Quirky Traveller's Tales

The performing arts have a long-standing tradition of excellence in the UK.  This diverse industry has experienced a revival over the past two decades, and as a result, there are a large number of vibrant projects underway. From the world famous Edinburgh Festival to the up-and-coming Brighton Fringe, the arts continue to prove a hit with audiences of all ages. In this article we take a look at the performing arts in the UK.

Ballet

‘Billy Elliot’ by andyj300

Ballet was introduced in Britain in the early 20th century by two French dancers that had been trained at the prestigious Ballet Russes company. It was a common belief across the rest of Europe, that the British did not have the skills to dance, so the French dancers set out to dispel this myth. The Royal Ballet was one of the pioneering institutions in the country, and nowadays has an impeccable reputation. The company is currently performing classic shows at the Royal Opera House, like Romeo and Juliet or The Sleeping Beauty. Britain’s most famous ballet dancer, Billy Elliot, has been celebrated in a hit West End show of the same name since 200

Improvisational theatre
Improvisational Theatre is an unscripted form of theatre which is made up on the spot. Unfortunately, improv theatre is not as mainstream in the UK as it is in the US, but TV shows like Whose Line Is It Anyway? began to change things in this respect. The improvisational theatre scene is mostly based in London, where companies like Spontaneity Shop or Fluxx Improvisation put on regular shows at theatres like Etcetera or The Cockpit.

Stand-up comedy

Eddie Izzard – by MoonSoleil

Since its development during the 1980s, the popularity of stand-up comedy in the UK has done nothing but grow. In fact, Jongleurs, one of Europe’s foremost comedy club chains, originated in London. Some of the highlights of the 2013/2014 stand-up comedy season include Ross Noble’s “Mindblender”, Bill Bailey’s “Qualmpeddler”, and Russell Brand’s “Spontaneous Comedy Night”. British standup has been such a success world-wide that it’s spawned the birth of stand-up in other countries such as Denmark and Germany. And its a two-way exchange. Whilst Eddie Izzard has been round the world on his Force Majeure tour bringing standup to France and Russia, Danish comedians such as Sofie Hagen and Mikkel Malmberg, Dutch Hans Teeuwen and German Henning Wehn have been making us laugh at home.

Pantomime
The UK was the birthplace of pantomime back in the 17th century. Originally, panto was a silent genre based on dance and gestures only. A key characteristic of this genre is the regular participation of celebrities as guest stars. Personalities like Pamela Anderson, Mickey Rooney, and Ian McKellen have been seen on the stage doing panto.

Theatre plays and musicals

‘Wicked’ Stuttgart Curtain Call – by The Western Sky

London’s West End competes with Broadway for the title of “Theatre and Musical Capital of the World”. Theatre plays have been performed here since Shakespeare’s days, although the district as such was establised in the early 19th century. Some must-see West End shows are award-winning Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Wicked, Macbeth, Ghost, and Pride and Prejudice.

Opera
Like other types of performing arts, opera originated in Italy. Five hundred years later, this genre continues to impress the audience not only with its electrifying integration of dialogue and music, but by the incredible ability of the main singers to belt out long notes. The main opera venues in the UK are the Royal Opera House (where Tosca is now on show), the Manchester Opera House, and the London Coliseum Theatre (currently showing La Boheme).

Punch and Judy

Mr Punch And The Clown Say Goodbye In Twickenham – by Jim Linwood

Punch and Judy puppet shows have an interesting mix of Celtic and Italian origins, being based on 16th-century Italian commedia dell’arte. The character of Punch is based on the legendary Lord of Misrule and on an Italian stock character. In England, the first Punch and Judy shows were held in Covent Garden during the 17th century. This genre has become so entrenched in British culture that it has inspired common expressions (such as “Punch and Judy politics”). An annual Punch and Judy festival is held in Covent Garden, but you can also catch shows in Brighton, Weymouth, Newquay, and other seaside towns.

This post was provided by the UK’s leading theatre break provider ‘Show & Stay’.

