Britain Update #32

Welcome friends, its time to put the kettle on, settle into a comfortable armchair, and enjoy the best of Britain with Britain Update. But before you do, please take the time to forward this newsletter to someone who loves Britain as much as you do.

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Contents
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1. New Scotland Guide
2. Great British Web Sites
3. UK Destinations
4. UK Featured Hotels
5. Travel news and tips

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The Scotland Guide
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What's that sound I hear? Could it be? Yes, it is ... bagpipes! After months of hard work and far too much haggis, Britain Express is proud to announce our new Scotland Guide. Browse through an A-Z gazetteer chock full of historical information and visitor details for castles, abbeys, gardens, stately homes, museums, and more. The attractions are all marked on custom maps of the major regions of Scotland so you can browse by area or by type of attraction.

The Guide owes its existence to the dedication of our Scotland Editor, Barbara Ballard. Barbara is a native of Texas who now makes her home in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, though she swears she'll move to Britain the minute she wins the lottery. I think you'll agree that she's done a great job with the Scotland Guide.

We'll be adding more in the coming months, including "Countryside" and "Ancient Scotland" sections, as well as feature articles about great places to visit in Scotland. Take a peek at our the Scotland Guide at http://www.britainexpress.com/scotland and please let us know your thoughts.

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Great British Web Sites
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Two sites for the price of one this time! Megalithic Mysteries (http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~aburnham/stones.htm ) is a photo-guide to stone circles and other prehistoric sites with high-quality images, including many aerial photographs. Well-researched details and links to other sites dealing with ancient sites in the UK make this an indispensable guide to Ancient Britain. I highly recommend their new sub-site, Megalithic Map, at http://www.megalith.ukf.net/ - Its a very clear and easy to navigate site with clickable maps of the British Isles showing the location of every stone circle and stone row.

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Destinations: Tunbridge Wells, Kent

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Tunbridge Wells (not to be confused with the nearby Tonbridge) is a fashionable Georgian spa town with a location that makes it a perfect base for exploring Kent and south-east England. The town was founded in 1606 with the discovery of the Chalybeate Springs (mineral springs to you and me). The town was a popular resort for the well-heeled during the 18th and 19th century, but it was not until 1909 that the town was granted the right to call itself "Royal Tunbridge Wells" when Edward VII granted it his patronage.

The elegance of the spa years lives on in the area known as "The Pantiles", a colonnaded walk named after the pavement of clay tiles which once graced the ground here. The tiles were laid in 1698 at the order of Queen Anne, after her son, the Duke of Gloucester, slipped and fell on the slippery surface. The area was repaved in 1793, but it is now home to interesting shops and cafes. A variety of festivals are held at the Pantiles every year, including the Sedan Chair Races in August, and you can still drink the spa water - if you dare! You can also experience the life of the spa town in centuries past at the costumed exhibit "A Day at the Wells".

The Tunbridge Wells Museum and Art Gallery has fascinating exhibits of local history and nature, but most visitors will want to see the displays of Tunbridge Ware, a unique form of wooden inlaid marquetry that was made in the area for over 200 years. Over 35 antique shops in Tunbridge Wells will be happy to sell you an object of Tunbridge Ware also.

As charming as Tunbridge itself, is, its proximity to other popular attractions makes it a popular tourist centre. Within just a few miles of the town is Bateman's , former home of Rudyard Kipling. Bodiam Castle, set like a fairytale castle in its moat, is close by, as is Chartwell, home to Winston Churchill for over 40 years. A more ancient family dwelling is Hever Castle, childhood home of Anne Boleyn, while the moated manor house of Ightham Mote, and the magnificent Penshurst Place are both within 15 miles of Tunbridge Wells.

A handy way to get around to all these local attractions is the "Heritage Hopper", a bus service linking Royal Tunbridge Wells with a number of popular attractions including Bayham Abbey, Scotney Castle Garden, Bewl Water, Bedgebury National Pinetum, Finchcocks Museum of Music and the Spa Valley Railway. The Heritage Hopper runs on Saturdays, Sundays, and Bank Holiday Mondays between April 29 and September 3. Cost is £2.50 for adults.

