In its fledgling year, the West Country extravaganza that is the Bristol Balloon Fiesta comprised just 27 balloons. As more companies began to get involved in the unique spectacle, including entries from across the globe, the number rose to 90 in 1985, a postwar record. This year, 2017, more than 130 hot air balloons took to the gleaming August sky. Among them was our very own Red Letter Days vessel, its iconic red and white design standing out against the ether. A hot air balloon experience makes the ultimate present. If you’d like to gift a truly deserving loved one, pick out a ride from our comprehensive Hot Air Ballooning…

Among all the high-kicking musicals and up-tempo comedies drawing crowds to London’s West End, The Woman in Black is something completely different: a ghost story. An adaptation of Susan Hill’s novel, the show is a proper old-fashioned spine-tingler that has been terrifying packed-out auditoriums since 1987. Its combination of simple but effective stage direction, spooky effects and taut-as-string tension ensures an atmosphere as inescapably black as the dress of its titular character. “Bring the lights way down low and everyone gets apprehensive and begins to imagine all sorts of things.” ~ Stuart Fox Mr Kipps (played by Stuart Fox) is a lawyer who has become morbidly preoccupied with a curse he believes…

Wild for big cats? Well, this one’s for you! To mark #InternationalTigerDay appropriately, we put together a fact file full of fascinating nuggets of information about the magnificent felines. As some of the most regal animals to walk the earth, there’s something quite spellbinding about the powerful beasts. They have the strength to take down their prey in a flash, their survival instincts are second to none and of course, they’re absolutely breathtaking to look at. Sadly the wild population of a number of these species is ever dwindling, as the threat of extinction remains an urgent problem. The biggest perils come as a result of the human population – loss of habitat…

Vive la gin revolution. No longer mother’s ruin but connoisseur’s tipple, the spirit is enjoying the unbridled adoration of the nation. And where better to enjoy this juniper-enthused pick-me-up than on an open air boat, sailing down the river under blue skies? Thanks to our experience Mermaids Gin and Jazz Cruise we were able to do just that. And so can you. And so you should. Along with bloggers-slash-gin aficionados Sophie, Tanya, Liza, Sara-Jayne and Ami, we embarked on our gin cruise one sunny afternoon down the River Hamble in Southampton. It was just the tonic. Blue Box Sailing, who run the sailing event, threw in an extra treat for us:…