When A.A. Milne wrote the famous book The House at Pooh Corner , I don’t think he foresaw the impact it would have on the small town if Little Wittenham in Oxfordshire. In the book, Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin drops a handful of sticks from a bridge into the stream beneath and rushed to the other side to see which came out first.
In reality, this game has been a tradition in Little Wittenham since 1983, when the first World Pooh Sticks Championship was arranged by the Lock Keeper at Day’s Lock as a way to raise money to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Today, the event is held by the Rotary Club of Oxford Spires and attracts people of all ages every year.
If you want to compete in the championship, please enter the race here. If you just want to see this quirky event, go to Day’s Lock just outside Little Wittenham on 28th of March. The team races start at 11.00am and the individual/family races at 11.30am. For further information, please visit the website of the event.
Now that most people have either seen, or chosen not to see, the new Sherlock Holmes movie, we decided it’s time for a new question. This time we thought, spring is almost here, and in some parts of the Nordics, you can actually see the ground. Maybe some of you have even seen flowers or other signs of Spring?
Well, anyway. I don’t know what you guys do, when Spring is nigh, but I do some serious closet inventory – i.e. I go shopping! That why I decided that there’s no better Spring question to ask our dear readers, than “What do you primarily buy when shopping in Britain?”
To vote, click on your preferred choice in the right-hand menu and then press [vote].
And as usual, don’t hesitate to leave a comment. Maybe you have seen some nice Spring signs you would like to share, or maybe you think Spring is really far away. You can also debate the poll questions. What did you vote for and why? Was it the right options or did you miss something?
Now, almost 40 years later, the group back with a bang in the new exhibition ABBA World . The exhibition opened a couple of weeks ago in London, Earls Court. Since their first glory of fame with Waterloo in Liverpool 1974, London is the first city to show this multimedia experience. Find 25 rooms filled with videos, pictures, accessories, clothes and off course music, music, music! 3D holographic illusions gives you the chance to perform together with the famous group, and there are lots of other exciting things to see and do. The exhibition is held at Earls Court, Warwick road and closes the 28. March 2010.
We have been getting a lot of question on how and where you can buy the tickets to the exhibition, so we decided to make it easier for you and blog about it. See links to the booking sites below:
The English virtual band Gorillaz was created in 1998 by Damon Albarn, singer in Blur, and the comic book artist from Tank Girl, Jamie Hewlett. The band’s got four fictional members, but in fact, Gorillaz is a collaboration between various musicians from different genres with Albarn being the only permanent musician and Hewlett their master puppeteer.
Since the beginning Gorillaz has made numerous successes, one of them being entered into the Guinness Book of World Records as the most successful virtual band.
Now the band is back with a new album – Plastic Beach, which is due to be released in the UK on 8th of March and here in the Nordics on 10th of March. But already today you can listen to the new single ‘Stylo’ or see the freshly released video on You Tube. I just saw the video and it’s got really cool effects as usual. Follow the group of four in a high speed car chase and see what unfortunate event happens to poor Cyborg Noodle in the new vid.
Brick Lane is famously known for its cool markets and vintage stores. My colleague and I fell upon this great store when walking to Brick Lane from Bethnal Green tube station on the east side of London. A nice 15 min. walk through this Pakistan-Indian part of London, though a closer station should be Liverpool Street Station or Shoreditch (over-ground trains). Just down the road from the Swedish cafe Fika and the famously know Bagel shop, you’ll find this fabulous vintage store, Rokit -cramped with clothes and accessories.
Lovely dresses, quirky hats and accessories to die for! Real furs also seems to be a big hit, so if that’s your choice for a still cold winter you’ll have several to choose from. The store has both a ladies’ store and a separate men’s store next door.
Rokit is a probably Britain’s largest and best vintage store and they are located not only on Brick Lane but also in Camden and Covent Garden. The stores are open every day. If you can’t go to London, have a look at their website where you’ll find their online shop!
Recently, on Swedish television, the gripping and gruesome french documentary from the 2nd World War has been shown. Lately, when visiting London, I felt it was time to visit the “place of action”,- the underground offices used by Sir Winston Churchill and his staff during the 2nd World War.
