Wave Hotel: Butlins waves goodbye to the hi-de-h

The brainchild of Billy Butlin, these resorts were set up 76 years ago with the tag line that the working man should be able to have "one week’s holiday for one week’s pay". On the back of the 1938 Holiday Pay Act, which gave blue-collar workers their first paid breaks, the concept quickly caught on and in its heyday there were 10 resorts across Britain and Ireland (and one in the Bahamas) filled with family huts, knotted handkerchiefs on heads and organised fun. But as holiday companies took the all-inclusive idea to the Costas in the Eighties, with the guarantee of sunshine, Billy’s baby hit the buffers. Today, just three resorts remain – Minehead, Skegness and Bognor Regis.

Swallowed up by Bourne Leisure in 2000, the resorts have been quietly bringing themselves into the 21st century, at a cost of £125million. including the Wave, the newest of three new hotels on the Bognor Regis Resort.



Butlins offer several levels of accommodation, ranging from the basic Silver Apartments in the older buildings to the higher-end Ocean Hotel and the Wave There can be a huge difference between the cheapest rooms – £300 for a family of four for a three-night break, without food – and the most expensive, £1,330 including all meals.

It is the all-inclusive aspect that is so appealing, the idea that you don’t have to think and frantically plan for how to entertain your little darlings. Most costs are known and most of the thinking has been done for you. Much like a cruise, in fact. All-inclusive resorts like this will never replace the sort of holidays that are considered more middle class, involving quaint b&bs, secluded locations, grand country house hotels, idyllic scenery, cultural trails and adventurous activities. But they can sit quite comfortably together, though.

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Cornwall named top holiday spot for over 50s

Cornwall has been named the top UK holiday destination for those aged 50 and over in the 50+ Awards 2012.

Fighting off competition from York and London, who took second and third place respectively, the Duchy was applauded for its variety of gardens, walks and scenic spots.

Organised and presented by the 50+ Show, the awards showcase the best that life has to offer for those who have celebrated their mid-centenarian year and cover everything from best health product to best personality across 53 categories.



Malcolm Bell, head of VisitCornwall, collected the award at the inaugural 50+ Awards Gala Reception in London.

He said: "The grey pound is vitally important to Cornwall as with 41% of our visitors aged 55 plus they could be considered our core market.

"To our benefit they are flexible in visiting times and most likely to visit during the autumn and winter which supports the development of a year-round visitor economy. This award shows that we are keeping this important visitor base happy and will help to attract new visitors."

The Award winners were decided through online nominations and votes by those aged over 50. In total 211,465 votes were cast and the Best UK Destination was among the top 20 most voted for categories.

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Britain’s first ‘Wiki-town’

Tourism boost for Wales as Britain’s first ‘Wiki-town’ is launched in historic Monmouth.

The small Welsh town where King Henry V was born in 1387 is about to make history again by becoming the world's first ‘Wikipedia town.’

From tomorrow, visitors to Monmouth, in south-east Wales, will be able to scan barcodes at points of interest, instantly bringing up a Wikipedia page about the landmark on their phones. Hundreds of articles about the life and history of Monmouth will be available online in more than 26 languages, from Hindi to Hungarian.

Around 1,000 different barcodes, plaques and stickers are now displayed on the town’s schools, museums, historical sites and even pubs have signed up, highlighting the history of their establishments.

And while the project is geared at capturing ‘every notable place, person, artefact, flora and fauna’ in the town, some less-historically notable - but equally welcome - articles have been added.

Local businesses such as bakeries have been involved, placing barcodes in their windows linked to articles about the history of baking.

The project - dubbed ‘Monmouthpedia’ - has been developed by Wikimedia UK over the last six months, helped by the local council's installation of town-wide free Wi-Fi.

Local residents and businesses have created and edited articles about the town, while other volunteers have been translating them.

More than 450 new articles about Monmouth have been added to Wikipedia and nearly 150 existing articles have been improved in the past six months.

Czech speakers can now learn about Monmouth Castle in their native tongue, while Fijian Hindi speakers can check out articles on the Monmouth Cricket Club, Methodist Church or the local Kings Head Hotel.

Scholars of lesser-known languages such as Esperanto or Latin will also have their pick of Monmouth-related articles.

Monmouthshire County Council's chief officer for regeneration and culture, Kellie Beirne, said the project had already boosted tourism.

The town was chosen for its rich cultural history, says Wikimedia UK's communications organiser Stevie Benton.

He said: ‘It's really captured people's imaginations in ways we hadn't expected.'

‘If everyone shares the stories of their local area, we'll have a much clearer understanding of the world we live in and that's a powerful thing.'

Roger Bamkin, a director of Wikimedia UK, said, 'We're delighted that Monmouth is becoming the world's first Wikipedia town.

‘Both the quality and quantity of the new Monmouth Wikipedia content is outstanding, reflecting the rich cultural, historical and natural heritage of the town.

'At last foreign visitors can not only read information in their own language, but they can edit it too.’

