Forget April in Paris, experience the romance and artistry of North America in the Autumn with Alamo Rent A Car. With the pound continuing to take a battering against the Euro, Alamo is urging travellers to head stateside for their Autumn break this year to experience New England in the Fall. Alamo is offering rental of a compact city car such as the Chevrolet Cobalt for a week in Boston from under £19* a day

(*based on a week rental and booked online at Alamo.co.uk and pre-paid).

Tom Middleditch, Marketing Manager for Alamo Rent A Car comments: “This a great time cash in on the strength of the pound against the US dollar and head across to the US for a bargain Autumn break. Alamo’s great quality, affordable car rental means our customers can make the most of their trip. With GPS units for hire from many US locations, the journey will be as much fun as the destination. “

Coast to coast

Witness the flaming maple trees of New England and hear the crunch of gold and amber leaves under foot as the landscape turns into an inferno of colour. Potter around Maine to visit antique and craft shops, or drive to Boston for some city chic and a spot of serious shopping.

Costumes and Carnivals

Nobody does Halloween like the Americans! Hit the road to Salem’s Festival of the Dead. Soak up the atmosphere as the streets fill with costumed revellers.

See the Falls in the Fall

See the world-famous Niagara Falls in the Fall. Stay for the fabulous light show and then experience more spectacular views and gourmet cuisine at the Top of the Falls Restaurant.

Bookings can be made on www.alamo.co.uk

Check with TOWSAFE urges HPI

The introduction of the new tax increases planned for 2009, together with growing concerns over the environmental impact of motor vehicles, is causing many families to downsize. With caravanners traditionally using 4x4’s and other large vehicles as their tow-car – especially for bigger caravans – HPI is urging them to make sure their new downsized car can safely and legally tow their prized caravan. Failure to comply with the law could result in a fine of up to £1000 and point on your licence.

HPI is also urging holidaymakers to ensure their caravans are loaded correctly. A recent police crackdown on a busy holiday route in North Yorkshire highlighted the need for people to be careful; 14 caravans were ordered off the road immediately during spot checks for various safety offences, including weight issues and incorrect loading. The police state that caravans and trailers should be loaded correctly, tyre pressure should be adjusted according to the extra load and the tyre tread should be legal. A quick inspection of the mirrors and lights is also essential before setting off.

“Families changing cars or preparing for their summer caravan trip can’t afford to overlook the safety of their caravan outfit,” advises Alan Bishop, Director of HPI. “As well as the environmental issues, the credit crunch is causing more and more people to tighten their purse strings and as a result, caravan holidays are on the rise. Many people who already own a caravan have downsized to a smaller vehicle since their last trip and a smaller vehicle will impact the amount they can tow therefore potentially jeopardising the safety of them and their family when taking their trip. Many car dealers will not be aware of the legal and safety requirements that come with towing a caravan, so it is the caravanners responsibility to get it right – the easiest and safest way to ensure they comply is by using HPI’s TOWSAFE. ”

Not only is HPI’s TOWSAFE the most comprehensive car and caravan outfit matching service available, but it offers an easy and affordable way to ensure an outfit is correctly matched to the car – so caravanners can enjoy a care-free trip. Its extensive database gives access to weights and towing capacities of over 30,000 caravans and cars, and is the preferred choice of all the major caravan dealerships across the UK. Caravan owners can conduct a TOWSAFE check by logging on and registering at www.towsafe.co.uk

Bishop concludes, “Using TOWSAFE secures the safety of you and your family, as well as ensuring caravanners stay within the law when towing. The system not only matches a specific car with one or more caravans, but also advises on an outfit’s suitability depending on driver experience. Don’t risk it; enjoy a happy holiday with TOWSAFE.”

To conduct a TOWSAFE check, log on to www.towsafe.co.uk

 

- now a stunning luxury holiday destination - scoops a National Railway Heritage Award and the RICS (’) North West Tourism & Leisure Award

Go Green - leave the car at home and save fuel - arrive and get around by train Situated on the legendary Carlisle to Settle railway line, Dent is England''s highest mainline railway station, and following its sympathetic restoration, is now available for luxury holiday rental.

Robin Hughes, (right) owner of Dent Station with Simon Kohler of Hornby unveiling the National Railway Heritage Award and the RICS North West Tourism & Leisure Award So sympathetic was its conversion that it impressed the judges of two major national awards - A National Railway Heritage Award (NRHA) (The First Group Craft Skills Award), and the RICS (’) North West Tourism & Leisure Award 2008 (”), the unveiling of which has just taken place.

