The event is free and it’s not just an excuse to drink as there are also arts and craft stalls, face painting and a best of the fest photo competition!

Friday 10th

The Heddon Valley Stumblers

Simon Darling

Sam Chalkley & James Walden

The Garden Club

Saturday 11th

Green & Bushell

Truffetete,

‘Parracombe’s Got Talent’ (Childrens Show)

Chilly Breeze

Pluko

The Dastards

Severe Zero

Sunday 12th

Quebec Ensemble

3’s Company

Jenna Witts

Maple Canyon

Jim Jones

Lazy,

The Funkinsteins

Basils Blues Band

Entry is free and starts at 6pm on Friday then from noon on Saturday and Sunday.

For more information go to the main website.

If a large group of you are going, how about trying out this Helpful Holidays cottage in the area that sleeps 14. A luxurious farmhouse that has an indoor heated swimming pool! The property is surrounded by 10 acres of garden and has barbecue facilities if the weather is fine. There are plenty of walks in the area, you can also go to see the sea at Heddon’s Mouth at the end of the valley.

 

Why not taste a range of cheeses at the Frome Agricultural and Cheese Show this Saturday (11th September). Not only is there a cheese pavilion, there is a country sports enthusiasts area devoted to such pursuitsas fly fishing, laser clay shooting and archery. New for 2010 is the FMX Freestyle show with motor bike tricks and back flips galore.

This family friendly day out attracts many visitors each year and organisers are expecting around 17,000 this year. Early bird tickets are only just still available (until Weds) but normal prices are £25 for a family ticket or £12 per adult and £3 per child. A senior citizen pass is discounted to £10 and children under 3 go free. Order tickets online here.

The show opens at a bright and early 8.30am and run throughout the day until 6pm.

The West Woodlands Showground is situated on the B3092, West Woodlands, Near Frome, Somerset, BA11 5ES. To help you to find the Showground there will be various signs to direct you to the Show.

The Showground offers FREE car parking and FREE buses which are available from various points in Frome.

The statistics come from the International Passenger Survey in which VisitBritain sponsored questions on a range of activities visitors may have undertaken during their stay. 

The French proved the top museum fans just ahead of American, Germans and Spanish tourists. Americans topped the list for art galleries with well over 500,000 visits.

Sandie Dawe, chief executive, VisitBritain said: “This survey showcases the international appeal of Britain’s culture and heritage – where else could you see Grand Masters next to cutting edge installations, a Spitfire hanging next to a Dali?

“We are fortunate in the authenticity of what we have to promote and the connections that our rich culture makes across the world.”

The term favoured by anyone involved in the unbound tourism industry is here to stay, in the dictionary anyway. Other terms added to the OED are credit crunch, vuvuzela, climate change and national treasure.

ETOA has drawn up recommendations for boosting inbound tourism in response to prime minster David Cameron’s speech last week in which he said he wanted to see the UK in the top five tourist destinations in the world (See previous blog here).

The organisation says tourism should have higher status in government, it also attacked cuts on VisitBritain’s promotional budget.

Executive director Tom Jenkins said: “VAT should not apply to exports. Tourism is an export but the creation of holidays in the UK for visitors from abroad is subject to VAT – that’s clearly disadvantageous to tourism exports.

“However, the creation of holidays for UK residents outside the EU is free of VAT – the VAT regime is insane because there is a massive tax incentive to holiday abroad. This urgently needs to be changed.”

Current Visas to the UK are charged at £68 with forms to be filled out in English, whereas it said we’d become more competitive if the UK joined the Schengen system. 

“Anyone buying a Schengen visa (at a cost of €60) gets 25 countries to visit. If we could accept that visa, then we could start to double our income from newer markets.”

Jurassic Coast picture by Flickr user Kevinzim

A new poll by popular publishers Lonley Planet has revealed that UK holidaymakers’ travel wish lists while at home are better value accommodation and cheaper train travel. More than 3,500 people voted in the first Lonely Planet Awards, created in association with adventure operator Explore.

Walking on Scotland’s wild beaches was considered the most under-rated British day out, closely followed by exploring the UK’s cities and Dorset’s Jurassic Coast.

Lonely Planet’s travel editor Tom Hall said, “Days out in Britain don’t have to be traditional seaside jaunts or tours of stately homes.

