Saadani Game Reserve was gazetted in 1964, covering an area of some 250 sq km from the Wami River in the south to the Mligaji River in the north, with the Moshi railway line as the western boundary.

In 2003 Saadani was upgraded to become Tanzania’s latest National Park under the direction of TANAPA (Tanzania National Park Authority). Boundaries have been expanded to include land north of the Mligaji, which is an important area containing the only permanent elephant population in the area as well as sable antelope. The total protected area now covers over 1000 sq km and the TANAPA headquarters are based at Mkwaja ranch.

Saadani is geographically the closest reserve to Dar es Salaam (130km) and, even considering the present situation of no coast road, it is still a similar distance in terms of time to Mikumi National Park, the next closest wildlife destination. Construction of the coast road from Dar es Salaam is underway and once completed, this will reduce driving time to around two hours from Dar making Saadani the closest wildlife destination to Dar offering an irresistible combination of beach and wildlife viewing.

Saadani sits directly opposite Zanzibar’s Stone Town, which is located approximately 42 kilometres away. Regular flights are available from Zanzibar to Saadani and these only take about fifteen minutes. ????Visitors to Zanzibar will find an excellent choice of Zanzibar hotels and most other types of Zanzibar accommodation, including villas and lodges.

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Christmas in the Lake District has been a popular choice for couples and families for some years now. Escaping from all the expense and stress of organising presents and the Christmas lunch. The beautiful scenery is so enticing in the winter months and the festive season. Now the Lake District is being a hot spot for company Christmas parties. Many Lake District hotels have spiced up their 2008 Christmas Party programme by providing alternative party themes as well as their traditional Christmas party nights enjoyed by many. With a choice of themes to suit a range of pockets, many Lake District hotels are introducing theme nights such as Elvis Tribute Nights, Las Vegas Casino Nights as well as a Fajitas and Margaritas Party food themes.
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Sarah and Alan Ayres, proprietors of Woodlands in Windermere, are pleased to announce the award of a fifth star by the AA, which has been awarded for their exceptional standards of quality guest accommodation and service.

Woodlands Hotel in Windermere is a handsome Edwardian Villa situated between the villages of Windermere and Bowness in Cumbria ??“ the Lake District, just a few minutes away from the shores of Lake Windermere. Guests will enjoy the luxury, stylish and contemporary Boutique accommodation being offered at Woodlands, which has now been formally recognised as being one of the finest hotels in the Lake District. There are a total of fifteen luxury and en-suite guest bedrooms including a choice of single, double or twin bedded rooms. The resident??™s bar and lounge is an exciting space for guests to relax after a long day??™s site seeing and exploring.

According to the AA, a five star Guest House needs to demonstrate an awareness of each guest’s needs with nothing being too much trouble. All bedrooms must be en-suite or have a private bathroom, with excellent quality beds and furnishings. Breakfast must include specials/home-made items, high quality ingredients, and fresh local produce.

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Combining a spa treatment with a holiday or weekend away is becoming more and more popular. With the stresses of work and family life, the ability for total relaxation and making the most out of a much deserved weekend break is a must. Spa??™s located within Lake District hotels are the most convenient and give the most relaxation as the guest can simply come down from their room and within a matter of seconds be in having a spa treatment, no need to get in a car or walk for miles.

One such example if The Lodore Falls Hotel situated on the edge of one of the most beautiful lakes in the English Lake District, Derwentwater. It is a very popular area with lovers of all activities and it is one of the few pieces of water in the Lake District that has retained its peaceful atmosphere despite being right in the heart of the most popular area for walking. Lake District spa treatments can be anything from a variety of massages to facials, tanning, waxing, manicures, pedicures, anti-ageing, eye treatments, facials, sunbed and bridal treatments. With the popularity of getting married in the Lake District, a Lake District spa offers ultimate pampering for the bride.

Elemis is a high rated brand of facial, massage and body therapy treatments. The Lodore Falls Hotel offer Elemis Spa Therapy which is developed by a specialised team, with extensive clinical & scientific studies. Elemis professional spa-therapies are world renowned for their powerful massage sequences combined with the most dynamic activities, available in the world today. Lake District pamper days are also available in some of the Lake District spas. Locals can then use these facilities or guests who just want a full day of relaxing.

Windermere in the English Lake District is the longest natural lake in England. Set in the middle of some of the most beautiful scenery in the country, Windermere and its surrounding areas have been a favoured holiday destination since 1847. Windermere the lake is 10.5 miles long and ranges from a quarter of a mile to one mile wide. The northern end is Waterhead, a mile from Ambleside town centre, the middle being Bowness-On-Windermere and the southerly end bringing you to Newby Bridge.

The town of Windermere is located on the east bank of the lake and is in actual fact one and a quarter miles from the lake. With a population of approximately 2,295, Windermere is one of the larger towns in the South Lakes. Many businesses have offices and shops in the town due to its location to the many smaller villages in the area. It has a supermarket, many local independent shops and the flagship Lakeland Limited store right next to the train station.

