Two 24-hour strikes have been scheduled to take place on the 25th and 29th August. The strike is likely to halt all baggage handling and check-in operations across airlines including; Virgin Atlantic, Monarch, Thomson Fly, First Choice, North West, Air Malta, Air Transat, Oman Air, as well as some
smaller airlines.

Unite workers have also voted to strike at Stansted, with other strikes being voted on for Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle Airports.

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On 25 July, all five original members of Boyzone - one of the UK’s best selling boy bands ever - will reunite at Powderham Castle in Exeter, performing their much-loved songs to an anticipated crowd of 15,000 fans.

So why not gather your girlie friends for the gig and organise a get-together of your own, staying nearby at the impressive Upcott House (sleeps 12). This extremely comfortable, late Victorian property commands an imposing cliff top position near the pretty fishing village of Beer in East Devon, on the World Heritage Site  Jurassic Coast.

Just a short stroll from the beach, this will prove a blissful break away from the boys where you can tune in and zone out.  A week’s stay costs £292 pp based on 12 sharing (total £3,500) including accommodation, welcome hamper, linen, towels, toiletries and wi-fi access.

Call The Wow House Company on 01452 715 374 or visit www.thewowhousecompany.co.uk. To book tickets for the concert, call 01626 890243.  Tickets are £37.50 plus booking fee and P&P.

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The Enlightened Traveller walks the 252 kilometres of The Stevenson Trail once every year and participated in the Trail’s 130^th anniversary celebrations in April 2008. Here are some considerations on a classic French trek from Le Puy to St Jean du Gard,

The overnight stay in Le Puy was not great, despite having booked into a 2-star national chain for that supposed extra bit of ‘reassurance.’ Like so many of the region’s hotels, it had seen better days and was suffering from underinvestment. The welcome was poor to put it mildly, but was at least consistent with the failure to communicate by email - and I work for a tour operator prepared to give them business for nothing!

The room wasn’t ready until 16.00 hrs; the reversible heating system only worked one way, the radiators were cold at 16.30 and breakfast was an after-thought. I wouldn’t be arranging my picnic lunch here, then. Was this symptomatic of Le Puy? I recalled having had my head bitten off the last time I was in town (when walking The Regordane) as a result of asking for a second blanket for my bed; and was shocked to find myself forced to use the table as a plate for my croissant and jam the next morning. Thankfully, I took the opportunity to check out some alternative accommodation that was above average, and here lies the first reason for booking through a specialized and responsible tour operator - we stay in the same places we send our customers to and continually check out alternatives for their benefit. Nothing is left to chance in order that holidays run smoothly and comfortably.

The tried-and-tested taxi and baggage service the next day was first class. Stevenson started his seminal trek from Le Monastier and our belief in offering authentic experiences rules out making customers walk from Le Puy. Le Monastier’s polychrome abbey is one of Velay’s finest Roman works of art and its contiguous chateau-cum-museum a delight to behold. It houses a permanent Stevenson exhibition that my early start obliged me to forgo - I was in no mood to hang around for the June opening.

The walk to Le Bouchet is challenging, but immensely rewarding. First come the red soils of the volcanic uplands, followed quickly by a sharp rocky incline down to the Upper Loire Valley. Some of our customers actually opt to do the middle section only of Stevenson’s Trail, thus missing out on the memorable descent to Goudet that definitely qualifies it as part of our ‘Best of’ tour.

Stevenson sketched the ruins of the chateau de Beaufort at Goudet; you will delight in snapping it from multiple angles as you commence your climb to your night’s stop-over. Once again, I had chosen to risk-take in order to experience something new; but I hadn’t expected to find a brand new gite d’etape minus bed sheets and bathroom towels. Was I really going to add such items to my barely-sufficient 15- kilogramme luggage allowance? Another night, another lesson learnt.

The next day’s highlights include the splendid Arquejols viaduct which, like its counterpart at Mirandol to the south, was not around in Stevenson’s time. Built in 1908, the line was closed for economic reasons over a decade ago. Thus this wonder of industrial architecture remains eerily silent and sadly ignorant of the access requirements to France’s interior of the modern-day, back-to-nature, hiking fraternity. Lozère, the department that boasts the highest average altitude and the lowest population in France, fears a similar fate awaits its one remaining railway line, Le Cévenol, which would spell the death of the remaining family-run hotels, hard pressed to make ends meet as a result of the region’s glorious isolation. Whilst Stevenson was quick to laud the “sancta Solitudo” of French country life, the heavy toll dealt by WW1 (visible on the many cenotaphs in villages en route) and the subsequent rural exodus, sees the remaining locals worried sick about losing their main life-line to modern France due to narrow economic rationality.

