So you want to get away this summer but you’re on a tight budget? A summer break needn’t break the bank. There are plenty of cheap hotels available around the UK to ensure you and your family can enjoy that all-important trip away come the summer holidays. Browse the Internet’s many budget travel sites before you go for the best deal – and make sure you check out the online reviews first. Deciding where to go is the hard part; picking your cheap hotel is a doddle once you get online.

A trip in Britain will help you to budget; keeping travel costs down. There’s always offers if you book your train in advance, too – meaning you can save your cash for the trip in question. If you’re holidaying with friends, cut the cost by car sharing. Alternatively, if you’re travelling with family, take advantage of family train ticket deals.

If you’re spending some time in London, make use of the great free activities on offer to save the pennies. A trip to the capital needn’t cost the earth. Plan your accommodation and train tickets well in advance. Occasionally, the best hotel deals are to be found online just days before your trip. If you’re willing to take the risk, book your hotel just two or three nights before your trip to benefit from last minute cancellations. You’ll most likely get the hotel’s best rooms at the cheapest price, too.

Once in London, there’s a wealth of free attractions to keep the whole family entertained. Why not take a trip to one of the city’s many museums, or have a relaxing stroll around Hyde Park? A day out at Notting Hill’s Portobello Market doesn’t have to cost a fortune, either. Hop on the bus or tube and have a leisurely wander around the many stalls and antique shops. There’s lots of bargains to be had if you leave your browsing until the end of the day – and don’t forget to haggle to get the best deals. Ensure you pick a cheap hotel that’s fairly central to all the city’s sights – and you won’t have too far to travel on the tube after a long day exploring.

For a right royal experience, why not head to Buckingham Palace to watch the Changing of the Guard ceremony. A member of The Queen’s guards, dressed in traditional red tunic and bearskin hat, exchanges duty with the previous guard. Not to be missed.

If Royal history isn’t your bag, though, try a trip to the East End of the city, home of the infamous Jack the Ripper. With plenty of tours, from ghost tours to crime tours, travellers can visit the now famous Ten Bells pub, where the Ripper is reported to have spent several evenings. If crime doesn’t suit, then head down instead to the nearby Dickens Inn, where Charles Dickens is rumoured to have drawn inspiration for his seminal work The Pickwick Papers.

London is a city of attractions: you’ll never be stuck for things to do. And given the number of cheap deals and hotels in the city, there’s something for everyone be it on a budget or on a more indulged trip.

So shop around to get the best offer and enjoy!

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During 2010 and beyond there will be a wide range of activities and events taking place.
ACTIVITIES

Easter Holidays
4 April – April 16, 2010
Focus on Chamberlain

Chamberlain’s beginning of the end: this interactive workshop marks 70 years since Chamberlain was forced out of office, paving the way for Churchill to become Prime Minister. Visitors will be invited to examine opposing views on Chamberlain, and come to their own opinions on the success or failure of his time in office. Visitors are invited to look at the end of Chamberlain’s premiership seventy years since his last days in power. There will be a range of sources, such as newspapers, cartoons, and speeches so that visitors can decide for themselves how he deserves to be remembered.

May
All Change Please – All change!
*Churchill War Rooms
1 May, 2010 marks the launch of the venue name change to Churchill War Rooms.

May Bank Holiday
Codes and Spies
1 May – 3 May, 2010

This Bank Holiday visitors are invited to take part in Interactive activities decoding clues. On entry to the War Rooms, visitors will be invited to code breaking training before tracking down and decoding clues around the site. Will they be able to uncover the plot in time to save Churchill’s bunker? On Saturday 2 May, a Second World War Morse coding veteran will be on hand to support the training and explain the pivotal and pressured nature of his role.

Winston Churchill Anniversary
10 May, 2010

May 10 celebrates the 70th anniversary of Winston Churchill becoming Prime Minister and sees the launch of a unique Churchill Deep Zoom – an innovative online gallery mosaic of hundreds of Churchill images, documents, information and surprises, that visitors can also access via the Museum website, launched in support of the anniversary.

