Heathrow and Gatwick invest to prevent drone issues

Posted: Fri 4 January 2019 at 12:34

Business travellers and tourists using Gatwick and Heathrow airports will welcome news that both are to invest millions in anti-drone equipment.

The decision to  invest follows an incident in the run up to Christmas where flights in and out of Gatwick were disrupted for a number of days when a drone was spotted in the area.

The equipment that Heathrow and Gatwick are reported to be investing in can detect and jam communication between the operators of drones and the drones themselves, rendering them useless. The equipment is thought to be the Drone Dome system that has been developed by Isreal and was that used by the RAF when they dealt with the Gatwick drone incident in December 2018.

Gatwick says that it has already spent £5 million on ensuring that it has the technology and equipment in place to deal with future drone attacks. Meanwhile, a spokesperson at Heathrow stated: “The safety of our passengers and colleagues remains our top priority. Working closely with relevant authorities including the Met Police, we are constantly looking at the best technologies that help remove the threat of drones.”

In addition to the investments, the Ministry of Defence says it is ‘ever ready’ to assist in dealing with the threat of drone-use in and around airports.

Stay put in Windsor this Christmas if you want to avoid traffic jams

Posted: Mon 17 December 2018 at 14:09

Experts have warned that the rush to see friends and family will begin this week and worsen on Thursday 20th and Friday 21st, causing massive traffic jams on some of the UK’s busiest roads.

Anyone visiting the UK this Christmas, and planning to get around on the roads, should take into account the advice from traffic experts. Traffic insights business, Inrix, has warned that Thursday 20th could be the peak day when compared with a regular day on British roads.

Drivers hitting the M25 from Windsor or elsewhere, on a regular thursday, might find some minor delays, but on Thursday 20th, there is likely to be huge numbers undertaking the ‘great Christmas getaway’, as it’s been dubbed by the tabloid papers.

Inrix’s Joshua Kidd, explained: “With most drivers setting out mid-morning, traffic will become heavier over the course of the afternoon and stay congested into the evening.”

He added that there are other factors at play that could add to the congestion on the 20th and 21st, such as the fact that delivery firms and Royal Mail workers will still be out and about making last-minute deliveries. In addition, huge numbers of us will still be hitting the shops this week as there are few chances after the weekend.

The worst-hit roads are expected to be the M25, the M6 and the M40, all of which are better avoided if you have the option. Why not stay put in Windsor instead and enjoy everything the town has to offer at this time of year instead!

Dorney Lake to host Jaguar Tri-Fest next summer

Posted: Wed 12 December 2018 at 14:13

Dorney Lake, the popular watersports venue near Windsor, is to play host to the first festival of its kind next summer, as it welcomes Jaguar Tri-Fest.

Triathlons, along with other types of organised sporting events, are becoming increasingly popular. So much so, it seems, that these events are now being combined with food and music to form entire festivals. Jaguar Tri-Fest is set to come to Dorney Lake in July 2019 and will welcome sports enthusiasts alongside those who simply want to have a nice time in a lovely waterside setting.

Over the course of the weekend thousands of people are expected to make their way to Dorney for the festival and many will be staying overnight at the high-end glamping facilities that are going to be laid on for festival-goers.                        

The entire festival will be sponsored by luxury car brand Jaguar and other events will include a champagne garden, live acoustic music, food stalls and children’s activities. There will, of course, be plenty of sporting events happening throughout the weekend, including individual, team and children’s triathlons.

David Paton, the festival co-founder, explained: “I think there’s a wonderful opportunity to offer fitness enthusiasts and triathletes a new sort of race experience.”  

He added that the festival is also a “big opportunity” for people who aren’t usually that active to step up and challenge themselves in a fun environment.  “Jaguar Tri-Fest” is about celebrating Triathlons but also about creating a festival experience around it, with music, food and drinks, and lots of events in-between,” he concluded.

