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Take a leisurely trip along a section the Kennet and Avon Canal, one of Britain's prettiest canals, on the Kenavon Venture. You can choose from daytime or evening trips, some with music and a lively quiz as an added attraction. The pace of progress makes this trip perfect for the Slow Traveller. The Kenavon Venture is a purpose built public trip boat on the Kennet and Avon Canal operating from The Wharf in Devizes. The boat is 60 feet long,10 feet wide and has spacious seating for up to 40 passengers. It is operated by volunteers of the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust. A licensed bar, refreshments and a toilet are available on board. The Trust runs both afternoon and evening trips, the schedule depending on the time of year. The day trips stop at Caen Locks to allow for visits and walks along the dramatic stretch of locks and a stop for ice cream at the canalside café. Slow Travel joined an evening trip in the autumn, beginning by enjoying the last rays of sunshine, passing well tended gardens at the start of the route. We then chugged tranquilly and slowly along, delighting in glimpses of the canal’s wildlife and flora and listening to the knowledgeable volunteers talk about the origins and history of the canal. Runners, walkers, cyclists and families were enjoying the towpath. Kayaks and canoes slid past. Swans took an interest in our passage. Many of the canal boats were brightly painted in traditional colours – one with a good crop of runner beans and herbs on the roof. The boat stopped for a delivery of fish/veggie burgers and chips on board - which were quickly distributed, steaming hot and very tasty. As night fell, attention turned to a light-hearted but quite challenging quiz set by the crew for the assorted passengers. It was gentle, amusing fun and we were soon back at Devizes Wharf to end the trip. A TRIP ON THE KENAVON VENTURE How to get there The MV Kenavon Venture is moored on the wharf at Devizes, close to the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust museum. Postcode: SN10 1EB. Pay and Display public car parking is available on the wharf. How much does it cost for a trip? Prices vary according to season and the type of trip on offer. Please visit the website >> Are there any facilities at Devizes Wharf? Shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants are all available locally.

West Kennet Long Barrow is one of several prehistoric monuments which form part of the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage site: a large area of Wiltshire filled with barrows, stone circles, avenues and other remnants from the Neolithic and Bronze Ages. Unlike some of the other sites within this ancient landscape, the West Kennet Long Barrow can be visited, and entered, for free. Stonehenge and Avebury are about 25 miles apart, one is the most architecturally advanced stone circle in the world, the other is the largest, and around each is a cluster of other ancient monuments; curses, henges, barrows and avenues. Between them this whole area of chalkland has been shaped by millennia of human activity. West Kennet is a part of this landscape, about a mile away from Avebury which forms the northern part of the area, near monuments such as Silbury Hill and the Sanctuary. The landscape bears evidence of nearly 6000 years of continuous occupation, with monument building taking place between 3700 and 1600 BC, leaving behind evidence of Neolithic and Bronze Age ceremonial and mortuary practices. A Brief History of the West Kennet Long Barrow West Kennet Long Barrow is the largest known Neolithic stone chambered tumulus in the south of England, measuring 100 metres long and about 20 metres wide, which once had a ditch around the outside. The large internal rectangular chamber goes about 12 metres inside the barrow with a ceiling height of around 2 metres. Although we see it covered in grass, originally it would have been white from the chalk used in its construction and so much more visible within the landscape. It was probably built around the 37th century BC, during the early Neolithic period, by pastoral communities who used locally sourced chalk, earth and megaliths, bringing in oolitic limestone from the Cotswolds which they used as a form of internal drywall. The Barrow was built on the site of previous human activity, with shards of a plain bowl found underneath the monument during an excavation in the 1950s. It is likely that many of these barrows were built on places that already had a history and special significance to the people building them. The community which originally built it were nomadic or semi-nomadic, as no evidence has been found of cereal production or any dwellings in the area, so it may have been one of many significant monuments within their wider area. The fact that it unusually provided enough space for people to stand upright means there were probably regular comings and goings within its walls. Human bones have been found within the chamber, dating from 3670 and 3635 BC; a mixture of men and women, both children and adult. After those initial burials, the barrow fell into a state of disrepair for about 100 years, when further burials were then added over several centuries, which included animals. The original burials were covered with sarsen slabs before the latter ones were added, which included 5 infants. Along with these secondary burials were flint and bone tools with hundreds of pottery shards. Some time later around 3000 BC, the entrance to the barrow was blocked up with the sarsens you see there today, and the barrow could no longer be entered. It was around this time that the nearby Sanctuary was constructed, and the main stage of building at Avebury took place. Perhaps this was the end of one belief system and the start of another? During the Roman period a small coin hoard was buried in the side of the barrow and in the subsequent years the barrow, and others in the area, fell victim to both over-farming, with parts of it ploughed up, and pilfering. In the 17th century a local doctor removed some of the bones from within and ground them up to give as remedies to 'distressed neighbours'. There have been two major archeological excavations, in 1859 and 1955. Parts of it have been reconstructed to give the appearance we see today. Visiting the West Kennet Long Barrow There is no visitor centre, parking, cafes or facilities attached to the barrow; it is in a farmer's field and can only be reached by walking on a permissive footpath. It is a pleasant walk across the fields to the barrow, following a route that people have walked for thousands of years. Amongst the wide open sky, screeching crows and distant hum of traffic, the barrow emerges from the flat landscape, its irregular stone entrance standing out within the barren surroundings. There is a single sign near the barrow with some basic historical information about the site, but other than that there are no barriers, ropes, ticket office, or bossy signage, making it something rather unique in these over commericalised times, and easier to imagine how it might once have looked. You can walk through a concealed gap in the stones into a small forecourt area, from where you can see the entrance to the barrow. It is an impressive and dramatic entrance, with a flat sarsen forming the roof, so you are walking under a trilithon. Inside are irregular large blocks, the tunnel leading you through the dark to the back of the chamber. There are a couple of small circular holes which have been cut in the roof, to let some light in. There are several smaller chambers off the main tomb and it is an evocative and atmospheric place to explore. Inside in various nooks and crannies you will find votives and offerings from unseen hands, perhaps even a makeshift shrine laid on the floor in front of you. When I visited there were only natural offerings such as sprigs of rosemary, bunches of greenery, petals and rather randomly, a carrot, but at other times you can find assorted plastic tat in there too, something of which I thoroughly disapprove. People have also had fires within, causing some of the stones to crack due to the intense heat. The barrow today seems to have become a magnet for a wide variety of people, and you may well find a mixture of modern day pagans and ghost hunters along with the walkers and sightseers. Its association with burials, ancient funereal rites and rituals, and its part within the wider Stonehenge landscape, with all of the connections with solstices, druids, mystical ley lines and more, means that the site for many is a place to go to seek a deeper relationship to the past, to connect with an ancient spirituality that many feel is missing today. Apparently some even see it as portal to the past. The fact is that it looks impressive; a burial chamber concealed within a grassy mound behind the dramatic standing stone façade, surrounded by a wide open space with the unusually shaped Silbury Hill rising in the distance. Add that to the fact that, unlike other sites such as Stonehenge, it is hard to reach yet free to visit, and it is easy to see why so many people both visit and venerate the barrow. Here they can touch the stones and conduct their rituals that are banned at many other sites, and they can visit at sunrise and sunset as well as the solstices, to try to connect more deeply with the past. There is rumoured to be one of the oldest ghosts haunting the site: a man in white robes and his dog who stand on top of the barrow at dawn of the summer solstice, both standing silently and motionless waiting for the sunrise, before they enter the tomb below once the sun emerges. Other people claim to have heard whispering voices and have felt a sense of dread within the tomb, others claim to have been dragged by unseen hands into the depths of the tomb. I can't claim to have any reaction to inside the tomb, other than genuine interest at what I was seeing, but then maybe such things are only felt by spiritual types. What I did appreciate was that you can walk around the outside and on top of the barrow too, admiring the distant views, with the unusual shape of Silbury Hill in the distance, and get a sense of how this prehistoric landscape once looked. It is a fascinating, uncommercialised site and one I highly recommend visiting if you can. How to get to West Kennet Long Barrow The barrow is off the A4 between Calne and Marlborough. By bus: Catch the 42 bus between Calne and Marlborough, getting off at the stop called Telephone Box, West Kennett. Bus Timetable >> By train: The nearest train stations are Pewsey and Swindon. Catch the bus from either town to get to the barrow. By car: Drive on the A4 between Calne and Marlborough. There is a small layby at w3w: cosmetic.worldwide.topples. If that is full, which it may be, try the parking area near Silbury Hill at w3w:pits.hazel.unloads. It is not a very nice walk along the road between the two, but it is only for a short distance. Once you are at the parking layby for the barrow, it is then about a 10 - 15 minute walk through two fields to get to the barrow itself. The route can be muddy and slippery so wear sensible footwear. When is West Kennet Long Barrow open? The site is open at all times, but with no lighting, visiting when it is dark would not be the best idea. Are there any facilities at West Kennet Long Barrow? None at all, and here's hoping it stays that way. Head to nearby Marlborough for accommodation, sustenance and anything else you may need.

