Activity is the key to fitness!!!!

As someone who knows that he needs more exercise but lacks the time and will-power, re-developing out site's activities section has not been very high on my agenda.

We previously had an activity holidays section but it was almost impossible to keep up-to-date and it was decided to remove all links to it until we could develop a system to ensure it is always accurate.

Although we now have the system complete, there is currently only one activity shown, golf, but it should be relatively easy in the very near future to add more to the list.

Sporting activities are also high on the list of Mark Cohen, one of our web developers/optimisers who is working on a separate site to satisfy the needs of tourists visiting the forthcoming 2012 London Olympic Games.

Although "London" won the bid to host the games, there are venues throughout Britain where some of the activities will take place. Fortunately, Tourist Net UK already has members offering accommodation in all the areas so visitors seeking Olympic Games hotels will find suitable links taking them direct to suitable information.

As one of the earlier UK tourism sites online (1997), for almost 12 years now Tourist Net UK has been helping tourists find what they need whether they are UK residents or visitors from abroad and there is no doubt that the present weakness of the UK economy is bringing in considerably more foreign tourists who are looking for places to stay in the UK and attractions to visit.

Portmeirion - A fantasy village

Portmeirion is a rich man’s folly on a grand scale, the ultimate dream of lifelong conservationist and architect Clough Williams-Ellis who created it in the 1920s to prove that building in such a naturally beautiful place did not necessarily mean spoiling it.


Run by a charity and inspired by the Italian town of Portofino, this unusual, pastel-coloured holiday village has many Italianate buildings, some with skewed perspectives.


It comes complete with shops, restaurants, a pottery and a hotel and is surrounded by sub-tropical gardens, woodland and miles of near-empty beaches.

Located on a small sheltered promontory on the estuary of the Afon Dwydrd near Porthmadog in North Wales, it is well worth a visit. Most visitors are day-trippers but Portmeirion offers both hotel and self-catering accommodation for those wishing to stay overnight.


The cult television series The Prisoner, starring Patrick McGoohan (who sadly died aged 80 in January 2009), was filmed here between 1966-67. There is no doubt that this tv exposure contributed to boosting its popularity and therefore its success.

The nearest railway station is Minffordd on the picturesque Cambrian Line, which runs between Pwllheli and Machynlleth, where it connects to the UK mainline network. The station is also on the Ffestiniog Steam Railway.

Although the signs at the station proclaim Portmeirion is just a mile away, it seems a very long mile if you are walking it!!

Thanks go to Barmouth residents Angela and Brian Murphy for their help in compiling this information.

WARWICKSHIRE - Something Wicked this Way Comes!

Although the largest town in Warwickshire is Nuneaton, the county town is Warwick, best known as being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon.

The earliest reference to Warwickshire (Waeinewiscscr), was in 1001, and named after Warwick meaning dwellings by the weir.

Warwickshire was ruled by Coventry during the Middle Ages, which at the time was very important, due to to textiles trade.

In 1974 Birmingham and Coventry became part of the area known as the West Midlands due to boundary changes under the Local Government Act of 1972.

Popular tourist attractions in the area include Warwick Castle and Kenilworth Castle.

Photo: Shakespeare's Birthplace © Copyright Frederick Blake licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

SUFFOLK - Keep Watching the Skies!

The county town of Suffolk is Ipswich, other major towns include Lowestoft and Bury St. Edmunds, whilst Felixstowe is one of the largest container ports in Europe.

The coastline and heaths of Suffolk are classified as Area(s) of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

One of the UK's most ancient regions, founded in 630AD was a monastery in Bury St. Edmunds, whilst the oldest documented structural element (of a inhabited building in Britain) can be found at Clare, near Sudbury.

Commonly referred to as 'Britain's Roswell', the Rendlesham Forest Incident is one of most famous UFO events in the UK.

Photo © Copyright Simon Leatherdale licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

LEICESTERSHIRE - Say Cheese!

The city of Leicester from which the county derives its name, offers a mixture of architecture, vibrant festivals, performing arts, and contemporary shopping and eating at Highcross.

The city is also surrounded by quaint villages and market towns, beautiful countryside locations and inspiring landscapes.

Appleby Magna has plenty of historic properties of interest to the visitor, whilst Markfield is ideal for those interested in nature due to its close proximity to the National Forest, the Hill Hole Nature Reserve and the alter stones playing field.

History and its traditions are represented in the county, a fine example is the Hallaton Bottle Kicking. It was from here that the famous saying "paint the town red" originates.

Whilst Stilton and Red Leicester cheese, along with the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie are Leicestershire's most famous contributions to traditional English food.

It's no surprise that Melton Mowbray hosts the annual East Midlands Food & Drink Festival.

