:00:00. > :00:12.I'm going to try to go to sleep now and try and forget that I'm entirely
:00:13. > :00:34.Wrestling a guy in front of 2,000 people is a bit further
:00:35. > :01:14.This week, I'm in Kent, in England's south-east corner.
:01:15. > :01:17.This is the city of Canterbury, a place of pilgrimage ever
:01:18. > :01:28.Apparently, if you look up at the stained glass windows -
:01:29. > :01:31.ah, here we go - one of the panels depicts a fairly
:01:32. > :01:39.Really, the thing that put Canterbury Cathedral on the map.
:01:40. > :01:43.It's got Thomas Beckett, who, at the time, was the Archbishop
:01:44. > :01:46.of Canterbury, being killed by two knights with swords
:01:47. > :01:48.and it was his murder and martyrdom that made
:01:49. > :01:57.this a place for pilgrims to come from across the world.
:01:58. > :02:00.Britain's ancient places of worship have always attracted visitors.
:02:01. > :02:03.Canterbury's competition comes from sites like York Minster,
:02:04. > :02:07.Westminster Abbey and even the Holy Island of Lindisfarne,
:02:08. > :02:09.but around the country there are religious treasures to be
:02:10. > :02:20.This is Fordwich, about two miles down river from Canterbury.
:02:21. > :02:22.With 370 local inhabitants, they reckon this is
:02:23. > :02:32.You wouldn't know it now, but tiny Fordwich used
:02:33. > :02:39.It was here they unloaded the French stone that was used
:02:40. > :02:46.Here, in this barely used Norman church, is my bed for the night.
:02:47. > :02:49.So it's very reassuring walking through a graveyard to get
:02:50. > :03:06.I'm here for a spot of champing, church camping.
:03:07. > :03:09.It's available at 12 historic venues around the country.
:03:10. > :03:13.Beautiful ancient sites that are rarely, if ever,
:03:14. > :03:15.used as places of mass worship any more.
:03:16. > :03:23.Money raised from letting champers like me stay means the crumbling
:03:24. > :03:30.buildings are spared a slow, inevitable decline.
:03:31. > :03:35.You can see from the architecture, that there would be little bits
:03:36. > :03:38.from every generation because we all make our mark on it,
:03:39. > :03:41.often trying to modernise it, whether for the good or the bad
:03:42. > :03:46.So I'm keen to give this champing a go, so where will I be sleeping?
:03:47. > :03:49.You'll be sleeping possibly in the executive pews because it's
:03:50. > :03:52.meant to be the warmest part of the church.
:03:53. > :03:55.It's good that it's a box pew because it stops the drafts.
:03:56. > :04:02.There are a few nice touches here - that good old stable,
:04:03. > :04:07.the tea tray and a basket of goodies with biscuits and wine.
:04:08. > :04:10.So I guess there's a risk, what if people are here
:04:11. > :04:16.There is an agreement that you have to agree to in terms of how
:04:17. > :04:19.you behave in the building as you hire it, as it were.
:04:20. > :04:24.Particularly here, it speaks silence and good behaviour and one hopes
:04:25. > :04:33.that people would enjoy that and appreciate that.
:04:34. > :04:37.I mean, it's only 6:00pm and it's already cold.
:04:38. > :04:40.Safe to say, champing is usually more of a summer activity,
:04:41. > :04:44.at least the pub next door looks like it's going to be warm.
:04:45. > :04:52.People have said, you know, waking up in this amazing
:04:53. > :04:55.place in the summer, with the bird's singing and the sun
:04:56. > :05:03.pouring through the windows, is just something very special.
:05:04. > :05:06.We are given historic churches by the Church of England
:05:07. > :05:08.where there's no longer a worshipping congregation,
:05:09. > :05:13.but the church is of such significant historic and cultural
:05:14. > :05:16.value that it needs protecting and preserving for the future.
:05:17. > :05:19.Why would anyone want to go champing?
