Scotland

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.

Exeter is one of those places that is perfect for a two destination vacation. Personally I like the contrast between this city and nearby Plymouth but next time I go I think I will be spending a few days in Exeter and the rest of my break touring along the “English Riviera” and I really must get to see Clovelly, if only to ensure that it is still as quaint as I remember it to be.

One other place I really must make a point of visiting is “A La Ronde”.  I first read of this place in the excellent Best Seller  ”80!!0ck$ To Alton Towers” , Uncommonly British Days Out”. Being a lover of all things offbeat, strange or just plain mad,  “A La Ronde” hits all those marks and some! The only way I can describe it briefly is that is a peculiar hexadecagonal building first occupied by a pair of spinsters who added their own very unique stamp on each room.

One place I always seem to fail to find the time to get to are the underground passages in Exeter. Every time I remeber to go there it is simply too late in the day. I hate visiting places when there are huge crowds, I hate being hustled from one place to another like a sheep and, worst of all, I absolutely detest those strange groups of, usually Japanese, photographers that seems to instinctively decend upon something interesting blast it with a pure white blinding light from a multitude of camera flashes and then move on quickly to the next point of interest to repeat the procedure! No I like to ponder and take in the atmosphere of a place and I really want to enjoy Exeter’s medieval underground passages without the gangs of school children that seem to appear regularly after about 11.00 am.

Other places to visit in Exeter are,  St Peter’s Cathedral, the Guildhall, Quay House Visitor Centre,  Powderham Castle, Exeter Phoenix and the Spacex Gallery.

Exeter Accommodation Links:

Bed & Breakfast In Exeter

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.

The Merlin Entertainments London Eye (to give it its proper name), is more often referred to as, just, the London Eye or,occasionally, the Millenium Wheel (because it was built for the Millenium celebrations). The London Eye was opened officially by the then UK Prime Minister, Tony Blair, on the night of December thirty first however, alarmingly there was a number of technical problems which led to it not opening to the public until March. At the time it was the biggest Ferris wheel in the world being 443 feet in height.

The enormous wheel can’t be missed on the South Bank of the River Thames in Jubilee Gardens peering down upon the Houses of Parliament below. From within one of the 32 capsules towering over the whole of London it is possible to see an incredibly large number of the many landmarks of London, the Houses of Parliament, St Paul’s, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and Hampton Court Palace are just some, what a fantastically unique way in which to see nearly all of London and, more than likely, the reason it is one of the most popular visitor attraction in London.

The first flight on the London Eye is at 10 am however the ticket office opens at 9.30 am.  The Eye closes at 9.30 pm between August and July, eight ‘o clock at night between October and April and at 9 ‘o clock at night for the remainder of the year.

Those traveling by car will be pleased to learn that there are 3 car parks nearby. For coaches there is parking incredibly close to the Eye (Telephone:) +44 (0)870 990 8886) for information.

The best way to get to the London Eye is via the Tube, simply get off at one of the following tube stations; Westminster, Charing Cross, Embankment, or the most convenient Waterloo. It is also possible to travel by boat, get off at Waterloo Millennium Pier.

Finding bed and breakfast in London is as simple as going over to Google, Yahoo or Bing (or another search engine. Whatever kind you prefer you are sure to find your perfect accommodation in London because the city must have the most bed and breakfasts, hotels and guest houses than any other. Luxurious accommodation to the cheerful and cheap, huge corporate hotels to the small boutique hotels and a host 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.

I have never spent much time in Nottingham and most of us only really know of the place in relation to the legendary outlaw Robin Hood and the stories of Sherwood Forest,  the gang of merry men, Friar Tuck, Little John, Maid Marion and the Sheriff of Nottingham. While there are a few places which cater for the demand for things relating to the green clad hero Nottingham has a number of places worth taking a look at.

