The Glorious Tweltfth!

If you're in London this week you are in for a treat. In the UK August 12th is sometime known as The Glorious Twelfth because it marks the start of the shooting season and from then on shooters can happily hunt the Red Grouse, a delicious game bird that makes for a wonderful supper.

If you are in Covent Garden, perhaps on a StrollOn walking tour of the area, then one of your Foodie destinations should be Rules Restaurant. It's situated on Maiden Lane (chapter eight on our walk), a street famous for all sorts of reasons, not least its name which may mean that it used to be a dung heap! Rules is one of the world's oldest eateries. It was set up in 1798 by Thomas Rules as an oyster bar and has remained on the same site ever since. It's customers have included royals and writers, actors and politicians: many a famous face has sat within its walls and ate dinner at a Rules table.

At this time of year the restaurant comes into its strength for it serves some of the best game in London and from now you can get your hands - and your teeth - on delicious roast grouse, tender woodcock or a simple pheasant, all served with the usual trimmings: game chips, gravy and - hopefully - bread sauce! You can see the Rules menu here but it is worth noting that because the supply of game can vary it will not always be available. If you wanted to make doubly sure that you'll get some tasty game birds for your lunch or supper, call ahead.

And, if you need to work up an appetite for your meal, or perhaps walk it off, then check out our wonderful walking tours of London here. Enjoy!

The Disappointment of a Dublin City Guide

As I mentioned the other day, I bumped into Jerry Springer in Dublin. You may be surprised and a little disappointed to hear that I'm not going to dwell on Jerry - I'm far more interested in discussing Dublin.

Forget that I spent most of the weekend ill in bed, being very brave, because when I finally managed to get out and about there really was very little to get excited about. Yes I enjoyed the Guinness Factory, which has fantastic views over the city, and was intriuged by Kilmainham Jail, which has played such an important part in the country's recent political history, but other than these two "sights" there was very little to Dublin other than a wide range of rather sad looking pubs and bars. It's all about the Craic, they say; I'd suggest that it's only about the flaming Craic.

However, this is not what Ryanair's online city guide suggested. You could probably call me a fool for taking a Ryanair flight (and I'd agree) and damn right demented for thinking that any literature that they produce would be worth reading. However, having failed to read the small print on the original flight offer (which cost me an extra £80 - still seething) I thought that I'd address this fact and take advantage of their small print on the city itself.

The Dublin City Guide was woefully inadequate, not so much in terms of quantity of content, but more in terms of its quality. I knew I'd made a mistake when my €15 taxi from the airport to the centre of town weighed in at nearly €30. From then on in I was advised to visit that, go shopping here and listen to live music there. Thank God I was in bed for most of my stay; it meant that I was limited to no more than a day of misinformation and chasing rainbows. 

Since my return (and yes thanks, I feel a lot better now I'm back) I've spent a considerable amount of time trying to find some decent quality online city guides and applications. One of my favourite at this early stage is Schmap. They've produced a desktop application, which covers each sight and location in a city in considerable detail, drawing on other established sites for much of their information. But it works and I think that it is definitely one to watch - I know that we are.

Until next time, StrollOn...

StrollOn's First Press Release

StrollOn - a new way to experience old places

Welcome to StrollOn, an innovative producer of entertaining and professional audio city guides for your iPod.

21st century travel is dominated by the Internet, which offers a vast choice of information that all travellers want and need. At the same time, audio-entertainment is dominated by the 150 million iPods sold worldwide. When the two are brought together, you have a new way to experience old places.

StrollOn stands out in this fast developing industry for the quality of its content and production. We work with experienced guides, expert sound engineers and the best actors to bring each city’s stories and secrets to life. We aim to entertain as well as to inform. We produce our guides not only for tourists, but also for the locals wanting to see and hear more about their city.

When you visit our website at www.strollon.com, you will see the choice of city guides that you can download. Our library is expanding rapidly into other European cities and into other types of guide. We currently offer audio walks that take the listener away from the crowds, off the beaten track. We will soon be bringing out individual, stand-alone guides around each city’s major sights and there will be overviews of cities, giving visitors a chance to feel more like a local. All our products are easily downloadable onto your iPod, giving you a personalised tour that you control - you go when you want and you see what you want.


Notes to Editors:

• StrollOn has focused on iPods because they are the most common and user-friendly MP3’s, but the city guides can be played on any MP3 including some mobiles
• At present, all StrollOn’s products are recorded in English. The company intends to make progress in this area.
• StrollOn currently offers 6 audio tours in London and 2 audio walks in Paris for £4.99.
• The overviews and individual sight-specific guides for London and Paris are now complete and will be downloadable shortly and for free.
• On our blog, www.strollon.co.uk/blog, we offer commentary on StrollOn, its products and the industry, and welcome feedback and opinions on each.


For further information contact:

• Nicholas Craig Harvey: ncraigharvey@strollon.co.uk
• George Broke : gbroke@strollon.co.uk
• Telephone : 020 7340 9611

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We released this, our first press release, earlier this week. After much tweaking and fine tuning we thought that this gave journalists and industry critics a good idea of what StrollOn is about. Currently, we are undergoing a period of change, both in terms of product range and destinations covered. We are expanding both and are really very excited about what we have managed to produce for your city sightseeing pleasure. We'd advise you to expect a few more releases over the coming weeks as the website changes to accommodate our new audio walks and audio city guides. We're looking forward to hearing what you have to say abou them so long as it's positive. If not, you still know where to come and slate us: here, to our faces...

...in the meantime, StrollOn...