Big holiday companies fared badly in a consumer satisfaction survey conducted by Holiday Which? magazine. While the magazine's readers generally spoke highly of small, independent holiday companies, they were far less enamoured of some of the major tour
I AM perched on Malin Head, County Donegal, at Ireland's most northerly point. Ahead, the next landfall is Iceland, to my left, and far beyond the swirling clouds, America. In a sweeping half moon behind me, the rugged, unspoiled Inishowen Peninsula rolls
MICHAEL Owen is set to sign a new contract with Newport Gwent Dragons, giving them and Welsh rugby a big shot in the arm. Owen is out of contract at the end of this season after two years with the Dragons since becoming their first major signing when
THE sight that greeted me as I glided the inky canal could have come straight from an old Carry On movie. A party of enthusiastic but totally perplexed Japanese tourists were crammed into a gondola, festooned with state-of-the-art cameras and video recorders
VANDALS have subjected a Newport school to several "mindless" attacks - smashing around 70 windows. Now police are appealing for anyone with information about the vandalism to come forward. Over the past four weeks, in several seperate incidents, Gaer
FRANCE remains one of our favourite tourist destinations. escape....trawled through a new directory launched by the Association of British Tour Operators to France to find some of the most interesting holidays. First port of call has to be the ABTOF site
This fabulous prize celebrates the arrival of a major holiday and travel show in Wales this month, for which we also have tickets to be won. THE Welsh Holiday & Travel Show arrives at Cardiff's CIA this month for the first time and you could be a
The magnificent four-star deluxe Carlton Hotel, one of Edinburgh's finest, is sited on the Royal Mile at the heart of the Scottish capital and with our super competition you could win a luxurious break there. Our winner and a partner will enjoy two nights
On your doorstep... DID you know that the Forest of Dean was designated the country's first National Forest Park for England? That was in 1938 and the title was bestowed in recognition of the area's natural beauty. Things have moved on since then. Now
PREMIER Cottages, has a number of properties still available for February half-term. For example in Exmoor, Duddings Country Cottages have availability in a selection of cottages sleeping from four to seven people, with prices starting from £275 per week
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NEWPORT Gwent Dragons lock Ian Gough is within touching distance of making his first Six Nations Champ-ionship appearance for three years. Gough has been promoted from out of the squad to the replacements' bench for Saturday's tricky game against Italy
MOST people head straight for the Yucatan beaches when visiting Mexico, but I am bound for the southern province of Chiapas, the final stop before Guatemala. Just one hour's flight, but light years away from Mexico City, Chiapas is cloaked in a jungle
From Cardiff INTERNET-based expedia is offering three nights room-only accommodation in the four star Expo Hotel, Barcelona, departing on February 24, for £265 a person. n Call 0870 050 0808 or visit www.expedia.co.uk SPEND two nights in Copenhagen at
THE owner of a Newport nightclub was on his way to the Brit Awards ceremony today after judging the prestigious event for the fifth year running. John Sicolo, owner of the legendary TJ's in Clarence Place, is making the annual trip to London with family
A BLACKWOOD housing estate is set to get a facelift if a 635,000 package of improvements is given the go-ahead. Caerphilly council and Groundwork Caerphilly are planning a scheme which would include a range of improvements on the Penllwyn estate. A CCTV
NEWPORT'S newest school got off to the best of starts with a formal blessing from an archbishop. Yesterday saw the official opening of the new 12 million St Joseph's RC High School, in Duffryn, Newport. Assembly minister for education Jane Davidson and
A CWMBRAN mother who has had cancer operations cancelled hopes the chaos at the Royal Gwent won't mean her operation will be further postponed. Cherie Le Rue, of Oakfield, was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus last June and should have had an operation
IF DR Brian Gibbons wants to see the true extent of problems faced by patients and staff in Wales' accident and emergency departments, he must visit the Royal Gwent Hospital on a Monday. That is the challenge from a member of the hospital's A&E staff
CELTIC striker John Hartson, pictured, is set to become the latest big-name Wales player to pull out of tonight's friendly with Hungary at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (kick-off 8.0pm). Hartson will join Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs and Blackburn
A major exhibition to mark the 400th anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot is to be staged in London. From April, Shakespeare's Globe theatre on London's South Bank will stage an exhibition on Guy Fawkes' unsuccessful plot to blow up Parliament on November
IT is hard to believe it is February already. Reporter Henry Widdas has just returned from a fantastic ski break in the Spanish Pyrenees and next month we will be focusing on the French Alps. Alongside that we are already beginning to plan our summer
The tsunami has provided a link between holidays and charity. We've donated our money and we know how vital our visits are - if holidaymakers don't come, tourism-related jobs will vanish and stomachs will go empty. Every drink that a tourist buys, every
NEWPORT Gwent Dragons lock Ian Gough is within touching distance of making his first Six Nations Champ-ionship appearance for three years. Gough has been promoted from out of the squad to the replacements' bench for Saturday's tricky game against Italy
CELTIC striker John Hartson, pictured, is set to become the latest big-name Wales player to pull out of tonight's friendly with Hungary at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (kick-off 8.0pm). Hartson will join Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs and Blackburn
Tourism ministers from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations began a two-day meeting on Malaysia's Langkawi island on how to revive their industry. This latest tourism setback, follows others which arose from fears about to avian flu, SARS
Long a favourite with discerning holidaymakers - indeed the ancient Romans called the area campania felix, or happy land - this simply stunning coastline of colourful towns, glorious views and the warm Mediterranean Sea is a perfect choice for a truly
HAVING never been on a skiing holiday before, I was unsure of what to expect. But I was in good company as I would be using the same slopes as those graced by the Spanish royal family. Furthermore I was to stay at a five star hotel so I was hoping the
This year is the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar. KEN BENNETT makes a spiritual journey to Nelson's Norfolk ahead of the celebrations I AM seated on a worn, high-backed wooden settle, on which a half-blind sailor with a long pigtail and a
Australian speedway ace Craig Watson, pictured, will be thrilling Newport fans for a seventh season. The long-awaited announcement was made today by Newport promoter Tim Stone who said: "Craig is one of the top riders in the Premier League and he is at
FOOTBALL mad Luke Davies dreams of playing for Manchester United and would love to be as famous as his hero Zinedine Zidane. But red-tape means the seven-year-old defender can't play for the team he has represented for the last 18 months because he lives
A MOTORIST who caused the death of a pensioner after forcing a bus to make an emergency stop has been sent to a young offenders' institution for four and a half years. John Foran, 19, was told by Judge David Wynn Morgan: "If you had not driven the way
CITY leaders have told hundreds of government workers who said they did not want to come to Newport. You don't know what you're missing. ONS boss Len Cook also told how potential relocators were told not to judge Newport "by the drive from the station
SIX men responsible for a frightening brawl in Blackwood town centre were caught thanks to CCTV and your Argus. The fight, described as "ugly and frightening" by a crown court judge, erupted outside the Red Lion in Blackwood shortly after midnight on
DETECTIVES investigating the stabbing of a man and reported gun fire in a Newport street are ruling out a gangland feud at this stage of their inquiry. Armed police swooped on the Dolphin Court flats at the rear of Francis Drive in Pill during the early
