Don't do it - crap place.read more

We didn't know about The Model Village when we visited Bourton-on-the-Water, and it ended up being…read moreone of the most memorable parts about our recent visit. We both agreed we could have spent more time than we had here, because there really is SO MUCH to look at! The Model Village is, apparently, the only grade II listed model village in the country; it's a one-ninth scale of the actual village (...and, there's a model village WITHIN the model village, too) and features incredible craftsmanship. Every detail is so thoughtfully remembered and recreated: music playing from within the church, the five bridges, an actual running water feature, and all the many, different species of trees. The attention to detail (opening signs on windows, tiny animals in barns, little breads at the bakery) is incredible. Charming and well-maintained, this model village gave us a richer appreciation of Bourton-on-the-water itself!

I find the concept of making a model village of a village that includes its own model village to be…read moredarling. The craftsmanship is really nice, and there's a lot of attention to detail for the buildings. It was fun to walk around and admire all the different details, including the model of the model because the model IS a part of the town. This doesn't take too long to do, but on a nice day, it's a cheap price and a unique place to visit.

A very very special theatre. Children of all ages will love the shows.read more

Bulldog Bash 2009 - didn't manage to get in to see the event itself, but why should that minor…read moredetail stop a Qype review? Reason was that £55 entrance fee too steep - (OK, this would be a very fair price for a weekend of head banging - Motorhead thrown in for the ultimate bleeding eardrum experience - boozing and V twin harmonic earmashing, but the price is OTT for a quick nose around just to clock up some Qype points) - did give it a go to get in cheaper for a quick mooch but the tattoed (but friendly) gatekeepers not impressed - reckoned they wouldn't see me for the next 2 days. No good arguments worked - even offered to leave them with the Brompton as colateral - they just laughed and said it had no engine and was worth nothing - huh. So, make do with watching the biking cavalcade arriving - amazing - from all over Britain and Europe - all sorts of bikes and trikes - some weird, some menacing, some normal, some so shiny and pearlescent, should wear welders goggles to look at them direct on - a fantastic sight and sound - don't need to be a biker to appreciate all that. A perfect location too - middle of nowhere - an old airfield - even sounds like squadrans of B52 bombers coming in to land. Downside - a lot of fuss made by the local fuzz - even stopping pedal cyclists from following legitimate National Sustrans cycle paths for no clear reason other than seemingly to show their authority. Speaking to the locals round Stratford, general comments were that police appear to be out of touch with the community that supports them. How to get to the Bash? Bike it, obviously. Or, if at all worried by your carbon footprint (tyreprint?) then a return train from Birmingham Moor Street is around £8.50 - a great price for a direct journey to Stratford, just about 1 every hour, on the half hour - take a bike (bicycle, not your Harley Chopper, silly) on for nothing with plenty of room in the special carriages - or hire a bike in Stratford for the day. Cruise around the town on pedal power, head down to the river front, have an early breakfast or perhaps make a massive decision to choose whether to have a Costa or a Nero Americano with hot milk - tough one - maybe take it down to the barge front and sit watching the people, ducks and swans in the early morning sunshine before the crowds arrive - nice. Follow the river bank on the theatre side where it's possible, towards the hauntingly beautiful riverside graveyard of the Holy Trinity Church, to best appreciate the georgeous tree lined river views. Then back round to the 'Stratford Greenway' ( http://www.sustrans.org.uk/sustrans-near-you/midlands/easy-rides-in-the-midlands/stratford-greenway ). This was a railtrack and is now a perfect, easy cycle highway into the countryside south of Stratford - wonderful country and river views and meeting lots of friendly walking and cycling folk, just like you and me of course. There are even 2 railway carriage cafes along the route to provide essential refreshments and bike hire if required ( http://www.stratfordbikehire.com/index.php?id=50 ). And, what do you know - this path takes you directly towards Long Marston airfield and the Bash, where the story started. Not very far - gentle, flat, cycle ride - just do note that due to possible obstructive policing, you might be forced to take a more dangerous road detour to reach the entrance to the airfield. Retrace steps (pedal backwards maybe) to get back to Stratford or shoot along the heavily trafficked B4632 (quicker but probably not recommended on bicycle http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&rlz=1C1CHMB_en-GB... (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&rlz=1C1CHMB_en-GBGB335GB339&ei=Wrh8SvCSLoeG-Qa7_qg5&resnum=0&q=long%20marston&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl) ). Fantastic day out - highly recommeded. Hope this is useful.

Yes! I love planetariums! The night sky is a damn beautiful thing, and planetariums are a great…read moreplace to learn a little more. Pay £1.50 for the privilege for adults, I'm not sure how much for children, sorry, and queue up on the third floor. The seats are comfy, filling from the middle where the best view is. The show isn't too long, and gives you an idea of the night sky on the night that you watch the show, visible planets, constellations and where to look for them, with the zodiacs marked in red. The voice is clear, but there are a couple of stumbles that they were too lazy to re-record, come on, think tank! There's also a nice section on the ISS with Tim peak too. Two things: One, there are a couple of dizzy bits, not too bad, but something to think about if you suffer badly. Two, please, for everyone's sake, control your kids, it's not fair if they're kicking off, running around and talking, and you will get ejected for it.

