Chysauster, One Of England's First Courtyard Developments

As the weather begins to get a bit warmer, it may be the right time to be considering a tramp off into the middle of the Cornish countryside, and a visit to the late Iron Age settlement of Chysauster in the Penwith District of South West Cornwall could offer an unbeatable experience. If it is rounded off with a visit to a local hostelry, so much the better!

I have a personal interest in this blog, as I stumbled across Chysauster some years ago while having a break based at Marazion by St.Michael's Mount. I say “stumbled” not because I had visited the local hostelry first, but because I had no great plan for the day, and did the usual family trick of turning off a road for no particular reason to see where it would lead – I've introduced myself to many farm yards and dead ends by doing that over the years!

Chysauster was way ahead of its time

Chysauster turned out to be one of my success stories however, and as with many sites managed by English Heritage, there is also plenty of room for the kids to run around and let off steam as well.

Located not far from Penzance, the site has opening and closing times which can be checked by referring to the web site. If you get really enthusiastic you can also visit the iron-age hill fort of Castle An Dinas, while another similar Iron Age settlement is Carn Euny,  both of which are fairly local.  

Chysauster dates from about 100 BC, and was probably occupied for about 400 years, being  home to members of the Dumnonii tribe. There is no suggestion of any fortifications, with the village likely to have been peaceful and used by those following agriculture as a trade. The remains point to there having been ten houses each one being about 30 metres in diameter. The houses have courtyards, eight of them are in two recognisable rows, and walls survive up to three metres high in places. There is also a neighbouring field system that gives credence to the lifestyle of the occupants.

It may have been a mystery to me before I found it, but more knowledgeable parties have given it a bit of time and attention over the years, including an excavation by William Copeland Borlase in 1873. There is also a fogou or an underground man made chamber.

A day exploring this fascinating site may not be everyone's idea of a perfect day out, but it certainly makes sure that you get out and about, and even if you can't get there just yet, it may be the perfect place for a spring break as the first warm sunshine of the year appears.

English Heritage Page About Chysauster

Natural Retreats UK Confirmed As New Cairngorm Operators

Based in Wilmslow, Cheshire, a tourism business called Natural Retreats UK has been confirmed as the firm to take over the running of the CairnGorm Mountain snowsports centre, near Aviemore. The appointment was confirmed by owner Highlands and Islands Enterprise. (HIE)

It was in February that they were named as the preferred bidder for the centre which includes Scotland's only funicular railway and the UK's highest restaurant. The railway connects a base station with the Ptarmigan Restaurant 1,097m (3,599ft) up Cairn Gorm mountain.

Secure future for the CairnGorm Centre

The company already operates trips from Land's End to John O'Groats, and also owns holiday accommodation at a number of locations in the UK and elsewhere. It will sign a 25-year lease for the running of CairnGorm Mountain starting in June. They say that they are looking to invest £6.2m in the resort over the next five years. HIE has also given the company a £4m loan to develop a new day lodge.

Alex Paterson, HIE's chief executive, said: "Natural Retreats has the vision, ambition and experience to enable the resort to fulfil its potential as a world-class visitor destination.  Their plans include the further development of snowsports and diversification of the business into a high quality, year-round attraction."

He added: "Natural Retreats' ambition to attract new visitors to CairnGorm will produce spin-off opportunities for other local businesses in the tourism sector, especially in Strathspey."

Matt Spence, founder of Natural Retreats, said he hoped to attract the international winter and summer X Games to the Cairngorms. X Games sports include skateboarding, snowboarding, skiing and BMX.

Mr Spence said: "I am immensely thrilled with the appointment of Natural Retreats as operator of CairnGorm Mountain. We truly believe Natural Retreats will elevate CairnGorm Mountain as one of the leading leisure and adventure resorts in Europe."

http://www.cairngormmountain.org/

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park Opens To The Public

Just in time for what tourism chiefs hope will be a rollicking Easter break, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park has been opened up to the public, the first time since the London 2012 Games ended.

Alongside venues for sport and the arts, London's newest park features interactive water fountains and an adventure playground. It is the biggest park to be opened in London for a century. It is hoped the attraction will revitalise the neighbourhood and bring tourists to the area.

Olympic Park - now it's the public's turn

Visiting the park is free, although there will be charges for some of the attractions. Visitors will be able to go up the 375ft-high (114.5m) ArcelorMittal Orbit tower, while other top attractions are bound to be the Aquatics Centre and VeloPark. Further ventures are planned with the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and University College London (UCL).

The development has been led by the London Legacy Development Corporation, and more than 10,000 new households are planned for the site by 2030.

Mark Camley, the corporation's executive director of park operations, said most of the activities that took place over last weekend were free of charge. He said: "We have set out to create a new heart for east London."

The opening came after Prince Harry and London Mayor Boris Johnson paid a visit to the site last Friday. The prince said the park was better than he expected, while Mr Johnson said: "It's far more beautiful than I possibly thought it could be. "This is going to be a quite astonishing place to come and bring your family."

