Tag: Scotland Travel

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Why All Eyes are on Edinburgh Zoo's Frisky Panda Pals

Where: Edinburgh Zoo, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
April 16, 2013 at 5:15 PM | by | Comments (0)


Yang Guang limbers up

Maybe Edinburgh is that kinda town, because it wasn’t just Richard Branson getting frisky in Scotland last week; bumping Little Red’s arrival down the news agenda were the two pandas at Edinburgh Zoo, Tian Tian and Yang Guang, whose slow and steady journey to mating season has been vicariously lapped up by the British press.

Not because they’re creeps, see; but because a panda pregnancy will be a feat against all the odds—the female is in season for just 48 hours. Also, the couple have only known each other for just over a year, so although it’s not quite celebrity speed, it’s pretty quick. Last year, they tried to breed unsuccessfully. This year, we were told when we visited last week, Tian Tian has been calling to Yang Guang with “much more urgency,” making the scientists think they might just hit the jackpot.

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Where Virgin Atlantic's 'Little Red' Flies, and For How Much

Where: Heathrow, London, United Kingdom
April 10, 2013 at 6:25 PM | by | Comments (2)


Little Red's check-in desks at Edinburgh Airport

Jaunted's 'Little Red' Series:
1. Par-tay on the tarmac!
2. The flight experience
3. Where it flies and for how much

We gave our verdict on Virgin Atlantic’s new domestic UK service, Little Red, yesterday; now for the small print.

Little Red flies three routes: from London-Heathrow to Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Manchester, all intended as feeder destinations to get locals to Heathrow for Virgin Atlantic's long-haul flights. There are 26 flights a day in total—six each way on the Edinburgh route, three for Aberdeen and four for Manchester. All are perfectly timed to connect with the rest of VA's network.

There’s a launch sale on right now that means you only pay the taxes. Unfortunately, since this is the UK, that means you’re not getting a bargain; it ends up £98 for a return flight between London and Scotland, and £103 return from Manchester.

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Onboard the Inaugural Flight of Virgin Atlantic's Little Red

April 9, 2013 at 2:23 PM | by | Comments (2)

Jaunted's 'Little Red' Series:
1. Par-tay on the tarmac!
2. The flight experience
3. Where it flies and for how much

Yesterday we brought you coverage of the fanfare upon the Edinburgh arrival of Little Red, Virgin Atlantic’s new domestic UK service, flying from London-Heathrow to Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Manchester. Today, it’s time for a photo dump...but also some thoughts on the interior and the overall LHR-EDI flight experience.

Was it as well planned as Branson’s kilt-flashing incident?

The short answer: yes, pretty much.

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First Look: Richard Branson Shows Us All His 'Little Red'

April 8, 2013 at 12:33 PM | by | Comments (0)

Jaunted's 'Little Red' Series:
1. Par-tay on the tarmac!
2. The flight experience
3. Where it flies and for how much

Remember a couple of years back when Richard Branson lost a bet with Air Asia’s CEO Tony Fernandes, which meant he was going to have to dress up as a female flight attendant? That may not have come to fruition—although, according to Fernandes, the time is nigh—but he went one step better worse further early this morning at Scotland's Edinburgh Airport.

Launching Little Red, Virgin Atlantic’s domestic UK service and a major step for the airline, Branson donned a kilt and then dressed down by flashing us.

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Scotland Sets New Standard for Cute Travel Advertising

January 28, 2013 at 4:14 PM | by | Comments (0)

Copyranter calls them the "cutest brand ambassadors ever" and we're inclined to agree. According to the Scotland tourism board, which put together the campaign, the two Shetland ponies - Fivla and Vitamin - are wearing their "winter woolies" (?) in order to mark "the Year of Natural Scotland." The Year of Natural Scotland, in turn, appears to be a project that the tourism board totally made up.

As near as we can tell from the project fact page, they wanted to brand Scotland as a natural travel destination, and so they took the word "Scotland" and the word "Natural" and put them together. The ponies, we're told are "helping promote the Year of Natural Scotland with beautifully created cardigans."

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What are the World's Longest and Shortest Flights?

January 23, 2013 at 1:42 PM | by | Comments (0)

It's always nice to impress people with some useless knowledge, so here's a little morsel of info for when you're at your next dinner party: the airlines and routes that offer the world's longest and shortest flights. Since the world records are best left to Guinness, we will just clue you into the facts.

