Hit the North

Hit the North has moved

2010-01-10T13:34:00.000-08:00

From January 2010, Hit the North resides at this link.

Please update your address book and thanks for reading.

Back soon

2009-10-31T11:01:00.000-07:00

Hit the North is taking a break in November.

Partly because I'll be away with assignments, partly because I'll be away at WTM and partly because I've got a massive deadline to complete my project based around the Lake District.

Normal service will resume shortly.

The witching hour

2009-10-23T03:55:00.000-07:00

The lady behind the counter of the Lancaster City Museum lingers over the words. "We persecuted people, we locked them up, we killed them," she smiles with a macabre frisson of delight. "The aura of doom and gloom still hangs over the city".

I never had Lancaster down as a hotbed of ghoulish goings-on. But, as thoughts turn to things that go bump in the night this week, I find the spectre of Lancaster's grisly past looms ever large over the medieval Market Square.

Lancaster Castle, the ancestral seat of the Dutchy of Lancaster, is forever associated with the Pendle Witch Trails, one of the largest executions for witchcraft ever staged in Britain.

Seven women and two men from the nearby villages of Pendle Hill lost their lives to the noose in Lancaster on August 20, 1612. Today the castle remains a courthouse and a prison - as it has been since the Middle Ages.

Exploring the grounds on a chilly winter afternoon, I find the tower (pictured above) where they spent their final hours still stands with its raven-black weather vane, and the place of the public execution is now a weather-stained stone wall behind stout, forbidding railings.

The group of alleged witches was blamed for the death of 17 of their neighbours with the main evidence against them collected from their own confessions. Their preferred method of evil-doing was, apparently, to make a clay model of their victim.

Overall, an estimated half million men women and children were burnt at the steak across Western Europe at the 17th-century height of the witch trails.

King James I of England was obsessed with witchcraft and suspicious of the Catholic faith. Matthew Hopkins, the king's appointed Witchfinder General, had arrested over 120 people in the south of England for witchcraft by his death in 1646.

The 400th anniversary of the Trails in 2012 will ignite interest in the folklore of the Pendle Witches. Meanwhile, you can follow a brown-sign trail from Lancaster to Clitheroe and onto Barrowford, taking the old gallows road from Lancaster, moving through the Trough of Bowland and culminating with the climb up Pendle Hill, where wolves and wild boar once roamed free.

Early next year The Lancashire and Blackpool Tourist Board is to launch a series of heritage trails, which will highlight some of the region's lesser-known and macabre attractions.

But were the Pendle Witches possessed by supernatural powers, or the innocent victims of an age obsessed with the ways of the Wicca?

Only by exploring the ancient landscape of Lancashire can we try to uncover the grisly truth.

Anyone round here want to hire a travel writer?

2009-10-10T03:46:00.000-07:00

Going a bit off radar this week. I've been down south - no, not Stoke - but that there London for a discussion about the future of travel writing organised by the British Guild of Travel Writers (BGTW).

I realise this isn't a Northwest issue per se, but the event highlighted the way we gather our inspiration and information about tourism in our region, and every other region, is changing.

Put simply, the future of travel writing in under threat. I'm in this game because I love the craft of writing. And the best travel writing is about people and not places anyway.

But, as a professional writer (captured on assignment in Belfast, above), the way I work and the way people consume travel writing is moving into uncharted territory. I'm a writer not a salesman, but I'm going to have to adapt to a changing world - as is everyone working in travel.

Food for thought, so please do post your comments below. Normal service resumes next week ...

Question for you: what is the future of travel writing? More D-list gimps on an all-exes week in the sun? Yet another creeping-brain-death round up? Or a tag-laden top ten list peppered with SEO (that's Search Engine Optimisation, folks) keywords that makes my shopping list for Tesco look like the latest William Dalrymple?

As PRs and members of the BGTW gathered for the October meeting, the real question seemed to be thus: does the future of travel involve any actual, well, writing?

The BGTW, with its 260-strong, freelance heavy membership, takes pride in the breadth of knowledge amongst its ranks. But this year has been torrid for members. Fewer commissions, reduced rates, let alone the insulting ntion we would actually offer our expertise for no renumeration. Even Sir Cliff Richard is muscling in our patch - as if Mistletoe and Wine wasn't heinous enough.

Guild PR Co-ordinator Sarah Monaghan captured the spirit of the times in her opening address. "Print is dying, so to keep travelling and writing we have to adapt," she says. "Writers need to set up a niche website or blog."

Fair enough, and some PR companies are now experimenting with bloggers on press trips, but, according to David Ezra, Director of Saltmarsh and Surf PR, the industry still wants to support meaty commissions and well-informed comment. "The job of the travel writers isn't dead," he says. "There's still a thirst for expert travel knowledge."

Saltmarsh have launched spin-off agency, Surf, to handle online travel content. "Clients want to steer traffic back to their websites. They are asking us to watch the blogs - they're like word of mouth on a global scale," he adds.

One of the major concerns aired on the night was the way that some titles are increasingly sending inexperienced staffers on press to reduce freelance budgets. Having read the weekend papers recently, the effect on quality is already all too manifest.

From the world of glossy magazines, Guild member Amanda Statham (travel editor of Nat Mags' Cosmopolitan and You & Your Wedding) confirmed this. "The editor Cosmo told me she is 'unlikely to pay freelancers for travel copy as staff are still taking trips', while the editor You & Your Wedding has 'no money for travel copy unless very unique'," she says.

If there's salvation out there, she argues, again it's online. "A good website is driving magazine sales. I can see a time, maybe two years from now, when I will need a budget to keep content up to date, so get involved in the web," she advises.

Jacqueline Mirtelli, Director of PR for the French Government Tourist Office, concluded the discussion with a few statistics. Their busy press office generates 400 travel cuttings per month of which 25% are from national papers, 50% from regional papers, 20% consumer magazines and 15% online. "I'm convinced that, in ten years time, the majority will be online," she says.

So, conclusions then. Guild Membership Secretary Ron Toft advises members to re-invent ourselves. "Adapt or die," he says, citing the four key calls to action as adapt, specialise, market yourself aggressively and sell words-and photos packages.

BGTW elder statesman John Carter adds: Think about travel content. It's a moving medium so think in terms of pictures and sound."

For my own part, I'd add another message for the PRs in the room: be more proactive and less reactive with your approaches. I barely get past the headline of mass-mailing press release before hitting delete. A targeted email saying, "I saw you wrote about this. Did you ever consider following up this angle? Or did you know that this is happening in three months time" will get my full attention and an enthusiastic personal response.

Yes, I know we're all busy. But direct message me on Twitter and it'll only cost you the effort to generate 140 characters. And it could lead to those increasingly rare 1,000 words of in-depth, informed copy that helps to feed my family and keep you in your clients' good books.

Deal?

Airport lounging

2009-10-02T01:41:00.000-07:00

Eight minutes. That's the average time it now takes - apparently - to pass through security at Manchester Airport's Terminal One following its £50m refit.

I was there on a rainy Manchester afternoon last Friday for a tour of the new airside facilities and set my watch accordingly.

I hate security queues. Liverpool John Lennon Airport has taken a slating recently for its handling of security and I long since gave up on London Stansted as a no-go zone.

So, from the moment we swiped through the tube station-style ticket barrier to the 14-lane security area, the seconds were ticking.

Jacket off, belt off, phone and keys in the plastic box, shoes off (but swiped separately through a machine after the main security gate to avoid doubling back). Once through, I was called over by the attendant to have my phone and laptop checked and scanned again. No reason given why. Then belt and jacket back on, and laptop back in bag.

