Entries are now increasing for our 2008
Green Spaces Travel Awards as we head into August, the final month for
nominations.
As we'd hoped, your interpretation of what makes a green space so special has
been as varied as the planet itself. And it has been your nominations which
have helped formulate the categories we have now introduced to assist the
judging.
You have until September 1 to nominate and remember, there is the carrot of a
rail holiday to Venice to encourage participation in our first year of the
awards. The winner will be drawn at random from all valid nominations.
So put your thinking cap on and write a passionate and detailed explanation of
why you think your green space is special and deserves to be recognised.
We'll be announcing the winners later in the year.
Have a look at the last four months nominations, which are just a sample of
the breadth we have received, but which will help illustrate the breadth of
entries received. The latest batch from July are below - plus we have a
bonus batch of your nominations from last month.
Then just send an email to Greenspaces@thetimes.co.uk
with your nomination and the category it applies to. We look forward to
hearing of your discoveries!
THE CATEGORIES
BRITAIN
1 Best place to stay
2 Best open space
3 Best project
EUROPE
4 Best place to stay
5 Best open space
WORLDWIDE
6 Best place to stay
7 Best open space
A SELECTION FROM JULY'S NOMINATIONS - WITH COMMENTS FROM OUR JUDGES
Category 2
JURA, SCOTLAND
I visited Jura last summer, drawn by stories of isolation, Orwell and the
paucity of population. We stayed in the
Jura Lodge, a new writer's retreat, and walked to Orwell's House,
falling short of the whirlpool before retreating to the island's only hotel
for a drink before dining on seafood bought from the fish van that morning.
Green Space? Very, with splashes of red (deer), blue (seas) and white
(Orwell's House). I agree with Lesley who says in her nomination about the
friendly community - returning to Islay after three nights of solitude was
weird - all those roads, restaurants and people... - Steve Keenan, Travel
Editor, Times Online and Green Spaces Travel Awards judge
Nominated by: Lesley Beryl Hawker
Jura in the southern Inner Hebrides is my favourite green space. It is
about 30 miles long with a population of 200 and a wonderful friendly
community who welcome visitors with a special brand of hospitality. The
island has many acres of moorland, lochs, wild coastline and forest where
you can enjoy solitude, beauty and freedom. There are about a hundred
species of birds including golden eagles, rabbits, hares, about 6000 red
deer, otters, seals, dolphins, and occasionally passing whales if you're
lucky! You can explore the island on foot, by car, boat or on a guided tour
and the adventurous can even see the Corryvreckan whirlpool where George
Orwell nearly drowned while he was living in the north of the island writing "1984"
MILTON KEYNES
An old railway town on the northern edge of Milton Keynes seems an unlikely
nomination for the Green Spaces Awards. Even the residents of Wolverton
complain about its lack of greenery, which is why they rallied together
eight years ago to turn a derelict piece of land into a community garden.
Originally occupied by four Victorian houses that were built for railway
workers, the buildings were demolished in the 1960s and the land left
overgrown. After a railway company offered to sell the land to the council
for £1, volunteers began meeting on Saturday mornings to clear it, plant
flowerbeds and orchards, install bird boxes and build benches from old
railway sleepers. In 2005, the newly opened Secret
Garden was commended by the Britain in Bloom awards. Anna Shephard,
Green Spaces Travel Awards judge
Nominated by David Bell and Jo Pheland, both of Milton Keynes
I'm sure no-one living outside Milton Keynes would nominate the city as an
open space champion, but I know that many residents would. The brilliant
original concept and detailed planning of the city took great account of the
leisure needs and all-round health of its citizens. From the old, such as
Howe Park Woods, mentioned in the Domesday Book, to the new(ish) - Grand
Union Canal, Caldecotte, Furzton and Willen Lakes, the linear parks of
