Alternatives to petrol

Alternatives to petrol
Does Petrol (Gasoline)Have a Place in the 21st Century?

The continuiny so called 'war on terror' has push oil prices to a 20 year high of over $50 a barrel. What does this mean for the adverage driver? Obviously the cost is passed onto the consumer with higher petrol costs. Every so often we hear of the latest 'green' alternative to petrol, but what is actully out there that can be bought now?


Solar Powered Car

Many of you will have seen the solar powered cars racing across the Australian bush year after year, they never look that comfortable and have always remined me of the ill fated Sinclair C5. Simon Robertson has created a viable alternative from his Peugeot 106. He has fitted it with a kerb side car charger and now he even generates his own electricity. His electricity is generated from photovolatic panels on the roof of his house in Lambeth, London UK. In a recent Positive News article he stated, 'I am trying to be an eco-warrior without having to change my lifestyle too much.' At times Simon generates too much electricity and sells it back to Ecotricity through their renewable awards scheme.


Compressed Air Car

The compressed air car will be on offer in Paris by June 2005 at a cost of around $10 000 for a basic vehicle. The air car is powered by an electric pump that compresses the air into a tank, the air in turn pumps some pistons. The cars top speed is 70 mph (115 kph) and it can travel up to 50 miles (80 k) on a full 'tank'.(supposedly further at lower speeeds). The pump that is used to power the car simply plugs into a normal household socket and takes four hours for a full charge. As fro the cost of a full charge, apparently only $2.50 at French electricity prices. The only emmision to come out of the exhaust is cold air.


There are downsides to this car, most notebly is the fact that there is only one dealership and thats in France. So if repairs were needed it could be quite costly to get parts.


Also, converting electricity to compressed is thought to be inefficient. Karsten Krause of the European Federation for Transport and Environment, a green lobby group based in Brussels, states that the car consumes more energy from the power plant than it deliver on the road. He says "You may not have any pollution from the car itself, but you're just transferring the environmental burden to another place."


Maybe any prospective buyers should have a chat with Simon Robertson.


Alcohol Fuel and Brazil

Brazil rules the roost when it comes to alternative transport, at one time over 90% of their cars were alcohol propelled. Brazil has known about using alchol to propel their cars since the 1920's and due to the petrol shortage during World War 2 many cars ran on 75% alchol 25% ether mix.


The Brazilain govenment launched the National Alcohol Program, the PROALCOHOL (Proálcool) in 1975 in the midst of world petrol prices increases. The production of sugar cane was stepped up to cater for this growth market. Although good news for the environment this was not so much good news for the population of Brazil. Many were forced out of the countryside due to this expansion and now live in slums on the outskirts of Brazils cities.


The Proalchol programe ending in the early 90's and now, although alchol fueled cars are still manufactured and driven in Brazil, the doninant fuel is again petrolium.(gasoline)



The future looks greener in Brazil as they are now a forerunner in the flex-fuel division of the car market. 20% of Brazilian cars are fitted with an engine that can run on alchol or petrol.(gasoline) They hope to start exporting these cars around the world.


Bio diesel and Cooking Oil

I have a friend, who shall remain nameless for legal reasons, who runs his vechicle on vegetable oil. He says that he did not convert his engine and he just pours the oil straight into his diesel tank. The journey forever website suggest that he could be damaging his engine by doing this, as he will 'coke up the engine and injectors'. They have a wealth of information on the subject on their website. The UK govenment do not take too kindly to people like my friend and have placed a tax on vegetable oil fuel making it almost as expensive as petrol this tax is 22p per litre. YOu have to produce a letter and show the police that you have declared it and paid it, but I would not have thought that the police will be that bothered really. Are they going to take a note of your milage and work out your fuel consumption so that they know down to the last penny if you have paid enough tax? If you use chip fat or other used oil that you get for free you could run an environmentaly friendly car for 22p per litre (the tax). Or as, strangly enough you do not have to pay tax on a stationary engine, you could power a generator and charge up an electric car!


Many people make their own bio-diesel using a 30% kerosene and 70% vegetable oil mix and some use 50/50 mixes. As there is no engine conversion needed, this option seems to be one of the most feasable that I have featured so far. It might not be the most environmentaly freindly of the alternatives but "for every gallon of vegetable oil you use, that's one gallon of fossil-fuel saved, and that much less carbon in the atmosphere."



Bio-diesel has already proved itself to be a viable alternative, for instance, my local council, Bath & North East Somerset, has a fleet of 120 vehicles running on the stuff. It saves them 20p per litre (as aposed to using diesel) which they put back into the manufacture of it.




