Cardiff, home of the Millennium Stadium, city of so much more.

Sight seeing buses leave from outside the castle regularly throughout the summer. However a tour of the Stadium costs £5 and can be pre-booked and is a must. The highlight is a trip up the tunnel to the pitch with the sound of the crowd roaring in your ears. I defy anyone to take these steps without a silly grin!!

The shopping in the city provides all those shops you expect in a large town, although there are a surprising number of music shops. However, the old arcades off St Mary’s Street offer some interesting alternatives to the large chain stores. I always show friends the “Kinky” boot shop for a laugh, which can be a stunned silence!

On a hot summer’s day, the place to chill is Butte Park with some of the best municipal planting I know. Or there’s the Mill Lane quarter, for people watching while you chill.

There are a range of restaurants, wine bars, pubs and clubs to suit everyone. And if you like a busy town, go on an International weekend, but be prepared to sing!

Whether it’s a Bank holiday or any other weekend, Layer Marney is the perfect place to take the family for a fun-packed day out. Situated down a quiet, single-track lane, well signposted from the historic town of Colchester, it is hard to believe that anything so beautiful could exist in the heart of the Essex countryside – that is until you reach the gates leading to the estate.

Seeped in history, the tower is the tallest, most elaborate Tudor gatehouse in England and an initial glimpse of the striking building will take your breath away. Constructed in the Italian design, popular in the period in which it was built and made from terracotta bricks, the gatehouse is a vibrant red colour and very eye-catching.

The house spans either side of the tower itself and is currently occupied and so not open for public viewing. Beautifully designed gardens surround the building and a signpost to the left of the tower indicates the presence of the church of St Mary The Virgin, where regular Sunday worship is still practised.

Lying to the South of the main gatehouse is the very long and very narrow, Long Hall. Features include a wrought iron fireplace on the right hand wall and black iron chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The room itself is panelled with black wood and is the ideal venue to re-enact a Tudor banquet, where the staff will dress for the period and provide appropriate entertainment in the form of fire-eaters, jugglers or jesters.

On departing the hall you find yourself in a large courtyard, consisting of the Corsellis room (currently split into two housing the gift shop and the tearoom), and the barn that contains a collection of rare breed animals, many of which can be fed. There are also two farm walks, starting from the barn and varying in length, which include the chance to see the red deer that roam the grounds.

Entrance to the tower itself is via wooden double doors, passing a marbled jaguar cat on either side, into a small entrance room with archways to the left and right. All windows are arched and those in the entrance hall span the length of the wall. Dark curtains hang to the ground either side of the window and deer heads hang over each arch.

Those interested in Layer Marney’s history are advised to visit the History room – a large room thought to be the place where Queen Elizabeth I stayed on a visit to the tower in 1579 – which houses a model replica of the estate and also contains historical information. This room is found between the stairwells on the right and left of the tower and is reached via a well-maintained, spiral, wooden staircase. 95 steps lead to the top, where breathtaking views of the estate and surrounding countryside can be observed.

The estate is of interest to all ages and many events are held here, including craft fairs where there are activities and goods on offer for both young and old. It is also a popular venue for both civil ceremonies and wedding receptions and corporate events are often held here, where activities on offer include clay pigeon shooting, archery and jousting.

The tower has a colourful history and has seen many occupants over the years. It was built by Henry, the first Lord Marney, who wanted a home that would reflect his position as an important member of the royal court and it was originally intended to be a rival to Hampton Court Palace. By his death in 1515 only one side of the tower had been completed, however, the work was continued by his son until his death in 1525.

Though many others have lived at Layer Marney, the major restoration of the house was carried out by Sir Walter Zoete, who owned it from 1904. Following his death, ownership of the house passed to the Carrington family, descendants of whom currently occupy the property.

The history of Layer Marney Tower has led to it becoming a place of interest to those interested in paranormal activity. The voice of the first Lord Marney can often be heard echoing throughout the church that adjoins the tower and he may also be seen sliding down the banisters of the tower staircase as he attempts to scare those who interrupt his descent of the stairs.

All in all, if you’re ever in Essex with nothing to do, do pay Layer Marney Tower a visit. It’s a beautiful building set in beautiful countryside and is a little piece of history that should not be missed.

