We all remember the closure for a week of our airspace caused by the ash spewing from the Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajoekull. I was stuck twice as a result of the fun and games so had to resort to the train to return. Luckily I was only in Glasgow on each occasion unlike people trapped around the world who were well and truly stuck. Under EU law, airlines are responsible for compensation due to delay and cancellation. And as we know, Ryanair strongly objected but eventually gave way, KLM is rumoured still to be refusing to pay and many airlines are unhappy. Lobbying is going on behind the scenes to get the EU law changed.

Think of wine in the USA and your mind probably thinks of California. Oz Clarke and James May did a TV series a while back driving through the state and stopping of at different vineyards to taste and praise. But if you think of the state of Virginia, wine is not probably the first thing that you’ll consider. To me Virginia conjures pictures of southern gentlemen, the confederacy and heritage.

From about the 9th of September (depending on where you live) heritage sites will be open up and down our countries. This is the time of the year when our heritage sites are often free to the public along with council buildings and places normally closed for the rest of the year. At least 3,000 events are scheduled
Ireland has recently had it’s week. Now it is the time for England, Scotland and Wales to celebrate this pan-European achievement. Your local library or newspaper will have a list of what is open in your area.

On the face of it, the use of bodyscanners to deter terrorists or, to put it another way, to make us feel that we are as protected as possible when we fly, is something that few would argue with. But all is not simple and there are many justifiable objections to them, not the least of which is privacy. And health risks. And whether the machines work.

For 2 months, Gloucester cathedral will host the largest exhibition of UK sculpture outside London. There will be 75 different pieces on display in the cathedral and its grounds. So big is the venture that when I was there a few weeks ago, they were erecting scaffolding and preparing for it. It was going to take a whole week to just get the exhibits into position. Called Crucible, the event opens on September 1st and runs until October 30th so there is plenty of time to get down to Gloucester to see it. And it won’t be going to any other towns or cities. Miss this opportunity and you don’t get another.

Like the airline industry, it seems that cruise companies have started developing new ways to relieve you of your money. It was always the case that an outside cabin cost more than an inside and the closer you were to the top of the ship the more expensive it became. But most people looked on cruising as an all-inclusive holiday. When you paid you had little more expense to consider other than how to tip and how much. And even that started to be priced in so you paid for it at the point of purchase. That is changing. Now there are add-ons. And most of them are little things but which add up to big money for companies.

This story is a little different from the usual things you read here but I make no apology for including it. On this bank holiday weekend, there will be lots of people working in some aspect of tourism in Wales who will have ideas on how to improve things; to make that day-out, that stay, that attraction better or more appealing for us the visitor. And those ideas should be supported.
The Tourism Society in Wales offers a £5,000 award to someone,-anyone- to help develop a project that will improve, help or build tourism in the principality. You can be in business, in academic life or just that person with a great idea.

As we enter the last bank holiday of summer, (and the last until Christmas) many of us will consider driving somewhere for the day. There will be the usual bank holiday traffic to contend with, roadworks that stunt traffic flows and then all the wonderful sights as you motor down pretty roads. There’s a brown sign to some National Trust property, a yellow AA sign for a fete, a pine furniture sale in a village hall and another pointing out that I can buy blackberries at the next lay-by