Stevenson had other concerns to contend with as he trekked, like his own personal health problems, a departed lover and The French Wars of Religion. My preoccupations were much more profane: ensuring there had been no alterations to the route since my colleagues last walked it; taking photos for our website; and the gentle nursing of a nascent blister using a Compeed compound apparently not available in North America.

Stevenson slept out rough for the first time, and in inclement weather, at a place called Fouzillac, just north of Cheylard L’Eveque. Like our customers before me, I fared rather better, and chose to check out some alternative accommodation in Chaudeyrac. The day’s walking hadn’t been that good and rain had somewhat dampened my enthusiasm. The advertised one-and-a-half kilometre detour seemed more like four, but it was worth it: a warm welcome, great food and all mod cons. Other hoteliers could learn a few things from this proprietor, who has heavily invested in his business and, besides running the hotel, sells cepes mushrooms worldwide, raises wild boars and still has time to moan at his teenage daughter’s reluctance to do her half-an-hour’s homework in the evening - unfortunately in earshot of everyone in the hotel but, as a father of two small but headstrong girls, it was rather like relating to my own future.

In The Cevennes Journal, Robert Louis Stevenson wrote: “Why any one should desire to visit either Luc or Cheylard is more than my much-inventing spirit can suppose.” One hundred and thirty years later, and with even less of Luc castle remaining, I have to agree with him. The February snow storms had taken a heavy toll on some of the Gardille forest’s pine trees, many of which lay savagely snapped in two under the sheer weight of the deluge. Yet, as with life in general, perhaps it’s the dull forestry trails that make us appreciate more the splendour of walking the crest of the hill. And many are determined to walk the walk, come what may.

As a Presbytarian married to a French Catholic, I decided to give the trappist monastery at Notre-Dames-des-Neiges a wide berth, fearing imminent conversion, stomach upset (they brew some renowned liquor) and foot swelling from the extra distance. I settled for the night in my comfortable hotel in La Bastide and looked forward to better things. I was not disappointed. Whilst the next day’s walking to Le Bleymard had its high spots, it was the following day, and the day after that, Day Seven, that will live long in the memory.

The six-hundred-metre climb up Mont Lozere is challenging to say the least, but it wasn’t enough to make me camp out on the north side and light up a cigarette as Stevenson had done one late September evening. At a watering hole by the ski centre, I met a modern-day shepherd, whose job it was to rent out donkeys to inexperienced and unsuspecting tourists. He was awaiting a visit from some Spanish journalists and delighted in telling me that following week he was expecting the English Press - although he couldn’t remember the name of their paper. Donkeys were great companions, apparently, and quite cheap to run as well; but woe betide he who tries to dominate them. You have to negotiate, he said. Not having the time to explore the niceties of donkey diplomacy, I bade him farewell and continued on my way.

Snow still covered parts of Le Pic de Finiels which, at 1699 ms, is the highest point of the trail and of Lozere itself. The general appearance of the summit, in all its lunar splendour, is a field day for 1969 space conspiracy theorists that would have even the most ardent of NASA spokespersons running for cover.

The warmth of the Catholic welcome in Le Bleymard was in stark contrast to the ‘salutations Cévenoles’ proffered in Protestant Le Pont de Montvert - and they don’t put the draught lager on until June; so when the TV imploded in the packed Bar du Commerce at half time during the Barça - Man Utd Champions’ League semi-final, there seemed nothing much else to do than retire and administer more Compeed.

I met my second brace of French geography and history teachers early the next day. Critical of President Sarkozy’s recent flirtations with the Jet Set (as if that had altered their opinions of him!) they failed to see how fortunate they were at being sponsored by the Private Sector to walk for four days in a lunar orbit around Florac. Yet the fact they were camping seemed to suggest the subsidy was insufficient to combat the rising costs of living within the Euro-zone.

The southward climb up and out of Le Pont de Montvert, and onto the Cham de l’Hermet, was scenic indeed; and the walk along the ‘ligne des crêtes’ that afternoon was a real joy that I must repeat. The trail winds its way westwards, slipping over the ridge from the north face to south side, as you enjoy the delightful juxtaposition of sunkissed and broomy Mediterranean flora one moment, followed by lush, alpine vegetation the next. As we approached the final leg of Day Seven, the smart teachers disappeared down the GR 68 to Florac, whilst I was duty bound to see it through on the newly-elongated GR 70. I had a bad feeling about it and the experience confirmed my fears. It’s one thing being true to history, but when the tourist board re-writes the ending, which should have been a big finish, maybe it’s justified to take the shorter, and more scenic, conclusion to a memorable day.

