When:

Where: Tin Shed Experience, Montague House, Clifton Street, Laugharne, Carmarthenshire SA33 4QG

£: 5 (booking is recommended)

What is it?

The School of Performing Arts, University of Wales Trinity Saint David in collaboration with Tin Shed Experience present Bags, Tags and Gasmasks – Evacuees in Laugharne.

The final year students have created an engaging piece of site-specific theatre, which takes place at Tin Shed Experience museum in Laugharne. The war years saw many displaced people all over Europe; but even in the United Kingdom, tens of thousands of city children were packed off to a rural environment far from the world they knew.

Using this stimulus as a jumping off point, the students have researched the period and made an immersive piece of theatre, which seeks to enhance the Tin Shed Experience.  The students have tried to look past “We’ll Meet Again” and examine the complex and sometimes fragile relationships which had to be forged in that most difficult of times.

This production is scheduled for seven performances over the course of Monday 27th May to Wednesday 29th May. Audiences are restricted to 30 people per performance so you are recommended to book tickets in advance.  The Museum itself will be closed from Monday 27th May to Wednesday 29th May for the production.

It is an outdoor performance so you are advised to wear suitable clothing.  Refreshments will be on sale at the venue.

More info: www.tinshedexperience.co.uk

The post Bags, Tags and Gasmasks as Evacuees appear in Laugharne appeared first on Contrary Life.

Caves, caverns and mines: from spooky to beauty

Hell Fire Caves – keeping up with the neighbours

Contrary Life likes this underground choice based on its name alone, but once you delve into the history it is even more intriguing.  Possibly inspired by baronet Sir Francis Dashwood’s travels, caves were dug out for his amusement and as a way of keeping up with the neighbours as many landowners of the time were building fashionable estates with follies and artificial caves to show off with.

The Caves were re-opened in 1951 with an admission price of one shilling and candles provided free.  At weekends, debutantes came to stay and often helped by selling soft drinks to visitors.  By the end of the first summer nearly 10,000 visitors had seen the caves.  Since 1951 the caves have attracted over two million visitors with many of the profits going to charities, including the National Trust, to help pay for restoration and maintenance work in West Wycombe.

The infamous Hell Fire Club was said to occasionally hold meetings in the caves.  The club was rather eccentric, holding mock religious ceremonies with much toasting of glasses (an excuse for drinking), songs and general larking about.  Many MPs, titled gents, professors, poets and painters of the time were members of the club including William Hogarth and the Earl of Sandwich.

Admission to the caves today costs a little more than a shilling at £5 for adults and £4 for children.

More info: www.hellfirecaves.co.uk

Unique tours at Chislehurst Caves

Carving in the Chislehurst Caves (Photo courtesy of Chislehurst Caves)

Just a short distance from central London is a brilliant underground gem. Chislehurst Caves offer miles of dark mysterious passageways to explore.  Hewn by hand from the chalk, forming a maze covering more than six hectares, the caves lie thirty meters below the woodlands and houses of Chislehurst.

Travel back in time as a guide takes you on a 45-minute lamp-lit tour and tells stories of Druids, Romans and Saxons.  You’ll see the tunnels that were famous as a shelter during the Second World War, the Caves Church, Druid Altar and Haunted Pool.

No two tours are exactly the same, as each of the guides has their own unique style. Chislehurst Caves should hold the imagination of even the most easily bored child and if nothing else, there are twenty miles of tunnels to wear them out!  There is also a gift shop, a licensed café and a free car park.

Open from Wednesday to Sunday, the tours leave every hour on the hour, the first at 10am and the last at 4pm. Tickets cost £6 for adults and £4 for children.

More info: www.ChislehurstCaves.co.uk

Museum of Lead Mining – a hidden treasure

This museum, set in the picturesque village of Wanlockhead, is one of Scotland’s hidden treasures and a four-star Visit Scotland attraction.  The 18th century mine is set deep into the hillside.  The village itself claims to be the highest in Scotland and is surrounded by beautiful scenery so once you’ve finished exploring underground there is plenty above to admire.