Total time? Seven minutes. The success rate of hitting the target is currently running around 99% beam airport management with some pride.

The £14m spent on updating the security area is just one aspect of the refurbishment alongside an increased retail offer, a new walk-through series of zones with names like 'Desire' and a brand new Emirates lounge, currently on a soft opening, with hot meals, airside views and remote control toilets. No, really. Just wash n' go.

But it's queue beating that will warm the autumnal hearts of most passengers. From business travellers cutting it fine for an early-morning flight to families hauling baby and buggy through check in, the delay at security is one of the key factors driving people away from airports and back onto trains.

Manchester Terminal One first opened in 1962 with a capacity for 2.5m passengers. Today it handles 9m people per year, flying Emirates, Swiss and Jet2.com amongst others. According to Managing Director Andrew Cornish, new long-haul routes over the next 18 months are likely to include the American west coast, India and China.

So, will the facelift, two years in preparation and re-tweaked several times after the 2006 liquid ban and the 2007 Glasgow Airport attack, bring about, as the press release promises, "a return to when the holiday began at the airport"?

Well, maybe it will help to restore faith in air travel to some extent.

The writer Alain de Botton recently spent a Heathrow's Terminal Five and listed some of things he learnt from the experience in a blog post for the Guardian.

From my afternoon at Terminal One I learnt that 17,000 passengers typically pass through Manchester Airport on a Christmas Day, the lemon drizzle cake in the food hall is particularly good, some writers spend their press trip buying leather boots they'll never actually wear (unless staring in their local Pantomime this Christmas) and, best of all, free wifi is coming to Manchester's "international, regional" airport.

The holiday begins here. But ditch the boots, love.

And the winner is ...

2009-09-27T03:04:00.000-07:00

Bleary eyed this morning on the early train home from Blackpool. Last night was the England's Northwest Tourism Awards with the best of the region gathered together in regeneration-central Blackpool for a night of red wine, back slapping and tourism gongs.

I didn't even have to sneak myself in the back door of the Tower Ballroom (located in the Tower, above) as I was nominated in the travel writer category for a piece in The Observer about Chester's food trail.

And I was staying at Number One St. Lukes , one of the new breed of guesthouse trying to drag Blackpool into an new era. The owner poured coffee into me at 6.45am this morning and made me a bacon sandwich for the train. He may just have saved my life.

So, anyway, scores on the doors: Cumbria four awards; Lancashire four; Chester two; Manchester three and Merseyside four. That's a pretty even distribution across the region on the night. Cue cries of political machinations and Eurovision-style block voting.

Seriously, though, a good night for the Arena and Convention Centre (ACC) Liverpool, picking up the Sustainable Tourism and Excellence in Business Tourism awards in recognition of its role in boosting Liverpool as a business tourism destination.

Good news too for Farmaggedon near Ormskirk, which came from nowhere to pick up the Tourism Experience of the Year. Many farmers re-invent themselves with farm shops and animal petting. This lot took a different angle: zombies.

And me? Well, looks like I'm to be always the bridesmaid. But at least I turned up.

The awards are staged by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and you can read the full list of winners is here.

Meanwhile, I need some sleep.

Cruising for a bruising

2009-09-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

I've never been taken by the idea of cruising. All those rich Americans, confined spaces and forced-bonhomie deck games before dinner with the crashing bores at the captain's table. Ugh.

But National Cruise Week kicks off this weekend to attempt to convince us that cruising is the one sector of the travel industry to have put on numbers during the recession. It's a week of events and promotion by umbrella organisation, the Passenger Shipping Association (PSA) to raise awareness and highlight new cruise options away from the traditional grab-a-granny image.

Good timing then by the Independent newspaper, which reported this weekend on an escalating scrap between erstwhile shipping hub Liverpool and latter-day cruisers' fave Southampton.

The Hampshire port is reported to be trying to block Liverpool's plans to upgrade the historic Pier Head, designated a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2004, into a port of embarkation and arrivals.

The owner of Southampton docks, Associated British Ports, has asked the Department for Transport to throw out Liverpool's plans for a turnaround terminal.

It is said to be furious that Liverpool received £20m in public money to redevelop the City of Liverpool Cruise Terminal at Princes Dock.

But cruising is booming and surely Liverpool, with its rich maritime heritage and Capital-of-Culture regeneration boost, is an ideal location to develop a new cruise hub?

Besides, the terminal will welcome the Queen Mary 2, Cunard's flagship cruise liner with 3000+ passengers in October. In March this year the £22m Liverpool Canal Link opened up access to the historic waterfront, generating an expected 200,000 extra visitors and additional tourism spend of £1.9m.

Has Liverpool played dirty? And does the city even want cruise lines chugging up the Mersey? I'll be discussing this topic with Duncan Barkes on City Talk Breakfast this Tuesday at 7.45am.

Post your comments below and I'll put them on the air.

Above us only sky - or a cynical, money-grabbing owner?

2009-09-13T06:05:00.000-07:00

A bad press this week for Liverpool John Lennon Airport (LJLA) thanks to this post by fellow travel blogger, Grumpy Traveller.

The main thrust is a bad experience recently, involving the way passengers are encouraged to pay extra to join the Fast Lane queue and speed up their progress through security to the departure gate.

Making for particularly uncomfortable reading for LJLA is the line: "Surely Liverpool Airport’s management knows that they’ve got a massive understaffing and queuing problem. Therefore, the only possible conclusion is that this is an act of greedy bastardry on an epic scale."

The post was just gathering readers across the travel blogs when local newspaper the Daily Post reported that LJLA was planning an ambitious £12m expansion to improve security facilities and almost double retail space.

Peel Holdings, which owns LJLA, plus Robin Hood Airport in Doncaster and Durham Tees Valley Airport in Darlington, said the scheme reflected plans by budget carrier easyJet to move extra flight capacity to Liverpool from Luton and East Midlands airports.

The airport outlines the Fast Lane scheme, which carries a charge of £3 per person (including children), with a FAQ on its website, citing the following:

"Buying a Fast Lane ticket does not guarantee that you won't have to wait in a queue, however, your queuing time will still be shorter when compared to the standard passenger queue and Liverpool John Lennon Airport will always attempt to ensure that your wait time is kept as short as possible."

Grumpy isn't happy and nor are some of the readers who posted their comments on his blog and below the Daily Post story. But what do you think? Is this a total rip off? Or a logical way to jump the queues - assuming, of course, it even works.

I'll be discussing this with Duncan Bakes on City Talk Breakfast this Tuesday from 7.45am and we're hoping to get some response from LJLA about the concerns raised.

Meanwhile, post your comments below and I'll put them on air.

Claiming back our coastline

2009-09-06T06:44:00.000-07:00

Fancy a stroll around the coastline of Britain this autumn? That's a mere 2,784 miles if you do. But, if you set out from the Northwest, then you might not get very far.

In a report published by Natural England, an advisory body to the government on the natural environment over the summer, the Northwest faired particularly badly.

Only 44% of the Northwest coastline is accessible - that's 184 miles. But 237 miles of British coastline is not accessible. This reflects industrial use on Merseyside and along the west coast of Cumbria.

No one in England lives more than 70 miles from the sea but, in the Northwest, you're unlikely to walk for more than a few miles before finding the path blocked off.

The coastal access map was drawn up for the Marine and Coastal Access Bill, which is expected to become law when it passes through Parliament in November.