After Florac, the remainder of the trail is a little disappointing - too much emphasis is placed on forestry trails and insufficient attention to more interesting alternatives - after all, unlike some genuine historic trails, such as the nearby Regordane, in most cases we do not really know which path Stevenson took.

Perhaps I was just getting a bit weary by the end, as the full trek definitely justifies more than the nine days I gave it. Cassagnas, a Camisard stronghold, deserved more time, and I thoroughly enjoyed my night in an unclassified inn at Saint-Germain-de-Calberte, where the Catholic landlord’s son welcomed me with a handshake that would have made the most ardent of Huguenots feel at home. Sadly, the bathrooms failed to live up to the same billing.

The Signal Saint-Pierre and its ‘table d’orientation’ offers a superb view back up the Vallée Française along which one has trekked; and when I finally reached the Col de Saint-Pierre, with just the steep and challenging descent into St Jean du Gard ahead (a fine finale) I was looking forward to dipping my feet in the Gardon River, to eating a simple pizza as opposed to ‘produits du terroir’, and to showing my girls photos of where dad had been for the last ten days.

Visit The Enlightened Traveller’s Best of the Stevenson Trail.

© The Enlightened Traveller 2008

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Waterford is Ireland’s oldest city and is renowned for its crystal ware. It has a gripping mediaeval history too. Waterford has a lovely location on the banks of River Suir. It was a well-known European port of the past times. The charm of a small Irish town is retained by Waterford till date. The city has a relaxed ambience as compared to other metropolises. The beautiful city of Waterford has all the makings of an excellent tourist destination including riveting culture, history, arts and music. The calm and serene environs add on to the touristic appeals. As it is in majority of the Irish towns, Waterford also has many pubs.

The climate of Waterford all through the year is windy and wet. The summers are bearable as they are mil and winter is fraught with heavy rains with extremely rare snowfalls. You will have to carry your umbrellas during all seasons while visiting Waterford. Waterford is accessible by air from various cities in UK, Europe, and Ireland. Waterford has an ideal location between the Irish cities of Cork and Dublin, which have excellent airports well serviced by long distance flights.

You can reach Waterford easily by road from any place in Ireland. Waterford is easily accessible by boat journey to Rosslare combined with a bus journey. Rosslare is at a short distance from Waterford. You can also take trains or buses to reach Ireland. Waterford can be explored easily by taxis, buses and cars. The best way, however, is by walking in the city center.

Tourist Attractions of Waterford

As Waterford is world famous for is lovely crystals designs, a visit to the Waterford factory is a must. You can see the vases, bowls, wine glasses and ornaments being manufactured on actual site. The tour around the factory informs you about the production techniques by way of audiovisual displays. You are able to look at the prestigious Waterford Crystal pieces in the gallery.

Waterford has several museums, historical sites and noteworthy buildings in addition to good clubs, restaurants and modern art galleries. The Waterford Treasures Museum is an excellent museum in the old building of the ancient Granary. It houses old artifacts from the archaeological finds. Reginald’s Tower is a magnificent monument, named after Regnall, Waterford city’s founder. William Vincent Plaza located on the Quay is a scenic shelter worth watching. Dunmore East is a fine fishing village. See the intriguing historical site at Ardmore.

Activities in Waterford

You can take short walks, treks and hikes in the mountainous regions surrounding Waterford. Biking is also an interesting activity to be pursued. You may seek pleasure in bird watching and fishing. Take walking tours across the town and explore every nook and corner for yourself. There are excellent cafes and restaurants in Waterford and some worth mentioning include Café Lucia, Bodega, The Brasserie, The Cottage Bistro, The Dry Dock Bar, Espresso, Haricots Wholeford Restaurant, Jade palace, Kambo, Kong’s Chinese Restaurant and La Bohéme and many more. The famous pubs of Waterford are Geoffs, Downse’s Pub and T&H Doolans. The renowned hotels of Waterford are Waterford Castle, Marlfield House, Whites Hotel, The Fitzwilton Hotel, Whitford House Hotel and Dunbrody Country House

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Importance of Summer Camps

Summer camps are extremely enriching for the kids in terms of learning, education, fun and entertainment. It is necessary to keep the kids engaged in some fruitful activity during the summer vacations and summer camps offer the perfect opportunity for this. The children can learn a lot related to nature, friendship, social interactions, personality development and various arts and crafts. By way of summer camps, the children are able to bond better with nature, which is the need of the hour. New friendships can blossom and a lot can be learnt about the flora and fauna of a particular place.

