News in South West

Latest News: Bath, Bristol, Bournemouth & Poole, Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire (inc. Cotswolds & Forest of Dean), Somerset and Wiltshire

	Virtually Explore England's 'Great West Way' To those of us that are home right now keeping safe and keeping busy, in those moments when you're not home-schooling children, working from home or cleaning the house for the 100th time, allow yourself to let your mind wander and daydream of travelling. Read more
	Update from Devon's Top Attractions With growing worries over the spread of Coronavirus across the county, the last few members of ‘Devon’s Top Attractions’ (the Devon Association of Tourist Attractions - DATA) who remained open have effectively been told to close for business from tonight (Monday 23 March) by the Prime Minister. Read more
	VisitWiltshire Hosts Leading Travel Influencers VisitWiltshire, Great West Way and English Heritage invited leading UK travel influencers to an exclusive event in Wiltshire. Read more
	Wellington Monument Restoration Reaches Milestone On Tuesday 17 March the National Trust’s restoration process of the Wellington Monument took a step forward, as it’s crowning stone known as the ‘Pyramidion’ was removed from the Monument. It is the pinnacle of the tallest three-sided obelisk in the world, at a height of 175 feet. Read more
	Torquay Penguins Inspire Novel! Living Coasts, in Torquay, famous for its penguins, has helped inspire a novelist to write a book featuring penguins – published by Penguin. Read more
	How to tell if your Great Ape is Pregnant... The world’s number one selling brand in home pregnancy and fertility tests has donated pregnancy kits – for orang utans. Read more
	Wild Planet Trust - Business as Usual The three South West zoos run by regional conservation charity Wild Planet Trust have a defiant message for coronavirus: “It’s business as usual”. Read more
	Double Dose of Herbs at Lytes Cary Manor Anyone going away over Easter might want to carry a supply of mugwort (artemisia) – it was reputed to prevent weariness on a journey, according to a 16th-century medical text that is the inspiration behind a new herbal border at the National Trust’s Lytes Cary Manor. Read more
	Visit South Devon Forges Ahead with Destination Partnerships Visit South Devon’s new group travel trade campaign is getting off to a smashing start with partnerships in place with key towns and destinations in South Devon. Read more
	Amazing Insect - Eating Plants at Eden The Eden Project has opened a new garden dedicated to the fascinating world of carnivorous pitcher plants (Nepenthes). Read more
	Apple Trees Planted in Montacute's Orchard More than 50 apple trees have been planted at Montacute House, expanding orchards that provide vital habitat for wildlife in the south west. Read more
	Bristol Aquarium Displays a Cute Young Pufferfish Bristol’s city centre aquarium has a new, young pufferfish on display for visitors to see. Read more
	Paramedics Win at Prestigious Rail Business Awards South Western Railway’s (SWR) team of paramedics have won the 'Customer Service Excellence' award at this year's prestigious Rail Business Awards, with judges describing the team as “exceptional and game-changing with life-changing results”. Read more
	Giant Bunnies Herald a very Happy Easter at Eden! The Eden Project will be going hopping mad over the Easter holidays (March 28 to April 19) with the arrival of three giant rabbits outside the famous Biomes. Read more
	Bath Inspiration with McDonald & Dodds ITV’s new crime drama, McDonald and Dodds, debuted on Sunday 1st March. Set against the stunning and very sunny backdrop of Bath, here’s a rundown of must-see spots from the first episode of the series and some inspiration for places to stay… Read more
	Sponsor a Gargoyle at Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, in partnership with Cheltenham Racecourse, is pleased to offer this time-limited opportunity for a group of six individuals to come together to sponsor a Cheltenham themed gargoyle. Read more
	Scafold Platform Tours at Wellington Monument Tours to a viewing platform situated 10 metres from the ground on the Wellington Monument scaffolding are now available to book, the National Trust has announced. The tours will start from 25 April and will see visitors climbing 6 flights of stairs to the specially created platform. Read more
	Eden Classic Prize is a Dream Come True A super-keen cyclist could not believe his eyes when he read a phone message telling him he had won his dream bike in a prize draw. Read more
	Pick up your Pilgrim Passport at Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral is delighted to announce that Pilgrim Passports are now available in the Cathedral Gift Shop. The passports are also available in every Church of England cathedral as part of the national campaign for 2020 Year of Cathedrals, Year of Pilgrimage. Read more
	Cloister Challenge Sleep Out at Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester’s annual Cloister Challenge event returns to the Cathedral on 20 March 2020 marking its fifth anniversary raising money for the homeless and vulnerable. Read more