Museums at Night 2010 – A night in the bunker
14 May

One of the best weekends in the UK calendar, the annual celebration of after-hours culture in museums and galleries takes place on 14 May, 2010. Churchill War Rooms’ sleepover will offer lucky visitors the chance to spend the night in Churchill’s atmospheric Second World War shelter beneath the streets of Whitehall. Visitors might even be able to see if the dummy of Winston does its fabled ‘mysterious move’ during the night! (adults only)

The package includes:

• A guidebook and personal facsimile pass
• After hours entry to the Churchill Museum & Cabinet War Rooms
• A welcome talk providing background to the site and Churchill’s use of it 70 years ago
• Guided tour around the Cabinet War Rooms
• Films, objects, and replica documents relating to the site available to examine in detail
• A two course evening meal and hearty breakfast the next morning
• A cash bar
• Tickets available for 50 adults (over 18s only) priced at £45.00 per head

Paint Like Churchill
Saturdays in May and Half-term
8,15,22,29 & 31 May – 4 June, 2010

10.30 – 16.30 in the Clore Learning Centre
Sir Winston was a prodigious painter, producing more than 500 oils and exhibiting at London’s prestigious Royal Academy. This Half-term come and discover the man behind the iconic images with drop-in explorations and discussions of Winston Churchill’s important paintings. Try out your own art skills, from a basic level of ‘painting in’ Churchill’s favourite painting of Chartwell, to copying one of his pieces, using one of his varied styles on display and painting your own subject.

19 May, 2010
Sir Winston Churchill’s life through his paintings

A free lunch-time talk (12:30-13:15) by Minnie Churchill, Director of Churchill Heritage and co-author of Sir Winston Churchill: His Life and His Paintings – pre- booking is essential.

Summer holidays
Working in the War Rooms
26 July – 31 August, 2010
Drop in events, Monday -Friday, 11.00 – 4.00

Throughout the summer holidays, visitors’ experiences of Churchill War Rooms will be enhanced by the opportunity to look more closely at objects and documents associated with it and with the people who worked here. Artefacts from the Second World War will be available for handling, and facsimile documents – including minutes from Cabinet meetings held here – to be investigated.
Spitfire event

16 August – 31 August, 2010

A full-size accurate replica Spitfire, decked out in Battle of Britain camouflage, will be on view to the public outside the front entrance to the Museum, with the opportunity to create a skyscape on the pavement around it using traditional pavement chalks.

RAF Spitfire and Hurricane Fly-over
20 August, 2010

As a part of the RAF’s Battle of Britain commemorative programme on 20 August there will be a fly-over of the War Rooms by an RAF Spitfire and Hurricane at 15:42pm (the very moment that this iconic speech was delivered to people on the BBC). There will also be a reading of an excerpt of Churchill’s speech, ‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few’, outside the Museum entrance.

Blitz Weekends
4, 9, 16, 23 and 30 September, 2010

Commemorating the Blitz with WCRAG, including Stories of London.
Big Draw
Stop the Clocks

1 October – 31 October, 2010

The Big Draw is a month-long season of drawing events for people of all ages and abilities and takes place throughout Britain. A range of Art activities help to connect visitors with the museum collections in new and enjoyable ways.

October Half-term
Spirit of the Flicks
25 October – 29 October, 2010

Continuing the commemoration of the Blitz, with a flick book creation.

EXHIBITION

Undercover – Life in Churchill’s Bunker
Extended due to popular demand – now on until end 2013
Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms Visitors will be able to learn from the first-hand personal accounts of those who worked in the Cabinet War Rooms during the war, what life and conditions were like, and experiencing the authenticity and emotional resonance of walking through the corridors where Churchill made history.
# The exhibition is included in the general admission price (details below)

SPECIAL EVENTS

Churchill Lecture Series

The Churchill Lecture Series, which runs until the end of March 2010, is presented by some of the world’s leading authorities on Churchill. They take place within the remarkable and historic setting of the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, and are sponsored by Military History.
Professor Gary Sheffield – Professor of War Studies at the University of Birmingham Fighting for Churchill? The ordinary British soldier in the Second World War

17 March, 2010

In this lecture Professor Sheffield, one of the leading writers on the First World War, turns his attention to the Second World War, examining the impact of combat on the ordinary soldier and analysing their motivation for fighting. In the process he highlights the true, often misunderstood costs of war on the individual. Gary Sheffield is Professor of War Studies at the University of Birmingham. Author of numerous outstanding books and articles on the history of the two World Wars, he is famous for his work in demythologising accepted perceptions of the 1914-18 War.
Nigel Steel – Head of the Imperial War Museum’s Research and Information Department. With Winston Churchill at the Front

23 March, 2010

From November 1915 to May 1916, Churchill served in the trenches of France and Belgium, enduring danger and hardship alongside the men he commanded. This talk will take a detailed look at his time ‘at the front’ and show how Churchill proved to be a very able, if unusual, leader of men, rebuilding their morale after the losses they had suffered some weeks before. Nigel Steel is the Principal Historian on the Lord Ashcroft Gallery Project, in which will be displayed the largest ever exhibition of Victoria Crosses.