:05:20. > :05:22.Because you get to spend such a lot of time in truly
:05:23. > :05:26.The way people usually visit historic churches,
:05:27. > :05:29.and I've seen it, is that they go to the door,
:05:30. > :05:31.they pop their head round and they go -
:05:32. > :05:34.oh, there's a font, there's an altar, there's some very nice
:05:35. > :05:37.stained glass, that's very pretty, and then they leave.
:05:38. > :05:41.What you miss by doing that is, you don't get to dwell in the place
:05:42. > :05:49.Somebody at the pub just told me that tonight is supposed to be
:05:50. > :05:57.So that's good, as I head into my unheated church room
:05:58. > :06:37.So I've just got into bed and it's quite comfy, actually.
:06:38. > :06:42.I'm quite cosy, given how cold it is, and I can see my breath.
:06:43. > :06:47.I'm going to try and go to sleep now and try to forget I'm entirely
:06:48. > :06:54.It is quite cold, it's quite noticeably cold.
:06:55. > :06:57.I think there's a jolly good reason that champing is only done
:06:58. > :06:59.during the summer because these old churches don't have
:07:00. > :07:09.nice central heating, but it's oddly peaceful, actually.
:07:10. > :07:17.Deciding to come champing in the dead of winter
:07:18. > :07:45.I thought you might want some coffee.
:07:46. > :07:48.You are my favourite person in the world.
:07:49. > :07:51.Brilliant, and some bacon sandwiches as well.
:07:52. > :07:59.I mean, it's the middle of winter, when you don't
:08:00. > :08:06.Well, I was going to say, there is a reason why we run
:08:07. > :08:08.champing from spring to the end of summer.
:08:09. > :08:11.But how about the atmosphere and the experience?
:08:12. > :08:15.I tell you what, I was surprised actually because I'm quite a scardy
:08:16. > :08:18.cat, but really the second I sort of actually settled down to sleep,
:08:19. > :08:23.You're lying there and there's no sound from outside
:08:24. > :08:25.and the atmosphere was surprisingly quiet, sort of calm,
:08:26. > :08:28.all through the night I had no moment of being,
:08:29. > :08:36.The champing season starts around mid-March, a far more sensible time
:08:37. > :08:41.Bookings cost around ?40 a head, but for that you get a historic
:08:42. > :08:57.So if you're thinking of heading to south-east
:08:58. > :08:59.England in the near future, here are some things
:09:00. > :09:04.There are May Day events happening all over the country,
:09:05. > :09:08.but one of our picks is the Jack in the Green Festival
:09:09. > :09:12.Four days of folk dancing and music culminates in a wild costumed
:09:13. > :09:17.The roots of this go way back, to the 16th and 17th Centuries.
:09:18. > :09:21.Those clear spring days should be an ideal time to try to out
:09:22. > :09:29.the world's thinnest tall building, Brighton's i360.
:09:30. > :09:32.It only opened last year on the city's seafront,
:09:33. > :09:34.marking the entrance to the old iconic West Pier
:09:35. > :09:45.And in Hampshire, events are planned throughout the year to mark
:09:46. > :09:48.the 200th anniversary of the death of the Pride and Prejudice
:09:49. > :09:55.The main focus for events is in June, but even
:09:56. > :09:57.now there are exhibitions, tours and performances taking place
:09:58. > :10:14.Our global gourmet heads to Andalucia to take
:10:15. > :10:17.in a festival that shows, like no other, just how much
:10:18. > :12:50.Ben continues his trip around Sudan, this time, it's safe to say he's
:12:51. > :12:57.You grab the arms, you grab the legs.
:12:58. > :13:05.I think you need to get them on their back and then you win.
:13:06. > :13:21.The Travel Show, your essential guide wherever you're heading.
:13:22. > :13:25.Welcome to the slice of the show that tackles your travel questions.
:13:26. > :13:30.Coming up, a heated discussion about Dubai in July.