	Colour Colour Everywhere at Eden Cartoon demonstrations, a giant nature art installation and a colourful trail around the Biomes are some of the vibrant activities for Colour Uncovered at Eden this February half term. Read more
	Poignant Art Display at Gloucester Cathedral You can dedicate a beautiful Forget Me Not in memory of a loved one to be planted in a stunning new art installation at Gloucester Cathedral. Read more
	Gloucester Cathedral to hold Chorister Auditions Singing auditions for aspiring choristers are set to take place at Gloucester Cathedral later this month. If you know a girl or boy that loves to sing, now is the time to get in touch. Read more
	Wookey Hole's Wild Wookey Wins Gold Somerset’s oldest and biggest attraction is proud to announce it has been awarded GOLD for its Wild Wookey caving experience, in the Active and Sporting Experience category in this year’s South West England Tourism Excellence Awards. Read more
	New Members at Devon's Top Attractions The Devon Association of Tourist Attractions, which trades as ‘Devon’s Top Attractions’, has started off 2020 with two NEW association members, plus an incoming new Chairman too. Read more
	New Natural Play Area at Brownsea Island Following a winter of conservation work and improvements, Brownsea Island is once again open to visitors during weekends in February. Read more
	Show Stopping Snowdrops at Kingston Lacy Kingston Lacy, nr Wimborne, is famous for having magnificent displays of snowdrops. The snowdrop walk stretches through the 40-acre garden for one and a half miles and is at its best throughout early February. Read more
	Volunteers Wanted for Coleridge Cottage The National Trust is calling for volunteers to join the team at the former home of poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge and help the charity look after the place where he wrote some of his most-loved works. Read more
	Veganuary at Max Gate This month Max Gate, the home of Thomas Hardy, is celebrating Veganuary. There will be vegan 'cream' teas and cakes available throughout January, all homemade onsite in the Max Gate kitchens by the baking volunteers. Read more
	Eden's Korea Garden takes Shape A pair of striking totem poles are greeting visitors to the Eden Project in Cornwall as Britain’s first Korean garden takes shape. Read more
	Gloucester Cathedral to Shine Bright The exhibition titled ‘Where There is Light’ marks the culmination of events celebrating 20 years of Gloucestershire Action for Refugees and Asylum Seekers (GARAS) and features artwork by Gloucestershire based digital arts group, Squidsoup. Read more
	Isaac Newton Space Sapling at Eden One of eight young trees grown from pips from Sir Isaac Newton’s apple tree and blasted into space with British ESA astronaut Tim Peake is to be planted at the Eden Project. Read more
	Gloucester Cathedral Receives Big Boost The Wolfson Foundation has generously awarded an £80,000 grant to help Gloucester Cathedral secure the future of one of the oldest parts of the building, the North Ambulatory. Read more
	Pop-Up Vegan Cafe at Eden The Eden Project has launched a pop-up café called the Vegan Kitchen to help people trying out a plant-based diet in January. Read more
	Stourhead Welcomes Weekend Visitors For visitors enjoying a winter walk around the garden at weekends, the National Trust team at Stourhead is offering a chance to warm up by a log fire in the house. Visitors can also spend time with the portraits of the Hoare family, which line the walls of the Entrance Hall. Read more
	Snowdrop Festival at The Garden House Excited snowdrop enthusiasts are set to travel across the UK to an exquisite corner of Devon to see one of the best collections of snowdrops in the world burst into fragrance and colour at The Garden House’s first ever Snowdrop Festival, which takes place January to March. Read more
	Giant Grouper at Bristol Aquarium Bristol Aquarium has added a giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus) to their coral seas display for the first time. The giant grouper is currently a two-year-old female but is a protogynous hermaphrodite so will change sex to become a male in around three to five years when she reaches sexual maturity. Read more
	Gloucester Cathedral to Shine Bright Spectacular Light Installation to Shine Bright for GARAS at Gloucester Cathedral. Gloucester Cathedral hosts immersive artwork to recognise Gloucestershire refugees throughout history. Read more
	Enter Eden Classic for Chance to Win Bike Cornwall’s biggest annual cycling event, the Eden Classic, is now open for entries with the chance to win a fabulous new road bike. Read more
	Eden Hails Tour of Britain Start The Eden Project has hailed the announcement of the official route for the start of the Tour of Britain bike race as a great moment for cycling and for Cornwall. Read more
	Unique and Bespoke Small Tours for 2020 The multi award winning Caerhays Castle and spring gardens has announced its new season of tour opportunities for 2020 with a focus on bespoke, guided and unique experiences for smaller groups. Read more
	Gloucester Cathedral - Kings School Scholarships Gloucester Cathedral and The King’s School, Gloucester are set to make history by offering choral scholarships to girls for the first time. Read more

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