Back above ground there is are also old miners’ cottages to explore, the second oldest subscription library in Europe and the Visitor Centre with displays of rocks, minerals, gold, mining and local artefacts.

More info: www.leadminingmuseum.co.uk

Nottingham, a City of Caves

Accessed, rather unusually from a shopping centre, the City of Caves is a subterranean family attraction that is part of a complex of over 500 caves dating back to the Dark Ages.  Fancy stepping from the modern capitalist world into the dark ages?  Then this is how you do it.

Nottingham claims to have more man-made caves than anywhere other place in Britain, and furthermore this cave network has Ancient Monument Protection.

It costs £6.50 for adults and £5.50 for children to visit.

More info: www.cityofcaves.com

Follow in the footsteps of Dr Who at Clearwell Caves

The ancient iron ore mines of Clearwell.

In a valley leading into Clearwell village are the ancient iron ore mines and natural cave system known as Clearwell Caves.

The Caves have been worked for iron ore and ochre for more than 4,500 years. Visitors today wander through winding passageways that open up into impressive caverns with displays throughout, giving a mysterious atmosphere, noticed by the BBC who have filmed episodes of Dr Who and Merlin many times here over the past few years.

Visitors with a taste for adventure can try one of the Deep Level visits which involve crawling and climbing down to 70m underground.  Caving and events such pop up operas have made good use of this amazing attraction.

A prehistoric music event will be held on May 27th where prehistoric music and sounds will be recreated, with children’s workshops and demonstrations through the day.

More info: www.clearwellcaves.com

The important geological heritage of Marble Arch Caves

Explore the natural underworld of rivers, waterfalls, winding passages and lofty chambers that Marble Arch Caves provides.  The caves can be found in a Global Geopark (an area recognised by UNESCO as having important geological heritage) in Ireland.  A full cave tour lasts about 90-minutes giving visitors the chance to see unique features such as Martel’s Stalactite and take a short boat journey across an underground lake.

Tours run throughout the day, starting at 10am and cost £8.75 for adults and £5.75 for children.

More info: www.marblearchcavesgeopark.com

The Devil’s Arse or the Peak Cavern to you and me

Peak Cavern’s Lumbago Walk (Photo: Richard Tooley).

Peak Cavern claims an awe-inspiring approach as visitors walk along the riverside on a path that leads between old cottages, into a huge limestone gorge. The cave entrance is set back inside vertical cliffs 80m high.

The whole gorge is crowned by the ruins of a Norman Castle that was built some twenty years after the Norman Conquest, 1086, by William Peveril, a favourite knight of William the Conqueror.  In those days this area was a wilderness called ‘The Royal Forest of the Peak’, where the nobles hunted bears, wolves, deer and wild boar.

Aside from its physical size, culturally and historically Peak Cavern is one of the most important caves in the country. In recent centuries it has been home to successive generations of rope-making families who built both their machinery and their homes inside “this gloomy porch”.  For this reason the tour includes a brief rope-making demonstration.

Whilst on the tour see interesting formations including the The Flitch of Bacon which looks like half a pig hung up and Father Christmas. The cave is still a main drainage system so that after very heavy rain storms when these storm waters recede, water and air are sucked forcefully down a tight “siphon” resulting in a resounding farting noise that gives the cavern its Anglo-Saxon name; the Devils Arse.

The Great Cave is a chamber 150 ft. wide, 90 ft. long and 60 ft. high, a remarkable size when you remember that caves are formed solely by the dissolving and scouring action of water.   On leaving the caves travellers once etched their names on the rock wall of the Devil’s Staircase and the name of Lord Byron is said to feature among them.

Admission is £9 for adults and £7 for children.

More info: peakcavern.co.uk

Beer Quarry Caves – a Devon delight

Take an hour-long tour through the underground cathedral of Beer Quarry Caves with its pillars and vaulted roofs of stone.

This underground quarry has been in use since Roman times and has supplied stone for no less than 24 cathedrals.  The quarry closed in the 1920s and now offers a unique window into the centuries of stone masonry with Roman, Saxon, Norman and modern areas of the caves.

Tickets cost £7 for adults and £5.20 for children.