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales said he was looking forward to seeing other towns following suit.

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Diamond Jubilee to spark UK holidays frenzy

UK holidays will be on the agenda for many people next month when the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations create a four-day window for breaks.

A report by the Telegraph has claimed the long weekend will see £10 billion added to the country's economy, with hundreds of thousands of people expected to arrive at holiday spots from both the UK and abroad.

Restaurants, attractions and shops are likely to be busy, with much of the activity focused on London.

With this in mind, people might be wise to take holidays in Sussex, Kent, Essex or other counties close to the capital. But that is not to say there will not be plenty of tourists heading for beautiful locations such as Devon and Yorkshire in order to soak up a relaxed atmosphere as the nation marks 60 years of its monarch's reign.



Santander recently found the price of hotels in the UK is as much as 81 per cent higher on the Jubilee weekend, so campsites and caravans could provide the best value accommodation.

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Holiday Park Looks Forward to 50 More Years

Family-run holiday parks that have celebrated 40 years in business are not uncommon. But few can boast individual holiday-caravan owners who have been coming back for more than 50 years. However, that is the claim to fame justifiably being made by Highlands End at Eype near Bridport in Dorset.

Heading up West Dorset Leisure Holidays (WDLH) which runs this park are the Cox/Butcher family. They took over the operation, which numbers five parks, in 1971.




Among their satisfied customers are Jennifer and Robert Crockford from Stonehouse in Gloucestershire who have within past weeks taken delivery of their seventh holiday caravan at Highlands End. And Jennifer can recall staying there with her parents as far back as 1961.

Located in a clifftop setting midway between Weymouth and Lyme Regis, Highlands End lies right at the heart of the Jurassic Coast, the UK’s only natural World Heritage Site. It has views to match.

This park is the flagship of WDLH and it’s easy to see why. As well as 160 mostly privately-owned holiday caravans, it offers an indoor heated swimming pool with sauna and steam room, a well-equipped gym, tennis courts, a nine-hole pitch’n’putt course and a bar plus restaurant.

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Butlins summer holidays available now

So that UK families can spend some quality time together this summer, holiday company Butlins is offering some fantastic summer holidays, all of which offer fantastic things to do for all ages.

Butlins is one of the UK’s favourite holiday companies and has three seaside resorts in Bognor Regis, Minehead and Skegness, all of which are family-friendly and fun-filled. With top quality live entertainment and a variety of restaurants families will be able to find more than enough to do together.

Parents searching for family-friendly breaks in the UK this year should head for the official Butlins website now to see the wide range of dates available for the summertime. The holiday provider has lots of superb holidays at its three resorts and families everywhere will be able to enjoy live entertainment, numerous activities, great accommodation and delicious dining options.

With some of the best beaches in the UK just a stone’s throw from the three Butlins resorts families will be able to go for a dip in the sea or catch up on some sunbathing throughout their holidays. If the weather isn’t cooperating, the Butlins resorts can provide shelter – there’s a Splash Waterworld at all three resorts, as well as well as entertainment shows from Stephen Mulhern, acrobatic circuses, Redcoat shows and BMX and skate displays.

There’s also bowling alleys, cinemas, children’s play areas, arts and crafts events and much more at the resorts and guests can also take part in unique activities while staying at Butlins. When booking breaks consider signing up for lessons in archery, fencing or indoor rock climbing, or go for some go-karting. There are children’s clubs too, and at the Bognor Regis and Skegness resorts adults can chill out at the spa.

Prices for Butlins summer holidays start from just £65 per person per break, and dining plans can be added for around £13.50 per adult per day.

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British adults fail the national geography test

BRITONS may know all about the beaches of St Kitts and the lavish nightlife of Monte Carlo but they have little idea about the geography of their home nation, new national research has shown.

• ONE IN FIVE BRITISH ADULTS DON’T KNOW WHICH COUNTRIES MAKE UP THE UK

• SIX OUT OF 10 NAMED MOUNT EVEREST, BEN NEVIS AND SNOWDON AS ENGLAND’S BIGGEST MOUNTAIN

• A QUARTER OF THE NATION BELIEVES AYERS ROCK IS IN THE UK

BRITONS may know all about the beaches of St Kitts and the lavish nightlife of Monte Carlo but they have little idea about the geography of their home nation, new national research has shown.

 

While their children are busy leafing through revision notes in order to sit their geography GCSE exams this Spring, more than one in five British adults (20.6%) admit they do not know how many countries are actually in the UK.

 

In a year of national pride, which sees London play host to the Olympic Games and the Queen launch nationwide celebrations for her Diamond Jubilee, more than half of British adults (58.6%) confessed they believe Mount Everest, Ben Nevis and Snowdon are actually in England, according to the research* by luxury tour specialists Journeys of Distinction.

 

Staggeringly, more than a third of the nation (33.8%) believes the Home Counties circle Manchester, Birmingham or Glasgow, according to the research.

