National Trust

12th Annual Ironbridge Gorge Walking Festival 29th April – 7th May 2017

Now in its 12th year, the annual Ironbridge Gorge Walking Festival, 29th April – 7th May, is offering 57 walks, making it probably the biggest in the West Midlands and one of the best in the country.

The Festival is not just for people with big rucksacks, walking poles and expensive boots but is two events in one; it offers 32 ‘themed’ walks ranging from two to 10 miles, and 25 walks which are longer and for the more experienced walker.

Plymouth’s top refreshing winter walks with cosy pubs, cafés and hotels

Burrator Reservoir Dartmore - Credit to Gary Burge

With the festive season drawing to a close, Great Britain is looking for a virtuous start to 2017 and what better way to begin the year than with a revitalising country or coastal winter walk. Visit Plymouth (www.visitplymouth.co.uk) has highlighted its top walking trails with accompanying cosy pubs, cafes and hotels – as no ramble would be complete without a hot chocolate, refreshing pint or comfortable bed on the horizon!

Five reasons to book a weekend getaway to the Brecon Beacons National Park this winter

Sinclair M Cantref Dark Skies Print Winter

The Brecon Beacons National Park, located in South Wales, is a treasure trove for visitors. From adrenaline-fueled abseiling and mountain biking activities to scenic walks and lazy pub lunches, visitors can do as much or as little as they like in the beautiful surroundings of the Brecon Beacons.

Here are five things to do in the Brecon Beacons this winter: Stargazing The Brecon Beacons National Park is an International Dark Sky Reserve and offers visitors the chance to see the Milky Way, major constellations, bright nebulas and even meteor showers on clear nights. With some of the highest quality dark skies in the UK, the Park makes for an idyllic retreat for stargazers.

Get your bike winter ready

Despite the recent unseasonably warm weather, winter is coming into clear view and autumn fast disappearing in the rear view mirror. Now is the perfect time to make sure your bike is in tip-top condition.

The UK winter throws all kinds of horrible weather at us with rain, wind, hail, sleet and snow often landing on us in one day. This mishmash of conditions means that cycling on the roads can be challenging if your bike is not properly maintained.

Surf Snowdonia doubles visitor projections in first full year of operation

Adventure Parc extends its 2016 surf season in response to customer demand Figures released today show that in its first full season Surf Snowdonia has welcomed more than double the number of visitors it had originally forecast.

The world-first inland surf lagoon in North Wales – which opened to global media interest in August 2015 and has since won a whole clutch of plaudits and endorsements – has welcomed more than 150,000 people through its doors since its first full season started in March 2016. Surf Snowdonia’s business plan was built around a projection of just 70,000 visitors per operational year.

Compton Acres Named TripAdvisor's Top UK Tourist Attraction

How a chartered surveyor turned private gardens into the UK's most popular tourist attraction, as recognised by TripAdvisor

Recognising the extensive rejuvenation and refurbishments efforts made by current owners Bernard and Kaye Merna, Compton Acres has beenannounced as the UK's top tourist attraction by TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel site. Topping a list of prestigious UK tourist attractions, the popularity rating of Compton Acres is based on search activity to their website which has increased by 150% in the last 12 months.

Built in 1924 by a wealthy margarine entrepreneur, the private gardens entered a long period of decline

Titanic Belfast celebrates World Tourism Day with Castle Tower School

Titanic School Visit - Celebrate World Tourism Day with Castle Tower School

To mark World Tourism Day and celebrate its theme ‘Tourism for All – Promoting Universal Accessibility’, Castle Tower School, Ballymena, were invited to Titanic Belfast to be ‘tourists at home’. The special event was hosted by Europe’s Leading Visitor Attraction to highlight and support this year’s theme during its Year of Access, which aims to highlight the issue of disability access in its many forms and encourage industry improvements when dealing with disabled travellers.

Upcoming events at Hoghton Tower

Sunday 2nd October 10am -4pm Tudor Takeover Day

As part of our celebrations of the 400th anniversary of the visit of King James we invite you to enjoy a range of creative, hands-on activities whilst learning about life in Tudor times in a truly stunning historic location.