As drivers hurtle up and down the M6 to and from the Lake District and Scotland it’s easy to miss out on some of the north of England’s most interesting sights.  Lancashire is an incredibly diverse county with vast areas of charming countryside, rural villages, historic towns and, in Blackpool, one of this country’s most iconic beach resorts.  Here are seven reasons to take a quick detour off the M6 in Lancashire and savour a few of the delights of this ancient region – you will be well-rewarded.

Leighton Hall: a short drive from Junction 35 takes you to the beautiful home of the Gillow family, one of Lancashire’s most famous names, designers and purveyors of quality furniture to the gentry and others of refined taste.  This warm and welcoming house is crammed full of antiques and quirky nick-nacks.  It has a charming walled garden laid out with fruit and vegetables, a little maze and a glorious hebaceous border.  Set in a graceful hollow the views of the Lake District fells and Morecambe Bay are outstanding.

Carnforth Station Heritage Centre: down the road from Leighton Hall, on the A6, you are transported back to the age of steam, when smuts got in your eye and a train’s whistle was the signal for a journey to unexplored areas of the country. Run by knowledgeable volunteers, the Centre traces the vital history of freight and passenger rail in the area.  However, it’s the connection with that classic B&W British weepie ‘Brief Encounter’ that brings visitors from all over the world.  Filmed during WWII, it tells the story of ill-fated lovers kept apart by the upright morals of 1940s England.  You can watch the movie, see stills from the filming and have a sandwich in the meticulously recreated ‘Refreshment Room’, where any minute Stanley Holloway might pop in for a quick cuppa …

Lancaster Castle: get off at Junction 33 or 34 and take time to visit one of England’s most historic buildings.  Looking down over the city and River Lune, it has a solid and authoritarian air, much as it would have done in John of Gaunt’s day.  Modified as a Court and Prison, there’s a fascinating tour taking in the 12^th Century Keep, the Witches Tower, the old cells, the Crown Court and graceful  Shire Hall.   A stroll along the nearby river takes you to the excellent Maritime Museum, where Lancaster’s involvement in the slave trade is told along with more gratifying stories of this old port.

Lancaster Castle – photo c/o Visit Britain

The Forest of Bowland:  in the little maze of narrow lanes and rolling hillsides to the east of Preston (J32) it’s easy to get lost awhile and forget the hectic pace of modern life.  Wander along the main street of pretty Chipping or have lunch in the well-known Inn at Whitewell.  Covering over 300 square miles, this Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has over 500 listed buildings and 18 scheduled monuments.  One of its most impressive landmarks is Pendle Hill, near the home of the infamous Lancashire Witches.

More things to see and do in the Forest of Bowland in this podcast:

Rivington Pike: easily spotted from the M6 (Junction 27/28) with its Beacon, Tower and aerials, it’s the summit of Winter Hill, on the Pennine Moors.  On a clear day you can see Blackpool Tower, the Lake District mountains, the Welsh mountains and, across the Irish Sea, the Isle of Man.  The Beacon is part of England’s early warning system and the Tower was built as a hunting lodge in the 1700s.  Further down are the recently restored ‘Lost Gardens of Rivington’, originally laid out for Victorian industrialist Lord Lever.  At the foot of the hill you can get refreshments at enormous Rivington Hall Barn, weekend gathering place for bikers showing off their immaculately-kept shiny motorbikes.

Rivington Pike Tower – photo by John Darch

Hopefully you’ll be tempted off the busy M6 in Lancashire and tarry awhile at one or more of these fascinating places …

A shorter version of this article originally appeared in my Visit Britain Superblog section.

In the latest of the World Travel Blogger series, renowned traveller Chris Christensen describes a place he knows well, in San Jose, California.

