UK Tourist Attractions

Has Britain Got Talent or has Britain just gone bonkers? The first series of this outrageous talent show began in June 2007 and little did we know the talent (or in some cases, the lack of) that this country had to offer. Not content with taking over the music world, entertainment mogul Simon Cowell created this show to give ordinary people, like you and me, an opportunity to perform at the Royal Variety Performance. As if that wasn't enough, the eventual winner will also receive a £100,000 entertainment and performance contract.

Britain's Got Talent is presented by the beloved Ant and Dec and allows member's of British public to perform live in front of a 3,000 strong studio audience. You will find comedians, dancers, singers and a whole host of variety acts to keep you entertained on a Saturday evening. The show has a panel of judges which include media personality, Piers Morgan and the beautiful Amanda Holden. Of course BGT, as it has become affectionately known, is fronted by Simon.

The audition stage of the show is pre-recorded as the judges travel around all the major cities in the UK. Not only do the acts have to perform in front of the judges and the audience, their fate is decided by a series of buzzers! Sorry guys and girls, if the judges don't like you - you will get buzzed out. However, if you are one the lucky ones to get the whole way through your audition you still need 2 of the 3 judges to vote you through to the next round. As we all know, Simon can be extremely grumpy, although a screaming and delirious audience has been known to sway the judges final decision.

BGT has produced some very memorable performances and few of us will ever forget the Scottish spinster who waddled onto the stage in the Spring of 2009. Simon Cowell's talent shows have a habit of producing tone-deaf, over-confident and extremely "untalented" individuals. As the 47 year old Susan Boyle entered the stage, you could feel the 3,000+ members of the audience, the judges and the 10 million people watching at home, all take a deep breath in. We all assumed that this was yet another wannabe who had no talent whatsoever. Susan then opened her mouth and began to sing the Elaine Page classic from Les Miserables, I Dreamed A Dream, and from that moment her life changed forever!

We were all hopelessly wrong. Susan produced one of the most memorable and spell-binding performances ever seen on a British, or worldwide, stage. She was, to put it mildly, sensational! However, for all her efforts and media coverage, Susan ended the show as runner up to the fantastic dance group - Diversity. This followed on from the outstanding dancers the previous year's show produced. The winner was street dancer George Sampson and deserving runners up, the Michael Jackson tribute dance act - Signature.

The first Britain's Got Talent show from 2007 was eventually won by opera singer Paul Potts and the show has continued to produce many outstanding singers. Andrew Johnston, Faryl Smith, Hollie Steel and 12 year old Shaheen Jafargholi, who had the honour of performing at Michael Jackson's funeral. Let's face facts, Saturday nights are just not the same without our weekly dose of Britain's Got Talent!

Group travel is not for everyone. We all know how difficult it is to travel with others, even when others are our best friends. However, for some, group travel offers a great opportunity to share the joys and frustrations that naturally come with world travel. If your group number is small and are travelling by car, the driving responsibility can be shared, especially if it is a long journey, so that driving won't become tiresome and spoil the very purpose of a vacation.

Hotels define groups by the number of rooms in a reservation. The minimum size group booking is between 5 and 10 rooms. Most hotels welcome group business, and depending on the size of group a variety of upgrades or amenities may be available to travelers. This often includes complimentary room nights, discounted group rates, and other group travel incentives. It is beneficial for group travelers to use an experienced group travel professional because he or she knows how to get upgrades, extras, freebies and special services for a group.

Aside from emergency care and evacuation, having a group insurance plan can provide for the other needs of your group. When you are overseas and need embassy services or an interpreter, some plans can make accommodations. Emergency assistance services like emergency cash transfers, legal referrals or medical referrals can all be a part of your travel insurance plan. There is also the possibility of someone in the group losing their eye glasses or prescription medications.

With the economy in the flux it currently is, are there ways to find inexpensive group traveling destinations that all can agree upon? There are some individuals within your group that may not be able to adjust their vacation budgets due to the cost of a place to stay providing the kind of amenities they feel are necessary to go away, so finding an inexpensive group traveling vacation destination does present some road blocks when you're planning it all out.

