SQLBits is a UK user group dedicated to Microsoft SQL Server. Next month, they are running a one-day conference. These events are a fantastic opportunity to get some free training and to network with fellow SQL Server enthusiasts.

The next event is being held on Saturday 28th March at Manchester Metropolitan University campus. It's free, and there will be 28 sessions across 5 tracks covering topics of interest to both developers and database administrators. There are still places available, so register now to avoid disappointment, or click the image opposite.

Hope to see you there!

I've just returned from a weekend visit to Arnside, a picturesque village overlooking Morecambe Bay on the Cumbria/Lancashire border. My wife was attending a specialist equestrian physiotherapy workshop being held in the nearby town of Milnthorpe. We travelled up on Friday lunchtime, as the workshop was early on Saturday morning.

We stayed at an upmarket bed-and-breakfast called Number 43. Everything about this place was fantastic. The staff were friendly, our room was lovely and the standard of service was very high.

The next morning I took the opportunity to do some walking while my wife attended her workshop. I bought a local guidebook and found that Arnside is a designated area of outstanding natural beauty. The area is surrounded by woodland and limestone rocks which is home to many rare species of butterfly and alpine plants.

I chose a walk that took me from Milnthorpe Town Centre through Dallam Park to the Heron Corn Mill, a local attraction. From there, I took a footpath up through some nearby woods, past an abandoned cottage, to the Beetham Fairy Steps. The Fairy Steps are a naturally formed flight of stairs between two sheer limestone rock faces. Local legend has it that if you can climb or descend the steps without touching the sides, the fairies will grant your wish. I had no such luck: at the top of the steps, the gap was very narrow. I climbed down the first two steps, then had to backtrack up. I sat and ate my packed lunch overlooking nearby Arnside Knott, with the Kent Estuary and the southern fells of the Lake District beyond. From there, I descended through more woodlands to the tiny hamlet of Haverbrack and then back through Dallam Park to where I started two hours earlier.

After the workshop, we returned to Arnside and spent the rest of the day wandering around the village, checking out the shops on the promenade. We also enjoyed a fantastic meal at the award-winning local fish-and-chip shop.

That evening, we flaked out in our room and just chilled out, watching TV and reading the weekend papers. We departed straight after breakfast on Sunday, but vowed to return later in the year for a longer stay.