Photo © Copyright Colin Smith licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

INVERNESS - Say hello to Nessie!

Although Inverness is the unofficial capital of the Scottish Highlands, with its own cathedral, castle and fairy-hill, there's much more for the tourist on offer throughout the region.



Inverness-shire is renowned for its legends, history, wildlife and awe-inspiring scenery.


The magnificent Great Glen, separates the northwest of Scotland from its south-eastern corner.

More important to the visitor, this geological fissure provides an array of astonishing sights.

From Ben Nevis to the 700ft deep, 23-mile wide Loch Ness, the famous home of the 'monster' Nessie, on whose banks one will find the iconic Urquhart Castle. On the western shores of Loch Ness, the picture postcard village of Fort Augustus, where legend has it that Saint Columba banished a water monster from the River Ness.

The Great Glen Way is a 73-mile long-distance walk, offering views of some of Scotland’s most dramatic scenery, between Inverness and Fort William.

Loch Ness © Copyright John Allan photo licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

NYM - The North Yorkshire Moors

Clothed in purple heather North Yorkshire Moors, the largest area of moorland in England and Wales.

The rich landscape of the North York Moors National Park, centred around the traditional market town of Helmsley, is protected and is only one of the areas many charms.

There's the sandstone terrain of the Hambleton Hills, and the rural peaks of the Cleveland Hills, while majestic sea cliffs form part of the coastal regions between the resorts of Scarborough and Whitby.

Whitby is well known to readers of Bram Stoker's Dracula, it was on these very shores that the infamous Count arrived to terrorise the inhabitants of Victorian England!

The popular television series ‘Heartbeat’, is set in the village of Goathland, which was also used the small railway station for ‘Hogmeade’ in the Harry Potter movies, further spectacle can be found at Mallyan Spout, the local 70ft waterfall!

From castles to steam railways, coves to caves, grand houses to sandy beaches, North Yorkshire has it all!

Whitby Abbey - Photo: Colin Westley CCL

ESSEX - Not just an extension of London's Urban Sprawl!

Essex shares its border with London, which might lead you to believe that there's little to tempt the traveller to this area!

Essex is however, a region with plenty to offer.

From countryside walks and villages full of thatched cottages, to a coastline with both traditional seaside resorts and magnificent scenery.

There's plenty for those interested in history, too!

Home to Epping Forest, one of the largest areas of woodland accessible in southern England. Lying on the edge of the forest is Waltham Abbey, built by King Harold Godwinson, who is buried here and consecrated in 1060. There are more than 14,000 listed buildings in Essex, ranging from the oldest surviving wooden structure in Britain to Fyfield Hall, the oldest continually inhabited timber-framed house in the country. Layer Marney Tower also happens to be England’s tallest Tudor gatehouse, whilst Colchester is England’s oldest recorded town.

Its most complete Norman castle was built on top the foundations of Britain’s first Roman temple, in the same style as the White Tower (Tower of London).

Chelmsford,the county’s capital, also founded by the Romans, features a cathedral dating to the 15th century.

Essex has many other reminders of old England, and a long maritime heritage.

Harwich, with its many museums is the UK's second busiest passenger ferry port.

Dovercourt is well-known for a series of iron lighthouses.

Tilbury has a mid-16th century fort, complete with a museum and underground magazine.

Known as the ‘sunshine coast’ due to a mild climate, there are many well-known coastal resorts in the area, including Southend, Clacton, Frinton, Burnham-on-Crouch and Brightlingsea.

Then there's the mud flats and wild marshes, and plenty of heaths, woodlands and unspoiled meadows for those interested in nature and wildlife.

Walking, riding, sailing, swimming, fishing or take a trip on a steam railway... Essex has it all!

Photo © Martin Addison CCL

BEDFORDSHIRE - The Smallest County in England

England’s smallest county, Bedfordshire mainly consists of green fields, therefore relying heavily on agriculture and market gardening. There are great houses, plenty of thatched cottages, and old-world villages to enjoy.

The most prominent house in the area is the 18th century Woburn Abbey, the ancestral seat of the Dukes of Bedford, originally a medieval abbey. The surrounding 3,000-acre Woburn Park, used by the 11th Duke to save the rare Pére David's deer from extinction, and later, the 13th Duke was the first to open it to the public before he invented Woburn Safari Park - the largest drive-through wildlife reserve in Britain.

The county used to be part of the kingdom of the ancient British tribe, the Cantvellauni. Through the ages the area as been occupied by the Romans, the Anglo Saxons and later the region was part of the Kingdom of Mercia.

Bedfordshire’s population is mainly concentrated in the towns of Luton and Bedford, with its five-arched 19th century bridge over the River Great Ouse and a number of old churches.

Woburn Abbey: Peter Roberts CCL