The British Guild of Travel Writers (BGTW) has teamed up with The Travel Bookshop in London's Notting Hill to hold the first BGTW Festival of Travel Writing from 9-18 September. The festival, which it is hoped will become an annual event, has been launched to celebrate the Guild's 50th anniversary.

The Travel Bookshop is at 13-15 Blenheim Crescent, Notting Hill, London W11 2EE and is open from 10am-6pm Mon-Sat and 12-5pm on Sun. For further details about the BGTW Festival of Travel Writing or to book a place (tickets are free, places are limited) call 0207 229 5260, email  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or see www.thetravelbookshop.com.

Evening Talks

Some of Britain's top travel writers will share their experiences with the shop's customers during a free series of evening talks (7pm-8.15pm):

• Thursday 9 September - Write on Track - Adventures in train travel
• Wednesday 15 September - DIY -Starting up as a publisher
• Thursday 16 September - "Chick Flit" - Three fabulous women take very different approaches to writing travelogue.

Holiday Planning Day

On Saturday 18 September guidebook writers will be on hand all day (11am-5pm) to help customers with their holiday planning. There will also be a prize draw and five lucky customers will receive a goody bag containing Bradt guides and free passes to the Luxury Travel Fair, which takes place from 4-7 November at Olympia, courtesy of Clarion Events.