The Natural England audit forms part of an effort to make England's coastline accessible to walkers. Separate projects operate in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The idea of forming a complete ring around the coast dates back to the 18th century but has been revived in recent years by the ramblers seeking the right to roam.

The 53 councils involved in the mapping project have backed the idea of increased access, doubtless tempted by extra tourism revenues.

But landowners in some parts of the country have criticised the bill, while military installations and industry oppose the right to roam.

Even The Queen is involved. The Times reports that HRH is likely to be one the first landowners to open up private land on her North Norfolk Sandringham estate for ramblers.

Dr Helen Phillips, Chief Executive of Natural England, said: “The news that the public lack full access to nearly 1000 miles of coastline is a sobering reminder of how much is at stake in the Marine & Coastal Access Bill."

Do we want to reclaim our coastline in the Northwest? I'll be discussing this topic with Duncan Barkes on City Talk Breakfast this Tuesday from 7.45am. Post your comments below and I'll put them on air.

Blackpool, Mon Amour

2009-08-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

Michael Notarianni almost whispers it at first. It's nine o'clock in the morning and we're sipping espresso in his seaside cafe. Another fortifying sip and he's ready to say it with pride. "I'm starting to fall in love with Blackpool all over again," he smiles.

Michael is not alone. The archetypal Great British seaside resort has spent years in the wilderness. But a wind of change may finally be blowing in off the Central Promenade these days.

The talk today around Blackpool is of regeneration with a £45m injection of hard currency over the next three years. Redeveloping the seafront is a key element to transform the resort’s tourism industry with improvements to the sea wall, remodeling the seafront and the opening of the Tower Festival Headland, including a 'comedy carpet' with quotes from comedians etched in granite, due for completion in 2010.

Old-school family businesses like Notarianni's, the only original, ice-cream parlour left in town, are keeping fingers crossed that the resort has finally turned the corner.

Michael's grandfather Luigi, opened the original shop on the seafront in 1928. Today the cafe retains the Art Deco counter and still serves the Notarianni Sundae (£3.60) in the colours of the Italian flag.

Next door at Brooks Collectables, manager Mark Yates has opened Brooks Museum of Memorabilia upstairs from the shop with vast collections of toys, Blackpool souvenirs and rare pictures of yesteryear Blackpool.

"Most people don't know about the Art Deco heritage of Blackpool away from all the, err, glitz. The secret, " he adds," is to look up at the tops of the buildings."

But can Blackpool really reinvent itself? A handful of local hoteliers have invested heavily in upscale properties, notably The Beach House and Langtrys. Plus there are a few smarter places to eat and drink around town away from the traditional cheap beer, soggy chips and alcopops-fuelled hen parties.

But for every boutique B&B, there's Freddie Starr at the Central Prom and for every example of Sir Peter Blake's public artwork on the New South Prom art trail, there's a boozed-up stag party downing shots in Yates's Wine Lodge.

BBC Radio 2 will be here next weekend to live broadcast the switch on of the illuminations and the Royal Variety Performance will coax the Royals north of Watford for a second time after their foray to Liverpool.

But will British holidaymakers start to fall in love with Blackpool all over again like Michael? Can Blackpool find a new market away from cheap booze and chips?

I'll discussing this with Duncan Barkes on City Talk Breakfast this Tuesday from 7.45am. Post your comments below and I'll put them on air.

Way Out West

2009-08-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

Back on the road and away from the computer to research the latest leg of Cumbria With Kids.

Here's the video blog from the latest journey. If it's slow to download, you can see it here on YouTube too.

If the Face Fits

2009-08-16T03:18:00.000-07:00

Who is the face of North West tourism? And who would make the best brand ambassador to encourage tourism to the region?
I ask the question because the North West Regional Development Agency is seeking to recruit two "high profile faces" as part of a new PR push to raise awareness of the region as a short-break destination this autumn.
Currently, Radio 2 presenter, author and professional Wiganite, Stuart Maconie is handling the task of fronting the campaign.
Maconie lives in Birmingham, although he spends much of his free time in Cumbria.
The micro site, Stuart's Stories has presented travel diary-style pieces that also ran as press advertorials, and a series of podcasts narrated by Maconie to download to your iPod.
It is reported that the campaign has to date produced up to £7.5m worth of coverage, reaching an estimated audience of 15m people.
And, to be fair, he does make an engaging case. I've downloaded a couple of the podcasts myself and have at home a copy of Short Stories for Short Breaks, the accompanying booklet.
But the quest is now on for "high profile brand advocates to create interest and credibility."
The new campaign is set to run from September to the end of the year, with an option to extend it through into 2010.
Writing for How Do, the Northwest media website, Russell Craig, Group Head of External Communications, Manchester Airports Group, suggests:
"... some more renowned North West luminaries such as Albert Finney, Ted Robbins, Victoria Wood or my personal vote - Glossop's favourite son and national porn baron, Paul Raymond."
Who do you think? Ken Barlow from Corrie? The drummer from ill-fated Chester indie band Mansun? Post-Big Brother Terry Christian.
Or should we just give Mark E Smith from The Fall the gig and stand by for an autumn of shambolic ramblings, fisticuffs with journalists and a bust up resulting in Smith sacking the whole band.
I'm making light of light, but there is a serious point here. Cynical as I am about any personality-driven pieces in the newspaper travel sections (not Chris Tarrant goes wild salmon fishing in Canada again, please!), I can see the value of a 'face' in this instance.
By giving the editorial a personal, first-person slant from somebody who commands respect due to profile, expertise, or the ability to express themselves in an informative and entertaining, or ideally all three, it does lend gravitas to the campaign.
After all, readers always relate better to editorial that feels like a mate telling them a story down the pub, rather than a big-money corporate behemoth ramming the message down their throat. At least I do.

So, suggestions then.
Post them below and I'll put them on air on City Talk Breakfast with Duncan Barkes this Tuesday at 7.45am.

At your service

2009-08-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

I'm a service station sceptic. In fact, apart from a brief encounter with a lady interviewee of a certain age in a Little Chef just outside of St Clears (she went on to ply me with homemade marmalade), my experience of motorway services has been limited to soggy sarnies and overpriced coffee. And that isn't my idea of a great start to the trip.

But a trip to Cumbria this week changed my view of the humble motorway service station. Tebay Servcies, located at junction 38 of the M6 near Penrith, is no bog-standard motorway services. Hell, no.

Family-owned Tebay is one of only two independent service stations in the UK (the other is in Scotland, since you ask) and a far cry from your communal-garden Welcome Break. Hence it's hugely popular and a must-stop staging point for many people venturing into the wide-open spaces of northern Cumbria.

Egon Ronay declared Tebay the best services in England in 2000 and, today, approximately 1.6m visitors flock to each of the north and south sites each year. Southbound has been recently refurbished with northbound to follow.

The sprawling site comprises a mid-range hotel (northbound), the decidedly upmarket and local-produce-championing Westmorland Farm Shops (both sides) and dual service stations.

Price wise, it's on a par with typical motorway services (budget £8.50 for the roast of the day, £3.50 for a kids' set meal), but the quality is far superior. The beef and lamb served up at lunch comes from Dunning's Farm, located next to the services.

On a sunny August day, I grabbed a Cumberland sausage sandwich from the outdoors kiosk (above, left), perched on a stone seat in the grounds and took in the views across the Cumbrian Fells.

Tebay can get hugely busy on a summer's day but, reassuringly, many of the people stopping by are actually locals stocking up on fresh produce. Take your iPhone - there's free wifi too.