Those Visiting Eton Will Soon Be Able to Enjoy Victorian Stream

Posted: Sat 8 December 2018 at 12:35

Anyone visiting Eton will welcome news that a historic Victorian stream will soon be flowing again.

The restoration of the stream has received a cash injection worth £100,000, double the initial £50,000 in funding put aside for the project by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. The extra funding will help the project to become a reality.

The flow of water in the stream dates back to 1840 but there has been no water flowing on the stream’s route for some 80 years. The project will reinstate the stream from the Brocas, under Baldwin’s Bridge and out by Fellows Eyot.

Councillor Samantha Raynor said it was a “special project that will rejuvenate a part of Eton to its former glory and give us a glimpse once more of how it was in the past.”

Eton Town Council and Eton Community Association is behind the plan, which has been brought to life through stories told by older Eton residents. Eton Community Association’s Ros Rivaz added: “It is even more thrilling that we are recreating history that old pictures and even older paintings and maps depict.”

Eton residents and those visiting Eton will be able to view the stream, after the restoration is complete, via a wooden bridge that has been designed by the Mayor of Eton himself, Derek Bishop.

The plan is for the stream to flow again by the spring and summer of next year to ensure that visitors will be able to enjoy the view by high season.

Our Guide to Visiting the UK at Christmas

Posted: Tue 4 December 2018 at 11:54

If you are visiting the UK at Christmas and are wondering what us Brits do at this wonderful time of year, look no further!  We’ve put together this little guide just for you.

What do British people do at Christmas time?

The British Christmas is a hybrid of European and American approaches to Christmas. And we also have many traditions that are unique to us. We enjoy very traditional aspects of the typical European Christmas, like Christmas trees, Christmas markets and mulled wine. However, unlike much of Europe, we exchange gifts and eat our Christmas lunch on Christmas day itself, rather than Christmas Eve. We also eat an American-style Christmas lunch of turkey – but we finish it off with the uniquely British Christmas pudding!

As the big day itself approaches, anyone visiting the UK will have more than enough Christmas events to keep them busy. Let’s have a look at some of the most popular British festive pastimes.

Christmas fairs

From major cities to tiny villages across the UK, Christmas fairs will be held. Everywhere from school halls to exhibition centres will play host to these traditional fairs. A christmas fair is usually aimed at families and will involve games, competitions, activities and crafts. You might play games of skill to win sweets, or draw a ticket and see if you win a hamper of goodies (usually wholly useless, but hey, it’s Christmas!). Children may have their face painted or decorate a cookie. They’ll certainly eat their body-weight in sugar.

Fairs like these are popular and plentiful and usually raise money for local charities, so go along and do your bit to support them if possible.

Pantomime

The annual Christmas ‘panto’ is, perhaps, the most typically British of all Christmas traditions. These amusing and shambolic theatre shows are as popular as ever with audiences of all ages. They famously appeal to very small children (mainly due to a lot of falling over) while including enough tongue-in-cheek humour and popular culture references to keep the adults happy.

Going to see a pantomime as a non-British visitor will certainly be a eye-opener. There’s always a man dressed as a woman ( the ‘Dame’) and the audience are encouraged to shout at the actors. Give it a go!

One of the most-loved pantomimes in the South is at Windsor’s Theatre Royal. This year, it’s putting on Dick Whittington, featuring legendary children’s entertainers Basil British and Kevin Cruise.

Christmas markets

Many towns and Cities around the UK now host traditional European-style Christmas markets, complete with carols, mulled wine and traditional crafts. This is a relatively recent addition to our Christmas list of pastimes, but they are gaining popularity fast.

Here’s our choice of the best ones to visit this year:

Bath Christmas Market

You don’t need an excuse to visit the beautiful English town of Bath, but during the Christmas market season, the town is even more magical than usual.  Craftspeople sell their wares from traditional Bavarian-style wooden cabins in the town centre and there’s plenty of delicious and warming snacks and drinks on offer too. This year, the market is only running until 9 December, so you will need to get there quick. For more details, check their website.

