Lake Menteith in central Scotland is the only Scottish lake as all the other bodies of water are called lochs. The Lake Hotel situated on the lake shore is offering guests either a £20 fuel rebate or a free pick and return from Stirling rail station. The offer applies to bookings for stays between Sundays and Thursdays until the end of September 2008 made at least three days in advance and with a minimum stay of two nights. The price of a lakeside view room with lakeside terrace is £150 - £160 a night but there are some offers available.


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The Inchahome Priory stands on the Lake of Menteith Island. It's looked after by Historic Scotland who operate a ferry service to the island which is included in the admission charge to the priory.

Unless you are happy to stay around the hotel, I'd recommend that you bring your own car so you can make the most of surrounding countryside. There's plenty to do and see such as Stirling Castle and the Wallace Monument in the nearby small city of Stirling

New York City has four new waterfalls up to 120 feel tall. located at Brooklyn Bridge, Pier 35 Manhattan, Piers 4/5 Brooklyn and Governors Island.


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The art installation, on show until 13 October 2008 was created by the Icelandic/Danish artist Olafur Eliasson. The Waterfalls are operational between 07:00 to 22:00 and are illuminated in the evenings after dark. There are some beautiful photos in this New York Times slide show One of the best ways to view the Waterfalls is from the Staten Island of Governors island ferries, which are free of charge.

When most people think of Edinburgh they think of Edinburgh Castle and the Festival. If you're in Edinburgh you should venture down to Leith - Edinburgh's port. Until fairly recently Leiith did live up ( or down to) the rather rundown stereotypical image port but the area has undergone massive regeneration and is now full of trendy pubs, cafes and restaurants. Looking at the photo below you'd probably think you were looking at a Hanseatic port in Germany.



The former Royal Yatch Britainnia is now a tourist attraction docked outside the Ocean Terminall shopping and leisure centre. The Scottish Government administrative headquarters are next to Ocean Terminal.

There's street art along the bank of the Water of Leith which flows into the Forth Estuary at Leith portraying the industrial heyday of the docks.



So don't just stick to the city centre when you're in Edinburgh, venture down to Leith, although you will encounter some road works on Leith Walk where the new tram lines are being constructed.

My favourite Italian lake is Lake Iseo located between lake como to the west and Lake Garda to the west. The Lake is dominated by Monte Isola the largest lake island in Europe. It's easy to reach Monte Isola by ferry from several ferry stops around the Lake. There is a branch railway line from Brescia up the eastern side of the Lake.



At the south of the lake is the Torbiere peat bog and Franciacorta, the area where the renowned sparkling wine is produced. To the north of the lake is the The Val Camonica has thermal spas and prehistoric rock carvings.

The Pyramids of Zone are interesting rock formations which are like pillars with mushrooms sitting on top. The area around the Pyramids is a National Park with various paths you can follow footpaths which afford great lake views.



There are towns and villages dotted around the lake shore. I really like Iseo Town with it's lakeside promemade and the Sassenbanek outdoor complex with three swimming pools.

So if you prefer to visit an more authentic, less commerciaised Italian lake you should try Lake Iseo.

If you are looking for an all weather day out the Kansas Underground Salt Museum offers an all year round 68 degrees at a depth of 65 feet in the network of salt caverns. Visitors are transported underground in a double decker lift. Visitors then tour the underground galleries on a tram. The galleries cover different themes and have plenty of interactive hands on activities.



A new Vistor Center has recently opened above ground. One of it's star exhibits is the oldest known living organism in the world, 250 million year old living bacteria trapped in a salt crystal. There is also one of the original train engines constructed in 1901 used in the mine on display.

If you fancy bringing in the New Year somewhere different this year there's a "Murder in the Mine Mystery Dinner Theater" event on 31 December 2008.

Sick of the British weather and hearing about the credit crunch and thinking if a holiday on home shores is that appealing? How about a fortnight in St Lucia all inclusive for £1309 per adult and £479 per child (aged under 12) with Virgin Holidays? The price is valid for departures from departing 21st Aug-31st Aug. You'd stay on an all inclusive basis at the 3 star Coconut Beach Resort.


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I received a press release claiming that it was cheaper for a family of four to have a a fortnight in St Lucia that in the Cotswolds in England. Unfortunately every time I tried to open the Price comparison document my software crashed. I'm not convinced that you'd have to pay around £3500 for accommodation, meals and drinks for a fortnight for a family of four in the UK if you did some research and booked in advance.

However I did read that August has the highest chance of severe tropical weather in St Lucia so you might be glad you'd opted for that showery stay in the Cotswolds.

Update- The PR company emailed me a copy of their costings breakdown but the Cotswolds costing is based on renting a cottage (size unspecified but I assume it would have 2 bedrooms) at £1600 which isn't really comparing like with like as the St Lucia costing is based on staying on the family sharing a standard room. I think that the comparison would be more valid if both costings were based an a 3 star hotel stay with the family sharing a family bedroom.