Time travel

London Bridge marks its 50th anniversary in Lake Havasu, Arizona

When the Old London Bridge of the nursery rhyme, built in 1209, started falling down a new one took its place in 1831.

And by the 1960s that one was slowly sinking into the Thames because of the weight of modern traffic.

But instead of being scrapped, the granite block structure was dismantled, bought by an American tycoon in 1968 for $2.4million, shipped to the Arizona desert and rebuilt as a tourist attraction at Lake Havasu City, where it’s now known as “the world’s most expensive souvenir”.

This autumn marks the 50th anniversary of the bridge’s reopening in the USA. Today visitors can stroll across the old bridge over the man-made Bridgewater Channel to enjoy a very different view from its London days.

The structure is, however, exactly as it was, with each numbered block returned to its original position complete with ornate, metal lamp-posts, forged from melted cannons captured by the British army at the Battle of Waterloo.

If you want to see it, North America travel specialist Bon Voyage includes a visit in its tailor-made, self-drive Southern Desert Adventure itinerary.

This epic road trip through arid mountains, red rock canyons and cactusfilled desert landscapes takes in the best of the region surrounding Phoenix,

Scottsdale and the Valley of the Sun.

Starting in the state capital, Phoenix, the journey continues through colourful Tucson, Lake Havasu (for the bridge), spa-filled Sedona and the stunning scenery of the Grand Canyon and Monument

Valley. It’s an 11-night holiday for £2,125pp, including flights, car rental and room-only accommodation.

bon-voyage.co.uk, 0800 316 0194

Riders at Blackpool

Pleasure Beach are getting a rear-ly big surprise in 2022. The two back seats – to be named ENSO – on roller coaster ICON will be modified to spin and

twist freely during the ride’s high-speed accelerations and twists and turns. blackpool

pleasurebeach.com