Theme Week Berkshire – Lambourn

25 March 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  11 minutes

Ashdown House in Upper Lambourn © geograph.org.uk - David McManamon/cc-by-sa-2.0

Ashdown House in Upper Lambourn © geograph.org.uk – David McManamon/cc-by-sa-2.0

Lambourn is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It lies just north of the M4 Motorway between Swindon and Newbury, and borders Wiltshire to the west and Oxfordshire to the north. After Newmarket it is the largest centre of racehorse training in England, and is home to a rehabilitation centre for injured jockeys, an equine hospital, and several leading jockeys and trainers. To the north of the village are the prehistoric Seven Barrows and the nearby long barrow. In 2004 the Crow Down Hoard was found close to the village.   read more…

Petite France in Strasbourg

25 March 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  12 minutes

place Benjamin-Zix © Claude Truong-Ngoc/cc-by-sa-3.0

place Benjamin-Zix © Claude Truong-Ngoc/cc-by-sa-3.0

La Petite France, in Alsatian dialect: Französel (also known as the Quartier des Tanneurs; German: Gerberviertel; “Tanner’s Quarter”) is the south-western part of the Grande Île of Strasbourg in Alsace in eastern France, the most central and characteristic island of the city that forms the historic center. The district is bounded to the north by the Quai de la Bruche (Brischstade), the rue du Bain-aux-Plantes, the Place Benjamin-Zix and the rue des Dentelles; to the east by the Rue du Pont-Saint-Martin, the Pont Saint-Thomas (Thomas Bridge) and the Mills footbridge; to the south by the Channel of Zorn-Mühle; to the west by the Covered Bridges.   read more…

Theme Week Berkshire – Slough

24 March 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  4 minutes

© alwye/cc-by-sa-4.0

© alwye/cc-by-sa-4.0

Slough is a town in the unitary authority of the same name in Berkshire, England, bordering Greater London. It lies in the Thames Valley, 20 miles (32 km) west of central London and 19 miles (31 km) north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4, M40 and M25 motorways. It is part of the historic county of Buckinghamshire. In 2020, the built-up area subdivision had an estimated population of 164,793. In 2011, the district had a population of 140,713.   read more…

Old Orchard Beach in Maine

24 March 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

Old Orchard Beach Pier © flickr.com - Paul VanDerWerf/cc-by-2.0

Old Orchard Beach Pier © flickr.com – Paul VanDerWerf/cc-by-2.0

Old Orchard Beach is a resort town and census-designated place (CDP) in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 8,960 at the 2020 census. It is part of the PortlandSouth PortlandBiddeford, Maine Metropolitan Statistical Area.   read more…

Theme Week Berkshire – Newbury

23 March 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Clock tower © TudorTulok/cc-by-sa-4.0

Clock tower © TudorTulok/cc-by-sa-4.0

Newbury is a market town in the county of Berkshire, England, and is home to the administrative headquarters of West Berkshire Council. The town centre around its large market square retains a rare medieval Cloth Hall, an adjoining half timbered granary, and the 15th-century St Nicolas Church, along with 17th- and 18th-century listed buildings. As well as being home to Newbury Racecourse, it is the headquarters of Vodafone and software company Micro Focus International. In the valley of the River Kennet, 26 mi (42 km) south of Oxford, 25 mi (40 km) north of Winchester, 27 mi (43 km) southeast of Swindon and 20 mi (32 km) west of Reading.   read more…

Cagnes-sur-Mer on the French Riviera

23 March 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, French Riviera Reading Time:  6 minutes

© panoramio.com - qwesy qwesy/cc-by-3.0

© panoramio.com – qwesy qwesy/cc-by-3.0

Cagnes-sur-Mer (literally Cagnes on Sea) is a French Riviera town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region in southeastern France. Cagnes-sur-Mer is a town in south-eastern France located on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, between Saint-Laurent-du-Var and Villeneuve-Loubet. It stretches along a cove offering nearly four kilometers (2.5 miles) of beach and is surrounded by hills, including that of the castle which rises to 300 feet (91 meters) above sea level.   read more…

Theme Week Berkshire – Hungerford

22 March 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Cottages at Leverton © geograph.org.uk - AJD/cc-by-sa-2.0

Cottages at Leverton © geograph.org.uk – AJD/cc-by-sa-2.0

Hungerford is a historic market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 8 miles (13 km) west of Newbury, 9 miles (14 km) east of Marlborough, 27 miles (43 km) northeast of Salisbury and 60 miles (97 km) west of London. The Kennet and Avon Canal passes through the town alongside the River Dun, a major tributary of the River Kennet. The confluence with the Kennet is to the north of the centre whence canal and river both continue east. Amenities include schools, shops, cafés, restaurants, and facilities for the main national sports. Hungerford railway station is a minor stop on the Reading to Taunton Line.   read more…

Portrait: Charles Boycott, an English land agent in Ireland

22 March 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Portrait Reading Time:  5 minutes

Caricature of Charles Cunningham Boycott in Vanity Fair, 1881 © Vanity Fair magazine

Caricature of Charles Cunningham Boycott in Vanity Fair, 1881 © Vanity Fair magazine

Charles Cunningham Boycott was an English land agent whose ostracism by his local community in Ireland gave the English language the term boycott. He had served in the British Army 39th Foot, which brought him to Ireland. After retiring from the army, Boycott worked as a land agent for Lord Erne, a landowner in the Lough Mask area of County Mayo.   read more…

Theme Week Berkshire – Wokingham

21 March 2023 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Town Hall © wx8

Town Hall © wx8

Wokingham is a market town in Berkshire, England, 37 miles (60 km) west of London, 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Reading, 8 miles (13 km) north of Camberley and 4 miles (6 km) west of Bracknell.   read more…

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