Winchester Cathedral is the magnificent centrepiece of the ancient Hampshire city of Winchester. Built over a timespan of 500 years from 1079 to 1532, it is the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe and the longest medieval cathedral in the world. It is dedicated to numerous Saints, the most famous of which is Saint Swithun, and is the resting place of many ancient kings and warriors as well as literary icon Jane Austen. The cathedral is packed with memorials and monuments, has a Gormley statue in the crypt, a museum in the upper floors and a truly stunning reredos. It is a very popular tourist attraction and should be on everyone’s list when visiting the beautiful city of Winchester. Winchester Cathedral is a truly stunning building. It is less prepossessing from the outside compared to somewhere like Salisbury Cathedral, and when you first walk in it looks like a standard cathedral, but once you reach the back with the Great Screen and the quire, you realise just how breathtaking it is. There are lots of little chantry chapels to explore, and the addition of a museum area in the upper floor provides a unique perspective of both the building and its contents. A Brief History of Winchester Cathedral The earliest church in Winchester was actually built in 648 and was a small, cross-shaped building, just north of the current cathedral near the walls of the Roman city of Venta Bulgarum. This was known as the Old Minster and was the first cathedral in the Winchester bishopric which controlled a vast area from the channel to the Thames. Next to the Old Minster was constructed a New Minster, begun by Alfred the Great and completed in 901. The two ministers co-existed side-by-side for many years. After the Norman invasion, work started on a huge Norman cathedral, both minsters were demolished and their tombs were moved into this new building. Work continued on the Norman cathedral over the years - at one point in 1107 the central tower collapsed - it was reconstructed, but never reached the heady heights which were probably once planned for it. Much of this original building still survives as the cathedral we see today, with further expansion scheme over the centuries. A retrochoir was added in 1202, built to house the tomb of St. Swithun and in the 14th century a Gothic west window was added. The nave was remodelled, the wooden ceiling replaced and many chantries have been added. With the dissolution of the monasteries the Priory of Saint Swithun surrendered to the King in 1539, and the shrines and altar were destroyed, including the shrine to Saint Swithun. The monastic buildings were closed and demolished during the 16th century. A choir screen was added by Inigo Jones in 1638. Much of the medieval glass and imagery was destroyed by Cromwell and his forces, including the huge West window. After falling into some neglect, the cathedral was restored again in the early 19th century, but by the early 20th century it was in serious danger of collapse, with huge cracks opening up and extensive flooding in the crypt. An extensive restoration program began. Due to all of the flooding in the trenches, built to try to restore the cathedral, bags of cement had to be laid to plug up the water. Between 1906 - 1911 a diver, William Walker, spent about six hours a day, every day for six years, diving into septic water full of bodies and graves, to reinforce the foundations, before the water could be pumped out. He died a few years later of the Spanish flu, and his gravestone bears the inscription, "The diver who with his own hands saved Winchester Cathedral". Must-see highlights of a visit to Winchester Cathedral Kings & Scribes Kings & Scribes is an exhibition which was curated in 2019 containing of some of the artefacts and stories connected to this church which was once the centre of Anglo-Saxon royalty. It is thought there are at least 12 royals buried here, from before the Norman Conquest. The exhibition is laid out over three floors in the south transept, all easily accessible by lift. It also gives you the excellent opportunity to look down over the interior of the building, so that you can see it from a very different perspective. It is a fascinating exhibition and includes some wonderful ancient objects. As well as the mortuary chests (see below), there are statues which once adorned the cathedral, many of which were destroyed, sawn up and used as building blocks. These have been rescued over the years during various renovations and are now in the exhibition. There are musket balls from the 1640s, a King James Bible, gilded cherubs from the 1665 organ, a replica of the original shrine to St. Swithun and even a remnant from his original shrine from its foramina (holes where the pilgrims could put their hands in to get closer to his body), an indulgence from 1254 and so much more. Mortuary Chests Before the Norman invasion, Winchester was the seat of the Wessex Royals, along with some early Norman rulers. There are six mortuary chests, which contain a mixture of people thanks to the destruction caused by the English Civil War. The bones were originally interred in the Old Minster and then transferred by Henry of Blois after its destruction to the new cathedral. He had them raised in their lead coffers around the high altar. These were placed in the painted oak mortuary chests in the 14th century which were in turn placed inside new chests in the 15th century. The 15th century chests can still be seen in their positions high up around the altar. The contents of the boxes have been examined by archaeologists who have found the remains of 23 separate people co-mingled within, include one female who is thought to be Queen Emma, wife of two Saxon Kings, Æthelred the Unready and King Canute. Other occupants include King Cynegils 611-643, King Cenwalh 643-672, King Egbert 802 - 839, King Ethelwulf 839 - 858 and King William II, otherwise known as William Rufus. William Rufus was the third son of William the Conqueror and was killed hunting in the nearby New Forest, quite possibly by his brother Henry who bolted to Winchester to seize the treasury and be crowned King within a matter of days. Rufus was buried underneath the tower and was blamed for its collapse in 1170, as he had been an unpopular ruler. You can visit the Rufus Stone which supposedly marks the spot where he was killed, which is less than 20 miles away and in a beautiful part of the forest. St Swithun's shrine Swithun was a bishop of Winchester from 852 to 863. When he died he was largely forgotten about until about 100 years later when his grave was moved and he was adopted as patron saint for the cathedral's Benedictine Monastery. In writings from long after his death, he was attributed various saintly qualities, becoming known for his piety. It was said that when he held feasts he would invite the poor rather than the rich and that he performed the miracle of restoring a basket of broken eggs, as well as building a bridge nearby to allow the poor to reach the market easily. On his deathbed, he asked to be buried outside the cathedral, where people could walk on him and raindrops could fall on him. He was moved to an indoor shrine on 15 July, a day of intense rain which showed his displeasure at being moved indoors, and it is since he was moved that the miracles are believed to have started happening, with all sorts being attributed to him. He was installed into a magnificent shrine, with the retrochoir being built to accommodate all of the pilgrims who came to see his resting place. His shrine was destroyed in the Reformation, and a modern day depiction is all that remains on the site of his shrine. You can see a facsimile of the original shrine in the Kings & Scribes exhibition. He is the patron saint of rain and a nursery rhyme depicts what most now remember him for - his ability to predict the weather, for if it rains on St Swithun's Day, 15th July, it is thought it will continue to rain for the next 40 days. Apparently there is some meteorological truth in this, due to the position of the Jet Stream on that particular day each year. St. Swithun's day if thou dost rain For forty days it will remain St. Swithun's day if thou be fair For forty days 'twill rain nae mare Tournai Marble Font The Tournai marble font is one of only seven in the UK, although there are more in Northern Europe. Made from black limestone found in the Tournai region of Belgium, this one was brought to Winchester in the 12th century, where it has been used as a baptismal font ever since. Carved from a single block of black limestone, the font is decorated with scenes from the life of St. Nicholas (otherwise known as Santa Claus), one of which includes the earliest depiction ever of a fixed stern rudder ship. The font was brought over by Henry of Blois, grandson of William the Conqueror and Bishop of Winchester from 1129 - 1171. He also brought over three other Tournai fonts which you can see in other churches in Hampshire. The Great Screen The reredos, otherwise known as the Great Screen, was built between 1455-75. The statues were destroyed during the 16th century Reformation, so the ones you see there today were added in the 19th century (which explains why you can see Queen Victoria amongst the Saxon Kings). Some of the original statues are on display in the Kings & Scribes exhibition, many missing body parts. It is a truly outstanding piece of decorative architecture and one that caused me to actually gasp when I rounded a corner in the cathedral and saw it for the first time. It is huge, highly ornate and incredibly detailed, being almost too much to take in in one viewing. My photographs do not do it justice and I would urge you to see it for yourself. It is located behind the quire, the oldest of the great medieval quires in England which remains largely unaltered and covered in beautifully carved animals and foliage. With an ornate pulpit, blue and gold decorations amongst the dark wood and the glistening lamps, it is all a truly spectacular sight. The Crypt The crypt is one of the earliest parts of the building, dating from its original Norman construction. It is underneath much of the eastern part of the cathedral but only a small part of the many aisles and areas can be seen by visitors. You descend through a small door which leads onto a raised platform, fenced off from the vaults, and from there you can see down an aisle of the crypt. The ancient brickwork and stone vaulted ceiling are impressive, and standing at the bottom is Sound II, a life-sized sculpture by Anthony Gormley, of a man standing and staring into his empty cupped hands. It often floods in the crypt, so he stands submerged in water, and a hidden tube in the sculpture fills his cupped hands. Even without flooding, the statue looks striking, creating an evocative atmosphere within the empty crypt. The Floor tiles Winchester Cathedral has an impressive array of medieval floor tiles which you will see at various places around the building. Tile makers were skilled craftsmen who would travel around the country producing tiles for cathedrals, churches and palaces. Hampshire was rich in fine clays and remains of main potteries have been found in the county. Tile were made in wooden moulds with carved wooden stamps pressed into the clay, dried and then the imprint filled with a white slip, cut and glazed (often in beer to give it that rich brown colour) and then finally fired in a wood burning kiln. The ones you see on the floor of the cathedral are a mixture of original tiles and modern reproductions. Some of the earliest date from the 13th century and can still be walked on. The grave of Jane Austen Jane Austen lived in the Hampshire village of Chawton from 1809 - 1817, where her brother owned Chawton House. She suffered from ill health, particularly towards the end of her life, and in 1817 she moved to Winchester to seek medical help, staying in 8 College Street next to the cathedral, (and soon to be opened to the public as a tourist attraction). She only stayed a few months in the city, dying in July 1817 at the age of 41. Her brother had clerical connections within the city and was able to arrange for her to be buried in the cathedral. You can find her in the north nave. Her original memorial made no mention of her literary works, so a brass plaque was added in 1872 to redress this, and a memorial window was unveiled in 1900. Visiting Winchester Cathedral Getting to Winchester Cathedral Train: There are regular trains from cities such as London and Bath. Book your tickets 12 weeks in advance to get the largest discounts. Winchester train station is a 12 minute walk to the cathedral, or you can get a taxi from the taxi rank outside the station - no pre-booking required. Bus: There are regular buses into and around Winchester with the nearest bus stop being the actual bus station. Find your bus >> Car: If you are coming from out of town, consider using one of the Park & Ride sites, they are well maintained and have regular buses to take you in and out of the city. Cathedral opening hours: Monday - Saturday, 9.00 - 5pm, Sunday 12pm - 3pm Ticket Prices: Tickets are £9.95 for adults, under 16s go free. Buy them on the door. 5. Where to eat when visiting Winchester Cathedral The cathedral has a good café just outside the cathedral entrance, with a lovely garden area. There are also countless restaurants just outside the cathedral grounds. 7. Where to stay when visiting Winchester Cathedral There is a lot to do in Winchester and you may want to stay at least a couple of days to enjoy all of the history which is on offer. Have a look on Booking.com (below) who give you the advantage of free cancellation up to 24 hours before you stay for most of their properties.

