Picture Yourself There

Mount Batten Centre, Plymouth

According to fashion website www.missbutterfly.co.uk, the residents of Plymouth leave a lot to be desired when it comes to style. According to the Metro, a poll discovered that more than 40% of them confessed that they weren’t particularly interested in fashion, resulting in the city being named the worst dressed place in Britain - those in Aberdeen followed close behind, with the people of Leeds coming in at an embarrassing third (http://www.metro.co.uk/news/...). Shame on you.

Really, who cares anyway? You can’t win ’em all. We love Plymouth, and think you should take a look at the Mount Batten Centre, where you can get stuck into dinghy sailing, windsurfing and power boating, whether you’re a nervous novice or an experienced thrill seeker. With both residential and day visits available, find your sea legs through gentle paddling trips or adrenaline fuelled races and learn all about life on the ocean wave. Or something like that…

Download the NavPix here…

Star Wars: The Exhibition, London

It may have been in a childhood far, far away… but we’re pretty sure that you remember the days when Luke Skywalker saved the galaxy (more than once), Darth Vader was the ultimate anti-hero, and Princess Leia was every guy’s dream girl. Scarily, it’s 30 years since George Lucas began creating what was to become one of the best-loved films of all time - but it seems our fanaticism for Star Wars hasn’t yet dwindled.

To mark this 30th anniversary, Star Wars: The Exhibition will be taking place at County Hall in London, and will feature art, props, vehicles and costumes from all of the six films in the series - find more details on The Times online. The event will even feature interactive exhibits where you can test your own Jedi powers (if you’re not quite au fait with the telekinetic stuff, don’t worry - the blue screen technology will help you out), along with a full-size model of a Starfighter.

The perfect opportunity to revisit your youth - download the NavPix here, and set lasers to stun…

Beer Festival, Keswick

At the weekend, The Telegraph newspaper published the results of the Best of British Beer Awards, after thousands of votes were cast by readers nationwide to find the most popular cask ales in 10 regions across the UK. While there were some surprises, there were a few much-loved names in the winners’ enclosure - Greene King IPA proved to be a favourite for the East of England, Timothy Taylor Landlord was tops for the North West, Isle of Man and Yorkshire, while beer drinkers in the capital selected Fuller’s Smith and Turner London Pride as their tipple of choice.

If you’d like to become a beer aficionado, why not book tickets to the Keswick Beer Festival - taking place on the 1st and 2nd June, this extremely popular event is already selling out pretty quickly. Although the area is renowned for superb sports - walking, climbing and paragliding as well as more sedate pursuits such as fishing and golfing - you’ll probably be more interested in the truly huge list of beers (local and otherwise) on offer. Keep an eye out for updates, as the final list is still being finalised, and visit their site at http://www.keswickbeerfestival.co.uk.

Get the NavPix for the Keswick Beer Festival here…

National Motor Museum, Beaulieu

If you’ve ever seethed in envy at Top Gear hosts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May as they cavort around the world in a series of unfeasibly beautiful (or just extremely fast) motors, recent news that they are planning to hit America was probably the final straw. Now, not only will they be lapping up the sunshine while cruising in the most expensive of Cadillacs, they’ll probably be rubbing shoulders with - and racing against - Hollywood’s most glamorous young things. Some people have all the luck.

If you find yourself hankering after Clarkson’s job, then you’d better start brushing up on your motoring knowledge. Why not start with the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, where you can examine some early examples of motoring alongside world record-breaking pieces like the Bluebird? This fascinating attraction featured recently in Navman’s ‘Top Ten Secret Agent NavPix’ collection (which you can find here http://www.navman.com/navpix/...).

Get the full Top Gear story at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6539111.stm, and find the National Motor Museum NavPix here…

Cafe Florentin

If you’re already familiar with NavPix technology, you’ll probably know all about the NavPix library over at www.navman.com/navpix. However, if it’s still new to you, then you’ll be interested to know that the library contains hundreds of NavPix from all over Europe, that have been uploaded onto the site by users happily snapping away with their Navman devices. See ‘About This Blog’ for more details.

Every week on Picture Yourself There we’ll be choosing a NavPix from the library that we really like – whether it’s amazing, unusual or maybe even really funny, the selected NavPix will become part of our Navman Loves series. And don’t forget, you can recommend locations simply by clicking on the Let Us Know button (right) and emailing our Picture Yourself There Team. So maybe your favourite café, your local park, or a great shop near you will become one of our ‘Navman Loves’ features.

So… onto out first ever Navman Loves! This week the title goes to Café Florentin in Edinburgh, A French-flavoured establishment featuring a range of teas, and surrounded by historic buildings. This has become a popular spot during the Festival, and is popular with tourists throughout the year - with superb coffees, sandwiches, cakes and croissants, it’s no surprise.

Download the NavPix here, and treat yourself…

Stonehouse Cottage Gardens

In the past few days, you can’t have failed to notice the glorious weather. It feels like summer is finally on the way, and everything is blossoming. However, with the radiant foliage, low hum of bumblebees and light, lazy evenings come some unfortunate side-effects: parks packed to bursting point, scorched with disposable barbequeues, with not enough space to swing a Mr Whippy. But why spend your sunny days trying not to look at all the pasty white bodies next to you, when you can enjoy a more sophisticated and beautiful experience of the great outdoors this summer?