Hydrogen Powered Cars

When many think of cars running on alternative fuels they think one thing, it's going to be slow. BMW have smashed this popular misconception with a car that can reach speeds of 185 mph (300 kph). They are even considering regestering it for next years racing curcit. The H2R differs from most other hydrogen powered cars that run on a fuel cell, it is powered by a combustion engine and emits only steam.


Recently one of the opposition parties in the UK, the Liberal Democrats, announced that they were going to be promoting Hydrogen fuel cells as the fuel of the future. Fuel cells use hydrogen or hydrogen rich fuels to generate electricity.


Liftsharing

Well obviously not essentialy an alternative fuel, but if everone did share lifts a bot more then there would be less cars on the road. Do you drive into work every morning and pass one of your neighbours who works down the road? Well why not share a car, ensure that they are nice people first. You could try freewheelers or liftshare.

http://www.selfsufficientish.com

New Cars and the "Green Label"

New Cars and the "Green Label"
From July 2005, a new "Green Label" like that shown on this page (click on it for a larger version) has started to appear in car showrooms across the country, with most manufacturers having adopted the label by September 2005. The label is very similar to those that you might have seen whilst looking to buy a new cooker or a fridge that has been used to indicate the device's energy efficiency.


Strictly speaking, the "Green Label" is intended to let the consumer know about the environmental impact that a particular car will have by detailing the amount of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) the car will produce per kilometre. Luckily, these CO2 figures are also a pretty good indication of how fuel efficient a car is - low CO2 levels imply that a car that is very efficient. These bands are consistent with the new road tax prices too, so you'll be able to see how much tax you'll be paying too - check out the Emissions & Tax page for more information.


For example, if a car is in the highest band A it produces less than 100g/km of CO2 (typical cars in this band are Hybrid cars and the latest super-minis), where as those in the lowest band G will produce over 226g/km of CO2 (typical cars in this band are sports cars and large 4x4s).



To find out what band you car is in, have a look at our What is my MPG? page which will give you information about emissions and tax as well as fuel consumption.


The label also contains some other useful information like the model's official fuel consumption figures in MPG and Litres/100KM - in particular it shows the amount of road tax the vehicle will incur as well as an estimation of the fuel costs for a distance of 12,000 miles. This figure is based on an annually calculated average fuel cost so it wont give you an exact figure, but its a good indication.


The manufacturer needs to provide this information - it can either be with the car on display, or available elsewhere at the dealership. If you don't see it, ask for it and the dealership will have to give you the information.

Emissions & Tax

Emissions & Car Tax

If you car was registered on or after March 1st 2001 then it will fall under the new Vehicle Excise Duty (or Road Tax to you and me) rules.


If your car was registered before March 1st 2001 then you will still be paying the usual fees, which are £110 a year for a car with an engine capacity <1549cc, or £175 for larger capacity engines. The new Road Tax system is broken down into seven "bands" based on your car's emissions of CO2. These bands are labelled A through to G, where A has the lowest emissions, and G the highest. Each band has a different road tax cost, which will also be broken down further based on what fuel you car is using - i.e. is it petrol, diesel or an alternative fuel car.

By offering this much granularity in the amount of road tax charged, the emphasis has changed from engine capacity to the environmental friendliness of a vehicle. Now cars which are much "greener" can get much lower rates - some are even totally exempt from road tax altogether under the new scheme so there are real financial benefits to be had by choosing a green car!



The Bands

As mentioned above, the bands group vehicles based on the official emissions figures for a particular model. These bandings are the same for all fuel types.



Before March 2006, Band F was the highest band. Your car will only fall into the highest Band G if it was registered on or after 23rd March 2006 and produces over 225g/KM of CO2.




Band CO2 Emissions (g/KM)

Band A Up to 100

Band B 101 to 120

Band C 121 to 150

Band D 151 to 165

Band E 166 to 185

Band F 185 to 225

Band G Over 225



To find out what band you car is in, have a look at our What is my MPG? page which will give you information about emissions and tax as well as fuel consumption.

The Rates

As with road tax previously, you can pay for either 12 months or 6 months of road tax at a time for all vehicles, except those which are in bands A or B. For clarity, we have only shown the 12 month rates in this table.



Band Petrol Diesel Alternative

A £0 £0 £0

B £35 £35 £15

C £115 £115 £95

D £140 £140 £120

E £165 £165 £145

F £205 £205 £190

G £300 £300 £285




What about Company Car Tax?

