Somerset Tourism Chiefs Fighting Back Over Flood Misconceptions

A group of ten Italian tourism trade professionals were among the first professional visitors to receive the full charm treatment as Somerset’s tourism leaders sought to correct worldwide misconceptions about the recent winter flooding.

It appears that the bad news has travelled as far as India, so the ten prominent Italians were shovelled into a carriage on the West Somerset Railway last week to be shown that Somerset is very much open for business. With the railway celebrating its spring gala, and with not a single puddle in sight, it went well for Somerset businesses, who are working to correct the impression that the whole of Somerset has been disrupted by floods.

The Somerset countryside at its very best

The Italians are exploring Somerset and its attractions, as part of a visit arranged by Visit Somerset and Visit Britain, and were soon made aware that only a tiny percentage of the county has been affected by the well publicised flooding. However, this hasn’t stopped tour operators and holiday companies experiencing cancellations.

Last Friday,  the Italians travelled from Bishops Lydeard, the southern terminus of the West Somerset Railway, to Dunster station, in the shadow of the 1,000-year-old castle, which is now in the care of the National Trust. The visitors were entertained to lunch in the picturesque village by Anthony Brunt of Exmoor Tourism.

In recent weeks Mr Brunt and John Simms of the railway's commercial department have attended a number of national and international travel trade shows and found a widespread impression that the whole of the county was flooded rather than the reality that more than 95 per cent is open and keen for business.

"The idea has even spread as far as India," said Mr Simms. "It is very much hoped that the good word getting back to Italy will boost visitor numbers in the latter part of 2015 and on into 2016 and beyond."

The gala ran until last night, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the ending of two parts of the railway history of South West England. In the last years of the steam services the regular locomotives were the Great Western "Moguls". 

Only one example of this class of more than 300 machines still survives in working order and number 5322, built at Swindon in 1917, has been hired-in especially from the Didcot Railway Centre for the gala. The veteran locomotive served in France during the First World War.

It is feared the floods could mean 2014 is a difficult year for tourism in the county after a strong performance last year, with tourism business up 50 per cent on 2012.

Somerset Tourism

From Important Fortification To A Wedding Venue, How Times Change!

It is surprising how easily we get used to seeing reminders of our turbulent past and because we pass them every day on our way to work or visit relatives, we think so little of them. There can be very few British towns and cities that do not have a reminder of a once impregnable castle within their boundaries,  its current state of repair depending on the amount of “treatment” that it had during its lifetime.

The nature of the historic remains will also depend on the threat that was perceived at the time.  Iron age hill forts are these days often reduced to large mounds in the middle of nowhere. The magnificent Hadrian's Wall was the Roman answer to the threat from north of the border and Edward I's chain of wonderful Welsh castles are a stark reminder of his battles with the Welsh princes.

Spithead Fort - modern use for an old fortification

In later years, with internal divisions relatively settled, the problems came more from abroad, and fortifications shifted to the coast, with castles such as Pendennis and St. Mawes in Cornwall being part of a chain  constructed by Henry VIII from Milford Haven to Hull to counter possible problems from the French and the Spanish. As a side issue, I always think it slightly incongruous that having built places like Pendennis to guard against external invasion, that we should then proceed to knock six bells out of it in the English Civil War.

Moving further around the coastline from Cornwall in an easterly direction, we come to the part of the English coast that became increasingly important, namely the Southampton and Portsmouth area and particular the Solent, that divides the Isle of Wight from the mainland.

Here Henry VIII built Hurst Castle, another of his Device Forts as they came to be called, and as we moved into Napoleonic times and beyond where invasion by the French was always on people's minds, the security of this vital area remained a high priority.

It was here, in the mid nineteen century that perhaps the most interesting and high profile fortifications were constructed, namely the four island forts built in the middle of the Solent itself. They are called Spithead Fort, St. Helens Fort,  Horse Sand Fort and No Mans Land Fort, together known as the Palmerston Forts. It is easy to chuckle at the fact that these impressive structures would be of no use whatsoever in modern warfare, but at a time when British sea power was becoming increasingly dominant, it was an essential part of the security of the Dockyards at Portsmouth. As a rough time guide, Spithead Fort was commenced in 1861 and completed in 1878, and by then the dynamics of world power had altered considerably.

It is not surprising to learn that none of the forts were ever attacked, although they were provided with substantial armament and even searchlights.  They were kept at a state of readiness during the Second World War, but the official end came in 1956 when the Coastal Defence Programme was disbanded.

The forts were placed on the open market for sale in the 1960's but not sold until the 1980's. Horse Sand Fort was retained by the Ministry of Defence, while of the other three, only Spithead is open to the public,  now having been converted to a luxury hotel and events venue. When it was constructed in the mid nineteenth century, it is highly unlikely that it would have crossed the mind of the government of the time that Spithead would end its days as a wedding venue!

The company that bought Spithead now also owns No Man's Land and Horse Sand, while St. Helen's Fort is in private hands.

Scotland Continues To Be A Big Draw For Tourists

Following consultations with 250 leading Scottish tourist attractions, it appears that visitor numbers to the region continue to rise. More than 32 million visits were made to attractions in Scotland last year, figures have revealed.

A report from the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA) recorded visitor numbers from over 250 of the organisation's member sites. The figures showed a rise of over 225,000 from last year's numbers.

Heritage, sports and outdoor activity sites proved to be amongst the most popular with the public, with the capital city Edinburgh continuing to dominate the marketplace, with 11 of the top 20 attractions found in the city, including the most popular free and paid entry venues.

The capital's National Museum of Scotland proved to be the most visited attraction overall for the third year running with 1,768,090 visitors while Edinburgh Castle was the most popular paid entry attraction with 1,420,027 visitors.

