🧢 Best foot forward
Spring is coming. The forest is coming alive again, with all of the sights, sounds and smells of Nature and a new year. And The French Ardennes is already looking forward to the launch a major new hiking trail: a Grand Tour 300km loop, called the Ardenne Tour, in the footsteps of Arduinna. More of that later in the year. For now, there’s already more than 1,000 km of marked paths to explore - through guided tours, and self-guided trails. It’s easy to plan a holiday to discover the great outdoors of the Ardennes Park. Do your “work from home” first, by visiting the most relevant sections of the Ardennes Tourism website; and by taking a look at the eight walks on the brand new “By foot and bike” À pied et à vélo dans les Ardennes map. Once there, head to the Ardennes Park Visitor Centre, which was created as recently as 2020, in Renwez, in the heart of the Ardenne massif and close to the forest museum. The work of architect Frédéric Denisart, who hails from Charleville-Mézières, the building was designed in natural materials - wood and stone - using natural and renewable material. It opens Monday to Friday from 09.00 to 12.00 and 13.30 to 17.30.
🧢 Fitness fits-in nicely at the Arena
Derby Arena is making history, yet again, by securing the UK’s first-ever full DEKA FIT event. The "Super Bowl" of the fitness world, DEKA FIT is the ultimate fitness test: a functional fitness challenge featuring 10 workout zones, each separated by 500 metres of running. It is designed for all fitness levels, and tests endurance, strength, and conditioning in a high-energy competition environment. Anyone age 10yrs+ is eligible to enter. With participants coming from not just the UK but across the world, this is a huge opportunity for the city to once again showcase the Arena, which is marking its 10th anniversary in Derby.
🧢 This week’s ‘Top Pick’ @WeightmanPR: Family Day welcomes Becketwell Live
There will be an early opportunity to explore the new £45.8m Becketwell Live entertainment venue in Derby city centre during a special free-entry Family Welcome Day during the Easter holidays. Featuring live music, kids activities, guided tours of the venue and sampling of the venue’s food and drink, it will all take place on 19 April. The appearance of Becketwell Live, meanwhile, a major step forwards in the journey to transform Derby into a vibrant city centre with culture at its heart. Boasting a larger and more flexible space than the city centre has had in the past, it will be capable of staging a range of concerts, stand-up comedy, family shows and musical theatre, as well as conferences, exhibitions and events, to an audience of up to 3,500 people. It’s anticipated it will host over 200 cultural and commercial events each year, attracting an additional 250,000 visitors to Derby city centre annually.
🧢 Bringing plenty of cheer
Stoke Beer Festival will be one of the best places of all to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Stoke-on-Trent’s city status in 2025. Returning to The Potteries for the 40th time, details of the Festival were announced at its launch at the Holy Inadequate pub recently. The Potteries Camra 40th Beer and Cider Festival, to be held between 15 and 18 October at the Kings Hall, Stoke. A highlight will be the appearance of local brewer Titanic Ales, which is celebrating its own 40th anniversary this year.