Friday 26th March 2010

Formby Point

Another week whizzes by - my first call to the office is met with taunting victory chants from Andrew who is cock-a-hoop that his beloved Dundee United have beaten Rangers (my team) one nil. I ask Ann in accounts how things were for our fast approaching year-end, and I get a 10 minute rant about 'There's a lot going on Graeme, a lot going on!' - gulp! I am glad I asked. Ann and Lisa do a wonderful job in Accounts balancing the books, chasing payments, querying invoices, and dealing with banks/merchant services etc, etc. " Graeme! Did you agree to pay such and such!"

Alison has been rallying the troops in Reservations and Ops - trying to increase booking levels by preparing some special offers for May departures - see website for details.

Kerry is busy sending out Joining Instructions for the Bulbfields departures - finalising pick up lists, special requests etc

Mid week Dave our genius designer has turned my scribbles into a slick lay-out for our next brochure 'Here comes summer!' To be honest Spring has been so late this year we have given it up as a bad job and decided to move straight on to summer - Hopefully this brochure will be out in a couple of weeks.

We have been relatively lucky over the impact of the British Airways strike, with only a handful of passengers affected (not very lucky for those individuals it has to be said) - but the reaction we have had today to the announcement of a proposed National Rail Strike has been almost overwhelming. We have loads of people worried about how their travel arrangements will be affected - Alison tells me that the phones have been red hot - so much so that no-one can get on with what they are supposed to be doing. I wonder whether the striking rail workers appreciate the knock-on effect such a strike has right down the line, creating so much extra work, worry and hassle to thousands of people.

I head north up the M5 in trepidation of road works and delays, however I have a clear run and end up north of Liverpool by just after four-thirty. I see the distinctive shape of Liverpool's cathedral many miles off in the distance. I have been invited to speak to the Formby Horticultural Society and having never been to Formby before I guess it is a pretty affluent little town when I see a large Waitrose, Marks and Spencers and an independent bookshop in the High Street - always a good sign.

Now that the daylight is stretching I have time to have a quick walk down to the beach at Formby Point (Lifeboat Walk I think it was called - seemingly after the first ever Lifeboat Station - learnt something new?) Red Squirrels and a flash of Sanderlings were a tonic. In the distance a large freighter ship is disappearing out of the River Mersey estuary - and I imagine the many sailing ships that used to head out to all corners of the Empire from Liverpool. People were jogging around the sand dunes (I thought I recognised a Liverpool football player) and a nice Skylark was singing overhead. Back in the town I had a quick pint in the Village Inn - which was a great bar steeped in football history, with posters, scarfs (both for Liverpool and Everton) newspaper cuttings all over the walls - very friendly folks with such a strong local accent.

My talk to the Horticultural Society goes well, and they seem to be a lovely group - I make polite excuses after tea and miss the judging of their bulb show and raffle as I have a long drive home.

The M5 has an unnecessary go at me by being closed at junction 8 and I have long diversions before I eventually make it home by 1.20 in the morning.

Random thought, nothing to do with Brightwater Holidays - I heard my first Chiffchaff this morning - thought I'd share that with you.

I'm off next week - Easter Holidays with the family - heading back to the North West.

Tuesday 23rd March 2010

It must be spring - it's foggy in Penzance!

Last Friday brought about disruption to our Tresco departure because of fog in Penzance. Jenni and Kerry were in what was described as a 'War room' sorting out overnight accommodation for our passengers - after the initial disappointment everyone was very grateful. The following morning fortunately the weather was better and flights were operational again however for those on an afternoon flight (because of the backlog) we arranged a visit to Trebah Garden which was well received. The sun shone for the rest of the weekend and Tresco was a picture.

I have been working on our Sustainable Tourism Policy document as part of our AITO membership and it has amazed me at the number of great initiatives we are involved with - from recycling as much as possible in the office, to supporting community projects and local charities - have a look on our website at

www.brightwaterholidays.com/responsibletourism.

Our Summer Brochure is with Dave the printer - I send him scraps of paper with squiggles and arrows and before long a silk purse appears! I hope to get it signed off before I go off on a Easter holiday with my family to Glenelg - of which I had a remarkable telephone conversation this evening. Out of the blue a call was put through to me from someone who was looking for a copy of an old photograph we had used in a promotion in the Scots Magazine in 2001. It was a one-off tour we did based in Glenelg called 'Within the ring of bright water' It was a lovely shot of Sandaig or Camusfearna the setting of Gavin Maxwell's book of the same name. I asked what he wanted it for and he explained that he had been for many years the Doctor in Glenelg and that it would bring back many happy memories as he now is too old to travel. A copy is winging its way to him.

I am in Edinburgh tomorrow to meet with the Friends of the Botanic Garden to see how we can help with their membership drive - then on Thursday I am to speak in Formby near Liverpool to their Horticultural Society - I don't think I have ever been in Formby before - I'll need to do a good turn as this is my last talk of the Winter, next not until September. Formby here I come.