The tax on company cars is now also linked to emissions. How this works and how it is calculated is fairly long-winded and complex, unlike the nice simple Road Tax system.



One day we'll have a calculator for company car tax here on the site, but until we do and if you want to work out your company car tax now, we suggest you try using the HM Revenue & Customs sites which has its own Company Car Tax Calculator which you can use.

Best cars for MPG

Best cars for MPG
A lot of people have often asked "what is the most fuel efficient car I can buy?". Its a good question and it varies on a lot of things, but we have had a rummage around in the database and have come up with some interesting results.


Remember that if you are interested in seeing details for any car in the database, have a look at the Whats my MPG? page where you can do as many lookups as you want.



Please Note that this information is not exhaustive, and some makes and models may be missing. The data is derived from official tests, but may not accurately resemble what your vehicle is capable of in day to day use.


The data used here was last updated in May 2006, and is available in a raw format at the VCA car fuel data website.
Average Fuel Economy of all UK Cars
Just out of interest we thought we'd have a look at the average fuel efficiency of all UK cars available today (that we have in the database anyway).


Urban MPG Extra Urban MPG Combined MPG

28.225 47.327 37.837


We were mildly suprised about these figures; we were expecting a higher figure for the urban cycle, and a lower figure for the extra urban cycle, especially considering that the database contains details for all those fuel hungry vehicles like Ferarris! Most Fuel Efficient Cars
This table shows the top 10 most fuel efficient cars that you can get in the UK today, based on their Combined fuel efficiency figure. Unsuprisingly, diesel superminis are dominating the top positions.


What we thought was fairly interesting was that the Toyota Prius - long hailed as the defacto "green" car - just scrapes into our list at 10th place! However, to be fair on the Prius's electric benefits when we look at only the urban cycle (not shown here) the Prius comes in in 4th place, behind the Insight, and C3 and C2 1.4 HDI SensoDrives. All this leads us to one question - when are the car manufacturers going to start making a hybrid diesel supermini?


Manufacturer Model Specification Fuel Type Transmission Combined MPG VED Band

HONDA Insight Insight Petrol Hybrid M5 83.10 A

CITROEN C2 1.4 HDi Diesel M5 68.90 B

CITROEN C1 1.4 HDi Diesel M5 68.90 B

RENAULT Clio 1.5 dCi 80 Diesel M5 67.30 B

CITROEN C2 1.4 HDi SensoDrive Diesel A5 67.30 B

CITROEN C3 1.4 HDi Diesel M5 67.30 B

RENAULT Clio 1.5 dCi 100 Diesel M5 65.80 B

RENAULT Clio 1.5 dCi 65 Diesel M5 65.80 B

CITROEN C2 1.4 HDi Diesel M5 65.70 B

TOYOTA Prius 1.5 VVT-i Hybrid Petrol Hybrid E-CVT 65.70 B

Most Fuel Efficient Petrol Cars

Ok so even though we've just seen that the Diesel supermini is where you need to be looking if you are after the best fuel economy possible, not everyone wants a diesel because frankly - despite all the leaps and bounds that have been made with diesels over these past few years - they aren't sexy! And not everyone can afford a petrol hybrid like the Honda Insight or Toyota Prius either.


As such, we've broken the results down to show the top 10 petrol cars. As you can see superminis dominate again, but even the most fuel efficient petrol car in the database has a combined MPG figure about a fifth lower than the 10th placed diesel.


Manufacturer Model Specification Transmission Combined MPG VED Band

smart roadster 80 bhp (205 tyres) A6 55.80 C

TOYOTA Aygo 1.0 VVT-i 3 & 5-door Multi5 51.40 B

TOYOTA Aygo 1.0 VVT-i 3 & 5-door M5 51.40 B

CITROEN C1 1.0i M5 51.40 B

PEUGEOT 107 1.0 (65 bhp) M5 51.30 B

PEUGEOT 107 1.0 (65 bhp) A5 51.30 B

smart fortwo coupe 61 bhp 175 rear tyres SM6 47.10 B

smart fortwo coupe 50 bhp 175 rear tyres SM6 47.10 B

smart fortwo cabrio 61 bhp 175 rear tyres SM6 47.10 B

DAIHATSU Charade L251 1.0L EFi M5 47.10 B

Car Maintenance

These days, car manufacturers have to go to great lengths to develop modern engines that are reliable and meet tough environmental regulations, all the while offering more power and lower emissions. Because of this its essential that a regular maintenance routine is followed.

