As a keen cyclist I have been familiar with lifecycles for many years, primarily due to its…read morereputation as an excellent place to have your bicycle repaired. I recently had a problem with my bike gears and so brought it down to the lifecycles workshop to have it looked at professionally. Now on first name terms with the guys working there, I always receive fantastic service from the friendly and knowledgeable workers and have to say I'm usually very happy with the work they do. My most recent problem I had with my bike was fixed within 2 days and this for me was very pleasing. They replaced a part on the bike but explained why they had to, what was causing the problem in the first place and how to prevent it in the future. Money well spent!

This place is tucked in the alleyway in Lawrence street, so you may need help with directions on…read moreyour first visit. However, when you get there you can be confident your bike is in good hands. Austin is the guy who runs the shop and I don't think there is anything he doesn't know about bike maintenance. In addition to this, he's pretty cheap compared to other similar bike repair services in Belfast. I'd advise leaving enough time for any work though- since it's a small business it can probably get busy so rush jobs may not be possible. Still, very happy I have this place so close!

St. Patrick's Isle is a small, round tidal island on another bigger island ... the Isle of Man…read more Located in the town of Peel on IOM's western coast, people may be distracted from all other amenities because of its biggest feature on SPI: Peel Castle. One of the Isle of Man's must-see castles (along with Castle Rushen) is Peel Castle, on St. Patrick's Isle. It's a beautiful set of castle fortress ruins, dating back to the 10th (!) Century, that is located on an enormous, grassy hill. It's a must-see, and provides several beautiful hours of exploration and photo ops (see my specific Peel Castle and Town of Peel reviews if you want to know more). And now to those other great amenities, starting with Fenella Beach, a small sheltered cove that overlooks the castle and the beginnings of the northern Atlantic Ocean. While waaaaay cooler than the waters of, say, the Caribbean Sea, it's BEAUTIFUL. So bring your wetsuit and kayak (or rent one in the area) and float on the cold, clear waters. It's a great place to hang and take in the beauty. While there, I highly recommend walking up the trail to a) get a great view b) see what I consider to be the best statue on the Isle of Man: Fenella. Recently erected (2011) and carved from a single piece of an Ash tree, the 7-tall figure of Fenella overlooks the beach. For those unaware of Sir Walter Scott's 1823 novel "Peveril of the Peak,"--which takes place mainly on the Isle of Man and Peel Castle--Fenella is spy and the daughter of another main character, Edward Christian. It's a great statue from a great book. St Patrick's is a great Isle ... in a great town ... on the great Isle of Man. I can't wait to go back!

Brrrrrm, brmmmmm, brmmmmmm - that's the sound of the TT grandstand for 2 weeks every end of…read moreMay/start of June (and for the Manx Grand Prix every August http://www.manxgrandprix.org/ ). This is a permanent structure so it's always there but apart from the odd special event it's mainly only in use for these weeks. What you do get for TT though is a number of giant seating stands (book well in advance on the TT website http://www.iomtt.com/ ), loads of free viewing options on the walls, the pits, the TT timings and scoreboard, the winners enclosure and the 'champagne spraying area' for the top 3 riders. Around the back is the paddock where you can go around all the top teams and riders and see them getting prepped for the race, plus there's a chance to se new bikes, engineers, buy merchandise, peruse general motorbike stuff and join in on simulator rides so as you can actually see what the riders also go through while flying down the road at 200 mph (well a slight taste of what they do...) There's loads of pop up food and drinks trucks and a chance to mingle and chat with loads of bikers from all over the world - the atmosphere is great and highly recommend!

Having grown up with amazing Australian beaches on my doorstep, I often long for a deserted sandy…read morebeach to escape to, to indulge my sand and surf addiction. Howth doesn't cut it, nor Dun Laoghaire, and Bray doesn't have the answer either. For me, the only Dublin beach that even goes halfway towards holding the answers to all of life's problems is Malahide. If you're lucky enough (go on a weekday!) you might even get the entire beach to yourself. There's nothing more enthralling than being alone with a vast expanse of beach infront of you, and being free to skip, dance, sing or scream, whatever floats your boat at the time. Malahide Beach is also good for a sit down. It offers a lovely vista out to Lambay Island, Howth and Island's Eye (depending on how far you walk, that is..) Also look on the ground.. there are some lovely shells for the finding if you look hard enough. From Malahide Beach you can take the coastal walk all the way to Portmarnock (but beware, it's 5km away so is no stroll through the park.) Malahide is definitely my pick of Dublin beaches.

