CD Traveller » Cardiff

Britain is Alive with Pride

adrian — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:40:55 +0000

The phrase above is the slogan that Visit Britain us using as part of its advertising campaign to encourage Americans to come and see us. The slogan thought up by Californian, Jay Masunaga, in a competition designed to publicise Britain as a holiday destination for the gay community.

To complement the promotion, Visit Britain has also come up with categories of people to whom Britain would appeal. These are Foodies, Night Owls, Event-Goers, Culturati, Chillers and Fashionistas. You can guess what most of these are but how about Chillers? My first thought (OK I am old-fashioned, as I now know) is that these who visit haunted sites and go on the Jack the Ripper walks around the east end of London. No, these are people who want to be pampered and who’ll travel to country house weekends.

Each month, for the next ten, a different destination will be highlighted for American visitors. Brighton, the first location, is viewed by many as the gayest place in the UK. The Lanes, the Pavilion, the Pier and the week long Pride Festival will be some of the attractions highlighted to potential visitors. After Brighton has its month of publicity come Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle. Two areas, North Wales and the Highlands, are also publicised and given a month on the US website of Visit Britain as well.

Although this promotion runs only over there, visiting the US website of Visit Britain can be fascinating. It confirms some of those thoughts we have of how overseas people see us, for example the stereotypes like pageantry and the history. And then every so often, how it profiles us shows that the world is moving on after all and understanding the changes that have occurred.

Cruise Appeal

Editor — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:40:37 +0000

Initially one of the travel sectors that bucked the downward trend was that of cruising. On the face of it, the reasons seem obvious. Everything’s included in the price so you know what you are paying for and you paid in sterling so there were no nasty foreign exchange surprises. That didn’t necessarily turn out to be the truth as we mentioned earlier and some cruise business slumped. One part that remained resilient was where holidaymakers started their cruising from the UK. According to Gill Cruise Centre, just of half a million of us started a cruise in the UK, 20% over 2008. Of the bookings Gill made in 2009, over two thirds decided to start their cruise in the UK.

Why?

Gill thinks it is because fly cruises involve the hassle of airports. Starting in the UK removes that.

But cruise companies are also looking at visiting parts of the UK and now the Welsh government is looking to attract more. 6 cruise ships docked in what Lord Nelson praised as one of the best harbours in the world, Milford Haven, last year and one even went to Newport (CD-Traveller 15^th July 2009 ). So now, 5 ports, Cardiff, Fishguard, Holyhead, Milford Haven and Swansea have formed Cruise Wales to try and attract more cruise ships to visit.

Why? Well it was estimated that one cruise stay in Milford Haven was responsible for injecting £170,000 into the local economy and that was for just a one day stay.

How long before other groups copy this Welsh example?

Mini break of the month: Cool Cardiff

Editor — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:52:03 +0000

Why go
The Welsh capital has undergone a renaissance in recent years and modern developments like St David’s compliment Cardiff’s historical past.

Must see and do
Cardiff Castle (www.cardiffcastle.com) with its fairytale towers and spires and opulent interiors should be your first port of call. It’s a truly remarkable site with a history that spans over 2000 years; Romans slept here, noble knights held court here, and the Bute family, with extraordinary wealth and vision, transformed the Castle into a romantic Victorian fantasy. In 1947, the 5^th Marquess of Bute gave the Castle and its extensive parklands to the people of Cardiff.
Continue your cultural odyssey over at the Norwegian Church which offers an insight into the industrial heritage of the docks. Built in the 1860s as a ‘home away from home’ for Norwegian sailors, the Church was also the location where children’s author, Roald Dahl was christened. Furthermore, entry is free!
Another must is the Millennium Stadium which has hosted the Rugby World Cup, twice (1999 and 2007) and six FA Cup Finals (little wonder then that Cardiff has been designated a European City of Sport for 2009). In addition, the Stadium has staged concerts by Madonna, U2 and a raft of other big events – it’s a versatile all year round venue owing to its retractable roof and removable turf. You can get a look behind the scenes by taking a guided tour. See www.millenniumstadium.co.uk for details.
Meanwhile fans of the hit TV series Doctor Who can meet K9, encounter the famous Daleks and see costumes worn by the Doctor and his assistant at the Doctor Who Up Close exhibition in the Red Dragon Centre, Cardiff Bay. Find out more at www.doctorwhoexhibitions.com.