If you have been following the service schedule as specified by the manufacturer, then you'll already be in a good position. During these services you car's oil and other lubricants will be replaced, allowing the engine to run efficiently. However, as the gaps between services are growing increasingly longer, there are some steps you can take in the mean time to try and improve fuel economy.
Check your tyre pressures regularly - at least once every two weeks. Under-inflated tyres increase the rolling resistance of your vehicle, which means you'll be using up to 3% more fuel than you need to. Correctly inflated tyres last longer too!
Make sure that the engine oil is changed regularly. Grubby oil wont allow the engine to run efficiently, neither will a gearbox run at its best with ancient and dirty oil.
Check you air filter. You engine needs to breathe freely in order to get efficient combustion of your fuel. If fuel isn't being properly burnt in the engine, it will just come out the exhaust un-burnt and be totally wasted!
There are countless other points to consider when servicing your car - if in doubt take your car to a reputable garage for it to be given a check up. Remember that it is older cars that maybe haven't been to a main dealer for servicing for sometime that are most likely to benefit. You can save money by going to a specialist or independent garage instead of a main dealer to service your car, or you can do some simple work like checking the tyre pressures or changing the air filter yourself - check your car's service manual for details.

Reading the road ahead

Reading the road ahead
On of the key concepts about saving fuel is reading the road ahead in an effort to never have to come to a complete stop. If you've ever had the misfortune to have broken down and needed to push a car, you'll know that its pretty hard to get a car moving, but once it is moving keeping it going is actually pretty easy. We want to try and prevent the car having to move away from a standstill as much as we can whilst still being a safe and responsible driver.

So how can we go about this? What does "reading the road" really mean? Put simply its all about being observant and planning your actions in advance. For example, imagine that a car some way ahead of you is waiting to turn right across traffic; do you either carry on at the same speed and brake just before you reach the car, or do you begin to slow down by lifting off the accelerator early? The answer in the context of saving fuel is to begin slowing down early, with the hope being that by the time you get there, the car turning right has gone and you don't need to stop. This way you save fuel whilst you are getting there, and you save fuel by not having to accelerate away from stationary. Remember the key points here - we are trying to preserve our momentum by avoiding unnecessarily slowing down.

Here are some of the things you could look out for whilst out and about, and ideas about driving style that will help with fuel consumption. Please remember - always drive safely and with consideration for others on the roads.
An obvious but often overlooked point is that if there are traffic lights ahead of you that are changing to red or are already at red, start slowing down early. There is no point wasting fuel by driving at speed towards them braking at the last moment.
Whilst on the motorway, make sure you leave a reasonably large gap between you and the car in front. Not only is this safer, but it gives you a chance to avoid "reaction breaking" where you slow down as soon as you see the car in front's brake lights, even if its not needed. Often drivers will just tap their brakes lightly for a second or less without realising just out of habit when a car moves into their lane for example.
Again whilst on the motorway, if you are going to overtake a slower vehicle, try to wait until you can take advantage of a flat stretch, or ideally a downhill section. Accelerating hard up a hill will use significantly more fuel.
If you are in slow moving traffic, there is no point in quickly accelerating to fill the gap between you and the car in front. Accelerate gently so you move forward slowly. Ideally, you'd want to time it so that you never need to stop whilst in traffic - although this is often difficult to achieve.
Whilst driving in town and built up areas, look for "warning signs" that you might need to slow down or stop. Examples are people indicating to turn, broken down cars, learner drivers, pedestrians waiting to cross the road, cars turning and so on.
We've found that by employing this observant and conservative driving style we have not only improved fuel consumption, but its actually pretty relaxing too - not only mentally, but also by not needing to constantly change gears and keep moving our feet around so much...something that many drivers of automatic cars will no doubt agree with!

Minimising drag and air resistance

Minimising drag and air resistance
On the Top 10 Tips page we mentioned that you should try to avoid having your window open at higher speeds (for example whilst on the motorway or an A road). It is said by some that its actually more fuel efficient to have the air conditioning on instead of opening your windows at 70mph - although we couldn't find any firm evidence of this.

You might be wondering why this is the case. The simple reason is that having the windows open increases what is known as "drag", i.e. the resistance your car generates whilst trying to move through the air. As you go faster, the amount of drag increases proportionally, which means you need more energy to overcome the drag and stay at your current speed - this means higher fuel consumption.

