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BOND IN MOTION

BOND IN MOTION will be the largest collection of James Bond vehicles the world has ever seen.

Opening 17th January 2012 at Beaulieu, BOND IN MOTION is a collaboration between Eon Productions and Beaulieu and will feature fifty vehicles to celebrate fifty years of 007 movies. BOND IN MOTION will run from 17th January to December 2012 in the National Motor Museum.

The exhibition, the largest of its kind staged anywhere in the world, will showcase 50 of the best loved and most iconic James Bond vehicles.

In addition, 2012 also marks the 40th anniversary of the world-famous National Motor Museum, a fitting year to be hosting a major new car exhibition with some of the most recognised vehicles in film to mark 50 years since the first Bond film was screened as well as 60 years since Beaulieu opened as a visitor attraction.

Climb Big Ben clock tower, London

Who knows the correct name of the clock tower popularly known as Big Ben? Answer: St Stephen's Tower. Big Ben is the bell that chimes the hour and is likely named after Sir Benjamin Hall, a 19th-century Parliamentary Commissioner of Works. UK residents who apply to their MP for tickets can tour the bell tower. This means climbing 334 narrow spiral steps to the top and down again. But hearing the 13-plus ton bell dong is an unforgettable experience.

Where: Palace of Westminster, Westminster, London SW1 1AA (020-7219 4272)
When: Mon-Fri 10.30am, 11.30am and 2.30pm
How much: Free

Best bars in London

From classic cocktails to fine wines, Time Out recommends 50 great bars in London.

Their critics have rounded up their 50 favourite bars and spilt them into convenient Categories. Check out their website

Scotland of food and drink

With everything that Scotland has to offer - a wonderful natural larder, incredible associations with landscape, a clean environment, fantastic producers and products, we can rightly claim to be one of the world's great lands of food and drink

Check out the Plough to Plate tours: Food and Whisky Tours in Speyside during the Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival - 3-7 May 2012

With a higher concentration of whisky distilleries than any other region on earth, a host of iconic family-owned food producers and some of the finest raw ingredients anywhere, the rich, fertile area of Speyside and the Moray coast is one of the star turns in Scotland’s bountiful larder

Cotswolds to celebrate a Queens quincentenary, in 2012

Sudeley Castle and Winchcombe village are planning to welcome the world to a very special Tudor-themed Katherine Parr Festival which not only coincides with the current Queen¹s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012, but also with the Cultural Olympiad.

Sudeley Castle

Further details of the year-long festival in The Cotswolds to mark the quincentenary of Sudeley Castle¹s Queen in 2012 have just been unveiled, and include many highlights including the appearance of several of the UK's foremost historians, authors, and gardeners.

At its heart, however, will lie a very special Katherine Parr Exhibition featuring items from the Castle¹s own collection, as well as several other pieces on loan from other national and historic collections.

A new film, presented by Dr David Starkey featuring many of the artefacts which will be on display next year and illustrating Katherine¹s life at Sudeley Castle, with additional footage both inside and outside the Castle is also in the process of being made.

And families will also be well-catered for during monthly Tudor Fun Days involving falconry, minstrels, characters in period costume & children¹s games.

Ticketed events will include:

The Pleasure of your Company² afternoon teas with Lady Ashcombe and specially invited guests.
Professor Diarmaid MacCulloch presenter of the award-winning BBC series The History of Christianity.
Historian Alison Weir.
Katherine Parr authors Linda Porter, Susan James, and Janel Mueller.
Garden historian and designer Sir Roddy Llewellyn.

One of the major highlights of the year is likely to be June 15th, when Dr David Starkey will give a talk on Katherine Parr, followed by a champagne reception. On September 8th Dr Starkey returns to Sudeley Castle for a Tudor themed banquet at which he will address the guests.

And on September 9th, Sudeley Castle will re-enact Katherine Parr¹s funeral, following the original service and music.

Late July/early August Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum will also be joining in the year-long festival by holding two weeks of activities for children at Sudeley Castle

Both of Winchcombe¹s major annual festivals - Winchcombe Welcomes Walkers on May 18th-20th; and the Winchcombe Festival of Music & Arts (provisionally 29th May to 4th June) - will also contribute to the Katherine Parr Festival in 2012.

Born in 1512, Queen Katherine Parr was the last of Henry VIII¹s six wives.
After the King's death in 1547, Katherine married Lord Seymour of Sudeley and lived her last days, died and was buried at Sudeley Castle, in Winchcombe.

Katherine was by all standards a remarkable Tudor woman: beautiful enough to marry the King of England; shrewd enough to remain his Queen despite court plots and an attempt on her life; and courageous enough to sustain the Protestant cause.

She was Regent of England during Henry's invasion of France in 1544. And with her publication of religious works Prayers and Meditations and Lamentation of a Sinner she became not only the first English Queen to publish a work of prose, but also the first woman to do so in the 16th century.

Dr. David Starkey who is the Festivals Historical Advisor has already stated that he is pleased that she will finally get her due recognition as one of the most interesting figures in Tudor history.

The Festival as a whole will also help to put Sudeley Castle - home of Lord and Lady Ashcombe, Henry and Mollie Dent-Brocklehurst and their families under the spotlight once again.

Sudeleys gardens are regarded as amongst the very best in England, from the centrepiece Queens' Garden with hundreds of varieties of old fashioned roses, to the Herbal Healing Garden which was introduced for the 2011 season. Visitors can also see Katherine Parrs tomb in St Marys Church.

Details of the Katherine Parr Festival.

For tourist information, including accommodation in The Cotswolds.

Free Things to do In London

Even though the Kiwi dollar is riding high and going further than ever, there are always lots of great things to do in London which cost you nothing at all !
Our Top 3 Free Things to do in London

1. Changing of the Guard, Buckingham Palace

One of Britain’s greatest traditions and attractions is the heritage of the British Monarchy. Changing of the Guards lasts approximately 1 hour. The process is the changing of the old guard from Buckingham Palace with a new guard from St. James’s Palace. The guards are from one of five regiments: the Scots Guards, the Irish Guards, the Welsh Guards, the Grenadier Guards and the Coldstream Guards.

2. Art Galleries, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, National Gallery

London has some great art galleries and what’s even better is they are free! Tate Britain, situated in Millbank, and Tate Modern, situated in Bankside, are home to artwork from 1500 to the present day. Along with these two museums, the famous National Gallery, situated to the north of Trafalgar Square, boasts an impressive collection of Western European artwork from the early 20th century to present day.

3. Primrose Hill

Primrose Hill, situated on the north side of Regent’s Park, offers remarkable views over London’s skyline, especially at sunset. The park, which is 410 acres, was designed in 1811 by John Nash, a renowned architect. The park has its own football, softball, rugby and cricket pitches in addition to a boating lake, bandstand, and a beautiful rose garden. The region is full of pubs, cafes, restaurants and celebrities. Primrose Hill is the ideal location for visitors to take a picnic and do some celebrity spotting.