art - Goodtrippers

Celebrate Chinese Year of the Monkey at the Magical Lantern Festival

To celebrate the new Chinese Year of the Monkey, we visited the UK’s first Magical Lantern Festival…

Don’t let the typical February weather put you off visiting this spectacular outdoor show (wind and rain made an unwelcome appearance the evening we visited – just wrap up warm and take waterproofs!). The Magical Lantern Festival, making its UK debut at Chiswick House in west London, is a sight to behold, offering enough ‘oooh’ and ‘ahhh’ moments to warm the most jaded of hearts.

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The festival is essentially a 1hr+ trail around the grand Chiswick House gardens to view around 50 amazing and beautiful lantern displays. Don’t just think pretty lights – these are intricate and often HUGE sculptures of flowers, animals, birds and temples.

Highlights included the cute pandas, sparkling jellyfish, giant flowers, flocks of flamingoes, a life-sized African safari, and a 60m long Chinese dragon! There are super-sized light sculptures of giraffes, zebra, monkeys and antelope; giant goldfish, Oriental ducks and frogs on lily pads; decorated swans, peacocks and elephants; cute renderings of the Chinese zodiac characters; a ‘terracotta army’; even a marching band of ants.

Good use is made of the grand setting with illuminations floating on the lake, dotted around the trees and set against the Palladian architecture of Chiswick House. (click on our galleries for more pictures from the festival)

Food & Drink

There are a smattering of street food stalls selling warming churros, toast-your-own marshmallows, satay, African curries and venison burgers. All good stuff but not a cornucopia of food and drink that you’d expect at a festival (or an abundance of Chinese goodies we were craving!) – it’s good enough for grabbing a bite to eat at the beginning or end of the trail.

All-in-all, this inaugural festival has enough surprising and intriguing sights to make it a very en-light-ening experience (sorry…).

Visitor info: The Magical Lantern Festival runs until Sunday 6th March 2016, starting at 5pm each day. Tickets are around £16 per person (click here to purchase). Find the festival at Chiswick House and Gardens, London W4 2RP.

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Find inspiration from Potter and Wordsworth on a Lake District writing break

The magnificent Lake District has been linked to some of the world’s best loved writers. Now you too can find inspiration among the Lakes on this creative writing holiday…

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Beatrix Potter’s birthday, Linthwaite, a luxury country hotel in the Lake District, is launching a new Creative Writing Break this February.

The spectacular landscape of the Lake District has been a huge influence on some of England’s best-known writers including William Wordsworth, Samuel Coleridge, John Ruskin and Beatrix Potter, who lived most of her adult life there as she wrote her classic tales of Peter Rabbit, Jeremy Fisher and Jemima Puddle-Duck. After her death in 1943, she left her 14 farms and 4,000 acres of land to the National Trust, which to date is one of the largest and most important legacies in the Lake District.

Creative writing for beginners to published authors

Designed to unlock your creativity, the residential course at Linthwaite is suitable for everyone, from beginners to published authors. It takes place on 29th February – 3rd March 2016, just before the region’s annual literary festival ‘Words by the Water’ in Keswick on 4th -13th March.

The 3-day Creative Writing Course will be run by Angela Locke, author of six internationally published novels and non-fiction/travel books and a prize-winning poet with five published collections. The course will help participants to find their creative voice, expand their minds and encourage them to write poetry, stories and prose in a supportive environment.

Country house accommodation with stunning views

Award-winning Linthwaite, situated only a few minutes from the famous Bowness-on-Windermere and originally built as a country house in 1901, has been independently owned for 25 years. Sitting in 14 acres of landscaped gardens, the hotel offers complete privacy and spectacular panoramic views across Lake Windermere and the surrounding fells. Its picturesque location should get the creative juices flowing!

Linthwaite boasts 30 individually designed bedrooms, some of which feature hot tubs and free standing baths. Guests are encouraged to get out and explore the fantastic walking routes in the area (and Hunter wellies are available for all guests to borrow if you’ve come unprepared!).

The Creative Writing Break includes:

3 day Creative Writing Course based on site at Linthwaite
3 nights’ accommodation at Linthwaite (29th February to 3rd March)
Dinner on 2 of the nights in Linthwaite’s award-winning restaurant with 3 AA rosettes
Private viewing and recital at Wordworth’s home, Rydal Mount
Dinner at Wordworth’s home

Rydal Mount was Wordsworth’s best loved family home for the greater part of his life from 1813 to his death in 1850 at the age of 80. It was here that he wrote many of his poems, revised and improved much of his earlier works, and published the final version of his most famous poem ‘Daffodils’.

Prices for the Creative Writing Break start at £462 per person based on double occupancy (one course participant) and £750 per person for sole occupancy and course participation. To book the ‘Creative Writing Break’ visit www.linthwaite.com or call 015394 88600

Prepare to rejuvinate at new holistic yoga retreat, Mallorca

As we gear up for the season of excess, it might be a good idea to book in your New Year re-boot now…

The White Goddess Retreat, a new yoga start-up in Mallorca, Spain, promises to leave you rebalanced, refreshed and rejuvinated. Retreat organisers and the team behind The Yard (a lifestyle centre and cafe in Alderley Edge) have teamed up with yoga teacher Claire Farman (who’s clients include Gwenyth Paltrow and Sting) to create this brand new yoga experience.