Traveling in a group is extremely cost effective. Most often the desire to explore ideal vacation spots, simmers in all of us. But the biggest impediment that abstains us from materializing our dreams is money. Traveling alone to globally acclaimed tourist spots such as Las Vegas, the Caribbean, the Grand Canyon etc. is immensely expensive. Huge expenditure is incurred in traveling, accommodation, and food and in getting around the place. However by way of traveling in a group all these expenses are shared and so drastically reduced.

Another benefit of flying aboard a private charter is that all the luggage will travel with the group and arrive with the group. This means no one will have lost luggage. Losing luggage while traveling is a serious inconvenience for anyone. But for business travelers or sports teams the accompanying luggage may be mission critical, so the passengers cannot afford to have any baggage missing. Flying aboard a private aircraft is the only way to ensure everyone and everything they bring will arrive at the destination at the same time.

You may be able to take one of these directly or adapt it to meet your needs. You can also do research in to destinations on the web by using web sites such as 'Trip Adviser' or 'In Europe' to help get some ideas. If you are traveling in Britain then use visit britain. This is a great web site with lots of useful information. As well as destination and itineraries you will need to think about approximate date of travel, likely numbers, accommodation type, and extra excursions that you might want to do

There are discounted travel savings for United Kingdom room rates that will save you as much as 70%, and place you in some of the best of cities that are located throughout the United Kingdom. They are offered by discounted travel agency sites that beckon you to save by any type of communication means possible. These discounted travel sites will make doing business with them so easy, because each of the websites has the capability of letting you see their various discounted travel offers in the language and currency that is right for you. That makes taking advantage of discounted travel savings for United Kingdom travel really easy.

There are so many travel options available that are true discounted travel savings for United Kingdom travelers. These discounted travel agencies will allow you to view all of the cities in Europe, and those that are in Great Britain will certainly be the best of the best discounted travel savings for United Kingdom that you will ever find. To truly appreciate the discounted travel savings for United Kingdom travel, you can take the opportunity to use the convenient travel guides that are posted for England, Scotland, Ireland and Europe. When you see the marvelous tips and reviews in these handy destination guides, you will certainly know that you are reaping excellent discounted travel savings for United Kingdom tours, lodging, and airfare.

There is even a UK Travel Guide, and a list of worldwide cities, that you can use to compare the discounted travel savings for United Kingdom bargains against those being offered in the rest of the world. This is something that is not normally available unless you have a great relationship with your travel agent. Then you know you will be making the wise choice to book your travel with these discounted travel agencies, because they are not afraid of what the comparison results will show. They know they offer the lowest prices on air, train, lodging and dining attractions for Great Britain and they relish the opportunity to be challenged.

There are so many nice combinations you can use to enjoy discounted travel savings for United Kingdom visits. These discounted travel agencies urge you to book your airfare, hotel accommodations and rental car needs together to save marvelous amounts of money on things you truly need to travel to and throughout Great Britain. These friendly travel agencies are nice enough to allow you to only combine what you need, and if you only need a flight and a hotel room or a hotel and a car, they are willing to work with you to meet your discounted price travel needs. 

They want you to keep coming back, so they can continue to offer you the best discounted travel savings for United Kingdom fun. Whenever you need discounted travel savings for United Kingdom travel, simply remember that these friendly discounted travel agencies are waiting to serve you in your needs to travel to England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The opportunities to visit Edinburgh Castle and The Highlands of Scotland are only a discounted phone call away.

Great Britain or the UK has always had some great seaside resorts and despite the unpredictable weather you can have some really enjoyable breaks along the British coast. Recently the Which holiday magazine conducted a poll amongst it's readers who voted for their top seaside town. Here are the top 5 results in reverse order what do you think?

1. Scarborough

On the North Yorkshire coast Scarborough came fifth but is still my favourite resort. The average summer temperature is 19°C so quite warm. I've been really lucky and whenever I've gone there it's been blazing hot during the day and lively at night! I've sunbathed there, shopped, been fishing, camped at the motorbike road races, stayed in a top hotel, holiday cottage, caravan and boarding house and loved every minute of every visit. Founded by a viking raider, Scarborough has it's own ruined castle, retains some of it's fishing industry and even has it's own annual beach rock and pop festival, a great place to visit.

