Latest news with #Chapel
Daily Record
11 hours ago
- Daily Record
Scotland's best tourist experiences named by TripAdvisor including iconic castle and stadium tours
Scotland has earned multiple spots in TripAdvisor's 2025 Best of the Best list, which highlights top-rated tours and attractions worldwide Scotland is a popular destination for tourists across the globe. There is lots for visitors to do, from taking in our bustling cities to heading to see some of our beautiful landscapes. And the country has punched above its weight in a list of the best things to do in the UK, securing eight places in the TripAdvisor top 20. The tourism site's Travellers' Choice Awards named its top experiences in the UK as part of its Best of the Best Things to Do. The annual accolades celebrate the highest-rated experiences, excursions, and tours based on millions of reviews collected over the past 12 months. Fewer than 1 per cent of the platform's eight million listings earn the coveted Best of the Best title, which is reserved for those consistently delivering above-and-beyond experiences. This year's list spans everything from castles and chocolate tours to football stadiums and whisky cruises, with Scotland earning several coveted spots with its varied offerings. Leading the Scottish entries was the Edinburgh Castle: Guided Walking Tour, which came in at number two in the UK. TripAdvisor described it as a must for anyone visiting the capital, offering the chance to follow a guide through the historic grounds and learn about royal residents including Mary Queen of Scots. Visitors also have time to explore the site's many features, including three museums, two prisons, the Chapel of Saint Margaret, and the Great Hall. Ranked fifth was the Original Harry Potter Locations Tour in Edinburgh, which treats fans of the wizarding world to a guided walk through the places that inspired JK Rowling and featured in the films. As TripAdvisor noted, it's an ideal way to explore the Royal Mile while uncovering lesser-known stories behind the books and movies. Also in Edinburgh, the Chocolatarium Chocolate Tour Experience placed eighth. The immersive chocolate-making workshop allows guests to craft their own themed chocolates and sample a wide variety, including haggis, chilli, and gin-infused flavours. TripAdvisor said the experience is perfect for families or groups, especially on a rainy day. In tenth place, and the first Scottish excursion outside of Edinburgh was the Full-Day Trip: Loch Ness, Glencoe & The Highlands, which does actually leave from the capital. It takes travellers on a scenic coach tour through the Highlands, visiting sites such as Glencoe, Pitlochry and the Commando Monument, with plenty of photo opportunities along the way. Tennent's Brewery Tours in Glasgow secured the 11th spot, with our biggest city making its first appearance on the list. The tour offers a deep dive into the story of Scotland's most iconic beer. TripAdvisor praised the tour for giving unique insight into the brewing process and sharing rare artefacts from as far back as the 1500s. The experience ends with a pour of unpasteurised Tennent's straight from the tank. At number 12, the Isle of Skye and Eilean Donan Castle Day Tour from Inverness gave travellers the chance to visit the famous castle and explore Skye's coastline, including Kilt Rock and the Old Man of Storr. The Guided Celtic Park Stadium Tour came in at number 14, offering football fans behind-the-scenes access to one of Scotland's most historic grounds. TripAdvisor praised the experience for its chance to explore dressing rooms, the players' tunnel and interactive exhibits. Finally, the Loch Ness Cruise, Outlander & Urquhart Castle Tour from Inverness ranked 17th, combining a cruise on the famous loch with a visit to the castle ruins and several Outlander filming locations, plus the chance to sample Highland whisky. In a separate category, Edinburgh's Royal Yacht Britannia was named the best attraction in the UK. Permanently docked in Leith, the former royal vessel offers access to five decks, including the Engine Room and Queen Elizabeth II's favourite, the Sun Lounge. Visitors can also enjoy the Royal Deck Tearoom. The full list of winners is available on TripAdvisor's website.
