Ribble Valley

The 2009 Lancashire and Blackpool Tourism Awards ceremony will be held at Ribby Hall Village on June 10.

Businesses shortlisted include:

Bed and Breakfast/Guest Accommodation of the Year:

• The Ashton, Lancaster
• The Cartford Inn, Little Eccleston
• Howarth House, St Annes
• Little Stubbins Bed and Breakfast, Claughton-on-Brock

Small Hotel of the Year

• Crofters Hotel, Garstang
• Mytton Fold Hotel and Golf Complex, Langho
• West Tower Country House Hotel, Aughton

Large Hotel of the Year

• Best Western Premier Leyland Hotel, Leyland
• The Midland Hotel, Morecambe
• Preston Marriott Hotel

Small Visitor Attraction of the Year

• Chapel Gallery, Ormskirk
• Helmshore Mills Textile Museum, Rossendale
• Lancaster Canal Packet Boats
• Old Holly Farm, Garstang

Large Visitor Attraction of the Year

• Blackpool Tower & Circus
• Blackpool Zoo
• Pleasure Beach, Blackpool
• WWT Martin Mere Wetland Centre, Near Ormskirk

Taste Lancashire Award

• The Carmen Rose, Ribchester
• The Fisherman’s Retreat, Rossendale
• Homestead Farm’s Shop, Holmeswood
• La Locanda Ristorante Italiano, Gisburn

Business Tourism Award of the Year

• Pleasure Beach, Blackpool
• Preston Marriott Hotel
• Ribby Hall Village, Wrea Green

Sustainable Tourism Award

• Clough Bottom Farm Cottages, Bashall Eaves
• Malkin Tower Farm Holiday Cottages, Blacko
• Number One, South Beach, Blackpool
• Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool

Access for All Tourism Award

• Grand Theatre, Blackpool
• Oswaldtwistle Mills Shopping Village
• Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool
• Wyresdale Wheels for All Partnership, Wyre

Best Tourism Experience of the Year

• Dukes at Williamson Park, Lancaster
• Farmaggedon at Farmer Ted’s Farm Park, Ormskirk
• Ribble Valley Food Trail
• Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool

Plans have been announced for a new purpose-built mountain bike trail in Lancashire following a £60,000 funding boost secured by the Forestry Commission.

The Forestry Commission estate at Gisburn Forest, near Clitheroe, will be transformed into one of the county’s premier mountain biking facilities, thanks to this latest investment from Sport England.

The first phase of the new waymarked trails are expected to be completed by summer 2009, as part of the Ribble Valley Sports and Physical Activity Alliance (SPAA). There will be an easy eight kilometre ‘blue’ route for families and beginners and a 22 kilometre ‘red’ course for experienced and expert cyclists.

Outdoors enthusiasts, families and groups can look forward to exciting new singletrack, including tricky boardwalk and downhill features. Parts of the trail offer fine views over Stocks Reservoir and the surrounding Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Singletrack are sections that are only wide enough for one person or mountain biker at a time. Trails that include singletrack are particularly popular with mountain bikers.

Martin Colledge, from the Forestry Commission at Gisburn, said, ‘The generous support from Sport England means that we can now progress with our plans to develop the new mountain bike facilities at Gisburn. Set in beautiful surroundings, the new trail will encourage everyone from families and beginners to enthusiasts and experts to get more physically active. The new developments will therefore be a great opportunity for mountain bikers to develop their skills or simply go out and have fun.’

The overall project value for the phase one construction of the new Gisburn Forest bike trail is £180,000. £60,000 has been contributed by the project partners (Gisburn Forest volunteers, the Forest of Bowland AONB, Ribble Valley Borough Council, Ribble Valley Strategic Partnership, United Utilities and the Forestry Commission); £60,000 Lottery funding has come from Sport England.

In addition, £60,000 worth ‘in kind’ donations have been provided, including timber and stone from the Forestry Commission; drainage pipes and geotextiles; and a minimum target of £15,000 worth of volunteer trail building time.