Winchester Mystery House – photo by Harsh Light

Sarah Winchester was the widow of the inventor of the Winchester rifle. She was a superstitious woman who is haunted by the fact that her husband’s invention, while it made her rich, killed a great many people. Combine those riches that superstition the advice of a medium, who apparently had a brother-in-law who was a contractor, and Sarah Winchester was led to believe that she would be protected if there was a constant sound of hammers building on her house. Whether she believed she was protected from vengeful spirits, wouldn’t die, or just would never have to hold a housewarming party is a subject of speculation. She started work on an unfinished farm house 3 miles from San Jose (at the time) in 1884 and continued contraction for 38 years. The mansion she left behind has come to be known as the Winchester Mystery House.

Winchester Mystery House – Photo by Harsh Light

The Winchester Mystery House, in San Jose, California, is conveniently located next to the I280 freeway at the Winchester exit. I grew up just over an hour south of San Jose and just outside my hometown Salinas there has been  a billboard for the Winchester mystery House for many years. It was, as I recall, one of only three things worth going to San Jose for when I was a kid. Frontier village, my favorite of those, has been gone for many years. The Eastridge shopping mall is not as unique as it used to be and isn’t the only ice rink for a 100 miles in any direction as it was when I was a kid. The Winchester Mystery House, on the other hand, still continues to get visitors, some of them, quite probably, like the school child that I was when I first visited.

The house itself is beautiful; it’s just the floor plan that is a bit, shall we say, eccentric. It lacks a cohesive plan so there are famously stairways that leads up into walls and doors that go nowhere. I recall one beautiful stained glass window purchased by Sarah Winchester that has precious and semi-precious stones inlaid in it. The window was meant to reflect to reflect the light into a dazzling array of colors. Winchester made two critical errors with the placement of that window. First, she put the window on the north side of the house where it would not receive direct sunlight. Second, after placing the window she went on to build a series of rooms on the other side of the window so it now sits on an interior wall.

Winchester Mystery House windows – photo by Harsh Light

 Winchester was a suspicious woman as well as superstitious. She was also nearly crippled with arthritis. You can climb the staircases of the house, with their half rise steps in deference to Winchester’s arthritis, up to the second floor rooms where she had large skylights installed in the floor so she could keep an eye on her servants.

The best part of the tour are the numerous stories told by the guides. They will make sure to point out the details like the number 13 that keeps reoccurring, sink drains with 13 holes, etc. But the tour guides don’t have the answers to every question. The two stupidest questions they get, according to our guide, are:

• Why did they build it so close to the freeway?

• How many rooms are there that they haven’t discovered yet?

Winchester Mystery House – photo by Harsh Light

Chris Christensen has the popular travel site Amateur Traveler and was Gold Medal winner in Broadcast awarded by the North American Travel Journalism Association for This Week in Travel. You can follow him on Twitter  chris2x

Built on the rubble from centuries of London’s history, Canary Wharf is on the site of the famous West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs.  ‘The Mayflower’ set sail for America in the early 17th century from one of these Docks and at the height of the Port of London’s activity in the 1960s, over 60 million tons of cargo was being shipped around the globe.  Following its closure in the 1980s, unable to keep up with the advances in technology & containerisation, Canary Wharf rose from the ashes and is now one of the most important financial centres in the world.

Canary Wharf – view from apartment

There’s quite a continental café society feel to the area as there are lots of places to eat and drink, with little boutique shops alongside the famous name stores.  Cabot Square is the scene of many exciting outdoor events and in winter there’s the Ice Rink - if you get there any time until mid January you’ll be able to trip the light fantastic across the ice – not literally hopefully!  It’s just a few minutes’ walk from Cabot Square.

Cabot Square – photo by David Illife

I was in Docklands once more for the World Travel Market2012, staying with Lynne Gray, Conscious Travel PR Specialist for a few days; you can read her article about WTM2012 here.  It’s always a challenge to find decent accommodation in London and at this time everywhere is especially busy but we were fortunate to get a City Nites Apartment overlooking one of London’s most famous edifices, the pyramid-topped Canada Tower.

