last updated 8th June 05
By 4ecotips

Hitchhiker’s guide comes to the Science Museum

Why go abroad this summer and contribute vast amounts of carbon emissions by flying when you can stay at home and take advantage of the many events that are going on in the UK? For instance:

The Tank Museum at Bovington, Dorset, will be hosting a major event on 10-11 September taking visitors back through the history of combat to demonstrate the concepts that gave rise to the tank itself.

Re-enactors will realistically portray the UK’s military heritage from the Roman era, and the British Army will be demonstrating the ultra-modern Challenger II. The march through time will continue to the present day with the Museum’s own collection of tanks and armoured vehicles in a live-action display. Further info: www.tankmuseum.org

An exhibition of the new feature film The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy opened at the Science Museum in London’s South Kensington on 28 May.The family exhibition recreates the fantastic voyage of Arthur Dent against a backdrop of large-scale richly designed sets from the film, supplemented with real props, costumes and creatures that were used in filming.

Visitors will come face to face with characters such as the Vogons, Ford Prefect and Marvin, but will also provide a fun and engaging exploration of the science featured in author Douglas Adams’ work.

The exhibition features information about the filmmakers themselves and takes visitors behind the scenes of the production to see how the film was created, including the work undertaken by Henson Creature Workshop. Further info:
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/hitchhikers

This summer the Royal Armouries in Leeds will tell the story of Japan's most famous Shogun, whose life was the inspiration for the James Clavell novel Shogun and the TV series of the same name starring Richard Chamberlain.

Shogun: The Life of Lord Tokugawa Ieyasu lasts for only 85 days ­ from 6 June to 30 August; as the Shogun is a Japanese deity, his art, armour, furniture, screens, scrolls and documents are too precious to stay longer and at the end of the exhibition must be returned to his shrines.

The exhibition will explore the life of the Shogun and help to explain the immense impact his reign has had on Japanese history.

As well as the beautiful objects on display, visitors will be treated to demonstrations of Samurai archery on horseback, martial arts, origami and calligraphy. There will also be a display of kimonos and a special feature on Japanese armour used in films. Further info: www.shogun.org.uk

Hope Pit, the National Coal Mining Museum at Caphouse Colliery on the western edge of the Yorkshire coalfield, is open to the public throughout the summer holidays.

Hope Pit is a colliery complex housing buildings that date back to the early 19th century, restored and developed with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and EU Life. As well as the science of mining, visitors will be able to learn about Hope Pit’s £2 million water monitoring and treatment scheme which uses environmentally friendly settling ponds and reed beds to filter the water pumped from underground before it is discharged into the local watercourse. Further info: www.ncm.org.uk

Herefordshire has produced a new booklet aimed at making it much easier to book gardening getaways, at prices starting from £24 per person per night.

Gardens in Herefordshire & The Wye Valley 2005 features not only the full range of gardens in the county but also a number of hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses, all of which have fine gardens of their own. Among these is Hedley Lodge (Four Diamond), located within the grounds of the Benedictine monastery Belmont Abbey. Near Hereford and within easy reach of the environmental garden at Shipley and the plant lovers’ garden at Abbey Dore Court, Hedley Lodge offers two-night breaks from £27.50 per person per night, and free access to the extensive Abbey Gardens. Further info : www.visitherefordshire.co.uk