2. Bournemouth

It's quite a long time since I've been to Bournemouth which is in Dorset on the South Coast of England. My memories are of lots of sand and riding donkeys, but I was a child then. Apart from the normal seaside entertainment Bournemouth now hosts a 4 day flying festival in the summer.  There you might see wing walkers, displays from such as the red devils and memorial flights from Lancasters, Hurricanes and Spitfires, plus flights from modern day aircraft.

3. Whitby

Another resort from the North Yorkshire coast, we in Yorkshire are doing well to have 2 of the most popular seaside towns nearby. The fishing port of Whitby is famous for featuring in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula and even has a Dracula museum for tourists to visit. Every year in August for 3 days is the Whitby Regatta which started out as a rowing competition and has now grown to in clude a fair on the pier, military displays, police demonstration and fireworks. Bi-annually Whitby hosts a gothic weekend especially for goths.

4. Brighton

On the South Coast Brighton attracts 80 million tourists every year and is a great favourite of Londoners in need of a short break or day out.  The resort became popular in the late 18th century when the Prince Regent to a liking to the place and built the Royal Pavillion. Considered to be one of the UK's top places for nightlife Brighton also hosts the second largest arts festival in the UK every May and the Brighton Festival Fringe.

5. Blackpool

On the North West coast the Lancashire town Blackpool is the winner of the most popular seaside resort in Britain. Bold and brash Blackpool became popular as a tourist resort during the 19th century for northern mill and factory workers and is still popular for residents of the north and Scotland. Walk along the golden mile with or without your kiss me quick hat on, see the shows on the piers, go ballroom dancing in the Tower Lounge, have fun at the Pleasure Beach, check out the illuminations. There is something for everybody at Blackpool and for me it's always been an enjoyable time. Whether it's been for a week or a day, when I'm on my way there and see the tower in the skyline I get a feeling of anticipation knowing that I'm going to have some fun.

There we have it, the top 5 seaside resorts here in the UK. Although numbers declined with the onset of cheap foreign travel these places still get busy in the summer. They aren't the only resorts in this country, there are many others all with a different personality and all waiting to welcome you on a visit.

Who would have thought there are only twenty years, when they denounced a project that would betray their specific island and disregard their cultural heritage, they would come to regret that link fixed the close of the continent.

Yet the moral to be drawn from the misfortune of thousands of passengers (including some Britons) victims of the failure of Eurostar, rendered incapable of linking London to Paris and Brussels because of the effects of winter weather on electric motors. It is true that the tunnel used by the express train shook the links between the UK and the rest of Europe, starting with France and Belgium but also all other countries through the continuity of the various networks Railway ...

The end of the island

The proposed fixed link had yet started badly. The former were many who understood that "docking" of the Kingdom to the European continent were a vague metaphor. Nostalgic for a conquering England, the mistress of the seas and oceans, fiercely jealous of its splendid isolation, had already had the opportunity to defeat the previous projects. The most advanced, launched in 1957 for work undertaken in 1973, had been abandoned since 1975. Also, when Francois Mitterrand and Margaret Thatcher, agreed to launch a new tender in 1984, lobbies against any fixed link could be heard again. Rabies, they said, would re-appear! But although Margaret Thatcher did not put all the goodwill desirable, denying that public money was put to work ("Not a penny, she imposed), the Eurotunnel project was still retained.

Learning Europe

Faced with other futuristic projects (a suspension bridge for motor traffic and a railway tunnel, a series of bridges and tunnels between artificial islands, tunnels alternately road and rail), the Eurotunnel project was deemed the most realistic , implementing proven techniques. But to finance the adventure was complete because we had never seen a site as pharaonic infrastructure financed with private funds, without public funding. The rest is history: the imagined assembly led to a financial fiasco for small shareholders, and cost originally proposed 46 billion francs (about 7 billion euros) skidded to over 100 billion (15 billion euros ).