BOOKING INFORMATION

Adults £15, Seniors, Students and Friends of the Imperial War Museum £12, which also allows preferential access to the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms. Guests can enjoy the site before and after the lecture.

Telephone 020 7766 0155 or visit cwr.iwm.org.uk. All tickets include full access to the Churchill Museum & Cabinet War Rooms.
Doors open at 6.30 with the lectures beginning at 7.00pm and remain open after the lectures until 9.00 pm.

General Admission

Tickets: £14.95 adults; £12.00 seniors and students; £9.00 visitors with disabilities (Free Carer);
children under 16 free, Special admission rates for groups of ten or more.
Opening hours: 9.30am-6pm; last admission at 5pm
Location: Clive Steps, King Charles Street, London SW1A 2AQ
Telephone: 020 7930 6961
Nearest tube: Westminster

The Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms is a branch of the Imperial War Museum.
Entry to Undercover: Life in Churchill’s Bunker is included within the price of a ticket
to the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms
www.iwm.org.uk/churchill

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There has been a resurgence of the city break holiday in recent years with cities like Rome, Prague and Venice increasing significantly in popularity thanks to the cheap flights boom of the early 2000s. This trend has not faded in recent years and is becoming the annual holiday for many couples and single travellers who are after a different kind of vacation.

It’s not just abroad that these city breaks are becoming popular during these financially unstable times; there are many cities in the UK that are proving popular such as Manchester, Newcastle and Cardiff. These modern cities have had an influx of hotels which are being snapped up for weekend breaks whether it is for tourists or events like Stag or Hen Weekends and Birthdays.

As well as this modern breed of UK tourists there are still plenty of attractions and sights to see of a more traditional sort, Cities like Manchester and London are home to many excellent Museums and Galleries for those who are looking for a slice of culture during their stay.

London can provide even more in the way of culture with many stage plays taking place in the city making it perfect for the musical fans. Hotels in London can get snapped up pretty quickly during key events as obviously thousands of tourists will be in town as well as the usual crowd of tourists seeing the Palace and Big Ben.

There is a seemingly never-ending list of sights to see in London with attractions like the O2 arena in Greenwich which aside from being an excellent live music and sporting arena has many shops and eateries surrounding the former Millennium Dome.

As well as the capital city there are other city breaks that are popular with all tourists including Dublin, a short ferry or catamaran ride across the Irish Sea drops tourists off in the historic city which is home to one of Ireland’s greatest exports: Guinness, around St. Patrick’s Day it can get pretty hectic with every bar filled to capacity.

So as people are worrying about where they’ll be able to afford this year for their holidays there is a growing interest in vacations closer to home that can offer a different kind of holiday for those interested in more than just lounging on a beach. For holidays with culture and a wider variety of activities then city breaks can offer so much more for your money.

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Visitors are encouraged to join in the birthday celebrations and turn up wearing 1980s style costumes. The museum staff will be taking photographs of people in 1980s gear and awarding a prize to the best dressed. Early birds will also be rewarded, with the first 25 visitors through the doors at 9.30am being offered a free bacon sandwich in the cafe.

Classic 1980s dishes including, Victory Soup, Shepherd’s Pie and Apple Crumble and custard will be available all day in the cafe with significantly reduced prices which will suit today’s credit crunch budgets.

Phil Reed, Director of the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms says, “4 April 2009 is a landmark birthday for the museum. In the past 25 years, over 5 million people, including heads of states from all around the world, have visited us to discover what life was like inside Churchill’s authentically preserved secret headquarters during the Second World War. We are looking forward to celebrating our birthday in style with a 1980s theme running throughout the day. Winston Churchill was a flamboyant dresser so it is a very fitting tribute that people turn up in their 1980s gear.”

