Issue 21 2012.pdf - New Zealand Corporate Traveller Magazine

singapore feature
Wenlock
IT’S A MASSIVE YEAR for Britain with the Olympics and
the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee making the UK – and London
in particular – the only place to be this (northern) Summer.
This is going to be possibly the ultimate blend of the ultra
modern and historic pomp and splendour. The Shard – the
tallest building in Europe – and the Thames Gateway Cable
Car will open in May. Two months later road cyclists will
time trial around Hampton Court, where Henry VIII fi rst saw
Anne Boleyn, home to the famous maze and Britain’s oldest
recognisable tennis court.
Historic Horse Guards Parade is becoming a “beach” (for beach volleyball)
while half a dozen events will fi ll the mighty Millennium Dome. Cricket’s
hallowed turf at Lords will host archery – and of course, it’s a short walk to
“that” pedestrian crossing and an irresistible opportunity to graffi ti the wall
out front of Abbey Road studios. Rowing is at Eton Dorney (yes that Eton)
and wheelchair racing is at Brands Hatch. Greenwich is the place by which
the whole world sets its clocks; Greenwich Park will host equestrian events.
Hyde Park is both the fi nish for the triathlon and hosts marathon swimming
(in the Serpentine).
The Games themselves, opening on 27 July, are London’s third and it’s the
only city to host three. Indeed, the whole idea for the modern games may
have been sparked at the town of Much Wenlock – hence Wenlock as a
mascot. The other is Mandeville (after Stoke Mandeville where the idea for
Paralympics originated). In all, the athletes of 204 nations are expected to
make this the biggest fortnight ever, for the “greatest show on earth”.
Britain and London seem to be impressively on top of both accommodation
and transport. London has 100,000 hotel rooms, added to which are the
68 nzcorporatetraveller ISSUE 21
Britain’s Olympian Diamond Jubilee
serviced apartments, B&Bs and what have you. The visitbritain.com website
is brilliant, covering a wide range of information and providing many new
places in which to start looking.
Plans are to have 90% of the Olympic venues served by three or more
types of public transport and 80% of all spectators arriving by rail, with a
proportion on the new Javelin bullet trains, Britain’s fastest (140 mph).
The special Olympic Javelin Service will whisk passengers from St Pancras
to Stratford International Station inside Olympic Park, in just 7 minutes.
Indeed, the Park will be served by ten separate railway lines. All in all,
an additional 4000 train services will run during the Games, bringing a
combined capacity of 240,000 passengers per hour.
But, the Olympics are not the only massive celebration. It’s also the Queen’s
Diamond Jubilee – three more years and she’ll be the longest serving British
monarch ever.
Celebrations across the UK lead up to June’s Diamond Jubilee weekend,
culminating in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant in Battersea Park on 3
June. Billed as one of the biggest events ever held in London, it’s expected
to attract up to a million spectators.
On the Thames Gloriana, an 88-foot rowbarge with 18 oarsmen, will lead a
massive fl otilla of at least 1000 boats and small ships. This fl otilla will take
90 minutes to pass and will be separated into ten sections by music barges
– the fi rst of them being a fl oating bell tower, whose peals will be answered
by church bells along the route. That alone will be worth being there for. Her
Majesty will travel on the Royal Barge, the Spirit of Chartwell.
Visit visitbritain.com
“London Beach” Thames Cable Car Olympic water sculpture