Once upon a time this was a small local festival taking place every now and again out back at a…read morepub. Now it's one of the largest folk music festivals in the United Kingdom. It takes place during summer every year, at the beginning of the summer holidays, and is a very family friendly event. This is the ideal festival for those with young children and an aversion to massive crowds, the like you find at Glastonbury. There are many regulars who return year after year, and the festival is becoming ever more popular year after year too. This was the festival that I was taken to as a child. I could probably draw you a map of it down to the last blade of grass. With live music, dancing and a wonderful variety of stalls, this festival can be a little bit of an unforgettable experience. This year the festival takes place from the 22nd-25th of July, and includes acts such as Show of Hands, Bellowhead and many, many others. Quickly, book now!

So August Bank Holiday folks is the date for this lovely little festival. This was my first time…read morehere, but actually it's only been running for 2 years. Tickets cost £40 for adults, and children are £1. Get them quick as it does sell out. This is a family festival, and my friends kids absolutely loved it, and why wouldn't they...... face painting, and arts and crafts...and even a bouncy castle for them...and best of all this was all free. The site itself was clean and had plenty of space for the tents and to sit outside, but then we are talking about around 1500 people. And there was plenty of entertainment for adults and party goers too...from the 5 stages - with acoustic sounds from the Otters Pocket, chill out at the Lotus Flower,or hit the brilliant Dub tent which had some great Reggae, and Drum n Bass blasting out. When the sound systems shut down at midnight, you then get a chance to head to silent disco...where you can party til 3.30am...and potentially back to the lotus flower after that if you're hoping to catch the sunrise. The vibe was fun and friendly...and they have big ideas for the future so this is definitely one to watch. My only criticism would be that there were too many covers bands...but then this is a learning curve...and I have no doubt this will change in future years. A brilliant little festival, and well worth checking out.

THIS FESTIVAL IS AMAZING! i worked at green man last year, it was the best week of 2010 hands down…read more Green man started in 2009 so it was quite a small festival compared to the larger more commercial ones out there. Firstly the location! camping in a valley. You can't beat waking up in the morning, stepping out side your tent to be greeted by rolling welsh hills. Secondly, the wide variety of activities, not just music. My favourite tent in particular was the "comedy and literature' tent. Due to working at the festival, not only did i get a free ticket, but also had the privilege of staff showers and toilets. Meaning no queues, hot showers and reasonably clean toilets. Also received a very yummy free meal before each shift. The only downside was having to wake up for work at 6 in the morning. But it was so worth it. The band line up was full of new exciting musicians such as beirut, laura marling, tallest man on earth, mumford and sons, wild beasts and darwin deez. Then the classics such a the flaming lips. there's so much more to fit in but i just don't have time to recall it all!

For about 3 weeks a year, Bath centre is transformed into a winter wonderland. There are market…read morestalls from all over the world selling all kinds of homemade produce & craft items. There is a christmas buzz about the place & when it gets dark, the 'Christmas Village' comes alive with the twinkling lights and the carol singers / bands that perform on the main stage. You can wander the streets all day & ther are plenty of stalls that sell hot food & drinks. It is a fantastic day out & will really help you to get into the christmas spirit

Perfect way to get into Christmas!! Tad pricey but hey just enjoy yourself! Get some Mulled Wine or…read moreCider and a tasty bratwurst or a fresh mincepie and take in the atmosphere.

I literally can't wait for this years' Harbour Festival, I only managed to catch bits and pieces of…read moreit last year as I had only just moved to Bristol. This year, 2010, it'll be going down 30th July - 01st August, and do you want to know the best thing about it? It's freeeeeeeee! Amazingly, it's been going for 39 years, and while I wouldn't want to bore you with trivial statistics and facts, what it means is, this weekend has been running for enough years for them to have worked out what works and what doesn't! There will be not one, not two, not three, but eight, yes eight stages with a variety of music for all tastes. It's generally a great weekend, don't miss it!

This much-loved summer festival sees literally hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to Bristol…read morefor a weekend of eating, drinking and wishing we owned a boat. Many of my friends come down specifically for this weekend, usually around the end of July, beginning of August. All the boats in the harbour tart themselves up with bunting and the like and there are plenty of food stalls where you can buy everything from candy floss to wheels of cheese! There are plenty of market type stalls if shopping is your thing and all the bars and pubs around the waterfront are jam-packed with people making the most of drinks promotions and the outside seating. A fantastic weekend of entertainment, and it's all for free! Last year I spent it drinking cider and watching VV Brown play on the main stage in a packed Lloyds Amphitheatre and can't wait to do the same this year.

We came to Bath on a tour and enjoyed our time walking through the town. There was a long line out…read morethe door when we first walked by and were told about this place's history. Later on in the afternoon, I saw no line outside so ventured up and there was a short line inside for those wanting to dine-in. Since I just wanted to go down to the shop, I was able to walk right down. There is a small display down there and little souvenirs. The best part though is that you can order the buns to-go here and they bring them to you outside where you will be waiting after shopping in the shop. I got one of each flavor and waited about 10 minutes for the buns to arrive. It came in a fancy box, but no bag as you had to have purchased that back in the shop. Of the Lemon, Cinnamon, and chocolate, my favorite was Lemon. The curd was so thick and rich and the bun perfectly toasted. Highly recommend!!