Types of Summer Camps

There are many types of summer camps like short duration, long duration, single day camps, weekend, week-long or month long camps. The summer camps could be indoor or outdoor. The summer camps can be differentiated on the basis of age groups as well. There are summer camps for nursery children, primary school children, middle school level children and teenagers. The summer camps may vary as per the activities also, some summer camps may be focusing on a single activity and others might include manifold activities. Some summer camps are residential and some summer camps are like school, wherein the children attend activities in certain stipulated time period.

Bonding with Nature

The biggest advantage offered by summer camps is that the child gets to bond with nature. Nowadays, the children are busy with urban lifestyles and school and other such things. Summer camps give the opportunity to the children to stay in close association with nature. The children can go for nature walks and know about the trees in the vicinity. They can also go for bird watching and observe birds in their natural habitats.

Learning New Crafts and Arts

Children can pick up new skills and arts during the summer camps. They can make herbarium files by collecting the leaves and flowers. Children who are interested in nature drawing and paintings can make landscape drawings by observing natural sceneries. Some children interested in cooking can learn the basic cooking. The children can learn sports like golf, football, basketball, swimming, tennis, rugby, cricket and horse riding etc.

There are many summer camps that conduct courses in story writing, drama, acting and dancing. Summer camps give the children a chance to take up water sports like canoeing and wave skiing.

Choosing a Summer Camp

The parents should be careful while choosing the proper type of summer camp. Firstly, the parents ought to consider the age of the children. The summer camps should be conducted by properly registered organization and qualified professionals. There should be proper and substantial safety measures included in the curriculum of the summer camp.

The parents must choose the summer camp as per the age of the child, duration, preference and liking of the child, activities offered, charges, fees and other terms and conditions.

Care to be Observed

The children should be instructed by the parents regarding proper safety rules, code of conduct, respect for nature and surroundings and all such things before leaving for the camp. Do let your children experience all the fun and excitement of the summer camps.

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Picnics are popular ways of spending some fun time away from home and office in beautiful surroundings. The picnics are sure to refresh your mind and souls and take you away from the daily tensions and humdrum of life. The English are enthusiastic about picnics and look forward to this exciting outing. The pleasant weather seems very tempting and we all tend to fall prey to its charms. A picnic is the best way to spend a few carefree days in the vicinity of nature and you will love it all the more if the picnic spot is unique. A survey conducted in 2003, shows that nearly 60% of British people enjoy at least one outdoor feast in a year.

Picnic is derived from French word, pique nique, a rhyming variation and means pecking or picking. Picnics were popularized to a great extent in the 18th century and it literally meant a get together where each one brought his own special dish. With the advent of railways and easy access to rural areas and countryside, picnics became outdoor events. The picnics of the Victorian times were extremely lavish affairs. The modern day picnics are largely spontaneous owing to the supermarket and fast food culture. The family can spend good quality time together by going for picnics.

Picnic Spots in Britain

Britain is full of many interesting picnic spots. The picnickers get a chance to stay in the lap of nature and spot wildlife as well. The various picnic spots in Britain include Hardcastle Crags, Somerset House, Eynsford, Tower Hill Tea Garden, Devil’s Dyke, John Muir Country Park, Cookham Village, Horniman Gardens, Padley Gorge, Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, Headley Heath, Winkworth Arboretum, Stanmer Park, Arundel Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Kelmscott, Watlington Hill, Hardcourt Arboretum, Avebury Stone Circle, The Naze, Avon Valley Country Park, Wellington Country Park, Ragley Hall, Barafundle Beach, Avebury Stone Circle, Beecraigs Country Park, Clywedog Valley and Trail, Horniman Gardens and Brownsea Island and many more in addition.

The above mentioned picnic spots are the most popular ones and top the list of favorites. Hardcastle Crags in West Yorkshire is a deep ravine of rocky terrain with gurgling streams and thick forests. You can seek pleasure in a lovely nature walk around this place to explore the Gibson Mill, a cotton mill of 19th century. This building has been revamped recently by the National Trust and is Britain’s largest building that is completely powered by sustainable source of energy. You can enjoy snacking at the picnic tables.