So make way Moto, give it up Welcome Break. I've seen the future of motorway services and Little Chef it ain't.

Don't believe me? Then take Stuart Maconie's word for it:

"Tebay Services off the M6 is talked of in hushed tones by middle-class drivers from Middle England making the trip north. Not only is the scenery stunning ... but this is the Tuscany, the Waitrose, the Keira Knightley of service stations." (Adventures on the High Teas, Ebury Press, 2009).

One for the dairy

2009-08-01T03:14:00.000-07:00

To Nantwich to explore an age-old institution and consume more than my own body weight in dairy produce. Yes, the Nantwich International Cheese Awards this week offered rich pickings for cheese fans.

The Cheese Marquee is the highlight of the Nantwich & South Cheshire Show (right), attracting some 2,655 entries for judging from 24 countries.

On the day an army of judges in white coats stalk the long tables, groaning under the weight of cheese, while trade stands fringe the perimeter with everything from packaging to a new range of Cornish goats' cheese.

My favourite gizmo of the day was a kind of cheese-slicing sonic screwdriver from Newtech, the, ahem, robotic solutions experts.

There was also a frisson of celebrity glamour. A boozy, late-morning reception hosted by Fayrefield Foods included a cooking demonstration by Matt Tebbutt of the Foxhunter in Monmouthshire fame and Sean Wilson, better known as Martin Platt from Coronation Street, who has swapped Weatherfield for life as an artisan cheesemaker in Saddleworth.

The champagne flowed, Sean's Blackpudding Crostini was judge a hit and Matt got busy with a slab of Collier's Powerful Welsh Cheddar.

But one thing really struck me from the day. Aside, that is, from just how much cheese one man can consume when let loose in a big tent stuffed with everything from Edam to Roquefort.

The event was really corporate. I had an image of rustic, ruddy-faced cheesemakers turning up to proudly show off their artisan wares to a chorus of appreciative cries from the cheese-chomping cognoscenti of Cheshire.

But no. Hefty branding for Tesco and Asda, plus a huge stand for supermarket stalwart Cathedral City, lent the country show the feel of an accountancy conference in Swindon.

Thanks heavens, then, for Appleby's, a family business of farmers and cheesemakers from the Cheshire/Shropshire borders, who are now onto the third generation of cheesemakers, use traditional artisan methods and defiantly unpasteurised milk. They were one of the few artisan, local producers in evidence on the day.

At the end of the afternoon, the big winner was the Cropwell Bishop Creamery from Nottingham, taking the title of Supreme Champion for its Blue Stilton.

But, unless next year's event does more to showcase the hard work and expertise of smaller, local produces, the future winners will be those with the biggest corporate spending power.

And that, as a cheese lover, would really leave me feeling really - wait for it - cheesed off.

Hope against Hope

2009-07-24T02:20:00.000-07:00

Check your weekend supplements. There's another ad campaign for Liverpool doing the rounds as the city attempts to keep the momentum rolling after the European Capital of Culture.

The focus is the Hope Street cultural quarter. The district includes the Art Deco-styled Liverpool Philharmonic Hall, the award-winning Hope Street Hotel with its adjoining restaurant, The London Carriage Works, and the city's twin cathedrals. It's also home to the annual arts fest, the Hope Street Festival, held in September.

And to the Everyman Theatre, which was also this week the subject of a £12.8m investment from the Arts Council England to upgrade facilities to a 400-seater auditorium, workshops and writers' hub. The project is due for completion in 2013.

The angle of the campaign is cultural Liverpool, focusing on cultral attractions as a means to boost short-break visits to the city.

The campaign (above, left) forms part of £175,000 worth of national advertising to raise awareness of Liverpool as a cultural destination. It is part of a wider Destination Management Plan towards 2015 to grow hotel occupancy and boost the visitor economy to support 30,000 jobs.

The advert will run in national newspaper magazine supplements, including the London Evening Standard, and magazines, such as Conde Nast Traveller.

A poster campaign will also run at London Underground stations, including Euston, Victoria and Waterloo. A similar campaign will run at Edinburgh's Haymarket train station during The Edinburgh Festival.

The Mersey Partnership (TMP), the regional tourist body behind the ads, are keen to point out that a similar campaign in spring, based around the Unesco World Heritage waterfront, boosted hits to the official touris m w e b s i t e by 50% and led to an increase in accommodation bookings of 432%.

But, as a journalist, I can't help being cynical about the value of advertising.

Are they reaching the right market? And does the market targeted by these adverts acually care about Liverpool?

£175,000 strikes as a lot of money to spend on an ABC1 audience living mainly in the southeast with little knowledge, or interest, in Liverpool. Targeted press trips, viral online campaigns and generating local interest with the ABC1 demographic are surely far cheaper and more effective.

I mean, press and poster advertising? That's just so old media. Isn't it?

I'll be discussing this and other topics with Duncan Barkes on the City Talk breakfast show Tuesday at 7.45am. Post your comments below and I'll get them on air.

Will the last Welshman in Wrexham please turn off the lights

2009-07-18T11:36:00.000-07:00

The summer weather may be faltering but Wales has reason to feel sunny this week. The latest round of figures from the Office of National Statistics shows that Wales is bucking the trend amongst the regions of the UK to report an increase in visitor numbers.

It received 1.1m foreign visitors in 2008, compared to 987,000 in 2007. Both England and Scotland reported a decline in figures. Visitors to Wales are being wooed by the charms of Cardiff, Pembrokeshire, Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons amongst others.

But, I suspect, they are not thronging en masse to Wrexham. In fact, according to a local, internet-based campaign, major changes are needed to lure tourists back to the main town in Northeast Wales.

To find out why, I went to the North Wales border town to meet Wrexham resident and social-networking afficiando, Jane Redfern Jones.

A local community councillor and the editor of the website, Wrexham Today, Jane recently launched a group on Facebook to promote the idea that Wrexham needs to be more Welsh. The group, Wrexham Facebookers, now baosts over 1,100 members - all of them keen to espouse the joys of Wrexham as a hotbed of Welsh nationhood and culture.

"For me it's the Welsh identity that would draw in the tourists," says Jane, who grew up near Chirk in the Ceiriog Valley.

"By branding Wrexham as the borderlands, the council is failing to promote the Welsh heritage. In fact, the idea of promoting Wrexham as a border town simple makes it seem second best to Chester."

Wandering around town after coffee with Jane, Wrexham certainly looks like a place struggling to find its identity in the contemporary, more forward-looking Wales.

Aside from the bilingual street signs and some public art (above, right) reflecting the town's industrial heritage, there is little to say you're actually in Wales.

That is, of course, aside from Gareth Jones, who runs a Welsh gifts stall in Wrexham General Market.

Gareth does a roaring trade in car bumper stickers saying 'Proud to be Welsh' (£1), while figurines of the nationalist hero Owain Glyndwr (£2.99) are positivey flying off the shelves.

But, surrounded by a patriotic fervour of fluffy dragons, sloganeering stickers and figurines of anti-Establishment heroes, does Gareth feel like the only Welshman in Wrexham?

"I'm Wrexham born and bred but not a Welsh speaker. It's just how I am. But whenever I see a Welsh flag, I feel proud," he says.

So, should tourism officials in Wrexham do more to promote Welsh culture? And is a sense of local cultural heritage essential to attract tourists - or do the majority of punters simply come for anodyne shopping centres and bland high-street coffee chains?

