If you are like many in Britain, you’ll be taking your holiday on the Isle of Wight this year, and why not? Beautiful countryside, spectacular coasts and great little towns and villages to stroll around, the Isle of Wight keeps even the most restless busy on their Isle of Wight Short Breaks. If, however you are twiddling your thumbs at any point in July then here are just a few things that are taking place on the island that could keep you amused.
Ryde Arts Parade. From the 2nd - 11th July. This flamboyant parade is a must see. Colourful and full of panache this parade kicks starts the Arts festival that takes place in various places in Ryde. The festival and parade also coincides with the Ryde Regatta which is an annual three day event packed full of fun and festivities for all the family.
Rhythm Tree Festival from 16th to 18th July. This festival is firmly rooted on the Isle of Wight and this year it promises to be even bigger and better, showcasing the best of world music from Zimbabwean reggae to French fiddlers and African drummers. Specialising in offering the best didgeridoo playing in the UK from top performers as well as up and coming talent, the festival really is a must see.
Day out with Thomas from 23rd July to 27th July. A great opportunity for all the family, a ‘Day out with Thomas’ at the IW steam railway promises kids a fun filled day, meeting Thomas and his friends, getting an opportunity to ride on a steam train as well as going on a bouncy castle, watching Punch and Judy and even going for a ride on a very bumpy bus.
Here are just three events out of a whole host of activities to choose from whilst you are on your Isle of Wight breaksin July.Whilst on the island there really is no excuse to get bored. Check out some other ideas here.
The jewel in Bath’s beautiful crown is without doubt the world renowned Roman baths found at the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage site. The baths were built thousands of years ago around the only hot springs to be found in Britain. Here the Romans built a grand temple and their bath complex that stills flows with the natural hot spring water.
Today you can walk along the very same paths that the Romans walked and see the source of this much coveted water. The sites museum offers a fascinating insight in to the history of the baths and what Roman life was like for those who visited and worked here. There are some wonderfully preserved artefacts and remains that really make history come to life. You even get the chance to meet some Roman characters and find out more about there life.
There is a great audio tour available as you walk around the baths providing you with plenty of fascinating information, the audio tour is available in a number of languages. After the tour you can visit the magnificent 18th century Pump Rooms where you can enjoy an afternoon tea or a spot of lunch and then take a taste of some of famous water for yourself.
The Roman Baths really are a treat for anyone staying in a Bath hotel during a break away, but they are not the only attraction the city has to offer. Bath is full of fantastic attractions, architecture, restaurants, shops, bars and clubs and is surrounded by beautiful countryside with the Cotswolds just a stones throw away making Bath a great city break destination.
The Yorkshire Moor and Coastline region can proudly boast not only a stunning natural beauty but also a myriad of attractions to delight people of all ages. Those staying in Scarborough accommodation or in any of the other well situated towns in the area have access to a wide choice of destinations to visit.
Here is part one of our list of six of the most popular attractions:
Aerial Extreme, Bedale
Get high with Aerial Extreme where you can walk above the forest floor via rope bridges, zip wires and scramble nets. Aerial Extreme combines the fun of a theme park with the adventure of the great outdoors.
Captain Cook Memorial Museum, Whitby
This 17th century harbour side house was once home to a young apprentice called James Cook, who would go onto be one of the most famous explorers in the world. The house has now been turned into a museum with a fantastic array of original exhibits.
Castle Howard, Malton
Castle Howard is a stunning 18th century house located in beautiful grounds containing temples, statues, lakes, fountains, woodland and formal gardens. There are guided tours of the house where you can learn more about its history, the family and its collections. There are also guided tours of the grounds.
Dalby Forest, North York Moors National Park
This beautiful forest offers a 9 mile drive with picnic and BBQ spots. There are also numerous walks up to 4.5 miles long suitable and five cycle paths with varying degree of ability.
Kiplin Hall, Kiplin, Scorton
George Calvert, Secretary of State to James I later 1st Lord of Baltimore and founder of the state of Maryland in USA, built this hunting lodge in 1620. The buildings architecture was unique at the time and contains a fine collection of paintings and furniture.