There are few people over the age of 20 who haven't heard of Breakfast at Tiffany's, the novella made famous by the classic film of 1961 with the iconic Audrey Hepburn. Breakfast at Tiffany's became a 'thing' and in 2020, it finally became possible for people living in the UK to enjoy their own slice of Tiffany's glamour. Tiffany's is a large department store in New York, founded in 1837 and renowned for their luxury goods, particularly jewellery. When Truman Capote wrote his short story for publication in a magazine in 1958, the central character does not actually eat at Tiffany's, it is something she aspires to do when she is 'rich and famous'. Tiffany's, for her, is more a place of calm to soothe away 'angst': What I’ve found does the most good is just to get into a taxi and go to Tiffany’s. It calms me down right away, the quietness and the proud look of it; nothing very bad could happen to you there, not with those kind men in their nice suits, and that lovely smell of silver and alligator wallets. The film was made in 1961 starring Audrey Hepburn as the rather lost, high class call girl with a fabulous wardrobe and casual manner. The opening scene has her arriving outside a deserted Tiffany's in a Givenchy ball gown, sweeping updo and sunglasses, eating a pastry and drinking a coffee whilst peering at the magnificence within as the sun rises over 5th Avenue. The film has developed a cult-like following over the years, becoming a byword for New York chic and timeless elegance. In 2016, Tiffany's opened their first café, the Blue Box Café, named after their coveted robin-egg blue box which holds their jewellery. Four years later in 2020, a Tiffany's Blue Box café opened in London as part of Harrods, the UK's most famous department store. The cafes are open all day, not just for breakfast, as they serve afternoon teas too. You do need to book and reservations can be hard to come by as it is small and a popular place. I visited on New Year's Day, the only booking I could get was for 9.30am when it opened - a rather early start after welcoming the New Year in at Big Ben the night before. Entrance is from Hans Road, through a smart wooden and glass doorway with Tiffany's awning, and unfortunately plastic plants in the planters. Descending to the basement café, there is no mistaking where your are with a distinctive blue ribbon motif leading you to the right place. Much like the café in New York it is decorated in the famous robins-egg blue, with silver decorative features. A silver ceiling, polished silver cutlery and napkin draped silver champagne buckets all complete the look. The crockery is modernist blue and white, elegant, functional, and understated. You are guided to your table, of which there are only about 10 in the whole café, which gives it a rather exclusive feel. The waiting staff glide through the room, all sharply creased shirts, long white aprons and pale blue ties, providing prompt and attentive service. The breakfast is a set menu which starts with fruit juice and a bowl of ripe fresh fruit with a lime and mint dressing. Next comes a croissant 'box' - essentially a square croissant filled with a a choice of fillings. I had the raspberry filling which was delicious - fresh pureed raspberries oozing out of the centre of the warm croissant. You can also choose to have plain ones with no filling at all. This is followed by the main course, a variety of choices which include 5th Avenue bagel with cream cheese and salmon, Eggs Florentine, New York Pancakes, crab muffins - even steak and eggs. You can also add side dishes such as bacon or avocado. All of this is washed down with your choice of tea or coffee, or a glass of bubbles for an extra charge. As you would expect, the food is excellent, although we were slightly baffled by the American pancakes being more akin to flat Victoria Sponge cakes than the pancakes we had been served when in the States. It is a lovely experience, bearing in mind that it is really just eating breakfast in a subterranean basement, but the décor, food and great service make it an enjoyable one, leaving you walking out of the place thinking, "I've just had Breakfast at Tiffany's!" Breakfast at Tiffany's Where: Round the corner of the main shop frontage in Hans Road Opening hours: 9.30 - 7.30pm You must book in advance, which you can do here >> Menus and more information are available on the Tiffany Blue Box Café website >>

Austria is a beautiful country; a mix of snow capped mountains, lush green valleys, dense forests, lakes, rivers and ornate historical cities, making it the ideal destination for the Slow Traveller. Here Marion from Travel Like a Local tells us about how taking a trip with her to her home state of Styria can open your eyes to really appreciating all that this wonderful country has to offer. Why do we travel? Since the beginning of humankind, species are traveling to find food, drinking resources and maybe a place to have some fun (maybe?) This is still the case today with people who are traveling all over the world and exploring other areas. Why is “slow traveling” so different? My vision of the tours I offer is simple: Travel like a local. I have often wondered about the tour groups that come through a European city - hundreds of years old, with strong traditions and beautiful architecture and those groups just rush through it all – with either an abundance of knowledge thrown at them – or none at all. Click, click, click on the camera and hoping that the location locator is on, so they can identify where they were on this trip after they arrived at home. I have seen 15 cities in 10 days – what a trip! Yeah, what kind of a trip was that? Did you speak to the people living in this part of the world? Did you take time to sit down and watch the children play, listening to their native language and experiencing the joy those children display? Did you sit down with locals at their home, to see how they live, what a house in a foreign country looks like from the inside? Could you find those “local secret” eateries that are not in your tour guide and you most likely can’t get in with a group of 30 or more? Did you even get what YOU wanted out of this trip? The things that interest you – the hobbies that you wanted to go after? And wasn’t it that most of the time you needed a vacation after the vacation? See, those are the things I observed when I came up with my mission and vision. Having very small groups (6-10 people at the most) traveling with me to my home state of Styria (Steiermark) in Austria and show the beauty and the hospitality of this slice of heaven. With small groups I can individualize the itinerary upfront to their liking, with the wants and needs of the group members in mind. There will be plenty of time to show people around and explore the history and uniqueness of this state – however, the best part is – you will feel like you are on vacation – with time to breathe and smell the roses, with time to explore and relax, with time to take all this in and bring it back to your home. I give my guests the most authentic travel experience that I can give. My upbringing and life in my home state and my equally long living in the States has given me the gift of being “multi-cultural” – it’s not only that I speak both languages, but also the experience I bring for living in both cultures and knowing about the little “differences” that might help understanding the customs in the other country. The love for my home country has brought me back over and over and with the help of my family, I got to experience this state as a “tourist” and came to love the quirkiness of this state and cherish the traditions, still holding strong, even more. If you are thinking of having a “Girls Trip” (think Wellness) or a “Guys Trip” (think golfing/ extreme sport) or a Family Trip (think slowing down) - maybe even a Management Team (think teamwork with a twist) – those are the groups I’m specializing in. If you are open for a “Strangers” group – this is also for you – making new friends along the way. My next trip will be in June – for the summer solstice, when the days are long, and the nights are perfect. To find out more, please visit my website www.travellikealocal.net and sign up for the trip or the newsletters. I would love to “show” you more about this beautiful state in Austria. Servus, Marion - Travel like a local

Bounded on two sides by the River Avon, Churchill Gardens has two play parks, an outdoor gym, a skate park, parkour park, street sports court and a network of narrow canals which are perfect for playing pooh sticks. The park is a popular place with the locals, yet is often overlooked by visitors to the city. Located on the south of the city, Churchill Gardens is often missed by visitors, who quite rightly do their best to avoid the over crowded and unattractive Southampton Road it is set on. It is possible however to access the park via the Cathedral Close, thereby avoiding most of the ugliness of Southampton Road, and it is a walk worth doing, as Churchill Gardens has a lot to offer. How to get to Churchill Gardens (avoiding the Southampton Road) After a gentle stroll through the Cathedral Close, exit it via the Harnham Gate (w3w: badge.money.herbs) and walk to the end of De Vaux Place (w3w: hang.bonds.above). Cross the road and follow the curved wall round to the left. Follow the path, it will lead you into an underpass (w3w: open.droves.foal). Keep following the path, over a small bridge, and you will find yourself in Churchill Gardens (w3w: exile.winner.sites). Churchill Gardens is a large open green space filled with mature trees, shrubs and flower beds. There are plenty of places for picnics, benches with river views and for groups to gather for outdoor games. It is popular with all ages, with something for kids, teenagers and adults, as well as the usual dog walkers, who fortunately tend to pick up after their dogs. Churchill Gardens for Kids There are two play parks in Churchill Gardens - one for younger kids with swings, slides, climbing frames and a pirate ship. On the other side of the park is one for older kids with a zip wire, slide, swings, climbing frame and more. The network of River Avon tributaries across the park provide handy places for Pooh sticks and the banks of the river have some great spots for feeding the swans and ducks. Churchill Gardens for Teenagers The park is opposite the campus which has both Wiltshire College and Salisbury 6th form centre on it, making the park a popular place for teenagers. They are well provided for here and the skate park, parkour park and sports court are often filled with active kids messing about on bikes, scooters or skate boards. The skate park was recently revamped and has plenty of ramps to keep them busy. The parkour park was installed only last year and has proved to be popular with the flourishing parkour groups in the area. The street sports court is full sized and caters for basketball, football, rollerblading & street hockey. Churchill Gardens for Fitness Another recent addition to the gardens is a green gym, which saw the installation of lots of different types of outdoor gym equipment placed at different locations