Holiday cottage news and editorial

Last updated October 2007

Tourism gets million-pound boost

The government is to spend an extra £1 million on marketing rural tourism in England, following a summer hit by floods, poor weather and foot and mouth.

Tourism agency VisitBritain has launched a national media campaign trumpeting domestic destinations via print and television adverts, Rural Escapes brochures, the Family Fun campaign – supporting domestic travel during school holidays – and two regularly updated websites, visitbritain.com and enjoyengland.com.

The money, says culture secretary James Purnell, will “help promote England’s many great destinations. I want to remind people across the country of the wealth of world-class cultural and leisure opportunities on our doorsteps. You don’t need to go far to have a great day out. And we’ll be making sure that overseas visitors are reminded just how much there is to do in Britain.”

Tom Wright, chief executive of VisitBritain, adds: “This enables us to remind potential visitors of the appeals of a rural escape and that our tourism businesses remain open.”

Prime-time programmes such as ITV’s Britain’s Favourite View, hosted by Sir Trevor McDonald, and BBC’s Mountain, presented by Griff Rhys Jones, will also – it’s hoped – help to inspire trips throughout our landscape.

Tourism is the UK’s fifth largest industry, worth £85 billion in 2005 and employing around two million people.

Rest with a fest

How about combining a music festival with your autumn break? Tenby Blues Festival runs from 9-11 November, with American blues sensation and Grammy Award-winning Alvin Youngblood Hart’s Muscle Theory headlining on the Saturday. The programme is packed with other international stars and there are also free pub gigs, workshops and talks in this pretty Pembrokeshire seaside town.
www.tenbyblues.co.uk

Those magnificent men…

Want to see wonderful flying machines? Get to AirSpace, a £25 million exhibition charting British aviation history at the Imperial War Museum Duxford.

It features 30 British and Commonwealth military and civil aircraft – including iconic planes such as the Concorde, Lancaster, Lightning, Swordfish, Spitfire, Harrier and Tornado – in nearly three acres of show ground.

Video displays, interactive exhibits plus many items you can handle ensure families as well as enthusiasts are kept entertained.

“AirSpace is a dramatic and inspirational celebration of Britain’s aviation heritage, which will entertain, educate and inspire all those who visit,” says Richard Ashton, director of IWM Duxford. “It tells the story from the pioneers to the future, and clearly shows the impact of aviation on all of our lives.”
www.iwm.org.uk/duxford

Blue Flags flood UK beaches

Britain’s beaches are getting cleaner – 63 per cent of those recently tested by the Marine Conservation Society got the top rating, four times more than 10 years ago.

“This is great news for holidaymakers heading to the British coast,” says the MSC’s coastal pollution officer, Thomas Bell.

There were 85 Blue Flag awards given to the cleanest and safest beaches. Criteria include litter levels, lifeguard numbers and accessibility for disabled visitors.

“Standards are high and there is little leeway for those that make the cut,” says Alan Woods, chief executive of Environmental Campaigns, which runs the Blue Flag scheme in England. “Any beach bestowed a Blue Flag should be shouting from the rafters celebrating such a fantastic achievement.”

And remember – sea temperatures around Britain are at their highest in autumn!

Glasgow’s plane sailing

Europe’s first city centre seaplane service now runs from Glasgow to the Argyll town of Oban, on Scotland’s west coast, courtesy of Loch Lomond Seaplanes.

The 20-minute journey in a nine-seater Cessna begins by a pontoon on the Clyde, behind Glasgow Science Centre. Passengers then get wonderful views as they soar above mountains and lochs to the holiday town of Oban – ‘gateway to the Western Isles’. A bird’s eye view of The Trossachs National Park is not a bad way to start a holiday.

There will be three flights a day, every day, between February and November, and tickets cost £149 return. The company is considering adding more destinations, including the isles of Skye and Mull.
www.lochlomondseaplanes.com

Shah of Wiltshire launches lodges

Former media magnate Eddy Shah is building a holiday lodge complex beside the fairways of his Wiltshire Golf & Country Club at Wootton Bassett, near Swindon.

The 240-acre complex – known as The Wiltshire leisure village – overlooks the course, which was designed by BBC golf commentator and former pro Peter Allis.

The 44 lodges have access to a driving range, practice area, clubhouse, restaurant, indoor pool, gym, beauty salon and creche. Three tennis courts are also planned.

The Wiltshire is two hours’ drive from central London. “Not only does it provide an ideal setting for a family holiday, but it also allows you to escape the hustle and bustle of busy city life on a weekend retreat,” says Shah.

The eco-friendly timber homes feature sun tubes and energy efficient lighting, aerated showers, extensive insulation and air-to-water heating systems.

Lodge leasehold prices range from £198,000 for three bedrooms to £265,000 for four bedrooms.
www.the-wiltshire.co.uk