The calm after the storm and ash cloud

Wednesday 25th May 2011

Yesterday morning we saw what havoc the high winds had caused to our large beech trees in front of the office - although I am sure they have seen a few storms in their day.

The only person at Brightwater Holidays affected by the ash cloud yesterday was me!

We were very lucky that we had no passengers en-route to or from Scotland - had it been this weekend it would have been a different story - so fingers crossed it doesn't return.

As I have to be in London tomorrow I had to get back down to Somerset where I live, so there was no option but to drive. It was a real deja vu experience as it was almost exactly a year ago that I had to do the same drive back and forward to the office in Fife (I know I know it's bonkers to live so far away, but I have to do as I am told!)

So I left the office at 4.30 and had a really clear run through the Borders, across to the M74, then straight down the M6/M5. Just me, Radio 4 and Eddie Stobbart. Home by 11pm.

You know, it is a really beautiful country we live in - The Borders around Biggar was looking magnificent, The Lake District at Shap was splendid in evening sunlight. Further south through Lancashire and Cheshire all the trees were laden with fresh foliage - then finally to watch the sun set behind the Malvern Hills was a delight. So a long car drive is not so bad - that is only if you don't have three kids in the back saying "Are we nearly there yet?"

There may be trouble ahead

Monday 23 May 2011

We have been battered by storms all day, with incredibly high winds - this has brought about operational problems for our group heading to Shetland and over to Stornoway. The Northlink ferry to Shetland is unlikely to sail until they get a decent window of calmer weather http://www.northlinkferries.co.uk - which they have told us will possibly not be until midnight to night - mind you it is no fun being on a ferry anywhere, let alone heading for Shetland in rough seas. I once went to Shetland on the old St Clair ferry in a Force 8 gale, a memorable trip for all the wrong reasons!

Another operational problem was that it took me 2 hours to return from Bob Strachan's funeral (see last blog) in Dundee to our office in Cupar - a journey normally 20 mins. Because of the high winds the Tay Bridge was closed to all vehicles so I had to trail round via Perth dodging the flying debris and fallen trees. It was a nightmare. Our two big beech trees have taken a hammering and have lost some branches, but last time I looked they were still standing.

On top of all that the Volcanic Ash is on its way back (joy!). It is almost exactly a year ago when we had the first Ash chaos to deal with - let's hope it is nothing like that - we are told it is a different type of ash this time - we'll see. http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=14&pagetype=65&appid=7&mode=detail&nid=1996

I'm supposed to be going to Morocco on Friday - Volcanic Ash is all I need!

Amids all this disruption at least there were some cheerful comments in today's post bag

"This was one of the best Brightwater tours I have been on, much due to our excellent driver, Jake Tulloch and guide Trish Strang" - Highlights of Orkney and Shetland - Thank you Miss Auld (Thank you Jake, thank you Trish)

"Our Guide Hugh Trevarthen was outstanding, coach driver Simon was a great character and expert driver. The gardens and art galleries selected for the tour provided the most rewarding visits" - Arts and Gardens of Cornwall - Thank you Mrs Falconer-Salkeld (Thank you Hugh, thank you Simon)

"Very impressive throughout" - Gardens of Kent and Sussex - Thank you Velma and Lorraine

"Very enjoyable fun break, good for single traveller" - Patios of Cordoba

The whistling has finally stopped.

Friday 20th May 2011

An interesting day today, when I met up with Perennial - the Gardener's Charity http://www.perennial.org.uk/ - I met Barbara at Calke Abbey, a National Trust property near Ashby-de-la-Zouch in the Midlands.

I noticed as I was driving up the M42 that this area is designated the National Forest (but from the motorway there was little or no evidence of any trees) http://www.nationalforest.org/ That said once off the motorway the area was very lush and green. Calke Abbey is a sad place really - as it is preserved by the Trust to show what happened to many of the great stately homes of the country when the money ran out. http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-calkeabbey

There is a long drive in through wonderful parklands with stunning specimen trees, and it is worth the visit for that alone. It seems most folks use it as a wonderful centre for walking.

My meeting was very productive with some creative new tours planned for next year (watch this space). I just had time for a quick look round the old walled garden which was in the process of being planted-up with summer colour - but the thing I wanted to see the most was its Auricula Theatre - it took me back to Abriachan Gardens on Loch Ness-side back in February when I first discovered the term 'Auricula Theatre' and I wasn't disappointed although the plants were in fact geraniums.

We had sad news this week in the office when we heard that our dear friend Bob Strachan had passed away last Saturday. Bob used to work in the Promotions department at D C Thomson in Dundee and was a great friend to Brightwater Holidays - indeed when he retired he came down to our office one day a week to keep his hand in- send the brochures out, do some filing and make the tea. Bob will always be remembered as a continual whistler - he didn't know he was doing it - he didn't know it used to drive us nuts! We didn't have the heart to mention it.

The whistling has finally stopped.

Happy to be of service

Monday 16th May 2011

Well, so far so good with the new Server (he said while touching wood and crossing his fingers). There was some frantic activity in our office over the weekend, when we up-graded all our IT systems and PC's in the office. It is amazing how much dust accumulates under peoples desks!

There were a couple of 'sweaty' moments but generally it has been a seamless transition and first thing this morning everyone managed to log-on OK, and proceed as normal. Big Grant from TSG has been a star. http://www.tsg.com/

I was in the office last evening on my own and had a good clear out of clutter - the amount of junk that gathers over the years! It is always quite therapeutic to dump old brochures/files/books that nobody looks at - I even found a collection of old Yellow Pages - I mean who uses Yellow Pages now? Stick your request into Google and find your plumber or in our case coach operator or hotel.