London’s Southbank

One of London’s must-visit areas for tourists is the South Bank of the Thames. Right outside the Royal Festival Hall this year is its annual Christmas market, bringing a taste of the Bavarian Black Forest to the capital. You can visit the market right up until 27 December, so there’s plenty of time to enjoy the festivities. Why not make a full day of it by taking in everything else the South Bank has to offer and walking all the way down to the Tate Modern for a touch of world-class modern art to top of your visit.

Edinburgh

For anyone visiting Scotland this Christmas, you’re in for a treat if you make your way to Edinburgh. The City is laying on a mountain of festive events, including a traditional Christmas market and funfair in East Princes Street Gardens.

Traditional pubs

Historic English pubs are simply enchanting at this time of year. You’ll never get a better taste of traditional Britain than when you snuggle up next to a roaring fire in an atmospheric beamed pub with a real ale, glass of wine, or hot chocolate. Check out our guide to the best Windsor pub to visit this Christmas.

Christmas shopping

Not exactly a tradition, but shopping is a necessity at Christmas. The British High Street is struggling to survive in the face of a growing reliance on online shopping but you’ll still see large numbers of panicked shoppers out and about in the days running up to Christmas, desperately trying to find that perfect gift or pick up their turkey and mince pies.

Food markets and farmers markets can be fantastic at Christmas time, with shoppers filling their baskets with produce straight from the grower or maker. Shopping at a traditional department store can also be a fantastic experience at Christmas. Windsor’s own Daniel department store offers a whole host of special events over Christmas and children can even visit Santa at his grotto in store throughout December.

Whatever you get up to when visiting the UK at Christmas, you’re bound to have a very merry time. If in doubt – just grab a mince pie and glass of something warming and you’ll find yourself very much in the British Christmas spirit!

Heathrow Airport strengthens its tech ahead of expansion

Posted: Fri 30 November 2018 at 12:06

Anyone living close to Heathrow Airport will be aware that it is planning to expand with a third runway in the not-to-distant future. It has now teamed up with a company called Copenhagen Optimization to upgrade the technology that forms the backbone of its services in preparation for this expansion.

Copenhagen Optimization offers a cloud-based Software-as-a-Service solution for airports to help them automate processes and better deal with various scenarios. Moving to the cloud-based solution means that Heathrow will be able to cope better with different challenges that its expansion might create. It also means that, for travellers, there are less likely to be delays and the movement through the airport could be quicker and more effective.

Heathrow’s Mark Burgess, the Head of Operational Planning, Performance & Transformation, said the new upgrade “will allow us to decrease wait times and continue to improve operations and passenger experience, as we prepare for the future of airport experience.”

Copenhagen Optimizations managing partner, Kasper Hounsgaard, explained that the ‘Better Airport’ system will mean that Heathrow will be prepared for anything. He said: “With Better Airport, the skilled planning team at Heathrow can optimise and automate their current planning processes, including the ability to quantify any what-if scenarios with hard numbers, which will lead to better resource allocation and higher cost savings. Heathrow is ready for significant future growth.”

Heathrow currently sees some 78 million passengers pass through each year and this is set to increase to a staggering 130 million passengers in the near future.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle set to move to Windsor

Posted: Tue 27 November 2018 at 10:29

A move to Windsor is on the cards for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex come the New Year, according to the Royal household.

An official statement from Buckingham Palace explained:  ‘The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will move to Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Estate early next year as they prepare for the arrival of their first child.’

It was widely reported that the Queen had gifted Adelaide Cottage to the couple as a wedding present and that the pair were very fond of Windsor as a place to live and raise children. However, it has now been confirmed that the more modest Frogmore Cottage overlooking Frogmore House will be their first home as a family.