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Enjoy The Many Faces Of Carsington Water

There are many attractions that make the Peak District one of the most popular tourist areas in Britain. Having been granted National Park status in April 1951 (making it the first National Park in Britain),  it is conveniently divided into the northern Dark Peak where you will find brooding moorland,  and the southern based White Peak which contains most of the population.

Great water activities at Carsington Water

It attracts in excess of 10 million visitors a year with that number growing steadily.  There is no doubt that the beauty of the landscape and the wonderful heritage offered  by the many stately homes are part of the secret of its success, but another perhaps less appreciated fact is that despite its inland location, it offers top notch water sports which are to be found at Carsington Water, located between Ashbourne and Wirksworth.

It exists primarily as a reservoir owned and operated by Seven Trent Water. Construction was completed around 1989, and it was officially opened by the Queen in May 1992. However, its attraction as a tourist destination is based very much on the water-based sports and pastimes that it offers.

In a part of the country where cycling and walking are both top attractions, it offers the chance to enjoy both these activities amidst some of the most beautiful and peaceful scenery. 

With regard to the access to water sports, check on what the Carsington Sports and Leisure site has to say:-

“Carsington Sports and Leisure have been providing training courses for professional and amateur enthusiasts for many years in water based activities

“We offer training in a wide variety of disciplines, using a diverse fleet of modern equipment. The centre is a Royal Yachting Association (RYA) recognised training centre, and also delivers British Canoe Union (BCU) courses. This means that all equipment reaches a high standard, and that all training at the centre is conducted by qualified instructors.”

Carsington Fishery has just reopened for the 2014 season, with boat bookings now being taken. Fly fishing (no coarse fishing sorry!) for both brown and rainbow trout in the 750 acres of clear waters.

There is a Visitor Centre which has within it a permanent exhibition explaining the role of water in our daily lives, and a wide range of facilities including shops selling souvenirs, craft items, embroidery materials, ceramics, books etc and a cafe and restaurant. There is wheelchair access.

A remarkable centrepiece of the courtyard is the Kugel Stone, a ball of granite weighing over 1 tonne and which revolves on a thin film of water under pressure. It can be moved with the touch of your hand! There is a classroom within the courtyard offering pre-booked schools a full day of activities to complement school based work on a variety of themes relating to water and the environment.

When you plan your Peak District break, remember to leave time for a visit to Carsington Water for a day full of memories!

National Trust For Scotland Reminds Us That Heritage Carries A High Price Tag

With a suggestion that in the region of £50 million extra will be needed over the next decade, the National Trust For Scotland has issued a salutary warning that you can’t have heritage on the cheap. It cares for a wide range of properties throughout the country that require constant attention.

In its capacity as Scotland’s biggest conservation charity, having responsibility for some of the nation’s best-known landmarks, beauty spots and historic sites, it will need to generate at least £4.6m a year on average for the next ten years.
In bald terms, that represents more than a third of what it already spends, that figure being £11.6m. This money is largely funded by its 320,000-strong membership and private donors.

Culzean Castle - funds required during the next decade

Kenneth Calman, the organisation’s chairman, has warned NTS will have some “harsh truths to grapple with” over the next few years because of the “enormous” sums of cash involved in maintaining its estate, which includes more than 1,500 sites, properties and buildings.  However, the charity’s trustees are said to have described the prospect of raising the cash as “challenging, but do-able”.

There are plans afoot to raise the money by attracting tens of thousands of new members every year over the next decade, generating more income from individual properties and running multi-million-pound fundraising campaigns around the world are being planned in an effort to raise the extra funds.

But the £46m figure – described as NTS’s additional “cost of care” bill – does not include major projects to improve visitor facilities, such as those proposed at the birthplace of David Livingstone in Lanarkshire.

The extra funding will go towards maintaining, restoring and repairing historic buildings, landmarks and monuments, as well as caring for beauty spots ranging from parks and gardens to Munros. NTS – which sold its headquarters in Edinburgh’s Charlotte Square to help head off a previous financial crisis – is responsible for 129 attractions and nature reserves across 200,000 acres of countryside.

The trust is Scotland’s biggest conservation charity with having in the region of 320,000 members. It has spent 18 months drawing up the financial blueprint for the future, with its findings emerging in the wake of a separate exercise to rank properties in terms of their heritage significance.

Among those heading the priority list over the next decade will be the islands of Iona, Staff, Canna and St Kilda, the battlefields at Bannockburn and Culloden, plus Ben Lawers and Ben Lomond, both Munros.

Other attractions expected to be given top priority include the birthplace of Robert Burns and Culzean Castle, both in Ayrshire; Falkland Palace in Fife; Brodick Castle and its grounds on the island of Arran, and Newhailes mansion house in East Lothian.

Trust chiefs say that the ten-year plan is aimed at achieving a “gold standard” quality of care for the sites and attractions under its stewardship.
Terry Levinthal, director of conservation at the trust, said: “This is really about establishing the trust’s work plan for the next ten years and mapping out all the things we want to do … It’s about getting everything in our portfolio up to a standard that we want it to be in.”

Writing in the NTS members’ magazine, Sir Kenneth said: “There are some harsh truths to grapple with as we face the challenge of conserving and interpreting our heritage. Not least is the enormous amount of money needed.”

National Trust For Scotland