Scotland

The capital city of England, London, is almost as well known for its exciting opportunities for shopping as it is for its prestigious history and fascinating culture People from all ’round the planet take city breaks in London to sample the incredible number of departments stores, specialist markets and boutique stores. With the strong $ and the weak Pound those from the USA will find goods are much cheaper as it has been, the same can be said for those folk traveling from other countries in Europe because the UK Pound is also struggling against the Euro.

Well Known London Department Stores

Possibly the most famous of London’s department stores is knightbridge’s Harrods the planet’s largest being 18,000 m2 of floor space.  The motto of Harrods department store is “all things for all people, everywhere” or ‘Omnia Omnibus Ubique’. Harrods has gained a reputation for being exclusive and luxurious and most famous are the toy department and food hall

Another store worthy of a mention is Selfridges.  situated on Oxford Street, the department store first opened to the public in 1909. Built and named after the American businessman Gordon Selfridge Selfridges was especially designed in order that all of the items on sale were more easily accessible to buyers which was a new concept at the time.

Shopping And The Best Places To Go In London

Covent Garden has become very well known for its specialist and unusual shops and is considered a hip place to frequent. As well as the fantastic shops you will also discover a small number of eating places and restaurants around Covent Garden.

Another market in London well worth a visit is Camden Market. Although there have been various markets in Camden at various times in history the present market began business in 1974. The market is actually a group of adjoining markets altogether providing an amazing variety of wares.

London Streets Famous For Shopping

The Kings Road is Chelsea’s main high which is one of the most stylish and chic streets, in London, on which to go shopping. The Kings Road was popular for clothes in the Sixties and Seventies and is closely associated with the Punk movement, in more recent years the Kings Road is more subdued but still worth visiting.

Sloane Street is another London road with a strong association with shopping which is named after Sir Hans Sloane who bought much of the surrounding area in 1712.

London Shopping Trips

Getting to London is amazingly easy, being the capital city of England transportation links are amazing and the London Underground makes everywhere easily accessible.

London accommodation appears everywhere and is incredibly easy to find although it can prove to be a teeny bit over priced. It is usually the wisest idea to book your London hotels online and you will discover a fantastic choice of London hotels, guest houses and apartments at http://www.londonhotel4u.co.uk/.

Fife is an region of Scotland surrounded by water on three sides, the Tay, the Forth and the North Sea. While much of the land is turned over to agriculture the small region is actually the third largest, in terms of population, in Scotland with a rather industrial southern part. Tourism provides an important income and much of the interest in the area is associated with golf, that ancient Scottish game that is known, and well loved, throughout the world. For this reason I have decided to introduce you to the British Golf Museum and the St Andrews Museum. There are a great many places to visit in Fife but for an area surrounded by so much water it will not come as any great surprise that I have chosen to also take a look at the Scottish Fisheries Museum.

British Golf Museum

The British Golf Museum is found in St. Andrews, Fife, the home of golf. By using diverse displays and exciting interactive exhibits, the museum tells the story of British golf, from its origins in the middle ages through to the present day. The museum was set up by members of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in 1864, who set up a committee to collect ‘articles relevant to the game’. The collection was originally exhibited in the clubhouse, but by the 1960’s it became clear that the collection needed it’s own premises. In 1985, a charitable trust was set up to build and run the museum. The new museum premises eventually opened on 25th June 1990.

Scottish Fisheries Museum

The Scottish Fisheries Museum is situated on the harbour front, in Anstruther, Fife. The museum tells the fascinating story of fishing in Scotland, and it’s people from the earliest days to the present. The museum first opened in 1969, and has grown considerably since then. The site houses, the Abbot’s Lodging, Fisherman’s Cottage, Merchant House, Historic Boatyard, and 19 historic boats, including the ‘Zulu, Research and the sailing flagship, Reaper. The collections consist of over 66,000 objects from across Scotland, items include boat models, paintings, costumes, equipment and household items. There is also an extensive library and photo archive. The museum was recently received a ‘Recognition of National Significance’ award.