Nigel Pilling from United Utilities, said ‘This scheme will be a fantastic way of attracting even more visitors to the Forest of Bowland, boosting recreation facilities and promoting healthy lifestyles. We are very pleased to support the project’

Gisburn Forest currently attracts around 30,000 visitors a year, of which 50 per cent of these are cyclists and mountain bikers. It is expected that the number of day visitors will increase to around 70,000 in two years because of the new bike trail development.

The Forestry Commission are working towards providing opportunities for year round visits, as well as developing bridleway and quiet road links that will encourage alternative starting points by cyclists.

As well as mountain biking, Gisburn Forest also offers opportunities for walking, horse riding, wildlife spotting and picnics.

One of the Ribble Valley’s best known shops is set to close.

The Kaydee Bookshop on Moor Lane in Clitheroe will cease trading at the end of the month. The owners blame the credit crunch and online competition for a decline in sales.

The shop was founded in 1946 and was once hailed as the best independent bookstore in the UK.

Budget hotel operator Travelodge is currently offering rooms at just £9 per night.

The offer is available on this special page on their website and is valid for bookings made now for stays between February and April 2009.

Rooms for other dates are also available from £19 and £29 provided bookings are made 7 and 21 days ahead respectively.

Travelodge has announced that it will open 22 hotels across the country between now and Christmas. New hotels in the North West will include the Travelodge Blackpool Tower and the Travelodge Blackpool Tower. Both are opening late December.

The budget hotel group is currently offering thousands of rooms at only £19 for stays in December and January. They can be booked via this special page on their website.

Tourism businesses in the North West were honoured at the Northwest Tourism Awards last week. The event was held at St George’s Hall in Liverpool on October 22 and was hosted by Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen. Winners and finalists included:

Large Hotel of the Year

Marriott Worsley Park Hotel and Country Club, Manchester (Winner)
Cottons Hotel and Spa, Knutsford
Macdonald Old England Hotel and Spa, Bowness
Big Blue Hotel, Blackpool
Marriott Liverpool City Centre Hotel

Small Hotel of the Year

White House Manor, near Macclesfield (Winner)
Appleby Manor, Appleby
The Shireburn Arms Hotel, Clitheroe

Bed and Breakfast of the Year

Augill Castle, Kirkby Stephen (Winner)
Number One, South Beach, Blackpool (Highly Commended)
Moss Lodge, Rochdale
42 Caldy Road, West Kirby
Sand Hollow Farm, Burwardsley

Large Visitor Attraction of the Year

Manchester Art Gallery (Winner)
Ness Botanic Gardens, Neston
South Lakes Wild Animal Park, Dalton in Furness
Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool

Small Visitor Attraction of the Year

The Quaker Tapestry Exhibition, Kendal (Winner)
Cotebrook Shire Horse Centre, Cotebrook
Farmer Ted’s Farm Park, Ormskirk
Smithills Hall, Bolton
Mersey Ferries Manchester Ship Canal Cruises

Self Catering Holiday of the Year

The Beach House, Blackpool (Winner)
Staying Cool, Manchester (Highly Commended)
Premier Apartments, Liverpool
Mellow Brook Cottage at Harrop Fold Farm, Macclesfield
The Lodge Holiday Cottage, Hayton

Holiday Park of the Year

Park Cliffe Camping and Caravan Park, Windermere (Winner)
Newton Hall Holiday Park, Blackpool
Manor Wood Country Caravan Park, Coddington

Excellence in Business Tourism

The Rheged Centre, Penrith (Winner)
Park Royal Hotel, Warrington (Highly Commended)
Barton Grange Hotel, Preston
Manchester United
The Conference Centre at LACE, Liverpool

Taste of England’s Northwest

Roses Tea Room, Heswall (Winner)
The Hollies Farm Shop, Cheshire (Highly Commended)
The Village Bakery Melmerby
Northcote Manor, Langho
Isinglass Restaurant, Urmston