Post your comments below and we'll discuss further on the Duncan Barkes breakfast show on City Talk this week.

Over to you ...

My phone's on vibrate for Rufus

2009-07-11T04:23:00.001-07:00

To Manchester for the Manchester International Festival (MIF) and the opening night of Prima Donna, the debut opera by Rufus Wainwright.

Rufus turned up to meet his public dressed like a Victorian undertaker and was to be seen pressing the flesh in the bar at the interval amid the Mancunian glitterati, orange-hued WAGs and bemused opera fans.

The show, needless to say, was a sell out and warmly received by the diverse crowd - if not all the critics. Rufus even turned up on stage to take three curtain calls.

The previous night local lads Elbow had taken to the stage at the city's Bridgewater Hall with the Halle Orchestra for what will be remembered by many as the highlight of the festival.

But it's not just about the evening events. Last Friday, the daytime programme included Gustav Metzger's public art installation, Flailing Trees, in the Manchester Peace Garden and a MIF-inspired walking tour of Manchester's architecture.

The programme runs until July 19th and has brought in visitors en masse to the city, boosting the local visitor economy.

So are culture breaks the new seaside holidays?

The Northwest was the first English region to develop a Major Events Strategy. Since 2004 major events have brought in over £145m to the region, according to figures from the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA).

The first Manchester International Festival in 2007 attracted an audience of over 200,000 and had an estimated economic impact of £28.8m, while the 2008 Liverpool Biennial brought 451,000 visitors to the city and generated a spend of £26.6m.

So clearly cultural festivals are providing a hugely valuable to boost tourism across the Northwest, but is it just about the numbers? What really makes a festival a success and do local people actually get involved?

Over to you ...

Hit the Midlands

2009-06-28T05:11:00.000-07:00

I don't do celebrity stuff. But I can make an exception for an audience with Sir David Attenborough (right), albeit a brief one in a crowded, ill-prepared room with the public impatiently pressing their faces against the glass and queueing for autographs.

Our rendez-vous was at Creswell Crags on the Derbyshire/Nottinghamshire borders, where Sir David was opening a new museum and visitors centre dedicated to the Ice Age rock art that makes the Crags a centre for archaeology in the UK.

But enough of the caves. What everyone wants to know is what Sir David thinks about the world of travel. Here's a snippet of the interview, the full text of which will be published in the Daily Express next weekend.

'Of course tourism has to be controlled because it can get out of hand and destroy things. But, by and large, it's essential for anyone in conservation to learn to work with tourism for the greater good.'

Do you agree with Sir David? And would would you like to have asked him? Leave your comments below.

Getting paid for his summer holiday

2009-06-20T13:09:00.000-07:00

Early starts on Tuesdays from now onwards. From this week Hit the North joins Duncan Barkes on the new breakfast show on City Talk to discuss all things travel at 7.45am.

We will be particularly looking at travel and tourism news, trends and controversies around the great Northwest and Wales. And we want to hear from you. Post your comments below, or follow us on Twitter. Tell us about the burning travel issues where you are and we'll put them on air.

To kick things off, I'll be asking if it's time to hang up my black moleskin notepad (last used on the summit of Snowdon, above left) and give up on travel writing once and for all. The reason? The man who brought us mistletoe and wine is steaming in on my patch.

Yes, that's right. Sir Cliff is one of the writers featured on Simon Seeks, the new travel website dominating the headlines today. The new venture from Simon Nixon, who founded his multi-million-pound Moneysupermarket business in Chester before moving it to North Wales, works on a revenue-sharing model of user-generated content.

I've so far politely declined the lure of Simon Seeks and have major reservations about whether it would pay. Others clearly share these reservations. Some freelance colleagues are dipping a toe in the water but worried about the long-term repercussions on the craft of the professional travel writer.

Sir Cliff's travel-scribing debut, a piece about his love of Barbados, is more notable for its cringe-inducing use of exclamation marks than its jaw-dropping literary merit but, hey, he'll get the hang of this travel writing lark. Give the young lad a chance.

As will, no doubt, that bloke who used to play guitar in Toploader. He did Dubai in a weekend apparently. Huzzah.

So join us at 7.45am this Tuesday. I'll at least get one in before Sir Cliff muscles in on this too.

Where is Chester's independent spirit?

2009-06-15T02:33:00.000-07:00

Grim reading this weekend for Visit Chester & Cheshire. The story, High Street: High Noon, published in Saturday's Telegraph magazine, painted a grim picture of life in the Roman, walled city. Empty shops, shady men with flyers for lapdancing clubs and even the dark spectre of Mrs Thatcher. Ugh.

There wasn't much comfort to be found in the words of writer Mick Brown, nor in the statistics rolled out to illustrate the claim that Chester, with its dependence on tourism, retail and financial services, is particularly vulnerable to the dreaded credit crunch.

Try this one for size: 'In the Oxford Economics Index of Vulnerability, Chester ranked third in the country, behind the City of London and the London borough of Tower Hamlets.'

The publication of this piece makes for particularly unfortunate timing given today's announcement that Virgin Trains are offering discounted fares to boost visitor numbers to Chester and Cheshire.

But are things really so bad? I've just walked around the centre of Chester and, while there are still plenty of empty shops - as there are in any high street right now - there are also lots of businesses apparently weathering the recession.

So how does Visit Chester & Cheshire respond to the piece? And, while the owner of the shop Ancient Worlds is clearly not happy with his lot, what about the other independent shopkeepers and restauranteurs out there?

Places such as deli Joseph Benjamin, which featured in the Taste Cheshire food trail I covered for the Observer a few weeks back.

Is Chester becoming a homogenised destination of bland chain shops, or does it still retain a special allure, notably for its retail offer?

Let's hear your thoughts. Post your comments below.

Blackpool mon amour

2009-06-10T02:22:00.000-07:00

Blackpool gets a pretty bad rap and is clearly keen to reinvent itself. As is the North West Development Agency (NWDA), who recently funded a promotional short film, J'aime la Tour.

The film takes a deliberately alternative look at the classic British kiss-me-quick resort, highlighting its attractions to French visitors given current currency fluctuations in the Eurozone.

Clearly the idea was a success on its launch day with acres of press coverage and the head of tourism interviewed across TV channels. Last time I checked, the film had been watched over 54,000 times on YouTube.

But not all the coverage was positive, notably a scathing blog from the Mail on Sunday, which suggested that Blackpool should be concentrating on its core market, namely Brits on seaside family hols, not French visitors looking for Vegas sur la mer.

Having spoken subsequently to people involved, I get the feeling that this was purely a talking-point exercise and there's nothing to substantiate the French angle.

Likewise I spoke to several travel editors about this. Their feeling? This was a news story, it's over and there's nothing in it for the travel sections.

So, here's my question: while the short-term benefit to Blackpool in terms of profile is undeniable, what is the longer-term impact at a time when many Brits are thinking about taking holidays closer to home.

Does J'aime la Tour sell Blackpool as a place to rediscover or alienate a key audience? Post your comments here and join the conversation.

First past the post in Chester

2009-06-06T00:20:00.000-07:00

Beware of red-wine hangovers around Cheshire today. The annual Visit Chester & Cheshire Awards were held last night at Chester Racecourse.

The big winner on the night with a hatrick of gongs was Carden Park, the hotel golf resort and spa, namely Excellence in Business Tourism, Sustainable Tourism Award and Large Hotel of the Year.