St Andrews Museum

St Andrews Museum is located in Kinburn Castle, a beautiful mansion situated in the grounds of Kinburn Park. The house was originally built as a private residence in 1855, and was named after a Crimean battle of the same year. Kinburn Castle became the home of St Andrews Museum in 1991. The museum tells the story of St Andrews from the early days to the 20th century. It covers the medieval period when the Cathedral was one of the great religious centres of Europe, and when St Andrews became a popular place for tourists during the Victorian era. The museum is owned and operated by Fife Council.

If you are planning a vacation in Fife you may find the following accommodation listings useful:

Accommodation in Fife – http://fife.hotelreservationhelper.com/

Fife Hotels & Accommodation – http://www.virtualscotland.co.uk/accommodation/KingdomofFife.htm

Cardiff, the capital of Wales, of whom to many of its residents should have been crowned European City of Culture 2008, remains a fantastic destination of choice. No matter what type of person your are, you will always find something to do in Cardiff!.

Whether you are a fan of a fashionable nightlife and street scene or shopping or heritage and culture or the countryside with quaint holiday cottages, Wales and Cardiff are the answer for you.

When we think of Cardiff, we mainly think of a city culture. In fact though, approximately, one third of Cardiff is countryside. Its terrain ranges from being coastal to river valley to giant hills and of course you can partake in any of the activities that usually occur in these terrains such as walking, climbing, horse riding, cycling. Cardiff is very close to the Welsh national park, the Brecon Beacons so serves as a great destination to balance city culture and natural beauty.

Cardiff is a very alive city. Cardiff is full of activites to partake in and hosts many attarctions. One of the most successful regeneration projects in the UK – Cardiff Bay – must been seen and of course other sites like the Millenium Stadium and Cardiff Castle are a must-see too.

Cardiff hosts top-class rugby and championship level football. They also have their own ice hockey team – the Cardiff Devils that you could go and give some support.

Even in the city, you can enjoy recreational sports at Cardiff Bay with sailing and canoeing and jet boating activities and of course the town is brimming with spas and beauty treatments if that is your preferred type of holiday.

You can also find many clubs and pubs, theatres and concert venues in Cardiff. Greyfriars Road and St Mary Street are places to find. for well-known and well-attended pub venues like Tiger Tiger and Walkabout.

Cardiff locals will happily tell you that Cardiff is great for shopping – and they are not kiddinh. High street giants like Oasis, Coast and Fat Face have shops there as well as many other well-known high street brands. Cardiff is special as its shopping district is fairly central unlike e.g. London. You can find great shopping at the Capitol Centre in Cardiff shopping district.

Traverse Cardiff in a smany different ways as possible. Getting from one place to the next in Cardiff isn’t a problem. Cardiff is a city that is easy to traverse by foot. You can also use the Cardiff Waterbus or any other boat tour and there is always the Cardiff Bay Road Train.

Altogether, whatever your age, you will always be able to fid ways to entertain yourself in Cardiff.

Castle Douglas can be found roughly 19 miles from the city of Dumfries in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. Strangely there is no actual castle in Castle Douglas. The town is a traditional country market town with many links to agriculture. Driving around Dumfries and Galloway you will notice that the whole area appear far greener than most places in Scotland, with plenty of lush green meadows, small woods and larger forests dotted across the beautiful countryside. There are plenty of places to visit in and around Castle Douglas and below I introduce you to three extremely popular tourist attractions.

Castle Douglas Art Gallery

Castle Douglas Art Gallery first opened in 1938, having been gifted to the town by Mrs Ethel Bristowe, a talented artist in her own right. In 1996 the gallery was upgraded with lottery funding from the Scottish Arts Council. The gallery is open from Easter to October, and has a variety of exhibitions ranging from fine art and craft to photography. There are other attractions not far from the gallery, two of which are Threave Castle and Threave Gardens. The gardens are only about 1 mile away and Threave Castle about 2 miles away, and the castle is accessable through the garden.