Nevertheless, the project launched in 1987 led seven years later. After the inauguration by Queen Elizabeth II and President Mitterrand May 6, 1994, Eurostar was on its maiden voyage with great fanfare on November 14 next, while Eurotunnel shuttles, the concession company, were beginning their return to transport heavy goods vehicles and passenger vehicles. Then the United Kingdom uncovered, sometimes in spite of himself, more European than it had expected

British trade more oriented towards the Continent
In fact, the entry into operation of the tunnel accompanied the economic transformation of the country, including its foreign trade. Even in the years 1970 to 1980, most trade was done with his old "Dominions", British colonies with which Great Britain kept close trade relations even after independence. The United States also maintained historic trade links with Great Britain, who looked so continental Europe far enough. But the emancipation of its former colonies forced the UK to find new markets and new suppliers, so that trains and shuttle buses that traversed the Channel Tunnel came timely complete the offer sea and air already in place ...

Ten years about the commissioning of the tunnel, the United Kingdom had doubled its imports from continental Europe. So much so that the deficit of trade balance of the Kingdom with other EU countries, of 7 billion euros in 2000 according to Eurostat, rose to 47 billion in 2004. Today, over 55% of exchanges are made with continental Europe. Of course, shipping is always a very important role in British trade. But the tunnel has contributed significantly to this growth, less by the passage of freight trains (between 1.4 million and 2.8 million tons per year) than that of trucks on the shuttle 5 million to nearly 18 million tons in a dozen years before the crisis hits.

More than 100 million passengers for Eurostar
In passenger traffic, the trend is even more convincing. While only 2.9 million passengers had taken the Eurostar in 1995, they are now more than 8.5 million to cross the Channel every year in both directions, almost three times in just over ten years . And if we add the occupants of cars transported by shuttle bus (about 8 million people per year), then you are beyond 16 million crossings per year - less than half of Britons. The commissioning of the high speed line in Britain and the new St Pancras International in London in November 2007 gave a boost to passenger traffic. 

Business travelers will appreciate the fast connection between three European capitals (London and the City, Paris, Brussels): their number on board the Eurostar is growing twice as fast as all passengers. And the symbol of the growing importance of the TGV in the Channel, the 100 million Eurostar passengers was taken in late August 2009.

When is a high-speed information?
These successes can prevent outages caused by weather, although weather conditions have not been a catastrophic level on the night of December 18 to 19. One can understand the constraints that increase speed trains are facing. Too bad that it takes a detention of several days to detect the cause of a problem that could have been anticipated, if this is indeed the reason.

But we note from this is that, whatever the tricks played by a Winter TGV trains under the Channel became a tie that Europeans can not live without. And the British, today, less than other

For most of us, the sun's hanging just a bit lower in the sky these days. Summer's well behind us and it's time to get down to business.

Or not.

Not... because October holds rail potential for travel savings and perks. That makes this the perfect time to take advantage of seasonal train travel savings on BritRail passes... big savings on selected VIA Rail Canada trains... and free travel aboard the Grand Canyon Railway. Great rail deals, too: like an end-of season freebie for Orient-Express passengers... and extra Guest rewards points from Amtrak. Read on...

BritRail Seasonal Savings Trim 20%

Slow season is go season for BritRail; thanks to best-of-year travel savings from mid Autumn until late winter! Go from Lands End to London to Hadrian's Wall with a BritRail England low season rail pass. Or kick it up and combine England, Scotland and Wales with an all inclusive BritRail Britain low season rail pass. Either way you save an extra 20% off your already value-priced BritRail pass.

For busy itineraries entailing non-stop travel, there's the day-by-day convenience of a Consecutive rail pass with 3, 4, 8, 15 or 22 days, or 1 month of consecutive travel. For slower paces, Flexipass options let laid back travelers space out 3, 4, 8 or 15 non-consecutive travel days over a 2 month period.