Celebrations too for Harrop Fold Farm, Macclesfield, with their third consecutive win, taking the B&B of Year award for their combination of winning location, accommodation and cookery classes.

I judged the Small Hotel of the Year award and picked Peckforton Castle (pictured above right) as my winner with Nunsmere Hall a close second place.

My reasons? Attention to detail, proactive attitude to new business and a strong sense of personality infused throughout the family-owned property.

Did the right people win on the night? Post your comments here.

Cumbria without the crowds

2009-06-03T05:34:00.000-07:00

Good news for the Lake District. The domain of winsome poets and hardy hikers takes second place behind Cornwall as the destination of choice this summer in a poll of

holidaymakers.

The report, published by the budget hotel group, Travelodge, is the latest to talk up the Great British summer of domestic tourism we're hearing so much about.

But does this mean the rural byways and hiking trails will be full to bursting this summer? Is there plenty of Lakeland charm to share around?

Maybe you know some hidden-gem Cumbrian hang outs that the coach parties still bypass and the tourist throngs still miss.

Post details here and tell us all about them. I've got a potential project coming up in Cumbria and your input will be much appreciated.

Summit up in Snowdonia

2009-05-31T13:05:00.000-07:00

Tense times in North Wales with the imminent official opening of Hafod Eryri, the new £8.3m visitor centre atop Mount Snowdon. First Minister for Wales, Rhodri Morgan, is due to cut the red tape on June 12th.

But the project is a whole 12 months late, required a last-minute cash injection and has been blighted by the legendarily severe Snowdonia weather. All the building materials had to be hauled up to the summit at 3,560ft by train. Not easy in a 100mph gale.

Worse still, the Snowdonia National Park Authority still seem to be rather tetchy about the words of Prince Charles, who famously described the original 1935 summit building as "the highest slum in England and Wales". Ouch.

They refuse journalists entry the building and seem rather keen to avoid any publicity at all. I suspect, then, they didn't take kindly to the piece in the Independent last Monday, even if it takes a generally positive view.

Ray Wood, a local photographer, who has charted the development since the original building was demolished in 2005, does a better job at assessing whether they'll make the June 12th deadline with his Snowdonia Summit blog.

I went up Snowdon last week to get an exclusive preview of Hafod Eryri for a piece that will appear in this Saturday's Daily Express.

Wednesday was a wash out with winds up to 69mph and black sheets of rain (the picture, above left, was taken at 8.30am and says it all). But I went back up on Saturday, a glorious day of Simpsons-blue sky and panoramic views across to Ireland.

I took the Snowdon Mountain Railway up as far as Clogwyn station and walked the rest. My knees are still throbbing. At the top there was a bunch of irritable people who wanted to use the bathroom and buy a cup of tea before the walk down. Several claimed they didn't know the centre wasn't yet open. More information needed.

Did I make it inside the building? What is it actually like? And why is a hen party from Kent cracking the bubbly on the doorstep two weeks before the burly security workmen actually allow the first punters to spend a penny in the grey-slate bathrooms? Oops, that's blown it.

I'll post the link here on Saturday with all the answers.

A new manifesto

2009-05-23T09:31:00.000-07:00

It's time to make a fresh start. I've been blogging for a few months now about day-to-day life as a jobbing travel writer. The posts have attracted followers, plaudits, critics and downright outrage in equal measure. From this week, I'm changing the focus.

I'm going to be taking a more niche approach, blogging specifically about domestic tourism in England's Northwest, where I live, and Wales, where I've worked a lot over the last few years.

The idea came to me while walking home through the streets of Chester after a recent press conference. There are so many good places to talk about in terms of tourism around the Northwest, such as Peckforton Castle picture above right, but not many writers talking about it. So I will.

This is not a PR-sponsored blog. I'm making no money from it. It's about my subjective take on regional tourism as I see. That said, I'm happy to hear from anyone with ideas worthy of coverage that other outlets have may have ignored.

It's also an outlet to showcase some links to stories that have grabbed my attention and to highlight some links to my stories about the region published in newspapers and magazines. Here's one to get the ball rolling: my piece about the Cheshire Food Trail in the Observer.

What's not changing is my enthusiasm for your comments, praise, criticism and general feedback. Post, please, post.

Time to hit the North. As in, get your arse over here.

Travel in the best possible taste

2009-05-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

I've been staying close to home this week. No, not skiving off. I may only have travelled as far as my backyard, that is the city of Chester, but I was still working.

First I spent a day judging the small hotel category in the annual Visit Chester & Cheshire Tourism Awards. Three places made the shortlist: Peckforton Castle with its fairy-tale ambiance, Nunsmere Hall (that's it pictured left) with its manicured grounds and Inglewood Hall, a conference centre reborn as a business hotel.

Want to know which one won? Catch the results on June 5th at the awards dinner. Want to know how I chose the winner? Listen into travel talk the Duncan Barkes programme on City Talk this Friday from 10.15am to find out more about the criteria for assessing the finalists.

Later in the week I went to the opening of the Taste Cheshire Food Trail, a series of seven routes across the county, featuring over 60 businesses united by the common pursuit of fine food and drink.

I had a sneak preview of the only walking trail, a three-mile circuit around the ancient Roman city, taking in local highlights such as the gourmet Cheese Shop and tucked-away deli-restaurant Joseph Benjamin.

The six other routes are car based and stretch as far afield as Macclesfield, Northwich and the Wirral. All seven are documented in a A5 booklet available from tourist offices and participating businesses along the routes.

Can Cheshire sell itself as a must-visit destination on the strength of its local produce this summer? Well, from what I've seen so far, this could cook up a storm.

Make a one-night stand

2009-05-06T01:46:00.000-07:00

I've decided to put my money where my mouth is. I've blogged previously about the way tourist boards are failing to grasp the clear opportunity for domestic tourism this summer. I've also read a lot about the rise of the so-called 'nano break', the one-night holiday. This trend for shorter breaks, identified in a survey by hotels.com, comes in response to economic current conditions.

I can only really comment on this if I've experienced it first hand. So I'm going to. This weekend, I'm off walking in the Derbyshire Peak District, tackling the slopes of Kinder Scout with a couple of old friends. We will be camping and paying our own way.

Will it rain? Will it be cost more than a week in Turkey? Will I survive my first night under canvas since an unfortunate incident at the Glastonbury Festival with some strong liquor, a lost tent and a sense of bewilderment induced by the headline set by Spiritualised? Maybe.

But, most of all, is a nano break the new weekend break? Or is an extended sojourn the new two weeks in the sun?

This week we learnt that 34-year-old Ben Southall from Hampshire, UK, has landed a six-month contract as the caretaker of Hamilton Island on Queensland's Great Barrier Reef. It's a role described as "the best job in the world" in a clever publicity campaign by Tourism Queensland and is expected to boost Queensland's image around the world after several years of lacklustre visitor numbers. At latest estimates it generated over £50m in publicity. Strewth, mate.

Ben's main qualification? He can ride an ostrich.

I'll be discussing both of these topics on the Duncan Barkes programme on City Talk this Friday. Email me with you comments or questions and I'll get them on air.

Tune in Friday from 10.15am. And follow both myself and Duncan on Twitter.

Travel Talk this Friday

2009-04-29T09:28:00.000-07:00

This week on the Duncan Barkes programme on City Talk, we will be talking about the latest travel advice on the swine flu outbreak and what it means for the already beleaguered tourism industry in Mexico. We will because the website of the tourist board appears to have nothing to say.

