CONTENT
- UK Destinations: The Shuttleworth Collection
- Events: Sweeps Festival
- 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
The Shuttleworth Collection
Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, England
Shuttleworth is really 3 attractions rolled into one based around the Victorian mansion of Shuttleworth House. First there is a remarkable collection of veteran and vintage airplanes dating back to the earliest days of flight.
The second centre of attraction at Shuttleworth is the collection of vintage automobiles and motorcycles, dating back to an 1898 Panhard et Levassor. The extensive collection fills seven large hangers, including a workshop where you can see vehicles being worked on, and a seperate coach room for horse-drawn carriages.
More about the Shuttleworth Collection ...
EVENTS
The Sweeps Festival
Rochester, Kent, England
The Sweeps Festival is a celebration of the May Day holiday, that chimney sweeps of 300 years ago looked forward to and enjoyed. Sweeping chimneys was a dirty but necessary trade. It was hard work for the sweeps but even harder for the chimney boys. They looked forward to their annual holiday on 1 May, celebrating this well-earned break with a procession through the streets of Rochester accompanied by the "Jack-in-the-Green." This eight-foot character is traditionally woken at dawn on Bluebell Hill and then travels with the sweeps to Rochester to start the celebrations.
The Sweeps Festival is an extravaganza of colour and music that thrills the young and old., attracting thousands of visitors from around the world. Revellers dress up and take part in the sweeps parade, or simply just watches the parade that features the largest gathering of Morris dancers in the world, taking in the warm and friendly atmosphere.
Dance teams from throughout the UK perform a variety of styles along Rochester high street while bands and musical groups perform at various venues, playing music ranging from folk to guitar to traditional singing styles. More details: http://www.cityofrochester.co.uk
UK Travel Tips and News
Free Parking in West Sussex towns
The Tourist Information Centres in three popular West Sussex destinations are offering free parking to overseas visitors. TIC car parks in Arundel, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton are free for all overseas visitors whether driving their own foreign-registered cars or UK hire cars. - Look for the signs in the car parks for further details.
Events in West Sussex
While you're taking advantage of the free parking scheme mentioned above, plan on taking in some of these events in West Sussex:
Littlehampton Regatta
27/28 July. A festival of fun for all to enjoy - Zapcat & powerboat races, dinghy racing, classic boats & many land-based attractions.
Rox 2002
Bognor Regis, 2/3/4th August. The largest free music & arts festival in the South. The seafront and promenade pulsate with popular music of every kind - DJ's, rock, indie, blues, funk..... Fringe Festival, open art exhibition, funfair and fireworks display. For more information: 01243 863319 http://www.rox2001.org.uk
Arundel Festival
Arundel Castle & town 23rd Aug-1st Sep. In its 25th year, this 10-day annual arts festival takes place against the beautiful backdrop of historic Arundel Castle. Events include an opening fireworks display, drama, concerts, street theatre, and family entertainment. Venues include the open-air theatre beneath the battlements and the Baron's Hall of Arundel Castle, the Cathedral and the 14th-century parish church. For a programme of events contact: the Festival Office - 01903 883690 http://www.arundelfestival.co.uk
Tops in Tourism Awards
Finalists have been announced in the annual "Excellence in England Awards" for 2002. While these awards are of most interest to the establishments named, they may be of value to travellers in planning their trips. Here are a few choice selectees:
Bed and Breakfast of the Year
Clow Beck House Monkend Farm, Croft-on-Tees, Darlington, DL22 2SW
Lakeshore House, Ecclerigg, Windermere, Cumbria, LA23 1LJ
The Old Lock-Up, North End, Wirksworth, Derbyshire, DE4 4FG
Hotel of the Year (under 60 rooms)
Castle House Castle Street, Hereford, Herefordshire, HR1 2NW
Matfen Hall Hotel Matfen, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, NE20 0OR
Percy's Country Hotel and Restaurant, Coombeshead Estate, Virginstow, Devon, EX21 5EA
Hotel of the Year (over 50 rooms)
Ashdown Park Hotel Wych Cross, Forest Row, East Sussex RH18 5JR
Island Hotel Tresco, Isles of Scilly, Cornwall TR24 OPU
The Landmark London 222 Marylebone Road, London NW1 6JQ
Most Improved Resort of the Year
Hastings, East Sussex
Scarborough, North Yorkshire
Weymouth and Portland, Dorset
Self-Catering Holiday of the Year
Goldhill Mill Cottages Golden Green, Tonbridge, Kent TN11 0BA
Keeper's Lodge c/o Spring House Farm, Castleton, Hope, Hope Valley, Derbyshire S33 8WB
Underscar Fisherbeck Mill, Old Lake Road, Ambleside, Cumbria LA22 0DH
Visitor Attraction of the Year (over 100,000 visitors)
Science Museum, London
The Wedgwood Story, Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire ST12 9ES
Waddesdon Manor, Waddesdon, Nr Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP18 0JH
Visitor Attraction of the Year (under 100,000 visitors)
Royal Air Force Air Defence Radar Museum, RAF Neatishead, Norwich, Norfolk NR12 8YB
The Hawk Conservancy, Andover, Hampshire SP11 8DY
The World of Glass, St Helens, Merseyside WA10 1BX
Sutton Hoo Exhibition Centre Opens
An exhibition centre depicting the history of one of Britain's most important archaeological sites has been unveiled. The National Trust's £5m project at Sutton Hoo in Suffolk, displays priceless Anglo-Saxon treasures which were buried under a field for 1,300 years. Experts say Sutton Hoo - the burial ground of the Anglo-Saxon pagan kings of East Anglia - ranks in historical importance with Stonehenge.