I love this beach on my doorstep. The views are amazing across to other beaches such as Donabate…read more It's s short beach but links to portmarnock beach by footpath which is a great length for walking and running in the evening...... 5km each way. Unfortunately no swimming on malahide beach due to dangerous tides.

This knocks the socks off Botanic Gardens any day. It's massive, wilder, nowhere near as crowded…read moreand just lovely. I used to take my spaniel Tiko here every day and he loved it - OK, dogs love anywhere they can run about, but he really did share my love of this park, as there's loads of undergrowth he could and did snuffle into and lots of space to run around. (And if the poor girl whose lunchtime Subway sandwich he scarfed is reading this, I can only apologise yet again.) I haven't been back to Ormeau Park since he died, because, well, I just don't want to at the mo, but some of my happiest memories of him are at this park and it''s probably my favourite outdoor spot in all of Belfast. I love walking past the house in the middle of it and dreaming someday of living there. I'd even give up my Melbourne yearning for that... This is a stellar spot for walking, cycling or skating, and I even saw a mini orchestra happily playing near the bandstand once as well. There are bowling greens, a basketball/netball court and tennis courts, at which I would marvel at healthy types playing vigorously there at 10am on a Sunday, as Tiko and I lurched past. (And if the poor guy whose tennis ball he neatly nipped in and stole is reading this, I can only apologise yet again.) A beautiful park that's a bit bittersweet for me at the moment, but hopefully will become a regular chilling out place for me again. Perfect.

Ormeau Park, the underrated green space of Belfast. I love this place its a little emerald in the…read moregrey concrete of the city. Well cultivated and kept with its grandiose gates and lots of little walks and trails, great for a little peace of mind walk or a wee day out for kids at the pretty awesome play park. My only negative is that I think there could be more done here events wise. It always seems botanic has the monopoly on those. Maybe a winter wonderland like they do at Hyde Park in London and a few Summer events to make use of the bandstand and nice open spaces.

The TT paddock has excellent amenities for a race paddock especially in a sport where men tend to…read moredominate and women get one shower (take note, Donington!) to share. Hurrah for minimal queues and hot showers! Thanks to the lady who kept the cleanliness levels up there despite vandals breaking in nightly and wrecking the place. There is always someone who has to spoil the fun.

