The latest news about cars, entertainment and travel

Top bands make this
Summer’s Motor Show
Music Festival a ‘must
see’...

THE FULL LINE-UP FOR THIS SUMMER'S Motor Show Music Festival has now been confirmed, with new-wave icons Blondie the final act to be announced.

Blondie will play at the event, to be staged at ExCeL London, on 28 July.

The stunning open-air waterfront arena will host the only London performances this year by Meat Loaf, Alice Cooper, Squeeze and Deep Purple, while US sensations Chicago will make their only UK appearance when they take the stage on 31 July.

Concert-goers will be granted FREE access to The British International Motor Show, sponsored by Zurich Connect, on the day of the concert, giving car fans two great shows for one great price — a dream ticket!

The event’s Marketing Director Kirsty Perkinson said: "The Motor Show Music Festival combines rock stars and cars within a unique, open-air, intimate venue in an amazing waterfront setting, giving car-lovers even more reasons to visit this year's British International Motor Show."

Confirmed line-up for the Motor Show Music Festival —

23 July UB40 | 24 July Alice Cooper | 25 July Status Quo | 26 July Squeeze | 27 July Here & Now Tour (featuring leading pop acts from the 1980s, including Bananarama, Belinda Carlisle, Paul Young, Toyah, Kid Creole, Midge Ure and Nick Heyward) | 28 July Blondie | 30 July Deep Purple | 31 July Chicago | 1 Aug Jools Holland featuring Marc Almond & Ruby Turner | 2 Aug Meat Loaf with special guest Arno Carstens.

Tickets for The Motor Show Music Festival, in partner-ship with Virgin Radio and Classic Rock, start from just Ł25 and only 6,000 are being made available for each concert.

Tickets can be purchased now from www.seetickets.
com or by calling 0871 230 5593.

The UK's largest consumer exhibition, The British International Motor Show is expected to attract more than half a million visitors. The event will feature 60 vehicle marques, 600 new cars and a host of interactive attractions. The Show opens from 10am to 9pm weekdays and 10am to 8pm at weekends, with gates for The Music Festival opening at 8pm and 7.30pm respectively.

For more information on The British International
Motor Show and The Music Festival, check out www.britishmotorshow.co.uk.

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Alfa Romeo Spider: More for Less this
Summer...

PERFECTLY TIMED FOR SUMMER, Italian sporting car manufacturer Alfa Romeo has extended the head-turning Alfa Spider range with a limited edition version. Complete with Ł3,000 worth of extra features at no extra cost, the Alfa Spider Limited Edition effortlessly unites the head and heart with dramatic effect.

The Alfa Spider Limited Edition features a choice of four colour combinations, alloy wheels, leather upholstery, electrically-adjustable and heated memory front seats and door mirrors. Yet the price remains a cool Ł25,500.

The extra features include Italian Frau® leather upholstery and the unique Blue&Me™ hands-free system with voice recognition and media player.

Bespoke colours for the Alfa Spider Limited Edition include a Carbonio Black version with a natural leather upholstery while the Alfa Red exterior paintwork is matched to a black leather interior. The super-cool Ghiaccio White colour scheme comes with a choice of either black or natural leather upholstery.

For added driver and passenger comfort, these leather seats are heated to keep the occupant warm whilst the roof is down on early morning starts or late night drives.

Equipped with 19-inch spoked alloy wheels, the limited edition Alfa Spider looks purposeful and powerful. Under the bonnet the 2.2 JTS petrol engine produces 185bhp and powers the Alfa Spider from 0-62mph in 8.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 139mph.

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A-Mayzing Value — Get away from it all this
May to the Lake District with Holbeck Ghyll...

THOSE OF YOU WANTING A SHORT BREAK AWAY without paying for the rising value of the Euro can find fantastic offers right here in the UK. And there's no time wasted checking in at airports or travelling either!

The award-winning Holbeck Ghyll Country House Hotel promises the perfect base for both couples and families. Situated in the Lake District and boasting views over Lake Windermere, this boutique hotel offers plenty to do on its doorstep that will keep all ages entertained.