“The museum has grown significantly in 25 years with the addition of the remarkable Churchill Museum in 2005, which is dedicated to the life of our war time leader Sir Winston Churchill. This year is the 70th anniversary of the start of the Second World War and the Cabinet War Rooms becoming operational, and we will be launching a new exhibition later this year to mark this, so it is an exciting time for us. We hope that our 1984 pricing will attract hundreds of new and repeat visitors to join in our fun birthday celebrations.”

Visitors will also get the chance to enter an exclusive raffle. The first prize, valued at £650, is a private VIP tour with the Director of the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms for up to four guests. Winners will enjoy privileged access inside the War Cabinet Room and the Map Room. The rooms have been perfectly preserved since 1945 and it was in the Cabinet Room that Churchill announced “This is the room from which I will direct the war.” The winner will also receive a bottle of Churchill’s favourite tipple, Pol Roger champagne, and four souvenir guidebooks, along with a signed copy of ‘Churchill’ written by Churchill’s granddaughter, Celia Sandys.

Second prize, valued at £220, is an Elite Dinner Cruise for two with ‘star treatment’ on London Bateaux. This luxurious treat includes champagne on arrival, a sumptuous five-course a la carte meal with fine wines, followed by after-dinner dancing.

The lucky third prize winner will receive a year’s free Friends of Imperial War Museum membership. This allows free admission to all exhibitions and free entry to The Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, HMS Belfast and Imperial War Museum, Duxford. This winner will be able to take their family on a day out to a museum of their choice, as they will also receive Family tickets (2 adults and three children) worth £60.

Some of the many highlights of the Cabinet War Rooms include the Map Room, the communications hub during the Second World War, left almost exactly as it was when its doors were finally closed in August 1945; Churchill’s bedroom, strategically placed next door to the Map Room, and the War Cabinet Room, where Churchill held meetings with key advisors, selected Cabinet members and his Chiefs of Staff, while, outside, the bombs rained down on London.

Visitors can also enjoy the Churchill Museum, which uses cutting-edge technology and multimedia displays to bring to life the story of Winston Churchill, who was voted the ‘Greatest Briton’ in a nationwide poll in 2002. From Churchill’s childhood to his ‘finest hour’ and later years, visitors will not only learn more about his political exploits but also the man himself, his successes as well as his failures. Interactive displays allow visitors to further their learning and engage in a debate on many of the key decisions taken by Churchill.

Central to the Museum is the state-of-the-art Lifeline exhibit – the world’s largest interactive display – a 15-metre-long interactive table on which visitors can access information from every year of Churchill’s life, even drilling down to specific weeks and days. The Lifeline puts key events in Churchill’s life in context and engages users through a variety of animations and sounds.

Website: www.cwr.iwm.org.uk

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The Royal Yachting Association’s (RYA) Dinghy Sailing Show takes place between Saturday March 7th and Sunday March 8th and is set to include a wide range of maritime attractions.

These include a behind the scenes look at Britain’s success at the 2008 Olympic Games, with medal-winners from the event set to be in attendance, along with RYA Team GBR manager Stephen Park.

Laser sailor Paul Goodison will provide hints and tips on sailing faster – while a number of prize draws are also planned, with dinghy accessories for the holidays up for grabs.

Tickets can be purchased both in advance and on the door and are currently priced at £9.13 for adults and £4.35 for children.

Described as one of the most “visually unique” venues in the English capital, Alexandra Palace is located in Wood Green making it easily accessible for people staying in London.

Given the popularity of the event, many enthusiasts have already started to book their hotels. Many of the London hotels are already offering massive savings in order to attract customers.

Online booking website LateRooms.com is offering cheap London hotels with up to 75% discount. LateRooms offers hotels ranging from luxury apartments to boutique hotels. In particular Mount Mansions which offers 5 star luxury apartments is offering its Junior Suite double for £89 for 2 adults. These apartments are approx 2 miles from the venue.

There are many alternatives available in the area during the event. However visitors are advised to book their rooms as early as possible to avoid any disappointment.

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During the past year Edd has been walking the streets of London, sketchbook in hand, capturing the iconic views of this vibrant city. Avoiding the flashes of tourists’ cameras Edd has encapsulated various sights and brought them together as detailed, clean, line drawings.

