Tours to major festivals and events across the UK and Europe 2010 events guide
www.pillow.co.uk
Pillow is a London based company offering tours to major parties, festivals and events across the UK and Europe. Founded in 2007, Pillow is a web based company meaning we don’t have expensive overheads so can offer excellent value for money tours. We also don’t spend much money advertising; instead we rely on word of mouth recommendations, so have to provide well organised, enjoyable and fantastic value tours for our business model to succeed.
Pillow offers clients a more “independent” travel experience. Although we offer fully packaged tours, we make sure clients have free time to explore individually our destinations. Clients won’t feel like they have been shuffled around tourist destinations on tight timetables like traditional tour operators. Clients who book with Pillow should have the independent spirit to see and do things themselves, but the knowledge that they are supported by a professional organisation that gets them to destinations on time and in comfort, and offers professional tour managers, ground crew and office staff in London to give 24 hour assistance.
“Don´t worry about travelling on your own, we guarantee you will meet lots of like-minded travellers on our tours and will soon make valuable friendships.”
Pillow tours attract a range of clients, typically young travellers or professionals living in London temporarily but originating from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada or the USA. However anybody who is adventurous and fun loving is welcome! And don’t worry about travelling on your own, we guarantee you will meet lots of like-minded travellers on our tours and will soon make valuable friendships. If it’s an overnight tour, we will do our best to accommodate you with somebody of roughly the same age and sex.
Pillow is an environmentally aware company, and for every tour booked with Pillow we donate £1 to the charity Trees for Cities. In 2009 our donations resulted in over 100 trees being planted in urban areas of London.
Trees for Cities
Breathing life into your neighbourhood
For more information about Pillow, or for full itineraries of our tours, please visit www.pillow.co.uk or call 07970 065 852 2
ANZAC DAY ON THE WESTERN FRONT Whilst Gallipoli marked the first major involvement of ANZAC troops in World War One, it was on the Western Front in France and Belgium that saw ANZAC soldiers serve and give their lives in highest numbers during horrendous warfare. Almost 53,000 Australians and 12,500 New Zealanders were killed in France and Belgium between 1916 and 1918. Join us for a 3 day 2 night emotional tour to some of the major ANZAC battlefields and memorials of Northern France and Belgium, and attend the ANZAC Day dawn service at Villers-Bretonneaux on 25 April 2010 to commemorate ANZAC involvement on the Western Front. During our tour we visit famous ANZAC battlefields of Pozieres, Le Hamel, Bullecourt, Messines and Fromelles and also attend the last post ceremony at Menin Gate and the ANZAC day dawn service at Villers-Bretonneaux which attracted over 5000 people in 2009.
23-25 APRil
2010
“It was on the Western Fro nt in France and Belgium that sa w the highest number of ANZ AC soldiers serve and give thei r lives during horrendous warfare .” We travel from London in executive 49 seat coaches with toilet and DVD, and cross the channel using Eurotunnel which takes only 35 minutes! We stay in the beautiful French city of Lille in a city centre hotel (twin rooms all ensuite), and we use professional local WW1 guides.
Tour at a Glance 3 Day & 2 Night coach & hotel tour Dates: Friday 23 April to Sunday 25 April Cost: £239 per person Location: France & Belgium Accommodation: Central Lille Hotel (En suite Twin Rooms)
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Cheese-Rolling at Cooper’s Hill If you agree bank holidays should be about madness and mayhem then join us for our tour to the annual Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling. This event has been held for hundreds of years and consists of participants chasing a 7lb cheese down a very steep hill. Of course, carnage follows with participants rolling and tumbling down the hillside, much to the delight of the thousands of spectators. What’s the point you may ask? Not only is it fantastic fun, but the first to the bottom of the hill gets to keep the cheese, and more importantly, gets some great stories to tell.
Tour at a Glance One Day Coach Tour Date: Monday 31 May 2010 (Bank Holiday Monday) Cost: £45 Per Person Location: Gloucestershire, England
17 June
19 JUNE
2010 2010
Ladies Day at Royal Ascot
Royal Ascot is considered the highlight of the British horse-racing calendar, and one of the main society events of the English summer. With Pillow Tours you will travel to Ascot by executive coach, receive cold Pimms on arrival at the coach park, followed by a buffet lunch, unlimited red or white wine, and of course, strawberries & cream for dessert. After lunch the day is yours to enter the Silver Ring enclosure for great views of the Royal Procession and the six horse races.