DG One is the new leisure complex in Dumfries. They invested millions in this project and it shows…read more Whilst not quite up to the standard of a private leisure complex, it is far better than any other council facility i've visited. There are 3 pools - including a competition sized pool, a pool where the floor lowers for different classes and a kiddie fun pool. There are also flumes and I think some fancy wave machines. I haven't used the pool so can't give you much more than that, but it looks good and has a great viewing area. The complex also has a gym, dance studio, conference rooms, games halls, cafe, bar and steam room/sauna/jacuzzi area. The gym is fantastic and extremely well equipped. There are all the usual cardio machines and plenty of each to limit having to wait. There are also a huge amount of weight machines which look top spec to me. There is a free weights area too. The gym is clean, well laid out and impressive. There are flat screen tvs dotted about but each cardio machine also has it's on screen where you can watch tv, listen to radio or pull up different stats. Plus, there is a system in place where you can log in to the machines and they will record your workout. There is also little touchscreens on the wall where you can log in and book classes or send messages to a trainer. I think this is awesome for a council gym - especially when you consider the all singing all dancing membership is only £35 a month! DG One also runs a number of classes, of which I have been to Step and Aerobics. The studios are in great condition and are well equipped with an excellent air conditioning system to keep you cool. The instructors are a mixed bunch - i've had good and bad. But, I think this is typical of the council (sorry to say). I have not used the games halls but they look great. These rooms also have retractable seating and are used for concerts and events. Again, I have not visited these but have heard good reports. I have used the meeting rooms at DG One and they are really professional. They have smart boards, good quality seating and can offer catering of tea, coffee biscuits etc. This makes for a good facility but again, the staff can let it down. The guys that set up the rooms and those that book them are great. However, I was disappointed with the catering which was late and disrupted the meeting. The sauna/steam room/Jacuzzi area is also impressive for a council building. Bizarrely this is situated on a different floor to the pool so you can't go from one to the other. This suits me as I don't swim but must be really annoying for those that want to use both. I have been told this is to stop kids getting in and I can see the point. However, it must be so frustrating to go for a swim and have to get dressed to go upstairs only to get undressed again for a sauna etc! I haven't visited the cafe or bar. I have heard good reports on the cafe but have never seen anyone in the bar. Overall, DG One is a fantastic looking complex with great facilities and all reasonably priced. So why a low rating, well. DG One was severely delayed in opening and when it did there were mega problems. So many parts of the complex have been broken, closed, had accidents reported that it has become a bit embarrassing. Only recently, a sign fell on a child's head! Now, I understand any new building will have teething problems but these have been badly dealt with, terribly communicated and often avoidable. As a member, I have never been told of the problems and received no apology. Only when I arrive do I see out of order signs. In addition, the levels of cleanliness at times can be atrocious. I have stopped using the sauna/steam room area after visiting 4 nights in a row and seeing the same mucky marks on the floor. It clearly wasn't even getting a basic clean down! The staff are also a mixed bunch. While those in the gym have always been great to me. Some of the receptionists have no customer service skills and by what i've seen, the cleaners can't be very good. This is typical of a council facility and it is really frustrating. DG One could be fantastic if the staff and the organisation just took a bit of pride in the building and showed it some respect. Unfortunately, I don't think this will happen and I hate to be cynical but I bet it will be in tatters in no time through sheer neglect.

Dumfries has needed something like this for a long time. The swimming pool is sooo much better than…read morewhat we used to have, but could've been better. The competion pool (main pool) could really have done with being much larger, at least 50%. On Saturday mornings the place is crammed. On weekday mornings there is, at the moment, a large area set aside for schools, which is great for them but not for those of us wishing to swim in a straight line without bumping into other swimmers. There have been many teething problems, part of the changing areas have been cordoned off for whatever reason but on the whole its great, especially after what we'd been used to

To start off my review, I feel I should really praise the location, which just a few minutes from…read moreForestside and only 8 minutes from the city centre, which is a good start! We went here as part of a party recently and was a really good experience! I have been karting a few times and the track here is really good, with long, high speed corners and hairpins and tunnels to challenge any driver! This place can be enjoyed by all ages, as when we were there were people ranging from under ten to over 50 getting stuck into some karting fun! It is also equipped with a large function room so it may be suitable for corporate outings or team building nights out. £15 for 15mins There are a wide range of options o race including arrive and drive, "Adrenaline Rush" which is around £30 for a qualifier then a race, Grand Prix which has a more professional structure and Team endurance! The staff were friendly and all too willing to help, and were well organised in getting us out on track swiftly, which was appreciated greatly!

Enjoyable experience no doubt - physically demanding on a very intricate course -whether you…read morechoose a Grand Prix style race or a team race. There is even medals and a rostrum for the top 3 - highly recommended

My boyfriend and I went here with the intention of doing just the Detained room but ended up doing…read moreanother 3 rooms (Witchcraft and Wizardry, Area 51 and Houdini's Workshop). The rooms are excellently designed and very fun to navigate. Many laughs and brain scratching moments were had. The staff are excellent, very friendly and up for a laugh. Over all it was a top quality experience and a brilliant day out. Thank you very much guys!

Nice wee spot with very friendly staff…read more The bar and the restaurant are separate business and I love going there for a drink but do not recommend it to eat. Nice in the summer when you can watch the matches being played. Some evenings they also have a live band, quiz or dj on .. Check fb to see when these are!

Very friendly staff and welcoming atmosphere. Everyone welcome families, friends and private…read morefunctions. The bar and restaurant are separate businesses but highly recommend the bar and not r really fussed on the restaurant tho..