National Museum of Scotland - top attraction once again

However, attractions in the north and south of Scotland recorded the biggest increases in numbers, with visits up by over 7% in both regions. Whisky tourism continued to prove a strong draw with visitors to Scotland, with the majority of whisky-based attractions reporting a rise in their visit numbers.  The Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh experienced its highest ever visitor numbers, 11.5% up on the previous year.

Special art exhibitions helped bring about a large increase in visitor numbers to the country's museums and art galleries. Glasgow's Kelvingrove Art Gallery hosted the most popular special exhibition ever with over 123,000 people visiting the museum's Jack Vettriano retrospective over its 23-week run.

The Brick City exhibition at Paisley Museum, a display of the world's most iconic buildings and landmarks by Lego artist Warren Elsmore, was so successful that it was extended by two weeks to meet demand, helping to boost visitor figures by almost 70% for the year.

Two jousting weekends at Linlithgow Palace boosted numbers by almost 20%, while at the Iona Abbey visitor figures increased by 6%. Edinburgh Zoo bucked the trend of other giant panda zoos the year after their pair arrived, recording only a small 6% decrease in 2013. Despite this fall in visitors, numbers still remained 40% higher than "pre-panda" figures.

David O'Neill, chairman of ASVA said: "Looking forward, we are confident that 2014 will be a bumper year for the visitor attractions sector in Scotland as we reap the benefits from Homecoming 2014 and major events including the Commonwealth Games and Ryder Cup, as well as the opening of exciting new attractions such as the Bannockburn Visitor Centre."

Scotland's Tourism Website

Peak District Really Gearing Up For Tour De France

The knock on effect of the Tour De France in this country is immense as hundreds of country lovers will be able to take part in a variety of cycling events as the Tour de France comes to the Peak District with millions of pounds worth of improvements. Communities are already benefiting from funding grants as they prepare for the global spectacle which hits the Peak District during Day Two of the race as it wends its way from York to nearby Sheffield on Sunday, July 6.

The Peak District National Park Authority told how an 18 mile route includes Holme Moss, Woodhead Pass and Langsett Ranger Centre while Government and council Tour-inspired funding are developing new cycle links.

The Peak District will have a lasting legacy from the Tour

A Peak District National Park Authority spokesman said: “The communities involved in the Tour route - including Bradfield, Penistone, Langsett and Holme - will go all out to involve local people and entertain visitors and the authority is helping with grant support.”

The Department for Transport is pumping £5m into the authority’s Pedal Peak District Project to strengthen cycle links with nearby cities and £2.5m more is coming from Derbyshire County Council and Sheffield and Barnsley councils.
Work on the cycle links started this year and by 2016 it is hoped The White Peak Loop connecting the High Peak and Monsal Trails will be complete as well as the Little Don Cycle-link, connecting Sheffield and Barnsley to the TransPennine Trail.

The Hope Valley link will provide a continuous cycle route along the Hope Valley from Hathersage to Castleton and there will be a Staffordshire Moorlands Cycle-link connecting Stoke-on-Trent to the Roaches and Waterhouses.

As part of the Pedal Peak District Project communities and businesses can also apply for grants of up to £10,000 for facilities, equipment and services for improvements as part of the cycling boom. Improvements could include secure overnight cycle parking, bike locks at cafes, cycle racks, inner tube vending machines and bike pumps.

Bamford’s community pub, the Angler’s Rest, is using a grant for cycle racks and pumps and the Arkwright Society is creating a cycling hub at Cromford Mill. Community groups like LeTourHolmfirth will be co-ordinating related Tour de France events including family cycle rides, a streetbikes community ride, cycle-cross for novices as well as cycling club and cycle-themed events during Holmfirth film and arts festivals.
 
LeTourHomfirth organiser David Cumming said: “The day of the race will be phenomenal but we want it to have a legacy that lasts into the future by getting more people out on bicycles and keeping fit and having fun.”

Gower’s Rhossili Beach Retains Its British Title

Congratulations and back slapping in Wales today with news that the Gower Peninsula’s Rhossili has retained its place as Britain’s No.1 beach in the annual survey by travel website TripAdvisor.

Not only are they celebrating their national success, but there is international glory as well, as the beach moved up from tenth to ninth place in the World survey, being voted the third best in Europe.

The beach was ranked ahead of places in the Seychelles, South Africa and destinations in Mexico and Australia. According to the voters, the world's best beach is Baia do Sancho in Brazil's Fernando de Noronha, an island archipelago with UNESCO world heritage status.

However TripAdvisor said Rhossili's ranking proved that people in the UK did not have to go halfway round the world to find a good beach.

Rhossili Beach is still Britain's No.1

James Kay, a spokesman for the company, said: "These awards recognise the best beaches in the UK and worldwide, according to the travellers that have visited and given them the highest levels of praise. To have a Welsh beach named among not only the best in Europe, but the best in the world, just goes to show how lucky we are in the UK to have such stunning scenery right on our doorstep."

Swansea councillor Nick Bradley called the news "fantastic", adding: "The national and international exposure that this award brought Rhossili Bay in 2013 was both appropriate for all those involved in its upkeep and significant in terms of the impact it has had on the tourism industry locally and nationally."

Edwina Hart for the Welsh Assembly said: ""It's fantastic news for Wales that Rhossili has kept its title as the UK's number one beach for the second year in a row, seeing Rhossili named among the best beaches in the world can change people's perceptions about Wales and also instils an enormous amount of pride locally in what we have to offer as a holiday destination.

"Having this news just before the Easter holidays is a welcome bonus and hope it inspires many more people to visit Wales this year."

In the UK poll, Woolacombe beach in Devon and Porthminster beach in Cornwall came second and third.