We're also thinking about which is the world's best city to live in. At least, the best according to the Quality of Living ranking by the consultancy group Mercer. Need a clue? It's not Mexico City.

On air from 10.15am Friday morning. Leave your comments below and I'll put them on the air.

Best of Britain - best of banal more like

2009-03-28T03:07:00.000-07:00

I come to praise British tourism, not bury it. No, really, I do. It's an honourable vocation and one I'm happy to support. That's why I paid my own way down to Excel in London's Docklands a few days ago to attend Best of Britain & Ireland, a trade show devoted to domestic tourism that has replaced the British Travel Trade Fair.

Thursday was press day and I was keen to find some strong new ideas and angles on stories as I had in previous years. Stories that I would go on to sell to my editors and, in turn, help to promote the superb array of Great British tourism activities on offer in this country.

On Thursday afternoon at the near-deserted press room I collected the press pack, including a news release that quotes Sandie Dawe, Deputy Chief Executive of Visit Britain thus: "Best of Britain & Ireland ... could be a real tipping point for British tourism."

A real tipping point? Walking round the exhibition, the sound of tumbleweed blowing by my feet, it felt like British tourism had already tipped off and given up.

The problems for a freelance writer like me? Attendance was very low; hardly any press officers from regional tourist boards on their respective stands (those who did turn up all seemed to leave early); nobody had any fresh ideas; no creative vision; and no attempt to capitalise on the golden opportunity that this year presents given the currency situation in the Eurozone.

Visit Britain themselves are keen to talk up the idea that 5m extra Brits are considering taking a holiday at home this year. But, after this woeful experience, I'm more inclined to bin a UK break in favour of a cheap package deal in Turkey, Egypt or Croatia - three places where our pounds still has some purchasing power. That would also trump Britain on the weather and cost issue too.

I would have come away totally empty handed were it not for Visit Wales, whose professional press officer met at the stand, discussed story ideas and helped with contacts to arrange forthcoming projects. I came away with two concrete story ideas to progress and several more to ponder. Isn't that the whole point of a press day?

But where the hell was everyone else? Experience Nottinghamshire didn't show up at all, opting instead to exhibit at the Outdoors Show at Birmingham's NEC. Did they know something I didn't? Is it simply all over for this event as a launching pad for the UK media to report on domestic tourism?

The Maison de la France do this kind of thing rather well with their France Meets the Media events. So why can't Visit Britain with all the resources at its disposal?

If I attend next year - and that's a big if right now - then here's what I expect from it:

* Well-briefed press officers on stands to deal with journalist enquiries and promote their region

* A brief ideas document on each regional stand outlining new events, projects, hooks, angles to help writers formulate must-commission proposals

* Some kind of evening networking event with media and regional tourism PRs, plus people from Visit Britain, Wales, Ireland, Scotland to set the proactive and collaborative tone for the daytime talking shop.

I'm not getting ideas above my station here. I know that I'm just one of hundreds of active freelancers but, if I feel bitterly disappointed about my experience, how many other writers feel the same?

If anyone would actually like to respond, then please leave your comments below or email me direct (find contacts at my website www.atkinsondavid.co.uk).

We'll be discussing what went wrong as part of my regular travel slot on the Duncan Barkes programme on City Talk this week. On air Friday morning from 10.15am.

Over to you.

Lost in action

2009-03-18T13:58:00.000-07:00

Monday morning and I'm bleary eyed at the carousel. My fellow passengers, recently dispatched from the red-eye overnighter from New York, are all collecting their luggage and heading for the taxi rank. I'm still waiting. I bite my lip and decide to let it run around one more time, fingers crossed urgently behind my hand luggage.

Still nothing. Seems the spoils of my exchange rate-defying shopping spree, tagged onto the end of a brief working trip, have been lost somewhere in transit.

My own brush with lost luggage came a few years back but it still lives with me. Thankfully, I was flying British Airways prior to the great Terminal Five debacle around this time last year and, after a few nervous days and a series of increasingly angry phone calls, my bags were returned safely to me.

Not everyone is so lucky. The European Union is planning measures to force airlines to pay fair compensation after the disclosure that 42 million bags failed to arrive on time in 2007. One million more went completely AWOL.

The consumer watchdog, the Air Transport Users Council (AUC), published the figures in a report this week and claimed that many airlines are trying to dodge fair compensation for lost bags, sometimes paying just ten per cent of the actual value.

The watchdog Passenger Focus also announced plans this week to start naming and shaming poor-performing UK airports as part of government-backed measures to improve the often grim conditions at Britain's busiest air hubs. A similar scheme has helped improve rail services.

So, as the backlash against air travel continues on the grounds of both convenience and environmental concerns, will these announcements lure us back to Heathrow?

Or have we already made the mental leap and, after yet another 20-minute slog between terminals and an overpriced coffee from an anodyne chain cafe with all the welcome of a wet weekend in Birkenhead, vowed to stay short haul this year and travel in the relative comfort of the Eurostar?

This Friday on the Duncan Barkes programme we will be discussing your lost luggage and vision-of-hell airport experiences.

Tune in from 10.15 am. Send me your comments and I'll put them on air.

What's the craic?

2009-03-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

Early evening at Campbell's pub and the Guinness is flowing freely. The one-room bar feels lost in time with a copy of the Mayo News on the counter, teabags and loaves of bread for sale behind the bar and I'm Going Back to Ireland in the Spring playing on the radio in the background. Owen Campbell, the owner, returns from feeding the ducks at the sweeping expanse of Clew Bay stretching out before his front door as I pull up a well-worn stool and sip my pint.

"There's been a pub here since the 1800s," he smiles. "I've spent my life behind this bar.

Located in the village of Murrisk, just outside of Westport on Ireland's west coast, the pub stands at the foot of Croagh Patrick, the holiest peak in Ireland. About 100,00 people hike the trail to the summit each year in honour of St Patrick, Ireland's patron saint. Most stop at Campbell's on the way back down for a pint and a glimpse of life as it used to be.

But amongst all the craic this year, the truth about the man behind the myth would have many St Patrick's Day revellers spluttering into their pints: Patrick was probably a Welshman.

This Friday on the Duncan Barkes programme on City Talk FM, we will be talking about ways to celebrate St Patrick's Day, climbing Croagh Patrick and just who was the man now synonymous with Ireland's biggest annual booze up.

Listen in from 10.15am this Friday. Send me your comments and I'll get them on air.

That'll not do so nicely

2009-03-06T13:08:00.000-08:00

I'm no personal finance expert. But I would never normally head to the airport without my Nationwide Flex Account debit card and my Abbey Zero credit card. The reason? Put simply, these two cards save me money on transactions overseas.

Until now that is. This week Nationwide disclosed that transactions in Europe will remain free (for now anyway), but charges will apply from May for credit cards and June for debit cards. More bankers who have lost touch with the real world.

Most banks impose a 'foreign loading charge' every time customers use their card abroad . Nationwide was different as it covered the charges levied by Visa.

That card was the main reason I chose to bank with Nationwide. It was widely held to be a top money-saving travel tip, one of the best ways to avoid rip-off charges when buying goods or using an ATM abroad. It meant, sometimes, I could afford to eat when I'd run out of the local currency.

Now, in the same week that Ryanair considers charging £1 to spend a penny in the air, this is another example of creeping stealth charges eroding my spending power abroad. Thankfully my Abbey Zero card remains untouched so far, although it is no longer being offered to new customers.

So, time to mobilise the troops. Let's tell Nationwide where to stick their stealth charges. A certain Twitter feed today reveals that the Chief Executive of Nationwide is graham.beale@nationwide.co.uk.

