The recent death of Catherine Cookson must have brought sadness to her many loyal readers but you can visit the area that inspired her books. South Tyneside, her birthplace and home in later years, remembers her with the Catherine Cookson Gallery and many of the places in the numerous television adaptions of her books are highlighted on the Catherine Cookson trail. South Tyneside is a very historical place with the Romans basing themselves here, and their heritage well remembered. It also has lots of lovely beaches and places to see. Aer Lingus have services to Newcastle and Ryanair fly to Teesside. The British Tourist Authority on College Green, Dublin, (01 670 8000) has a wonderful book about the area.
Watching the Tour de France climb over the Wicklow Gap and didn't the views look terrific? All that greeness, blue lakes and bronze heather. If it made you want to go there a new company is doing the Wild Wicklow Tour from Thursday to Sunday every week. This "off the beaten track" tour will bring you to some of the most spectacular hidden beauty spots in the Wicklow mountains. Making its way along the coast and visiting Avoca Handweavers, strolling through Glendalough's peacefulness, lunch in Laragh and then climbing slowly into the Sally Gap and back down through Glencree and Enniskerry. It costs £22 for a day out, and details from (01) 280 1899.
Another Tour for the adventurous is the Into the West, a two-day minibus trip to Galway and Clare. Visiting Connemara, the Burren, Cliffs of Moher and staying in Galway city for the traditional music. It leaves every Friday and Tuesday from Dublin Tourism, Suffolk Street. Or you could try Northern Exposure, two days visiting the blue mountains, hazy lakes and windswept moors, the Giant's Causeway and Belfast. These tours cost £65 including hostel accommodation, details from (01) 838 6128.
If you are interested in crafts I came across a lovely brochure recently called the Craft Trail to Drogheda. It is a description of the work of eight local craftspeople around the town and could make any visit to the Boyne Valley an interesting one. The selection includes jewellery, carvings, decorative glass, knitwear, ceramics, silks, patchwork and applique. Drogheda is a lovely medieval town to visit and you can get the brochure at AIB bank, West Street or Miriam Meagher's Pharmacy in the town centre.
Dinosaur tales at the Planetarium, the theme of this year's exhibition at Armagh. Visitors will be able to see how our knowledge of the dinosaurs has built up over the last 100 years and how we can speculate about the causes of their ultimate death. Was it an asteroid? Or was it the weather, or what? Booking can be made on (080) 1861 523 689.
A reminder to visitors to Canada, you can reclaim GST and PST, general sales tax and provincial sales tax on purchases on your return home. Keep all your receipts and pick up a form in your hotel or at the airport. It applies to any goods, accommodation or services over $50 (Canadian), but not meals. It's a nice little windfall when you have long forgotten your holiday.