Carrying his sketchbook wherever he goes, Edd decided that drawings of his personal travels was not enough, what was needed for him, was a group of drawings of the city in which he lives. Inspired by his drawings of both his travels around South America and now London, Edd has brought them to life with some fascinating 3D models. A new direction in his work, these pieces add a fresh, creative dimension to these linear drawings.

What started as a side line, drilled in by crazy art teachers and an enthusiastic artistic mother, Edd has finally been given the opportunity to show off his work on a large scale. From the pages of his sketchbook to major pieces of work hopefully this exhibition will illustrate London in an inspirational light.

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This is according to voice-to-text company SpinVox which, since the start of the festive period has been capturing seasonal and New Year wishes at its Wishing Well, a 7.2 metre-tall triangular audiovisial installation in Covent Garden’s East Piazza.

To date, over 2,000 wishes have been made at the well by calling a designated phone number – 0207 818 0880 – and leaving a voice message.

In minutes each message is automatically converted to text and projected across its walls in a beautiful and inspiring flow of wishes and simultaneously displayed at the www.spinvoxwishingwell.com website.

These messages have been a mixture of the touching, the poignant, the funny and the plain bizarre!

Since its launch on December 12th, the Wishing Well has seen countless wishes of a sexual nature, two marriage proposals, 75 declarations of love, countless recession/money-related wishes as well as an array of hopes for better weather in 2009!

There have been over 30 requests for animals as Christmas presents. Girls Aloud are the most wished-about celebs with Rachel Stevens and X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke also scoring highly.

To mark the New Year, SpinVox has unveiled its top ten favourite wishes cast in the Wishing Well over the festive period:

The SpinVox wishing well top ten

1. I wish everyone would smile once a day in 2009.

2. I want more kisses than ever before in 2009.

3. I wish George Bush had been hit by that shoe.

4. I wish I can be in love forever.

5. I wish I could travel to work by jetpack.

6. I wish that mini cab drivers would not use SatNav all the time and believe it always works.

7. I wish I’d stopped on my 8th pint.

8. I wish people would stop moaning about the credit crunch.

9. We wish that the Queen would come and stay for a night.

10 I wish people would stop wishing, wishes only come to people who don’t wish.

The SpinVox Wishing Well remains at Covent Garden’s East Piazza until January 5th. To leave a wish, visitors call 0207 818 0880.

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The group spends time in the studio and out and about in the surrounding area – including stunning Richmond Park – resulting in a portfolio of accomplished images to take home on CD and a newly-honed eye for photography.

The relaxing two-day course costs £585 pp including tuition, use of all necessary equipment, CD to take home and lunch on both days.

For more information go to www.eyephotographicworkshops.com.

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This exciting offer has just been launched by Blakes in conjunction with Ambassade de l’Ile, which is the London outpost of chef proprietor Jean-Christophe Ansanay-Alex’s two Michelin star restaurant Auberge de l’Ile in Lyon. Ambassade de l’Ile is a close neighbour of Blakes and opened last July.

Knightsbridge is right on the doorstep and has some of the world’s foremost fashion stores such as Harrods, Harvey Nichols and the designer stores in Sloane Street nearby.

Each room at Blakes is individually designed by the International Designer Anouska Hempel.

Blakes Bar is one of London’s hottest stops for cocktails and voted as one of the top six hotel bars in London. Start with cocktails in the bar and then continue the evening with a delicious five course dinner served in the gourmet restaurant.

A special tasting menu has been organised at Ambassade de l’Ile for the other evening. It serves contemporary French food, based on traditional styles and values.

The Stimulate Your Senses offer includes:
- Two nights in a Directors Double at Blakes
- Chilled Champagne on arrival
- Set five course dinner in Blakes Restaurant
- 7 course Tasting menu at Ambassade de Ille
- Continental breakfast each morning
- Complimentary Wi-Fi during your stay
- Late check out to 2pm

This is at a special promotional rate of £850 per two night stay exclusive of VAT and subject to availability. The offer is valid until 31st May, 2009 (excluding New Year’s Eve and Valentine’s day).

For further details and to book please visit http://www.blakeshotels.com/package_senses.html

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The audio tours are available in three formats: as a download from www.soundmap.co.uk, direct to an internet enabled mobile phone (text ‘Soundmap’ to 60300), or ready-loaded on an audioplayer in branches of Waterstones nationwide.

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