Powys County Times
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
Snoop Dogg and his link to Powys music venue Chapel
Following on from the announcement earlier this month that Snoop Dogg had become a co-owner and investor in Welsh football club Swansea City, a Powys music venue has teased the possibility of the legendary US rapper one day performing here. It has been revealed that Llanwrtyd Wells venue Chapel, formerly the Bethesda Methodist Chapel, is partly owned by Snoop. The building was bought at auction in 2019 by local lad and tech entrepreneur Irfon Watkins and friend Ian Matthews, drummer in rock band Kasabian. After Snoop's Swans takeover announcement, the Chapel posted on its Facebook page on Friday (July 25): 'Bet you didn't know that Swansea City co-owner Snoop Dogg owns a bit of our Chapel… Snoop unplugged at Chapel.' In November 2021, it was revealed that Snoop had become one of the latest members to join leading crypto venture capital firm Outlier Ventures. Outlier Ventures dubbed Snoop and other new members 'outliers', who invest in, advise and collaborate with startups. Irfon revealed that Outlier Ventures is one of the investors in Chapel, which he and Ian have been transforming into an arts venue. Earlier this month, Irfon announced that Chapel will be hosting a brand-new music event, called BogFest, held alongside the quirky and popular World Bog Snorkelling Championships, in Llanwrtyd, in August. Chapel is the main sponsor of this year's World Bog Snorkelling Championships, which is taking place on Sunday, August 24. The music festival takes place over the weekend of August 23-24. As for revealing any details of a possible appearance in the future from Snoop, Irfon said: 'Well that would be something we need to work on, when he next visits the Swans.' Chapel's mission is to create a unique experience where established and upcoming artists can perform live to both an intimate local audience and a worldwide audience through innovative technologies. 'Ian Matthews and I bought the chapel with a vision to put it at the centre of our community for the next 100 years,' Irfon said previously. 'We asked the question 'what does a music/arts venue look like 100 years from now?'. Our view is that it will exist and function in the physical and digital world (metaverse). 'So, we then decided to acquire an online platform for musicians and start creating metaverse gigs while chapel was being rebuilt. 'The head office of this business will be based in the vestry of the chapel. 'We expect to host gigs there on a monthly basis initially, with our business model being both online and real life. 'Our business model in the village is additive; we want to bring visitors that spend money in the existing local businesses.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bid to save Cwm Rhondda chapel raises enough money to buy it
A campaign to save the chapel where the hymn Cwm Rhondda was first sung has raised enough money to buy the known and Bread of Heaven, the hymn was first sung at Capel Rhondda in Hopkinstown, Rhondda Cynon Taf, just before Christmas final service, amid declining numbers at services, was in December 2024 and the Grade II listed chapel was put up for sale by the Welsh Baptist Union with a price tag of £47, - fearing it could be bought by a property developer - wanted to save it as a community space and campaigner Rhian Hopkins, who grew up in the village, said: "It's amazing." Ms Hopkins started the campaign less than two weeks ago and it has raised about £55,000 after the original target of the asking price was raised to £60,000 to cover legal and other costs."I keep thinking 'am I just having a vivid dream which I'll wake up from'," she said."This isn't just any chapel, this is the home of Cwm Rhondda, the home of Bread of Heaven. "This is a really important part of not just local heritage but Welsh heritage and potentially worldwide heritage from the response we've had." Ms Hopkins put a post on Facebook while her my sons were on holiday in France with their dad and said her campaign "snowballed"."It's been so exciting and I have worked ridiculously hard, doing 12-plus hour days on the campaign," she said."Michael Sheen retweeted the post this week but the biggest difference to the campaign was after BBC Radio 4 Today programme featured the story."I watched the crowdfunding page and it was like someone winning the jackpot on a fruit machine and the coins keep on coming out because the figures just kept on going up." With the money now raised to buy the chapel, Ms Hopkins hopes it can one day become a museum with a visitor centre. "A lot of money will also need to be spent on the chapel. There was a quote of £50,000 just to restore the vestry floor."There's also knotweed in the graveyard, it's going to take a lot of money and work." Singer and broadcaster Beverley Humphreys, who is from nearby Pontypridd, said: "This hymn, Cwm Rhondda is in our DNA as Welsh people... it's been in my heart ever since I can remember."There is so much history embedded in this wonderful hymn and it's not just about preserving something special from our past but what Rhian and the team will do is preserve something beautiful for the present and for the future."