Somerset House is a perfect place for an unplanned picnic. It is strategically located in the heart of London. You can enjoy eating sandwiches in the spacious courtyards and the children will love to play ducking games in the dancing fountains. There are many cultural events held every July and the picnicking families can enjoy music and dance performances along with poetry reading sessions. At the Tower Hill Tea Gardens in Kent, you will enjoy the tea gardens on the slope and enjoy breathtaking views of Thames Estuary.

Enjoying picnics in Britain can help you to unwind and experience relaxing getaways.

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There are several bird watching hot spots that you could choose from, when you decide to go on a bird watching tour. Places like India, and Africa are some of the popular bird watching hotspots. You could also choose to enjoy bird watching tours in Zimbabwe, America, Canada and Australia. Besides, there are so many other places around the world that see the influx of some of the most exotic species of migratory birds that the list is endless.

Bird watching tours in UK

There are several places in the UK that you choose from, for a bird watching tour. These include places like Scotland, Wales, England, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and Northern Ireland, amongst several others. In UK, several tour company’s offer various tour packages that you could choose from. Besides, the internet is a good way to try and find out about the tour packages that are available. There are some companies that willingly customize trips for bird watchers. The tours that are designed by these companies have set dates. Here are a few tours that are offered by certain companies in the UK.

Bird watching in Wales

There are several companies that offer bird watching tours that in and around the countryside of central Wales. Wales is in fact, one of the most popular locations in the UK for bird watching. The countryside of Wales is not only spectacular but also provides a well balanced habitat for a wide variety of birds.

Apart from birds, you can also spot a variety of wild life here. The species of birds that you might be able to spot in Wales include Buzzard, Goshawk, Rd Kite, Merlin, Pied Flycatcher, Crossbill, Kingfisher, Nightjar, Razorbill, and Shear water amongst several others.

Bird watching in Scotland

Scotland, which is another popular bird watching hot spot in UK, also houses several companies that offer bird watching tours. The advantage of opting for these tours is that, firstly you always move around in groups and secondly you do not have to work really hard to locate the bird watching sites, especially if you do not know much about the location. Besides, the tour companies also mange to spot the rarest of the bird species for you.

In Scotland, you could hope to spot birds like the Golden Eagle, Merlin, Peregrine, and Chough, wildfowl, skuas, auks and several others.

You could also choose from places like Norfolk and places in the countryside in England. All you need to do is choose the right company and the right tour and have all your things packed. However, if you booking for a tour on the internet ensure that you are not being cheated.

Do forget your binoculars!

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Advantages of villas

The basic advantage of villas is that they are far away from the cluster of pollution and population. Villas also act as nature cure centers, as they comprise of greenery all over. Some of the best villas in the world are the ‘Menorca Holiday Villas’, located at ‘San Jaime Complex’. The beaches there are simply amazing. They have the facilities and excitement to cater to every age group, right from having an ice cream under the sun to exploring some great adventurous water-sports. One can reach the nearest beach from Menorca by boarding a mini-train which costs only two euros/seat. If one happens to be a fitness freak, walking would also be pleasurable.

The feeling of renting one’s own villa while on a vacation sounds great. These villas consist of all the basic luxuries inclusive of private pools, main service, and a private chef as well. Villas can be cheaper than a customary hotel room, if the right place is chosen at the right time and a proper research on villas in that area is carried out.

Frugal Villas

There is a peak season and an off-season when it comes to travel destinations. ‘Peak and ‘off ‘refer to the number of people visiting the place then. The rents of villas soar when a large number of people visit that place. However, during the off-season, villas offer a tremendous discount on their rent. So, it’s better to travel to a particular destination during its off-season, to make an affordable holiday.

Amenities provided by villas

Villas offer an excellent private luxury. One can have the entire villa on rent with no people interfering. Normally, villas accept a payment on a weekly basis. It’s mandatory to acquire trip insurance, which leads to putting about 20-50% of the rent prior to traveling. This amount is paid back later, if any tragedy does not take place in the mean time. This goes to show that investing in villas is ultimately beneficial.

If taking a vacation abroad is on the cards and a luxurious stay is the anticipation, private villas are the best option. They are very much economical as well. They give one the feeling of being in a second home. Along with the off-season rates, exceptional ‘Honey Moon’ rates are also available. Advanced booking in the form of deposit is inevitable in the villas. In places such as Pattaya, Phuket and Krabi in Thailand one can find a wide range of villa accommodations to enchant travelers of all tastes. Now a days, villas also provide facilities such as air conditioning (individually controlled), entertainment systems, DVDs and CDs or PCs with an internet.

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