More info: www.beerquarrycaves.co.uk

Poldark Mine – not just a tin mine

Part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site, Poldark Mine gives visitors a unique insight into working conditions in 18th and early 19th century tin mines.

As well as Cornwall’s mining and social heritage, Poldark also claims to be the only complete underground mine open to the public in Cornwall and Devon. Worked from the Medieval period until 1780, Poldark retains much of its original character and can sometimes be visited in the evenings, partially candle-lit.

Guided mine tours cost £10 for adults and £6.50 for children.

More info: www.poldark-mine.co.uk

Going for gold, Dolaucothi Mine

Yet another underground tour which takes you back in time, this time through the conditions of the Roman, Victorian and 1930s underground workings.

It probably won’t be enough to retire on but you can also pan for gold while you are visiting Dolaucothi.  This National Trust site also offers a caravan site near by so you can extend your stay and explore the many paths on the 2,500-acre estate.

Gift aid entry to the mines cost £6 for adults and £3 for children.

More info: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/dolaucothi-gold-mines

Check back tomorrow for the final part of our underground journey…

The post Going underground with Contrary Life: Part 2 appeared first on Contrary Life.

Tunnels: the long and short of it

Make a grand entrance with the Thames Tunnel

The entry to the Thames Tunnel is only 4 feet tall

We start our pick of tunnels with the ‘Eighth Wonder of the World’, or so the attraction was dubbed when it opened in the 1840s.  The Thames Tunnel attracted an amazing 50,00 visitors on the day it first opened.  Back then visitors would descend into the tunnel to be met with shops and entertainment.

Built to cash in on getting cargo from one side of the river to the other, the creation of the tunnel had been so dangerous and time-consuming that it was never used for its original purpose.  In 2010 the tunnel was reopened as part of London Overground.

Why not visit one of the great wonders of the Victorian age and take a tour of The Grand Entrance Hall?  Take a Guided Walk of Brunel’s London for just £9 per person. The Brunel Museum also holds special events in the tunnel throughout the year, check out their website for up to date information.

More info: www.brunel-museum.org.uk/history/the-thames-tunnel

Eccentric Liverpool and the Williamson Tunnels

Visit an eccentric man’s legacy in Liverpool.

The Williamson Tunnels Heritage Centre is the only tourist attraction in Liverpool dedicated to 19th Century philanthropist Joseph Williamson.  Who? I hear you cry.  Well, I’ll tell you.  Joseph Williamson was born on the 10th March 1769 near Darton in Yorkshire and moved to Liverpool around 1780.  Williamson acquired some land and began to develop it, indulging his fascination with tunnels.

In the early 1830s it was decided to drive a tunnel from Edge Hill Station into the town centre.  The work was to be carried out by Stephenson (of steam locomotive, the Rocket fame).  The tunnel was to run beneath the corner of Williamson’s land and one day a dark figure emerged underground frightening Stephenson’s men.  When Stephenson came to investigate he was confronted by Joseph Williamson who explained that he had just ‘dropped by’ to show them how to dig tunnels.

In 1818 Joseph retired from business and devoted his energies to the eccentric excavations for which he is most remembered. Visitors can now take a tour through this eccentric man’s hobby.  Tickets for the tour cost a reasonable £4.50 for adults, £4 for concessions and £3 for children.

More info: www.williamsontunnels.co.uk

Tunnel Tours at the Roman Baths

The Roman Baths in Bath are fairly well-known to tourists but it is possible to take Tunnel Tours which allow people to see a side of the attraction that is not usually seen.  Tours include a chance to see the vaults and parts of the Roman Baths and temple not on public display.  It’s a great opportunity to discover the hidden Georgian and Victorian history of the site.  Tours need to be booked in advance and are included in the admission price to the baths.

More info: www.romanbaths.co.uk

Modern engineering on The Mersey Tunnel Tour

Go beneath the city with the Queensway Tunnel tour.

Tunnels have an important use for traffic in our cities, yet we barely think about them, never mind think of them as a place to visit.  Why not take the opportunity to think about our functional feats of engineering in a new light and participate in the Queensway Tunnel tour?