Emerson Valley and Westcroft, Linford Wood, and less than a mile from the
city centre the beautiful Campbell Park - David Bell
I nominate 'The Secret Garden' in Wolverton, Milton Keynes - its a regenerated
brown-field site which provides locals with a peaceful place to relax, in a
traditionally industrial area. You'd never know it was there if you didn't
have directions as to how to find it...it really is a 'secret' garden. A
real gem - Jo Phelan
Category 3
THE GREENWAY, EAST LONDON
This inner-city candidate immediately caught the eye of all the judges. It may
be called “the sewer” by locals, but the Greenway's six miles of almost
uninterrupted car-free track that marches Roman road-like from Victoria Park
in Hackney towards Beckton is, in places, fairly green. The raised, covered
Victorian sewer, designed to rid London of its rising tide of untreated
sewage, is not unlike a disused railway line - part cycle track, part
scrubby bush, part meadow, part graffiti playground. There are some lovely
patches (I saw a kestrel hunting in the long grass on one) and some less
lovely ones. Hardly a soul disturbed my late Friday evening ride along the
path, but perhaps the redevelopment of the Olympic site - through which it
passes - will breathe new life into this underused urban ward. I will
celebrate any natural space in a dense city, but now the Greenway is more
for dog-walkers and cyclists than for nature-lovers. At least the
inhabitants of far-flung East London can use it to get into town, and one
day we will wake up to its potential as a proper green space. Toby
Sawday, Green Spaces Green Spaces Travel Awards judge
Nominated by Rachel Howard, Stratford, East London
I'd like to nominate the Greenway in east London as a green space. Transport
for London summarises why brilliantly: "Truly a phenomenon that
goes unnoticed by most Londoners, The Greenway is a level, almost continuous
and straight traffic-free route that carves through East London at high
level, overlooking houses and gardens with some interesting views."
Green spaces like this in deeply urban areas are really important. The
majority of the population living in extreme urban landscapes, such as the
Greenway's area, do not have the means to access the undeniably more
immediately striking landscapes of many competing nominations. The
Greenway's such a lucky bonus. It's a rare place in the city to cycle or
walk without traffic. Some people even use it for their commute. I
particularly like the route points where bits of concrete that hold some
long-forgotten purpose have been covered by nature regrowth, like an unusual
organic art exhibit. And once at dusk I saw an avenue with three foxes, each
staking out their particular territory of the Greenway for the night,
measured out in an exact third each
Category 4
BIOHOTEL STANGLWIRT, GOING, TYROL, AUSTRIA
The range of low-impact activities available at Bio-Hotel
Stanglwirt is what you can expect year-round in the Tyrol. In winter
there are plenty of excellent cross-country skiing trails, while in summer
there's hiking, mountain biking and horse-riding in the Wilder Kaiser
region. The hotel is also typical of green accommodation found throughout
this part of Austria, where there's been a recycling culture for years and
locally produced, organic food is the norm.
The Austrian Tyrol is an excellent example of how tourism can be managed
sustainably throughout the year. Climate change is already a concern for
European ski resorts, especially in low-altitude resorts where the absence
of reliable snowfall is forcing them to find alternatives to the traditional
downhill skiing industry. Developing a comprehensive outdoor summer season
is a sensible strategy, especially given the trend for activity- based
holidays. Other mountain economies in the Alps looking to diversify their
tourism would do well to learn from Tyrol's success. Richard Hammond,
Green Spaces Travel Awards judge
Nominated by: Paul Brown, Leeds
The all wooden construction of this imposing spa is impressive, set as it
is, in natural meadows in the foothills of the Austrian Tyrol. The
Lipitzaner Riding School actually under the hotel itself is an added bonus
as the display ring is visible through huge glass windows from the bar area.
