The Peak district National Park attracts visitors from around the globe some of whom come to get out in the wilds and are happy to stay in one of the Peak district b&bs whilst other come to the area to visit many of the town and villages around the area many of which are home to Peak district luxury hotels.

photo credit: tricky ™

One of the towns in the area is Bakewell in Derbyshire and it is right in the heart of the Peak District, is a small and extremely beautiful market town. Bakewell is positioned right by the river wye and traffic still uses the very picturesque 5 arched bridge which despite its thirteenth century origins is still in use today. Due to increase in traffic over the centuries it was widened in the 19th century.

Un beknown to many people is the history of Bakewell and how old it acually is. recorded history dates back to the first century so it was a very important village even back then. The local grammar school was founded in 1637 by the marriage between Sir George Manners and Grace Pierrepont and the school is known as Lady Manners School.

The local church, All Saints Parish of which the majority stands now, dates back to the 13th and 14th centuries, with fragments of Norman and Saxon stonework, again like the bridge considerable restoration work took place in the 19th century. The church is low and broad with an octagonal tower giving grace to the beautiful spire.

There used to be in the centre of Bakewell the White Horse Inn, which has been replaced by The Rutland Arms Hotel, with some other various buildings being demolished in 1805, to form Rutland Square.

Centuries ago, these would of catered for coach travellers who passed through the town, and it has always been reputed for the connection to Jane Austin, who was reported to have stayed at this hotel, whilst writing Pride and Prejudice, and that Lambton in the book has been identified as Bakewell.

Another truly great invention happened by accident at the hotel, and that is the famous Bakewell pudding known throughout all of the UK. Folklore has it that the cook mixed up the ingredients and instructions resulting in the egg being poured over the jam instead of being mixed with the pastry, the result of which was naturally a pudding.

There are numerous shops in the town centre where these puddings can be purchased.

Bakewell in the peak district is at the southern end of the Pennines in Central England, there are thousands of people who visit this beautiful area every year, probably making it the second most popular National Park in England.

There are some really beautiful and interesting places to visit on Peak District holidays especially in and around Bakewell. The area has something for everyone, whether you want a hotel, or a guest house, there are plenty to choose from, who all offer good food and quality Bakewell holiday accommodation.

To fine out more about this delightfull region visit the Peak District tourism blog

Posted: October 10th, 2008 under Travel Destinations.
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The historic city of Gloucester sits on the banks of the River Severn and is the 46th largest settlement in England. Certainly when it comes to Gloucester,

photo credit: Andrew McConnochie

you’ll find lots of things to see and do in the city and close by. A short drive from the city and visit the woodlands of the Royal Forest of Dean or looking at the views from atop the Malvern Hills. Whilst to the east Gloucester borders the Cotswolds and its many quaint and beautiful villages, which you can visit.

Although historically the city has been a port, the docks got neglected and then in the 1980’s the city
decided to renovate this area. Now you can spend time wandering around this beautiful open space or spend time doing a little bit of shopping. And, as you’d expect, there are also plenty of bars where you can sit and enjoy some great drinks and food. One of the old dock warehouses also houses the National Waterways Museum. Whilst in Custom House you will find a museum that is dedicated to the Soldiers of Gloucestershire.

A visit to the city wouldn’t be complete without seeing Gloucester Cathedral. This building has been a place of worship for more than thirteen hundred years. If you take the time to expore inside, you’ll be able to see its detailed architectural features and the cloisters are generally thought to be some of the most beautiful in present day England. If you find thinking that, you know this building from somewhere you almost certainly do as the cathedral has been used as a location for the Harry Potter movies.

Gloucester also has a large, central tranquil park. This can be found just a short stroll from the city center and was the first park to be developed. The park has lots of space to keep your children occupied and you may decide to have a picnic on a lazy summer afternoon. The park is host to a number of different events during the summer. You can find out about these online or at the Information Office that is housed in a Tudor Cottage and will keep you informed about all the current events.

