Explore News January 2007
The latest news from bmi destinations including Aberdeen, London, Chicago and Riyadh. Plus, help in planning your dream getaway and how to join in Tintin’s birthday celebrations
ICE AGE HITS LONDON
IF YOU HAVE trouble defrosting your car in the morning, spare a thought for the polar explorers who live in up to -90ºC. As International Polar Year (www..ipy.org) gets underway, our attention is focused on this extreme environment. The great British explorers Sir Ernest Shackleton and Robert F Scott are not forgotten. The Natural History Museum, London, has an online diary (www.nhm.ac.uk/antarctica-blog) by conservators who are working in Antarctica preserving the explorers’ huts and artefacts – including horse snowshoes and tins of food – which have survived the elements since the early 1900s. Cameras will soon be installed in the huts, so we can all see what these legends of the Heroic Age endured. Exhibitions will open throughout the year nationwide, but to start the adventure, head to Dulwich College, London.
It was Shackleton’s old school and home to the James Caird, the 23-foot boat that the explorer and his five companions made their epic 800-mile voyage across the Southern Ocean in during the winter of 1916. www..jamescairdsociety.com
NUMBER CRUNCHER
£150 IS THE MAXIMUM that you can flex on your Starbucks credit card.
The coffee giant has introduced the Starbucks card, which you can pre-load with cash and use to pay at their participating stores around the country and at airports. Register at www.starbucks.co.uk
Ski Scotland
SKIING IN THE UK? IT’S SNOW JOKE
IT’S TIME TO hit the slopes, but if you want to go somewhere a bit different, then Scotland is the place for you. It is fast becoming a premier snow sports destination and has something for everyone. You can learn to snowplough at the Lecht, near Aberdeen, or shoot a tube at the snowboarder haven in Glencoe, near Glasgow. If extreme skiing is more your thing, then there’s Ski Mountaineering at the Cairngorms National Park, near Inverness. It has a good snow record, bold summits and a range of challenging ski descents. For the less energetic there’s the largest sled dog race in Europe on 20 January in Aviemore, near Inverness, which offers the perfect opportunity to shout “mush”.
ALL THAT GLITTERS
LOOKING FOR A bargain this New Year? Then visit Riyadh’s famous Gold Souk near Musmak Fortress.
A popular design is a ring or necklace with your name translated into Arabic on it, but they will make anything you want, so be creative. The price is always negotiable, but remember that gold and silver are sold per gram, so make sure you know what the starting price is before you haggle.
BANISH BOREDOM
“ARE WE NEARLY there yet?” is a phrase familiar to most parents when travelling with children. Make it a thing of the past by signing up to www..storynory.com, which allows you to download a range of stories, free of charge, to your iPod or onto a blank CD.
LITTLE BLACK BOOK: DEANSGATE, MANCHESTER
[DEANSGATE NATIONAL RAILWAY]
THIS TRENDY AREA IS HOME TO ALL THE LATEST BARS, HIPPEST BOUTIQUES AND FOOTBALL STARS
CLOUD 23
Within 15 seconds a lift will whisk you up to the 23rd floor of the Hilton Hotel, where you will be rewarded with incredible views of the city and delicious cocktails in Manchester’s most opulent bar. A great spot for celebrity spotting, too. Beetham Tower, 303 Deansgate; +44 (0)870 770 0805
THE LIVING ROOM
Settle into one of the comfortable sofas and enjoy some excellent homemade comfort food. Not hungry? Then you might like to relax with a bottle of iced spirit, which can be stored in your own locker behind the bar if you don’t finish it in one visit. 80 Deansgate; +44 (0)161 832 0083
VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
Manchester is the retail capital of the North West and home to one of only two Vivienne Westwood shops outside London.
Snap up one of her outlandish frocks and take home a souvenir with a difference. 47 Spring Gardens, King Street; +44 (0)161 835 2121
READER OFFER
£2.50 OFF
IF YOU LIKE messing around in boats, then the London Boat Show is the place to be. With interactive features, talks by boat designers and 1,000 world-class boats to view, it is a must for anyone with a passion for the water. voyager readers can get £2.50 off the ticket price when booking in advance. Please call the London Boat Show ticket hotline on +44 (0)870 060 0246 and quote “voyager”. For more information go to www..londonboatshow.com (Please note: this offer is available from the 6-14 January.)