This unique behind the scenes tour gives you the chance to explore beneath the city including seeing the Control Room in operation, an Emergency Escape Refuge as well as the giant ventilation fans working.

The tour takes approximately 2 hours and is held on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday at 5pm and Saturday mornings at 10am all year round.  Tours should be booked in advance and cost £5.

More info: www.merseytunnels.co.uk

Watch out for ghosts at the Victoria Tunnel

Experience the double-life of a tunnel running beneath the city of Newcastle.  Step inside the Victoria Tunnel attraction and find out about life during the second world war with air raid warnings to replica beds that people would have slept on as this underground system became a haven for the local people.  Going back in time even further you can also experience life in a Victorian waggonway, as the tunnel was originally built in the 1800s to transport coal from the colliery to the river.  There are 5 tours a week, with tickets costing £5 for adults and £2 for children.  Just be sure to watch out for ghosts as some say the tunnel is haunted!

More info: ouseburntrust.org.uk and www.newcastlegateshead.com

The Tar Tunnel and its curious walls

Find out how the Tar Tunnel got its name

The Tar Tunnel is one of the more curious tourist attractions near Ironbridge in Shropshire.  It is the place where miners digging in 1787 struck a spring of natural bitumen, a black treacle-like substance.  The bitumen was turned into pitch, lamp black and rheumatics remedies.  Now you can walk along this brick-lined tunnel where the bitumen still oozes through the walls. Don’t forget to pick up your hard hat on the way in.

The Tar Tunnel is one of ten Ironbridge Gorge Museums.  It is open from 10.30am to 4pm until 4 November in 2013.  Entry costs £2.95 for adults, £2.50 for the 60 plus and £2.25; under 5s free.

More info: Contact the Ironbridge Visitor Information Centre on 01952 433 424 or visit www.ironbridge.org.uk.

Enjoy four tunnels on the Monsal Trail

Why not take in some tunnels by bicycle?  The Monsal Trail in the Peak District features four long and two short tunnels and runs along the former Midland Railway line.  This traffic-free route takes in some great scenery as well as 400m long tunnels that have only been accessible for the last few years.  Apart from experiencing our railway heritage in a leisurely fashion the route also takes in several mills, a viaduct and lime kilns, giving you a great sense of the history of the area.

More info: www.peakdistrict.gov.uk

Ride the longest cycle tunnel

Thanks to the local community and Sustrans, the Two Tunnels Greenway which links Bath to the surrounding countryside now gives cycle fans a chance to ride, traffic free, along 5km of pathway.  Also built along an old railway line, this route takes in the 1672m long Combe Down Tunnel and the 408m long Devonshire Tunnel.  It is a shared path so is also available for walkers and wheel-chair users to travel along too.

More info: www.sustrans.org.uk and www.twotunnels.org.uk

Learn the art of legging with Dudley Canal Trips

Take a trip through mines, caverns and the 2888m long Dudley Tunnel.

Dudley Canal Trust run guided boat trips through tunnels, providing a unique way to explore 420 million years of history.  Take a two-hour trip through the 2888m long Dudley tunnel and learn the art of legging, tour limestone mines and caverns, and enjoy a light and music show in the Singing Cavern.

There is also a longer six-hour tour which takes in the Dudley tunnel and the Netherton tunnel as well as travelling down a striking flight of locks at the Parkhead Conservation Area.  Taking place during the summer months the tour also takes in Bumble Hole Conservation Area and the impressive and historic Cobbs Engine House.

Two-hour trips cost £11.70 for adults and £10.80 for children while the six-hour trips cost £15.75 for adults and £14.75 for children.

More info: www.dudleycanaltrust.org.uk

Walk under the Thames using the Greenwich Foot Tunnel

50ft below the Thames, the Greenwich Foot Tunnel

The Greenwich Foot Tunnel is a lesser-known treat for those wanting to explore the underside of the capital city.  Visitors can travel 50ft below the Thames, through the eerie 1217ft long tunnel.