One more place that may well be of interest to you when you come to Gloucester is Blackfriars. This is the oldest surviving Dominican Priory in England. Although the friary itself was dissolved back in 1538, the buildings were then bought by Thomas Bell. He then spent money converting the church into a home and the rest of the property into a factory where his cloth could be made. If you time your visit well, you may be able to take one of the guided tours offered by English Heritage.

You can get a list of places to stay in Gloucester here.

Posted: October 10th, 2008 under Travel Destinations.
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When it comes to booking yourself Cambridge vacations, you can visit this very historic town at just about any time of year you want. This university city has lots of different things for you to see and do on your visit.

photo credit: monkeyleader

It’s easy to get to Cambridge. The city has good connections by road, rail or even air. You can fly in to Stansted airport and reach Cambridge in around twenty minutes.

However, do not expect to see everything of interest in just one day you will really need several to explore it. If you’ve seen everything you want to in Cambridge city, then you can always start to explore the myriad of places that are within easy reach.

Whilst visiting Cambridge, which inspired the great minds of Charles Darwin and also Stephen Hawking’s, you should make time to visit one of the oldest universities in England. In fact, in 2009, this University will have been established for 800 years and so celebrations will take through out the year.

You can wander around the gardens and grounds of the numerous seats of learning that Cambridge houses. For the less academically inclined, there are plenty of other things to do as well. There is a top class shopping centre together with a wide range of bars, cafes and restaurants. There is accommodation available to suit all budgets. Cambridge is home to everything from luxury 5 star hotels right the way through to welcoming guest houses and bed and breakfasts. And if you’re really pressed for cash, you can check out the hostels and camp sites as well.

As well as many historic buildings to view, there are plenty of festivals and events taking place in the city, throughout the year. The gardens of the college see the Shakespeare Season in the summer. At other times of the year, you can hear recitals or listen to concerts in various churches and college chapels.

If you’re looking for “culture” during your vacation, you’ve come to the right place. However, if you want a little more activity there are plenty of leisure facilities available in the city as well. For a leisurely or competitive game of golf, there are at least two top quality golf courses for you to test. For golfers, you can choose from the Cambridge Lakes Golf Course and the long established Gog Magog Golf Club.

Don’t worry about taking children into the city with you - there are lots of things that they can enjoy too. Just a few miles away from Cambridge is the Farmland Museum and Denny Abbey. It is a great fun day out for all and will show you how farming technology has developed and the way in which farming has changed.

Above we have looked at few attractions and things that one can do when you stay in Cambridge. Certainly, you may find that a weekend’s stay is not sufficient to take in everything that this historic and beautiful city has to offer you.

Check out a wide range of Cambridge hotels here.

Posted: October 10th, 2008 under Travel Destinations.
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England is a most wonderful country in which to take a vacation. There are a large number of| tourist attraction|places of interest well worth a visit which cater for all tastes. For instance|One such place is the historical city of York which has been inhabited since Roman times, Liverpool, and Torquay known as the English Riviera. One place, in England that you really must visit is London the capital city of the United kingdom of Great Britain

photo credit: neilalderney123

London is an astounding place to visit, maybe for just a weekend or, possibly for a longer period. You would be surprised at how many people who live in the UK who have not yet visited London, this is especially surprising when you ponder on the fact it is usually top of the majority of visitors lists (of the most enjoyable places they went to).

There are a multitude of things to see and do in London that it is not possible to list them all at once. Surprisingly one of the newest attractions in London also happens to be one of the most popular - The London Eye. Another popular attraction nearby to the London Eye is Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. However, one place which must not be missed is Buckingham Palace.

Buckingham Palace is England’s most famous Royal residence, possibly because it is home to the Queen of England. Buckingham Palace is is situated in the heart of London which makes it the perfect focus for tourists. The daily pageant of ‘Changing of the Guard’ is very fascinating to witness and amazingly English.

Buckingham Palace was originally named Buckingham House. It was originally a large town house, constructed in 1703 for the Duke of Buckingham. It is actually the townhouse that forms the main core of the palace as we are familiar with today.

