In which we present a regular round-up of news from the world of Grown-up Travel
Ramblers line up for the 80th anniversary of their greatest ever trespass
The Guardian
Fun and games, songs and a re-enactment of the famous day on Kinder Scout are among 30 commemorative events next week. Tussles with gamekeepers not included.
It’s time to dubbin your boots and have a good gargle in readiness for next week’s anniversary of the Mass Trespass on Kinder Scout. This is becoming one of the year’s great fixtures for northern walkers, and many from the UK more widely.
The great act of defiance by ordinary people against privileged self-interest also strikes other chords, even among those whose idea of a walk is a tour of the local shopping mall. It was a battle conducted almost wholly gently as part of a campaign of cautious, open-minded brilliance. And the character, spirit and – since his death in 200 – soul of its principal hero Benny Rothman was so benign.
He didn’t share the grumpiness, real or otherwise, of Alfred Wainwright or that sense which emerges from some of Harry Griffin’s work that the fells are better without too many people around. Rothman came from a background which was hard-up in most things but certainly not in looking-out for others. He wanted everyone to enjoy the freedom of the hills.
What annoys couples most when travelling together?
Toronto Sun
Few experiences are more romantic than laying on a warm, secluded beach with the person you love most, thousands of kilometres away from your worries.
Of course, a week of incredible closeness at a fab resort can quickly turn nightmarish for couples as those quirks you once tolerated in moderation at home – think loud snoring or tardiness – begin to peck away at any romantic vacation vibes.
According to a recent survey by online dating network Zoosk.com, 18% of Canadians say vacationing with their honey 24/7 was an “eye-opening experience” that revealed habits they wished remained hidden. Ten per cent of Canadians surveyed by Zoosk added travelling with their significant other was a frustrating experience, while another 5% said the trip was so bad, they couldn’t wait to get home.
According to Canadian men surveyed by Zoosk, the most annoying habits of their female travel partners includes carrying too much luggage, being disorganized, being high maintenance and arriving late at the airport.
Women, meanwhile, say their male counterparts snore too loudly, are messy and are disorganized on vacation.
Both sexes worry about bothering each other after spending so much time together, with 5% of men admitting they worry their snoring will irritate their partner.
Shannon Tebb, certified Life Coach and Dating and Relationship Expert for Zoosk.com, says it’s how you deal with annoyances that will save or break your relationship.
Tourist gets a painful souvenir as angry bird picks fight
News.com.au
His shirt ripped and his backside bruised, an Australian tourist chased off a cliff by a cassowary says the experience hasn’t put him off returning to the Far North for another holiday.
Dennis Ward was at Babinda Boulders, near Cairns, with his Innisfail-based family on Sunday, watching from what he thought was a safe distance of up to 15 metres away as a photographer snapped pictures of a large male cassowary, the Cairns Post reported.
Just minutes later Mr Ward was bouncing down the cliff and into the water, after being kicked in the back by the bullying bird.
“It looked like it was going to attack the photographer then next moment it charged towards me and my grandson,” Mr Ward said.
“It was looking right at me, kind of standing up, so I turned my back to it because I didn’t want a claw right up my middle – I have heard those things can gut you with their claws.
“Next thing, thump, I copped a boot in the back and I was tumbling down the bank, it was pretty high – about seven foot (2m) – I hit this ledge near the bottom and bounced off into the drink.”
Don’t miss the bus: Paris from £2.30 (but it takes half a day)
The Independent
New Megabus service is cheaper than paying for a latte on a cross-Channel ferry if you book early.
A new front has opened in the battle for the most recession-proof method of travel. Hostilities broke out at 5am yesterday morning when the maiden international voyage of Megabus left Birmingham, destination Paris. One passenger had paid only £2.30 return for the journey – less than the price of a coffee on the ferry.
The blue bus, with the message “A partir de 1€” emblazoned on the side, stopped to pick up more passengers at Coventry and Victoria coach station in central London, then travelled non-stop to Dover.
None of the 37 passengers on board had paid more than £10 each for the all-day journey to Paris, where the coach was due to arrive at 6.40pm last night. Another service from Leicester departed at 5.15am, destined for Brussels and Amsterdam. By this morning, a twice-daily service will also be operating between the Dutch, Belgian and French capitals, at prices far below the existing rail operators.
The pioneering passengers were full of praise for the venture – and the fares. “I’m thoroughly enjoying it,” said Julie Panfili, a care assistant from Abertillery. “The driver’s excellent, everybody’s excited and it’s brilliant value for money.”
She and her son, Ross, had paid £56 return – including the link from Cardiff, where they had begun at 4am – but said they preferred it to flying: “This is more relaxing and a more human experience.”
The low-cost bus operation is part of the Stagecoach Group, the giant transport consortium that includes East Midlands Trains and South West Trains. Megabus was originally a “no-frills” offshoot shuttling students around Scotland, but has since expanded to the rest of Britain and to North America.