Living away from London, in a more private setting, will help them stay away from unwanted press attention. the couple will also have the pleasure of living within a short walk of the venues for both their wedding ceremony (St George’s Chapel) and their evening wedding reception (Frogmore House) back in May 2018.

The official statement continued: ‘Windsor is a very special place for Their Royal Highnesses and they are grateful that their official residence will be on the estate.

Frogmore cottage is reportedly undergoing renovation in preparation for Harry and Meghan’s move in early 2019. The premises has five bedrooms and has recently been split into separate homes to house Royal staff. Therefore, the renovation is necessary to return the cottage to a single household.

Heathrow Airport reports record passenger growth

Posted: Sat 17 November 2018 at 13:45

Windsor’s proximity to Heathrow Airport is one of the reasons why it attracts such as large number of tourists and business travellers each year. Now, Heathrow has announced that it is welcoming more passengers all the time, thanks to a greater number of larger aircraft.

In October 2018, Heathrow saw a 4.5 per cent increase in passenger numbers, with some seven million people passing through the airport during the month. The number of passengers travelling to and from North America led the growth, rising by 9.1 per cent last month.

American tourists love visiting the UK, particularly our historic destinations such as the Tower of London, Windsor Castle and Oxford University.

Growth at Heathrow is expected to continue. The airport saw a further boost to its popularity following news in the Autumn Budget that passengers from a number of countries, including New Zealand, the United States and Japan, will now be able to use the eGates at the airport. This will speed up the route through the airport for those travelling from these destinations. Anyone visiting the UK on business is likely to welcome this change in stance, as it will enhance the business travel experience for anyone using Heathrow.

Heathrow also recently announced that it will be boosting its green credentials. It is to waive landing charges for the entire first year of operation for electric-hybrid aircraft when they start to touch down on Heathrow’s runways.

What’s on in Windsor this Christmas?

Posted: Wed 14 November 2018 at 11:05

There’s nothing quite like getting involved in some Christmas events to get you into the spirit of the season. Here’s a quick round up of what’s on in Windsor over the coming weeks.

“He’s behind you!!”

Yes, that’s right, it’s panto season again and Windor’s very own Theatre Royal is celebrating 80 years of pantomime in the town with its version of Dick Whittington. Familiar faces such as Mike Read, Anne Heggerty and, of course, Basil Brush will be starring in this family favourite between 23 November and 6 January. That means there’s plenty of time to get your tickets and enjoy a touch of traditional English nonsense!

Windsor On Ice returns

This is the time of year that Alexandra Gardens turns into a Winter Wonderland, complete with children’s fairground rides, a large ice rink and traditional Bavarian-style Christmas snacks and drinks.

There will be mulled wine galore for the grown ups and enough candy floss to keep the kids buzzing until the 25th! Come along and enjoy the merriment from 17th November until 6 January.

Let there be light!

The annual Christmas lights switch-on in Windsor will be a spectacular event as usual. This year, the lights will be turned on on Saturday 17th November.

The highlight for most visitors will be the children’s lantern parade, which snakes its way through Windsor’s centre and up to the castle from 3:30pm. The event will climax in the switching on itself at 5:30, topped off with the impressive illumination of Windsor Castle’s Garter Tower.

Meet Santa at Daniel

Christmas in Windsor wouldn’t be complete without a trip to our historic department store, Daniel. This year, little ones can meet Santa at the store’s magical grotto every weekend day from 17th November. The grotto will also be open every day in the lead up to Christmas from 17th December. The price for a visit with Santa is just £7 and this includes a gift from the man himself!

And for the crazy…I mean sporty…among you…

Ever wanted to dress up as Santa and run around Windsor town centre with a bunch of other people dressed as Santa? Well here’s your chance. And it’s all for a good cause!

The Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Santa Dash is taking place from 9am on 25th November, from Bachelor’s Acre. It will take in the Long Walk, the Castle area and the shopping streets. Children are welcome to take part in the 5km fun run and the price of entry includes your very own Santa suit!