Thoughts from the Shelf

Etihad Airways has been granted security approval to fly to the USA from the new terminal 3 at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Passengers can now fly to Chicago and New York with First and Business class check-in and lounges available at the new terminal 3 facility.

Etihad already flies to a number of destinations around the world with flights to the UK particularly competitive with European carriers due in part to the support they get from the state. They have completed a number of codeshare arrangements as well, allowing passengers to fly with different airlines on just one ticket.

Etihad are also well known for their levels of comfort, especially on long haul flights to Australia - even economy (Coral) class has features such as one of the most comfortable seats you will find in economy class anywhere, with adjustable head and foot rests, connections to fit most plug types, an E-BOX entertainment system and mood lighting.

A while ago we discussed a driving holiday in Spain and suggested some family attractions to visit in Costa Blanca.  However with the prospect of a glorious summer in the UK we think that many people are reconsidering their holiday options.

UK Holiday

Recent reports of the stagnant economy are forcing more and more families to consider taking their summer holiday in the UK - or to give it a funky name a Staycation.  Hard up families are beginning to explore the wonders of camping and are discovering that a camping holiday can actually be a relaxing comfortable healthy experience.  For those who insist on luxury but at affordable prices glamping is all the rage - no need to buy and pack the most important items such as tents and sleeping bags - they are already waiting for you when you arrive at the site.

Many glamping resorts have opened up in the South West in the hope of attracting visitors from Europe as well as the UK.  In fact the tourist industries of Devon and Cornwall have ironically benefited from the squeeze on the economy and are expecting to attract visitors who are keen to lower their carbon footprints and enjoy the seaside and beach life that the South West is famous for.

Run to the Sun

Depending on how far you expect to travel a staycation can rack up an eye-watering fuel bill as well as wear and tear on your family car - a vist from London to St Ives is not only tiring but is close to 800 miles round trip.  Families are once again the delights of travelling by train - exploring the benefits of family railcards that simplify the cost of journies

Duplicate content?

The beauty of glamping is the provision of all necesary camping equipment so make sure you find out what you actually only need to take to avoid duplication.

Hire a car

Without the palavar or need to pack and carry camping equipment with you an thought from the shelf is to consider using local UK car hire companies and arrange to pick up a hire car at the station when you arrive - relaxed and rested from a fast, cool comfortable train journey. A short drive to your location and you will find everyting waiting for you - a tent ready erected, decent beds and essential camping equipment.

When you think about it the average family only uses a car to make a few visits to local attractions and for shopping trips so why clock up all that mileage and gallons of fuel to simply have the occasional use of your own car.  Hiring a car makes sense.

Save money, have fun and enjoy your staycation in the UK.

Cheddar Gorge, one of the most spectacular places to visit in South West England - home of pasties. Situated above the rural village of Cheddar, Cheddar Gorge is Britain’s largest gorge, whilst the Cheddar Yeo in Gough’s Cave is Britain’s biggest underground river, and the Gorge Cliffs are Britain’s highest inland limestone cliffs.

I had the pleasure of visiting Cheddar Gorge not too long ago for a day out. Although I don’t live too far away, I’d never actually been before. The views from the cliff top footpath is breathtaking, I don’t think that even a Freelander could descend the slopes safely. The Cheddar Cheese visitor centre is another feature well worth a visit, they still make the famous cheese there and you can watch the process from start to finish.

I would definitely recommend it as a day out, or even just driving through the gorge is amazing. If you’re of a mind to do some Freelander off-roading, I doubt you’d get very far, but you might have fun trying!

Virgin Galactic has released final designs of the launch system that is to be used in its commercial venture to put fare paying passengers into space. When the project is completed in 2010 passengers will be able to experience up to six minutes of weightlessness for a cost of around £100,000.

Unveiled at the American Museum of Natural History, the model of SpaceShipTwo is the vehicle that will take passengers 62 miles above the earth, with test flights already scheduled for later this year.

The main aim of designers in test flights is to ensure the safety of the system after three people were killed when a tank of nitrous oxide exploded in a test of SpaceShipTwo’s propellant system.

Will Whitehorn, president of Branson’s space-tourism company, Virgin Galactic, said “construction on the White Knight Two is more than 70 percent complete.”