Savings of 20% on BritRail England and BritRail Britain low season rail  passes are available for first class or second class train travel (first class limitations apply). Extra 20% savings valid only for travel between 01 November 2009 and 28 February 2010. To order your savings-priced BritRail passes now, visit the RailEurope.com website or call 1-800-622-8600 in the USA, 1-800-361-7245 in Canada.

Amtrak Guest Rewards Matches Point for Point

Good news for Amtrak Guest Rewards members: you can earn double points this fall! All train routes and travel classes are eligible so, now through 19 December 2009, your Amtrak Guest Rewards membership entitles you to double points every time you travel with Amtrak. Points are redeemable for travel with Amtrak, Carnival, Continental and more... plus purchases with merchants like Bloomingdale's, CVS, Barnes & Noble, Red Lobster and Lowe's.

You can also earn additional points by trading with any of 170 AGR partners including Hertz, Hilton and Telaflora.

To earn double points, you need to be enrolled in the Amtrak Guest Rewards program and registered to participate in the double points offer. To enroll in the AGR program online, and earn an extra 500 points, go to the AmtrakGuestRewards.com website. To take advantage of the double points offer, register at the AmtrakGuestRewards.com website using registration code 91409; or call 1-800-307-5000, select option 2, and enter the registration code.

Grand Canyon Railway offers Golden Opportunities

The calendar is slipping but its not too late to join the Grand Canyon Railway in celebrating the 50th Anniversary of its vintage diesel locomotives. Born in 1959? Boomers lucky enough to turn 50 before 2009's close have the opportunity to ride free aboard the Grand Canyon Railway! Married in 1959? Couples celebrating their Golden Anniversaries during 2009 are invited to share a romantic train ride -- free of charge -- courtesy of the Grand Canyon Railway.

To take advantage of the Grand Canyon Railway's special 50th Anniversary offer, travel must be completed by 31 December 2009 (Birthday celebrants must travel within seven days of their birth dates). To arrange free train travel for yourself or someone special, call 1-800-843-8724 and use promo code 50 ANNIVERSARY.

Orient-Express Ends the Season in Style

It's the perfect prelude to a classic journey aboard the world's most famous luxury train! Book yourself a night aboard the final Orient-Express rail tour of the season and start your holiday with two free nights at the sumptuous four-star Londra Palace Hotel in Venice.

Venice, Verona, Innsbruck, Paris, London: the classic itinerary unfolds aboard splendid Wagons-Lits carriages. Journey highlights include Alpine views at lunch, piano bar before and after a sumptuous four-course dinner, and brunch accompanied by views of the French countryside. The journey's all-inclusive price includes all table d'hôte meals and beverages.

The Orient-Express begins its last rail tour of the season on 02 November 2009. To book your compartment, visit the Orient-Express.com website -- and be sure to use promo code VP2N.

Save 50% to 75% with Express Deals Across Canada

Discover VIA Rail Express Deals, and you've tracked down the best rail values in all of Canada. If you're the spontaneous type: if you can pick up and leave on a moment's notice or if you're up for heading out in new directions, VIA Rail Canada's Express Deals open a world of rail adventure.

Deals change daily: departure and arrival points can range between Vancouver's west coast cool; the Rocky Mountain's unspoiled heights; Toronto's skyscraper caverns; Montréal's joie de vivre; and Gaspé's Atlantic shore. Offers can range from next day to 30 or more days in advance. Available traveling classes can include anything from economy coach to sleeper cabins with showers.

A travel reservation service will off the best travel savings for United Kingdom hotels. Booking your hotel reservation needs early will save you money on a surmountable amount of hotels that are located throughout the United Kingdom. If you need to know what the travel savings for United Kingdom hotels in London, just click on a convenient link on their website and all the information you need will be found there.

These travel reservations reservation services are able to give you abundant travel savings for United Kingdom hotels through the use of promotional codes that you can use when you are making your travel reservations through the Internet. Not only do they offer you travel savings for United Kingdom hotels, but they have flights going out all of the time to other areas of the world as well.