around the park. They are surprisingly good and durable, and are an excellent place to train for free. The park also has a walking trail around it, where you can follow the footprints on the ground. Churchill Gardens is also home to the local Park Run, which has been a popular event since its inception and is a free timed 5km run or walk for all. In 2022, a Disk Golf Basket was installed. It is a relatively new sport but one which is growing in popularity, and can be played on your own or in a group. Detailed instructions are available next to the basket. Churchill Gardens for Photography There are some surprisingly good spots for landscape photography in Churchill Gardens. The park has cathedral views, where you can see the spire in the near distance. Over the flood plain is the old 19th century eel trap - a rather picturesque building which bridges the river and can look amazing with the sun on it. The river itself provides some fantastic shots, and there is some sociable wildlife which lives near it, often posing for some lovely nature photos. Memorials in Churchill Gardens The Airmen Memorial Squadron Leader Frank Cooke and Flight Lieutenant Phillip Hyden died when their plane crashed on November 27, 1955, in what is now Churchill Gardens. On a routine test flight in a Canberra Bomber from Boscombe Down, it is believed that when they knew they were going to crash, they diverted their plane away from built up areas to save civilian lives. The Titanic bench Eileen McNamee was a Salisbury resident who was headed to New York with her husband Neal, for him to take up a position at Liptons Export Stores. Both third class passengers, she refused to leave her husband when the lifeboats filled up with women and children, and both of them were drowned. Her body was recovered some ten days later, but his was never found. There is a bench facing the river with a plaque dedicated to them both, and she is also pictured in the nearby Milford Street Mural. History of Churchill Gardens Opened in 1972, the park is named after Prime Minister Churchill. Historically however, the area was named 'Bugmore' from the 13th century onwards, when the area was boggy marshland. The River Avon flanks two sides of the park and the park still floods in heavy rain, with paths often disappearing after a deluge. A workhouse was built on the site, which stayed in use until a new one was built in Crane Street in 1623, the buildings of which are still there today. The site in Bugmore became a Pesthouse, used to house people with communicable diseases such as typhus, cholera or smallpox. In 1763, a subscription was opened for a Smallpox Hospital, and Viscount Folkestone bought land and a house in Bugmore for its use. By the 19th Century, the land was in use as garden allotments and a sewage processing plant, as sewage had previously been pumped raw into the River Avon. Bacteria beds and a refuse destructor were built later on. By the mid 20th Century, the sewage plant was moved further south, and a housing estate, the Friary, was built on much of the land. By 1960, the colleges were built near the park, and the concrete monstrosity of Salisbury's ring road was constructed, leaving the park area bounded by two major roads. Some judicious tree planting has however managed to hide much of them from the park. VISITING CHURCHILL GARDENS How to get to Churchill Gardens Postcode: SP1 2HS what3words: scars.curving.haven Public Transport: Churchill Gardens are easily accessible by bus, with several stops along Southampton Road. Parking: There is free parking at w3w: hints.straw.issues but there are very few spaces. There is a paid car park opposite the college, at w3w: rotate.flap.socket When is Churchill Gardens open? The park is accessible every day, all year round. How much does it cost to visit Churchill Gardens? Being a public park, the site is free to visit. Are there any facilities at Churchill Gardens? There are public loos near the skate park. Which is the nearest town to Churchill Gardens? The park is on the southern edge of Salisbury and is within easy walking distance of the town centre. See our Salisbury Guide for details on how to get there, locally owned accommodation, restaurants and shops, further places to visit and things to do.

Closed in 2013, Dorchester Prison is now awaiting its fate from developers, who will be turning the site into luxury flats. In the meantime, this historic Victorian prison is open for guided tours from a Prison Officer who worked there until it closed, providing a fascinating insight into the life of a county prison. Dorchester Prison was once a focal point for the county town of Dorset, receiving men from the Crown and Magistrates Courts in Dorchester, Bournemouth and Poole, holding a mixture of both convicted and remanded prisoners. It was built in 1885 on the site of an older prison which had been built in 1796 and demolished around 1880, which in turn was constructed on the site of a castle from 1154. Like many Victorian prisons, it was designed with wings radiating from a central area with galleried landings. Constructed in red brick with barred windows, towering chimneys, huge steel gates, razor wire everywhere and surrounded by a tall, thick wall, the prison is a relic from an outdated penal system. While the building rots and rusts quietly as its future remains uncertain, the prison is open for guided tours, paranormal nights and combat games. I joined a tour yesterday on a bitterly cold January day, to have a look around. Tours at Dorchester Prison are conducted by the very personable Ed who is still a serving Prison Officer in a nearby jail and who worked for ten years at Dorchester Prison before it closed. On arrival you sit in a large room upstairs, all institutional sour-pink walls, overly bright plastic seating and sagging sofas, with corporate silver tea urns, waiting until the tour group is assembled. Our tour had 29 people on it, a mixture of people who were fascinated by what lay behind the thick walls, a group of women with selfie sticks who I think had once worked there and even an ex-inmate who had spent some time there at Her Majesty's Pleasure. Our tour started outside, where Ed stood on the steps and introduced himself while we stamped our feet and rubbed gloved hands in the ice cold air underneath a white sky filled with squealing seagulls. Behind us was a clock dating from the turn of the century framed by razor wire, the blue paint peeling and fading under a misshapen cover of lead flashing. Ed took us around the grounds, a haphazard mixture of Victorian brick, modern extensions and rubble where buildings have been added and removed over the years, as well as recent archaeological excavations taking place in the grounds. Doors and gates led to various unspecified rooms many of which were workshops used for repairing things and which are part of the original 1885 buildings. Ed stopped next to a blue shutter high on a wall and told us this was once the site of the hanging shed, until it was knocked down and replaced with modern kitchens. Executions had taken place in public until the end of the 19th century when the appetite for them as a form of entertainment had waned with Victorian sensibilities. After that, executions had moved within the prison walls. Dorchester Prison had nine executions in the past 150 years, the youngest being a 15 year old who was hanged for arson. At the time it was considered a 'cruel and unusual' punishment to make the condemned walk too long to the site of their execution; many prisons of the time would have the hanging shed right next to the cell. Here in Dorchester Prison, it was a two minute walk from cell to scaffold, which was considered too long. The hanging shed was last used in 1941. Our walk took us to the exercise yard, a grey concrete square surrounded by grey walls, grey razor wire with two stone benches and a grey pole. Ed explained that the pole used to hold up a net, erected to catch contraband that people on the outside would throw in for the inmates, sometimes hidden in tennis balls. The yard was oppressive with its many shades of grey under the bleak grey, icy sky. Next to it was a smaller space which was used for those in solitary confinement, as they were only allowed to exercise on their own. There is razor wire everywhere, its dull coils over every wall, gate and surface. Ed told us that type of razor wire is actually illegal in the UK, the only places that are allowed it are prisons who have to pay an annual fine to the government, who actually manufacture it. Our tour was interspersed with several anecdotes like these, and you can sense the despair at the shambolic bureaucracy which surrounds the prison service. Another example was how items that needed fixing and repair used to be dealt with in the prison workshops - the item would be back to new in an hour or so. After the government's centralisation policy, it could then take weeks for something to be fixed. Similarly, Dorchester used to have its own laundry but that was also centralised, with items being sent off site for cleaning within a central cluster. They would send off hundreds of uniforms, sheets, everything and they would rarely get the same laundry back - one time they sent off a full load of items and got back a single hamper of just socks. The prison had £41 million spent on it in the 12 years up to 2013, with a brand new healthcare section built just six months before it closed. The waste of taxpayer money was shocking. Our tour then moved indoors and if we were expecting it to warm up, we were bitterly disappointed. The chill wind may have gone, but there was no warmth within those walls, something the prisoners would apparently often complain about. Ed took us into the reception room where he talked us through what would happen if we were new prisoners arriving at the prison. He explained the process - how a prisoner would have his clothing removed one piece at a time with each item listed down, and each time be replaced with a piece of prison clothing. Their valuable items would also be itemised and removed, with inmates given one minute to write down all the mobile numbers from their phone that they might want access to during their stay, before they had to hand the phone over which they would not see again until they were released. There were healthcare checks followed by a photo and a prison number. Since 2009 a prisoner can keep the same prison number if they 'choose to make a career of it'; before that they had a different number for each time in prison which could get confusing for all involved. They get asked dietary requirements as all diets are catered for, given their sheets, bowls, cleaning kits and other necessities before they walk to the centre of the jail with everyone watching from the cells above. It was easy to imagine the fear that many must have felt as we walked into the bottom of that chilly atrium. The central hub from which the wings emanate is oppressive - high ceilings with bars everywhere we walked; narrow stairs and narrow landings surrounded by rusting bars, there was no need for suicide nets here as even the bars had bars. We wandered through the landings peering