Many of us I'm sure remember visits to the Planetariums of yester-year where a big ball of light in…read morethe centre shone a pattern of stars above and all around. Well things have certainly moved on, as my recent visits to the Thinktank Planetarium or, 'Fulldome' (to use the up-to-date name) have confirmed. The old star-ball that I remember being in the middle of Planetarium domes has disappeared and been replaced with state-of-the-art digital projectors and computers. So instead of sitting and watching a fixed pattern of stars in the night sky I held onto my seat as I orbited the moon, flew past constellations, across entire galaxies and was still back home for tea time! Gone seem to be the days when all you would see at a Planetarium were Astronomy and Space films, as a quick visit to the Thinktank's Planetarium web site told me. I found the best place to check out all the latest events was the Thinktank Planetarium's own Facebook page. With interesting and buzzing contributions from over 3,000 followers I found it well worth visiting and re-visiting. When night time comes the Thinktank Planetarium are throwing open their doors open to put on shows featuring a new breed of Fulldome films now being made by creative people locally and world-wide. I have now been to a couple of these night time shows and can say without a doubt they are something special. The hosts are likeable and enthusiastic with a passion for what they are doing and this really adds to the experience. In the interval we had a drink in the IMAX, 'I-Bar'. The Millennium point complex also houses a full-on giant screen IMAX cinema which made me think of combining a visit to the Planetarium Fulldome with an IMAX visit to see the latest 3D blockbuster like Pirates 4! The experience of watching these new films I found quite difficult to explain to my freinds. Whether it's the music of Pink Floyd set to amazing visuals or any of the other prize-winning Fulldome films now being shown, I was transported somewhere new and exiting. The experience can be very immersive and that's why after my first visit to a Thinktank Fulldome show I never quite viewed a normal cinema film screening in the same way - not even the IMAX! As Morpheus said to Neo in the Martix, " No one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself" The same can be said about the Thinktank Planetarium Fulldome. So why not, "Take the red pill" and give it a try, you won't be disappointed!

What an amazing place! We happened to see this museum as we…read morewere walking by and were intrigued by their moving signage. Inside there are plenty of machines that whir and perform small tasks or even make music. Lots of interactive things to see and do, buttons to push, pedals to press, even a magnetic marble track you can build yourself! It's a treat for young and old and definitely worth the small entry fee.

The opening hours are stated for October to March. Opening hours from April to September are a…read morelittle longer (10:30 to 18:30 daily). A friend recommended this place to me thinking that my boys would like it. My friend was right! We did all enjoy the interactive displays. The extent of the interactivity is mainly pressing a button though but it's still good. There is an interesting range of mechanical art and my boys and I were fascinated by the mechanisms. It is quite a small place. It cost £19 for the four of us (2 adults and 2 children) which isn't too bad but, considering we spent less than an hour in there and saw everything, it does seem a little expensive. There are two floors. One very small room on each floor displaying different pieces of art. It can get rather crowded due to the small size, especially downstairs where the entrance/exit is the same. In the same small area, there is a counter where there is a single member of staff who both admits people and serves the gift shop. The gift shop is basically a small portion of the wall within the ground floor of the museum. Many items are over-priced and the selection is very limited. We did enjoy ourselves there and would recommend it but it could get claustrophobic and the upstairs can be noisy (although it does state this on the signage).

This is a gorgeous little cafe and gallery, that did was so accommodating of our group of 10, which…read moreincluded 6 children. Although we only had hot drinks, it was the level of service that stood out. Most of the kids had hot chocolate, and without any promoting they provided a jug of cold milk to cool down the drinks. Touches like this really are the sign of customer friendly establishments. We'd unfortunately already had a sandwich lunch as all the food looked extremely tasty, with the ingredients sourced locally where possible, and the hot drinks were fairtrade which always gets a gold star from me. A highly recommended cafe!

Shugborough is a charming estate with a lively house. We came here often in my childhood, and it…read morehas been well kept the grounds house events such as classic car shows and charming sculpture walks. The courtyard host coffee shops and ice cream, and I live the bridges. The passing bridge is still a favourite for pooh sticks even though I'm a fully grown woman. Nice place, great for a picnic too. PS, its a cracking place to collect conkers!

