Mount Snowdon Footpath Opens
The 400,000 walkers and train passengers who venture to the top of Mount Snowdon, the highest mountain in England and Wales, each year now have a new route to try. Conservation charity the National Trust has completed a new footpath to the summit – 110 years after it was started!

Eboracum Roman Festival in York
About 100 costumed ‘Romans’ in full regalia are expected to march into York next summer for the city’s second Eboracum Roman Festival. The new event (July 24-25, 2004) in York’s growing festival calendar was inspired by Constantine the Great, who was proclaimed Emperor in the city on July 25, 306 AD and accepted Christianity as the official religion of the empire.

V&A Museum open new painting galleries
The Victoria & Albert Museum's remarkable collections of oil paintings and watercolours by many celebrated artists including Turner and Constable, as well Botticelli and Degas, have returned to the elegant galleries originally built to house them during the 1850s. Highlights of the works displayed include Gainsborough’s ‘showbox’ and Constable’s oil sketches.

York Early Music Christmas Festival Programme
The York Early Music Christmas Festival, which this year runs from 11 to 14 December takes place in a variety of historic venues in York including the remarkable Chapter House of York Minster, the award-winning National Centre for Early Music and the 17th-century Greek Cross Unitarian Chapel in St Saviourgate, York.

Cruising Scotland's Islands with the National Trust for Scotland
Scottish islands and gardens are the subject of a one-week early summer cruise organised by the National Trust for Scotland in 2004. The ship Black Prince will sail from Leith near Edinburgh on June 1, and around the coast to Greenock near Glasgow, where the 400 passengers disembark on June 8.

Jane Austen at Bath's Museum of Fashion
Costumes designed for film and TV adaptations of Jane Austen novels will go on view at Bath's Museum of Costume from December 3, 2003 to November 7, 2004. The writer lived in Bath periodically, and scenes in "Northanger Abbey" and "Persuasion" are set in this elegant Georgian city.

Christmas in York
York is a truly delightful city, especially at Christmas time. A new website, Yuletide York, has been launched to provide visitors with details of the many activities and events on offer in York during the holiday period, including Christmas markets, early music festivals, carol services, accommodation offers, and fine dining.

Ashmolean Museum Embroidery Exhibition
Four centuries ago affluent girls used embroidery techniques to demonstrate their status. Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum holds a unique collection of these 16th and 17th century decorative embroideries – or ‘curious’ works – the title of its forthcoming exhibition on the subject (January 14 – March 28).

London Travel and Tourism news November 2003
There's planty happening in London this autumn, with new attractions and some changes at top tourist attractions. The Royal Academy opens its new exhibition space at Burlington Gardens, and there's a new "hop on, hop off" bus tour on offer from the Big Bus Company, plus lots more...

National Trust celebrates the Christmas season
The sound of music and carols will be ringing out this festive season as accompaniments to the Christmas lunches, dinners, parties, feasts, suppers and concerts being held at National Trust's properties throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Shropshire Union Canal Walk
On 29 November 2003, you have a chance to get outside and enjoy a relaxing walk along one of England's most historic canals, the Shropshire Union. This wonderful walk from Beeston to Nantwich will take in some interesting sections of the canal, with a variety of locks, junctions and boatyards.

National Trust Gardens Open for Winter Viewing
Most of the National Trust's parks and gardens are open throughout the winter months for you to enjoy. Many of the Trust's houses have to close for conservation and renovation projects but the grounds and gardens generally remain open, offering a variety of intriguing walks and winter viewing.

Kew Gardens Christmas Events
The Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew (in Richmond, just outside London) are celebrating the Christmas season with a variety of family events, including nature walks, Steam traction engine rides, and Kew’s annual Christmas Carol Evening.

Yorkshire Country Houses Showcase women's role
In 2004 a series of interlinked exhibitions across seven of Yorkshire's greatest country houses will highlight the lives and achievements of the female occupants of these establishments. Maids and Mistresses offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of the country house in days gone by.

National Railway Museum preserves Queen Victoria's carriage
One of the world's greatest railway treasures has gone back on public display. A £100,000 project to conserve Queen Victoria's favourite royal carriage was unveiled at the National Railway Museum in York on 6 November by the celebrated actress, Prunella Scales.

Caerphilly Christmas Events - Cwmcarn Forest Drive
A number of enjoyable family activities are on offer in the Caerphilly area this December. Events range from a food and craft fair to children's craft workshops, Santa’s grotto, and a spectacular fireworks display.

British Waterways Shopping and New Year's Competitions
Enjoy Christmas shopping in style with a new competition from British Waterways. You can win a weekend break in Birmingham, including two nights' stay at a great hotel near the cosmopolitan canal district of Brindleyplace, dinner for two at one of Birmingham's fantastic restaurants, and vouchers to spend at the new landmark Selfridges in the city centre.

St Andrews Week 2003 Festival
St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, celebrates its heritage in style this year, with the eighth St Andrews Week festival. Extending over eight days at the end of November, the programme brings together a wide range of shows, ceilidhs, recitals, concerts, displays and exhibitions which celebrate the very best of Scotland’s rich culture and cuisine.