 

This unique Grade II Listed property, located in beautiful Dentdale, Yorkshire, promises to provide a distinctly different self-catering experience.  This is a holiday destination that will not only attract those with a passion for railways, but also those who want to enjoy the perfect vantage point from which to take in some of the Dales’ most breathtaking scenery.

Dent Station was opened in 1877, and is some eight miles north of the famous Ribblehead Viaduct.  The station sits 1,150 ft above sea level within an acre of land, and alongside the railway line that weaves its way from the infamous Blea Moor Tunnel four miles away. Robin Hughes, a chartered surveyor, has always been interested in railways and decided to buy the station and restore it as a luxury retreat.

 

Steam excursions run on the line next to the converted station during the weekends.  Robin says:  “It’s great to be able to escape to such a stunning part of the world and arrive on your own doorstep - or platform! - from London in around 4 hours. This remarkable holiday home has been finished with a classic ‘first class’ period look.  The restored woodwork gleams with a fresh coat of Midland Railway maroon and cream paintwork, while inside a coal-fired Rayburn is complemented by efficient, modern-day under floor heating.

The accommodation has been imaginatively designed, with the former booking hall now a spacious sitting room and the original ladies’ waiting room transformed into a kitchen/dining area.  The three bedrooms sleep a total of six people.  Superb new bathrooms have been carefully chosen to provide a traditional look, and all in keeping with the property.

Around five passenger trains in each direction link Carlisle and Leeds and stop at Dent daily, and the line is regularly used by freight trains.  Dent Station is a great place from which to explore the Dales by train, with seven-day rover tickets affording access to the surrounding towns and villages.  Dent village itself is around four miles away and has its own brewery, while the trip from Settle to Carlisle is regarded as one of the most scenic and quintessential railway journeys in the world. 

This holiday home is a must for those who love the great outdoors, with all the luxury and comfort of modern living - and a good measure of romantic nostalgia - thrown in.  A week’s stay at Dent Station for six people is priced from £785.  For more information please contact Robin Hughes on 07824 665266 or visit www.dentstation.co.uk or e-mail: dentstation@btinternet.com

- Travel on the famous Carlisle to Settle railway - you can even arrive at your holiday destination by train

- Pretend you are the Fat Controller from Thomas The Tank Engine fame, or one of the Railway Children!

- Visit Dent Brewery, one of the most remote real ale breweries in the country

- Savour the taste of Wensleydale cheese and locally made pies

- Enjoy walks throughout Yorkshire, Lancashire and Cumbria

- Visit the famous 440 yard sweeping Ribblehead Viaduct with its 24 arches

- Have a cup of Yorkshire tea in one of the many tearooms found in the surrounding towns

- Visit Kendal, famous for its mint cake

- Walk around the historic market town of Kirkby Lonsdale, known for Devil''s Bridge and Ruskin''s View

- Simply enjoy the beauty and tranquillity of the surrounding area

Getting there

Located on the Carlisle - Settle - Leeds line, the station is four miles from the village of Dent, around eight miles north of the famous Ribblehead Viaduct, and almost equi-distant between Leeds and Carlisle.

By train: Accessible from anywhere on the UK rail network, approximate journey times are:

Leeds - 2 Hours

Carlisle - 1 Hour

Manchester - 3 Hours

London - 4 Hours

Glasgow - 3 Hours

Birmingham - 4 Hours

By road: Dent Station can easily be accessed from Junction 34 of the M6, or if travelling from the North East via the A1 near Beadale.

 

Grand Roz 3 Bedroon Gite.

Silfiac – 19kms from Pontivy – Morbihan – Brittany South and West Grand Roz features 3 bedrooms upstairs and sleeps up to 5 people. This very well appointed country gite overlooking a lake is perfect for a family stay or perhaps a last minute romantic break.

 

The front garden has excellent views across the lake and Breton countryside, and is an ideal spot to sit and relax whilst enjoying the tranquility. The garden area has all you need for al fresco dining, complete with barbecue. It also provides games for outdoor use such a boules and garden darts.

Located in central Brittany, this gite is so well placed for exploring Vannes, and Carnac on the south coast, along with the Pink Granite Coast in the north. Water sport lovers, beach-combers, and forest walkers alike will love everything that Lake Guerledan has to offer, just 10 minutes away.

PROPERTY REF: BM002483

Weekly Price: From £150pw

Contact: Trudie Jones

Tel: +33 2 97 27 61 57

Email: trudie-jones@hotmail.co.uk

SCOTTISH TRAVELLERS - can still enjoy sailing to the continent, from Newcastle.