The tunnel has its own history, celebrating its 110th birthday this year. During World War II the northern end was damaged by bombs – this is why some of the tunnel has a smaller diameter, as the repairs included a thick steel and concrete inner lining.

Explore the sloping, tile-lined tunnel taking you from Greenwich to the Isle of dogs, passing the 200,000 glazed white tiles lining the walls.

More info: www.visitgreenwich.org.uk

Dover Castle’s underground secrets

At Dover Castle explore the darkly atmospheric Secret Wartime Tunnels including Operation Dynamo, which allows visitors to immerse themselves in the Dunkirk evacuation.  There is also an Underground Hospital, recreating the sounds, smells and atmosphere of the underground Second World War hospital with its operating theatre and WAAF dormitory.  To complete the underground experience at Dover Castle there is an interactive exhibition covering the Napoleonic Wars and the First World War as well as WWII.

Dover Castle admission which includes the Secret Wartime Tunnels costs £17 for adults and £10.20 for children.

More info: www.english-heritage.org.uk

Tunnels Beaches – a seaside wonder

Tunnels Beaches, a unique network of hand carved tunnels.

Tunnels Beaches, Ilfracombe, is a unique network of hand carved tunnels leading to sheltered beaches and tidal Victorian bathing pools.

At the tunnels you will find information on how the tunnels came into existence as well as hilarious guides to Victorian etiquette for boys, girls and for when boating with the ladies!

The beach itself has been voted one of the top beaches for rock pooling and provides a great safe place to take a family for a day out.  Admission for adults costs £2.50 and for children £1.95.

More info: www.tunnelsbeaches.co.uk

As Contrary Life comes up for air, don’t forget to check back tomorrow for Part 2 of our trip underground…

The post Going underground with Contrary Life: Part 1 appeared first on Contrary Life.

When:

Where: Leeds Museum Discovery Centre, Carlisle Road, Leeds LS10 1LB

£: Free (booking is required)

What is it?

Bring your battery-powered candles and torches for the annual blackout behind the scenes tour of the store.  We all know what happens in museums after the lights are switched off.  Do you dare?

The Leeds Discovery Centre is a state-of-the-art storage facility. This is a great opportunity to have a peek at this unique museum resource as part of Museums at Night.

More info: www.visitleeds.co.uk/whats-on and www.leeds.gov.uk/museumsandgalleries

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When:

Where: Eastside Projects, 86 Heath Mill Lane, Birmingham B9 4AR

£: Free

What is it?

Gunilla Klingberg’s Parallelareal Variable reveals a powerful set of electro-magnetic bands of energy forming Eastside Projects.  Klingberg’s new site specific installation is the Stockholm based artist’s first solo show in the UK for over a decade.

Curry Lines are purposed electro-magnetic bands of energy crisscrossing the globe, similar to Ley Lines and the Hartmann Grid.  The lines themselves are not seen as a problem, only the points where they intersect each other.  As the lines are electrically charged, the intersecting points are either double positives, double negatives or one of each.  Dismissed by conventional science, these lines became important in the new age movement as areas of intense supernatural activity, the intersections in particular are mythologised to be a source of unhealthy energy that can physically affect a person’s state.

The artist hired a professional dowser to divine the position of the Curry Lines within Digbeth running through the gallery.  The representation of this grid through Eastside Projects turns the space into a flattened and repeating pattern for Klingberg, affecting the way a person navigates and exists in the space as a physical representation of the effects of the energy lines.

27,000 metres of steel ball chain fills the gallery space in a grid creating a series of layered curtained areas.  The three meter high ball chain curtains sparkle from a projection of another energy grid slowly moving on top of the steel lines.  To move through the gallery you have to push through the energy lines seeking out a positive position amongst the maze of options.

Exploring both the legacy of new age spirituality within contemporary culture and the historical importance of mysticism within art Klingberg’s visual machine locates a fixed and moving grid that divides the gallery space into areas of positive and negative energy affecting movement through the space with a psychedelic twist.

More info: eastsideprojects.org

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When:

Where: Harewood House, Harewood, West Yorkshire

£: 10 adults, 6 children and 30 family (two adults, two children). Free for Harewood members.