A full calendar of events is planned for 2000 in Tunbridge Wells. Highlights include the Pantiles Open Air Art Exhibition (5 - 18 June), Tunbridge Wells Motor Show at Dunloran Park (17 & 18 June), Talk on Fashion & Social Attitudes of the Georgian Period in the Town Hall (14 July), Pantiles Players Production (17 - 20 & 22 July), and the Georgian Festivities at the Pantiles (26 - 30 July)

Tunbridge Wells on the Web: http://www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/tourism/

Accommodation
Nightingales Bed and Breakfast http://www.bcity.com/the_nightingales/
Braeside Bed and Breakfast http://www.braeside.htmlplanet.com/
Britain Express UK Hotels
http://www.britainexpress.com/accommodation/hotels.htm

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UK Travel Tips
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JANE AUSTEN WALKS IN BATH
Jane Austen is one of England's most celebrated authors and now you can join regular walking tours of one of her favourite cities, Bath. This Georgian city - Britain's only World Heritage City - has changed remarkably little since Jane lived there. Taking in the places where she stayed, where she walked, talked and shopped and the settings of her two Bath novels, "Northanger Abbey" and "Persuasion", the 90-minute tours operate three times a week (Tuesday, Friday and Sunday mornings). Tickets (£3.50 adults, £2.50 concessions) are available from the tourist information centre, tel. 01225 477101. The Jane Austen Centre opened last year at 40 Gay Street and provides a sense of her life and times. Exhibits show the inspiration for many of her characters and examine her family life and places of residence. It is open daily, admission £4 adult, concessions £3. Tel: 01225 443000.

BATH'S AMAZING MICROWORLD
A remarkable collection of tiny sculptures, most so small they can only be seen with the aid of magnification, is the latest attraction in the historic city of Bath. Microworld - at 4 Monmouth Street, behind the Theatre Royal - features the work of the Birmingham microsculptor Willard Wigan, and the Spanish sculptor Manuel Ussa

The diminutive exhibits include a polar bear on a granule of sugar; Tower Bridge in the eye of a needle; birds nesting on an eyelash; a horse standing on the head of an ant; a ballerina dancing on a pinhead; members of Britain's Royal Family; and the 1999 heavyweight fight between Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield. Microworld is open daily, admission £3.95 adults, and £2.95 concessions, £1.95 under-16s, family tickets £9.95. For enquiries and group bookings, call 01225 333003. Web site: www.bath.co.uk/microworld.

STEP INTO 3,530 BRITISH GARDENS
How often visitors to Britain express their desire to step into one of the thousands of delightful private gardens; to wander among roses, hollyhocks and lily-ponds tantalisingly glimpsed behind hedges and fences. Thanks to the National Gardens Scheme, a charity, you can do just this: in fact more than 3,530 private gardens - most not normally open to the public - will open their gates in 2000. They include 310 cottage gardens, 155 water gardens and nearly 1,000 rose-decked plots. Some are large, others small, but they are all tended by enthusiastic garden-lovers and you can enjoy tea and home-made cakes at many!

They are open on selected dates only, throughout the year, though June is probably the month with the biggest selection. Admission to each is as little as £1-£2, with the money going to good causes. To find out where and when the gardens open, there is an invaluable guide, "Gardens of England and Wales Open for Charity", known as the 'yellow book' among devotees. At £4.50 it is the most comprehensive guide to gardens open to the public. It includes a special section devoted to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (the scheme's patron who is 100 years old in 2000) and details of evening openings, plant sales and picnic concerts. Available from British bookshops or through the National Gardens Scheme, tel. 01483 211535. Web site: www.ngs.org.uk.

For those of you planning a summer trip to the UK, English Heritage stages a wide variety of events at their properties throughout the UK. Here' a few highlights of what's on tap for this year:

10/11 June - Carlisle Castle Through the Ages, Cumbria
10/11 June - Medieval Siege and Joust, Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire
1/2 July - Food and Drink Fair, Wrest Park Gardens, Bedfordshire
14/16 July - Early Music Festival, Brinkburn Priory, Northumberland
23 July - Canterbury Tales, St. Augustine's Abbey, Kent
29/30 July - Old Sarum Through the Ages, Wiltshire
2/3 August - Children's Fun Days, Battle Abbey, East Sussex
5/6 August - Medieval Jousting, Scarborough Castle, North Yorkshire
26/28 August - Gardener's Weekend, Audley End House, Essex
10 September - Victorian Vittles!, Kenwood House, London

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That's all for now. Until next issue, let me remind you that laughter is contagious. Spread some around.

David Ross
Editor
Britain Express
http://www.britainexpress.com
The UK travel and heritage guide
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Contents © 2001 David Ross and Britain Express