The coastal town of Beer in Devon

18 December 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  5 minutes

Fore Street looking towards Sea Hill © geograph.org.uk - Eugene Birchall

Fore Street looking towards Sea Hill © geograph.org.uk – Eugene Birchall

The village of Beer is in south-east Devon on Lyme Bay. The village of Beer is situated on the 95-mile long Jurassic Coast, England’s first natural World Heritage Site and its picturesque cliffs, including Beer Head, form part of the South West Coast Path, Britain’s longest waymarked long-distance footpath (630 miles / 1,014 km).   read more…

The seaside town of Weymouth

7 December 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Dorset Seafood Festival seen from Town Bridge © Edward Betts

Dorset Seafood Festival seen from Town Bridge © Edward Betts

Weymouth is a seaside town in Dorset, England, situated on a sheltered bay at the mouth of the River Wey on the English Channel coast. The town is 13 kilometres (8 mi) south of Dorchester and 8 kilometres (5 mi) north of the Isle of Portland. The town’s population is 53,000.   read more…

The port city of Portsmouth

3 December 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Old Portsmouth © flickr.com - eNil

Old Portsmouth © flickr.com – eNil

Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom’s only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island. It is situated 64 miles (103 km) south west from London and 19 miles (31 km) south east from Southampton.   read more…

Le Havre in the Haute-Normandie

21 November 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

Le Havre Beach © Urban

Le Havre Beach © Urban

Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total population of the greater Le Havre conurbation is smaller than that of Rouen. It is also the second largest subprefecture in France (after Reims). Its port is the second busiest in France (after that of Marseille).   read more…

The Cinque Ports in Kent and Sussex

24 September 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

Cinque Ports map © Clem Rutter

Cinque Ports map © Clem Rutter

The Confederation of Cinque Ports (pronounced “sink” ports, not as the French “cinq”) is a historic series of coastal towns in Kent and Sussex. It was originally formed for military and trade purposes, but is now entirely ceremonial. It lies at the eastern end of the English Channel, where the crossing to the continent is narrowest. The name originates in Norman French, meaning “five ports”, which are: Hastings, New Romney, Hythe, Dover and Sandwich.   read more…

The port city of Calais

17 May 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

Town Hall © Patrick.charpiat

Town Hall © Patrick.charpiat

Calais is a town and major ferry port in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department’s capital is its third-largest city of Arras. The population of the metropolitan area at the 1999 census was 125,584. Calais overlooks the Strait of Dover, the narrowest point in the English Channel, which is only 34 km (21 mi) wide here, and is the closest French town to England. The White Cliffs of Dover can easily be seen on a clear day from Calais. Calais is a major port for ferries between France and England, and since 1994 the Channel Tunnel has linked to nearby Coquelles from Folkestone by rail.   read more…

The White Cliffs of Dover

16 May 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Dover Seafront and Castle © James Armitage

Dover Seafront and Castle © James Armitage

Dover is a town and major ferry port in the home county of Kent, in South East England. It faces France across the narrowest part of the English Channel, and lies south-east of Canterbury; east of Kent’s administrative capital Maidstone; and north-east along the coastline from Dungeness and Hastings. The town is the administrative centre of the Dover District and home of the Dover Calais ferry through the Port of Dover. The surrounding chalk cliffs have become known as the White Cliffs of Dover, and the narrow sea passage nearby – the Strait of Dover. Its strategic position has been evident throughout its history: archaeological finds have revealed that the area has always been a focus for peoples entering and leaving Britain. The name of the town derives from the name of the river that flows through River Dour. The town has been inhabited since the Stone Age according to archeological finds, and Dover is one of only a few places in Britain – London and Cornwall being other examples – to have a corresponding name in the French language, Douvres.   read more…

The port city of Saint-Malo on the Emerald Coast

2 April 2012 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Port of Sablons © Pline

Port of Sablons © Pline

Saint-Malo is a walled port city in Brittany in northwestern France on the English Channel. It is a sub-prefecture of the Ille-et-Vilaine. The population can increase to up to 200,000 in the summer tourist season. With the suburbs included, the population is about 135,000. The population of the commune more than doubled in 1968 with the merging of three communes: Saint-Malo, Saint-Servan (population 14,963 in 1962), and Paramé (population 8811 in 1962). Inhabitants of Saint-Malo are called Malouins in French.   read more…

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