“Brits are fast discovering some of the country’s lesser-known attractions and Scotland’s stunning beaches are, quite rightly, recognised as one of the best.”

 ‘Market profiles’ on the VisitBritain website have been written by staff who are natives of the countries featured.

Advice includes:

A smiling Japanese person is not necessarily happy – they tend to smile when angry, embarrassed, sad or disappointed.

Don’t be offended by Argentinean humour which may mildly attack your clothing or weight.

Avoid pointing at someone from Hong Kong as this is generally used only for animals, winking is also considered a rude gesture.

Do not be alarmed if South Africans announce that they were held up by robots – they mean traffic lights.

Avoid saying ‘thank you’ to a compliment by someone from China, instead, deny the compliment politely as this shows humility. 

The information can be found here.

VisitBritain says some of our key competitors for most welcoming countries include Canada, Italy and Spain. The UK is currently ranked 50th.

VisitBritain Chief Executive Officer Sandie Dawe MBE said: ”Overseas visitors spend more than £16 billion a year in Britain, contributing massively to our economy and supporting jobs across the country. So giving our foreign visitors a friendly welcome is absolutely vital to our economy.”

“Tourism presents a huge economic opportunity,” he said. “Not just bringing business to Britain but right across Britain driving new growth in the regions and helping to deliver the re-balancing of our national economy that is so desperately needed.”

Cameron added that a key part of the government’s strategy is to persuade Britons to spend more of their holiday budget in the UK.

“I want to see us in the top five destinations in the world,” Cameron continued. “But that means being much more competitive internationally. Take Chinese tourists, for example: we’re their 22nd most popular destination. But Germany is forecast to break into their top 10. Why can’t we?”

One of the most striking changes that could be put into place is putting Britain’s clocks forward one hour to align us with continental time. This move would give Britain lighter evenings and longer days, which many in the tourism industry are in favour of.

Chief executive officer Sandie Dawe of VisitBritain said: “We are delighted that the Prime Minister has declared so clearly that tourism is fundamental to the rebuilding and re-balancing of our economy.

“And we share his determination to use the coming decade to boost Britain’s international competitiveness in tourism and to take our industry to a whole new level.

“VisitBritain is already focusing on delivering on these ambitions to build the value of inbound tourism. Our activity contributes £1.1 billion to the economy and delivers £150 million directly to the Treasury each year in tax.”

Until 30th August the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2010 will be spreading art, comedy, performance and dining experiences across the city.

One thing that particularly caught my eye if any readers are lucky enough to try it out is a unique dining experience whereby guests eat at a height of 100ft above the city, hanging from a crane in special seats at a large table! Skyscanner.net at running the Festival in the Skyin the beautiful Princess Street Gardens.

Other events throughout the festival are:

The Demise of Christopher Marlowe theatre production at the C Central.

Creatures Comedy Show for some dark comedy sketch show at the Jury’s Inn.

UK beatbox champion, Beardymanfrom 16th-17th August at the Udderbelly Tent.

For a free children’s event, go to the music, story-telling and puppetry of the Hamwehads from the 11th – 19th August at The Three Sisters.

Flow-pattern- John Reiach photography exhibition from 13th August at the Faculty of the Advocates.

The prestigious award is given to beaches that meet a list of 32 pieces of criteria including Environmental Education and Information, Water Quality, Environmental Management, Safety and Services. The award is given per season so it’s good news for the summer in the West Country this year and will surely reassure tourists considering visiting the region of its high quality.

One such beach that has received a blue flag is the beautiful Blackpool Sands in West Hams, it has a mediterranean feel and a beautiful wooded backdrop and a brilliant cafe, Venus Beach Cafe.

To view the list of beaches awarded click here.

If you fancy a last minute summer break in a holiday cottage, click here for the main site to view properties that are still available.

With a week near the end of August and into September, 13 Great Cliff in Dawlish might be a perfect retreat. A 2 bedroom 2nd floor apartment, sleeps 4. A very well equipped interior with 1 en-suite bedroom. Off-road parking, intercom and lift. Sweeping sea views in a central location. Level one minute walk from the village centre. Prices vary from £579 to £929 depending on the season. Check out the link here for more information.