March Blog Review

With double-figure temperatures and sunshine one day and snow blizzards and freezing temperatures virtually the next, March has certainly been a right old mixture weather-wise. It’s been rather a mixed bag on my blog too – hopefully providing something for everyone.

I’ve had quite a lot to say about Travelodge this month, sharing my experience of stays and offering tips to help your stay go smoothly. Travelodges are basically cheap and cheerful (although occasionally lacking the cheerful), but let’s face it, you get what you pay for and they do make very handy stopover points without breaking the bank.

Following the horsemeat scandal, the focus has been on buying British meat, so I was pleased to hear that Tesco are aiming to stock more meat from British producers, as recent visits to the supermarket chain had revealed a huge selection of meat from all over Europe. We really should be supporting our own British farmers. At least fresh meat tends to be clearly labelled with the country of origin, whereas frozen meat does not always display where it is from with any clarity. New government guidelines really do need to be introduced for frozen food packaging.

Other topics that I felt strongly about this month included high cathedral admission charges (I feel that these buildings should be free and accessible to all) and self-serve checkouts (I’m really not a fan). Some responses to the cathedral charge post suggested that those of you who were tourists interested in viewing the architecture, did not mind paying a fee, but it seems agreed that those wanting to visit for some quiet reflection or to light a candle quite rightly did not expect to pay a high admission charge. Suggestions for aiming charges at tourists only include asking visitors to pay for audio or guided tours, photography permits, information leaflets and booklets or to enter special exhibition areas. No doubt the debate will continue.

I’m really hoping that April will see the weather become much more settled and definitely warmer. With the start of the school holidays in reach, I’m now looking at places to visit to keep the kids amused. Many attractions are reopening after their winter break, so hopefully you’ll get to visit a few.

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