Visit the Alps, Down Under

VISITORS to the Alpine National Park can now experience the Bogong High Plains like never before thanks to Parks Victoria’s new Alps Discovery Days at Wallace’s Hut Heritage Trail. The Alps Discovery Days experience will immerse visitors in the cultural heritage of the Bogong High Plains, while showcasing the unique flora and fauna of the Alpine National Park. 

The Volunteer Park Guides will lead both guided tours and more informal chats of Wallace’s hut and the surrounding wetlands between 10am to 2pm during the summer school holidays and on the Easter long weekend in April 2019.

The Alps Discovery Days tours will be available on Thursdays, Saturday and Sunday. They are free, fun and educational for all. To book a place on a Volunteer Park Guide tour, visit www.parkstay.vic.gov.au/alpine-discovery-days or simply arrive at Wallace’s Hut within the designated time.


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Picture Credit: By Rod Waddington from Kergunyah, Australia - Wallace's Hut, Bogong High Plains, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29767279

Floral Funchal

MADEIRA'S flower scene is bursting with colour throughout the winter and spring. For those keen to take advantage of the warm temperatures – which average a comfortable 20C+ - Prestige Holidays has a selection of late offers and early booking discounts to the Capital of Portugal’s floating garden isle.

The charming converted manor house Quinta das Vistas stands in substantial gardens atop a hill overlooking Funchal and is famed for its gourmet cuisine. It also offers an extensive spa facility with a range of treatments as well as Jacuzzi, sauna and a Turkish Bath.

The luxurious family run Quinta da bela Vista is a five-star property ideal for couples who want to explore the nature trails behind the hotel as well as take in the city sights of Funchal, which is a 10 minute complimentary shuttle ride from the property. Guests can also pop over to the neighboring island for lunch and a Spa treatment at sister hotel Port Santo.

The super stylish Royal Savoy has an oceanfront location with huge terraces boasting uninterrupted views of the Atlantic Ocean, plus an extensive range of facilities including two outdoor seawater pools, a health suite, games room, internet corner, cocktail bar and various dining choices; so much so, the hotel feels like an upmarket cruise liner.

www.prestigeholidays.co.uk

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Hotel up in the trees

PORT LYMPNE Wild Animal and Safari Reserve, near Hythe, Kent will be opening its Treehouse Hotel in June. High above the 600-acre reserve, its glass fronted suites will offer views of sunset over the English Channel … and roaming rhino below. 

Guests can take a VIP safari with animal encounters along the way, while other activities include; archery, fishing, and cycling.

www.aspinallfoundation.org/short-breaks/treehouse-hotel

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Picture Credit: www.aspinallfoundation.org

When in Wales …

FEED the red kites at Bwlch Nant yr Arian Forest Visitor Centre, Ceredigion (Cardiganshire). Help to conserve the national bird of Wales, the red kite, by joining the daily feeding sessions, which are free of charge. The woodland also has gentle walking trails.

www.forestry.gov.uk/bwlchnantyrarian

HUG a hedgehog in Powys. Good Day Out organizes educational activities that raise money for local causes such as wildlife sanctuaries and rescue centres. At the Howey Hedgehog Sanctuary, a 90-minute drive from Cardiff, visitors can clean and feed orphaned hoglets. www.gooddayout.co.uk


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Picture Credit: Red Kites - Gigrin Farm Walesby Tim Felcevia Wikimedia Commons / Small hedgehog by Jacek Zapała Own work. via Wikimedia Commons 

Woodland wonders

A TOURING exhibition of photographs taken by the general public is being launched by Plantlife and its partners in Devon this April, to celebrate the Atlantic woodlands of the South West of England.

Amateur photographers will be able to see their photographs on display for the first time at the Lynmouth Pavilion on the North Devon Coast.

Close to the Atlantic, the woodlands are important plants areas – internationally recognized hotspots for wild plants – and home to some of the smallest yet most important wild plants in the UK. Wild plant conservation charity and competition co-ordinator Plantlife organized the photo competition to encourage the public to see the special woodlands and the lower plants they support in a new light and be inspired to visit one.

Exhibition co-ordinator and plantlife project manager, Rachel Jones, says: ‘We hope that this exhibition will inspire people to not only discover the beauty and atmosphere of these important Atlantic woodlands on their doorstep and the lichens, mosses and ferns that grow there, but also to go out to see what they can capture through a camera lens.’

The Wonders of the South West's Woodlands photographic exhibition can be seen at:

• April – Lynmouth Pavilion, Exmoor National Park, Lynmouth, Devon

• May – Braunton Countryside Centre, North Devon

• June – Fyne Court, The Quantock Hills, Somerset

• September to February 2016 - National Park Visitor Centre, Princetown,
Dartmoor National Park

www.plantlife.org.uk

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Picture Credit: "Wistmans Wood, Dartmoor" copyright - Amelia Vanstone