Combovers Things To Do Before You're Bald

A tourist at home in Cambridge and Oxford

As the famous English writer G.K. Chesterton once said  “The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” In a day and age when it is often more attractive and sometimes even cheaper to travel abroad, our own English heritage and tourism is often sadly overlooked and left by the wayside as British travelers flock to the airports in search of not just the sun, sand and sea but also foreign heritage sights and culture. So in search of an interesting way to explore our past from our front door and beyond our usual habits I have come up with an idea of viewing Britain as tourist.

A great place to start, is Oxford. For those residing or wishing to live in Oxford, renting a flat makes access to this beautiful and historical town so much easier. Oxford, made famous by its university and proximity to the scenic, surrounding Cotswolds countryside, is truly a great place to start your quest to see England through fresh eyes. What better way to get to know about some of England’s greatest traditions if you can regularly visit Oxford’s Eagle and Child pub? This popular pub was a regular haunt used in some of England’s finest works of literature by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. On a similarly literary note, all of the magic of Philip Pullman’s heroine Lyra started in this very town, making it popular amongst both young and older readers. Of course finding temporary accommodation is feasible as well. Many hotels and guesthouses have their doors open and are ready to welcome you in if you only want to make it a weekend trip.

Equally, relocating and finding a flat to rent in Cambridge will provide similar benefits to those of Oxford. Cambridge has many similar draws for tourists and residents like Oxford. A long standing university tradition, boat punting, beautiful parks and ancient buildings often leaves weekend tourists craving for more of this beautiful town. Like Oxford, Cambridge is not far from pretty countryside. Sussex with its gentle rolling hills, vast fields and small villages is a peaceful place to grab some fresh air at the weekends. Norfolk countryside is also holds a lot of appeal for East Anglia residents, drawing people to Cromer beaches. A weekend retreat at the Michelin starred Morston Hall is the perfect luxury weekend treat for those wishing to splash out and sample some of the UK’s finest hospitality and dining.

The proximity of the two towns to London holds a lot of attraction to both as tourists and residents. Both towns are only a modest train commute away from London, reachable within as little as an hour, which of course is home to many of the UK’s most popular tourist and heritage sites such as the London Eye, The Tower Bridge, Thames Boat Rides and The British Museum. This alone makes these two towns great places to live as tourists at home.

Oxford and Cambridge are of course both famous for their universities. Oxford University and Cambridge University are world famous for being some of the world’s oldest and most prestigious universities, renowned for grueling admissions, producing top graduates and of course their traditional way of life. The universities themselves draw a lot of the tourism in from both the UK and abroad.  The towns themselves also hold many attractions not linked to the universities. Visitors to Oxford and Cambridge often come home with many amusing pictures of boat punting on the River Thames or

There are so many great reasons to not fly away this summer, lower your carbon footprint, learn about your English heritage, maybe even help out a foreign tourist, adventure is on your doorstep!

What to visit in Madrid with your car hire

Situated in the centre of Spain, Madrid is one of the most important cities in Europe, not only for being Spain’s capital but it has a lot of interesting places to visit and many activities to do. From museums to street performances and from theatres to historical buildings, Madrid is a city where you won’t be bored for even a minute. However sometimes it is to get around without a car.

That’s why we want to offer you a route to take along with your car hire in Madrid. How does it sound? Four stops, four wonderful places. Let’s see them!

Stop 1 (museums): El Prado museum.

The Prado museum is one of the biggest and most important museums in Europe. Even being one of the biggest museums in Europe, holding 8000 works of Art, they can only display 900 at any one time.

To take a personal tour is an option of course, however we recommend a guided tour as you are sure to see everything! And it is a bargain at only 20 Euros. Most of the artworks in this impressive museum are paintings by some of the most important Spanish artists such as Velazquez, Goya and they alsohost works from other countries like Rubens, Fra Angelico, etc. Not to be missed.

Stop 2 (gardens): El retiro Park.

With 1.18 km2, el retiro is a great scape in the city to visit some nature. It’s not only a place where you can enjoy activities such as running, reading, etc, you can also see their beautiful monuments, buildings, etc. focused to the tourists. Let’s see the most important:

• The statues walk: Take a peaceful walk through the park and admire the works of some of the most important sculptors from the kings of Spain. Such Fernando IV and Enrique II.
• The crystal Palace: It was built in 1887. An awesome and beautiful bulding made in crystal.

Stop 3 (Shopping): El rastro.

El rastro is a place situated in the centre of the city where you can do shopping and find the weirdest objects you have never seen. With hundred of stalls it is one of the most important markets in Spain.

Stop 4 (traditions): San Isidro fair.

The San Isidro Fair is the place where you can find the most traditional customs that happen in Madrid.
It focuses on the bullfight tradition and you can also enjoy the greatest bullfighters in Spain.

However this fair is not only a bullfight party, The Madrid city hall create a lot of activities and the people there throw themselves into the one of the most enjoyable, important parties in Spain. They wear traditional costums and the music takes the lead. There, in the centre of the city you can see the people dacing “chotis” the traditional dance from Madrid.

And of course the food! You can tantalize your tastebuds with the most traditional meal from Madrid like “cocido”.

Get updated here at “things to do in Madrid” and enjoy your travel.

Almerimar Golf and Holiday Villa

If your looking for a great Spanish getaway check out this property in the Almerimar area for the perfect golfing experience!

Privately owned luxury self-catering holiday villa overlooking Almerimar Golf course, marina, beach and the whole bay "Ensenada San Miguel". To the east is one of the world's largest wetlands and nature reserves. The villa is ideal for family and golfing holidays. The exceptionally large terrace has a dining area with a magnificent panoramic view of the resort.

Almerimar has two main features; the 27- hole, golf course with a brand new Golf Centre, the 3 dock yachting marine, one of the biggest in Spain, with shops, bars and restaurants. The villa is in the superbly designed urbanization of La Ladera Del Golf with generous parking and service roads. It is fully fitted and beautifully furnished for the owners use throughout with full air conditioning in the bedrooms and living room. Below you, the whole of the resort is laid out with the green of the golf course and the cream and terracotta low-rise buildings surrounding the marina and the blue Mediterranean Sea and above the blue sky. A combination of colours that you never tire of as you enjoy the warm sunshine on the south-facing terrace. Everything in the resort is within walking distance with a wide range of restaurants and bars to suit your mood including top class cuisine in attractive locations overlooking the water. The elevated south-facing location of the villa ensures that there is good flow of cooling air from the front to the back of the villa.

Even for a skiing holiday the villa is perfect - only 1 hour 50 minutes away from the great "Sky Station" ski village resort at Pradollano (2100m) near Granada in the heart of the sunny Sierra Nevada mountain range.