Top shops
Cardiff has been crowned one of the UK’s top five shopping cities and for good reason; there are enough shops here to clothe you for life.
Right now, the buzz is all about the brand new St David’s Centre (www.stdavidscardiff.com) which opened on October 22. This mammoth shopping destination was built using 25,000 tonnes of steel and, at 1.4m sq ft in size, is equivalent to 30 football pitches of retail space! As you would expect given its size, there are umpteen options for all budgets and tastes but pick of the bunch is the John Lewis department store.
If, however, trawling around the avenues and aisles of this cathedral to consumerism holds little appeal venture to the Victorian and Edwardian arcades where you’ll find one off boutiques and cafes with character. Elsewhere every Sunday, stallholders set out their wares (think organic beef burgers and Fair-trade coffee) at the Riverside Farmers’ Market on the banks of the Taff.

Best bites
Foodies should make a beeline for Cardiff Bay (www.visitcardiffbayinfo) – catch the No 6 bus from the City Centre. The city’s revitalised dockland area is now one of Europe’s most exciting waterfront developments and is chock full of buzzing bars and restaurants. CD Traveller can vouch for BA Orient (www.baorient.com) – a stylish cocktail and dim sum bar in mermaid quay that’s popular with Cardiff’s movers and shakers. For something sweet, stop off at Fabulous Welshcakes; as well as Welshcakes, these guys specialise in heavenly handmade chocolates.

After dark
Award winning Wales Millennium Centre (www.wmc.org.uk), is Europe’s most exciting performing arts centre that also serves as a home to among others the Welsh National Opera and Diversions – the contemporary dance company of Wales. This swish cultural venue is Wales No 1 visitor attraction so try to catch a concert if you can. If you’re purse strings are suffering somewhat (we are in a recession after all), check out the lunch time concerts in the foyer for free!

Best kept secret
While very much a part of the UK, Wales has its own culture and language – as the bilingual sign posts all around the city show. Anyone wanting to learn the Welsh language – one of the oldest spoken languages in Europe – can sign up for an intensive language course at the National Language Centre in North Wales. But for an instant Welsh lesson, pop into the rehearsal of one of Cardiff’s Welsh Male Voice choirs.

Sleepover
Voted one of the 25 hippest hotels in the world by upmarket glossy Conde Nast Traveller, The Big Sleep is situated at the southern end of the city centre, opposite Cardiff International Arena and five minutes from Cardiff Central Station. Accommodation consists of 81 rooms – many designed by actor John Malkovich – and all are airy, spacious, supremely comfortable (rooms have king sized beds, 15 channel satellite TV, tea and coffee making facilities, fluffy towels and fantastic views of the city)and even better, won’t cost you a fortune. Rates start at £45 per room, per night including a continental breakfast which can be packed for you to take away or eaten in the communal dining room. To book a room, visit www.thebigsleephotel.com

Cardiff Poppies

Editor — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:26:44 +0000

I was in Cardiff yesterday for a meeting about tourism. Cardiff has transformed itself over the years. It has had the castle, the National Museum and the shops for years to attract tourists. Then along came the regeneration of Tiger Bay. Now there is a new shopping area that has just opened so on the way to the meeting I thought I would have a quick look. Judging from the number of people there it has attracted initial support and, when the rest of the shops open, it will probably have good Xmas sales.

But what caught my attention were not the shops but the poppies. Outside Cardiff Central station. On two metal structures large plastic poppies were hanging on metal branches. And in St Mary Street there were more. It was quite a simple idea but effective. Not only did it brighten the area but it served as a reminder of the poppy appeal. I’ve not seen this done anywhere else and for all I know Cardiff does it every year. It’s just a little thing but enough for some children to point to it and ask what it meant. “Are they real flowers,” I heard one child say. Almost like Christmas lights being an attraction for people to come in see them, do these poppies achieve the same?

Tomorrow is St David’s Day

adrian — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:45:00 +0000

Disregarding the little event in Paris last night, Welshman will be out to enjoy themselves tomorrow as a variety of events and processions occur. Or will they?
St David’s Day has never been a public holiday and has never had the appeal that the Irish allot to St Patrick who may well have been a Welshman. Nonetheless, over the last few years a number of events have sprung up to celebrate the patron saint of Wales and because this year the day falls at the weekend. More people than ever might be out at events that will be held up and down the country..
Biggest will be the sixth annual parade through the streets of Cardiff and that, of course, will be free. In North Wales, the celebrations last longer and Colwyn Bay holds a week of festivities, which oddly enough is also the sixth time they have done it as well. Their event actually begins today with the emphasis on music and even includes a 30 foot tall St David!
If you have never been to the little city of St Davids in Pembrokeshire, you have missed one of the prettiest and tranquil places in Wales. There, tomorrow, will be told traditional stories by David Ambrose, one of the great storytellers and, in fact, storytellers pop up in a number of places from Beaumaris to Tintern.
Further afield in Chicago, the Wrigly building will be decorated in red, white and green lights in the evening
So, enjoy the weekend and forget the tragedy of Paris.