Email him. I have.

Money, money, money

2009-02-22T08:08:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about money a lot this week. The reason? Firstly because a certain magazine publisher still hasn't managed to issue a cheque for £350 after numerous calls and emails because - wait for it - "the man who signs the cheques is out the country for three weeks." And, evidently, nobody else in a certain Bristol accounts department can handle both pen and chequebook simultaneously. 'Course not.

Secondly because, in the interests of savings funds in these cash-strapped times, I've recently found myself querying the kind of incidental costs that I'm expected to swallow in the process of actually completing commissioned assignments.

Let me give you an example. Checking into a fairly bland business-style hotel in York recently I found that the cost of accessing the in-room wifi was £14 for a 24-hour period. £14! That was even worse than the £3 in the bar for the pint of piss-weak corporate lager. I had work to finish that day but decided I'd rather flush the cash down the toilet than hand it over to the hotel for a service that costs them virtually nothing to install and maintain. I got by with my BlackBerry and vowed to avoid this particular hotel chain in future.

In fact, I now avoid any hotel that charges for wifi. See ya Park Inn. Hasta la vista Jurys Inn. I always opt for the Malmaison, where the internet comes free. And will look more favourably now on Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts after its decision to offer free internet access to guests in an effort to boost business.

A recent report from Expedia indicates big hotel chains are loosing customers by charging excessive rates for wifi access. The author recommends calling ahead to negotiate a deal with hotels still charging to get online. I recommend you boycott them completely. Only then will hotels wake up to the fact that charging for wifi is the kind of rip off that ultimately will loose them valuable business.

Speaking of rip offs, I was concerned but not surprised by a report from watchdog Passenger Focus that says British rail fares are on average 50% more expensive than European fares. British fares are typically three times more expensive than the cheapest surveyed fares - those in the Netherlands.

I use the train a lot for work. In fact, I'd far rather prepare for an interview at my laptop on a train than fight my way through traffic to arrive flustered and unprepared. But the price of the train fare is so high, not to mention the service at times so unreliable, that the cost to me increasingly makes it unfeasible to accept the work in the first place. Compared to the excellent record of the Swiss train system, British rail just isn't getting there.

Sure I sometimes can squeeze some meagre expenses, but increasingly no. And, yes, I know I have to book to advance. I always do. But finding those elusive cheap deals on my regular commute down to London on the West Coast Mainline is harder than locating a strong story angle on a group press trip.

This is supposed to be the golden summer of UK tourism. But the intransigence of rail companies could be the fly in the seaside ice-cream as Travel Weekly warns.

I want to support domestic tourism - to take trains, to use our hotels and highlight the great places around the UK for tourists. But unless UK rail companies and hotels curb their money-grabbing antics, I may be increasingly unable to complete those UK tourism assignments. Or maybe not accept them at all.

Travel Talk this Friday

2009-02-12T08:05:00.000-08:00

Listen in this Friday to the Duncan Barkes programme on City Talk FM for my weekly travel slot. This week we will be discussing the following items from the world of travel:

Melbourne is still open to tourists despite this week's tragic bush fires; Valentines breaks are the latest victim of the recession and why Visit Britain warns we could miss out on a massive opportunity this year for domestic tourism this year.

Send me your comments and I'll put them on the radio. On air this Friday morning from 10.15am.

Travel Talk this Friday

2009-02-04T12:50:00.000-08:00

I love train travel. It's greener, less stressful than airports and, when you're powering through northern France with a glass of red by your side and your latest assignment near complete on your laptop, it feels supremely civilised. Snowstorms and pestilence notwithstanding, of course. That's why I'm delighted to read that the European rail network will expand the over next year with a slew of new services coming online to speed up connections between the major European hubs and increase the reach of rail.

I'll be discussing this on the Duncan Barkes programme on City Talk this week. Leave your comments here about favourite train journeys, favourite train stations (my vote is for the futuristic Kyoto Station in Japan) and why you prefer to let the train take the strain.

You can also watch my video blog riding the Glacier Express in Switzerland here.

We will also be discussing news that holiday camp Pontin's is planning to take on an extra 2,000 staff over three years and spruce up venues as cash-strapped Brits look to holidays at home.

Would you spend your summer hols at a revamped Pontins in Southport? After an assignment at Butlins that involved a performance from Eighties throwback Bucks Fizz, tales of substance abuse from chalet staff and an angry letter from the management many years ago, I've never returned. But maybe I've missed out? You tell me ...

On air Friday from 10.15am.

Travel Talk this Friday

2009-01-29T08:35:00.000-08:00

Listen in this Friday to the Duncan Barkes programme on City Talk FM for my weekly travel talk slot. This week we will be discussing:

Holiday Company offers 'chav free' breaks (read the story here) and following the subsequent uproar online (read more here).

Jeremy Head covered this story well this week on his blog Travelblather with Your Holiday is Guaranteed chav free.

Another tour operator responded by making a counter offer; read more here.

We'll also talk about how Twitter could revolutionise the way we travel; read more here.

Send me your comments about these stories and I'll get them on air.

Live from 10.15am tomorrow.

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Travel Journalist

2009-01-26T13:28:00.000-08:00

I know what you're thinking. Save it. I've heard it all before. Contrary to popular opinion, travel journalism is not all cocktails at dusk and red carpets to presidential suite.

Don't believe me? Well, two of my freelance colleagues both today published material on their blogs that sums up rather well the sometimes grim reality of life as a travel writer. Read the Glamour of Travel Writing from David Whitley's 1001 Travel Writer Tips, then follow it up with Graham Bond's A Guide to Guidebook Writing. Read 'em and weep.

I've had my own fair share of nightmare assignments, whereby I've worked like a dog for a fee that was, frankly, an insult. I've learnt the hard way to say 'no' more and choose the work very, very carefully. But, in the current climate, can freelancers still afford to say 'no'?

I'm holding out for now. But over to you ...

Northern Baroque

2009-01-18T20:18:00.000-08:00

I'm not a big fan of heavy metal with my breakfast. A Baltic blast of Europe's The Final Countdown doesn't exactly aid my digestion of the luke-warm scrambled eggs at the Klaipeda Hotel. But maybe it's appropriate. Vilnius, with its Unesco-listed Old Town and array of Baroque churches, has been counting down for several years and now its moment has finally come as the new European Capital of Culture (a title shared with Linz, Austria). The Culture Live programme promises over 900 events with 60 per cent of them free. But is Vilnius really ready for the long-awaited cultural jamboree?

Dalia Bankauskaite thinks so. The Executive Director of Culture Live owes a big debt of thanks to Phil Redmond and the team behind Liverpool 2008 for their advice on running the event - and how to keep it in the €100m budget just as recession bites.

"Quality and visibility are the key to a successful Capital of Culture," she tells me over a bowl of beetroot soup in a downtown Vilnius cellar bar. "Cultural education is often dilapidated in a developing country, but we want it to be culture by the people for the people."

Nice sentiment. But will anyone actually go? The plummeting pound means that Lithuania is not as cheap as it used to be to us Brits. And, by way of supreme irony, the national airline, Lithuanian Airlines, went bust this week, leaving the UK without direct flights to Vilnius.

Around 50,000 people braved sub-zero temperatures in Cathedral Square for the opening ceremony, but many of the best events are not scheduled now until mid summer.

I previewed Culture Live for the Observer and will report back later this year on just how Vilnius is doing.