So other than a few tweaks and two new printers to be connected tomorrow we are good to go for the next few years with a lean and fast computer system - so we have no excuses.

Auditors in today (say no more) so I was on my best behaviour for them.

Some nice feed back in the post this morning from a couple of recent tours -

Tresco - "All travel arrangements worked well and we enjoyed the welcome talk by Mike Nelhams the garden Curator, who next morning took us round the gardens which were beautiful. Everyone we dealt with was very nice and the weather was perfect." http://www.tresco.co.uk/what-to-do/abbey-garden/gallery-abbeygardens.aspx

Mull & Iona - "Our guide Pauline Corrigan's encyclopedic knowledge made this a wonderful tour" http://www.holidaymull.co.uk/

Tresco - " Our Rail journey to Penzance was a nightmare because of delays caused by a fatality on the line near Reading, this led to a disrupted journey changing trains causing a series of delays. That said, your arrangements to get us over to Tresco the same day were excellent - Well done." (Thank you Mr Seaward - and thank you Jenni in Operations who worked her socks off to get the helicopter to wait for our party).

http://www.brightwaterholidays.co.uk/team.aspx

Are you being served?

Thursday 12th May 2011

I'm trying desperately to get excited about a new Server and 14 new PC's coming tomorrow and over the weekend. I am told it will speed things up and will be the answer to all our frustrations (all of them?) Thousands of pounds in investment for something that sits in our Reception and looks like a filing cabinet! But will it get us more bookings?

A fragmented week of Accounts meetings and interviews. Alison and Ann have been interviewing students for our annual summer internship. One bright spark looked promising with previous experience of an internship with a National Newspaper when the Open Golf was on recently at St Andrews (we were impressed) on pressing for a little more info it seems the student was handing out free copies of the newspaper at the entrance to the tented village - well you've got to start somewhere - I remember handing out Evening Times Bingo Cards in Paisley for a week as part of a Marketing push in the west of Scotland.

Evelyn has been working on our next e-mailer promoting our Steam Railway breaks - this is proving to be a most effective way of getting the message out.

Meanwhile Michael Gill is just back from Cordoba with news that the two groups who visited the Festival of the Patios had a great time. http://www.andalucia.com/cities/cordoba/patios.htm

Fingers crossed for our IT work this weekend, I'll let you know how it went on Monday.

Loo facilities on coach come out from hiding

Monday 9th May 2011

More nice feed-back from our clients on recent holidays :-

"Excellent Tour Manager, very calm, friendly, inspired a lot of confidence in guests" (Well done Malcolm!)

"First tour and delighted by the experience" (Thank you Mr Dalrymple - hope to see you again)

" Disappointed that coach had no toilet facility - thoroughly enjoyed the whole Brightwater experience - NB late correction - found the toilet on the return journey, yet to try it!" (obviously plenty pit-stops on that holiday!?)

"Excellent Holiday in all respects" (Waverley and Western Isles - thank you Ms Hamilton)

" Do you do Yorkshire? - God's own country" (Yes we do, Harrogate Flower Show 15th September from £325.00 per person)

"The extra trips to Arnhem War Cemetery and walk around Dordrecht really appreciated."

"Unscheduled surprise visits were appreciated - e.g. Windmills and cheese and clog farm"

"A very good holiday" Dutch Bulbfields (Short and to the point - thank you Dr and Mrs Bell)

Hazey Spring Days

Thursday 5th May 2011

Blimey where does the time go? What with Easter, Bank Holidays, Royal Weddings the last few weeks have been a blur - or should I say a heat haze?

Our holidays to the Scilly Isles (Bryher and Tresco) www.hellbay.co.uk have been like the Caribbean with Easter in the Western Highlands not much different. The Island Hotel on Tresco being described by one of our passengers as "An outstanding Hotel - a real pity it is changing to Timeshare"

Our travellers who were on the Waverley paddle steamer in and out of Oban had a fantastic trip - ice cream and factor 50 sun cream - it doesn't get much better than that!

Mull, Staffa and Iona were also basking in sunshine and one happy customer stated on her Questionnaire that "This is my third Brightwater Holiday and I wouldn't travel with anyone else!"

Thank you very much Mrs Downs.

Meanwhile I managed to visit Kew Gardens on a recent visit to London and very nice it was too in all its spring glory www.kew.org - sadly it proved to be a rather expensive visit in more ways than one. £26.00 to get in (Family ticket) Pot of tea, drinks and ice cream cones, another £30.00 and after and hour and a half wandering around the glass-houses it was time to go - only to find outside the gardens my brand new car had been broken into - window smashed, glass everywhere video camera nicked!

A rather more enjoyable reconnaissance trip was to Pembroke-shire in South Wales when I went for the day to Skomer Island www.welshwildlife.org/skomerintro_en.link. I have always had a hunch that there was a tour in this part of Wales as I had heard how beautiful the coastline is around St Davids and St Brides Bay. As a boy I had read a couple of books about the Puffins and Manx Shearwaters that breed on Skomer in their thousands but I had never been, so off I went one really sunny afternoon with my son to inspect the area as a possible holiday destination.

Skomer was fantastic - a lovely boat trip of about 20 minutes and the island was packed with puffins, seals, Razorbills, Guillemots - we even had a fly-past from a Short-eared owl and the bluebells that carpet the island were a sight to behold. I still need to do a bit of work on finding a suitable hotel, but watch this space - we should have a very interesting new tour next spring to South Wales.