With the closure of Superfast’s Rosyth to Zeebrugge service in September, Scottish travellers still have a quick and easy alternative close by - DFDS Seaways’ daily sailing from Newcastle to Holland, the Gateway to Europe.

With the DFDS Seaways’ port situated just outside Newcastle city centre and not far from the A1, this route to the continent means that you won’t be stuck in queues on the motorways heading to Hull or the south. Take miles off the journey time, save pounds on fuel, and let DFDS Seaways sail you to Europe while you relax on board.

With DFDS Seaways your holiday or short break starts the moment you step on board. Simply check-in to your cabin and check out the live entertainment, bars, restaurants, shops, cinema and even the Kids Club in the school holidays. Arrive the next morning, refreshed and ready to either enjoy your holiday in Holland or continue your journey through Europe. Germany, France, Belgium are all within easy reach.

Prices start from only £50 per person based on a car and four passengers, one way.

DFDS Seaways is also making it even easier for Scottish travellers to take advantage of their Newcastle to Amsterdam mini cruise breaks by organising two coach pick up dates in November, creating seamless short break weekends from Scotland to Amsterdam!

Travelling outward bound on either the 7th or 21st November 2008, the coaches will pick up passengers at Perth Railway Station, Dunfermline on Bruce Street, Waterloo Place in Edinburgh and Berwick upon Tweed Railway Station, before travelling to Newcastle to join the cruise ferry over to Amsterdam. Customers will have the best part of the day in the lovely city of Amsterdam, returning on the 9th and 23rd November. All this from only £79 per person including coach transfers, 2 nights on board ship in a 2-berth inside cabin. Meal inclusive packages are also available which include sumptuous all-you-can-eat dinner buffet and hot buffet breakfast on both crossings.

DFDS Seaways offers a wide range of holidays and short break options from activity holidays and Center Parcs Europe, to mini cruise breaks, as well as cottage holidays, river cruises, the ever popular festive collection of Christmas Markets and New Year’s Eve cruises.

To book or for more information go to www.dfds.co.uk

 

Museums, galleries and historic sites in Scotland’s Forth Valley are providing a new way for visitors to explore the region with the launch of a free project called Forth’s Timeline.

Created by 16 visitor attractions, Forth’s Timeline uses an interactive map and brochure (available at www.forthstimeline.net) to highlight exhibits and link the collections and buildings together using three themes.

The first theme, ‘Crucible of Industry’, links museums examining the industrial revolution. The ‘Power Struggles’ theme considers 2000 years of conflict, at home and abroad. The final theme ‘Landscape of Inspiration’ delves into the architecture and art which the Forth Valley has inspired.

Each theme creates a different route to explore the physical and historic centre of Scotland. By following each theme, visitors can discover some of the unique smaller collections and visitor sites the Forth Valley has to offer and unravel over 2000 years of history.

The project includes the world heritage site the Antonine Wall, works of art depicting Sir William “Braveheart” Wallace and the Clackmannanshire Tower Trail, a look at five historic buildings once home to Scottish nobles. The Bo’ness and Kinneil railway and Birkhill Fireclay Mine are favourites with older children and can be combined with visits to other museums in the area.

The Forth Valley is less than an hour’s drive from Glasgow and Edinburgh and the 16 museum, galleries and historic sites are all within a 20-mile radius. First Scotrail services and local bus routes are available throughout the vicinity.

www.forthstimeline.net

 

Travel The Unknown: take the road less travelled

Eco-friendly sustainable travel into India’s unknown

London, UK – Travel The Unknown, a specialist tour operator in eco-friendly and off-the-beaten-track trips, has launched its first tours to the unchartered territories of North East India. The 2- and 3-week trips will commence from October 2008 and take groups of up to 12 travellers into the undiscovered regions of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, where they will live amongst tribal villagers, go on elephant-back safari searching for the rare unicorn rhino and visit the largest Buddhist monastery outside Tibet in the remote Himalayas.

 

Travel The Unknown has ensured that each tour is carbon-neutral with all emissions resulting from air travel and ground transport offset through Climate Care. In addition, Travel The Unknown will be investing in the local communities where tours operate – from environmental projects to education and empowerment initiatives. The tour operator also pledges to use local guides, locally owned accommodation, transport and eateries, to give back to the community and also to ensure travellers get a fully authentic experience.

Founders and co-directors, Rahul Aggarwal and David McGuinness, who met as exchange students in Germany in 1996, have personally crafted each aspect of the tour, which in addition to providing a once-in-a-lifetime experience, is also designed with the environment and the development of the local communities in mind.

