As tourism chiefs attempt to boost visitor numbers following the foot-and-mouth outbreak, a list is published of the attractions open over Easter.

Prime Minister Tony Blair insists Britain is open as usual for tourism despite a record jump in the number of foot-and-mouth cases.

In their first race since Sydney, Britain's Olympic champions were on show yesterday as they led a field of more than 3,500 rowers in the sixty-ninth head of the river race.

Starting at 10-second intervals, 420 eights battled against wind and rain over the four-and-a quarter-mile Boat Race course from  Mortlake to  Putney. Defending champions Queen's Tower, with four of the Olympic gold medal eight on board, were too fast for Britain's top club, Leander, even though Matthew Pinsent and James Cracknell from last year's all-conquering four were in the crew. But for once they had no help from Sir Steve Redgrave.

Nine and a half seconds separated the top two boats with Oxford Brookes University a further 14 seconds behind. Leander suffered a time penalty for a minor rule infringement before the start.

But the day belonged to the country's amateur club, school and college rowers, for whom this is a unique chance to race against their Olympic heroes. Fastest school was Radley, placed forty- seventh, while the top overseas crew was Germany's Wiking in sixth.

The only absentees were Oxford and Cambridge preparing for this Saturday's Boat Race, who last weekend raced against yesterday's two top crews in private fixtures. Oxford were marginally quicker than Leander while Queen's Tower had the measure of the powerful Cambridge line-up. So yesterday's result points to another cliff hanger.