close quarters. Other highlights include
- Seven species of shark, including the only grey reef shark in Britain
- It tells the story of the oceans from the "Big Bang" to the present. Visitors journey from a coral lagoon to ocean depths, and from the equatorial tropics to the poles.
- The attraction is housed in a dramatic building overlooking the River Humber, with views of the city of Hull and the Humber suspension bridge.
The Deep is open daily, admission £6 adult, children and concessions £4.
Website : http://www.thedeep.co.uk
Canal Lovers Take Note
Britain's extensive canal system is getting its biggest makeover since it was built 200 years ago. The waterways are being restored at the same rate that they were constructed at the height of the so-called 'canal mania' of the 1790s. The revival of the 2000-mile network opens up new opportunities for tourists wanting to explore by boat, on foot, on bicycle, or just to visit some remarkable engineering feats.
Over the next 18 months, British Waterways is completing seven major canal restorations, restoring a number of structures and building a brand new waterway.
Highlights include:
A new 115ft-high rotating boat-lift, the Falkirk Wheel, linking two Scottish canals opens to the public at Easter. Visitors will tour using special amphibious craft. Website: www.millenniumlink.org.uk.
The Anderton Boat Lift in Cheshire, England: a 19th-century lift known as 'the cathedral of the canals', reopens in the spring after lying idle for 19 years.
A new route, the Millennium Ribble Link, will link the isolated Lancaster Canal in northern England, with the rest of the system by this summer.
In London new marinas are being built and disused wharves transformed. Docklands will get floating hotels, restaurants, and water-taxis. Altogether 150 events, from festivals to guided walks, are planned for 2002. Self-drive holiday boats are widely available for rent, while slow-moving hotel boats with a crew doing the work are an option. Website: http://www.britishwaterways.co.uk
Rent a National Trust Cottage
As well as conserving castles, houses, gardens, and countryside, the National Trust has over 300 properties available for self-catering holidays. The 2002 National Trust Holiday Cottages brochure details them all, including 19 new ones.
Those properties listed for the first time give an indication of the wide range - from a 19th century miner's cottage suitable for two, on the Cornish coast near Penzance, to a large former farmhouse near Kingswear on the South Devon coast, which accommodates 12. Other new properties include a coastguard cottage on the Gower Peninsula, South Wales, a former gamekeeper's cottage on an estate near Sheffield, and a Wiltshire residence at the entrance to Stourhead, one of England's finest gardens (editorial soapbox - my personal favourite English garden!).
Obtain your copy of the brochure by telephone at 0870 4584411, by post at National Trust (Enterprises) Ltd, Holiday Bookings Office, PO Box 536, Melksham, Wiltshire, UK, SN12 8SX
Website: http://www.nationaltrustcottages.co.uk
Cawdor Castle Contest!
Win a private guided tour of Cawdor Castle and a champaign reception hosted by Lady Cawdor! Cawdor Castle is located near Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland. There will be a prize draw for applicants. First 500 emails received will be entered into a prize draw at Cawdor and winner will be notified initially by email. Enter the draw by emailing:- info@cawdorcastle.com Prize draw will be effected by administrators at Cawdor Castle. Restrictions: Please mention BTA Special Offers # 0938 when entering this free prize draw. Note the contest dates: Valid: 1.05.2002 - 13.10.2002
That's all for now. Until next issue, let me remind you that laughter is contagious. Be a carrier.
David Ross, Publisher, Britain Express