Surrounding the town and all the way down to the lake are a plethora of hotels in the Lake District and Lake District hotels. The choice really is endless. Boutique and niche hotels have begun to pop up making Windermere a quality destination suitable for young and old.

The lake offers many activities from Windermere lake cruises to fishing and water sports. Of course, if being on the water is not for you, the walking along the shore taking in the scenery and landscapes is equally as enthralling. The town of Bowness-On-Windermere sits right by the lake too. Again, a very busy town but a greater focus on tourism.

The name ???Ullswater??? is believed to have come from an early Viking settler but due to a stone circle called The Cockpit at Barton Fell, some say it could have been earlier. The valley has many farms which is now the main economy of the area along with tourism. Some of the farms which are still working today, date back to as early as the sixteenth century.

Ullswater is the second largest lake in the Lake District at a length of 8 miles. The lake is surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery in the area and is a very popular place to stay for walkers wanting to tackle Helvellyn, Highstreet and Fairfield. The Coast to Coast walk goes through Patterdale with the Patterdale YHA situated on the route. For less adventurous walkers, there are many lower level, less strenuous walks such as the lovely Hallin Fell walk. It is approximately 3 miles long and of the same distance, the Aira Force Walk. Aira Force is the most spectacular waterfall in the Lake District and the beautiful walk through a leafy glen is wonderful.

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Heads In Beds is your one stop accommodation resource from Gary Lowthian. Recommendations on great value accommodation across the north and east of England.

Having worked with many tourism, leisure and hospitality businesses to help improve their profitability, I thought it was high time that I pulled together a website highlighting the ones I really enjoyed working with. The result is www.headsinbeds.co.uk.

The site is far from an exhaustive list, neither is it only a list of the ???finest quality??™, as? Gary believes that ???value??™ is something important to everyone whether staying at a bunkhouse or penthouse. Value is simply the relationship between what we pay and the type of experience we have? and Gary? feels all of the businesses listed on? www.headsinbeds.co.uk site offer good value to their customers.

Why not consider using this site when looking for a short break or holiday in the North and East of England, where the majority of Gary’s? work has taken place. The areas? covered include? Northumberland, Yorkshire including the North York Moors, Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire, East Anglia including Norfolk and Suffolk, Lancashire including Forest of Bowland, Blackpool and Cumbria - The Lake District.

The site? includes? different types of accommodation including hotels, bed and breakfasts, guest houses, inns, farm b&bs, cottages, self catering agencies, caravan sites, camp sites and hostels, as well as a few restaurants and places to visit.

There are many hotels in the Lake District and many beautiful areas making the choice of where to stay endless. One of the most popular areas in the Lake District is Keswick and the Borrowdale Valley. Not only is the scenery and the nearby lake, Derwentwater giving spectacular views, but the fells are some of the best in the county for walking. The most famous fell being Scafell Pike, the largest mountain in England standing at a stagering 978 metres (3209 feet). This dominates the panorama for miles around.

There are many Lake District bed and breakfast establishments in the area ranging from small b & b’s to luxury Lake District hotels with leisure facilities. One such hotel is the Borrowdale Hotel which is Nestled at the foot of Shepherd’s Crag in the beautiful valley of Borrowdale. This hotel has a totally unique atmosphere enveloping the visitors from the moment they arrive. Warm and welcoming fires in Winter and cool drinks and strawberry teas on the lawns in the Summer served with a smile.? ? ? ? 

Built in 1866 the Borrowdale Hotel has an interesting history and many charming artifacts adorning the walls, such as old hotel prints, Victorian coffee grinders and silver salvers, plate warmers and brass bedpans - not forgetting the original 41 room bells, which, although no longer working, are still proudly displayed outside the reception area.

It has been thought in the past that staying in hotels with children is a bad idea, not places geared up for children. Parents however, want a bit of luxury and do not always want to camp or go self catering. Times are changing and hoteliers are waking up to the idea that families are a large market hardly targeted. There are some hotels that operate?  strict ???no children??? policy but many hotels who are quite happy having them stay are adapting rooms and creating fun things for children to do to entice families to stay.

An area full of activities and stunning scenery is the area of Keswick and Bassenthwaite. There are many Keswick hotels that offer child friendly rooms with excellent leisure facilities on site. These facilities include heated swimming pools, gyms, tennis courts, putting greens and some even have games rooms with both board games and computer games such as Wii consoles installed. The practical facilities within these hotels come in the form of flexible meal times for children, the use of complimentary high chairs and cots, bed time books and stocks of essential items such as nappies, baby milks and food and dummies.