City Nites Apartment – Canary Wharf

 With a decent-sized lounge/kitchen and two spacious double bedrooms we were not only able to relax and enjoy the spectacular view but also have breakfast at leisure and do a bit of cooking when we weren’t eating out.  bonus points for a very helpful concierge who sorted out our heating and the incredibly fast WiFi which is one of the things all bloggers love – top marks Central London Apartments!

Gazing into the heart of Canary Wharf at all the high-rise buildings it’s almost impossible to imagine the life that was there before – but Billingsgate Market is one of the few old buildings that takes you right back to a bygone era. The smell of the fish hits you well before you get here and there’s a hustle and bustle to it that almost defies description: Roger Barton, a local fishmonger talks about his daily routine here.

Travel around this part of London is really easy.  As well as the Underground system the excellent Docklands Light Railway LDR is excellent and there are plenty of stations.  BUT be warned; Canary Wharf Station is VAST and trying to find the right exit is more difficult than getting out of the Minotaur’s Labyrinth but what a vibrant and fascinating place it is.  Towering overhead are futuristic skyscrapers and below the busy wheels of commerce turn relentlessly on, amidst designer shops, international restaurants, lively bars and plenty of waterside activity.

On the final day of WTM I took some time out to have a ride on London’s newest attraction, the Emirates Air Line Cable Car which goes from the Royal Victoria Docks and Excel Centre across the sinuous River Thames to the Greenwich Peninsula.  What an exhilarating experience that was – you can read about it here.  The city of London streams out in all directions with famous landmarks popping up all over like an enormous 3D jigsaw puzzle.  And between the spaceship prongs of the O2 Arena, Canary Wharf’s skycrapers thrust up into the blue sky proclaiming London’s metroland credentials for all to see …

O2 Arena & Canary Wharf from Emirates Air Line

In this fascinating article in the World Travel Blogger Series, Linda Wainwright tells how a 1990s film triggered a trip to one of America’s more out-of-the-way places. 

The movie “Message in a Bottle” inspired my interest in the Outer Banks of North Carolina and via subsequent reading of Nicholas Sparks, I realized that location is as much a character in his work as  any protagonist.  So what was so special about this skinny string of islands off the North Carolina coast?  During a trip to the USA, I decided to see for myself.  With a couple of free weeks, I flew to Raleigh Durham and drove to Nags Head, in the middle of the island chain. Sitting in my hotel room, an electrical storm raging overhead, disappointment set in. What I’d seen so far was nothing like the remote area I’d imagined. The main drag appeared to be tourist tat and surf shops. Was I, I wondered, a victim of Hollywood hype? 

By morning, the storms gone, I strolled the beach in peace, collecting shells, taking snaps and dreaming of living in one of those wooden houses with steps down to the white sand. In the afternoon I drove to Kitty Hawk, scene of man’s first flight, and the Wright Brothers’ Museum, and wondered at the dearth of equipment and excess of ambition which drove them.

The next day I crossed to Roanoke Island, where I began to appreciate the area’s complex history. It’s one of pirates, shipwrecks, and ghosts in an area known as The Graveyard of the Atlantic. Along its shores lie wrecks from the early pioneers, treasure ships, the American Civil War and from World War II. The name ‘Nag’s Head’ is said to come from the wreckers, who tied lamps to horses tramping the shoreline, fooling ships into thinking they were the lights of boats bobbing safely in habour, luring them to break up on the coast. But the biggest mystery of all is the Lost Colony. The first English settlers arrived in 1587, but when a supply ship returned three years later they had disappeared without trace, and no-one has ever discovered exactly what happened to them. There are theories, of course, but no proof.

Nag’s Head may have disappointed, but my mood lifted as I wandered south along the islands, and away from the busier spots. I explored beaches where fishermen lined up along the tideline; saw a lighthouse which was moved in its entirety some 2,900 feet when the coastline shifted; walking through woodland one day I came across a tiny, pretty graveyard, marked by picket fencing, discovering that it was a British war grave. Finally, at the southern tip of Hatteras Island I came to the point where the road ran out, and the only way to Okracoke, the next island, was by ferry, a larger version of the one which plies Lake Windermere in the Lake District, UK.