Tourism Experience of the Year

Manchester International Festival (Winner)
Tate Liverpool – Turner Prize (Highly Commended)
Shacklabank Free Range Walking, Sedbergh (Highly Commended)
Byways Breaks, Cheshire
Downy Duckling Experience, WWT Martin Mere
Lancashire Food Festival, Accrington
Cholmondeley Fireworks Concert and Garden Party

Excellence in Customer Service

Gary Henshall – Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool (Winner)
Julie Lyons – De Vere Carden Park Hotel, Chester
Daniel Fairweather, Windermere Marina Village
Pam Simpson – World of Glass, St Helens
Madge Butler – Crowne Plaza Manchester Airport

Sustainable Tourism Award

Palace Hotel, Manchester (Winner)
Cote How Organic Guest House, Rydal (Highly Commended)

RSPB Leighton Moss Nature Reserve, Silverdale
Carden Park Hotel, Chester

Tourism for All Award

The Beacon Museum, Whitehaven (Winner)
The Trafford Centre, Manchester (Highly Commended)
Wyre Estuary Country Park
The National Wildflower Centre, Knowsley

Tourist Information Centre of the Year

Congleton TIC (Winner)
Fleetwood TIC (Highly Commended)
Manchester Visitor Centre
St.Helens TIC
Keswick TIC

The winners of the 2008 Lancashire and Blackpool Tourism Awards were announced at a ceremony at Blackburn Rovers Football Club on Wednesday. The awards were handed out by BBC Radio Lancashire presenter Ted Robbins after Ranvir Singh withdrew due to illness.

The winners were:

Bed and Breakfast/Guest Accommodation of the Year – Number One South Beach, Blackpool
Small Hotel of the Year – Shireburn Arms, Ribble Valley
Large Hotel of the Year – Big Blue Hotel, Blackpool
Small Visitor Attraction of the Year – Farmer Teds Farm Park, Ormskirk
Large Visitor Attraction of the Year – Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool
Caravan Holiday Park of the Year – Newton Hall Holiday Park – Blackpool
Self-Catering Holiday of the Year – Beech House, Blackpool
Tourism Website of the Year – Ribby Hall Village, Wrea Green
Taste Lancashire 08 Award – Northcote Manor, Langho
Business Tourism Award of the Year – Barton Grange Hotel, Preston
Sustainable Tourism Award – RSPB Leighton Moss Nature Reserve, Carnforth
Best Tourism Experience of the Year – Morecambe Bay Cross Bay Walks
Tourism Event of the Year, Lancashire Food Festival, Accrington

North West picnic lovers can vote for their favourite picnic spot in a competition being organised by Bolton-based bakers Warburtons. Ten sites in the region have been nominated:

Stanley Park – Blackpool
Lyme Park – Disley, Cheshire
Heaton Park – Manchester
Formby Beach – Merseyside
Beeston Castle – Tarporley, Cheshire
Barley Picnic Site – Pendle Hill, Ribble Valley
Jumbles Reservoir – Bradshaw Valley, Bolton
Beacon Fell – Goosnargh, near Preston
Fell Foot Park – Windermere, Lake District
Crook o’ Lune – Lune Valley, Lancaster

Votes can be registered at www.welovebread.co.uk until May 16 2008. All voters are entered into a draw to win a picnic in Central Park, New York.

The winner will be announced at the start of June and will go compete against the other regional winners for the title of ‘Warburtons Best Picnic Spot 2008’.

The Lowry Hotel hosted the Northern Hospitality Awards 2008 last week. The winners included:

Best Restaurant – The London Carriage Works, Hope Street Hotel, Liverpool
Best Hotel – The Lowry, Manchester
Best Bar – Barlounge, Chester
Best Chef – Lisa Allen, Northcote Manor, Ribble Valley
Best Wine Offering, Northcote Manor, Ribble Valley

City centre restaurants in Manchester and Liverpool have failed to gain a coveted Michelin Star in the latest edition of the Michelin Guide to Great Britain and Ireland published yesterday. The North West restaurants retaining their single star were Juniper in Altrincham, Northcote Manor in the Ribble Valley, the Arkle at the Chester Grosvenor, L’Enclume in Cartmel, and Sharrow Bay on Ullswater.