Its not just windows that will cause drag either! Listed below are some steps that will help reduce drag.
As mentioned above, when travelling at speed close your windows and sunroof.
If you are lucky enough to be driving a convertible in the summer, stop and put the roof up (provided its safe to do so) before you drive on motorways or fast A roads.
Remove any roof-racks, roof-boxes or bike racks when you aren't using them. These are some of the worst offenders when it comes to drag!
Its great to support for the national team, but remember to remove your England flag from your car when the matches are over.
If your car's bonnet is covered with dead flies and lumps of mud and goodness knows what else, wash your car! It may seem like a pretty pointless thing to mention, but all those extra lumps and rough edges will disrupt the airflow passing over your car, causing more drag. Oh and everyone likes to see a shiny motor!

Hopefully by following these points (and in particular the ones about windows and roof-racks etc) you'll see a good saving in fuel consumption on long motorway journeys. On the next page we'll look at how to read the road ahead.

Top 10 Tips for better fuel economy

Top 10 Tips for better fuel economy
There are a lot of things you and me can do to make genuine fuel economy improvements right now, and for free. Often you'll find a lot of products claiming to be a Silver Bullet, often making outlandish claims that their gadget will not only save you fuel, but also improve horsepower. We're unconvinced.

However, these top 10 tips are tried and tested ideas that really do make a positive difference to your car's fuel economy. So, have a read of these top 10 tips and start making savings straight away!

1 - Drive smoothly
Driving like a Boy-Racer by aggressively accelerating or breaking not only makes you look like a bit of a fool, but it wastes fuel too - up to 60% more in fact! When pulling away from the lights, try to accelerate gently.

2 - Read the road ahead
When driving, try to look ahead and read the conditions of the road - look out for anything that might require you to slow down or stop such as traffic lights or someone attempting to park. By anticipating what is coming up, you'll not only be a safer driver, but you'll save fuel by starting to slow down early and not needing to come to a stop.

3 - Don't rev the engine!
Ok so it might sound cool, but revving the engine whilst stationary does nothing except waste fuel!

4 - Use the gears sensibly
Some of us have a love-hate relationship with the gear stick, but the fact of the matter is that correct use of gears can make huge savings on your fuel bill of up to 15%! Make sure you change up into a higher gear as soon as its possible and safe to do so.

5 - Stick to the limit
Easy cowboy! Doing 80mph on the motorway will use between 10% and 20% more fuel than doing 70mph, not to mention its illegal! For a 20 mile motorway journey, driving at 80mph will only save you about 2 minutes compared to driving at 70mph anyway!

If you're not in a hurry to get anywhere, doing 70mph will use between 20% and 30% more fuel than doing 50mph - suddenly being stuck behind a lorry doesn't seem so bad!

6 - Check your tyres
Make sure you check your tyre pressures reguarly (at least once every 2 weeks). An under-inflated tyre can increase fuel consumption by 3%, and it will wear out quicker too. Check your owner's manual for the correct pressures.

7 - Don't "warm up" the engine
When starting on those cold mornings, don't leave your car running to warm it up. It causes unnecessary engine wear, as well as wasting fuel. Instead invest in some decent de-icer and try to drive off straight away - so long as you can see where you are going!

8 - Avoid short trips
It is so easy to just hop in the car to pop down to the corner shop to pickup your Sunday papers, but a cold engine will generally use twice as much fuel as a warm engine. Walk instead - the exercise will do you good!

9 - Turn off the Air Conditioning
Air Conditioning is great in the hot summer months, but only use it when you really need to and just use the blowers the rest of the time - try to avoid opening the windows when driving at speed as this can increase aerodynamic drag which will waste more fuel. Running the air con when you don't need it will waste a lot of fuel.

10 - Keep your car in tip-top condition
Try to keep your car well maintained by making sure the recommended service schedule is followed either by taking it to a reputable garage, or servicing it yourself. A well-tuned engine with fresh, clean oil and new air filters will run more efficiently than an engine that has been neglected.

Campanile Hotel Leicester

Campanile Hotel Leicester
Budget Hotel with 93 rooms £55 prpn
AA BUDGET HOTELAddress
St Matthews Way
Bedford Street North
Leicester
LE1 3TQ

Contact Details
Miss Elaine Jacob
Campanile Hotel Leicester
St Matthews Way
1 Bedforfd Street North
Leicester
LE1 3JE
Tel 0116 261 6600
Fax 0116 261 6601

Whether you want to sleep, relax or do some work, our bedrooms are ideally equipped for all your needs. Quiet spacious and comfortable, all our rooms offer tea and coffee making facilities, remote control TV, a working area with desk and chair, modem connection and direct dial telephone.