:13:31. > :13:33.But first, skiers heading for Winter Park, in the American Rockies,
:13:34. > :13:39.The Winter Park Express runs from Denver's Union Station every
:13:40. > :13:47.One way fares, for the two-hour trip, range from $39 to $59 with no
:13:48. > :13:51.extra fees for skis or snowboards and there are easy connections
:13:52. > :13:54.at Union Station with the new railink
:13:55. > :14:07.Next, Neil Smurdon faces an eight hour stop over at Hong Kong Airport
:14:08. > :14:17.So long as you have a passport from one of 160 approved countries,
:14:18. > :14:20.including almost every nation in Europe and many in Asia
:14:21. > :14:25.Make sure your bags are tagged to your final destination,
:14:26. > :14:28.then you won't need to wait around at the baggage reclaim,
:14:29. > :14:32.you can go straight through passport control into Hong Kong
:14:33. > :14:35.without problem, just be ready to show your onward boarding pass
:14:36. > :14:40.Then take advantage of the superb airport express train link direct
:14:41. > :14:48.You'll need 100 Hong Kong dollars in cash rather than a credit card
:14:49. > :14:54.Take the train to the last stop, on Hong Kong Island,
:14:55. > :14:57.where you'll emerge beside one of the world's great harbours ready
:14:58. > :15:00.for a few hours of exploration and eating before the 24-minute trip
:15:01. > :15:08.Rich and Tara Ballard are looking ahead to summer and,
:15:09. > :15:10.fortunately, contacted The Travel Show
:15:11. > :15:23.Stay away from the Gulf in summer, unless you're
:15:24. > :15:29.One July I was flying via Dubai and made the mistake of building
:15:30. > :15:31.in a day to go sightseeing, the 40 degrees plus
:15:32. > :15:37.I resorted to flagging down taxis just to travel a few hundred meters
:15:38. > :15:43.in order to get some brief air conditioned respite.
:15:44. > :15:46.Sure, there are plenty of chilled indoor attractions,
:15:47. > :15:50.but that's not the point of a dazzling city such as Dubai.
:15:51. > :15:54.I enjoy the Gulf States from November to February,
:15:55. > :15:56.but during the remaining eight months of the year you'll
:15:57. > :16:01.Sharri Rendall is heading to Tel Aviv in the last week
:16:02. > :16:10.in April for a friend's 40th birthday.
:16:11. > :16:13.Late spring is an excellent time to be in Tel Aviv.
:16:14. > :16:17.It's a beautiful, welcoming cosmopolitan city which,
:16:18. > :16:21.despite being barely a century old, has loads to see.
:16:22. > :16:24.Exploring beyond Tel Aviv is easy, notably on the spectacular train
:16:25. > :16:28.ride through the Judaean Hills to Jerusalem, taking 80-minutes
:16:29. > :16:34.for just 20 shekels, which is about ?4 or $5.
:16:35. > :16:37.Travelling as a single woman presents no special risks though
:16:38. > :16:41.the danger of terrorism is ever present.
:16:42. > :16:46.Whether you're considering the Balkans, the Baltic or Bogota,
:16:47. > :16:49.The Travel Show is here to help, so email your question
:16:50. > :16:54.and I'll do my very best to find you an answer.
:16:55. > :16:56.From me, Simon Calder, the global guru, bye
:16:57. > :17:10.Finally this week, we're back on the road in Sudan.
:17:11. > :17:12.It's a country scarred by conflict and largely
:17:13. > :17:15.inaccessible for tourists, but with a bit of resolve
:17:16. > :17:20.and some careful planning it is possible to get there.
:17:21. > :17:22.Last time, Benjamin Zand explored some of the country's impressive
:17:23. > :17:25.Archaeological sites, this week he's in the capital
:17:26. > :17:38.Khartoum trying something a little more hands on.