into the cells which were all tiny, with institutional blue, yellow and green paint peeling off the walls in sheets, the black mould spreading across the rooms, the stainless steel loos and sinks, rusting sagging bunk beds and all with just a single pipe running across the back wall, which was their only source of heating. Ed often mentioned the cold, how the punishment cells were so freezing that they were unbearable and some inmates would have to spend 12 hours in them. We stood there in our frozen group all in coats but still shivering and it was hard to imagine having to live like that. We went into the chapel, a modern room with artificially bright blue walls and a red glass cross in the window behind bars. The prison service had to provide a minister for the religions of all inmates - even Jedi which is a recognised religion in the prison service. The chapel was used for meetings and all sorts of other events as well as religious purposes. It was here in 2013 where staff were informed that the prison was closing. They were all very upset, being told that "every jail has its sell by date and you’ve reached yours". Several prisons across the country were closed in one go, saving the Ministry of Justice £3.8 billion from their budget, but leaving the prison service in freefall. The service is still understaffed by 10,000 officers. We visited the Healthcare Wing where there were pharmacies and medical rooms. It is here where the ghost of Martha Brown is believed to be. As Ed was telling us a few stories of the various hauntings, he slammed shut one of the metal doors, and we all jumped in shock as the noise echoed throughout the empty rooms and corridors. I found it fascinating to hear from a serving prison officer. I have no knowledge of the prison system, any information I have is from TV shows and films, so I was surprised how humane the officers seem to be - I imagined them to be brutal and uncaring, but as Ed was telling us about it all, giving us his thoughts on the injustices often meted out to them, I was surprised by his obvious sympathy. Researching this prison I found a website where ex-inmates were saying how they looked back on their time in Dorchester with some fondness, even using the phrase that they were 'good times'. The ex-inmate on the tour held no rancour and was happily discussing past times with Ed and the other people in the group. It reminded me again that the real world is often a far cry from how it is portrayed in fiction. The tour was excellent - enlightening, fascinating and educational and is one I highly recommend before the prison is turned into flats and the chance is lost forever. Visiting Dorchester Prison Book tickets (£15 each) on the Gloucester Prison tour website (they own both prisons) The tour is about 90 minutes long There is free parking on site, but the prison is very central and can easily be reached by train and bus with just a very short walk Want to visit more old prisons? Try one of these 13 prisons you can visit in the UK

There are few things more synonymous with Britain than drinking tea, especially from dainty china cups and saucers, served with sandwiches with the crusts cut off, scones and jam and petite cakes; and there is nowhere more synonymous with a classic afternoon tea than one of the archetypal, vintage London locations - The Savoy, the Ritz or Fortnum & Mason. Fortnum & Mason is the quintessential British emporium. It was founded in 1707 by William Fortnum, a footman to Queen Anne, who saw an entrepreneurial opportunity due to the insistence of the royals that they must have fresh candles every day. Fortnum took the half used ones, melted them down and sold them on. With his landlord, Hugh Mason, they set up a small grocers in St. James's Market. Business boomed, particularly with the increase in travellers heading west, and they set about making portable food for the journeys. They invented the Scotch Egg, developed luxury ready meals, created a special tea blend for Edward VII and introduced Heinz baked beans to the UK. Their famous hampers travelled the globe, with beef tea sent to Florence Nightingale for the wounded in Scutari, hampers donated to suffragettes to build up their strength after release from prison, to the front lines in Flanders and they were even taken up Everest and into the heart of Africa on assorted expeditions. They are still innovating to this day, with the invention of the famous 'fourth blend' of chocolate, rooftop hives across the city and in 2020 they launched a website so that locked down citizens could still get their fix of Fortnum & Mason goods. The shop today takes up much of Piccadilly. The building has undergone several changes, but their famous neo-Georgian design and Eau-de-nil green has remained. The intricate Fortnum & Mason clock was added to the exterior in 1964, with 4 foot high models of Mr. Fortnum and Mr. Mason who come out and bow to each other every hour, accompanied by 18th century music. In 2016 it was joined by a statue called 'King and Queen, sitting couple on a bench' by artist Lynn Chadwick, their modern steel, triangular bodies a complete contrast to the ornate Georgian architecture, yet looking strangely at home. The interior of Fortnum & Mason is magnificent. Of all the old, classic shops in London, and there are many, this is easily my favourite. Everything just feels so very civilised. There are six floors which can be accessed by a modern helical stone staircase under a large atrium, or you can use my favourite, the traditional double staircase; wrought iron and a deep mahogany polished to a gloss by over 300 years of customers hands, the floor thickly carpeted giving a soft bounce to your step as you glide past the panelled walls. The displays within are impressive; goods are stacked in perfect symmetry, lined up in faultless rows, piled in sumptuous mounds. Even the vegetables in the food hall are arranged in consummate harmony. Food on offer includes a huge variety of cheeses, condiments, scotch eggs of course, champagne, gin, biscuits, 500 types of chocolate, sweets and so much more. Tea is ubiquitous, with a whole area of the first floor dedicated to a tea blending station where you can create your own bespoke blend. Their beautiful ceramics are on display, delicate china tea services with tea pots, silver tea strainers and cake stands. The Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon is on the fourth floor, one of several restaurants and bars within the shop and it is the pièce de résistance of them all. Your entrance is accompanied by the music from the Steinway, with the resident pianist tickling the ivories while you check in. Your coats get whisked away to an unseen cloakroom and uniformed staff show you to your table. The dining room is exquisite - all pale wood, linen tablecloths, soft padded chairs, light and airy white walls with accents of eau-de-nil. There is a cheerful yet peaceful ambience, the piano music drifting through the room mingling with the laughter and chatter from other guests. Glasses and cutlery shine, corks pop, teaspoons clink against bone china. There are several types of afternoon tea on offer - traditional, savoury, vegetarian, vegan and gluten free. You just pick one and your type of tea, adding a glass of bubbles if required (which I felt I just had to, to really make the most of the experience). The tea arrives in tea pots with silver tea strainers and you can't help but feel the picture of elegance as you strain your loose leaf tea and sip it delicately, putting your cup back down into a dainty saucer. From the moment you sit down, the service is wonderful. Understated yet attentive, everything arriving at the right time with regular offers of refills. Food varies according to which menu you order and the time of year - visiting in December we had the festive vegetarian afternoon tea. The tea comes on a three tiered cake stand - sandwiches, scones and cakes, with a further cake stand for jam and clotted cream to go with the scones. An extra plate of cakes is brought out, so you don't have to argue over who is going to eat what. It goes without saying that the food is fantastic, although it is far more filling than it looks and I made the classic rookie error - eating the scone before I had the cakes, leaving me little room for them. I did the best I could and valiantly struggled on, but had to admit defeat in the end and to my shame, I left a couple of cakes untouched. The whole experience is wonderful, and while neither your wallets or waistlines will thank you if you eat there regularly, I do think that it is something that everyone should try once for the ultimate, classy London afternoon tea. Tips for Afternoon Tea at Fortnum & Mason: Book in advance Don't worry too much about dress code, they are quite egalitarian Allow at least a couple of hours Make sure you are hungry! They add a service charge to the bill - bear that in mind when working out if you can afford it Visit off-season as apparently in summer the tearooms can be filled with tourists in shorts and t-shirts with their rucksacks lining the walls, which detracts from the rarified atmosphere you are paying for Visiting at Christmas adds an extra air of festivity and means the shop and tea rooms are beautifully decorated

For a time back in the early 2000s, it looked like Slow Living was about to take off as a major lifestyle change, with the Slow Food movement growing into every other avenue of life such as Slow Cities, Slow Schools and Slow Technology. But the movement seemed to peter out and for many years it seemed like there were just small pockets of people who kept the Slow Movement going. The pandemic has changed things again, with people re-evaluating the way they live, and Slow is back on the agenda. So where did it all go wrong, and how can we ensure it doesn't get lost again as the world gets back to normal? Slow was introduced with great fanfare in the early noughties, with books such as Carl Honore's 2004 In Praise of Slow opening up the world of Slow to a new audience with the focus shifting from Slow Food to applying the principle to all aspects of living. The book became an international bestseller and the world seemed ready to embrace a new philosophy. Unfortunately for the Slow Movement, just as it was gaining in popularity, so was social media, and the two were just not compatible - Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all came out after the publication of the book. As people's lives became ever more public, so did their need to prove just how amazing those lives were - travelling the world, going out to parties and events, ticking things off their bucket lists and trying to look fabulous while they were doing it. There was nothing impressive about letting everyone know that you spent a day in the garden with a good book, doing the housework or just watching TV in your pyjamas. When Instagram really took off around 2012, we were introduced to people posing in beautiful locations; looking mystically at a sunset, drifting barefoot through a field of lavender, arms spread in joy overlooking a view. The pressure was on to travel further than everyone else, go to more