Scotland

I have mentioned Stirling Castle in earlier posts but having just created a new page for simplytop.com with a wealth of details about Stirling Castle I thought it was worth including a few of the important details here. Although I have yet to visit Edinburgh Castle from the information I have read it appears to me that it is rather over estimated, especially when compared to the fantastic example at Stirling... Read More

Scotland is a wonderful country, a country of diverse contrasts, and this is most evident in the countryside. Many folk in Scotland live in rural areas where getting to the local supermarket is a full day trip rather than a simple jaunt around the corner or popping along to the outskirts of the city in which you live. When it comes to Christmas shopping can be something of a problem and as I live on a very remote island I thought it worthy of mentioning my experience of shopping in Scotland this time last year... Read More

I write for a number of sites and I was recently writing for Virtual Scotland about Tony Blair when I just totally lost it. The article started of reasonably well with a basic rundown of his life but by the time I got to his days as British PM I found that all the good I had to say was negated by the war in Iraq and the likes. I had decided that I was going to write her about the wonderful Scottish city of Aberdeen and why it was such a cool place to take a weekend city break but I can not help but think about all the choas that seems to be going on there at the moment so I will add a quick bit about that first... Read More

There are several places in England which feature strongly in Scottish history, especially along the borders and in the very north of England. While places such as Berwick-upon-Tweed (South Berwick to the Scots) changed hands frequently other places were simply a tasty target for attack and plunder. The important city of York frequently appears in Scottish history and it is York that I shall introduce you to here... Read More

I have actually lost count of the amount of times I have been asked (in personal or via email) what is the best time of the year to visit the Outer Hebrides (Western Isles) and I really do have to admit that though many assume it to be the height of the tourist season many choose to visit the islands at various other times instead. Let me explain a couple of the reasons why I would consider this to be a very wise decision... Read More

When I was a child I was lucky enough to have a short family vacation (I say lucky as it is surprising how few city kids get the opportunity these days) and a frequent destination was Devon. My father was a hard working guy and, sadly, our annual vacation was often more hard work. Firstly there was the drive down to Devon along congested roads in piping hot weather. The fact is that Devon and Cornwall are highly popular vacation destinations with both domestic and foreign visitors alike. Now most folk, including my family, head straight for the usual tourist traps and though these are highly enjoyable I now find other places far more interesting, I grew out of my bucket and spade a while back,  and I am far more likely to look forward to short city breaks than a trip to a sandy beach. One city which I find fascinating is Exeter, a city full of highly interesting, and often unique, visitor attractions suitable for all tastes and needs... Read More

The capital city of Britain, London, has a vast choice of fantastic tourist attractions, from the amazingly historic to the very latest additions. The majority of the attractions are known all ’round the globe (for instance, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace the Tower of London). Amongst the recently built are the Millenium Dome, London Aquarium, Millennium Bridgethe Millennium Bridge, Millenium Dome, London Aquarium and the London Eye... Read More

UK vacations are extremely popular at the moment and while many put this increase (in the nummber of visitors) down to the low strength of the £ I would like to think that much has to do with the fact that there is simply so much to see and do in England, Scotland and Wales. Obviously the rich and long histories of each respective country means that there are plenty of fine country houses, fortified houses, castles and the likes. One of the places I am considering spending some time in early next year is the city of Nottingham... Read More