Travel

Travel HS2 link to Leeds warmly welcomed

Leeds City Council has warmly welcomed Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin’s announcement of a high-speed rail link to Leeds as part of the HS2 project.

Leeds City Council Leader Councillor Keith Wakefield said:

"We have lobbied long and hard for a high-speed rail link to Leeds and this is excellent news. It will strengthen Leeds’ position as the Northern transport hub and unlock major investment, jobs opportunities and connectivity to the rest of the country.

"The proposed station offers a unique opportunity to create a striking new gateway into the city centre, but will only work if the interchange links directly…

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Feature Opulent Indulgence

Liz Coggins escapes to the ultimate country house hotel

My mode of transport seemed totally inappropriate as I drove through the golden gates of Wynyard Hall. I really felt I should have been in an open top vintage Sunbeam sports car or a chauffeur driven Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost.

There was something ethereal as I journeyed down the long, winding lanes of the 150 acres of parkland that makeup the estate – perhaps it was the mist rising amidst the trees and over the lake – or just that I’d seen too many episodes of Downton Abbey and recently re-read Brideshead Revisited.

Eventually the 19th century hall was within my…

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Travel Splendid Isolation

Liz Coggins enjoys a sojourn in the Beautiful Bahamas

Island life is a dream existence that many would like to try. Spend a holiday in The Bahamas and the dream can become reality.

Columbus famously avoided the seas around the islands of The Bahamas due to their shallow, clear water which sank his ships, but today thousands of tourists head there just for a sight of the absurdly blue sea that surrounds these beautiful shores.

The 700 islands and cays of The Bahamas stretch from just north of the Greater Antilles, across the Tropic of Cancer, and up alongside the coast of Florida, separated from the U.S.A. by only…

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Feature A Luxurious Escape

Liz Coggins discovers The Yorkshire Dale’s best kept secret

Its around 5.00pm on an late October day. I’m sitting on my balcony enjoying a glass of chilled Chardonnay overlooking the pool where several people are taking a leisurely swim. Where am I? Would you believe me if I told you in the middle of the Yorkshire Dales.

For yes, even in the late Autumn, you can enjoy a swim in the heated pool at The Feversham Hotel and Verbena Spa one of Yorkshire’s best kept secret escapes where at any time of the year you can experience luxury and pampering in blissful surroundings

Set in the picturesque market town…

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Travel Miami

Where the stars come out at night

Miami is unique. It’s a place with a contagious vitality where beautiful people, unbelievable scenery and great weather all come together in a rich sub-tropical landscape. It’s also a place of great diversity. You can explore the historic and happening Art Deco District, spot alligators in the Everglades, enjoy ballet or opera, windsurf over the ocean, sip Cuban coffee, skip a cigarette boat across the bay, savour a plate of stone crabs, dive a coral reef, touch parrots and porpoises, dance and feast your way through a street festival or just lose yourself on a serene sandbar. In short Miami…

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Travel Simply Beautiful...

Liz Coggins travels to St Lucia the great escape for romantics

Over a third of all visitors to St Lucia have chosen this island paradise as their honeymoon or wedding destination and it’s not hard to understand why.

This mango-shaped island is situated between Martinque and St Vincent and to the north east of Barbados, and although only 27 miles by 14, it has a tropical atmosphere all of its own.

One of the mountainous islands of the Windward Islands of the West Indies, it is possibly the greenest island in the Caribbean. The Atlantic Ocean rims St Lucia’s eastern shore while the Caribbean Sea lines the west coast, offering calm…

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Travel Maltese Magic

Liz Coggins enjoys a luxurious break on the island of Malta

With its year round sunshine, spectacular scenery, luxurious resorts and delectable cuisine Malta is a blissful destination any time of year.

The island is haunting and enchanting and yet has a sense of the magical and mysterious and some of the most beautiful landscapes in the Mediterranean.

Stroll along the narrow cobbled streets of the medieval walled city, snatching a glimpse of silhouetted towers, churches and cathedrals. Walk under pretty verandas, glaring sandstone gargoyles and sweet smelling bougainvillea, where ornate street lamps cast a romantic glow. Meander round the Barrakka Gardens with its fountains and magnificent view of the harbour.

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Travel Brussels

Mark Fletcher discovers, what the Belgian capital lacks in world famous postcard shots it makes up for in the rich tapestry of its indulgent cuisine and patchwork mix of old and new. Oh and chocolate and beer too!

"Brussels always seems to be repairing itself" my fellow traveller pronounces, as we stride across the bustling grey streets of Europe’s de facto capital.

True enough, Brussels has a history of revitalisation, and there is an air of perpetual self improvement about a city that’s more melting pot than a chocolate fondue set – which there’s plenty of on display in the windows of the myriad tourist traps around Grand-Place, the impossibly wonderful centre piece of the city’s charm.

Brussels is a city of old and new, rich and poor, the sublime and the ridiculous. Just look above the clustered…

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Travel The Three Acres

Despite nearly burning the place down, Sophie Haydock is well looked after at this Calderdale Inn

It’s a good sign that when you accidentally set the menu on fire in a well-to-do establishment, the staff react in a calm and reassuring way. This is what happened at the Three Acres inn and restaurant; while reading the menu at the bar, I absent-mindedly held the highly-flammable document over a low-lying candle – and inevitably, the thing went up in smoke. Luckily for me, I wasn’t forcefully ejected by the management – the woman behind the bar saw the funny side. Instead, we finished our drinks (Leeds Pale and Black Sheep), chosen from a wide selection of…

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News Cedar Court Grand Hotel & Spa becomes York’s first 5 star hotel

York hotel is the only AA five star rated hotel in Yorkshire

Staff at the Cedar Court Grand Hotel and Spa are delighted that the establishment has become York’s first five star hotel, and the only AA five star rated hotel in Yorkshire.

In awarding the five stars, a spokesperson for the AA commented: “The Grand has achieved one of the highest accolades awarded by the AA. 5 black stars are a symbol of excellence achieved through dedication, high levels of investment and a passion to be the best. We are delighted that York has its first 5 star hotel.”

The five stars are an internationally recognised mark of prestige, and the…

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