Throughout the subsequent 3 quarters of a century Buckingham House was increased in size by the addition of 3 wings creating a central courtyard. The main architects responsible for these additions were Edward Blore and John Nash. John Nash was also responsible for the interior design of the monumental staterooms.

The well known architect Aston Webb was responsible for the building of the principal facade of Buckingham Palace which he re-designed in 1912. Webb along with Sir Thomas Brock, the sculptor, were the winners of a competition to design a memorial to Queen Victoria. This memorial still exists today.

The Queen has a selection of royal residences other than Buckingham Palace. Each and every year the Queen stays, at Sandringham House in Norfolk, over the Christmas period. Sandringham House is actually privately owned by the Queen (classed as a private royal residence.

A further private residence is Balmoral Castle, found in Royal Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The Queen was in residence at Balmoral Castle when she was told about the tragic incident involving Diana (the ex-wife of Prince Charles).

If you would like to take a break in the UK then you might be surprised to learn that it is possible to find cheap hotels in London without any great difficulty, on the other hand you may want to stay in more luxurious surroundings and the fine selection of boutique hotels in London should more than satisfy.

Posted: October 10th, 2008 under Travel Destinations.
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Keswick is located between Derwentwater and Skiddaw. It is one of the major tourist destinations in the north of the Lake District. Because of Keswick’s popularity, there is a wide variety of attractions for visitors young and old. There are plenty of hotels and guest houses in Keswick.

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photo credit: Ennor

The market town of Keswick was first granted its market charter back in 1276 by Edward I and even today, a market still takes place in it every Saturday. Many years ago, when Keswick was first starting to be settled, it was based around Crosthwaite, which is now at the western edge of the town. The Church at Crosthwaite was the first to be built in 553AD and was called St Kentigern and was where Canon Rawsley (co-founder of the National Trust) was vicar from 1883 to 1917.

The National Trust owns and protects much of the land surrounding Keswick. This is one of the reasons why the town and the surrounding area has not altered greatly throughout the intervening years. As well as there many attractions to be enjoyed in the town itself there are plenty of others in the surrounding area and below we look at a few.

1. Ashness Bridge - this appears on all sorts of places and is probably the most-photographed place in the Lake District. From this location you have views across Derwent Water to the town and then to Skiddaw. If you can try and visit this location first thing in the morning or last thing during the day when the sun is rising or setting. This will provide you with a much more dramatic photograph to take.

2. Castlerigg Stone Circle - this is one of the most visited and easily accessible such circle in the Lake District. This is the most popular stone circle in Cumbria and it traces its roots back to around 3,000 BC. By why the circle was built is still unclear today but many people have come up with many ideas. Some believe it is a burial site whilst others believe it was built to be used as an astronomical observatory. One of the main reasons that people enjoy visiting here is the sense of tranquility and peace that is all around you.

3. Derwentwater – This is a 3-mile long lake situated close to Keswick and probably the best way to enjoy it is by either hiring a rowing boat or hopping on one of the motor launches. Keswick Launch doubles up as a tourist attraction and a local bus service. The Launch runs between Ashness Gate, Loddre, High and Low Brandelhow, Hawes and Nichol End. If you want to see the lake from it’s shores, there are a wide variety of well marked paths for you to enjoy.

In this article, we have taken a close look at some of the more popular Keswick attractions that people to the town enjoy. However, there are plenty of other fascinating and interesting places for one to visit as well as things to do whilst staying in Keswick.

Posted: October 10th, 2008 under Travel Destinations.
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Colchester is the largest of all the settlements in the County of Essex in England. The town actually claims to be the oldest one in Britain and is certainly the oldest recorded Roman town in England. Because of its history, there are plenty of Colchester attractions, which one can enjoy whilst visiting the town. Here, we’ll take a look at some that should be on your shortlist when you stay in Colchester.

photo credit: Andrew Eadie

1. Balkerne Gate – The most complete Roman gateway in the country and is believed to have been built at around 55AD. Years ago, the gate was part of the main route into the town but over time was then transformed into a triumphal arch instead. Then, later, the gateway was merged into the town’s walls then in 465 AD it got blocked up to help improve the town’s defence system. It was rediscovered about a hundred years ago which is why it’s been so well preserved.

