Tour-Smart Limited

Budding photographers can improve their skills at a three day workshop on the North Norfolk coast with professional photographer and tutor Denis Roberts. Titchwell Manor, a coastal boutique hotel near Brancaster, is hosting the two night dinner B&B breaks from £290 per person based on two sharing including tuition but you need to bring your own camera and equipment. The workshops will take place on 12-13 and 14-15 September.

Each workshop is being limited to just eight people ensuring a high level of personal tuition. On arrival, you will be welcomed with a traditional afternoon cream tea, while dinner the first evening will be served as a group with Denis in the AA two rosette Conservatory Restaurant, so you can meet other guests joining the workshop. The next day and final morning will be spent exploring the area’s stunning coast and countryside learning and practicing creative new techniques.

A smart retreat for those seeking fine dining in stylish surroundings Titchwell Manor, has stunning views across open marshes to the sea. The nearby RSPB Titchwell Marsh nature reserve and wide sandy beaches are a haven for wildlife all year round offering great photographic opportunities.

To book call Titchwell Manor Hotel on 01485 210221 or visit  www.titchwellmanor.com; and for more information about Denis Roberts visit www.denisrobertsphotography.com.



Update - July 2012

Ludlow Food Festival began in 1995 and since then has become one of the top Food Festivals in the UK, playing host to more than 160 local food and drinks producers.

Taking place on 7th, 8th & 9th September in the stunning location of Ludlow Castle, Shropshire.

Foodies will be spoilt for choice with an abundance of REAL food and drink - from rare breeds of meat to real ale, cider and perry, produced and sold by people who really care about what they are doing.

As well as the food producers, throughout Ludlow's historic town centre there is seemingly no end of food-related events, such as the famous Ludlow Sausage trail, Ale trail and the Festival Loaf trail, not forgetting all the old favourites both inside and outside the Castle, including great demonstrations, talks, pudding tastings, markets and more.

For more information visit www.foodfestival.co.uk

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Newmarket's July Racecourse

Enjoy a wonderful day racing at Newmarket plus a luxurious overnight stay with dinner and a glass of champagne to celebrate your winnings at the 15th century Swan at Lavenham from just £275 per night for two sharing a Classic room on 11, 16 and 24 August.

This racing experience package includes tickets into the premier enclosure at the July racecourse where you can watch the sport of kings in style, plus a copy of the Racing Post to study the day’s form. After leaving the excitement and crowds behind, arriving back at The Swan you can relax over a three-course a la carte dinner in the hotel’s elegant, beamed AA two rosette Gallery Restaurant. Drive yourself, or the hotel can arrange a chauffeur driven car or helicopter transfer to the racecourse.  For more information about Newmarket's racecourses please visit www.newmarketracecourses.co.uk

To book call The Swan at Lavenham on 01787 247477 quoting Racing Offer or click on www.theswanatlavenham.co.uk, extra nights and upgrades to feature rooms and suites may be available on request.

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Two vintage railway carriages meticulously converted into self-catering accommodation for four and six guests at Coalport Station in the stunning Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site, Shropshire have been reduced for summer breaks. Two nights can now be booked from £350 and a week’s stay from £850 for four people reduced from £475 and £925 to end August.

 

Set in three acres of tranquil, secluded gardens on a disused railway track overlooking the River Severn, they provide a comfortable base from which to explore the beautiful Shropshire countryside as well as the ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums, which bring centuries of history to life.

Both of the beautifully rebuilt carriages feature a flat-screen television; surround sound DVD, video and CD music centre; air conditioning and large, comfy leather sofas, as well as a fully-fitted stylish kitchen, complete with dishwasher, washer/dryer, microwave, ceramic hob and double oven, plus two bathrooms.

 

One carriage sleeps up to six guests in a master double bedroom with ensuite facilities, plus two twin rooms and a second bathroom, while the other accommodates four people in a master double and one twin/double room with ensuite bathrooms; both carriages have a whirlpool bath in the master ensuites.

The iconic 15th century Swan Hotel at Lavenham is offering a complimentary third night B&B when you book two nights dinner B&B until end September, all from £490 per room (saving from £195 per three night stay). This offer is for two sharing a Classic room and includes a three-course dinner from the House Menu in the hotel’s elegant AA two-rosette Gallery restaurant.

You can be as busy or relaxed as you wish; take time to stroll around Lavenham and browse the independent boutiques, galleries and antique shops, admire the historic buildings or take a walk in the surrounding countryside. Back at the hotel you can sip a refreshing Pimms or glass of bubbly in the flower-filled courtyard gardens before savouring Head Chef Justine Kett’s culinary delights, which have been inspired by Suffolk’s fresh, seasonal produce.

This offer is valid from 1st July to 30th September 2012, subject to availability, room upgrades are available at a supplement. To book please call 01787 247477 quoting three for two Summer Escape or visit

 www.theswanatlavenham.co.uk.

The United Kingdom may be hosting the Olympic Games this year but England's own traditional excentric pursuits continue unabated. On Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th July, the first weekend of the London 2012 Games, Blists Hill Victorian Town, near Ironbridge will stage its own Community Games on The Green.