Threave Castle near Castle Douglas

Threave Castle

Threave Castle is unique because it is built on an island in the middle of the River Dee. To reach the castle one has to walk for about ten minutes through fields and woods, until you reach a small jetty. At the jetty there is a brass bell and rope pull, which signals the boatman to come and take you to the island. The castle was built in the 1370’s by Archibald Douglas, known as Archibald the Grim, not long after he was created Lord of Galloway in 1369. Threave Castle became Archibald’s stronghold, until his death in 1400. The name Threave probably comes from the Old Welsh word Tref, meaning “Homestead”.

Threave Gardens

Threave Gardens were originally part of Threave House, which was built in 1872 by William Gordon, a Liverpool businessman, who had bought the Threave Estate as a summer home for his extensive family in 1867. The house and estate were passed to the National Trust for Scotland in 1948. The NTS have since continued to maintain and develop the 24 hectares of gardens around Threave House as a visitor attraction. The gardens are renowned for their springtime displays of daffodils, as well as for their series of discrete gardens. These include (among others) the Secret Garden, a Peat Garden and a Woodland Garden. One will also find a visitor center here.

If you are looking to stay in Castle Douglas you will find plenty of accommodation listings on the following sites;

Castle Douglas Hotels & Accommodation – http://www.virtualscotland.co.uk/accommodation/castledouglashotels.htm

Hotels and Accommodation in Castle Douglas – http://castledouglas.hotelreservationhelper.com/

Like most everyone, I like to journey a lot and I think, you too like to go on vacations. If you want to take a vacation, it doesn’t actually mean that you’re guaranteed with safety. Any vacation and we start thinking about the several things we are going to go away from like any stressful job, etc. To have the assurance that you will be safe in your journey, let me give you some luggage packing tips along with a few points on safety.

It is most likely that you would carry discount luggage sets with you when you journey but see to it that putting your postal address in your luggage is something that you would never do. There ought to be a luggage tag and just put your name and telephone number on it. So if someone had found it, he is sure to call you and return the case.

The reason why putting your full address on the tag is quite risky, is because the thief will somehow find his way to your home thinking that there are better things in there once he was able to get a hold of valuable things found in your baggage. It’s always a safe bet just to leave your first and last name.

You should take note that your discount luggage should be kept clean by not putting any of your essential documents in there. Clothes and other things that you can risk losing are the only things that should be kept in your luggage. valuable and precious things like passport, credit card and other documents should never be kept inside baggage. As I pointed out on my previous tip, all of your personal details can be easily accessed if these valuable things will be stolen.

Stop showing off: Some people love to display their wealth in public, but in real life, probably are neck-deep in debts. Seeing you with some luxurious items of jewelry, a crook may tend to follow you anywhere and will eventually lead you to a place wherein you’ll be caught in a predicament that you never wished to be in. There is no need to be show off or flashy about the way you look since you are only one of those busy travelers at the airport with own business to deal with so, what you look like and how much cash you have is no longer their concern. Just think to yourself, “How many people do you really check out for their style”?

Check the contents of your wallet: It is a good idea to keep your notecase clean of all the junk chits. professionals say that’s it’s important that you don’t load up on too many credit cards and papers so try to keep these things at home locked up in a home safe. It is a good idea to just carry at least one credit card during your travel. Make sure that you note down the credit card company’s phone number somewhere so that any loss can be reported immediately.

I can give you more valuable tips on safety during travel, but you are the only person who will know what is best for you. You should remember that the most helpful hints are to avoid showing off your precious stuffs and not be too flashy with your visual aspect. If you can follow the tip that is to carry only the things that you can afford to lose, then no doubt that you will be one of the safest travelers ever known.