Layer Marney is open to the public daily from 1^st April till 5^th October 2003 and admission costs are £3 per adult or £2.50 per child. Further information can be gained from the website www.layermarneytower.co.uk

Clare is 27 years old and has a BSc in Anatomy and MSc in Forensic Science. She used to work at New Scotland Yard until she fell ill in December 2000 with ME. Clare is a first time mum to 8 month old Lauren and wife to Andrew. She writes freelance in any spare time and hope to begin writing a crime novel later this year (Beetle: PD James, watch out!) She is currently writing a children’s fairy story and various articles for mother and baby magazines.

The place: Lille is small enough to wander around, in a weekend. There are two parts to Lille: the old town, which has narrow cobbled streets, and lots of interesting small shops, and the new town where the large shops, such as Printemps and the usual chain stores can be found. For those who want to explore, there’s a castle and some museums, but wandering around the Old Town is a must.

Why go to Lille? It’s a pretty town, close to London, good for shopping, eating and relaxing. There is a good supermarket, Carrefour, very close to the Lille Europe and SNCF railways stations, where you can stock up on cheese, wine, chocolate – whatever takes your fancy! The food is always good, so it is a part shopping, part relaxing and part gastronomic destination! Most of the hotels are within walking distance from the Lille Eurostar station.

Hotels: the poshest is the Carlton, in the Old Town, which does not ever seem to offer discount rates, but there are lots of hotels to chose from. Hotels seem to be either close to the train stations, close to the main square or in the Old Town. If you can, go for the latter. The Hotel Continental is a budget place often used by British tour operators, it’s ok, between the main square and the railway stations, but on a busy main road. Hotel Bellevue says it is a 3 star, it’s a little quirky, but the rooms are usually large and it’s behind the main square. Hotel Art Deco Romain says it is 500m from the Lille Europe station, it may be, but you need to get a tram to get there, and whilst it’s only 2 stops, it is not easy to walk to, plus the rooms are cupboard sized. La Treille in the old Town is highly recommended.

Prices: fantastic, especially for eating out and drinking. Most of the restaurants offer at least one prix fixe menus i.e. you get to chose a starter, main course and often a desert. Some include wine or a glass of champagne to start. These range from 15 Euros to 50 Euros, and you can usually be guaranteed excellent food, whatever the price. The Beetle’s favourite restaurant is called L’Alcide, which is close to the main square and can be pricey a la carte, but do good prix fixe menus, there’s also La Renaissance which does very cheap but good prix fixe menus (a recent 3 course dinner for 2 plus beer cost £15 a head). The Carrefour at the Lille Centre Commercial close to the train stations is a huge supermarket, and the prices there are far better than those in the UK for almost everything. One tip, though: if you spend more than 100 Euros, you will be asked for photo id, so take your passport or new style driving licence.

Things to do and see: in winter, there is a Christmas market around the corner from Printemps, where you can browse around the stalls, drink cups of mulled wine, eat crepes or waffles. Year round, there is a huge Sunday market in Wazemmes, a short metro ride from the centre and there is also a smaller Sunday market that sells fruit, veg, flowers and handicrafts in the old town. If shopping is not your thing, you should visit the citadel, which is quite impressive, and the town square with its old buildings. If you are a museum buff, then you should visit the Palais des Beaux arts, the natural history museum, the house where General de Gaulle was born, and the Musee de l’Hospice de Comtesse.

Getting Around: really easy. A one way trip by metro or tram costs just 1.15 Euros, or an all day card costs 3.55 Euros You must validate day tickets just the once in yellow machines that say “composter” and single journey tickets in the same way when you set off. But if you stick to the Old Town and the area close to the new town, you probably won’t need to take public transport, although it’s good to know that it’s there and regular.

How to get there: by Eurostar, a little over 2 hours from London Waterloo.

Edinburgh is making big efforts to entertain shoppers in the weeks before Christmas. It also plans to lay on what it claims to be the world's biggest Hogmanay party to welcome in the New Year. The Christmas illuminations will be switched on from Nov. 28, and there will be a German Christmas Market with more than 20 traders from Frankfurt, in Princes Street Gardens, which will also be the site of the Edinburgh Wheel (until Jan. 5) – the UK's tallest ferris wheel.