Let's start with the longest, since 2013 will cause some interesting movement in that area. Currently, Singapore Airlines holds this title for the longest commercial flight on the planet. SG 12, flying the 9,505-mile journey from Changi International to Newark Liberty takes passengers across the world in about 18 1/2 hours, give or take some time depending on winds. Singapore has announced that this year will sadly see the cessation of this route, handing over the crown to Qantas' flight from Sydney to Dallas. That 17-hour flight spans about 8,576 miles.

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Virgin Atlantic Adds Scotland to Their 2013 Agenda

November 19, 2012 at 3:16 PM | by | Comments (0)

Can we please have a moment of silence for airline BMI, which ceased to fly the skies earlier this year as it was sold and snatched up by International Airlines Group (ah hem British Airways).

[Moment of silence].

Okay, now we can be a little happy as it's just been announced that some former slots of BMI at London-Heathrow Airport have been awarded to Virgin Atlantic on the platform that, according to Virgin, "without the remedy slots, [British Airways] would continue to fly from Scotland to Heathrow uncontested but Virgin Atlantic said today that domestic flyers would now have a compelling alternative."

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Disney Adventures Announces the First 'Brave' Tour of Scotland

May 25, 2012 at 2:02 PM | by | Comments (0)

Disney Adventures is hosting its first expedition inspired by a Disney-Pixar film this summer with “Scotland: A Brave Adventure.”

Travelers will have the opportunity to immerse themselves into the world of Brave. On this 9-day, 8-night trip, guests will visit Edinburgh, the Isle of Skye, the Isle of Lewis and Inverness in Scotland, just as Merida does in the upcoming film.

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Get Out of Londontown: And Into Glasgow (Some More)

May 25, 2012 at 11:03 AM | by | Comments (0)

Heading to London this summer? Yeah, so is everyone else. This week, Jaunted's London embed, Lilit Marcus, will share some definite destinations for getting out of town and out of the crowds.

Read Part 1 here

PART 2:

After exploring the university area, see the more urban, up-to-date side of Glasgow by heading downtown. Unlike central London, downtown Glasgow is easy to navigate by foot, and most of the main attractions are quite close together.

The place to start is George Square. In the square itself is the famous statue of Robert Burns, the unofficial poet laureate of Scotland and a beloved national icon. Although his birthday is celebrated as a holiday, you’ll often find flowers and notes left for him all year round. Also in the square is the Cenotaph, which was originally built to honor Scottish soldiers who died in World War I and was later updated to include soldiers killed in World War II. The square also boasts a new attraction: the Wheel of Glasgow, a white Ferris wheel with enclosed seats that offers beautiful views of the city.

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Get Out of Londontown: And Into Glasgow

May 24, 2012 at 11:03 AM | by | Comments (0)

Heading to London this summer? Yeah, so is everyone else. This week, Jaunted's London embed, Lilit Marcus, will share some definite destinations for getting out of town and out of the crowds.

Q: What do you call people from Glasgow?
A: Glaswegian.
Q: What do you call people from Edinburgh?
A: English.

This old joke sums up the way that Scotland's two main cities compete against each other. While a daytrip from London to Glasgow might be too difficult to pull off, it's absolutely worth a long weekend. Easyjet offers cheap fares to Glasgow from Gatwick, Luton and Stansted airports, and there are also daily trains from Euston and King's Cross stations.

Rest assured that Glasgow has plenty to offer for even longer than a weekend, but let's just address what we consider the highlights.

Part 1:

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Scotland Hopes Pixar's ‘Brave’ Turns Moviegoers Into Tourists

April 13, 2012 at 1:36 PM | by | Comments (0)

Scotland's tourism board is hoping the release of Pixar's Brave this summer will help bring people straight from the theater to their castles.

Brave follows Merida, the daughter of King Fergus and Queen Elinor, a skilled archer who inadvertently ends up on an adventure through the Scottish Highlands where she encounters witchcraft and mythical creatures.

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Donald Trump's Newest Enemy is a Scottish Windfarm. Yes, Really.

January 30, 2012 at 9:25 AM | by | Comments (0)

Donald Trump is in the business of making money. Let's get that straight first and foremost. Therefore, it should come as no surprise to anyone that Trump is now calling a proposed green energy windfarm a "disastrous and environmentally irresponsible" development...all because it's nearby his picturesque Menie estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

The lengthy details of the fight against the building of the offshore windfarm—read more here from Deadline News—of course don't directly name the Trump golf course as the reason for Trump's opposition. For him, says Sorial of the Trump Organization, it's all about the greater effect on local tourism: "People come from all over the world to play courses that are unique to Scotland. They don’t want to look down on electrical turbines." Um. Need we refresh his memory that when the Earth faces a serious energy crisis, nobody's going to give a gosh-darn about the view from his precious golf course?

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