It sounds like a terrific idea - to ring in the London 2012 Olympics on July 27 by ringing all the bells in Britain. It's the brain child of Turner Prize-winning artist Martin Creed and it's part of the London 2012 Festival. The idea is that at exactly 8:12am on July 27, all the bells that can ring will be rung as fast and as loudly as possible for exactly three minutes - "Any Bell, Anyone, Anywhere" is the motto of the event. Church bells, school bells, town hall bells, hand bells, jingle bells, bicycle bells, dinner bells. Even bells on mobile phones and other mobile devices - you can download a special ringtone for iPhones, mp3 and WAV enabled mobile devices on the All the Bells website. The event is called "Work No.1197 All the Bells - all the bells in a country rung as quickly and loudly as possible for three minutes."

Will it work? Will all of Britain welcome the Olympics with a stupendous, nationwide peal of bells? Who knows. Even the artist himself has no idea and considers it "an absolutely absurd idea". You can find out, if you are in Britain, by opening the windows at 8:12 am on the Olympics opening day and listening. Or download the ringtone to take part yourself.

We tend to think of the lifestyles of ancient peoples as being radically different from ours. But as you can discover on a visit to Wroxeter Roman City, near Shrewsbury in Shropshire, Roman Britain, it turns out, is a surprisingly familiar place.

The local residents went to their local sports center to exercise and used the hot and cold plunge baths and steam rooms much as we use saunas and steam rooms today. Their homes, at best guess, looked a lot like the villas you might rent on a Greek island vacation today.

Much more than a random pile of ruins, the English Heritage site at Wroxeter Roman City, is a fascinating and eye-opening place. If you are thinking of rounding off your London 2012 Olympics trip with a visit to Much Wenlock, home of the modern Olympics movement, plan to stop off at Wroxeter, just a few miles away, to learn about a Roman sports center and how it fit into daily life in Roman Britain.

Photo ©Ferne Arfin

Really doing the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in style this year? Then you'd better bring along some of that pink colored tummy remedy, or a bottle of those chalky tasting antacid sweets because you'll be scarfing down lots of fast food and junk food while you are there and you'll probably need them. Edinburgh has wonderful restaurants and some great local specialties, but who has time to sit in restaurants when there are so many shows to see?

There is a better way to avoid the Colonel and the Golden Arches et al. At Edinburgh's great local shops - including what many believe is the best Italian deli in Britain - you can load your backpack with a day's supply of sustenance or fill the fridge at your vacation rental apartment or flat. Top cheeses, yummy smoothies, quiches and tarts, scrumptious choccies and really great cupcakes are all easily available for the smart fast food shopper. And Edinburgh's Saturday farmers' market under the Castle is an organic, free-range and gourmet revelation.

Find out where to shop for the best groceries, foodie treats and takeaway foods in Edinburgh.

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Pretty high if you are planning to be in England this summer. The impulse to reach for the sky has broken out all over the country with attractions as diverse as a new tower on the Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, to a brand new aerial cable car across the Thames in London.

Even Legoland Windsor is getting in on the act. Visit between now and Sunday, July 8 and you can join in the effort to break the Guinness World Record for the tallest Lego tower ever built. They'll be using 500,000 Lego bricks to make more than 160, 20cm sections. When hoisted into place by a crane, the tower will be 32 meters ( 105 feet) tall.

And to mark the London 2012 Olympics, London's favorite viewpoint from on high, the London Eye, will be flying until midnight, every night during the Games, from July 27 to August 12. What better vantage point for seeing the Olympics venues, celebratory fireworks and all the festivities sparkling against the night sky.

And there are loads more. How about taking a guided hike across the dome of the O2?

Check out The Best Views of England from its Tallest Structures.

Photos ©Ferne Arfin