Rural communities on Anglesey will benefit from a new £4m fund set up to support the countryside. The Rural Development Plan will deliver activities to support communities on Anglesey until 2011. It will help businesses and tourism promote the development of innovative new food products and safeguard natural environments.

Plans for a new Roman museum which would reate 120 jobs in Cumbria have been announced. Hadrian’s Wall Heritage, who have brought the land, wish to build the new attraction on the site of a Roman fort at Camp Farm, Maryport, hoping to attract more than 50,000 visitors to the area a year. Archaeologists will excavate the site before the museum is built.

A new multi-million pound visitor centre is set to enhance the visitor experience at Tweed Valley Forest Park as the focal point for outdoor activities in South East Scotland.

The highest of eco-friendly standards are a key element in Forestry Commission Scotland’s new £5m Glentress Peel Centre. The Four building development will be on the edge of Glentress Forest, connected by trails, with new car parking areas.

New facilities will include:

• A bike shop and bike hire services,
• Showers, toilets, changing areas and information services
• Café and meeting point
• Management facilities for on-site staff and associated partners

Construction work is expected to begin in spring 2009 and completed by summer 2010.

The New Forest National Park Authority (NFNPA) is going to carry out a public consultation on two draft documents outlining its 20 year vision for the park. The National Park Plan and the Recreation Management Strategy are the result of a development and consultation process between the Authority and 70 organisations, as well as workshops. The National Park Plan is the first National Park Management Plan that has been developed by NFNPA, and a first to be combined with the Core Strategy.

The DCMS is going to inject £1million to support rural tourism which has been suffered from the unseasonal weather experienced over the last three months and foot and mouth.

A recent survey published by the National Parks in the United Kingdom revealed that 93% of participants felt that National Parks are important to them.  National Parks are very important  for rural economies which and attract some 150 million visitors per annum.

The Forestry Commission and Butterfly Conservation Scotland are working together to open a new nature reserve in Mabie Forest.

Go Ape are one of the UK’s leading innovative companies in the outdoor recreation sector.  They have developed their ‘aerial assault course’ at 12 centres in the UK, many in partnership with Forestry Commission locations.

Mendip District Council has passed a proposal to increase the capacity of the Glastonbury Festival by 27,500 users, taking the capacity up to 177,000 people. We understand that 400,000 people have registered for tickets.

Dovedale in the Peak District has becomes Britain’s newest national nature reserve in recognition of its woodlands, rock formations and diverse flower rich grassland.  There are 222 reserves in England with 3 others in Derbyshire.

Britain’s canal system faces cuts following the Government’s rural budget reductions.  This brings fears that the historic waterway network could fall into disrepair, which would have a direct impact on canal tourism and visits to the surrounding countryside.  A number of interest groups are joining together to campaign for more funding, recognising the importance of canals to rural tourism.

A new environmental organisation known as “Natural England” has been launched to conserve the natural environment in England. An amalgamation of English Nature, the environmental activities of the Rural Development Service and the Countryside Agency’s Landscape Access and Recreation Division, Natural England will be responsible for England’s natural environment, including land, flora, fauna, alongside geology and soils.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) commissioned research to show the most peaceful parts of the countryside, revealing that the North East Region is the most tranquil in England.  Researchers mapped the country to show the most peaceful unspoilt areas, with Northumberland coming out top followed by Cumbria and North Yorkshire.  The least tranquil counties were in the Home Counties in Surry and Hertfordshire but also including Cheshire in the North West.

It is interesting how tranquillity is not only important for quality of life issues and the most pleasant areas to live but also relate to their tourism appeal and attraction as more people seek holidays and short breaks to “get away from it all”.

A recent report ‘Valuing the National Parks of Wales’ has identified that Snowdonia, Pembrokeshire and the Brecon Beacons National Parks helped to generate £177 million each year in revenue and provide some 12,000 jobs.  To find out more please click here.

An interesting report on rural. The Scottish Parliament Rural Tourism report though produced in 2002 provides a good overview of the challenges faced by Scotland in terms of rural tourism.  Click here to download the report it may take some time to download the report).

A seasonal bus service in the Brecon Beacons has increased its service due to extra demand. The service links visitors and members of the local community to beautiful destinations in the Brecon Beacons National Park.

Perhaps if you can think of any other examples of sustainable transport initiatives related to tourism please email me news@pslplan.co.uk

Farm Stay UK is an interesting example in respect of marketing rural farm based accommodation to a wide audience.  Brochure production and distribution costs are often prohibitive for small scale accommodation providers.

Farm Stay UK, a farmer owned consortium, have over come this hurdle by bringing together over 1,000 members to jointly promote their farm based accommodation via a website and a brochure run of 150,000 in 2005.

To find out more visit the Farm Stay UK website.