I have lived in the Outer Hebrides (Western Isles) for over 18 years now and every time I travel down to England I pass through a great many places I would dearly love to spend some time. This is especially the case with the Scottish city of Stirling, a place I have only ever visited once. On that occasion I thought I had plenty of time to take in all of the wonderful visitor attractions in the area, boy I couldn’t have been more wrong! In the following article I introduce three visitor attractions that you should really try to get to see if you are spending some time in the city. Included in these is the amazing Stirling Castle where I managed to spend a whole day. Although I have problems with my mobility I was able to visit every area and even if I wasn’t restricted, by mobility problems, I am sure I would have still spent the same amount of time in the place, it is simply wonderful. Maybe this summer I will stop off at Stirling and visit the other two tourist attractions mentioned below.

Stirling Castle (Photo courtesy of Virtual Scotland)

Stirling Castle

Stirling Castle is one of the largest and most important castles, both historically and architecturally, in all of Scotland. The castle sits on top of Castle Hill, guarding the crossing of the River Forth. Many important events from Scotland’s past have taken place at Stirling Castle. There have also been several Scottish Kings and Queens crowned at Stirling Castle, including Mary Queen of Scots in 1543. The violent murder of the eighth Earl of Douglas took place within Stirling Castle, by James II in 1452. The castle is the Headquarters of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, even though the regiment is no longer garrisoned there.

Stirling Old Town Jail

Stirling Old Town Jail was opened as a county jail, but from 1888 to 1935, it was Scotland’s only military prison. The predecessor of this jail was condemned, when a judge visited there, during Queen Victoria’s reign. He described the conditions there as wretched and fearful, as there were up to 24 prisoners in one cell, and no sanitary facilities. In the past, the function of a jail was to be purely custodial, and the buzzwords at the time were, deterrence and retribution. Years later, in 1847, the ‘modern’ jail we see today was opened. The restoration to the jail’s current use began in the 1990’s.

Argyll’s Lodging

Argyll’s Lodging can be found in the upper part of Stirling, just below Stirling Castle’s Esplanade, and is the most complete surviving example of a seventeenth century town house in Scotland. The house was built circa 1630 by Sir William Alexander, founder of Nova Scotia and Viscount Canada, who became secretary of state for Scotland, and the first Earl of Stirling. After his death, the house passed into the hands of the Argyll family, and the 9th Earl extended the house in 1666. Today, all the rooms have been restored and furnished as they would of looked during the late 1600’s, showing a very obvious french influence.

If you are looking for hotels or accommodation in Stirling you may find the following sites extremely useful.

Stirling Hotels & Accommodation – http://www.virtualscotland.co.uk/accommodation/stirlinghotels.htm

Hotels & Accommodation in Stirling – http://stirling.hotelreservationhelper.com/

There has been a settlement at Dundee since the time of the Picts and the city, the fourth largest in Scotland, has a long association with trade and commerce. The three main trades in Dundee were “jam, jute and journalism”. Although Dundee can be described as a post-industrial city, as it has a mixed economy, it still has a large percentage (compared to the rest of Scotland) of it’s population (13.5%) employed in manufacturing industries.

Dundee City

For tourists Dundee proves to be an excellent base for a Scottish vacation.  Transportation links are reasonable with the city having an airport, Dundee Airport, and an excellent bus service. With such a long, and often violent, history it will not come as a great surprise to find that there are plenty of historic sites well worth a visit in and around the city. However, if you are prepared to hire a car then you will find that there is a huge selection of superb places to visit within driving distance of Dundee. I would strongly suggest a visit to the city of Stirling as Stirling Castle is one of the best days out I have had with my family. Below I introduce three visitor attractions that are worthwhile considerations for a visit while taking a vacation or short city break in Dundee.

The Discovery In Dundee

Discover Point Visitor Centre

Discovery Point is an award-winning attraction in Dundee, that tells the tale of the most heroic voyage of exploration ever done. The tale is of the famous Antarctic explorer, Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his first ship, RRS Discovery. On March 21st, 1901, the Discovery was launched at the Panmure Shipyard in the town. Captain Scott and his crew set sail for Antarctica on 6th August 1901, reaching there in January 1902. The RRS Discovery is a major element of the visitor centre, and has been fully restored, inside and out. Narrow passageways and steep stairs make it difficult to get around for some people, so there is an audio visual presentation on the dockside.