Accommodation – scenery to inspire poetry

The retreat is set in the foothills of Deia, a pretty coastal village on the west coast of Mallorca, and gets its name from the well-known book penned by Robert Graves who was inspired by the surrounding countryside. Guests will stay in a stunning former 14th century monastery, Son Rullan, which boasts a tempting infinity pool with unbeatable views across the landscape.

Activities – yoga and mindfulness

Throughout the holiday, activites on offer include:

Daily 1.5-hour yoga and meditation class – healing Hatha yoga led by Claire Farman
1 hour massage session
1 hour personalised nutrition consultation
30-minute astro-gemstone reading
Transformational breathwork
Reflective “Mindfulness” workshop
A trip to the beach with a picnic
Dance play and poetry
Art trips visiting David Templeton, a Mansfield-born artist and singer who has lived and worked in Deia since the 60s

Full board, of a delicious organic menu, is provided over the six days.

Prices for this six-day yoga experience range from £860 – £925 based on two people sharing, with single supplements also available. Check for further retreats in the future, as plans are already underway to host these gatherings across multiple locations over the course of 2015/2016 including, Wales, the Lake District, Marrakesh and France.

For bookings or information on further dates please contact ask Alex or Sadie at The Yard on 01625 586962 or email sadie@theyardalderleyedge.com.

For more information visit www.theyardalderleyedge.com

Recommended for… Anyone tired, stressed or suffering from overindulgence during the festive period

Be aware that… Although not all activities are compulsory, alternative therapies are on offer to those with an open mind (possibly not one for the cynics! Although, if it’s good enough for Gwenyth…)

Life size whale art makes a splash in Bristol

In Bristol over the summer? Here’s a piece of public art you won’t be able to miss – because it’s huge!

A sculpture of two life size whales, made from Somerset willow and 70,000 upcycled plastic bottles, has been unveiled in Bristol to mark the city’s status as the UK’s first European Green Capital.

We think they look absolutely stunning! This is what public art should be – playful, awesome and thought-provoking, and what a great opportunity to raise the issue of marine conservation with kids. Make sure you see them before they swim away in September.

Weighing a mighty six tonnes, The Bristol Whales are currently splashing about in Bristol’s Millennium Square and will be on display until 1 September 2015. The artwork depicts a blue whale and humpback whale swimming through an ‘ocean’ of plastic bottles, and represents the fragility of our oceans and the increasing threat of plastic pollution.

The Bristol Whales, with artist Sue Lipscombe from Cod Steaks

Visitors can add their own pledge message in a virtual bottle using The Bristol Whales app, which will then be displayed on a Big Screen above the whales. The Bristol Whales has been designed and built by Cod Steaks, initiated by Arts Project Earth and funded by Arts Council England.

Rubbish in a new light at Totally Thames festival, London

Salvaged art and river clear-ups, inspiring free events at the inaugural Totally Thames festival

For the whole of September, over 100 events will take place along the 42 miles of London’s River Thames. The Totally Thames season is full of great events for all ages – from river races, floating cinema, cultural crawls, archeology talks, exhibitions, tall ships, guided walks….the list is endless! Goodtrippers has picked out a few eco-friendly events to get you started…

‘River Works’, an exhibition by Jacques Limousin (5 – 7 Sept)

French sculptor and architect Jacques Limousin has long been fascinated with the flotsam and jetsom that washes up on the shores of our rivers. His years spent scouring the banks of the River Thames, picking up Mediaeval German beer mugs, Roman coins and random pieces of glass, metal, brick and bones have now been turned into witty and unexpected pieces of art. See the results at this free exhibition – you’ll never see rubbish in the same light again!

Date/Time/Location: FREE – 10am – 5pm daily, 5-7 Sept 2014. The Crystal, Royal Victoria Dock, London E16 1GB

The Big Thames Tidy (31 Aug – 1 Sept)

Don your rubber gloves and wellies this coming weekend and help clean up the River Thames! Well, not exactly the whole river but The Big Thames Tidy with Thames 21, part of London’s Totally Thames festival, aims to bring together volunteers of all ages in one of the biggest events of its kind. Help clear litter and tidy up the Thames banks with other like-minded river lovers. You’ll also get a chance to hear more about the history and ecology of London’s famous river in this two-day event.

Date/Time/Location: FREE – 10.30am – 1pm, 31 Aug-1 Sept 2014. No need to book, just meet at Gabriel’s Wharf foreshore via the steps to Gabriel’s Wharf, London SE1 9PH

Cleaner Thames Challenge (1 Sept)

The Isle of Dogs is one of the most littered parts of the River Thames with plastic bags and other debris posing a real threat to bird and marine wildlife – so help out by joining in with a big litter clean-up at this free event! No need to book, just bring suitable clothing and footwear, plus lots of enthusiasm!

Date/Time/Location: FREE – 11am – 1.30pm, 1 Sept 2014. Meet at Newcastle Draw Dock, Isle of Dogs, London E14 3BW

For more information about all of the events during the Totally Thames season visit www.totallythames.org