Wednesday 17th March 2010

Spring and Birthdays in the air (official)


The first of our spring tours to Andalucia are back with good reports from our passengers.

'A good holiday made excellent by our Tour Manager Michael Gill'

' Excellent service throughout the tour'

'Thoroughly enjoyed our first organised tour - we will come again!'


Andalucia has been one of our most popular tours over the years and remains to be so - a nice mix of gardens and Spanish culture.

The chaps in Operations are now busy finalising joining instructions for the first of our Bulbfields tours that depart in a couple of weeks - this is seen as a good sign - because if we are going to Holland it must be spring!

Tresco too is now underway, with the first of our passengers arriving on the Scilly Isles this week and will be every week through until early May.

I had the day off yesterday to celebrate a 'significant' birthday (which was all very nice) however I was hoping to sneak into the office this morning and put all that behind me - but the staff had other ideas by decking the stairs and my office with balloons and banners saying Happy Birthday - a nice touch and much appreciated by this old geezer!

Thursday 11th March 2010

From Romford to the Bell Rock

Another varied week charging around the country - on Tuesday I was in Essex speaking to a very active Gardening Group in Romford - a lovely crowd who were most appreciative. Before that, in the afternoon I made the effort to call in and see our printers Barham and Moore, who are based in Chelmsford. We have had a long relationship with Barham and Moore and it was good to see them in the flesh (so to speak) Our main contact there is Dave, who I speak to most days either about forthcoming print jobs or advertisements/promotions we are preparing for whatever newspaper or magazine. We have a kind of telepathy going on, in so much as Dave knows me so well now, that all I need to say is 'You know that photo of the garden chair we used in last summer's brochure? - or, use the 'Mrs Bryson 'photo, the Tresco 'path', Shetland's booming surf etc etc.

He is a great lad, always jolly, and always willing to help. We marvel at his early morning swims and are greatly impressed with his cycle spinning sessions in the gym.

Dave leads me round the shop floor and it was nice to shake the greasy hands of the men who work the printing presses - indeed our Tresco postcard was just getting trimmed when I was there. Thanks Dave and Steve for all you do for us.

My business finished in Chelmsford I drove down to Romford to kill some time before my evening talk.

One thing I have done over the years as I have been travelling the country speaking to Garden Clubs is once I have found the hall I am due to speak at I usually find a nearby pub and have a quiet pint of Guinness and just watch the world go by - quite an interesting way to get a handle on the mood of the nation. I've heard from North Sea oil workers in Aberdeen, University Dons in Oxford, heated political debate in Bournemouth - but this week in Romford I watched in amazement as a young man pleaded with the barmaid not to give him any more change for the slot-machine as he had already spent £69 on it that evening! Two big Labradors were sniffing around and a couple of young ladies were resplendent in their patterned baggy nylon track-suits, laughing like cockatoos, drinking their alcho-pops. I sat quietly minding my own business reading Bill Bryson describe the Big Bang theory in his own inimitable style (which I have to say was really pretty heavy going), Val Doonigan was on the Duke-box (I remember thinking is that really Val Doonigan on the Duke-box?) then I felt a tugging at my trouser leg - I was lost somewhere in the creation of the Universe, when I looked down to find a Chiwawa getting (let's say)... getting very amorous with my right leg!! You see life as a Tour Operator is never dull!
I made it home to Somerset by 12.20 am.

Wednesday was not to be dull either as Alison and Ann turned up by 9.00am for our Quarterly Management meeting around the kitchen table - four times a year Alison (our Associate Director), Ann (Accounts Manager) Kay and myself (Directors) have a formal business meeting where we review past activity, plan and discuss future developments, staff issues, costs, brochure requirements and marketing initiatives etc, etc. - well when I say it is formal, it is not too formal and we usually have a good laugh and Kay and I entertain Alison and Ann by our husband/wife bickering. It was a good and productive meeting after which I accompanied Alison and Ann back to Scotland for a day in the office on Thursday.

On landing in Edinburgh it was the most beautiful early spring evening with the Forth Road and Rail bridges looking stunning in the low sun. I was off to meet and have supper with an old friend of Brightwater Holidays Jamie le Friac who used to be in the Scillies, but now is running a hotel near Arbroath, Letham Grange Hotel - and very nice it was too - mostly used for golf groups (as it has two fine looking golf courses in its grounds. Supper and business chat was followed by watching the football on telly and an early night.

I sneaked away early this morning to get down to our offices in Cupar - it was another crisp and clear morning and I was thrilled to see the Bell Rock lighthouse away out in the north sea flashing away on the horizon - along way from anywhere, certainly a long way from Romford.

Thursday 4th March 2010

Old Kilpatrick

What was once a mighty iceberg is now but a slushy pool of melt-water in the car park - our pile of ice made into its fourth month before it finally expired - although as I was driving through to the west of Scotland last night I could not believe the blanket covering of snow between Kinross and Glasgow - no wonder we have had little interest in our early spring UK tours - half of Britain is still in winter mode - let's hope that means we will have a hot summer.