Landing on the thin sliver of 13.5 miles, where the infamous pirate Blackbeard met his death, I finally felt that sense of isolation and differentness apparent in Sparks’ books. Here was a small community, a mixture of locals proud of their history and a vibrant group of new-comers, artists, writers and folk seeking a simpler life.

I found dunes of white sand where turtles return to lay their eggs; another immaculate Commonwealth graveyard dating back to WW2; wild horses; more pirate history; an iconic lighthouse, and craft shops full of the handiwork of local potters, artists, photographers and writers.  I was so happy in Okracoke that I didn’t go on to the even quieter islands further south, and finally I understand why the area plays such an important role in Nicholas Sparks’ books – and they definitely qualify as “quirky.”

Linda Wainwright left the damp coast of North West England over 20 years ago and is currently based in the Canary Islands. She says that she’s “re-inventing” herself  for her “Third Age”, which includes indulging in writing and photography, passions she has had since junior school.  For more, visit her blog Island Momma’s New Life, find her on Face Book and follow on Twitter.

Myriad stalls line both sides of Skipton High Street on Market Day, selling everything from home made jam, via chunky knits to Greek olives.  Whatever the weather the stallholders always seem to have a smile and a cheery greeting.  On both sides of the road, substantial, but not imposing, Victorian buildings jostle for space with a few older building and an occasional modern interloper in between.

Skipton Market and Holy Trinity Church

This quaint Yorkshire market town on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales is the ideal place to see modern-day rural England.  Skipton Castle testifies to the town’s ancient history.  Originally built in 1090, it was replaced by a sturdy stone castle to fend off attacks from the Scots further north. In 1310, Edward II granted the castle to Robert Clifford who ordered many improvements to the fortifications; he died in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.  During the English Civil War the castle was the only Royalist stronghold in the north of England until December 1645.

Skipton Castle

Nearby, the 14^th Century Holy Trinity Church is the final resting place of Henry VIII’s niece, Lady Eleanor Brandon and there are also five Earls of Cumberland and an impressive memorial to 3^rd Earl, George Clifford.

The Woolly Sheep Inn

Sheep Street has lots of quirky little shops, boutiques and was the site of the old prison. Being on the tourist route, in an understated and genuine way, there are plenty of restaurants, pubs and cafes to quench thirst and tempt the palate.  A very popular and traditional pub is The Woolly Sheep with excellent choice of real ale and comfortable rooms.  One of my favourite places for a very unusual atmosphere is The Russian Tea Room – check out the window display of Russian dolls, costume and food.    Drop in to the pretty Three Sheep Tea Rooms for a great cup of Yorkshire tea and a bite to eat.

The Three Sheep Tea Rooms

Also on High Street is the Skipton Town Hall & Craven Museum.  When I visited recently there was an indoor market selling – I bought some brightly coloured wools for my latest knitting obsession!  My son got a Manchester City football pin and a couple of second hand DVDs – bargains galore here.  Upstairs is the fascinating little Museum showcasing artefacts from days gone by, including the very surprising hippopotamus skull, from the far-off days when they apparently roamed the surrounding countryside …

Indoor market wool stall

You can walk along historic The Leeds and Liverpool Canal, take a boat trip or just sit and watch the beautifully decorated barges, narrow boats and other craft drift slowly by.  The Canal Basin also has some great little shops in the converted warehouses.

Photo by LeedsLiverpoolCanal.co.uk

The Millenium Walk takes in a lot of the town as well as the Leeds Liverpool Canal.  It’s a great way to explore the industrial heritage of Skipton; originally a wool town, it went on to trade in  the more lucrative cotton industry and was the home of Silko Cotton.  My grandmother had hundreds of these brightly coloured reels in an ornate wooden sewing box in her front room.

So, next time you’re in the fair county of Yorkshire take time to visit Skipton – and see if you can find that hippo’s head …