Set in an old, walled kitchen garden, Stonehouse Cottage Gardens is an acre of land divided into a number of habitats for the benefit of the rare plants blooming there. Visitors can buy plants of many varieties from the adjoining nursery, with the ‘Plant of the Season’ listed on the website. Stone House Cottage welcomes visits from groups, and is happy to accommodate evening visits and give introductory talks – at certain times of year, expert James Arbuthnott gives presentations to visitors who are interested to know how to improve their growing skills.

Featured in the Financial Times last weekend as one of ‘the five best English gardens to see this summer’ (as chosen by Robin Lane Fox), this beautiful spot renowned for its unusual plants is the perfect place to enjoy the good weather. Click on this link to get the NavPix for Stonehouse Cottage Gardens now...

Stanley House, Lancashire

If you’re already counting down the days to the first May bank holiday, you may be looking for a little inspiration as to where you might go to get away from it all. Lucky for you that the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence 2007, organised by VisitBritain, were announced last week, recognising some of the best hotels, holiday parks and attractions across the UK. Across the 12 categories, ranging from Bed and Breakfast of the Year to Tourism Website of the Year, they reveal a list of places to visit and things to see which will help you to get your holidays organised. See http://www.enjoyengland.com/ for full details.

We particularly like Stanley House in Mellor, Lancashire, which was the winner of the Small Hotel of the Year category. Set in the perfect location for exploring the Ribble Valley, this hotel is only a short distance from the seaside town of Lytham St Annes if you’d like a stroll along the seaside - or, a little further North will take you to the peace and quiet of the Lake District. Perhaps the highlight of the hotel is dinner in the Cassis restaurant, offering ‘classic dishes with a modern twist’, after which you can while away the evening in The Loft, a lounge above the restaurant offering beautiful views of the surrounding area.

Find the Stanley House NavPix here…

Queens Ice

It may not have been cool, but Dancing on Ice was pretty good viewing. Don’t pretend that you didn’t cheer along with everyone else when Clare pulled off the backflip, or gasp in amazement at the staggering and frankly bizarre talent of Kieron (‘how can he be so big and so graceful at the same time?’ we pondered). If you’ve developed a taste for ice-dance action, you were probably one of the first in the queue when the latest Will Ferrell flick, Blades of Glory, opened in cinemas across the UK. Currently receiving great reviews, the film promises belly laughs, outrageous moves and absurd spandex costumes, and is guaranteed to sate your appetite for a little while longer.

But what if these quick fixes aren’t enough? And what if you’ve been inspired to take to the ice yourself? After all, ice skating is a great form of exercise and will help you to improve your balance and coordination – not only that, but it’s a lot of fun too. At Queens Ice Rink in London, you’ll find classes for children and adults of all levels of ability, to help you develop your skills week by week.

Get your skates on (sorry, couldn't help it) and download the NavPix here...

The Breakfast Club, Soho

If you’re an Atkin’s devotee, look away now. The news is bad for bacon lovers, as a team at Columbia University reveal that people who eat cured meats 14 times a month are more likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Their report was published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, and was the result of a study of more than 7,000 Americans conducted between 1988 and 1994.

Which is something of a shame, as the Breakfast Club in Soho really does do the most amazing full English breakfasts. A friendly, inviting and social atmosphere combined with helpful staff and superb (and generous) meals make this a great place to catch a bite to eat at any time of day, and exactly the kind of place you’ll want to visit again and again. Fortunately for the Breakfast Club, anyone who is trying to cut back on bacon will find plenty of other dishes to tempt them on the menu – delicious sandwiches and wraps, salads and melts, baked potatoes, soups and toasties… everything a hungry soul could wish for. And, unlike so many other eateries of this kind, there’s enough veggie fare to spoil the herbivores among us for choice.

And don’t for a second think that the breakfast club is all about pancakes piled high with syrup, or sausages swimming in a frying pan – if you’re health conscious, any of the gorgeous concoctions from the smoothie menu will make you feel positively saintly. Try the Green Giant (mint, apple, banana and spinach) or the Slow Boy (carrot, apple, orange and ginger) and you’ll have hit your five-a-day in no time.

Get the Breakfast Club (Soho) NavPix here – make sure you’ve got at appetite…

Come To Good Farm, Cornwall

We’ve all seen the news. The wedding, perhaps even more eagerly anticipated than that between Scott and Charlene, has been called off. The commemorative plates and decorative teaspoons have been pulled. The dream (most likely harboured more by the Great British Public than the would-be-bride) is over for William and Kate, and all that is left is for the nation to speculate wildly about what / why / when / how, etc. People are blogging about it, others are blogging about the fact that they don’t care about it, and the rest are blogging about the people blogging that they shouldn’t be blogging about it. Phew.

But whether you care or not, you have to feel for Kate. It’s bad enough breaking up with someone, without having to play out the whole saga in front of the world’s press. We think that the best thing to do is to take a break from it all, and spend a little time away from the hungry eyes of the media. Somewhere beautiful and relaxing, where the great outdoors will help to melt all the stresses of life away.

And if there is ever such a haven to heal the heaviest of hearts, Come to Good Farm is surely it. Hidden away in the idyllic valley between Truro and Falmouth, this gorgeous bed and breakfast is a converted barn with a choice of guest accommodation. A hearty breakfast, cooked with local produce and eggs from the farm itself, is served in the family farmhouse kitchen where you can relax and chat for as long as you need, and can be followed with restful activities such as egg collecting and duck-feeding. Depending on the time of year, you can even be involved in bottle-feeding the lambs or watching eggs hatching in the incubator, and the attentive and hospitable Sue and Robin James are happy to give advice about keeping animals of your own.

Download the NavPix for Come to Good Farm here, and feel your stresses beginning to evaporate…