Manure for the gardens is readily to hand! Wood fired boilers keep the
atmosphere cosy in winter as well as providing the hot, well drawn water for
the Spa and indoor pools. The striking feature of the hotel however, is that
virtually all the top class food produced in the kitchens is made from local
produce, be it cattle from meadows at the rear of the hotel, to fruits and
vegetables from their own gardens. A stay at this little piece of heaven on
earth barely leaves a fingerprint, let alone a footprint
Category 6
INKATERRA RESERVA AMAZONICA, PERU
Inkaterra, which runs a collection of
luxury lodges in Peru, is a good example of just how serious and committed "responsible
tourism" can be. Begun by Jose Koechlin von Stein, a former film
producer and writer who worked on South American epics including
Fitzcarraldo and Aguirre Wrath of God, and now a very big cheese in
eco-tourism, Inkaterra has been researching and developing sustainable
tourism methods in Peru for more than 30 years. The company's beautiful
lodges are known for their stunning locations -- in jungles, cloud forests
and lakeside settings -- but their dependence on the beauty and wildlife of
their surroundings, as well as the local economy and infrastructure, is not
taken for granted. Inkaterra has its own, non-profit-making NGO, which
invests the company's profits into research, conservation, documenting local
species, and local social development programmes. (When Koechlin first
bought land around the base of Machu Picchu he immediately donated several
acres to build a school, train station, market and housing for local
people.) Kate Quill, Assistant Travel Editor, The Times and Green Spaces
Travel Awards judge
Nominated by: Alice Elinborg Ferrier
My husband and I had an fantastic time at this eco lodge in the depths of
the Peruvian jungle which definitely deserves to be nominated. What
impressed us the most were the really enthusiastic guides – there are a
variety of excursions which are both fun and educational - hiking trails for
flora and fauna, boating trips to see the world's largest and most
endangered otter but the best of these was the canopy walk through the
treetops. There is a similar walkway that surfaces the jungle swamps. Just
swaying in the hammock by my cabana I saw howler monkeys, a macaw and
several agouti. The company that owns the lodge has set up many initiatives
to protect the land, the people who live off it and the wildlife. We were so
impressed by these that we've joined their 'Wish List' programme by donating
to the Monkey Rescue programme.
JUNGLE BAY, DOMINICA
I picked out this nomination because Jungle
Bay and Dominica represents the
alternative Caribbean. Instead of large hotel chains offering sun and sand
holidays, Dominica has mainly locally owned lodges and guesthouses that,
like Jungle Bay, encourage visitors to explore the island. Although there
are excellent beaches and diving around the coast, the main attractions are
inland, including several huge waterfalls and hot mineral springs in the
heart of the island’s mountainous jungle and a trek up the second largest
boiling lake in the world.
Jungle Bay is a 55-acre resort at the edge of the Morne Trois Piton National
Park on the southeast of the island. It is larger and more upmarket than the
island’s other eco lodges, but staff are recruited from nearby villages so
it still retains Dominica’s local touch. When I visited, I was taken on a
day’s jungle trek upriver to the Sari Sari falls by a local guide who Jungle
Bay had trained as part of its local tour guide education scheme. It’s one
of several schemes that demonstrate the island's enlightened approach to
tourism in the Caribbean. Richard Hammond, Green Spaces Travel Awards
judge
Nominated by: James Crockett, Norwich
Having just returned from a 17 day holiday staying in small locally owned
cottages and hotels in Dominica and St Lucia, our time at Jungle Bay stands
out. Many “eco-lodges” have a number of positive aspects to recommend them -
but few that I have come across can compare with the balance of economics,
environment, experience and community. Sam and Glenda Raphael, the Dominican
owners, are adamant that your experience is uniquely Dominican, from the
fresh juices, knowledgeable guides and hiking in the rainforest and the
indigenous Carib Territory. Each active day is followed by a restorative
massage in the spa that uses blends of organic oils and medicinal
ingredients often based on generations old blends. Of the 60 staff only one
is not from the surrounding villages. All the stone was sourced from a local
quarry and wood recycled from local sources. Jungle Bay also offers a loan
fund for local entrepreneurs who can apply for a loan to help set up a
business that can supply Jungle Bay with useful products and services and to
encourage expansion to a wider market. I just hope you get to go there one
day
Biohotel Stanglwirt. A car park full of top-mark BMWs. Pretentious six course dinners. An expensive riding school. Photographs of the owner with the rich and famous. Located on a busy road, over-priced, not child-friendly, rude staff.... we won't go there again!
David, Stuttgart, Germany
The Bio hotel Stanglwirt is over priced and pretentious. This hotel should not win tourism awards. This is a bio hotel but you can not compare this to the service, activities and style of the Interalpen Austria. This I feel suits this category more. Please try this next year.
Michelle Warren, Cockermouth, England