Go Ape, Dalby Forest
The award winning Go Ape delights people of all ages with its high wire adventure. Use rope bridges, zip slides and tarzan swings to make your way from tree to tree.
Scarborough was Britain’s first seaside resort and over 360 years later it still remains one of its most popular. Scarborough occupies a fantastic spot along the rugged North Yorkshire coastline close the beautiful North Yorkshire Moors.
Scarborough is a firm family favourite thanks to its numerous attractions and blue flag winning North Bay beach. One of the most popular attractions is the award winning Sea Life Marine Sanctuary where you can see penguins, seals, sea horses, otters, octopuses and even sharks. There are also fascinating historical sites such as Scarborough Castle and the Rotunda Museum. Take a genteel trip on Scarborough’s Miniature Railway, one of the oldest in the country, or for something a bit bigger why not go horse riding at Stationdale Shire Horse Farm. For some great views of Scarborough and the coastline take one of the pleasure steamers or even a speed boat.
For a relaxing stroll you can not beat a visit to Peasholm Park. Thanks to a recent restoration program the park has been returned to its former glories with beautiful woodland walks, Japanese Pagodas, a 30ft waterfall, a lake where you can take to the water on pedalo’s and rowing boats and a world famous show, The Naval Warfare, on display three times a day.
There is a whole host of Scarborough accommodation and facilities from hotels to campsites and high street chains and top restaurants to keep any visitor happy.
For a memorable trip to North Yorkshire there is no better place to be than in Scarborough.
If you are staying in a Whitby hotel then you had better watch out as one of the worlds most famous literary characters also stayed here too. Count Dracula the terrifying vampire from Bram Stokers first came to Whitby after the ship he was on, the Russian Schooner The Demeter, ran aground during a storm. Mysteriously all the members of the crew, including the captain, were found dead, the only living creature seen on the boat was a huge black dog who jumped from the ship and ran up the steps towards Whitby abbey.
Dracula’s author, Bram Stoker, got much of his inspiration for this classic Victorian tale while staying in the Yorkshire seaside town. It’s not hard to see why Whitby was such an inspiration for a gothic novel. The ruins of the abbey high up on the cliff and the narrow streets and alleyways and grave yards all create a real gothic atmosphere full of ghosts and ghouls and unholy creatures. Whitby has become such an important gothic town that it hosts the Whitby Gothic Weekend, one of the most popular gothic events in the world.
If you want to know more about Dracula’s visit to the town then a visit the Dracula Experience is a must. The Dracula Experience will take you through eight scenes starting with Bram Stoker himself creating the story of Dracula while looking out over Whitby. The remaining scenes take you through the famous story as Dracula wrecks havoc across England before the final scene where the heroes of our story chase him all the way back to Transylvania.
Thankfully that is where the story of Dracula ends although it’s best to keep an eye out for large black dogs and bats, just in case!
In a city like Bath there is always something on. From music to literature and entertainment to art events, Bath is a city that has a wealth of culture and activity for all those people that enjoy a Bath Weekend Break.In July there’s a unique experience to see Romans Bath by torch light, get to walk on 2000 year old pavements and experience the magical feeling that the Roman Bath buildings offer at night. Steaming waters, ancient buildings all seen by the soft light cannot be beaten. Take advantage of this experience as it runs from the 1st July right up until the end of August.
A new event is hitting Bath on the 3rd and 4th of July. The Bath Food and Drink Festival has a line up of the most tantalising food and beverages from top producers around the country. 130 local and regional producers will be there showing off their culinary delights offering tasters and sharing their knowledge of this growing industry.
For the fourth consecutive year, the Womad festival is being held on the beautiful grounds of Charlton Park on the 23rd July for two days. The Womad Festival, which stands for World of Music and Dance, celebrates music from around the world and different cultures. A typical festival will have a varied mix of live music performances, workshops, stalls and other events that are inclusive for children and adults alike.