What is it?

Cast your eyes to the skies above Harewood House for kites and inflatables, striking colours, shapes, tricks and remarkable aerial displays at the annual Kite Festival of one of England’s finest treasure houses.  Bring along your own kite and join in the fun.

A myriad of family friendly activities will also take place on the ground, including kite making workshops.  The workshops will take place on both days from 11am – 3pm.

There will also be teddy bear themed events taking place including a picnic, storytelling and a trail.

Events may change due to weather conditions so it is advisable to check with the venue beforehand.

Ticket prices include entrance to the grounds and the event.  Harewood boasts over 100 acres of gardens with plants from all over the world.

More info: Visit www.visitleeds.co.uk/whats-on/Leeds-Kite-Festival and www.harewood.org/whats-on for more details.

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When:

Where: Tin Shed Experience, Montague House, Clifton Street, Laugharne, Carmarthenshire SA33 4QG

£: 3

What is it?

Yeoman, the living historians that recreate the Essex Yeomanry and First Aid Nursing Yeomanry from the Great War period will be setting up camp in the museum gardens of the Tin Shed Experience.  Tin Shed Experience is a quaint and quirky 1940s museum in Laugharne, west Wales, a town famous for its links with the poet Dylan Thomas.

The worlds first tabloid newspaper had been introduced in 1903 and there was a bit of an information revolution going on.  Political unrest in Europe was fairly common knowledge and war seemed inevitable.  The British army stepped up its training and consequently many towns and villages found themselves playing host to troops on exercise.  For the weekend of 25th and 26th of May, Laugharne will find itself subject to a visiting territorial cavalry regiment on exercise.  The public will be able to meet members of the regiment from the CO to the medical officer to the regimental cook and get a feel for how Britain geared up for war 100 years ago.

The Yeoman group’s mission is to educate and inform about the role of the British Territorial Cavalry volunteers during the great war of 1914-1918.  They focus particularly on the Essex Yeomanry & the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry.  It is a learning experience that blurs the line between re-enactment and theatre.  The group aim to be engaging, informative and highly memorable and offer the opportunity to interact with a number of characters from 1914 – 1918 as well as get hands-on with the kit and equipment of the period.

More info: www.tinshedexperience.co.uk and www.contrarylife.com

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When:

Where: Pleasance Islington, Carpenters Mews, North Road, London N7 9EF

£: 10 – 12 (for tickets phone the box office on 020 7609 1800 or visit the website)

What is it?

After a sell-out five-star run at the Edinburgh Festival Les Enfants Terribles tour the UK with their new award-winning show, The Trench.

From the team behind The Terrible Infants and The Vaudevillains, comes a new play inspired by the true story of a miner who became entombed in a tunnel during World War One.  As the horror threatens to engulf him, he finds that not everything in the darkness is what it seems as he starts to discover a new, strange world beneath the mud and death.  Setting off on an epic journey of salvation, the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur as he questions what’s real, what’s not and whether it even matters?

The Trench promises to be a unique theatre performance combining live music, puppetry and physical performance.

More info: www.pleasance.co.uk

The post Discover a strange new world with The Trench at the Pleasance appeared first on Contrary Life.

Souter Lighthouse will provide the backdrop for the unique Foghorn Requiem (Photo by Adrian Don).

When: 22nd June 2013, 12.30pm – 13.30pm

Where: Souter Lighthouse, South Shields, Tyne and Wear

£: Free

What is it?

This summer Souter Lighthouse, at South Shields – the first lighthouse in the world to be powered by electricity – is to provide the backdrop for a unique, musical world-first in celebration of the foghorn.

Used for centuries to guide ships away from the rocks, foghorns across the country are gradually being decommissioned as vessels rely increasingly on satellite navigation systems.

On June 22, the foghorn at Souter Lighthouse will take the lead in an ambitious, specially composed Foghorn Requiem, written by celebrated British composer Orlando Gough.

The Requiem will be performed with the backing of three North East brass bands and vessels of all shapes and sizes will anchor off the coast and sound their horns to a musical score that will take into account climatic conditions, the landscape and distance from the shore.