A cute restaurant! However, the buns though pretty solid are massively overpriced…read more I got the Welsh Rarebit Special. It was tasty but not a lot of food for £14. I also got the dessert bun for £6.2 with marmalade. I think the buns work a lot better for sweet than they do savory. The line to enter was pretty long, but it moved quickly. Overall, I would say this is a fun tourist spot! But not so much for a nice meal

So, when I knew I was planning a trip to London, I knew I had to schedule a tour to this location…read more The Roman Baths are located in the city of Bath. A beautiful city with so many breathtaking views. The site is located in the middle of the city surrounded by stores, restaurants, and other must see locations. I highly recommend booking this tour because you can learn so much and will learn about the Roman history of the baths. There is a self-guided tour that you can go as you wish. There is so much to see and so much information along the walls. Make sure to bring comfortable shoes since the ground can get a bit uneven throughout the tour and make sure you see the beautiful baths throughout the tour. Such an impressive experience and if you are in London, I recommend taking a day trip or two to visit. You will be mesmerized and taken back in time.

We came here as part of a tour and are glad we did. I didn't know much about the Roman Baths…read morebeforehand, but now I do. It is set in the middle of a quaint town named Bath. We had pre-bought tickets for a specific entry time, but there were tickets available at the door as well. I wouldn't chance it though. The line was short to get in at our time and the audio guide is included as part of the admission price. made the tour interesting and the facts provided were the perfect amount of detail. There was a kid's version too which was great! We were there a little over an hour and at the end you can taste some of the bath water, which was disgusting!!

So I'm a big Jane Austen fan and was excited to visit the center but have to admit it was a tad bit…read moreunderwhelming. First, the house itself has nothing to do with Jane Austen as she lived up the street as well as across the street. There's actually very little authentic items that belonged to Jane in the museum. Of course, that doesn't mean it isn't fun - we did enjoy the dressing up area and it was fun to see the period, etc. The film was also enjoyable as you will learn some history of her family, etc. and we also enjoyed the movie memorabilia from Jane Austen movies. That said, I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

The Centre is very interesting. Staff dressed in costume were very friendly and helpful. The Tea…read moreRoom was beautifully set and and the choices of teas was outstanding.

Cropredy is a beautiful, tiny village near Banbury on the banks of the Cherwell. It is an old…read morevillage, dating from before the English civil war, and it looks it (in the quaint, lovely way, rather than the rundown way!) It has a thriving community, including a school, a church, pubs, a doctor's surgery, general store and other small business appropriate to an English village and a rather spiffing website (http://www.cropredyvillage.info/index.htm) . The website will tell you all about the history of the village (including the civil war battle fought here in 1644 and its mention in the Domesday Book), the age of the properties (from really quite old to not really very old at all), the amenities, and its location (the Cherwell valley, three miles north of Banbury and Junction 11 of the M40 Motorway). Do visit the website for loads of useful information. However, I'd like to give you my impressions. It is one of the friendliest places I have ever been. The local residents are of all ages, and welcome visitors with open arms (and, once a year, they get a rather large influx of visitors, but more on that in a minute). The church warden will gladly show visitors around, and discuss the new bells installed a couple of years ago. The residents will recount the age and history of their homes. There is a cricket club, which is quintessentially English. There are moorings on the river and canal for boats. This is a beautiful village, but you might well ask how I, an ex-pat American living in London has found herself there not once but three times. You might also wonder what I am talking about when I mention the annual influx of visitors. Each year, Cropredy plays host to Fairport Conventions annual...well....convention. This is a fabulous folk festival over a weekend in August. There are many, many things that make this different from other festivals - there is only one stage, for a start, the age range tends to be older, it's folk...but what makes this festival unique is that the village positively welcomes the up-to-30,000 visitors the village plays host to. The boy scouts are on litter duty. Local lads sell programmes. The pubs open for breakfast. The cricket club opens for showers. The residents mind the inconvenience (traffic, parking restrictions, smelly festival goers) not a whit. Fairport Convention allocate a ticket to each of the 750 residents to do with as they please. Everyone is happy. An idyllic English village indeed - and one well worth visiting even if you're not a folk music fan...

Really good festival for all the family, except for one thing. The cost. It's a total and utter rip…read moreoff. If it wasn't so expensive it would be amazing but I leave here every year feeling like I've been totally fleeced.

Really good for the family and often has a good line up. However, I don't recommend bringing 12…read moreyear olds. I myself went as a twelve year old and there is almost nothing to do. There is a really cool music thing for 13+, and most of the things to do are for up to about 11. Also, the festival is really expensive so look out for people selling them dirt cheap on gumtree because they can't make the dates. When you've finished the festival, there is many places to go for free around, such as durdle door. Lulworth cove is my personal favourite for bodyboarding. Finally, my last bit of advice is KNOW WHERE YOU TICKETS ARE AT LEAST 24 HOURS BEFORE LEAVING. Once, ,e and my mum were about to leave and couldn't find the tickets. We wasted a whole day of the fest trying to find them. Eventually, we realised I had accidentally scooped them up with other bits of paper and put them in a drawer. Please don't let that happen to you, and enjoy!