Finding the entrance is still not easy even if it’s signposted. You have to go to the back of the Horse Guards building and just opposite St James Park at the Horse Guards Road the doors down to these rooms are found.
The Cabinet War Rooms are almost exactly the same as they were left in 1945 and shows the narrow rooms, low ceilings and cramped spaces were British soldiers, politicians and workers spent hours, days and months underground with no fresh air, no daylight and actually no knowledge about what was going on in the streets of London. Though not built as a proper shelter no sound entered. You will see the room were the cabinet were held, with ashtrays for Churchill’s famous cigars everywhere. No time for arguing passive smoking there! You will also see Churchill’s private courter, the office space for morse-coding, map-rooms, kitchen, diningroom and so on.
The Churchill Museum, also underground, shows the life of Sir Winston Churchill through film clips, radio speeches, clothing, newspapers, gadgets and more.
An entrance fee apply. See website for opening times.
Hello my name is Estrid and I’m doing my work experience here at visit Britain. I’m fourteen years old and I live in Stockholm. I have been to England several times, but never in the other parts of Great Britain. In this post I will share my experience about London. I’m interested in fashion, art and Harry Potter (and a lot of other things, but if I would write it all it would be like 10 pages long…). The last time I was in London was at the autumn break last year. I went with my mum and my little brother we did a LOT of stuff, but I will only tell you the best. So for all the Harry Potter fans all over Scandinavia, I must say that Kings Cross platform 9 3/4 must be visited! It is a cart half way in to the wall and you can get some amazing photos! It is a little bit hard to find but ask the staff very kindly, I’m sure they will help you! And the Millennium Bridge that crosses over the Thames River is worth a visit. That’s the bridge that the Death Eaters destroy in the sixth film, The Half Blood Prince.
Me and my friends in London when I was ten
Enough Harry Potter, and now to my favourite, shopping and fashion. I love Primark, and I think it is a shame that we don’t have it here! But otherwise, it makes you appreciate and go shopoholic when you are there. Primark is insanely cheap and has a lot of nice clothes and accessories. The biggest Primark is on Oxford Street, but that one is hysterical! So I recommend you to be there at the time it opens. But you can find some smaller Primark stores where it is much calmer, but the best is of course to visit both! But if you have more money to spend than me I would recommend New Look! Fantastic fashionable clothes in valuable prices. You must go to Knightsbridge, the very exclusive district in London with their white houses and all the city sounds just disappear. If you go to Knightsbridge you must eat at Otto Lenghi and take the food with you and have a pick-nick in Hyde park! Fantastic!
Danish film director, Lone Scherfig made her mark with the Dogme95-film, Italian for Beginners (Italiensk for begyndere, 2000), a romantic comedy which among it’s many international awards won the Silver Berlin Bear (Jury Prize) at the 2001 Berlin International Film Festival. Most recently she directed An Education (2009), based on an autobiographical article by British journalist Lynn Barber. The film has been nominated for three Oscars in the 82nd Academy Award that will take place on the 7th of March.
We met up with her during the Stockholm International Film Festival to talk about An Education and her relation to Britain.
Are you planning to go to Britain for Valentine’s and have no idea what to do with your loved one? Then this Top 10 Valentine’s Day ideas list might be something for you. In the list you’ll find ideas like Balloon rides, Valentine’s punting in Cambridge or a train ride with the Orient Express through the Scottish Highlands.
If you’re more into other outdoor activities, spa weekends or just a nice restaurant to celebrate Valetine’s Day in, visit our See & Do section for some inspiration.
Welcome to VisitBritain in the Nordics. Here you’ll find travel tips and personal experiences to Britain - a complement to our corporate website for travel information. Our staff speak Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish and English, so rather than using five different languages on the blog, we'll be writing in English.
When A.A. Milne wrote the famous book The House at Pooh Corner , I don’t think he foresaw the impact it would have on the small town if Little Wittenham in Oxfordshire. In the book, Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin drops a handful of sticks from a bridge into the stream beneath and rushed to the other side to see which came out first.
way to raise money to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Today, the event is held by the Rotary Club of Oxford Spires and attracts people of all ages every year.