If you need to know what the travel savings for United Kingdom hotels in Birmingham, that information is just click away, by using the convenient link on the travel reservation service website. The information will not only be there, but it will also offer you other top travel destination hotels that are available throughout the United Kingdom.

Some of the best travel savings for United Kingdom hotels can be found in rooms in Salisbury, that are set in a lovely rose garden on the edge of the Avon River. Imagine the luxurious accommodations, and realize the value in having a view such as this from your hotel room.

Some of the best travel savings for United Kingdom hotels will be quickly recognized by the ratings placed on some of the hotel listings by AAA. To savvy travelers of the world, this trademarked symbol will let them know that they are going to receive a discounted rate on their hotel room as they have possibly, hundreds of times before.

Perhaps the best travel savings in United Kingdom hotels will be recognized by the money that is saved while booking conventions, on 5 Acre estates with a bar, restaurant and all of the modern conveniences that will certainly impress your invited guests. The business that is achieved by companies through these gatherings will definitely make them realize they got a great deal from staying at a conference hotel in Great Britain.

These travel reservation services clearly have a multitude of travel savings for United Kingdom hotels to offer you. They can show you the exquisite beauty that you will find at the historic hotels that date back, in some places, to the 13th century. The opportunity to enjoy such immense luxury will certainly tell you that you are getting the best in travel savings for United Kingdom hotels.

Whether you select some of the best travel savings for United Kingdom hotels offered by the travel reservations services for cities of Liverpool, Lincoln, York, Durham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and as far as Belfast, or you contact the hotels directly, these elegant locations will have several bargains to offer that travelers to Great Britain will certainly enjoy.

There are marvelous travel savings for United Kingdom visitors located on the Internet, through a travel agency, or through word of mouth from people that had excellent vacations in the United Kingdom and love to tell people about it. The travel savings for United Kingdom visitors begins when they check out the first flight, and continue well into their trip, when they find superb accommodations at a bargain price.

The travel savings for United Kingdom visitors are reviewed when people are walking, driving, or waiting for a cab. The newspapers are filled with travel deals to the United Kingdom, Europe and beyond. With a little effort, the travel savings for United Kingdom visitors will be evident in the excellent fares they found through Internet web travel sites. These bargain prices make travel for the whole family possible, and there no expectations for the bargain pricing to stop.

The travel savings for United Kingdom visitors can be found in the travel tips on many Internet websites as well. These travel tips might help people save money by teaching them the layout of the rail system in the United Kingdom. Other travel tips will pass on the travels savings for United Kingdom visitors through the use of bargain prices that other people found at any British eating establishment.

Many travel guides are published in the United States that will show the travel savings for United Kingdom visitors by recommending that these travelers arrive in groups. These group travel savings for United Kingdom visitors will allow them to enjoy escorted tours, where they will have the opportunity to hear about the rich and grand history of Great Britain from someone who has a delightful accent that will truly bring realism of their ancient tales.

The travel savings for United Kingdom visitors might be reflected in the 75% off standard rates advertisements that can be found on the Internet. With travel savings like this, people will be able to stay quite a while in the United Kingdom, and some may never leave after they get there. The travel savings for United Kingdom visitors are warmly provided by sales agents, because they know the exciting places you can see when you get there.

Other travel savings for United Kingdom visitors are made by virtual offerings made by people who have surplus tickets in their travel agent inventories. People already interested in traveling to Great Britain will grab at the chance to take advantage of travel savings for United Kingdom visitors that read Houston to London for $279 one way. The steals and deals offered through these surplus airline package deals can not be beat, and people know it so well.

The travel savings for United Kingdom visitors is not just offered to travelers from the United States. These travel savings for United Kingdom visitors apply to anyone in the world that is interested in passing through or stopping by this exquisite entryway into Europe. They are certainly offered to people traveling from London to Nuremburg, or from other points of interest like Vienna, Austria to London, and any other place of direction that involves travel through the vast realm of the United Kingdom.

The credit crunch has countless households across the globe cutting everyday costs and watching their overall spend. However, summer is a time of year when cost-cutting can perhaps take its biggest toll on households, particularly as many families are used to taking summer holidays. Holidays typically fall under the category of heftier household spends and many families are opting out of a summer holiday this year in the name of saving money.