Sensation Science Centre

If you are looking for an attraction that the whole family can enjoy, then Dundee’s Sensation Science Centre is an ideal place to go. Sensation Dundee is the only UK science centre that is based on the five senses of the body. You can discover the wonders of science through your senses, with over 80 hands-on interactive exhibits. There are even live science shows, including on on the spot demonstrations, which show how ordinary household ingredients can be used to amazing effects. Any budding surgeons can even try their hand at keyhole surgery. Sensation brings science to life in dozens of fascinating ways.

Verdant Works

Verdant Works was once a working jute mill. At it’s peak in the 1860’s and 1870’s, the jute industry in Dundee employed about 50,000 people, in over 60 factories scattered across the city. Today, Verdant Works brings the history of this industry to life, through a range of displays including film shows, interactive computers and original machinery. This remarkable museum was once home to three steam engines running 70 power looms and 2,800 spindles. There was also 500 people working here, preparing and spinning jute and then weaving it in another factory across the road. Restoration work of the building began in 1992, and it first opened to the public on 16 September 1996.

If you are in the process of planning a vacation in Scotland or Dundee then you will find the sites listed below excellent resources for accommodation, hotels, guest houses and bed and breakfasts in the area:

Dundee Hotel Scotland – http://www.dundeehotelscotland.com/

Hotels & Accommodation in Dundee – http://www.virtualscotland.co.uk/accommodation/dundeehotels.htm

Hotels & Accommodation in Dundee, Scotland – http://dundee.hotelreservationhelper.com/

Perth is one of those wonderful cities in Scotland which I have not, yet, had the pleasure of visiting. I don’t know why I have never made the detour from my usual journey but then I have only ever visited Edinburgh once as I tend to spend most time in the West of Scotland. Maybe this summer I will spend some time in the East and I have started to take a look at the most important places to visit and below I have written a little about three places which I think I will be making a special point of visiting some time sooner rather than later.

Elcho Castle

Elcho Castle can be found about 3 miles from Perth, with views across the River Tay. Elcho is one of the best preserved castles from it’s time, and also one of the most enjoyable to visit. Today’s castle dates back to around 1570, and was built by the Wemyss family. In 1468, James III had granted the land to the family. The head of the family was made both Lord Elcho and Earl of Wemyss in 1633. The family continued to own the castle and estate, and in 1929, the 11th Earl of Wemyss placed the castle in the hands of the state. Today Historic Scotland look after the castle, which has recently been restored.

Elcho Castle

Huntingtower Castle

Huntingtower Castle can be found just west of Perth, and the grounds and castle are beautiful, and well cared for. Huntingtower dates back to the medieval period, but has been redeveloped during it’s colourful history. It has been home to two different families over the years, the Ruthvens and the Murrays. The Ruthvens held the lands from the 1100s to 1600, and the castle was then called House of Ruthven. Originally the castle consisted of two separate tower houses built three metres apart, one for each of the sons of William Ruthven. In the 1600’s, work was undertaken to link the two towers and make it look like one large country home.

Scone Palace

Scone Palace was once the crowning place of the Scottish Kings. Robert the Bruce was crowned at Scone in 1306, and the last coronation to take place at Scone was that of Charles II, when he accepted the Scottish Crown in 1651. The site on which the palace stands was once an important religious gathering place of the Picts, and also the site of an early christian church. The palace is a mysteriously beautiful and powerful place, and the rightful home of the Stone of Scone. At Scone Palace one can enjoy the history, art and antiques, and the superb landscapes and architecture.

If you are looking for somewhere to stay in Perth, Scotland the sites below have listings of Perth hotels and guest houses:

Perth Hotel Scotland - http://www.perthhotelscotland.com/

Accommodation in Perth, Scotland – http://www.virtualscotland.co.uk/accommodation/perthhotels.htm

Perth Hotels & Accommodation

 - http://perth.hotelreservationhelper.com/