countries and more beauty spots and to pose in front of all of them. People added flags to their profiles so they could brag about just how many countries and continents they had ticked off. On a visit to Santorini, which is Instagrammer Central, I watched a couple charge from one beautiful spot to another - she would stop, pose looking dreamily into the distance, he would take a photo, then they would speed off again to do exactly the same at a different spot. Outfits were changed, accessories added - this wasn't people enjoying the place, this was people trying to cultivate an image. It was the complete antithesis of the Slow Movement. The damage caused by these shallow people became apparent after some years and the pendulum is now swinging to the rise of the Earnest Influencer. This is a new breed, those who make a living out of their attempts at perfect, simple living and 'educating' everyone else on how to do it. Slow Living now is YouTube videos of terribly serious young women in neutral coloured linen clothing, living in minimalist apartments, making their own nut milk from scratch every morning before 'journaling' and meditating for hours before they start their day. They encourage you to 'check in with yourself' and use words like 'quietude' in their thin, mid-Atlantic upspeak. Photos are sepia tinted shots of them in chunky knit cardigans, warming their hands around a vast cup of chai tea and endlessly talking about 'intentionality', 'mindfulness' and 'creating a morning routine', before they start their flexible online job, working from a laptop in a healthy smoothie café. Although it may be a step in the right direction, it is just as vacuous and self-obsessed. The Slow Lives on display from these practitioners are completely unobtainable for the majority of us. You just know that these young women have absolutely no-one to look after except themselves. The rest of us are getting up early to feed children, empty dishwashers and battling the traffic to get to work, grabbing a snack bar on the way out and trying to organise a million things before we reach the office. By the time I’d fitted in a meditation, thought about three things I was grateful for, made time for a slow breakfast, commuted mindfully, taken a real lunch break, written in my journal, read a bit of a book, cooked a proper meal (slowly, no microwaves involved), remembered to turn my phone off an hour before bed, timed my bath so my sleep hygiene would give me the best chance of a perfect night sleep…. I was exhausted. And that didn’t even include any attempts to be a good girlfriend/friend/daughter/human. TV was the enemy, according to the gurus, but come the evening I was too tired to do anything but binge watch The Good Place. Thinking Of Trying Slow Living? Read My Horror Story First - Kim Easton Smith These 'gurus' have given Slow Living a bad name and put people off. It has become enmeshed with Minimalism, Konmari, Hygge, capsule wardrobes, tiny houses, van life - all those things that are great for people at the start or end of their adult lives, but not so good for those of us in the middle. We have jobs, kids or parents to look after, bills to pay; we can't waft around in beige linen making nut milk from scratch and we certainly don't have the time to thank our possessions or chant life-affirming mantras. ... embracing slow living offers you a different path. It may be that you can only spare 5 minutes at lunch time, but use those 5 minutes intentionally and mindfully ... Take a quick walk around the office, open a window and take deep breaths of fresh air, do some quick exercises, read a poem, light a candle and sit still. From a Guide to Slow Living (by the people who want to flog you linen clothing to do it in) I dare any one of you reading this to try those suggestions above, in just five minutes, in your shared office and not feel like a complete pillock, induce hysteria from your colleagues or the wrath of HR for lighting candles at your desk. Slow Living is a mindset, an attitude, not a checklist of virtuous things to work through. All of these things can be aspects of it; minimising your possessions, focusing on what matters, but they do not need to be accompanied by the sanctimonious bells and whistles. Fortunately, with the lockdowns, it looks like people are now re-evaluating the speed of their previous lives. With travel severely restricted, people discovered the joy of local, and the pressure thankfully came off bucket-list travel. Finding 'hidden gems' on your own doorstep, exploring your local woods, beaches and heritage sites is becoming much more normal and here's hoping it stays that way. The Slow Movement is ready for a rebirth and it needs to be entirely different to what has gone before; there is no need to replace one set of rules for another. Slow Living does not need to have anything to do with morning routines, quietude or minimalism. If people want to do those while drifting around in linen and bleating on about intentionality then good luck to them, but they really need to stop hijacking the Slow Movement to do it. “The slow movement is not about doing everything at a snail's pace. Nor is it a Luddite attempt to drag the whole planet back to some pre-industrial utopia. The movement is made up of people who want to live better in a fast-paced, modern world. The slow philosophy can be summed up in a single word: balance. Be fast when it makes sense to be fast, and be slow when slowness is called for. Seek to live at what musicians call the tempo giusto - the right speed.” Carl Honoré, In Praise Of Slow

Brean Down is a slender finger pointing from the West Coast of Somerset into the Bristol Channel and is a great place for a short stroll of just three miles, combining dramatic scenery with a glimpse into Victorian defences. Brean Down is a long, hill peninsula with the earliest signs of life dating from 10,000 BC. A walk along the top westwards and back along the Military Road on the north side is an adventure covering the far distant past into the 19th century. The whole Down is steeped in history - evidence of extinct creatures such as mammoths and woolly rhinos have been found here, as well as an Iron Age hillfort, a roundhouse, barrows and a pre-Roman shrine. The walk is accessed by some fairly severe steps leading up from the National Trust carpark with convenient passing and breathing spaces factored in along the way. Once on the top you can look south to see Glastonbury Tor in the distance then turn westwards along the grassy tracks. A Roman temple was excavated on the top of the first high point – nothing now to see as the Romans themselves destroyed it in about 390 AD but you can imagine its presence if you try hard! Roman gold and silver coins found here include some from the reign of Augustus, showing this area was of strategic importance to them and was occupied swiftly by the Romans after the invasion of Britain. As you walk and reach the trig point you can see the coast of North Somerset in the south and the coast of South Wales to the North West. The town of Weston-super-Mare is further along the North coast. The view sweeping down to the sea in front of you encompasses the dramatic remains of the fort ordered by the Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, in the 1860s to provide protection to the Bristol Channel ports from the threat of a French invasion. A gentle descent to the coast brings you to the remains of the fort and an exploration of the site by strategically placed information boards. They cover two periods of occupation – the first being the last decades of the 19th century and the second being its hasty recommissioning on the outbreak of WWII. Inside Brean Down Fort Originally the fort was armed with seven 7-inch rifled muzzle-loading guns cast in Woolwich. It was manned by 50 officers and men, although no shots were ever fired in action. In 1900 No 3 magazine which held 3 tons of gunpowder exploded. The explosion was caused by Gunner Haines firing a ball cartridge down the ventilator shaft and the resulting eruption killed him instantly. An inquest found this was a deliberate act of suicide - the Gunner, described as sullen, morose and with a violent temper, had been out without permission the night before, which would have resulted in his arrest. He had removed all of his clothes, leaving them in a neat pile on his bed before stealing a carbine from a colleague, sneaking out to the gunpowder store and firing a bullet into it. The explosion ripped through the fort with windows shattered, iron girders twisted and the explosion audible in Cardiff. Gunner Haines' headless body was found in a nearby pit. This event, and the diminished threat from the French, led to the decommissioning of the site in 1901. The fort was run as a café until 1939, when it came into its own again and was rearmed with two six-inch naval guns and two searchlights as a Coastal artillery battery for World War II. Some experimental weapons were tested here including the seaborne bouncing bomb. The buildings evoke the memories of both occupations as you clamber and explore the ruins. A long Barrack Room is where the soldiers (and sometimes their wives and children) lived and slept, with beds opening out from the wall and the area also being used for dining. The Officers Quarters are in a separate building, probably housing 4 officers and their families in 4 large rooms. The underground magazine that housed the gunpowder is there, along with explanations of the security measures taken to ensure that no spark entered the room – soldiers had to change outside into clothing with bone fastenings and rope sandals. You can walk further out on the rocks and note that this spot is where Marconi moved his equipment after his first experiments and set a new distance record of 8.7 miles transmission over open sea. The 21st century may well make its presence felt at this point – when I visited there were groups of happy young climbers learning abseiling on the rocks, their colourful bags and equipment occupying the spots where uniformed soldiers of two different centuries must have patrolled, looking anxiously out to sea for signs of the enemy. If you’ve had enough of the heights you can return along the Military Road to the north, built for the transport of building materials, guns and supplies to the fort. This will take you back on a gentler route to the car park. You can reward the kids for the walk with a visit to the café and the beach – a great beach for sandcastles as the sand is firm, and also for swimming in the sea in summer as the area is patrolled by lifeguards. VISITING BREAN D0WN How to get to Brean Down Postcode: TA8 2RS Public Transport: The no 20 bus goes to Brean Beach from Weston-super-Mare. By bike along the National Cycle Network Parking: Park in the National Trust car park at Cove Café. When is Brean Down open? From dawn to dusk. The carpark is open at different times depending on the season. How much does it cost to visit Brean Down? The site itself is free. Carparking is free to NT members or £5 for the day. Are there any facilities at Brean Down? There is a café on the beach and a pub called The Brean Down Inn.

