DAVID STRINGER
Associated Press= HAMPTON COURT, England (AP) — Medieval cottages crowned with thatched roofs. King Henry VIII's storied riverside palace. A wind-swept naval fort that helped to defend Britain's coastline during World War II.
Away from the bustle of London's Olympic stadium, the Summer Games will also showcase the country's postcard perfect rural charms, and highlight centuries of its history.
While it was Britain's vibrant capital that won the right to host the 2012 Games, events aren't confined to London. Spectators will flock to Wales and Scotland, to verdant hills in southern England, and even to a working farm — where rare breed sheep must make way for Olympic cyclists.
"It might be called London 2012, but really it's a countrywide event. There are places right across the country which are getting a chance to taste the Olympics," said Beverley Egan, of the Salvation Army charity, which owns a swath of eastern England countryside where the Olympic mountain bike competition will take place.
Egan, the organization's director of community services, lives close to the site, the 950-acre Hadleigh Farm, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of the London stadium, where cattle graze amid the ruins of a 700-year-old castle.
Sports fans can head to 10 venues outside Britain's capital. Canoeists will slalom through bubbling rapids at Lee Valley White Water Center just beyond London's northern outskirts, while rowing crews will compete on a lake at Eton Dorney, set inside a tranquil 400-acre park about 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of the capital.
On England's southern coast, visitors will watch sailing events at Nothe Fort — a 19th century naval defense post. During World War II, troops fired the fort's heavy guns in warning on two suspicious ships, but later found the vessels were carrying refugees fleeing the Channel Islands, the only corner of Britain to come under Nazi occupation.
Quaint images of rolling hills will provide a quintessentially British backdrop to events beamed around the world. However lovely, they are also critical to the country's plans for capitalizing on the Olympics, which have cost Britain 9.3 billion pounds ($14.6 billion) to stage. Ministers hope prospective visitors will be captivated as they see historic landscapes and landmarks and book a vacation. They also hope potential investors can be wooed.
Competitors in road cycling races will travel into England's picturesque countryside as they compete for gold medals. Their route — 156 miles (250 kilometers) for men, 87 miles (140 kilometers) for women — begins outside Queen Elizabeth II's Buckingham Palace home, but quickly swaps London streets for tree-fringed country lanes.
Their path winds through fields of grazing deer in Richmond Park, bringing the Olympics into the southern England county of Surrey and to the historic Hampton Court Palace.
Home to Henry VIII from the mid-1500s, the palace sits at the heart of his scandalous personal life. It was here that he and his aides plotted England's break with the Roman Catholic church to allow the king to divorce. The king married two of his six wives here, too. Two were accused of adultery and beheaded.
Road race cyclists will flash by, headed toward the spine of chalk hills known as the North Downs — but competitors in time trial events will start and finish their races inside the palace grounds, where William Shakespeare and his company of actors once performed for King James I.
During the road race, athletes will continue past the ruins of the 12th Century Newark Priory, on through woodland copses shaded by canopies of trees and down heart-stopping, twisting slopes.
Alan Flaherty, a highway engineer at Surrey County Council and a road cycling fanatic since he first visited the Tour de France in 2004, helped to devise the course once organizers chose to take the event outside London.
Olympic authorities had planned for the route to snake through the capital, but the sport's governing body wanted a course that would better challenge riders and show off more iconic British views.
Flaherty was tapped to share some of his own favored paths. "I literally went out with my rucksack, a camera and a pen and paper and looked at the whole route and then reported back," he said.
The final course offers a checklist of famous British images — from Westminster Abbey to sheep-filled meadows — and some competitors have already interrupted training rides with Flaherty to snap pictures with their smartphones.
"It does manage to go past all the main tourist sites in London, starting and finishing on The Mall, and also takes in a huge amount of Surrey," Flaherty said. "It's a real contrast — all the countryside shows another element of Great Britain to the rest of the world."
Spectators, though not the riders who will speed by, can admire a vision of English nostalgia nestled along the course at Shere, an unspoiled village with a 12th century church, tea house, gently gurgling stream and cluster of thatched roofed cottages.
Nearby at Box Hill, a favorite southern England picnic spot and vantage point, competitors face a grueling ascent up the aptly named Zig Zag Road, an energy-sapping climb which men will complete nine times and women twice. The summit will host about 15,000 spectators, while tens of thousands more are expected to pack along the remainder of the course.
Flaherty said that since he helped to finalize the route scores of enthusiasts have taken to the course with their own bikes — meaning he must find new paths for his own peaceful weekend cycle rides.
"I've been cycling around here for about 25 years and one of the things I liked is that it's always really quiet," Flaherty said, ruefully. "Then I got involved with the Olympics and now there are hundreds of people out on the route every weekend. The lesson is to be careful what you wish for."