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Tour at a Glance (17 June)
Tour at a Glance (19 June)
One Day Coach Tour Date: Thursday 17 June 2010 (Ladies Day) Cost: £85 Per Person (Upgrade to Grandstand tickets £125 per person) Location: Ascot, England
One Day Coach Tour Date: Saturday 19 June 2010 (Last Day of Royal Ascot) Cost: £65 Per Person (Upgrade to Grandstand tickets £95 per person) Location: Ascot, England
31 May
2010
Pamplona (Running of the Bulls)
4-8 july
4-9 july
4-10 july
8-14 july
2010 2010 2010 2010
The fiesta of San Fermin in Pamplona is famous for the Running of the Bulls, however this 9 day festival is regarded by many as the greatest festival and best party on earth! It all starts on the 6 July at the opening ceremony, where at midday thousands of people gather in the town centre for the official opening. Expect lots of singing, and for champagne and sangria to be thrown in the air at noon when a rocket is set off from the town hall to officially start the festival. Between the 7 July and the 14 July the city of Pamplona is a continuous party! Every morning at 8am is the famous Running of the Bulls, where hundreds of people gather to test their courage and run in front of 6 bulls as they race through the narrow Pamplona streets. Will you decide to take on the challenge? However the running of the bulls is just a small part of San Fermin, it’s the non-stop street parties, the nightly fireworks, the endless celebration of local music, dress and culture which will become your lasting memory of the festival. The atmosphere needs to be experienced to be believed; virtually everybody seems to be dressed in white with red scarves and participating in the good natured parties.
During the festival of San Fermin, we will travel to Spain by executive coach and will be staying at the closest campsite to Pamplona called Camping Ezcaba. This is renowned as the party campsite, and has its own swimming pool, restaurant and bar and is only 7km away from central Pamplona. We also offer day trips to the charming city of San Sebastian, so you can recharge with a day at the beach! We offer a wide selection of tours from London, or you can make your own way to Pamplona and stay with us for only £40 per person per night!
Tour at a Glance (5 day, 4-8 JulY)
Tour at a Glance (6 day, 4-9 JulY)
5 Day Coach & Camping Opening Ceremony Tour Dates: 4 to 8 July 2010 Cost: £225 per person Location: Pamplona (North Spain) Accommodation: Camping at Ezcaba, the closest and “party” campsite!
6 Day Coach & Camping Opening Ceremony Tour Dates: 4 to 9 July 2010 Cost: £245 per person Location: Pamplona (North Spain) Accommodation: Camping at Ezcaba, the closest and “party” campsite!
Tour at a Glance (7 day, 4-10 JulY)
Tour at a Glance (7 day, 8-14 JulY)
7 Day Coach & Camping Opening Ceremony Tour Dates: 4 to 10 July 2010 Cost: £255 per person Location: Pamplona (North Spain) Accommodation: Camping at Ezcaba, the closest and “party” campsite!
7 Day Coach & Middle Weekend Tour Dates: 8 to 14 July 2010 Cost: £259 per person Location: Pamplona (North Spain) Accommodation: Camping at Ezcaba, the closest and “party” campsite!
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BRITISH F1 GRAND PRIX AT SILVERSTONE For the 2010 British F1 GP Pillow is running a fantastic tour to all three days of the GP. We will pick you up from central London on Friday 9 July and drive you to Silverstone in time to watch the second practice session that afternoon. You will then be able to watch the qualifying on Saturday and finally the race itself on Sunday, before we bring you back to central London on Sunday night. Instead of staying in a hotel 40 miles away from Silverstone, and spending hours each day travelling to and from the track and sitting in traffic jams, we camp in a picturesque setting in Silverstone Village, only 3/4 of a mile or 20 minute walk from the track. Don’t worry about entertainment at night, the campsite runs a nightly bar and BBQ, or you can enjoy the large scale live entertainment and funfair provided at the main gate of Silverstone race track.