On Saturday 28th July families can have a go at a range of quirky challenges such as leek flinging and cabbage hurling, while on Sunday the townsfolk will be staging their own traditional Victorian sports and games. This will be your chance to watch and cheer on competitors as they take part in such unusual events as catch the slippery pig* and cannon ball throwing presided over by Martin Wood, the world’s tallest Town Crier.
 

Cannon Ball Throwing

The Community Games weekend is one of several events within the Ironbridge Gorge Museum’s exciting multi-site Science, Sport, Life Festival, which is part of the official London 2012 Cultural Olympiad in the West Midlands.

Open 10am to 5pm Blists Hill is one of the Ironbridge Gorge Museums. A great value Annual Passport Ticket allowing entry into all ten museums, valid for twelve months and unlimited return visits, costs £23.25 per adult, £18.75 for the 60 plus, £15.25 for students and children and £64 for a family of two adults and all their children aged up to 18 years in full time education (terms and conditions apply); under 5s free. Activities and workshops vary day-to-day and some carry an extra charge in addition to the museum admission fee. Individual museum entry tickets are also available.

For further information, contact the Ironbridge Visitor Information Centre on Tel: 01952 433 424 or visit www.ironbridge.org.uk. The Gorge is easily reached via the M6 and M54 motorways exiting at Telford (M54 junction 4 or 6).

*Note: Catch the Slippery Pig
Back in Victorian times locals taking part in the Wenlock Games used to try and catch a live slippery pig as it ran around the town. Today this is interpreted by attaching an inflatable life buoy to a bungee rope; competitors put the buoy under their arm and have to walk backwards as far as possible until the bungee rope pulls the buoy away – much harder than it sounds!

Lew Quarry Cottage, an idyllic ‘chocolate box’ thatched and detached cottage with ancient oak beams sleeping four near Lewdown in mid-Devon is available for summer holidays. Overlooking the River Lew valley, it takes its name from the old quarry in the woods above, now an attractive woodland lake. The renowned fine dining restaurant at Lewtrenchard Manor Hotel is within easy walking distance. For those who want to stay in touch the cottage has phone and broadband connection. Book through Helpful Holidays on Tel: 01647 434063 or click on Lew Quarry Cottage. 

Macdonald Berystede Hotel & Spa

 

In the year of HM The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, book a Windsor Castle break at the Macdonald Berystede Hotel & Spa and visit one of Her Majesty’s favourite ‘homes’. The luxurious four star hotel near Windsor is offering overnight stays including full English breakfast and tickets into the Castle, which saves queuing, from £140 for two sharing a double or twin room.

Macdonald Berystede Hotel & Spa

The package also includes full use of the Berystede’s contemporary Vital Spa with its 18 metre indoor swimming pool, outdoor hydro pool, thermal suite, Technogym and relaxation area. And if you pre-book a table for dinner in the hotel’s AA rosette Hyperion Restaurant there’s a complimentary bottle of house wine per couple and soft drinks for children with the meal.

Set in beautiful wooded grounds within the Thames valley in Berkshire, the elegant hotel has 126 ensuite bedrooms and suites; to book call 0844 879 9104, details can also be found on www.MacdonaldHotels.co.uk/Berystede. 

For another great place to visit in the U.K. and featuring another Macdonald Hotels property click on THE DREAMING SPIRES OF OXFORD
 

On 23rd February Bletchley Park released four first day covers celebrating Alan Turing’s centenary year. Each will carry a 1st class Royal Mail “Turing Bombe” stamp cancelled with a unique first day of issue postmark. The intention is to restrict the issue to just 500 of each. Produced in association with the Alan Turing Centenary Year Committee and Bletchley Park Post Office, proceeds will go towards supporting the preservation of Bletchley Park. Similar stamp and envelope combinations from Bletchley Park Post Office have fetched several times their original issue price. So at £9.99 each these little pieces of art and history could be a good investment. 

The first design is by Rebecca Peacock of Firecatcher Design and the theme is Turing’s work on the mathematics of patterns. It was Turing’s genius for mathematics that made his work so vital to Bletchley Park and the development of modern computing.

Turing's Hut
 

The other three are original paintings by artist Steve Williams who has donated his work to Bletchley Park. They depict three buildings at Bletchley Park associated with Alan Turing. These are the cottage and hut where he worked and the room that housed the Bombe machines.

The Bombe Room
 

The stamp features a rebuilt Turing Bombe. The first day of issue postmark is a facsimile of one of the Bombe’s 108 drums that replicated the workings of 36 Enigma machines.

Turing's Cottage
 

A dedicated team spent 15 years rebuilding the working Turing Bombe that is now on display at Bletchley Park. A marvel of electro-mechanical engineering used to crack the enigma code that is now essential viewing for visitors. Bletchley Park Post Office was once the code breakers’ undercover mail room then a sub post office when Bletchley Park became a GPO training centre. Its re-creation of a 1940’s post office is a popular attraction. The first day covers and special stamps it began issuing in 1994 are sought after by collectors from around the world. More information can be obtained on the issue through www.bletchleycovers.com or calling 0044 (0)1908 363489

Click on this link  'THE SECRETS OF BLETCHLEY' for the full story

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 Escape to a Great Country Pub in the scenic South East

- Tourism South East launches www.GreatCountryPubs.com -

The Anchor at Lower Froyle, Hampshire

The Cricketers Inn at Meopham

The Boat House, Seaview, Isle of Wight