For the 10th successive year, Edinburgh's Hogmanay is a four-day programme to say farewell to the old year and welcome in the new (Dec.29 -Jan.1). Among the free highlights are the Torchlight Procession and Fire Festival, the Night Afore Fiesta (Dec.30, with massed pipes and drums and the world's largest ceilidh, a Celtic-style party), the Hogmanay Triathlon, and Huskies at Holyrood.

The vast Royal Bank Street Party (Dec.31) is free, but entry is by pass only: get one by joining the First Foot Club (£15). As well as entry to the party, this offers the holder discounts in shops and attractions, privileged booking for ticket events and a chance to enter members-only competitions. To join, call the First Foot Club membership hotline (0131 473 2056) or register and buy tickets on the website.

Meeting news from our branches around the world.

Signs and thoughts that Mac has seen or experienced on his travels around the world, and noted down in his travel diary.

l. Hong Kong. Budget Garden Hostel. Sign. “No smelly shoes allowed in dormitory.“

2. Simla India. Sign read “Spitting on the road is an offence punishable up to 50 rps under HPMC.” (An Indian was urinating next to the sign).

3. Coffee house in India. Sign saying: “If convenient please speak slowly” (we have the same sign in our snake pit.)

4. Puri, India. Sign “Gods Blessings Of Lord Jagahnath with hearty offerings. All offerings to Lord are free income tax.“

5. In Albert & Victorian museum in London cafeteria they had a sign “Pickpockets operate here” I gave the little old lady behind me a dirty look in case she planned to pick my pocket.

Would you like to tell us about your travels? Contact the Beetle

A space team in Canada is looking for three people to help pilot a rocket into space. This is part of a competition modeled on the 1927 contest to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, won by Charles Lindbergh. Canadian Arrow is one of two Canadian teams participating in the contest. Another 20 international teams are also racing to send the first manned commercial rocket into orbit. The first to get their three-person vessel 100 kilometres into space and back wins the title. The winner will have to repeat the flight again within two weeks to win a $10-million US prize. Geoffrey Sheerin, the leader of the London, Ont.-based Canadian Arrow project, said he is looking for smarts, a sense of adventure, and bravery.

“It's open to absolutely anyone. The possibility for anyone to fly is there,” Sheerin said. “We would like you to have some aeronautical experience, understand of aviation, and also hopefully to have some knowledge of rocketry.”

Globetrotters meeting Saturday 7^th December 2002 By Padmassana

This afternoon our first speaker was Damian Welch, Royal Geographical Society (RGS) winner of a “Journey of a Lifetime “ Award, who took us to Tokelau, a group of remote Polynesian islands located north of New Zealand. His talk and slides demonstrating to us the effect that the 21^st Century has had on the islanders way of life. Tokelau’s population of 1,500 souls crowd onto just three islands. Damian's graphic photos demonstrated just how dependant the islanders are on the imported barrels of oil, petrol and diesel, which arrive like everything else by ship. The islanders life revolves around the ship’s comings and goings. The islanders share everything, from the oil, to the work and the food that sustains them. Though this system is rapidly being overtaken by the introduction of money, people are asking how much?, before doing tasks they would previously have just done. Fishing is one area where the old way carries on, the fish are caught and shared equally among the people when the catch is landed. Tokelau’s women folk prepare the food and then play noisy games of dominoes. Afternoons on Tokelau are often spent playing volleyball under the scorching sun. Unfortunately the once healthy Tokelau diet of fish and coconut is being replaced by imported corned beef, beer and vast amounts of sugar, resulting in the 21^st century diseases of obesity and diabetes. Damian’s idyllic photos of the islands peeping out of the blue sea and thought provoking talk on daily life made for a very interesting and educational 40 minutes.

Our second speaker was Robert Twigger, whose talk was entitled “Putting the adventure back into travel”.

Robert’s wanderlust was instilled in him by his Grandfather, who had returned from his own travels with Naga spears, which Robert has inherited, just as well as I don’t think you would be very successful at bringing them through Heathrow airport in the current climate.