Try taking up mountain biking this Autumn

It’s officially Autumn and our thoughts tend to turn to dark nights and chilly winter evenings, but there’s so much you can do to get out and about at this time of year. So, if you’re up for an adventurous new hobby, why not try mountain biking?

We spoke to Raleigh’s Michelle Jakeway and asked for some top tips on getting into mountain biking this autumn to raise our spirits as the nights draw in and the leaves prepare to fall.

Big air at Ayrshire’s castle in the sky

One of the UK’s top BMX demo teams is dropping in to the National Trust for Scotland’s Culzean Castle and Country Park on Sunday 18 September as part of a celebration of pedal power.

The 3SIXTY bicycle stunt team will be amongst the attractions at the historic estate’s first ever cycling festival. They’ll be performing amazing tricks in the beautiful grounds of Culzean Castle.

Bikes, trikes and unicycles are all welcome at the event which is intended to encourage visitors to discover a new dimension to the historic Ayrshire estate’s heritage. Visitors can pick up a map and get going on their own adventure, or head out on a guided Cycle Safari using fabulous electric bikes supplied by 'The Hub'.

Event organiser Hannah Teasdale said:

Meet the Champion and New to Farm Retailing (26th and 27th September)

Want to learn from the best?

Join FARMA at our annual 'Meet the Champion' event, this year at Hallow Trees Shop - winner of the 2016 FARMA Large Farm Shop and Retail Champion awards. When - 26th September Where - Hollow Trees Farm Shop Planning to start a farm shop? Just opened a farm shop? Want to focus on the basics of farm retail ? Book your place now

Annual 'Meet the Champion' event, this time at Hollow Trees Farm Shop - the 2016 FARMA Retail Champion

Summer doesn’t have to end in August!

The holidays might be coming to an end, but there’s still plenty going on in The National Forest.

See a true English village garden

Indulge in a bout of nosiness – all totally legitimate – by having a thoroughly English afternoon and wandering around the beautifully kept gardens of Repton Village. On August 28 have a mooch in some stunningly cultivated greenery, and even pick up some tea and homemade cake at 10 Chestnut Way.

Capability Brown Festival 2016 - ‘Capability’ Brown’s birthday month of August

2016 marks the 300th anniversary of 18th century landscape architect Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, whose birthday (probably) falls this August. His actual date of birth is not known but he was baptised on 30 August 1716 at a time when babies were baptised very soon after birth, so we have declared August as his Birthday Month! The nationwide Capability Brown Festival celebrates the life, work and legacy of England’s most famous gardener, often dubbed the ‘Shakespeare of gardening’ or the ‘grandfather of landscape architecture’.

SHIREBURN ARMS SHOWCASES NATURE AT ITS BEST

May and June are among the best months to get out there and see nature at its most delightful in the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

And the number of springtime and early summer guests at the Shireburn Arms, Hurst Green's characterful 17th century coaching inn is proof of that.

Said Heidi Kettle, marketing manager for the Shireburn Arms: "We see a lot of guests coming to the Shireburn at this time of year to make the most of what's going on in the natural world."

Exmoor Calvert Horseshoe – “A Fantastic Day”

Calvert Trust Exmoor ran its first ever open country horse riding event, the Exmoor Calvert Horseshoe, on Bank Holiday Monday 30th May 2016.

‘The Exmoor Calvert Horseshoe’ offered two alternative rides through beautiful Exmoor countryside, a 15 kilometre leisure ride and a 25 kilometre endurance ride. Both rides started and ended at Comer’s Gate, near Withypool, taking in beautiful Exmoor scenery including the Barle River valley, Dunkery Gate, Dunkery Hill, Cloutsham Ball and Horner Woods.

Local Rider Julie Lyons described her experience of the event; “I had a fantastic day, made some new friends, and enjoyed some beautiful scenery and lovely weather at this well organised event. See you again next year!”

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