Agios Achillios is a tiny lake island located in Mikri (Small) Prespa and is a part of Prespes National Park a wetland of international importance. Efi from Life.Lovers.Greece, a travel website which focuses on Slow Travel in Greece, tells us about a remote island in northern Greece which is the perfect destination for the Slow Traveller. In Agios Achilios, the balanced co-existence of humans and nature is a reality that every traveller experiences. In this amazing environment, it seems as if time has frozen. This historical island has 23 permanent inhabitants and is only reachable on foot via a 650m long floating bridge. The cinematic scenery of Prespes lakes The 11 traditional houses on the island are made with natural materials such as wood, clay, stone and reeds. They stand amongst water buffaloes, ‘’Nanas’’, the Greek Steppe cows, mallard ducks, purple herons, great white pelicans and Dalmatian pelicans, in specific, the largest breeding colony in the world! The locals are employed in tourism, farming or agriculture. Agios Achilios is the second inhabited lake island in Greece, after Ioannina`s lake island. Photo credits: Kristo Pantera photography Local myths at 850 meters above sea level The local myth says that if one more house will be built on the island, the rest of the houses will collapse. In this cinematic scenery, the life-rhythm is natural and pure, inspiring, and harmonic. If you walk a circular track of about 2 hours, you can reach the highest point of the island, approximately 850 meters above sea level, and admire the mythical beauty of Agios Achillios island and Prespes lakes. Travel through history Agios Achillios has a wealth of Byzantine churches scattered across the island. The ruins of the three-aisled basilica of Saint Achillios is the most important archaeological site on the island and dates from the 10th century A.D. Archaeological researchers have discovered fragments of ancient inscriptions, dated back to the 2nd and the first half of the 3rd century A.D, and revealed the existence of the ancient city, ‘’Lyki’’. Photo credits: Kristo Pantera photography The cultural value of Agios Achillios As the local fishermen say, when the lake water is clear, the narrow streets of the ancient city can be seen underwater. They often pull the stony parts of ancient looms out of the water, the textile weaving machines, and shells they caught in their nets. Other archaeological finds are significant amounts of unpainted Terra sigillata pottery and ceramics from daily items such as cooking utensils, which date back to the 1st century A.D. The findings of written pottery in the area, made with coarse clay, prove the existence of a local pottery workshop and confirm once again the cultural value of Agios Achillios and Prespes National Park. Prespeia festival Every summer, at the end of August, ‘’Prespeia’’ takes place in Agios Achillios, a landmark cultural festival with free-of-charge entry, which is accessible to everyone. The festival programme includes music performances, theatre, folk and folklore arts. This festival highlights the cultural heritage and diversity of the Prespes area, and the northern edge of Greece where three countries meet: Albania, Fyrom (North Macedonia) and Greece. The mythical beauty of Prespes valley A narrow strip of land separates Mikri (Small) Prespa from Megali (Great Prespa, the second lake of the Prespes valley where humans have lived for over four thousand years. In particular, Mikri Prespa is shared between Greece and Albania, and Megali Prespa between Greece, Albania and North Macedonia (FYROM). The numerous archaeological sites and ancient finds in Prespes, from the Neolithic Age to the Byzantine and Post-Byzantine period and the unusually high number of species recorded in the area, clarify Prespes National Park uniqueness, by international standards. Birdwatching in Agios Achillios Locals co-exist in the island with several diverse species. In specific, in the Prespa National Park have been recorded over 2,000 species of flora, 271 bird species, 60 mammal species, 23 fish species, 22 reptile species and 11 amphibian species! Agios Achillios is a Slow Travel destination that offers a variety of activities such as birdwatching, cycling, canoeing and hiking. During the winter months, the lake is frozen and the best you can do is have a warm drink and a talk at the extraordinary café-restaurant of Agios Achillios, at the lakeside. If you are looking for wellness and relaxation, a visit to Agios Achillios will pay off. Prespa`s clarity will clear your mind, and you will freely enjoy with all your senses the silence on this tiny lake island. Read more from Life.Lovers.Greece and plan your next Slow Holiday in beautiful Greece.

A peaceful and enjoyable walk around the 54 acre gardens on the pretty island of Gigha. The unique microclimate and rich soil on Gigha have encouraged an unusual collection of plants in a beautiful and tranquil setting. Gigha derives its name from God’s Island and it is easy to see why when you walk around these lush gardens. Colonel Sir James Horlick (co-founder of the malted milk drink) purchased Gigha in 1944 and worked with garden designer Kitty Lloyd Jones to breed rhododendrons and camellias and also introduce rare and unusual plants from around the world. The islanders purchased Gigha in a community buy out in 2002 and in 2017 the Achamore Gardens Trust was established to continue with a restoration project and an ambition to continue to cultivate new and unusual plants and trees seldom seen in the UK. Don’t expect perfection or immaculately manicured gardens. Some areas are well maintained but others have been allowed to get overgrown and wild. It doesn’t matter – it’s all a delightful walk with plenty of variety to interest and involve you. The resident white and ginger cat is there to escort you if you wish it, running ahead to guide you and waiting patiently while you catch up. The cat and the peacocks seem to co-exist perfectly happily. The 2 acre Walled Garden has a wide selection of trees, shrubs and plants and well stocked herbaceous borders. There’s a Bamboo Maze, a sundial and plenty of benches to sit and admire the foliage around you. A path leads up from the Walled Garden to a viewing area where you can get spectacular views by looking west over the sea to the islands of Islay and Jura or east to the Scottish mainland. Frost is rare here, despite the northern latitudes and the quality of the soil has long been recognised – in the early 20th century Irish potato sellers used to put the Gigha potatoes on top of their sacks for sale to tempt customers. This exceptional soil explains why the gardens are home to several notable and champion trees and plants including trees from China, Australia, Madeira, Central America and Siberia. In Spring the camellias and rhododendrons are dramatic and colourful. There’s a Woodland Walk with many of the unusual trees making a canopy above and New Zealand ferns at your feet. The pond is an oasis of calm and the home to a variety of wildlife. A map collected from the entrance will guide you to the rare species. How to get to Achamore Gardens High Row, Isle of Gigha PA41 7AD The Gigha ferry leaves from Tayinloan on the west coast of the Kintyre peninsula. The journey takes 20 minutes. By car – the ferry arrives at South Pier and it’s a three mile drive to the Gardens by a narrow road. Parking is available. By bike – bikes are available for hire locally. On foot – the island is only 7 miles long so a visit to the Gardens can be included as part of a long hike. When are Achamore Gardens open? From dawn to dusk. How much does it cost to visit Achamore Gardens? Adult: £6 Child: £3 Family tickets available. There is an honesty box for cash and a card reader for contactless cards only. Are there any facilities at Achamore Gardens? There are loos next to the Walled Garden. Refreshments are available at the Gigha Hotel, the Boathouse Bistro and Ardminish Stores in the village a mile away.