It will be a unique event as it is not only the first musical score created for foghorns but it will also use pioneering technology to conduct and control ships horns from afar.

The event will be the highlight of a month-long Festival of the North East initiated by musician Kathryn Tickell to celebrate and raise awareness of the social and cultural heritage of the region.

The Foghorn Requiem has been commissioned by South Tyneside Council and the National Trust, which took over the running of Souter following its decommissioning in 1988.

More info: Further information about the Foghorn Requiem can be found at www.foghornrequiem.org and details about events and activities in South Tyneside this summer can be found at www.southtyneside.info.

The post Unique sounds in South Shields with the Foghorn Requiem appeared first on Contrary Life.

When:

Where: Thackray Medical Museum, Beckett Street, Leeds LS9 7LN

£: Adults 8 and children 5

What is it?

Are you brave enough to wander the corridors of the Victorian workhouse after hours as the museum comes alive?

Watch as re-enactors bring history to life in front of your eyes and meet the creepy and colourful characters from the medical past.  See what the surgeon says about amputations and what is ailing the people of 1842 in the recreated street.  All this plus a family trail and activities.

More info: www.thackraymedicalmuseum.co.uk and to find out about this and other Museums at Night events in Leeds visit www.visitleeds.co.uk/whats-on

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Do you have the appetite for Frank’s RedHot® Wings Eating Competition?

When: 8th & 9th June 2013

Where: Albert Square, Manchester

£: Free to take part in the eating competition.  Grillstock tickets from 7.50.

What is it?

Fancy a tasty challenge?  Well, Frank’s RedHot® is hosting one and asking how many Buffalo wings you can eat in five minutes?  They have organised an epic wing eating competition and will crown one person ‘The Official Wings Eating Champion 2013.’

So how big is your appetite?  Munch through the regional heats and eat your way to the big final in London in November.

Grillstock is the original celebration of barbecue culture with two days of meat, music and mayhem. This year’s line-up includes Kitty Daisy & Lewis.

More info: Visit grillstock.co.uk/hot-wing-competition to enter the competition.

The post Do you have the appetite for a Wings Eating Competition? appeared first on Contrary Life.

Take a Yeo Valley Farm Adventure Tour and meet the cows.

When: Tours will take place throughout the summer

Where: Yeo Valley, Blagdon, North Somerset

£: Yeo Valley’s Farm Adventure Tours and Garden Tours are both all-day events and cost £30 per person.

What is it?

Yeo Valley, the Somerset-based family-run dairy company, will be opening its doors this summer to give the public the chance to see its farm and organic garden.

Lasting for a full day and including a delicious homemade lunch and afternoon tea, Yeo Valley’s Farm Adventure Tours will be led by local expert Les Davies MBE. Whilst taking a short walk around the edge of the Mendip Hills, providing glorious views over the valley, you will get the chance to learn about the importance of organic farming as well as the history and myths of the surrounding landscape.  In addition, you’ll get to see some of the results of Yeo Valley’s environmental and conservation work, such as dry-stone walls, hedges and woodland, as well as meeting Yeo Valley’s award-winning British Friesian cows.

The dates for the Farm Tours are the 7th and 21st June, 5th and 19th July, 30th August and 20th September.

Get back to nature with Yeo Valley’s tours this summer.

The Yeo Valley Food and Garden Tours, set in the beautiful Organic Garden – the only organically certified ornamental garden in the UK – are perfect for keen gardeners and green enthusiasts alike.  As well as having the opportunity to meet like-minded people, Yeo Valley’s garden team will be on hand to provide plenty of great tips and ideas.

The tour and talks during the day will cover a variety of gardening subjects, ranging from how to make wonderfully rich compost, to making your own comfrey tea.  The day also includes some time in the Garden’s Tea Room for a tasty homemade lunch and afternoon tea, as well as a special cookery demo by Yeo Valley’s chef, who will share some great cookery tips.

The dates for the Garden Tours are the 4th and 18th June, 9th and 23rd July, 13th August, 10th and 24th September.

More info: www.yeovalley.co.uk

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