Roberts’s plan was to try and replicate the epic 1793 journey of Alexander MacKenzie, who crossed Canada from east to west. Robert particularly wanted to repeat the last section down the Athabasca river in a birch-bark canoe. First though Robert and his friend Ben had to get the canoe to their starting point. They achieved this by delivering a van 3500 miles across Canada in three days, before being dropped off in the middle of nowhere to begin their journey. They set off paddling often against quite strong currents, seeing nobody else for days on end. Though they did see a lot of bears, which were not intimidated or scared off by the bear horn they carried with them. The locals all carry a gun for this job! Robert and Ben camped by the river and we saw some beautiful sunset photos, however this didn’t tell the whole story, as wherever they stopped they were set upon by millions of mosquitoes. Unfortunately Robert’s trip was limited by time and they have had to leave the canoe in storage having completed 600 miles until next year when he hopes to complete the trip all the way to the Pacific.

London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden at 2.30pm the first Saturday of each month. There is no London meeting in August, but we will be back in September. For more information, you can contact the Globetrotter Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk

The remains of four woolly rhinos have been unearthed in an English quarry.

Scientists describe the group find at Whitemoor Haye in Staffordshire as “extraordinary” and one of the best Ice Age discoveries of its type in Northern Europe in recent years.

In addition to the great beasts, researchers have also dug out a remarkable range of superbly preserved plants and insects. One of the rhinos even has plant material still stuck to its teeth, giving possible clues to its last meal.

Taken together, the specimens should enable archaeologists to build up a detailed picture of what life was like in this particular corner of the UK 30-50,000 years ago.

“We'll be able to piece together the whole Ice Age environment in that area by the banks of the River Trent,” said Simon Buteux, director of the field archaeology unit at the University of Birmingham.

He told BBC News Online: “The plants in particular are beautifully preserved – they look as if they were buried last week quite frankly. And in amongst them are remains of beetles which are very sensitive to the climate, so this will give us good clues to what the local environment was back then.”

The initial woolly rhino (Coelodonta antiquus) discovery was made by quarryman Ray Davies, who pulled up a massive skull in the bucket of his digger.

Gary Coates, a University of Birmingham archaeologist, said: “I've been working at Whitemoor Haye Quarry for five years and have excavated everything from prehistoric burial grounds to Roman farmsteads, but this find was totally unexpected.

“It's the biggest find – in all senses of the word – I've ever been involved with.”

source: Woody’s Travellers Watch

Travel@woodyswatch.com

It's great to see more and more business travellers using 'Outlook Web Access' (OWA) on the road. This is a webmail way to access corporate mail systems using Microsoft Exchange Server.

When you open OWA in a browser it looks much like normal Outlook. You can read, delete, reply and forward email plus manage your contacts, calendar, notes, tasks and public folders. There are some limitations (you can't move a message from one folder to another) but it works pretty well.

If your company uses Exchange Server but you don't have Outlook Web Access, ask your network administrator. OWA is installed by default on Exchange Server so it's probably ready for you even if the network gods haven't told you. If you're sneaky you can try finding it from a browser linked to your intranet by trying urls that have a company server name plus '/exchange' (the default folder) such as http:///exchange (e.g. http://mailmachine/exchange).

Outlook Web Access can be used inside a company network too. If you're away from your work desk or computer has broken you can access your mail from any browser. But OWA is mostly used by staff accessing mail from outside company premises. Provided your mail server is accessible from the Internet you can use OWA from any net terminal anywhere in the world.

The link to access OWA will probably be different away from the intranet, something like http://mail.dagg.com/exchange but your network gurus will give you the exact link.

However you access OWA you'll be prompted for your login name, password and possibly domain. This not only gives you access to the company mail server but also tells Exchange Server which mail account to display.

Security Tip: when you're using OWA from any computer not yours make sure you DON'T check the 'Remember this password' box. If you do so anyone could access you email from that public terminal after you walk away. When using someone else's computer on your intranet the same thing applies, you don't want someone else looking at your email.

With OWA available from anywhere, you might not have to lug your laptop! If you don't have much email or it's just a short trip then many business people have decided to leave their laptop computer at home and just check their email at public Internet terminals (cafe's, hotel business centres and some airline lounges).

Our guest speaker at our december meeting was Amy Gissen, who gave a great slide show and lecture about Myanmar, truly one of Asia's jewels.

For details of forthcoming meetings email newyork@globetrotters.co.uk or register for email updates at click here at our website.

New York meetings are held at The Wings Theater, 154 Christopher Street (btw Greenwich St and Washington St), to the right of Crunch Fitness, in the Archive on the first Saturday of each month at 4 pm.