The Bassenthwaite Lake area encompasses some of the most well equipped hotels Lake District. The lake is one of the largest in the English Lake District situated at the foot of Skiddaw and in such close proximity to Keswick, it is a great location. The lake is 4 miles long and is the shallowest of all the lakes with its maximum depth just 70 feet. For parents interested in bird watching, it is one of the best places to spot an Osprey.

Willowford is a 100-acre farm, currently converting to the organic standards of the Soil Association. The farm carries a flock of Swaledale ewes that produce prime lamb, two dozen chickens for eggs and some Ayrshire cows from the dairy herd of neighbouring Slack House Organic Farm. They also have a hive of bees, numerous cats and a very entertaining sheepdog.

Initially, it is believed that the Wall from Willowford westwards was built of turf. Hadrian ordered it to be rebuilt in stone in AD122 and it stood firm for around 300 years until the fall of Rome. After that it fell into ruin, helped by looters taking the dressed stone to build farms and houses. Over time the Wall collapsed into more of a mound that was slowly covered with earth and vegetation. Nearly 1600 years later the mound at Willowford Farm was excavated to reveal one of the longest unbroken stretches of Hadrian’s Wall remaining, which at places still stands 8ft high and includes the remains of two turrets.

Where the Wall meets the River Irthing in the bottom field of this Hadrian?????s Wall accommodation farm, the impressive remains of a Roman bridge can now be seen (artist’s impression opposite). The design of the bridge and the sheer size of the stones used is testament to the Romans’ great engineering skills, as well as their manpower. In our top field, the Romans built a camp, probably during the construction of the stone Wall, whose foundations are still clearly visible. This Hadrian?????s Wall bed and breakfast is less than one mile from Birdoswald Roman Fort and a day’s walk or quick bus ride from Housesteads, Vindolanda and many other Roman attractions. Where better to explore this fascinating period of world history?

Archangelos Guest House offers a choice of quality Bolton bed and breakfast and Bolton self catering accommodation with unparalleled quality and value. Just a few minutes from the motorway, and within easy reach of the Reebok Stadium, Middlebrook Retail and Leisure complex and the Trafford Centre in Manchester, there is no better place to stay.

Whether visiting on business or pleasure, a quiet comfortable night is assured, with private bathrooms and kitchens in either the studio apartment or full 3 bedroom house. Both properties include:

Wi-Fi Internet Access
Complimentary Welcome Pack
Breathtaking Views
BBQ & Garden Furniture
Pet Friendly Bicycle Wash & Storage Facilities
Off Road Parking
English & German Languages Spoken
2 Minute Walk to West Pennine Moors

Please visit www.archangelos.co.uk for more details.

Ambleside Lodge offers high quality Lake District bed and breakfast accommodation situated in Ambleside at the heart of the Lake District, just a two minute walk from the town centre and about five minutes walk to Lake Windermere.

This former Gentleman??™s residence originally built circa 1875 has been beautifully restored and tastefully decorated and it now provides elegant Lake District B&B accommodation in Ambleside.

The house features some exceptional examples of original oak panelling, dating back to 1654, and brought here in 1875 from local churches, the skills and craftsmanship that were used, can now be shared by all, in the different rooms throughout the building. Most of the walls are between 2 and 3 feet thick and are primarily constructed from Lakeland stone.

Staylakedistrict.co.uk provides an online guide to Cumbria- the Lake District accommodation and holiday activities. The site features all different types of accommodation including Lake District hotels, lake district bed and breakfasts, lake district cottages, plus caravan and camping sites. So whatever type of accommodation you are looking for you should be able to find the ideal place to stay on this site.

The staylakedistrict.co.uk site also includes a choice of visitor attractions and activities, plus some selected pubs and restaurants where you can sample Cumbrian cuisine using some of the finest local ingredients.

Number 34 is ideally situated for discovering the historic city of York. The Guest House is located in a quiet street approximately five minutes walk into the heart of York and all its superb attractions. Number 34 is a cosy, friendly, family run York Bed? and Breakfast? offering attractive, comfortable York guest house accommodation and delicious home cooked breakfasts to set you up for your day ahead exploring our beautiful city of York.

The award-winning 35-acre Langdale Estate set in heart of the English Lake District is a natural woodland haven with streams and tarns, dotted with massive millstones and other carefully preserved reminders of its history as a 19th century Lake District gunpowder works.

The Estate offers an impressive choice of Lake District hotels, Lake District self catering and Lake District Timeshare accommodation, together with two distinctly styled Lake District restaurants and bars, a traditional Lake District Pub plus extensive Leisure and Spa Facilities.

The Langdale Hotel and Country Club is one of the most unique hotels in the Lake District complete with 57 bedrooms, which located village-style, in historic properties around the estate, with just 5 situated in the main building. Each room is different - a number of special rooms have a 4-poster bed with double air bath. Others have a private balcony overlooking a stream. All rooms are en suite with whirlpool or air bath and are equipped with satellite TV, direct dial telephone and tea/coffee making facilities.