Theme Week Cornwall – Bude

17 March 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Beach and canal © Scott14/cc-by-sa-3.0

Beach and canal © Scott14/cc-by-sa-3.0

Bude is a small seaside resort town in north Cornwall, in the civil parish of Bude-Stratton and at the mouth of the River Neet (also known locally as the River Strat). It was formerly sometimes known as Bude Haven. It lies southwest of Stratton, south of Flexbury and Poughill, and north of Widemouth Bay and is located along the A3073 road off the A39. Bude’s coast faces Bude Bay in the Celtic Sea, part of the Atlantic Ocean.   read more…

Necker Island in the Caribbean

9 March 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Necker Island © Legis

Necker Island © Legis

Necker Island is a 74-acre (300,000 m2) island in the British Virgin Islands just north of Virgin Gorda. The island is owned by Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of the Virgin Group and is part of the Virgin Limited Edition portfolio of luxury properties. The entire island operates like a resort and can accommodate up to 28 guests. The island was named after the 17th-century Dutch squadron commander Johannes de Neckere, although it remained uninhabited until the late 20th century.   read more…

Loch Ness in Scotland

5 March 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Loch Ness with Urquhart Castle © Pappenheim

Loch Ness with Urquhart Castle © Pappenheim

Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately 37 kilometres (23 mi) southwest of Inverness. Its surface is 15.8 m (52 ft) above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as “Nessie”. It is connected at the southern end by the River Oich and a section of the Caledonian Canal to Loch Oich. At the northern end there is the Bona Narrows which opens out into Loch Dochfour, which feeds the River Ness and a further section of canal to Inverness. It is one of a series of interconnected, murky bodies of water in Scotland; its water visibility is exceptionally low due to a high peat content in the surrounding soil.   read more…

Theme Week Scotland – East Kilbride

19 February 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

East Kilbride Heritage Park © geograph.org.uk - John McLeish/cc-by-sa-2.0

East Kilbride Heritage Park © geograph.org.uk – John McLeish/cc-by-sa-2.0

East Kilbride (Scottish Gaelic: Cille Bhrìghde an Ear) is the largest town in the South Lanarkshire council area. It is also designated as Scotland’s first new town on 6 May 1947. The area lies on high ground on the south side of the Cathkin Braes, about 9 miles (14 km) southeast of Glasgow and close to the boundary with East Renfrewshire.   read more…

Fowey in Cornwall

12 February 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Stefan Germer

© Stefan Germer

Fowey is a small town, civil parish and cargo port at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall in England. At the time of the 2001 census, it had a population of 2,273. Fowey is in the South Coast (Eastern Section) of the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It lies at the end of the Saints’ Way and has ferries across the river to Polruan (foot) and Bodinnick (vehicle). There are many historic buildings in the town, including the ruins of St Catherine’s Castle, while Readymoney Cove possesses a local beach.   read more…

Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire

9 February 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Architecture, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

© gailf548

© gailf548

Blenheim Palace is a monumental country house situated in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England, residence of the dukes of Marlborough. It is the only non-royal non-episcopal country house in England to hold the title of palace. The palace, one of England’s largest houses, was built between 1705 and circa 1724. UNESCO recognised the palace as a World Heritage Site in 1987. Its construction was originally intended to be a gift to John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough from a grateful nation in return for military triumph against the French and Bavarians at the Battle of Blenheim. However, it soon became the subject of political infighting, which led to Marlborough’s exile, the fall from power of his duchess, and irreparable damage to the reputation of the architect Sir John Vanbrugh.   read more…

Bahnhof St Pancras in London

1 February 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, House of the Month, London Reading Time:  15 minutes

Model of the extended St Pancras station (left) and Kings Cross station (right) © Andrew Dunn - www.andrewdunnphoto.com/cc-by-sa-2.0

Model of the extended St Pancras station (left) and Kings Cross station (right) © Andrew Dunn – www.andrewdunnphoto.com/cc-by-sa-2.0

St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus and Grade I listed building located on Euston Road in the St Pancras area of the London Borough of Camden. It stands between the British Library, King’s Cross station and the Regent’s Canal and is a structure widely known for its Victorian architecture. It was opened in 1868 by the Midland Railway as the southern terminus of its mainline which connected London with the East Midlands and Yorkshire. When it opened, the arched Barlow train shed was the largest single-span roof in the world.   read more…

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London

31 January 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, London, Museums, Exhibitions, Opera Houses, Theaters, Libraries Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Schlaier

© Schlaier

The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare’s playing company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend and grandson Sir Matthew Brend, and was destroyed by fire on 29 June 1613. A second Globe Theatre was built on the same site by June 1614 and closed in 1642.   read more…

Theme Week Ulster – Omagh

28 January 2015 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Ardfern/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Ardfern/cc-by-sa-3.0

Omagh (Irish: an Ómaigh, meaning “the virgin plain”) is the county town of County Tyrone. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. The district, which is the largest in the county, has a population of 51,000. Omagh also contains the headquarters of Omagh District Council and the Western Education and Library Board. Omagh is the main retail centre for Tyrone, as well as the West of Ulster (behind Derry and Letterkenny), due to its central location.   read more…

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