:17:39. > :17:41.Every Friday at 4.00pm, in Haj Yusef, Khartoum,
:17:42. > :17:44.this ancient sport, originally thought up by Nubian pharaohs,
:17:45. > :17:58.For thousands of years, wrestling has been practised among the tribes.
:17:59. > :18:15.But it is not just a game. As unrest pushes people away from
:18:16. > :18:22.their homeland, the sport has found another home in the capital. And it
:18:23. > :18:28.is a huge event. Things are heating up here, these guys going pretty
:18:29. > :18:32.hard. Basically anybody can get involved, they have an empty arena,
:18:33. > :18:39.and all the kids jump in and wrestle each other, and anyone can try it. I
:18:40. > :18:44.should broadly out but I don't know. After seeing how heated the matches
:18:45. > :18:48.can get I was happy I was only a spectator. But quickly I realise the
:18:49. > :18:53.organisers had other plans. I was told an international exhibition
:18:54. > :18:59.match was going to take place, one between Saddam and Britain, --
:19:00. > :19:07.Sudan. And I was going to be representing Britain. Wrestling a
:19:08. > :19:12.guy in front of 2000 people is a bit less than what I usually go for. He
:19:13. > :19:25.is kind of scary. I was given the chance to meet my opponent. I am
:19:26. > :19:40.kind of scared. Then it was time to head out into the arena.
:19:41. > :19:43.I've got my knee braces on, time to lose my life.
:19:44. > :19:48.I've got my knee braces on, time to lose my life.
:19:49. > :19:54.I actually don't know what the rules are.
:19:55. > :19:59.It actually started quite well, that's until my opponent took
:20:00. > :20:04.off his shirt in a display of ultimate warrior
:20:05. > :20:10.I spent the duration of the match running away from the opponent.
:20:11. > :20:13.I learnt later that you're not really meant to move backwards,
:20:14. > :20:17.only forwards, but they let me off as I was knew it and they probably
:20:18. > :20:21.As things heated up, I used my premium agility skills,
:20:22. > :20:24.dodged my opponent's attempts to bring me down.
:20:25. > :20:42.With the crowd on my side, I decided to go in for the kill.
:20:43. > :20:50.As it was all over, I was happy I could now retreat to the changing
:20:51. > :20:53.room and think about what I'd just attempted, but in a celebration
:20:54. > :20:56.of British-Sudanese relations, my opponent decided a parade around
:20:57. > :21:05.Whilst in the arms of my new Sudanese comrade,
:21:06. > :21:08.I had time to reflect on what I was seeing.
:21:09. > :21:11.Sudan is a very divided country when it comes to things
:21:12. > :21:14.like religion and ethnicity, but here, in the wrestling arena,
:21:15. > :21:22.Even a young lad from Liverpool can earn respect.
:21:23. > :21:25.Now it's all finished, all I can say is, this could be
:21:26. > :21:28.a bit of a daunting place to walk into, but, after that experience,
:21:29. > :21:31.and the love everyone showed me, all I can
:21:32. > :21:36.And a cheering crowd as well, I'm being carried around.
:21:37. > :21:53.Well, that's all we've got time for in this week's Travel Show.
:21:54. > :22:02.Six years after the disastrous meltdown at Japan's Fukishima
:22:03. > :22:06.nuclear plant, Carmen heads for the slopes nearby to find out
:22:07. > :22:17.In the meantime, if you'd like to keep up with what we're
:22:18. > :22:20.up to out on the road, you can sign up to our
:22:21. > :22:24.But for now, from me, Christa Larwood, and the rest
:22:25. > :22:26.of the Travel Show team here in south-east
:22:27. > :22:56.Well, Friday was a much quieter and calmer day than what Thursday
:22:57. > :23:00.brought, thanks to Storm Doris, but as we head into the weekend
:23:01. > :23:05.We have loads of weather systems, weather fronts, I should say,
:23:06. > :23:09.ganging up on us, bringing bouts of rain, and isobars tighten up