Shugborough Hall is a National Trust Property located in Stafford. The location and the Christmas…read moremarket event they were holding on the weekend made it the perfect place for the annual Jewellery Quarter residents trip (yes, I am of an age that I go on Coach trips). I have vague memories of maybe visiting this place in the depths of time gone by, although with most National Trust properties - they are much of a muchness. Once you've seen one stately home you kinda get the gist. As you would expect, it's pretty impressive. The driveway must be nearly a mile long to get to the property (and is a little dicey, so be prepared to close your eyes if you're an insecure passenger) and the place is surrounded by rolling green fields. I would imagine in the summer you might see deer (or at least cattle) strolling around as you approach the house. The house itself is pretty magnificent. Some of it's buildings are constructed in what I imagine to be sandstone and the main building is bright white and looks very well kept. There is plenty of parking to be had on site and as well as the house there are gorgeous gardens, a tea room a gift shop and all of the facilities you would expect from a National Trust property. The Christmas event is wonderful. As well as numerous market stalls under cover at the front of the building with lots of craft and local produce, there was live music and food being served all through the day. Once we had gotten in to the market, we grabbed a hot food and a warm drink and began to plan our day. The market had a great selection of gifts to be had! Everything from handmade toys, jewellery, clothing and food was on offer for very reasonable prices. We picked up some great presents (and a little something for me, of course) and had a really nice time chatting to the stall holders who explained how everything was made and where ingredients etc were sourced from. The inside of Shugborough had been specially with a "Christmas by candlelight" theme. Only the downstairs was open (apparently the upstairs is open normally) and all of the rooms were decorated with gorgeous bouquets of flowers, candles and decked out with Christmas trinkets. The staff were also wearing the clothing of the era and were on hand to answer any questions about the house, the history or anything in the rooms. Entrance for an adult to get into both the hall and the market was £8 in advance. I felt this was a fair price to have a look around the house, the gardens and the markets. Obviously a lot of effort goes into making everything look just right for the occasion and it felt very festive. I would recommend a visit to Shugborough during the Christmas event or at any point in the year if you're a fan of stately homes. The gardens must look magnificent in the Summer when everything is in bloom, but even in winter we had a lovely wander around admiring them. I would recommend the hall as a nice afternoon out for the family.

Opening night of "Measure for Measure" was ultimately a success. Warning, they have chosen to…read morealienate more than half of Americans with their opening video montage and insinuations. I almost walked out before the play started. However, I wanted to give the actors a chance to overcome the distasteful display of hate and assumptions. When they have Prince Andrew and Mendelson to target, they target the President of the United States. Not every play goer is hateful and against Our President. That said, there are the typical opening night issues. Long pauses that indicated lines were forgotten or missed. The sound was also a bit off. About who showed anger or severe emotional pain by screaming, were hard to understand and sounds muffled and lost. Either the actors were not annunciating or the sound was too high on they're mics. There seemed to be a few missed cues, as well. So if that said, this okay was fantastic and the kinks will be worked out in time. I wasn't sure about the minimalistic staging and lack of scenery, but I couldn't have been more impressed with the way the actors worked the bare stage making my imagination take over and seeing an entirely different experience in my mind. The acting was superb! Luccio came in a little rough, but he really stole the show by the end of the post. Well done! I would recommend the theater, as it is a bucket list for many thespians and okay goers! What an incredible production. Unfortunately, I allowed the RSC website to pick my seats. I ended up in a straight high back chair where my legs dangled and I couldn't see the entire state and videos in the background. It probably helped me be distracted by the disrespect they were insinuating. I would never buy tickets with these seats again. Almost intolerable, so the acting and entire production overshadowed what I didn't care for. Next time, if I'm lucky enough to be back in Stratford Upon Avon, I would return. Tolerance and giving things a chance worked out for me. I also live Shakespeare and am a thespian at heart.

Several levels of seating. Upper seating has railing in front which obstructs view. Need to lean…read moreforward for clear view. The two performances I have been to have been entertaining. Most of cast do a good job. Ushers helpful. Need to open bags for security check. Recommend online ticket purchase.

A new Metal Festival in the Midlands you say? And only £38 for a ticket for 3 days including…read morecamping? Plus the aural delights of Morgue Orgy,Flayed Disciple,Kremated,Anihilated,Shrapnel and 15 others? Sign me up my good man!! So only 2 weeks after Bloodstock we found ourselves driving south again to get our Thrash on. Beermageddon is held at the Stoke Prior Sports and Country Club (Posher than it sounds) in the village of er,Stoke Prior,just outside Bromsgrove in the W Midlands. It's only a small Festival mainly catering for the smaller or unsigned Metal bands,which is great for me as i'm a bit of a champion of the smaller acts. The Fest only holds a few hundred people,which makes it seem more like a 3 day party with friends than a Festival,which is great. The bands played inside the venue and we all camped on the playing fields just outside,we were camped and parked (yes you can park next to your tent) less than 100 yards from the club,meaning a very short stagger to and fro,which is always handy. The calibre of bands on offer this year were top notch as far as my tastes go (they were all from the more extreme end of the Metal spectrum) and the attendees were all awesome,some really good friends were made and contacts gathered,and because pretty much all the bands were small they were all camping too and not an ego in sight!! Jim Beerman,the organiser ,knows how to put on a Festival,and you can be pretty damn sure that we will be back to get battered,bruised,baked and blasted next year.....\,,/.....