For further details see www.campanile.com

Croft Hotel

Croft Hotel

Guest Accommodation with 24 rooms £30-£75 prpnb
VISITBRITAIN 3 STAR GUEST ACCOMMODATION

3 Stanley Road
Leicester
LE2 1RF

Contact Details
Ms Karolina Ciecwierz
Tel 0116 270 3220
Fax 0116 270 9056

The Croft is ideal for commercial guests and visitors alike. Its proximity to Leicester University on the edge of Victoria Park makes it most convenient for students, their parents and lecturers.


For further details see www.thecrofthotel.com

Glenfield Lodge

Glenfield Lodge

Guest Accommodation with 13 rooms £20-£25 pppn , £20 pppnb, £22-£55 prpn
VISITBRITAIN 1 STAR GUEST ACCOMMODATION

Address
4 Glenfield Road
Leicester
LE3 6AP

Contact Details
Mr David Ludlam
Tel 0116 262 7554

Our family owned, clean and friendly hotel is perfectly situated for Leicester town centre and close to Leicester’s vibrant day and night life. Glenfield Lodge Hotel is a 10 minute walk from The Clock Tower which is located in the centre of Leicester and a short drive from most of Leicester’s major business areas, the universities, The Walkers Stadium and The Tigers Stadium as well as the other attractions listed on our website.

Your stay at Glenfield Lodge Hotel is inclusive of our legendary breakfast which includes: cereals followed by 3 rashers of bacon, 2 eggs, sausage, beans, tomato, mushrooms, toast, preservatives, tea and coffee. In the summer why not enjoy your breakfast in our antique courtyard.


For further details see www.glenfieldlodge.co.uk

Beckmill Guest House

Beckmill Guest House

Guest Accommodation with 4 rooms £35-£65 pppnb
RATING APPLIED

44 Kings Road
Melton Mowbray
Leicestershire
LE13 1QF

Contact Details
Ms Lesley Farrow
Tel 01664 852881

Beckmill has been decorated throughout by an interior designer and has been kept in keeping with its Victorian heritage.

Fantastic breakfasts are available every morning which include organic ingredients. A wide choice of cereals, fresh fruits and locally baked bread together with home made jams start your morning nicely. This is followed with a choice of cooked breakfasts - choose from English, American or the Connoisseur's choice. Ask for more details!

Our priorities are the guest, their comfort and enjoyment during their stay at the Beckmill Guest House.
For further details see www.beckmill.co.uk

The Lodge

The Lodge
Bed & Breakfast with 2 rooms £30-£35 pppnb
VISITBRITAIN 4 STAR BED & BREAKFAST

Address
Melton Road
Scalford
Melton Mowbray
Leicestershire
LE14 4UB

Contact Details
Mrs Sandy Felstead
Tel 01664 444205
Fax 01664 444205

The Lodge is a picturesque Edwardian House set in rolling countryside on the Scalford Hall estate. Only two miles from the market town of Melton Mowbray and half a mile from the attractive village of Scalford. Originally two cottages The Lodge housed the gardener and the chauffer to Scalford Hall.

The Lodge boasts self contained, tastefully decorated accommodation with private guest entrance and staircase, one twin room, double room, private guests' shower room and priate guests' lounge/dining room. All rooms are tastefully furnished with period cottage furniture and have excellent views of the surrounding countryside.
The breakfast menu uses all local produce where possible often including home baked bread, home made jams and free range home produced eggs.

For further details see www.geocities.com/thelodgebandb

The Haynes

The Haynes
Guest Accommodation with 6 rooms £35-£55 pppnb, £33-£55 prpn , £35-£75 prpnb
VISITBRITAIN 4 STAR GUEST HOUSE

Address
185 Uppingham Road
Leicester
LE5 4BQ

Contact Details
Mrs Maxine Rutherford
Tel 0116 276 8973
Fax 0116 276 8973

Family run guesthouse, close to General and Nuffield Hospitals on main bus route. Large spacious rooms with tea and coffee making facilities.

West Langton Lodge

West Langton Lodge
In or near Market Harborough

Bed & Breakfast with 1 room £50 prpn
VISITBRITAIN 3 STAR BED & BREAKFASTAddress
Melton Road
East Langton
Market Harborough
Leicestershire
LE16 7TG

Contact Details
Mr Ken Hague
Tel 01858 545450

Details
Comfortable well equipped stable conversion situated in the beautiful south Leicestershire countryside ideal for walkers etc. We are able to accommodate horseriders or drivers with their own horses, by prior arrangement.

Home made jams and eggs from our own chickens. In the summer sit outside and enjoy a barbeque.

£50 per night - £350 per week. One bedroom stable conversion/cottage with one double room and put up bed for 2 people in lounge area. Starter pack included.

