Love Is GREAT Edition 1, March 2015
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An LGBT guide Brought to you by for international media March 2015 Narberth Pembrokeshire, Wales visitbritain.com/media Contents Love is GREAT guide at a glance .................................................................................................................. 3 Love is GREAT – why? .................................................................................................................................... 4 Britain says ‘I do’ to marriage for same sex couples .............................................................................. 6 Plan your dream wedding! ............................................................................................................................. 7 The most romantic places to honeymoon in Britain ............................................................................. 10 10 restaurants for a romantic rendezvous ............................................................................................... 13 12 Countryside Hideaways ........................................................................................................................... 16 Nightlife: Britain’s fabulous LGBT clubs and bars ................................................................................. 20 25 year of Manchester and Brighton Prides .......................................................................................... 25 Shopping in Britain ........................................................................................................................................ 27 Sports, gyms & activities .............................................................................................................................. 31 LGBT tours and social groups .................................................................................................................... 34 Retrace the steps of influential gay and lesbian icons ........................................................................ 37 LBGT Britain Events Calendar ..................................................................................................................... 41 Destination Guides for LGBT visitors ....................................................................................................... 50 LONDON ...................................................................................................................................................... 50 EDINBURGH ................................................................................................................................................ 56 GLASGOW ................................................................................................................................................... 60 CARDIFF ...................................................................................................................................................... 64 BELFAST ...................................................................................................................................................... 68 BRIGHTON & HOVE ................................................................................................................................... 72 MANCHESTER ............................................................................................................................................ 76 NEWCASTLE ............................................................................................................................................... 80 LIVERPOOL ................................................................................................................................................. 84 BIRMINGHAM .............................................................................................................................................. 88 OXFORD ....................................................................................................................................................... 92 CAMBRIDGE ................................................................................................................................................ 95 THE COTSWOLDS ...................................................................................................................................... 97 BATH ............................................................................................................................................................ 99 First edition, March 2015. Editor: Rmishka Singh, PR Editor, VisitBritain [email protected] Contributors: Stuart Haggas, David G. Taylor, Lucy Fry. Please direct enquiries to [email protected] Love is GREAT guide at a glance When marriage became legal for same sex couples in England and Wales, actor, comedian and presenter Stephen Fry tweeted: “Thanks, Your Majesty, for the Royal Assent. You soon won’t be the only married queen in Britain. Hurrah hurray hurroo!” The law now also includes Scotland. Read more on p6. Talking of royal assent, you can say ‘I do’ at The Goring, a swish hotel next to Buckingham Palace, where the Duchess of Cambridge prepared for her wedding. Or how about your own Scottish castle, or a Welsh boutique hotel with cosy roaring fires? Start planning from p7. The Isle of Skye in Scotland was voted the 4th best island in the world by National Geographic. Further Afield recommends The Black Shed, a stylish cabin for two that makes for a romantic honeymoon choice – with a Michelin starred restaurant close by. Swoon over honeymoon havens from p10. If you want to impress a date with insider knowledge of the best places to go, follow our guide to datespots, p13. The Richmond Tea Rooms in Manchester’s gay village puts on extravagant afternoon teas, towering with sweet and savoury treats to linger over. Morning surf, afternoon castle-ruin walk (in King Arthur’s footsteps), a sunset drink at the honesty bar and sleeping to the sound of the waves – lesbian-owned The Old Parsonage is just one of the countryside and coastal hideaways you’ll add to your bucket list, see p16. Partying in Britain caters to all tastes, and the LGBT nightlife is nothing short of fabulous. Whether you’re after a traditional gay pub, a fun lesbian bar, cabaret and drag nights, or you want to go where the bears go, there’s something for you. Read our guide on p20. Both Manchester and Brighton Prides turn 25 in August 2015! Celebrate their silver anniversaries in style, see p25. Selfridges London has opened a gender-neutral shopping space, you can get a designer kilt tailor made from 21st century kilts in Edinburgh, and interiors fans will love Wales’s Melin Tregwynt for hip textile-based treats, including cosy rugs and funky iPad covers. Shopping fans, turn to p27. LGBT social climbers should embark on a NotSoTrad trip, and head out to the beautiful Lake District, Gower Peninsula or Isle of Skye with others who like to feel the fresh air, go climbing and walking and make friends. More sporty pursuits are listed on p31. From the infamous drag ball of 1880 to protests and famous gay and lesbian residents, the Over The Rainbow Gay Manchester tour is a fascinating insight into the city’s past and introduction to the present LGBT scene. For that and similar UK tours, see p34. From diver Tom Daley to singer Dusty Springfield, there are LGBT icons past and present whose lives you can trace through places of significance to them. Find out about inspiring LGBT icons from p37. Whenever you come to Britain, you can guarantee there’s an LBGT Pride, party or festival of some kind in full swing. Read the events calendar for info on all of it, p41. This guide also contains comprehensive destination guides especially for LGBT visitors to London, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff, Belfast, Brighton & Hove, Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool, Birmingham, Oxford, Cambridge, The Cotswold and Bath. From p50 onwards! 3 Love is GREAT – why? Receiving a warm welcome is an important requirement for visitors to any country – but for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people, this simple gesture of hospitality is even more crucial. Britain welcomes every letter of the acronym LGBT along with everyone else, which is why it’s a favourite destination for visitors of all ages, ethnicities and sexual orientations. According to LGBT2020, the world’s largest LGBT market A kiss at World Pride, which held in London in research programme, Britain ranks #4 in a list of top 2012 countries for LGBT travel in 2015, with London being the world’s #7 intended destination for LGBT visitors. Within Europe, London is #2 and Edinburgh is #10 – Spain is the only other country with two cities making this top ten. The marketing solutions agency behind this research, Out Now Consulting also indicate that global LGBT tourism is now valued in excess of USD$200 billion in annual spending. (source: www.outnowconsulting.com/lgbt2020). Meanwhile, the Rainbow Europe survey, carried out by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), named the UK the best out of 49 countries in terms of legislation and policies that have a “direct impact on the enjoyment of human rights by LGBTI people”. Britain – embracing all that’s LGBT Why is Britain so popular with LGBT visitors? Time and again, Britain has proved to be a country that embraces its LGBT population, with LGBT people and culture integrated in all aspects of daily life. British suspense film Victim starring Dirk Bogarde and Sylvia Syms