The Wey and Arun Canal runs through some of the most rural and beautiful areas of Sussex, and joins up the two rivers of the Wey and the Arun, giving a direct path from the Wey, which can be easily accessed from London, to the sea. Unfortunately, for all that this canal offers, and despite it running through the lovely countryside of Sussex, the canal was abandoned in 1871, and people staying in a Rye hotel could no longer travel on boats up and down its length.
The reasons for its abandonment were purely commercial. The canal had originally been set up to provide an inland route from London to Portsmouth, and from there to the entire south coast of England. This was seen as an advantage because of the ongoing war with France, which made transporting goods by ship along the coast a risky business. However, by the time the canal was finished in 1816, the war with France was over. Despite this, the canal still did fairly well for itself up until a railway opened along the exact same route in 1865.
The railway was the death of the canal, and closure was authorised by parliament in 1868. The canal was finally abandoned in 1871 after the owners failed to sell it.
That wasn’t the end of the story for the Wey and Arun Canal though. In 1970 a group of like-minded people came together and started a project to restore the canal. Forty years on and the group is still going strong, and they’ve done plenty of work, so those staying in an East Sussex hotel can once again take advantage of the wonderful waterway.
If you have been thinking about having a Holiday in Bath then this film may just help you make your decision. It features Bath’s beautiful architecture and shows some snapshots of this beautiful city. Many people choose to stay in a Peaceful Bath Bed and Breakfast, from there they get to leisurely see the sights of the city and venture out to the surrounding areas in what is a beautiful part of the country.
The North Devon Festival is in full swing and proving to be just as exciting as the previous eleven incarnations. The Festival is known for its entertainment and activities that are open to North Devon residents and tourists alike, from ones staying in Campsites in North Devon to those travelling down for the day.
The month long festival help locals celebrate the diverse landscape and beauty of North Devon. This year’s festival is especially poignant as the region’s coastline is also celebrating its 50th year of being an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
The festival kicked off on the 27th of May with a school tag rugby competition that was held at the Barnstaple Rugby Club and will have hundreds of events until the finale on the 30th of June in the form of a poetry reading from Sir Andrew Motion.
The North Devon Festival is proud of the fact that it offers something for everyone from music, comedy, art, fairs, exhibitions and dancing. Top musical act The Magic Numbers and comedy star Paul Merton will perform alongside local and international acts.
As the name of the festival suggests, the events are being held all around the county. Barnstaple is host to the Barnstaple fringe, where musicians will perform around various pubs and venues in the town and performances will be conducted at the Fringe Theatrefest.
A bit further away is the Lynton and Lynmouth Music Festival which celebrates all genres of music against the stunning backdrop of both Lynton and Lynmouth. Other events to look out for are the Goldcoast Oceanfest in Croyde and the Visual Arts Festival in Appledore.
Plenty of people, when confronted with Hadrian’s Wall, begin to question its size. “What possible good could this wall do?” they ask, “How is this supposed to keep anybody out?” These people should take a trip to self catering Scotland and stay in one of the holiday cottages in Scotland and then visit one of the visitor sites that are available for Hadrian’s Wall.
The wall was actually meant to stop small bands of raiders being able to quickly and easily get away. Whereas it was easy to cross the wall when not carrying anything, if you had a cart, a lot of bags full of raided goods, or a herd of animals that you had stolen, getting over the wall would take a lot longer and leave you in serious risk of being found by one of the regular patrols that walked along the length of the wall.
Because raiding was a real concern, and was damaging the economy and livelihoods of those living on the Roman side, it was definitely worth it. Building the wall put a large dent in the amount of raiding that was taking place, and the presence of a physical boundary between Roman land and Scottish land reassured people that they were safe and that things were being done. A similar method had been employed earlier along the German border of the Roman Empire, where a continuous timber palisade was constructed with forts behind it. Both walls wouldn’t have stood up to a full attack by those on the other side, but that wasn’t a concern, and each wall did manage to stop the raiding bands that were the real threat.
Plenty of people, when confronted with Hadrian’s Wall, begin to question its size. “What possible good could this wall do?” they ask, “How is this supposed to keep anybody out?” These people should take a trip to