When completed SpaceShipTwo will be carried by its carrier WhiteKnightTwo, where it will be launched mid-flight carrying six passengers and two crew. The craft will drop from the twin cabin high altitude jet which can also double as a space tourist training craft.

WhiteKnightTwo itself has a wingspan of 140ft and is built to handle unmanned rockets, and is capable of launching small payloads such as satellites into orbit. The SpaceShipTwo itself is based upon the X-Prize winning SpacShipOne concept, a rocket ship that was launched in flight before blasting skywards.

“I think it’s very important that we make a genuine commercial success of this project, if we do, I believe we’ll unlock a wall of private sector money into both space launch systems and space technology” Richard Branson said on his latest commercial venture

So far Virgin Galactic has already taken 200 prospective bookings from 30 countries accounting for millions of dollars already being on the books.

Virgin Galactic is just one of several companies aiming to offer space trips in the near future. Competitors include the entrepreneur of Amazon.com Jeff Bezos who has his own scheme, as does the Paypal founder, Elon Musk. Even Europe’s EADS Astrium, the company that coordinates the manufacture of the Ariane 5 rocket, is developing a commercial suborbital ship.

New legislation that is to be brought in will now mean motorists caught driving whilst on a mobile handset could be sent to jail for up to two years. The change in policy has come about as the altered laws involving mobiles and driving that were introduced in September are said not to have had the desired effect on motorists.

Using a mobile phones while driving was first banned in 2003, but since then thousands of drivers ignore the law each day, despite an increased £60 fine and penalty points being introduced in September.

Under the new guidelines most motorists caught using mobile handsets whilst driving will still face the increased fine and penalty points that was introduced in September. The changes however will give courts more power against anyone who has an accident whilst on their mobile, the result of which could be a dangerous driving conviction and a two year jail term.

Increased penalties do not solely apply to accidents but any driving that falls short of what is deemed safe. Sending text messages, speeding and over taking whilst on a mobile could therefore result in the increased penalties. The laws also include using Sat-Nav devices whilst driving.

Motorists who cause death on the road could additionally be prosecuted for manslaughter, a charge that carries penalties up to life imprisonment.

The change in policy comes at a time when the safety of using mobile hands free kits whilst driving has also been thrown into question, with one large transport company already banning employees from using them.

Findings from the Transport research Laboratory had suggested that driving whilst using a mobile handset could be more dangerous than drink driving. Other reports have also suggested using a mobile behind the wheel puts a drivers concentration at the same levels as the drink drive limit.

With hands free kits also being declared unsafe, it is suggested that it is actually speaking to someone not in the car themselves that is deemed distracting and is therefore dangerous.

“What we think that is to do with is that the passenger can see the traffic around you and can maybe pick up on your body language cues, and then modify the conversation accordingly.” Said Dr Nick Reed

I agree with the fact that driving whilst using a mobile phone is not only irresponsible but can impair someone’s driving ability, but to make such a stark comparison to drink driving is more a scare tactic in my opinion.

I can understand how concentration levels may temporarily drop whilst a mobile call is taken, but this is for the duration of the call, and no way does someone remain under that reduced state of awareness for anything like the length of time a driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol does.

If talking on a hands free kit is distracting, so too is talking to passengers, however I doubt the government will advise against car sharing!

Drivers who do answer a mobile whilst driving certainly do not set out on their journey with the intention of breaking the law, and it is a split second decision to answer the call. This does not justify it, but this point is intended solely to make the comparison with a driver under the influence who sets out intentionally breaking the law, knowing full well his ability to drive will be impaired for the entire duration of their journey. Yet people who do use a mobile handset could still end up with a two year jail term along side people the steal, rape and murder.

It is the culture of using electronic device behind the wheel that needs to be tackled, and with increased policing this culture would change.

“We’d like to see police on the streets taking action. The best deterrent is for a motorist to be either pulled over themselves or know someone else who has been stopped.” RAC

Unfortunately increased penalties which result in jail terms will only send otherwise law abiding members of society to an already overcrowded prison system, whilst proper criminals get increased parole, home sentencing and ASBO tracking.