The Guardian
6 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Welsh community races to save chapel where Cwm Rhondda hymn first sung
A Welsh valleys community has launched a campaign to save the chapel where the popular hymn Cwm Rhondda, or Bread of Heaven, was first sung. The composer John Hughes wrote the hymn in 1907 to celebrate a new organ at Capel Rhondda in Hopkinstown, near Pontypridd. The Grade II-listed building closed its doors in December after years of shrinking congregations and was put up for sale by the Baptist Union of Wales for £47,000 two months ago. When Rhian Hopkins, who grew up in Hopkinstown, drove past the chapel and noticed the for sale sign, she said she was 'devastated'. 'I wasn't able to stop thinking about how this piece of history could be lost or turned into flats by a property developer who could pick it up for next to nothing,' she said. 'I arranged a viewing and took an architect friend who said the building was fine.' Hopkins and other campaigners set up a last-minute crowdfunding drive on 17 July, the day before the deadline for potential buyer bids. The union has since extended the deadline to 28 July to give the fundraiser the chance to meet its target. As of Wednesday, 65% of the total – £31,000 – had been pledged. Hopkins said: 'At a time when the world can feel rather bleak, this community effort seems to be resonating with people and reminding us that although we might no longer feel the need to attend a religious service every Sunday, we do need spaces and occasions where we can come together as a community.' Hopkinstown residents hope that Capel Rhondda can be maintained as a community space, with a potential focus on choirs and Welsh-language groups. 'We have lots of ideas about how the building can be used going forward but really want to engage with those living in the village to find out what they want and need,' the fundraising page says. More challenges lie ahead, Hopkins acknowledged. 'The first step is to secure the building. Then we probably need to set up a charity of some sort… There are all sorts of maintenance and repair costs, heating and maintenance, things like that to think about,' she said. About a quarter of Wales's places of worship have closed over the last decade as congregations have declined, according to research by the Bevan Foundation, the leading Welsh public policy charity and thinktank. Chapels across Wales have been redeveloped into private homes or second homes and holiday lets.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds EPs Tease Spock and Chapel's Future — Does He Have a New Love Interest?
Warning: This post contains spoilers from Season 3, Episode 2 of . Spock's heart was shattered — if Vulcan hearts can even shatter, that is — this week on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. But a fellow Enterprise crew member may be about to mend that heart. More from TVLine Star Trek: Strange New Worlds EP Breaks Down Pike's Emotional Struggle in Premiere: 'It's an Opportunity for Him to Dig Deeper' It's Official: Samuel L. Jackson to Star in Tulsa King Spinoff NOLA King at Paramount+ - See First Photo Evil Cast, Creators Still 'Sit Around and Talk About It Endlessly,' Aasif Mandvi Says - See Reunion Photo In Season 3's second episode (which hit Paramount+ on Thursday), Spock was excited to welcome Chapel back after her fellowship, but she didn't return alone: She was accompanied by her dashing new boyfriend, Dr. Roger Korby, played by Cillian O'Sullivan. Spock had trouble processing her new romance — it's not logical! — but after a mischievous alien created an alternate reality where Spock and Chapel were about to be married, Spock realized it wasn't right and did the noble thing, reuniting her with Korby. So now that they're no longer a romantic item, what's next for Spock and Chapel as shipmates? 'They will have to interact,' executive producer Henry Alonso Myers tells TVLine, and 'that interaction will be dramatic, no matter what… We promise you that those great dramatic and comic scenes between them will continue on. Just because we end that particular romantic part of their relationship doesn't mean that there aren't future interesting parts of the relationship that you're gonna run right into the face of.' Spock and Chapel have 'a very complex relationship that they don't always spend enough time talking about,' Myers points out, 'and that's part of the challenge that they run into.' Fellow EP Akiva Goldsman adds that 'we love the characters [of Spock and Chapel], and so they're going through a thing, you know. It's hard.' What might make it easier, though, is a new romantic prospect for Spock, and we saw some hints of that in his interactions with security officer La'an in Episode 2. (We're not the only ones who felt a vibe from those dance lessons, right?) Spock and La'an's connection is 'more casual, and more grown-up,' Myers notes. 'They come into it very much like adults who appreciate what they have to offer each other. They're friends first, I would say.' But maybe not just friends in the end, we're thinking. Are you liking the idea of Spock and La'an together? Or are you still holding out hope for a rekindling with Chapel? Beam down to the comments to give us your thoughts. Best of TVLine Yellowjackets' Tawny Cypress Talks Episode 4's Tai/Van Reunion: 'We're All Worried About Taissa' Vampire Diaries Turns 10: How Real-Life Plot Twists Shaped Everything From the Love Triangle to the Final Death Vampire Diaries' Biggest Twists Revisited (and Explained)