Arrivals - weekdays after 4pm, weekends after 12 noon. Late arrivals by prior arrangement.

For further details see www.westlangtonlodge.co.uk

Charnwood Lodge

Charnwood Lodge
VisitBritain 4 Star Guest Accommodation
Guest Accommodation with 14 rooms £45-£90 prpnb

Address

136 Leicester Road
Loughborough
Leicestershire
LE11 2AQ

Contact Details

Mrs E Charwat
Tel 01509 211120
Fax 01509 211121

Charnwood Lodge is a privately run high quality guest house with a 4 star rating, located in the University town of Loughborough. Central for Leicester, Nottingham, Derby and within easy reach of East Midlands Airport.

The tarriff includes a choice of breakfast menus including full English breakfast, delicious home cooked evening meals available. Your hosts Liz and Klaus provide the high standards of accommodation and service they themselves expect.
You will enjoy a warm friendly atmosphere and good old fashioned service, whether you are on holiday or working in the area.

The accommodation is all en suite, tastefully decorated and furnished to a high standard. For a special occasion there is a four poster suite.

Horseshoe Cottage Farm

Horseshoe Cottage Farm
Address

Hallgates Roecliffe Road
Cropston
Leicester
LE7 7HQ


Bed & Breakfast with 3 rooms £55-£90 prpnb
SILVER AWARD EMT EXCELLENC VISITBRITAIN 5 STAR BED & BREAKFAST E AWARDS 2007 EMT GOLD 2007

Contact Details

Mrs Linda Jee
Horseshoe Cottage Farm
Hallgates Roecliffe Road
Cropston
Leicester
LE7 7GQ
Tel 0116 235 0038


Details

A recently converted, luxury farmhouse bed and breakfast. Original features throughout. From the moment they walk in, guests are made to feel at home. The home cooked meals with foods sourced locally and the vegetables and eggs home grown.

Very comfortable bedrooms with feature beds are all en suite and make for a relaxing stay. Homebaked scones or cakes await guests' arrival and are served by the log fire or on the terrace when the weather permits.

Gold Award Winners of the East Midlands Tourism Enjoy England Excellence Awards 2007 Bed & Breakfast category.

For further details see www.horseshoecottagefarm.com

Leicestershire MP's

Stephen Dorrell
Party: Conservative
Constituency: Charnwood

Alan Duncan
Party: Consevative
Constituency: Rutland & Melton

Edward Garnier
Party: Conservative
Constituency: Harborough

Patricia Hewitt
Party: Labour
Constituency: Leicester West

Sir Peter Soulsby
Party: Labour
Constituency: Leicester South

Andrew Reed
Party: Labour
Constituency: Loughborough

Andrew Robathan
Party: Conservative
Constituency: Blaby

David Taylor
Party: Labour
Constituency: North West Leicestershire

David Tredinnick
Party: Conservative
Constituency: Bosworth

Keith Vaz
Party: Labour
Constituency: Leicester East

Leicestershire Bistro's

Traditions Restaurant At the Tom Thumb
Grove Road
Blaby
Leicestershire
LE8 4DG
Tel: 0116 247 7881

TRADITIONS PUB / RESTAURANT at the Tom Thumb Blaby, serving quality Chinese and English meals, daily specials 3 meals for £12. Mon night Steak night, Wed night Curry night (curry, rice , chips) £5.00. Large garden with bouncy castle & play area. Bookings taken 0116 2477881 come on England! BBQ every Sun weather permitted.

Praha Bar & Restaurant
22-24 The Borough
Hinckley
Leicestershire
LE10 1NL
Tel: 01455 448087
Web: www.praha.me.uk

Hinckley's newest contemporary bar & restaurant. Open daily from 9.30am. Sunday lunch 12-4pm. A La Carte menu from 7pm (Tues-Sat), pre-theatre meals, morning coffees & parties. Children very welcome.