However, not being able to travel abroad doesn’t mean you can’t relax and take a holiday close to home. There are many activities you and your family can partake in without going far, enabling you to relax and enjoy each others’ company without spending loads of cash.

To begin, think of activities you and your family might have liked to take part in if you went on holiday - then try to arrange similar activities close to home. This is a great opportunity for you and your family to brainstorm ideas together. For instance, would you have opted for a beach holiday?

Then why not plan outings to local beaches, enjoying activities like swimming, surfing, sunbathing and bike-riding along the beach? Britain has many seaside resorts that bustled with tourists a generation ago - and places such as Blackpool, Brighton and Whitley Bay all still have enough to keep a family entertained for a short summer break.

Perhaps you and your family really enjoy the great outdoors which means you can have just as much fun hiking and trekking along trails around Britain. Many parents find that a week away on a camping trip can offer just as much enjoyment for themselves as well as their children.

While it's always nice to get away with the family somewhere, it's also nice to catch up with other members of your family who you don't get to see so often. If a trip to a foreign country is out of the question, staying in the UK to visit grandparents, cousins or children who have left home is always an option. Not only will you be able to save money on transport costs - you may even be able to drive to your destination - family members may be able to offer you a bed during your stay meaning you save money on your normal accommodation costs.

Of course, just because you’re holidaying at home doesn’t mean you should overlook certain precautions such as wearing sunscreen, taking out annual family travel insurance or retreating from direct sunlight once in a while - so if you plan to partake in outdoor activities, make sure you protect yourself and your family!

Isambard Kingdom Brunel is one of Britain's most famous sons and as an engineer he is responsible for the creation of the Great Western Railway as well as numerous important tunnels and bridges including the Thames Tunnel and the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

However, Brunel also created a number of famous steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship – the SS Great Britain – which can be seen moored in Bristol's dry dock.

Bristol has many tourist attractions and the SS Great Britain attracts its fair share of visitors onto its decks. First launched in 1843, the SS Great Britain was the largest vessel of its time and the first to incorporate iron construction with a screw propeller into a single ocean-faring ship.

The SS Great Britain was constructed in Bristol's dry dock – where it resides today – and was launched in 1843. Originally designed to have a wooden hull, Brunel redrafted plans and adopted an iron hull after associates travelled to Antwerp and back aboard an iron hulled vessel.

SS Great Britain's original propulsion was to be via paddlewheels but after an encounter with the SS Archimedes – the world's first screw-propelled steamship, Brunel studied and developed the technology for use on the SS Great Britain. This led to the scrapping of paddlewheel propulsion for the ship, and despite the ship already being well into construction screw-propulsion was incorporated into the final design.

Despite launching in 1843, SS Great Britain wasn't completed until 1845 due to a series of delays caused by the constant redesigns and remained in Bristol harbour until 1844, as the redesigns had made SS Great Britain too large to pass through Bristol harbour's lock gates. After modifications the ship eventually took to sea in the following year.

As a passenger liner the SS Great Britain traversed a route between Britain and the United States and latterly between Britain and Australia before later becoming a cargo ship. After a fire on board in 1886 caused a navigational error, the SS Great Britain landed at Port Stanley in the Falkland Isles where it was found to be damaged beyond repair. It became a storage hulk for coal before being scuttled and abandoned in 1937.

In 1970, following numerous sizeable donations a salvage crew took the SS Great Britain back to Britain and Bristol dry dock where it all began.

Today, the SS Great Britain is a popular tourist attraction for visitors to Bristol where the sights, sounds and smells of life on board the vessel during its service years can be experienced and the ship's full history and that of its creator can be discovered.

Such is the popularity of the SS Great Britain as a tourist attraction that guests from numerous hotels in Bristol visit on a regular basis thanks in part to its free unlimited visits for a year following visitors' initial ticket purchase. Most hotels will also carry tourist information leaflets detailing not only the SS Great Britain but also other tourist attractions in and around the city.