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Brittany Ferries doubles service from UK to northern Spain
Brittany Ferries is adding another ferry service to its Portsmouth to Santander route with an additional 2 round trips a week.
The launch of the new ferry - in March - will double Brittany Ferries' service from the UK to northern Spain and will mean the two countries will be linked by four Brittany Ferries passenger services every week: 3 from Portsmouth and 1 from Plymouth.
The decision to launch a new service follows on from the success of the Portsmouth-Santander route launched in March 2009, according to a statement from the company.
As with the existing Spanish services operated by the company’s flagship, Pont Aven, the new vessel, Cap Finistère, will cross from Portsmouth in 24 hours, and has 244 cabins – all with ensuite facilities - and can accommodate 1,500 passengers and their cars. On board, passengers will have access to a swimming pool, restaurants, shopping, bars, live entertainment and movie lounge.
David Longden, Managing Director, said: “Despite the recession, demand for the new Spanish route has exceeded our expectations and forward bookings for 2010 are strong. We believe this is because Portsmouth is very easy to get to by road, especially from the Home Counties. At the same time more and more people are discovering the unspoilt delights of northern Spain.
"Plus, of course travelling by car means taking as much luggage as you can fit in and even on! So, the sailing really is part of the pleasure. With fares for travel in spring starting at only £227 each way for two people, a car and cabin on board, this is a great value alternative way to travel to Spain.”
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Stonehenge joins list of 'Threatened Wonders'
Photo by dannysullivan on flickr
The iconic British monument of Stonehenge has joined seven other worldwide destinations on a list of 'Threatened Wonders'.
The other destinations on the 2010 ‘critical list’, which is published by Wanderlust magazine, are Wadi Rum in Jordan, Tulum in Mexico, Yangshuo in China, Timbuktu in Mali, Bay of Fires in Tasmania, Macchu Picchu in Peru and Jaisalmer in India.
Three destinations are also highlighted, namely Zimbabwe, North-East Thailand and Madagascar, as places in desperate need of more visitors over the coming year.
Lyn Hughes, editor-in-chief Wanderlust commented: “The Threatened Wonders List aims to draw attention to destinations that could be all but destroyed for future generations if something doesn’t change soon.”
The magazine blames bad planning, poor security and too many tourists as the main reasons the destinations have been chosen for the list and suggests ways in which visitors can travel to these areas responsibly.
“Some people may be surprised that Stonehenge is on the list, alongside the likes of Wadi Rum in Jordan and Machu Picchu in Peru. However this globally renowned monument, set as it is near the busy A303 and A344 junction, is brutally divorced from its context. Seeing it without its surrounding landscape is to only experience a fraction of this historical wonder. The fact that the Government and various planning bodies cannot agree on implementing a radical solution to this problem is a national disgrace.”
The Responsible Traveller: responsible safaris
Africa leads the world in the use of sustainable tourism to both conserve wildlife and empower local communities. And responsible safaris, often with a side order of luxury attached, are becoming increasingly easy to find...
Getting stuck in a four-wheel drive between a huge musth bull elephant and a herd of elephant cows is not a terribly good idea. The trick, I was told, is to stay calm, control the surge of adrenaline and wait for your driver to interpret the tell-tale signs of the bull’s mood. Thankfully, my driver was Patience Bogatsu (below), a guide from the local Molatedi community whose ancestors have long had to deal with such encounters. She recognised the danger immediately, carried out a nifty five-point turn on the dusty road, and off we sped into the bush, leaving the bull to pursue a receptive female elephant rather than our quaking jeep.
(Above: Up close to an elephant in South Africa; Photo: Richard Hammond)
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Five green winter wonderland holidays
Former Ecologist editor Jeremy Smith and greentraveller's founder Richard Hammond reveal new ways to experience the ski season in an extract from their book Clean Breaks...
"What can beat the exhilarating freedom of the slopes, the first sip of a cold beer at 3000m and a fondue with friends at the end of a muscle-aching day? Yet the purpose-built resorts, chair-lifts, snow cannons and high-altitude infrastructure necessary to service downhill skiing hardly do the mountain ecosystem a favour.
Photo: Klaus Tscherrig, SCGB
It's ironic, given that most skiers and snowboarders care passionately about the mountains, that by visiting most resorts they hasten the destruction of the wilderness they love. So here are five new ways to enjoy the winter wonderland - in the Alps and other mountains of western Europe - where you can enjoy the powder and fresh mountain air, but where your footprint will be only snow deep..."
Read the full extract on the Ecologist.