Tour at a Glance 3 Day Coach & Camping Tour Dates: 9 to 11 July 2010 Cost: £319 per person (General Admission Ticket entry included) Location: Silverstone, England Accommodation: Camping just ¾ of a mile away from track
24-26 August
2010
LA TOMATINA
On the last Wednesday of August each year the small town of Bunol (near Valencia) welcomes 30,000 people and over 100 metric tonnes of tomatoes for the biggest food fight and party in the world. Make your own way to Valencia and then join our tour which includes a visit to a local wine and water festival the night before, a fantastic and free addition to your trip. During our tour we stay in a central Valencia hotel which has air con and fantastic showers, exactly what you need after the hot and messy Tomato fight!
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Tour at a Glance 3 Day Coach & Hotel Tour Dates: 24 to 26 August 2010 Cost: £149 per person (Includes Wine & Water festival) Location: Valencia, Spain Accommodation: Central Valencia Hotel (En Suite Twin rooms)
9-11 JULY
2010
The Munich Beer Festival (Oktoberfest)
16-21 Sept
23-28 Sept
30 sept5 Oct
2010 2010 2010
The Munich Beer Festival, also known as Oktoberfest, or Wies’n by the locals, is a public beer festival held once a year in Munich, Germany. The festival lasts for 16 days and runs from the middle of September to the first Sunday in October. Every year around 6 million people attend, consuming 4 million litres of beer, half a million roast chickens and 200,000 pairs of pork sausages, making the Oktoberfest one of the biggest parties in the world! During our six day tour we visit the Oktoberfest and enter the massive beer “tents” which can seat around 3000 people each. We also have an optional (free of charge) day trip to visit Dachau concentration camp (the first concentration camp built by Hitler in 1933) and Andechs Monastery. During our tour we will travel to Munich by executive coach, and stay in tents at the legendary Thalkirchen party campsite, which is only one and a half miles away from the beer festival. We will supply regular shuttles to the beer festival from our campsite, or it’s only a few stops away using the local tube service. The Thalkirchen campsite is legendary during Oktoberfest, and the parties at the campsite bar are always fantastic fun! If you want to make your own way to Munich, stay with us for only £40 per person per night with our accommodation only package.
Tour at a Glance (Opening Weekend) 6 Day Coach & Camping Tour Dates: 16 to 21 September 2010 Cost: £229 per person Location: Munich (Germany) Accommodation: Camping at the legendary Thalkirchen campsite!
Tour at a Glance (Middle Weekend) 6 Day Coach & Camping Tour Dates: 23 to 28 September 2010 Cost: £229 per person Location: Munich (Germany) Accommodation: Camping at the legendary Thalkirchen campsite!
Tour at a Glance (Closing Weekend) 6 Day Coach & Camping Tour Dates: 30 September to 5 October 2010 Cost: £229 per person Location: Munich (Germany) Accommodation: Camping at the legendary Thalkirchen campsite!
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Other Great pillow Tours... St Patrick’s Day in Dublin
Running of the Tar Barrels
16-19 March 2010 Only £175 Per Person
5-6 November 2010 Only £155 per person
There is only one place to enjoy St Patrick’s day, and that’s in the heart of Ireland’s capital city! We stay in a city centre hostel and also visit the Guinness factory!
Watch the people of Devon carrying Barrels on their backs, oh and one other thing, the barrels are on fire and the flames are 20 foot high!
Shin Kicking at the Cotswold ‘Olimpicks’
Bath Christmas Market
4-5 June 2010 Only £85 Per Person
4 & 11 December 2010 Only £40 per person
Experience the medieval sport of shin kicking at one of England’s best festivals in the heart of the stunning Cotswolds.
Get into the Christmas spirit with a visit to the stunning English city of Bath and enjoy their traditional Christmas market and lights.
WORLD NETTLE EATING CONTEST
New Year in Hogmanay
12-13 JUNE 2010 Only £85 Per Person
30 December 2010-2 January 2011 price TBC
You can watch or try to eat as many stinging nettles as possible in one hour in the stunning countryside of Dorset!
No better place to spend New Years Eve than at Hogmanay in Edinburgh. Check back later in the year for more details.
For more information about Pillow, or for full itineraries of our tours, please visit www.pillow.co.uk or call 07970 065 852 8