Dining is a memorable and gastronomic experience with a Michelin Star restaurant offering a gourmet feast each evening. With both hotel and self-catering accommod-ation to choose from, there's genuinely something for everyone this May.

Some of the offers available include Special Midweek Luxury Hotel Breaks with prices starting from Ł125 per person, per night for midweek breaks throughout May
to include breakfast and three-course dinner in the Michelin-star restaurant.

Available for a minimum of two nights, the package is perfectly suited for visitors to the Cumberland Ale Keswick Mountain Festival which runs from 14–18 May, just a short drive away in Keswick. Visitors to the festival will enjoy an activity-based programme of guided walks, training in hill skills and conservation, ghyll scrambling and water sports, in addition to lectures, films, equipment demonstrations and exhibitions.

There's also a Self-Catering Mini Holiday from under Ł110 per person. Prices start from Ł650 for five-nights for a special self-catering break in the Lake District, valid from Sunday to Thursday inclusive during May.

The accommodation is offered at the newly-opened The Gatehouse at Holbeck Ghyll, a detached three-bedroom bungalow with garden overlooking the fields of Holbeck Ghyll. Sleeping six, The Gatehouse offers the ease and independence of self-catering accommodation combined with utilising the hotel's extensive facilities — including the option of a daily maid service.

Staying in the heart of Beatrix Potter country with views of Lake Windermere, The Gatehouse is just a few minutes' drive to The World of Beatrix Potter Attraction, where every bank holiday in May, Peter Rabbit himself will make an entrance, and on Friday 30 May families are invited to have afternoon tea with Potter's favorite characters.

Miss Potter's Secret Hideaway Prices start from Ł235 per person per night for special mid-week breaks on a dinner, bed-and-breakfast basis, for a minimum of two nights during May. Staying in the luxurious Miss Potter Suite, this detached property has magnificent views over Lake Windermere and the Lakeland fells and boasts a large private terrace with sunken hot tub, sun loungers and dining table. A three-course dinner is included in the Michelin-star restaurant.

Renee Zellweger herself stayed at this hotel during the filming of Miss Potter, and for fans of the film, Holbeck Ghyll can even organise a day seeing the film locations, hearing behind the scenes stories and a lot more!

Facilities at Holbeck Ghyll include a croquet lawn, putting green, tennis court, gym, steam room, sauna and spa treatment rooms.

For bookings visit www.holbeckghyll.com or call 01539 432375.

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Banner year for icebergs
in Newfoundland and
Labrador...

PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY BEGUN FLOCKING TO THE SHORELINE in Newfoundland and Labrador on the hunt for icebergs!

From the northern tip of Labrador to the eastern shores of the Avalon Peninsula is the famous coastline known as Iceberg Alley, and the sea that pounds and caresses the shore brings these magnificent mountains of ice almost to our doorstep.

Icebergs born 10,000 years ago on the Greenland icecap dance along the coast and far out to sea, propelled unpredictably by wind and tide, tumbling, twirling, and break-ing into fantastic shapes before melting in the warm waters of the gulfstream southeast of Newfound-land and Labrador.

Iceberg Alley runs right by our coasts, homes, and trails and, here, it is possible to wake up to the sight of these gigantic ice towers rising out of the ocean from the kitchen windows of cliff-top bed and breakfasts, or from a picnic site along the shoreline.

They are awe-inspiring — wherever they are viewed! According to the International Ice Patrol, 2008 will be a banner year for icebergs — the most active in a decade.

The agency, which began monitor-ing the icebergs in February, has reported that, to date, there are over 500 icebergs making their way down Iceberg Alley from the Green-land glaciers.

This is compared to only 50 during the same time in 2007. Icebergs are an enormous tourist attraction, and Newfoundland and Labrador is the best place in the world to view them.

Visitors can get safely near them on a guided sea kayak tour, a scheduled boat tour, or by simply standing on the shoreline. And, with the April arrival of our millions of seabirds and the late-June arrival of the world's largest population of humpback whales, the coastline of Newfoundland and Labrador will be alive with nature on a very grand scale during the 2008 season! Cameras are a must!

For more information, check out www.newfoundlandlabrador.
com, www.cbc.ca/nl and www.icebergfinder.com.

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