 

Ten per cent of those polled have no idea that the huge Angel of the North is even in the UK, let alone in the north-east of England.

 

And almost a quarter of Brits think Australia’s iconic Ayers Rock is actually in Britain, while one in 20 confessed they had absolutely no clue that Stonehenge is also based here in Britain.

 

Astonishingly, one in five Brits confessed they don’t know where in the UK Britain’s legendary seaside resort, Blackpool, is located. And the majority (53%) have no clue where Balmoral Castle is based.

 

Almost a third of the nation (32.3%) don’t know that Canterbury, home to the world famous Canterbury Cathedral, is based in the county of Kent.

 

Many experts believe that advances in technology and the easy availability of online search engines which provide instant answers to any question anywhere, any time, means that people now don’t need to store geographical information like they did in the last century.

 

*Research based on a poll of 2,000 British citizens, carried out by OnePoll on behalf of Journeys of Distinction in February 2012.

 

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Hottest weekend of the year as Britons flocked to the seaside

Temperatures to continue rising after hottest weekend of the year. Britons flocked to the seaside as they took advantage of the hottest weekend of the year.

Coastal resorts saw thousands turn out to lap up temperatures of 22.2C (72F) on Saturday – making it England’s warmest March day for 22 years.

About 200,000 people hit the beach at Blackpool while others packed the shores of Brighton, Bournemouth and Langland Bay, near Swansea.

Others dusted off their barbecues for the first time this year as supermarkets reported a surge in sausage and burger sales.

The hottest place in Britain was Fyvie Castle in Aberdeenshire, where a temperature of 22.8C (73F) was recorded – beating the previous March high of 1965.

More sunshine is forecast for much of this week with the mercury staying above 20C (68F) in most regions until Thursday.

‘We’ve got clear skies, plenty of sunshine and quite dry ground which is heating up quite quickly,’ said Met Office spokeswoman Rebecca Sherwin. ‘Most places will be dry, warm and sunny for the next few days.’

Temperatures will be back to normal for the time of year by the weekend but west Wales and north-eastern parts of Scotland are likely to be warmest.

However, the driest March since records began has failed to impress the Environment Agency, which is implementing a hosepipe ban in many areas from April 5.

‘Obviously, it’s nice to have a sunny weekend but what we really need is a prolonged period of rainfall,’ said a spokesman for the agency. ‘We’re working with farmers to keep them going through the summer.

However, it’s been a very dry week and river levels are continuing to fall,’ they added.

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Return of the Staycation

A leading UK tour operator has revealed that the 'staycation' could be making a comeback. The latest figures from the tour operator have shown that sales of UK breaks have increased by approximately 9% compared to the same period last year. This has been put down to the UK being under the spotlight during 2012.

There are a variety of factors causing this resurgence in UK breaks with the main one being the UK playing host to some top events during 2012 such as the Queens Diamond Jubilee, The Olympics, the 100th anniversary of the maiden voyage of RMS Titanic and the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens birth. Other popular events drawing in the crowds are the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Wimbledon Tennis Championships, the Chelsea Flower Show and Royal Ascot Ladies Day.

It's not just events that are proving to be a hit for people choosing to take their break in the UK in 2012, VisitEngland have recently launched a campaign showcasing the advantages of taking a 'staycation' instead of heading abroad. The campaign draws on the benefits of avoiding the hassle of passport control, lengthy queues to check-in at airports, poor exchange rates and the risk that travellers' suitcases may not arrive at their destination - which happened to many when London Gatwick suffered a power failure earlier this month and the baggage conveyors did not work. The 2012 campaign has got thousands of fantastic offers to make holidaying at home more affordable than ever this year.

With all the focus pointing towards London during 2012, short breaks to the UK's capital city remain popular with holidaymakers. Latest figures from Door2Tour.com have shown a 63% rise in sales for London city breaks and this does not include sales of London theatre breaks that have also risen in popularity. Many believe that the 'Royal Effect' has also had a positive impact on the popularity of UK breaks and coach holidays in England with interest in the Royal Family reaching new heights after The Royal Wedding. Sales for Door2Tour coach holidays to Buckingham Palace, its gardens and of course Windsor Castle have risen steadily in popularity. Traditional seaside favourites are also making a comeback with resorts such as Blackpool, Bognor Regis, Scarborough and Great Yarmouth all seeing a rise in hotel bookings.

A spokesperson for Door2Tour.com commented: "Our figures have shown that although the credit crunch is still affecting many of our customers, it has not dampened their spirits where holidays are concerned. It just means that for 2012, most will be shopping around for the best deal for their money. Europe is still a temptation for holidaymakers simply because of its guarantee of sun, sea and sand. In 2011, many people who chose to have a 'staycation' were probably let down because of the typical British weather and are more determined than ever to seek out that summer sunshine in 2012. Let's hope that with all the focus on the UK and the possibility of a beautiful summer, people will be persuaded that holidaying at home is the far better option this year."

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