London 2012: Tickets For Olympics Opening And Closing Ceremonies Go On Sale - huffingtonpost.co.uk
More tickets for some of the most popular events at the Olympic Games go on sale today.
Thousands of tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as for athletics, swimming, boxing, table tennis, volleyball and football at Wembley Stadium, will be available through the official Olympic website from 11am.
Prices range from £20 to £720 across the 96 available sessions, while tickets for the two ceremonies start at £995.
All the remaining tickets, both for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, are on sale on a first come, first served basis, and more will be available in coming weeks.
As with previous tickets, they can only be bought using a Visa card.
Locog, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, said more than eight million tickets have now been sold across both games.
But there are still about three million tickets left up for grabs, including more than half a million Olympic tickets, 1.2 million Paralympic tickets and 1.25 million tickets for Olympic football.
Locog commercial director Chris Townsend said: "There are still plenty of ways to join in and be part of London 2012.
"We are at advance stages of venue planning and these represent the final release of ceremonies and other sport tickets tickets.
"Over the next few weeks we will release further tickets for other Olympic sports and keep people informed when tickets are available.
"We are delighted with ticket sales to date, and have sold another 1 million tickets in the last four weeks, prioritising people who were unsuccessful last time around."
For more information or to buy, visit www.tickets.london2012.com.
Our Cars: Vauxhall Ampera - June - News - What Car?
Week ending June 8
Mileage 5030
Driven this week: 180 miles
My brother-in-law is a dyed-in-the-wool petrolhead. The list of cars he's owned includes a Fiat Barchetta, Toyota Celica and VW Golf GTI. His current car is a 1996 Mercedes E240. He thinks electric cars are just a fad.
However, that changed after a half-hour passenger ride in our Vauxhall Ampera.
He liked the instant acceleration, the refinement, and was pleasantly surprised by the fit and finish of the Vauxhall. The range-extending petrol engine wiped out any concerns he had about electric cars and their range.
This total change of mindset bodes well for Vauxhall if it can convince enough people to at least test drive such cars.
I'm not sure that my brother-in-law's next car – or even the one after that – will be an electric car, but at least the acorn that one day he could own one has been planted in his mind.
What we didn't appreciate was the decidedly non-futuristic recharging mechanism. When the car has finished recharging, your hands get covered in dirt and crud as you wind-up the power lead. Some kind of retractable lead, such as that in a vacuum cleaner would be more user friendly, but Vauxhall says the lead can't be coiled when the car is being charged because it will get too hot.
Iain.Reid@whatcar.com
Week ending June 1
Mileage 4850
Driven this week: 100 miles
Now that the fun of having a new car is beginning to wear off, I've started to notice a few issues with our Vauxhall Ampera. It's great to drive through town – there's nothing quite like the smoothness you get from electric motors – and you get just as much attention as you do in, say, a Range Rover Evoque, but there are a couple niggles.
The first is that the incredibly low front diffuser scrapes on every speed bump. Bearing in mind that the car is badged a Vauxhall and, by virtue of its electric powertrain, destined for a considerable amount of town use, it's frustrating that it doesn't seem to have been tested in London, a city full of speed bumps.
The second thing I'm surprised about is that, although there's a fully functional Bluetooth phone connection, there's no Bluetooth audio to allow you to play music from your phone without plugging it in. In any other car, you wouldn't give it much consideration, but in the top-spec version of what would appear to be the UK's most technologically advanced car it's a strange omission.
Ed.Keohane@whatcar.com
London hotels persist with Olympian price hikes - Daily Telegraph
This week JacTravel, which provides wholesale accommodation for inbound tour operators, said its London bookings were down by 35 per cent during July and 30 per cent during August, compared with the same months last year. By contrast, it said that bookings for summer holidays to Barcelona and Berlin had grown by more than 100 per cent.
JacTravel found that some four-star London hotels were charging up to £415 per night for stays during the Games, nearly four times more than usual.
A second hotel booking website, Hotels.com, found that the average price for a room during the Olympics had fallen slightly by five per cent since March, to £202. However, this is still 93 per cent more expensive than the same period last year.
A spokesman for Hotels.com said that some cheaper rooms could still be found if travellers were willing to look to outlying districts.
Vauxhall Mokka SUV pricing announced - easier.com
Vauxhall will expand its already broad range later this year with the addition of the Mokka SUV, which is available to order from today at a starting price of just £16,995.
The new model will enter the growing sub-compact SUV B-segment, but despite its compact 4.28 metre length can accommodate five adults in comfort. Its key rivals will be cars like the Skoda Yeti and from Nissan, the Juke and Qashqai. Like all Vauxhalls, the Mokka comes with Vauxhall Lifetime Warranty.