The findings at Sutton Hoo have been a huge influence on historical thinking surrounding the Dark Ages. Treasures uncovered during digs include a warrior's helmet and shield, along with gold ornaments, and Byzantine silver. Many of the artefacts were discovered in the remains of a 90ft burial ship which is reconstructed at the exhibition with replica finds. It is the only accepted pagan Anglo-Saxon royal burial ground - equivalent in status to Westminster Abbey.
The discovery of Sutton Hoo was a milestone for historians of the Dark Ages because it reversed the perception that Anglo Saxons were relatively unsophisticated. After the finds, experts revised this opinion to one of a highly developed noble culture with skilled craftsmen influenced by European methods. The centre includes a cinema, education, conference and function centre, improved access to the burial mounds, a restaurant and shop.
Walking Britain: New Trails to Trek
There is an intricate network of routes around Britain where traffic jams are unheard of, the views are spectacular, and your fellow travellers are as likely to be birds and butterflies as humans. They are called footpaths, and they have been perfectly shaped and designed over hundreds of years for walking. These paths and the longer distance National Trails offer plenty of opportunities for a few hours' walking as part of a touring holiday, or a gentle stroll as well as exciting challenges for the more serious walker.
Several new National Trails are opening this year and next in some of the most beautiful parts of the country. One follows the remnants of the most northerly fortification of the Roman Empire; another is named after the last of the native Welsh princes, Owain Glyndwr. A third cuts through the heart of the Scottish Highlands. The British Tourist Authority has produced a free illustrated map, "Walking Britain", which details 40 of the best routes. Visit the BTA website at http://www.visitbritain.com
Beginning in March, the new Great Glen Way in Scotland will link the two Highland centres of Fort William and Inverness. It is a spectacular route with superb views over mountains and lochs. The route starts near the foot of Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain and skirts the shores of lochs, with the, longest section along Loch Ness, home of the legendary water monster, nicknamed 'Nessie'. The Great Glen follows a major geological fault line created 380 million years ago and links the Atlantic Ocean with the North Sea. Much of the route follows canal towpaths and rivers and is fairly flat but there are some steep climbs on forest tracks. The path runs through waterside, woodland, and moorland habitats with their unique wildlife including skylarks, kestrels and buzzards. You might even spot a rare osprey or the mountain hare, which turns white in winter. There are commercial campsites and Youth Hostels along the way. For bed and breakfast accommodation, local tourist information centres can help.
Beginning in early May, Glyndwr's Way follows a spectacular route through Mid Wales. It begins in Knighton, a town on the England/Wales border and at the mid-point of another walk, Offa's Dyke Path. It is named after Owain Glyndwr, whose military campaigns against the English led to him becoming Prince of Wales in 1400 and, since then, a figure of romance and Welsh patriotism. He set up a parliament at Machynlleth and the Parliament House, reputedly on the original site, has an exhibition about him. The trail runs through wild hill country, moor and woodland, river valleys, gorges, and an ancient ridgeway. It offers superb views before ending at the market town of Welshpool. It is 132 miles/213 km long and offers guest house accommodation both on and near the route.
For city lovers, walking is also an ideal way to visit London's landmarks. The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Walk, opened in 2001, follows a seven-mile route through the capital's royal parks. Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace, St James's Palace, and other places known by Diana are on the route.
Looking ahead to spring 2003, the Hadrian's Wall Path will run for the first time along the length of this frontier of the Roman Empire. Walkers will be able to avoid trekking along busy roads. Constructed on the orders of Emperor Hadrian in AD122 to act as a barrier against invasion by the Barbarians, Hadrian's Wall was built of stone and ran for 80 Roman miles (73 modern miles or 117 km) across Northern England. Much of the wall remains together with ruins of forts and a wealth of archaeological sites. The trail is best described by a walker who has already sampled some of the new route: "You start in Newcastle in the heart of the once great shipbuilding industries, with the spectacular bridges across the Tyne. Within a few miles you are in rolling countryside. You climb onto windswept ridges with views across the remote dramatic landscape of Northumberland knowing you are treading in the footsteps of 2000 years of history. At the end, there is the desolate silence of the Solway Estuary with only the sound of the curlews calling. It is magnificent and moving."
That's all for now. Until next issue, let me remind you that laughter is contagious. Be a carrier.
David Ross, Publisher, Britain Express