 

The business partners forged sustainable tourism into their business philosophy and combined it with their passion for discovering new and exciting destinations where few have tread before, which meant that the off-the-beaten-track niche was a natural fit.

David McGuinness, co-director of Travel The Unknown says: “Regular tour operators generally shy away from places that are relatively untouched, but these are precisely the kind of destinations that we find to be the most exhilarating and which Travel The Unknown explores.”

Rahul Aggarwa, co-director of Travel The Unknown says: “Many of the previous decade’s popular hotspots have lost their charm, and have become over-crowded, over-priced and over-commercialised. Since we focus on remote places in developing countries, it was extremely important for us to operate Travel The Unknown in such a way that everyone involved would benefit – from the tourists to the local communities and the environment. My background in globalisation and development meant this was something that could always remain in the forefront of our business model.”

The company also provides travellers with a responsible travel and environmental care booklet (in paper-friendly PDF format) to encourage all those visiting these regions to keep their footprint light and bring only welcome changes.

David says: “To ensure as small a footprint as possible we keep group sizes to a maximum of 12 people and when on visits to small villages we divide into smaller groups to ensure more sensitive areas remain as they are today.”

To read first-hand stories by David and Rahul from the tour, visit: blog.traveltheunknown

www.traveltheunknown.com

Tour duration: 20 days

Approx. tour cost: £2,600 (incl. international flights),

£2,000 (excl. international flights)



Day 1 Fly from London to Delhi. Overnight in Delhi

Day 2 Relaxation day – optional half day tour of Delhi, taking in the main sites of the capital. Overnight in Delhi.

Day 3 Fly to Guwahati, jeep to Eco-Camp at Nameri National Reserve, buffet dinner and evening wander around the area. Overnight in Eco-camp.

Day 4 Early morning game walk in Nameri National Reserve followed by breakfast in the Eco-camp. Visit to an Assamese Tea Estate, then go river rafting, with lunch on the river bank. Drive to and overnight in Dirang.

Day 5 Visit scenic Old Dirang, optional trek through Sangti Valley, overnight at Dirang.

Day 6 Drive up above the clouds, through the spectacular Sela Pass (4,400m) where you will stop for tea and noodles, then on to Tawang, dinner by the fire and enjoy some traditional rice beer. Overnight at Tawang.

Day 7 Visit Tawang Monestary, the largest Buddhist monastery outside Tibet. Optional visit to a high altitude lake, an ancient Gompa and an Indian Army War Memorial. Soak up the atmosphere of ancient Tawang. Overnight at Tawang.

 

Day 8 Drive back through Sela Pass (stop again for tea and noodles) to Bomdila. Overnight in the grounds of Bomdila Monastery.

Day 9 Drive to Sessa Orchid Sanctuary, forest walk, drive to Bhalukpong for lunch. Drive to Itanagar. Dinner in Naharlagun. Overnight in Itanagar.

Day 10 Drive to North Lakhimpur and visit some temples there. Drive to Ziro, visit the tribal village of Hija at dusk. Overnight in Ziro.

Day 11 Optional morning walk to the paddy fields in Ziro. Drive to Daporijo, stopping in various tribal villages en route. Camp by the river and temple of Lida village.

Day 12 Morning to wander around the valley, drive to Dumporijo, a beautiful setting for lunch. Drive to Podbi village, near Along. Overnight in traditional bamboo home.

Day 13 Day to relax around Along. Optional visits to tribal villages, school for orphans and suggested walks. Brave the incredible bamboo hanging bridge. Overnight in Along.

Day 14 Drive to Likabali, take a relaxing walk around the village and surrounding area. Overnight in Likabali in traditional bamboo homes.

Day 15 Early breakfast, then drive and ferry to Majuli, the world’s largest river island in the mightly Brahmaputra river. Overnight in Majuli.

Day 16 Jeep tour of Majuli, taking in the ancient Satras, a traditional mask workshop and a pottery village. Lunch in a traditional Dery home. Overnight in Majuli.

 

Day 17 Drive to Kaziranga National Reserve, lunch followed by an afternoon jeep safari on the look out for unicorn rhinos. Overnight in Kaziranga.

Day 18 Elephant Safari at dawn in Central Sector, afternoon to relax, visit a tribal village. Overnight in Kaziranga.

Day 19 Morning to relax or walk in Panberi reserve. Lunch, then drive to Guwahati. Souvineer/present shopping in Guwahati (optional).

Day 20 Fly to Delhi. Tour of the magnificent Akshardham Temple, the world''s largest Hindu complex, dinner at Lodi restaurant, stroll amongst ancient Mughal tombs in Lodhi Gardens. Freshen up and then overnight flight to London.