The British Ironwork Centre, near Oswestry in Shropshire, has something for all ages. With a large open air museum of steel sculpture including a metal safari park, a quirky indoor showroom full of all sorts of ironmongery, and home of the famous Knife Angel, the centre holds plenty to entertain and inform visitors. The Centre uses the shaping, welding and riveting of iron to make impactful art sculptures to give a unique experience, set in attractive parkland. Many of the pieces are using recycled iron and it is astonishing just how many strange objects have been incorporated into the designs – motor parts, agricultural items, wheels, mangles, fireplaces, boxes, carts – designs which range from the poignant and meaningful to the faintly ridiculous. The entrance is along a drive where many of the iron animals are exhibited – it’s like driving into an iron safari park. Giraffe, rhino, hippo, elephant all greet your arrival. Things get increasingly fanciful as you walk through the displays – a dragon on top of a Jaguar saloon, flying fish, Bumblebee from Transformers, Spiderman, a gorilla climbing a ladder, a dinosaur, a crocodile, a tortoise and a turtle – you are not at all sure what you will find around the next corner. The statue of an exhausted soldier sitting on a stone, resting his hands on his Kalashnikov, is unexpectedly moving. The iron folds of the fabric of his anonymous uniform are convincing, the space below his hood is empty – he is no man and every man - and as such is unbearably poignant. The park is home to the caged Spoon Gorilla, originally commissioned by Uri Geller, designed by Alfie Bradley, and consisting of 40,000 spoons largely donated by school children across the world which includes a spoon once owned by Winston Churchill. Also created by Alfie Bradley is the Knife Angel, now the National Monument Against Violence and Aggression, designed to highlight a problem in our country that seems to be growing out of control. It is made up of 100,000 blades, mostly collected through a knife amnesty involving all 43 British Constabularies, 30% of which arrived at the Centre clearly used and bloodied. It was originally designed for the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, but so far, its installation has been resisted by the Mayor of London because of the impact on tourists. Instead the Knife Angel now travels around the country to stimulate debate and pass a message, particularly to young people, about the evils of knife crime. The artisan studios and workshops are an important aspect of the park. You can watch many of the craftsmen at work – silversmith, wood turner, blacksmith. You can order your own purpose made pieces of ironwork for your garden or doorbell or wall art or whatever takes your fancy, as well as a large range of handmade postboxes. It is part of the Centre’s mission to encourage artists working in whatever medium, and they also host charity events. Newly opened is a Clearance Yard for you to buy items at discount prices, as well as a new Extinction Trail which highlights the plight of endangered species of animals. It includes over 40 exhibits, providing written information as well as lifelike portrayals of each one. The Centre is an interesting and informative way to spend a couple of hours. There is an adventure playground for kids and the site is dog friendly. VISITING THE BRITISH IRONWORKS CENTRE How to get to the British Ironworks Centre Postcode: SY11 4 JH what3words: pits.surveyors.hushed Public Transport: 70 or 70A Bus from Oswestry to Shrewsbury. Alight at Queens Head PH and it is a mile walk along the B5009 to the Centre. Parking: The centre is situated on the A5 just outside Oswestry. There is plenty of free parking on site When is the British Ironworks Centre open? Wednesday - Sunday 10am - 4pm How much is it to visit the British Ironworks Centre? The Extinction Trail is free. The entrance fee to the rest of the site is £5 for membership which lasts for 12 months. Children are free. Are there any facilities at the British Ironworks Centre? There is a café area with loos, and the Centre specialises in pre-ordered tea and cakes. There is an adventure playground for kids. The nearest town is Oswestry.

A poignant statement of the United Kingdom’s most recent tragic event, the Memorial Wall on the South Bank is a place for quiet reflection, and a stark visual reminder of the deaths which are still so raw in this ongoing pandemic. Started in March 2021, the mural consists of thousands of red and pink hearts painted on the wall by volunteers, organised by the campaign groups Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice and Led by Donkeys. The intent was for each heart to be “individually hand-painted; utterly unique, just like the loved ones we’ve lost”. Its message is achieved through its complete lack of officialdom, pomp and ostentation – instead it’s a simple, spontaneous outpouring of grief from bereaved families, and as such is a powerful expression of loss and accompanying bewilderment and anger. The messages are individual and personal – families decide to make the journey to London to show their feelings through their own writings about those they have lost to the pandemic. Meeting others here on the same mission helps to lose any sense of isolation – they are not alone, sharing their experience with (to date) the families of 130,000 people struck down by the coronavirus. Inevitably it’s haphazard and untidy as people write – but that’s its attraction and its strength too – there is complete freedom here to record emotion and distress. It’s a living document, a breathing statement, not an impersonal stone façade. There is no getting away from it as a political statement as well as a memorial. Positioned directly opposite and in full view of the Houses of Parliament, it is a place of anger and disagreement. Its funding by Led by Donkeys, an anti-Brexit group, politicises what could just be a neutral memorial, and in between the hearts and messages of remembrance you will also find angry messages from people who lost their loved ones after having the vaccine. People donating money for the upkeep of the wall are also contributing to the founders demands for the government to 'listen' to them to prevent the pandemic from claiming more lives. What they are demanding is unclear, as the answers to ending the pandemic have so far eluded the world's scientists. The wall makes it clear that whether people support increased lockdowns and vaccines, or freedom and the right to choose vaccination, both sides lay the blame firmly at the feet of the government. In a sincere recognition of the wall's importance, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, Imam Kareem Farai and Rabbi Daniel Epstein walked the wall together in April. Inevitably, politicians’ responses seem to be less clear cut, and there is no decision as yet as to whether the wall will remain or be replaced by some other officially sponsored monument. Indications are that an official memorial will be constructed in St. Paul's Cathedral, but this wall may well remain as an unofficial reminder. For now it’s a hugely important place in the hearts of everyone who has been so deeply affected by the pandemic that hit our shores in early 2020 and continues to take its toll upon us. Visitors can walk the wall and listen to audio of memories from the families affected on the official website. Where to find the wall: It is on the Thames footpath next to St Thomas' hospital between Westminster Bridge and Lambeth Bridge.

This brand new memorial was unveiled in July 2021 and commemorates Salisbury's hidden history of manufacturing Spitfires during World War II, a fact which has only recently been made public with the 2016 release of the film Secret Spitfires. In 2016, filmmaker Ethem Cetintas and spitfire engineer and historian Norman Parker got together to make a film called The Secret Spitfires, uncovering a secret which had been kept for over 75 years; the role Salisbury played in the manufacture of this iconic plane which helped to win aerial Battle of Britain. The Supermarine Spitfire, designed by R.J. Mitchell in the 1920s and 1930s, was an innovative fighter plane which became the backbone of the RAF during World War II. Beloved by both pilots and the public, the Spitfire was a fast moving, high performance machine which was a good match for the German Meschershmitt. The Spitfire was initially built in Southampton and the Morris Motor car factory in Birmingham, under the management of Lord Nuffield. Their manufacture was beset with problems and spiralling costs, but they soon started rolling off the production line. Images from Secret Spitfires The Germans made concerted efforts to destroy the factories which built the Spitfire, realising that they would not be able to win air supremacy against it. The Luftwaffe bombed the Southampton factories in September 1940, causing great loss of life and casualties, mostly of experienced aircraft workers, and thought that they had put the dreaded Spitfire out of action. What they didn't realise however was that production of the Spitfire had moved to secret locations around the south, with all of the various component parts being constructed in garages, sheds, bus depots, even a laundry, hotel and bedrooms. Local, untrained personnel of women and older men had been trained and were working around the clock to produce the Spitfires. Salisbury, Trowbridge and Reading built half of the 22,000 spitfires produced during the war, with the other half from the factory in Birmingham. Salisbury was one of the major secret centres with locations scattered across the area - Castle Street, New Street, Devizes Road and Castle Road. Fuselages, wings and tails were built and then taken to Highpost Airfield, in the village of Little Durnford which is just outside Salisbury. Highpost became an assembly and testing site for the Spitfires, which were then flown to the various airfields across the country. Salisbury has long had a history of military aviation, as both the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Naval Air Service started life on Salisbury Plain. Just outside Salisbury you can visit the Museum of Army Flying which charts the history of the role of Army Flying and its connection to the area. The film Secret Spitfires was made in 2016, and after 75 years the secret was out; people became aware of the role the city and its inhabitants had played in the war. A charity was formed to raise money for a memorial to the ordinary people who had achieved so much, and who had never been acknowledged for their contribution to the Allied victory. The memorial is a full size fibreglass replica of a Spitfire made in Salisbury and flown by Wing Commander Johnnie Johnson, a famous pilot who shot down 14 enemy aircraft with this plane. Inside, there is a mannequin in the cockpit, dressed in authentic flight gear and accessories. The memorial is located next to the Rugby field, close to where Factories 1 and 2 were sited. Underneath is planting which is meant to resemble the land the Spitfires flew over so often on the White Cliffs of Dover. Nearby is a bench in the shape of Spitfire wings, dedicated to filmmaker Etham Cetintas who died suddenly just a few months before the unveiling. The grand unveiling of the memorial was delayed due to the pandemic, but on 9th July 2021 there was a ceremony to officially welcome the memorial to Salisbury. Locals turned up in force, dignitaries were suited and booted and an RAF band opened the ceremony. The ribbon was cut by Norman Parker, Salisbury Spitfire Engineer and historian, with a pair of scissors which he made out of Spitfire material. In attendance was Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston KCB CBE ADC, the Lord Lieutenant of Wiltshire Mrs. Sarah Troughton and Mayor of Salisbury Mrs. Caroline Corbin. There were speeches and the Queen’s Colour Squadron gave a drill display which was fascinating to watch. A Spitfire flew overhead, that wonderful noise, so familiar to those of us who love old black and white war films and which seemed the perfect tribute to those who had worked in the factories. Visiting The Salisbury Spitfire Memorial Postcode: SP1 3RX what3words: processor.sunroof.intervene Public Transport: There are several bus stops on Castle Road. The one nearest to the memorial is called Old Castle. Parking: You can park in the Rugby Club parking which is right next to the memorial. Walking: You can walk from Salisbury Cathedral to Old Sarum and visit this en route. The memorial is very close to Old Sarum, which is a great place to visit or for a walk. Victoria Park is also very close. Find out more from the Secret Spitfires website>>