Available in three trims – S, Exclusiv and SE – the Mokka comes with generous levels of standard equipment, including DMB (Digital Media Broadcast) radio, air conditioning, Descent Control System, cruise control, aux-in and a multi-function trip computer.
Three engines, ranging in power from 115 to 140PS, will be available from launch. The 1.6-litre petrol produces 115PS and 155Nm of torque, and with its standard Start/Stop system delivers a combined 43.5mpg. With 140PS, the 1.4-litre turbo is the Mokka’s most powerful petrol engine and brings with it standard four-wheel drive and sub-150g CO2 emissions.
The Mokka has a choice of two diesel models, both of which use Vauxhall’s 1.7 CDTi 130PS engine, with CO2 emissions as low as 124g/km. In front-wheel drive form, the 1.7 CDTi is available with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission, and with all-wheel drive the Mokka comes with the six-speed manual only. Like the petrol-powered cars, all manual models have Vauxhall’s fuel-saving Start/Stop system as standard.
“The Mokka takes its design cues from larger SUVs and integrates them into a compact, yet modern form,” said Duncan Aldred, Vauxhall’s Chairman and Managing Director. “We are now growing a compelling and diverse range of products that appeals both to retail and fleet customers, and the Mokka will complement this perfectly.”
Front- or four-wheel drive transmissions
The Mokka has been designed to perform efficiently in urban environments, but with the ability to be driven off-road when the need arises. Both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive models are available, with the AWD system being fully adaptive. When the vehicle’s being driven on smooth, dry surfaces all drive is sent to the front wheels for maximum efficiency. But when the road surface is slippery, as much as 50 per cent of the drive automatically and seamlessly is diverted to the rear axle. The entire AWD system weighs just 65kgs, benefitting handling and fuel economy.
Mokka brings wide range of new tech to sub-compact SUV segment
A variety of state-of-the-art driver-assistance systems will be available in the Mokka. The Vauxhall Front Camera – first seen in the latest Insignia, and also the new Zafira Tourer – gives drivers access to Lane Departure Warning, Traffic Sign Recognition, Forward Collision Alert, as well as a rear-view camera, which works with park-assist sensors front and rear.
Reinforcing its role as a recreational car for families, the Mokka also has the option of Vauxhall’s latest generation FlexFix rear bicycle carrier. The carrier is fully integrated into the rear bumper, and slides out like a drawer to accept up to three bicycles at a time. The system even allows easy access to the tailgate/cargo area when the bikes are on the carrier.
Standard on all Mokkas is a comprehensive package of safety systems, including Electronic Stability Control, Traction Control, Hill Start Assist and Hill Descent Control, providing drivers with reassurance, no matter if they’re on or off-road. HDC is an excellent ally when a driver is descending a steep hill, when it determines and limits the speed of the vehicle, meaning that the brakes need not be applied.
Adding further still to the Mokka’s comprehensive safety armoury is Vauxhall’s Advanced Adaptive Forward Lighting (AFL+). This technology automatically adapts the Mokka’s lighting to suit its driving environment, whether it be motorway, country, urban, adverse weather, increased full beam, or cornering beam. The system is also equipped with High Beam Assist, which adjusts the high beams automatically so that oncoming traffic isn’t dazzled.
Bold SUV design combined with generous functionality
Muscular and attractive, the Mokka incorporates Vauxhall’s signature ‘blade’ on the body side, sweeping towards the rear. The Mokka’s stance is reinforced by its higher ground clearance as well as a 1540mm track and 18-inch wheels on most models.
Inside, the Mokka has 19 storage locations, 60:40 split rear seats, and an all-up load space of 1,372 litres with the rear seats folded down.
British team play integral role in RHD chassis development
Gerry Baker, Vauxhall’s manager of vehicle dynamics based at Millbrook, has been involved with Mokka chassis development from an early stage. “Early prototype cars were tested in the UK during 2011, to establish if bespoke damper settings were required for cars sold in Britain,” said Gerry.
“We’ve also been evaluating a RHD steering tune for the car, which is important, given the unique road conditions British drivers have to deal with. Finally, a large part of the Mokka’s durability testing has been carried out at Millbrook, here in the UK.”
There’s been great emphasis on the Mokka’s dynamic performance, both on- and off-road, The front MacPherson suspension has been fitted with side-load compensation springs to improve damper reliability and consistency. At the rear, a U-section compound crank is mounted ahead of the rear wheels, angled to suit either FWD or AWD set-ups, and ensuring that both on- and off-road dynamics are not compromised.
Vauxhall has adopted a state-of-the-art Electric Power Steering (EPS) system for Mokka, which provides more speed sensitive assistance for drivers, no matter what model they opt for. The specific settings for the steering will be tuned to suit the UK market.
Retail launch later this year
Customers can order the Mokka from today through the Vauxhall retail network. The car will arrive in UK showrooms in November this year.
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