Time Bar
Next to Railway Station
London Road
Leicester
LE2 0QB
Tel: 0116 261 9301

TIME BAR (FREE WINGS WEDNESDAY 5-8pm). Excellent food served 12-9pm, Monday -Thursday. Friday and Saturday 12-7pm. Informal city centre bar dining. (Free chicken wings Wednesday 5-8pm). Tel. 0116 261 9301 for table reservations and pre orders

Charnwood Country Club
Derby Road
Loughborough
Leicestershire
LE11 5AD
Tel: 01509 260972

Maiyango
21 St. Nicholas Place
Leicester
LE1 4LD
Tel: 0116 251 8898

The Mulberry Tree Pub
White Horse Lane
Birstall
Leicestershire
LE4 4ES
Tel: 0116 2671038

The Rutland & Derby Arms
21 Millstone Lane
Leicester
LE1 5JN
Tel: 0116 262 3299

The Steps Bar
16 Silver Walk
Leicester
LE1 5EW
Tel: 0116 262 2922

WY Bar and Restaurant
56 - 58 Queens Road
Leicester
LE2 1TU
Tel: 0116 270 0666

Redgate Farm Animal Sanctuary

Redgate Farm Animal Sanctuary
233 Shaw Lane,
Markfield
LE67 9PW
Tel: 01530 243925

Rutland Falconry & Owl Centre

Rutland Falconry & Owl Centre
Burley Bushes,
Exton Lane,
Exton,
Rutland
LE15 7TA
Tel: 07778 152814

Rutland Water Butterfly Farm

Rutland Water Butterfly Farm
Sykes Lane Car Park,
Rutland Water,
North Shore,
Rutland
LE15 8PX
Tel: 01780 460515

The Mulberry Tree,Leicester

The Mulberry Tree,Leicester

Tucked away in the heart of Birstall is an unexpected find: The Mulberry Tree overlooking the River Soar. It is only five minutes away from central Leicester and yet a million miles apart. Originally a ‘Coal Store’ taking deliveries from the busy canal network, The Mulberry Tree now enjoys a more relaxed existence where guests can enjoy the heated courtyard or the gardens overlooking the water, and during the winter months a warm welcome awaits inside. At lunchtime there is a fabulous choice of salads, wraps and light bites, great to replenish yourself after walking or cycling around Watermead Park and is ideal for a quick business lunch. For something a little special our ‘A la Carte’ and set menus are available in the restaurant.

A carefully selected range of fine wines,Continental beers and real ales are matched for you to consider with your meal. Our Chef takes pride in being able to cater for a wide range of dietary needs including Vegans and Coeliacs. Children are looked after with a Menu which offers a choice of dishes using fresh homemade produce and whilst they are waiting there are books, puzzles and colouring to keep them amused! The director of The Mulberry Pub Co. won Business Woman of the year in 2005 and the pub was a finalist of both ‘The Publican’ and’ Leicester Mercury’ ‘Newcomer of the Year’ for 2005. We look forward to welcoming you!

The Mulberry Tree
White Horse Lane
Birstall
Leicestershire
LE4 4EF
Tel: 0116 267 1038
Fax: 0116 267 1039

Holiday Inn Leicester

Holiday Inn Leicester

Located in the centre of Leicester - the Holiday Inn, Leicester is ideally place for historic, cultural and sporting attractions such as Leicester Tigers Rugby Club, Leicester City Football Club, De Montfort Hall, Haymarket Theatre, 'the Golden Mile' and the Space Centre.

188 guest rooms include the Belvoir Suite, long stay suites, accessible rooms, executives and recently refurbished standards.

Rooms are spacious, all with double beds and suitable for both corporate and leisure travellers.

The unique Vermont Restaurant and Bar, 'Spirit Health & Leisure Club and 11 meeting rooms enhance the hotel's facilities.

Holiday Inn
129 St Nicholas Circle
Leicester
LE1 5LX
Tel: 0870 400 9048
Fax: 0116 251 3169

Twinlakes Park

Twinlakes Park
Melton Spinney Road,
Thorpe Arnold,
Melton Mowbray
LE14 4SB
Tel: 01664 567777
Tuesday 31st July to Friday 31st August

Treasure Island
Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic adventure tale of piracy and swashbuckling fun.
An original musical score with sea shanties from start to finish. This is a great summer style panto with plenty of audience participation and fun family entertainment

Tuesday 31st July to Friday 31st August

The Little Mermaid

All the music, fun and excitement under the sea resurface in Katch 22's panto style adaptation of The Little Mermaid. Atlantia, the fun-loving and mischievous mermaid is enchanted with all things human. Disregarding her father's orders to stay away from the world above, she rescues the prince of her dreams from a raging storm. Determined to be human, she strikes a bargain with the devious sea witch, and trades her tail and voice for a pair of stilts like the humans.

Animal Activities

11:00 Lamb Feeding



11:30 Rabbit Handling



12:00 Ferret Racing



12:30 Calf Feeding



1:00 Falconry Shows



1:30 Creepy Critters



2:00 Rabbit Handling



2:30 Lamb Feeding



3:00 Ferret Racing



3:30 Falconry Shows



4:00 Calf Feeding



4:45 Lamb Feeding