This post at Travel Rants having a dig at Tourist Boards and the debate on the associated post on 501 Places reinforced to me the need for the industry players such as tour operators and activity providers to support the work of the official bodies. The commercial sector has to come up with ideas and products to appeal to tourists from Britain on a “staycation” or visitors from abroad looking to extend their knowledge of the UK beyond London.
One such idea that occurred to me at this time of year is to create walking tours that give you a chance to admire the dramatic changes of colour of trees. Leaf Peeping is done seriously in the USA where they have organised a Foliage Network to keep you updated on the progress as the season changes and they even have webcams set up so that you can watch. Crown of Maine
It got me thinking which are the best places in the UK for Leaf peeping. One hot spot has to be the National Arboretum at Westonbirt . On my patch in Derbyshire it has to be the National Forest. Here you can watch the season advance through the young plantations at Lamont Woods or the ancient woods at Calke and the adjoining Lime Kilns area.
Taking an interest in trees is timely as 2011 is the International Year of Forests. So I'm going to develop a walk themed on Leaf Peeping for Beginners and will keep you posted. In the meantime why don't you tell me where your favourite “neck of the woods “ is to see the colours change ?
Can't wait for the walk and want to go somewhere now ? … see the experts on our Resources page.
One of the great things about walking is making new discoveries especially those that are unusual or strange. Non more so than the Spanish Shrine we came across on Saturday in Derbyshire.
There's nothing about the building that reminds me of Spain; it has to be local building material to keep to the spirit of the National Park.
When you step inside you see the link;
but why is it here ?
The Early Purple Orchids are out.
When walking in Derbyshire in Spring one of the regular questions is whether the Early Purple Orchids have started flowering. Last year we met a couple from London who were making their annual trip to Litton Dale and Cressbrook Dale to see this event in nature's diary.
With a similar curiosity we started our walk at Cressbrook and managed to find the Orchid starting to come out last week.
Whilst many wild orchids in Britain are rare the Early Purple is fairly common. There are varieties of it in Bedfordshire that are pale and in Wales there is even an almost-white version.
Shakespeare mentioned it in Hamlet when Gertrude referred to it as “long purple” in “Of crow-flowers, nettles,daises and long purples, that liberal shepards give a grosser name”. Any guesses what that “grosser name” was ?
Our walk explored Open access land above Litton Mill which offered some new views of the gorge of the River Wye.
A gentle stroll through the picturesque and fun named Water Cum Jolly finished off a pleasing day.
Also heard that other milestone in the nature's calendar, the sound of the cuckoo, on a weekend walk to Willington Nature Reserve.
Are there any events in natures diary that you want to see or hear first hand for yourself ?
A new month a new walking experience...the need to keep cool in hot weather. After the driest June for 3 years I expected to find the waterfalls a trickle but you will see from the pictures there was still a good force of water. Just shows how much water the peat moors hold and what a sponge they are.
There are different waterfalls along this little known valley and they do require a good walk and a bit of scrambling. The path went through lots of knee high ferns and acres of billberries. I lost count of how many times I had to cross the stream.
Ideal for cooling you off in this hot sultry weather ... imagine dangling your feet in it ....
If you are looking for a budget day out and a unique new attraction then its got to be worth trying Cresswell Crags in Derbyshire. Britain’s first national centre for the Ice Age. I got a sneek preview when it was unveiled on Saturday (27 June) when Sir David Attenborough opened the visitor centre.
The legendary TV presenter called it a historic day and told the crowd how a group of archaeologists had found the site following their search for cave drawings in Britain.
The new complex is a striking building overlooking a stunning limestone gorge and will make the site appealing to everybody as well as international archaeologists.
Cresswell Crags is already recognised in the international archaeology circles as home to Britain’s only known cave art and now the new visitor centre will capture the spirit of the place with displays and exhibitions that will provide a glimpse of life during the last Ice Age. And the ‘star’ attraction includes unique cave art and an animal rib engraved with a horse’s head and not forgetting the exceptional cave tours for which Cresswell is renowned.
The visitor centre and the dramatic landscape of the limestone are open every day throughout the year for free. There is a charge for the cave tours. There is a cafe but if you prefer to take a picnic there is plenty of outdoor space and a host of paths for walking as well as a lakeside trail.
So if you are staying for your holiday in Britain this year what better way to enjoy a budget day out discovering a new experience that you can't find elsewhere.
For more details about Creswell Crags and its new visitor centre, visit www.creswell-crags.org.uk
