Haggis

17 March 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Bon appétit Reading Time:  7 minutes

displayed for sale © flickr.com - Chris Brown/cc-by-2.0

displayed for sale © flickr.com – Chris Brown/cc-by-2.0

Haggis (Scottish Gaelic: taigeis) is a savoury pudding containing sheep’s pluck (heart, liver, and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and cooked while traditionally encased in the animal’s stomach though now an artificial casing is often used instead. According to the 2001 English edition of the Larousse Gastronomique: “Although its description is not immediately appealing, haggis has an excellent nutty texture and delicious savoury flavour”.   read more…

Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire

9 March 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

© Ambrose113/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Ambrose113/cc-by-sa-4.0

Hebden Bridge is a market town in the Calderdale district of West Yorkshire, England. It is in the Upper Calder Valley, 8 miles (13 km) west of Halifax and 14 miles (21 km) north-east of Rochdale, at the confluence of the River Calder and the Hebden Water. The town is the largest settlement in the civil parish of Hebden Royd.   read more…

Knaresborough in North Yorkshire

22 February 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  10 minutes

The town crier in the market place © Adrian Pingstone

The town crier in the market place © Adrian Pingstone

Knaresborough is a market and spa town and civil parish on the River Nidd in North Yorkshire, England. It is three miles (five kilometres) east of Harrogate and was in the Borough of Harrogate until April 2023.   read more…

Stow-on-the-Wold in the Cotswolds

16 February 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Market Square © Bs0u10e01/cc-by-sa-4.0

Market Square © Bs0u10e01/cc-by-sa-4.0

Stow-on-the-Wold is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, on top of an 800-foot (244 m) hill at the junction of main roads through the Cotswolds, including the Fosse Way (A429), which is of Roman origin. The town was founded by Norman lords to absorb trade from the roads converging there. Fairs have been held by royal charter since 1330; a horse fair is still held on the edge of town nearest to Oddington in May and October each year.   read more…

Rye in East Sussex

8 February 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  9 minutes

The Standard Inn © geograph.org.uk - Paul Gillett/cc-by-sa-2.0

The Standard Inn © geograph.org.uk – Paul Gillett/cc-by-sa-2.0

Rye is a town and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, England, two miles (three kilometres) from the sea at the confluence of three rivers: the Rother, the Tillingham and the Brede. An important member of the mediaeval Cinque Ports confederation, it was at the head of an embayment of the English Channel, and almost entirely surrounded by the sea.   read more…

Bibury in the Cotswolds

19 January 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

© LeighCousins/cc-by-sa-4.0

© LeighCousins/cc-by-sa-4.0

Bibury is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. It is on the River Coln, a Thames tributary that rises in the same (Cotswold) District. The village centre is 6.5 miles (10.5 kilometres) northeast of Cirencester. Arlington Row is a nationally notable architectural conservation area depicted on the inside cover of some British passports. It is a major destination for tourists visiting the traditional rural villages, tea houses and many historic buildings of the Cotswold District; it is one of six places in the country featured in Mini-Europe, Brussels. The world’s first horse racing club, The Bibury Club, was formed in 1681 and held race meetings on Macaroni Downs above the village until the early 20th century.   read more…

Longleat House in Warminster

14 January 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks Reading Time:  8 minutes

© Saffron Blaze/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Saffron Blaze/cc-by-sa-3.0

Longleat is a stately home about 4 miles (7 km) west of Warminster in Wiltshire, England. A leading and early example of the Elizabethan prodigy house, it is a Grade I listed building and the seat of the Marquesses of Bath.   read more…

Highland Main Line in Scotland

11 January 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

Culloden Viaduct © geograph.org.uk - Peter Moore/cc-by-sa-2.0

Culloden Viaduct © geograph.org.uk – Peter Moore/cc-by-sa-2.0

The Highland Main Line is a railway line in Scotland. It is 118 mi (190 km) long and runs through the central Scottish Highlands, mainly following the route of the A9, and linking a series of small towns and villages with Perth at one end and Inverness at the other. Today, services between Inverness and Edinburgh, Glasgow and London use the line. At Inverness the line connects with the Far North Line, the Aberdeen-Inverness Line and the Kyle of Lochalsh Line. All trains are diesel-powered.   read more…

Unst, the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles

6 January 2024 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  7 minutes

Viking ship, Skibladner © Unstphoto/cc-by-sa-4.0

Viking ship, Skibladner © Unstphoto/cc-by-sa-4.0

Unst (Scots: Unst; Norn: Ønst) is one of the North Isles of the Shetland Islands, Scotland. It is the northernmost of the inhabited British Isles and is the third-largest island in Shetland after Mainland and Yell. It has an area of 46 sq mi (120 km²).   read more…

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