2. Charter Market – This is believed to be the oldest recorded market in the UK and has been run here for more than 800 years now. King John granted the market its Rotal Charter back in 1189 and this is where its name originates from. You can still find a market at Charter Market twice a week, on Fridays and Saturdays and there is a wide variety of things to choose from as no two stalls can sell the same items.

3. Colchester Castle – Altough “only” dating back to Norman times, this castle was built on the same ground as the Temple to Claudius in Roman times. However, the temple was destroyed in 60AD as part of Queen Boudica’s campaign to force the Romans to leave Britain. The Normans re-used the stone to build the castle is in fact much of the materials used to build the Roman temple.

The castle boasts one of the largest and oldest castle keeps in the whole of Europe and inside the walls of the castle there are lots of things to see and do. The castle houses exhibitions, tracing more than two thousand years of British history and there are interactive displays to keep your youngsters busy. Whilst touring the castle you can learn more about Matthew Hopkins the Witch finder General who used the castle as a jail at the time of the main witch trials.

4. Colchester Zoo – This is one of the finest zoos to be found in Europe today and is only a short drive from the town itself. Located in around sixty acres of English countryside the zoo is home to over two hundred different species for you to look at. Along with elephants in Elephant Kingdom, there are the chimpanzees in Chimp World to enjoy. Plus you will find other parts of the zoo just as enjoyable and enchanting. Certainly, you may well find it difficult to actually get the kids to go home.

Choose your Colchester hotel or guest house from this list.

Posted: October 8th, 2008 under Travel Destinations.
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Weekend breaks in Brighton are popular with not only people in the United Kingdom but those visitors from around the world also. Located on England’s south coast, this town is one of the biggest of all the settlements to be located by the sea in the UK.

photo credit: maz hewitt

It was originally called Brighthelmston and dates back to well before the Domesday Book of 1086. However, the town’s significance as a health spa only really happened in the 1700’s. It started to become more popular with young and old alike thinking about spending a day by the seaside as the railway came to it in 1841. This is a place where many of the aristocracy of the 18th and 19th Centuries would spend time together.

In fact, when you look back in history during the 1500’s this town was a small fishing village and only had 1,500 inhabitants in small cottages. There are still examples of these buildings which you can find in The Lanes. The 1600’s saw quite a large change because a doctor by the name of Richard Russell from Lewes started to extol the virtues of using seawater for treating glandular diseases.

After 1750 the town began to fill with people who wanted to test the sea water to see if it really could help them. Furthermore the town became even more popular when the UK royalty decided to try the waters and also bathe in the sea.

Each year now the town has more than 8 million visitors to it and they don’t just come to sample the sea air. Accommodation in the town span the complete range from total luxury to mid priced ones. There are also lots of fantastic guesthouses and B&B accommodation which offer a friendlier, more personal, service.

When you get to Brighton there is much for one to do and see from spending time wandering around the streets. Plus a walk along the promenade and the unmissable Palace Pier and Royal Pavilion both of which are places worth a visit. Definitely, the Royal Pavilion is something that should not be missed.

Known as a folly this building was created by the Prince of Wales who was later crowned George IV. He was well known for his flamboyancy and eccentric ways but the building he created is a poignant reminder of bygone times although Brighton has long since been host to many tourists.

Along with the more traditional attractions, you would expect to find in a seaside resort in the UK, Brighton is also host to a myriad of cultural events every year too. Of course, you’ll still find the amusement arcades plus souvenir shops but look further and you are sure to find all sorts of other delights that help people come back to this town.

When it comes to Brighton vacations one will be amazed at all the different things to see and do here.

You can find a list of Brighton hotels here.