The Lace Market

Once the heart of the worldwide lace industry, at the time of the British Empire, the Lace Market in Nottingham is, now, a protected heritage area. It  is home to a great many examples of 19th Century industrial architecture. Even at it’s peak the Lace Market was unlike other markets, instead of featuring stalls and salespersons, it was made up of a significant number of warehouses and salesrooms, virtually all selling and displaying lace and items relating to the lace industry. After the collapse in the lace industry, due to the influx of cheaper foreign alternatives, the Lace Market suffered terribly and it eventually fell into neglect and disrepair, happily, nowadays, the majority of the fine old warehouses have been fully renovated for other purposes such apartment accommodation, photographic studios or similar ventures. With this high level of investment the Lace Market is now one of the most popular visitor attractions in Nottingham.

Shire Hall & Galleries of Justice

Just around the corner from the Lace Market are the Galleries of Justice (located in Shire Hall). Shire Hall is a stylish Georgian-built civic building which features such things as Neoclassical pilasters, columns and dome. The front of the hall has, if you examine it carefully, a spelling mistake Goal instead of Gaol.  This has clearly been corrected but the mistake is still clearly visible.

Shire Hall and the Galleries of Justice also has 2 preserved Victorian courtrooms, a women’s prison and bath house, old cells, a prisoner’s exercise yard and an Edwardian police station. If you are in a family group it may interest you to know that there are highly interesting (and fun) guided tours.

Nottingham is a superb place to take a short vacation. There is plenty to see and do around the city and a huge number of tourist attractions which are readily accessible. Nearby places to visit include; Newstead Abbey, Wollaton Hall and Hardwick Hall.

Sites Offering Nottingham Accommodation & Information

Nottingham Hotels -  http://www.simplytop.com/England/nottingham.php

Bed & Breakfast in Nottingham - http://www.bedandbreakfastdir.co.uk/uk/nottingham.php

Hotels in Nottingham – http://www.bedandbreakfastdir.co.uk/uk/nottingham.php

Spending most of my summer vacation on the beach isn’t my idea of fun. Please do not get the wrong idea, at times I really do enjoy relaxing on a sandy beach, however, I also like to travel a little inland too. I love to soak in the atmosphere, which is often unique, I like to sample the local food and culture. If the truth is to be known I simply enjoy visiting new places each year and I try very hard attempting to find something totally different. Most probably this is why I so thoroughly enjoy visits to the island in the Hebrides known as the Isle of Harris and why I frequently choose to book a self catering cottage on Harris.

The Isle of Harris is a little island situated off the west of Scotland. Harris is one of over three hundred of small isles/islands  frequently referred to as the Outer Hebrides, although to be 100% correct the UK postal address is the Western Isles. Known as either the Outer Hebrides or the Western Isles the islands are extremely beautiful and amazingly unique. For folk who simple can’t do without a beach with golden sands the Isle of Harris has countless to choose from and virtually all are spectacular and more often than not deserted. It would seem as though around each twist and turn you are greeted with an awesome sight. The Isle of Harris roads are drastically different to those experienced on the mainland of Scotland in more remote areas single track road is still common and you will have to know how to use passing places to safely let past traffic from ahead and also from behind. All you really need to do is pull over to the left of the road. However, if the vehicle wishing to get past you is very big and the passing place is to the right hand side of the road you can move over into it to let the said vehicle pass more easily but take great care not to drive off the road too much.

One of the primary reasons people visit the Isle of Harris is to enjoy the islands culture and landscape. The culture of the Isle of Harris has, over hundreds of years been immensely influenced by the Scottish, English, Celtic and Norse races. Today the vast majority of people speak in the Gaelic language and though many talk in English, it is more often than not their 2nd language. The folk of the Isle of Harris are amongst the friendliest on planet earth and their hospitality is known across the globe. The Harris folk are very proud of the breathtaking beauty of the island and go to some length to keep the island clean and tidy so it is immensely important to clear up any of your litter.

Along the west coast of the Isle of Harris you will find some of the most breath takingly beautiful beaches of golden sand in the whole of Scotland, and many people believe the whole of Britain. The waters are extremely clear and it is true to say that the beaches on the Isle of Harris are incredibly clean. Unfortunately it is impossible to avoid debris washing up from ships in the Atlantic ocean but thankfully there isn’t a great deal.

If you are currently deciding about visiting Harris the why not consider letting a self catering house on the Isle of Harris please visit http://www.isleofharrisselfcateringhouse.co.uk/