In the office we are preparing a postcard mailing on the back of my visit to Tresco last week - trying to entice clients back to Tresco to say goodbye to the Island Hotel, before it is knocked down at the end of this year. I have to say I have mixed feelings about this as it is still a lovely hotel, however I can see the harsh commercial reality faced by the people on Tresco. The good news though is that they have agreed in principle that we can base our groups from next spring in the Hell Bay Hotel on Bryher, which is a really stunning hotel that has recently received its third red rosette for food - so hardly a downgrade for our customers.

Ann in Accounts is pulling her hair our because of the collapse of the Japanese Yen - as we are getting close to settling up for our two 'Blossom-time' groups - it seems that the Japanese economy is struggling even more than our own!

Very good feed-back relating to our two Sicily tours - although I think the general feeling was that an extra hotel in Sicily would have made for less mileage on the coach. We will have to weigh this up against the downside of packing and re-packing - probably worth it I would reckon. Must speak to Alison about this to tweak our Autumn departures.

You see this is what we have to do - we listen to the comments our customers make (good and bad) and where appropriate we will make the necessary changes to improve the service we offer.

I ended up in Old Kirkpatrick last night - right underneath the Erskine Bridge - I hadn't been there for many years, indeed I remember as a boy seeing the QE2 squeeze underneath the bridge after its launch from John Brown's Ship Yard - but that was a long time ago.

I was speaking to a really nice group from the Old Kirkpatrick Horticultural Society. Several of the group had travelled with us before and they were very appreciative to hear the story of our set up and the fun/challenges we have had over the years. Sadly I was informed that the club was going to have to wind-up in a few weeks due to the fact that no-one was prepared to take on committee positions. Very sad, but quite a common predicament I guess.

Friday 26th February 2010

Tresco's Abbey Garden

After a nightmarish journey in torrential rain/closed roads and traffic jams due to a horrible car crash I checked into my hotel in Penzance at about 10.30pm.

I was somewhat relieved to wake at six-thirty with sunrise over St Michael's Mount and clear skies. My journey to the Scilly Isles was by British International Helicopters and only took 20 minutes to go the 30 miles to St Mary's. I was slightly concerned by the news footage I had seen at the Heliport about the snow storms in Perthshire and the Highlands so I phoned into the office in Cupar to see how things were - fortunately Fife was OK, but just a few miles away at Auchterarder they had 2 foot of snow!

Anyway back in St Mary's my water taxi 'Cyclone' of Bryher Boats was waiting at the quay and before I knew it we were out in a big sea, getting tossed about. James the pilot adjusted the throttle and 'Cyclone' simply rose up on to the tops of the waves and in literally 5 or 10 minutes we were coming into the southern quay of Tresco. James explained to me that in the last 10-15 years the improved technology in boating has revolutionised the experience people get when travelling from island to island in the Scillies - certainly my crossing from St Marys to Tresco was very comfortable given the suspention in the seats. The boat was bouncing up and down but I was not!

My good friend Mike Nelhams (the Curator of the Abbey Gardens) was waiting on the quay looking rather wind-swept - but dashing none the less, although I think he may have taken my quip about 'was there no barbers on the Scillies' the wrong way!

I was over on Tresco for the day to have meetings to discuss the changes that are happening to the Island Hotel at the end of this year - basically the hotel is to be redeveloped into an 'apart-hotel' cum timeshare development. It was a most successful day with a fortunate conclusion in that our Garden Tours will be accommodated at the very comfortable Hell Bay Hotel on the neighbouring island of Bryher - More details to follow soon.

What I love about the Scilly Isles is the light, and it was a bright and sunny day (all day) with the seas looking more like the Caribbean than British coastal waters. Everywhere you look you see the sea, with white waves crashing over rough rocks or bright sunshine reflecting off white sandy beaches.

Mike was an accommodating host, taking me round the new development and showing me where everything was going to go. It is fair to say that they are going to have to crack a few eggs to make the finished omelette, however I am sure that within a couple of years the finished development will be world class. Fortunately all the building work will be in just one small area and the rest of the island will be untouched.

Time was tight, however I managed to sneak a quick look at an amazing ship's figurehead from one of Nelson's fleet (Colossus) that was recently found lying at the bottom of the sea off Samson, then Mike took me on a whistle stop tour of the Abbey Gardens. OK you've got to remember this was February, and half of Britain was under 2 feet of snow - well the Abbey Gardens were simply stunning with numerous exotic flowers out in colourful bloom. I have been round the garden many times, but every time I see how it constantly matures and subtle changes have been made (nice new features in the fruit garden since I was last there) and I can completely understand why it is often described as 'The Eden Project with the lid off.' We had the gardens to ourselves apart from some dazzling Golden Pheasants that shot out from under our feet. Mike's wife Isobel was putting the final touches to the shop and Tea Rooms at the Garden entrance as they were due to open on Monday.

Sadly it was all too soon before I jumped aboard the 1500hrs helicopter back to Penzance (which only took 15 minutes as there was such a strong tail wind).