Posted: October 8th, 2008 under Travel Destinations.
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Peterborough is a historic city which can trace it’s fenland roots back to before the Bronze Age.

photo credit: Caro Wallis

Staying in Peterborough is a good way to base an exploration of the city and surrounding area. Originally built in 655 AD, the cathedral has since been rebuilt on various occasions. Parts of the current building can be traced back approximately 900 years. Unfortunately, the cathedral wasn’t chosen as one of the backdrops for Harry Potter’s films. Which is a shame as it’s gothic style of architecture would have fitted in well.

If you’re young, or young at heart, then you should take an evening or two to visit some of the many music venues that can be found all over Peterborough. Some venues give you the chance to take in an acoustic (or unplugged) show, making for a less noisy time than the more usual discos. Other pubs and bars regularly host local bands.

Several times a year accommodation in Peterborough is worth booking ahead as the city is the venue for various events such as CAMRA’s beer festival. The city is also the site for the annual East of England Show. Be sure you book your accommodation ahead if your stay coincides with these events.

There are lots of different places to eat out in Peterborough. You can dine in Chinese, Indian or Italian restaurants. In recent years, the city has also seen an increase in Polish restaurants.

The river Nene sees regattas in both the spring and summer. There is also a river race in February, which is well worth watching.

More energetic visitors could take part in the Great Eastern Run. This is a half marathon attended by over 3,000 runners through the streets of the city.

Whatever your reason for staying in Peterborough, you’re bound to find a warm welcome in one of Peterborough’s hotels and guest houses. There is accommodation available to meet with all budgetary requirements, from small family run guest houses through to the larger Peterborough hotels.

Posted: October 8th, 2008 under Travel Destinations.
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You can’t afford a luxury trip to Paris? Reconsider, here are tips that will get you a luxury vacation for less.

photo credit: julien `

The single most important thing for a cost-effective vacation is pick you time. Times to avoid in Paris: Christmas, September/October when there are large trade shows. Want a luxury hotel? Rates may well be cheaper at the end of the week an particularly during the summer months.

Try to time your departure so that you leave late at night having had a full day in Paris: your hotel will hold your luggage even if you have to check out in the morning. You have now got an extra day in Paris, and no hotel bill! Sleep on the plane its the best thing to do on them.

Don’t go alone: preferably take a couple of friends and share a room: you will normally pay the same for two adults as one and the third person is much less than half the tarrif for two.

Don’t hire a car . You do not need a car in Paris; the central city is compact and walkable and the Metro will get you around faster than a taxi in rush hour. If you want a vehicle for the resot of your European vacation, organise the hire period to start at the end of your time in Paris.

Get online and use the major hotel sites to find the cheapest hotel rates. Don’t just book with the first site you find though. Try five or six especially if you are looking for smaller, boutique hotels. Not all travel websites are comprehensive in their hotel listings.

Beware that a lot of museums and art galleries are shut one day a week: normally Monday or Tuesday. If you are in town for those two days then double check which days your “must see” sites are open to avoid disappointment.

Don’t use taxis to hop around town: use the Metro for longer trips or walk: Paris is one of the most walkable cities in the world and most of the major sights and shopping areas are within easy walking distance.

A new development in inner city transport is the Vélib program (”vélo Liberté” or Freedom Bikes) by which it is possible to rent a bike for a very modest price. The first 30 minutes is free (plus a Euro1 daily fee payable by credit card) and prices rise raipidly for longer rental: designed to encourage you to drop off the bike and pick up a new one as you require: what a great reason to stop at cafe or two…

Paris is a wonderful city and who doesn’t want to see the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Musse d’Orsay, Notre Dame Church. Make sure you make the effort to make it to top stared restaraunt at least once on your visit.

Choose a Paris Luxury Hotel for your next European vacation and really see a different side of that wonderful city. A central Paris hotel will help you spend most of your time in the city of romance not commuting from a remote suburb. Picking the perfect Paris lodgings can make or break a vacation.

Posted: October 8th, 2008 under Hotel and Timeshare Deals, Travel Destinations.
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