Charing Cross, centre of London

5 February 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, London Reading Time:  5 minutes

Charing Cross © geograph.org.uk - Chris Downer/cc-by-sa-2.0

Charing Cross © geograph.org.uk – Chris Downer/cc-by-sa-2.0

Charing Cross denotes the junction of the Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London. It gives its name to several local landmarks, including Charing Cross railway station, one of the main London rail terminals.   read more…

Felixstowe, the largest container port in the UK

4 February 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Felixstowe Old Train Station, today housing several stores and the local community radio station © Deben Dave/cc-by-sa-3.0

Felixstowe Old Train Station, today housing several stores and the local community radio station © Deben Dave/cc-by-sa-3.0

Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom. The town is situated across the estuary of the River Orwell and the River Stour from Harwich in Essex.   read more…

Scarborough, holidays on the North Sea coast

7 January 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

Scarborough Castle © Immanuel Giel

Scarborough Castle © Immanuel Giel

Scarborough is a town on the North Sea coast of North Yorkshire in England, within the borough of the same name. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, the modern town lies between 10-230 feet (3-70 m) above sea level, rising steeply northward and westward from the harbour onto limestone cliffs. The older part of the town lies around the harbour and is protected by a rocky headland. It is one of the largest settlements in North Yorkshire.   read more…

Fishguard in Pembrokeshire

2 January 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

High Tide © geograph.org.uk - Pauline Eccles/cc-by-sa-2.0

High Tide © geograph.org.uk – Pauline Eccles/cc-by-sa-2.0

Fishguard (Welsh: Abergwaun, meaning “Mouth of the River Gwaun“) is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, with a population of 3,300. The community of Fishguard and Goodwick has a population of 5,000.   read more…

Theme Week Cornwall – St Ives

21 December 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

St Ives harbour front © flickr.com - Char/cc-by-sa-2.0

St Ives harbour front © flickr.com – Char/cc-by-sa-2.0

St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial emphasis and the town is now primarily a popular holiday resort, notably achieving the award ‘Best UK Seaside Town’ from the British Travel Awards in both 2010 and 2011. St Ives was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1639. St Ives has become renowned for its number of artists. It was named best seaside town of 2007 by the Guardian newspaper. For local information for visitors, holiday makers and local residents, St Ives Town Council opened the St Ives Visitor & Information Centre in June 2011.   read more…

Theme Week Cornwall – Port Isaac

19 December 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Sbeech

© Sbeech

Port Isaac is a small and picturesque fishing village on the Atlantic Coast of north Cornwall. The nearest towns are Wadebridge and Camelford, both ten miles away. Port Gaverne, commonly mistaken to be part of Port Isaac, is a nearby hamlet that has its own history. The meaning of the Cornish name is “corn port”, indicating a trade in corn from the arable inland district. Since the 1980s the village has served as backdrop to various television productions, including the ITV series Doc Martin.   read more…

Theme Week Cornwall – Zennor

18 December 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

Zennor from Trewey Hill © Jim Champion/cc-by-sa-3.0

Zennor from Trewey Hill © Jim Champion/cc-by-sa-3.0

Zennor is a village and civil parish. The parish includes the villages of Zennor, Boswednack and Porthmeor and the hamlet of Treen. It is located on the north coast, about 6 miles (10 km) north of Penzance. It lies along the B3306 road which connects St Ives to the A30 road. Alphabetically, the parish is the last in Britain. Its name comes from the Cornish for the local saint, St Senara. Zennor Head is a coastal promontory north of the village. The cliffs rise over 200 feet (60 m) from the sea and the highest point of the headland is 314 feet (96 m) above sea level. The village itself is at a height of around 360 feet (110 m).   read more…

Theme Week Cornwall – Truro

17 December 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Lower Lemon Street © Simon Lewis - www.westcountryviews.co.uk/cc-by-2.5

Lower Lemon Street © Simon Lewis – www.westcountryviews.co.uk/cc-by-2.5

Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, UK. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population of 19,000 and its surrounding urban area to 23,000 as based on the results of the population of Cornwall in 2010. It is the only city in the county, and the most southern city in Mainland Great Britain. People from Truro are known as Truronians. Truro’s popularity within Cornwall as the number one destination for retail and leisure, and its role as the administrative centre of the county, is unusual compared to other cities in the country given that it is the fourth most populous settlement in Cornwall. The city is surrounded by a number of protected natural areas such as the historic parklands at Pencalenick, and larger areas of ornamental landscape, such as Trelissick Garden and Tregothnan further down the Truro River. An area south-east of the city, around and including Calenick Creek, has been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Other protected areas include an Area of Great Landscape Value comprising agricultural land and wooded valleys to the north east, and Daubuz Moors, a Local Nature Reserve located alongside the River Allen close to the city centre.   read more…

Theme Week Cornwall

16 December 2013 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon voyage, Theme Weeks Reading Time:  7 minutes

Remains of Tintagel Castle, legendary birthplace of mythical King Arthur © Maniple

Remains of Tintagel Castle, legendary birthplace of mythical King Arthur © Maniple

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. Cornwall is a peninsula bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of 536,000 and covers an area of 3,563 km2 (1,376 sq mi). The administrative centre, and only city in Cornwall, is Truro, although the town of St Austell has a larger population.   read more…

Return to TopReturn to Top