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SOUTH EASTERN ENGLAND & LONDON
Map at South East & London

The South East & London comprises: Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire to the north, Berkshire, Greater London and Surrey in the centre and Kent, East and West Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to the south.

LONDON
Pictures of England for map and detail

Places-to.go.org.uk Cabinet War Rooms, Covent Garden Market, Eltham Palace, Hampton Court, HMS Belfast, Kew Gardens, London Zoo, Maritime Greenwich, Palace Mews, River Cruise, St. Jame's Park, Somerset House, Thames Barrier, The London Eye, Tower Bridge Experience, Tower of London, Windsor Castle. Also in London - Crystal Palace,

OXFORDSHIRE

Waylands Smithy, Oxon ©NatRail
Pictures of England for map & detail of Oxfordshire

Cryptanalysis, chalk horses and co-habitation! (TJ) contd.....We then went to the Oxfordshire Kelmscott, where William Morris and Rossetti lived in a ménage a trois with Morris's wife Jane and where the Morris's are buried (very very pretty) and Buscot, a nearby Georgian house which had a Burne Jones room which was stunning.

The walk along The Ridgeway (a Neolithic pathway still in use along the tops of the hills in Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Berkshire and stretching from the North Wessex Downs [Marlborough] to the Chilterns [Ivinghoe Beacon NE of Aylesbury]) 3 miles to the Uffington White Horse (map, story and pics of the chalk figure) via Waylands Smithy, Oxon (a long barrow which the Saxons thought was the smithy of their god Wayland). Map and the history of The Ridgeway to be found at Canyx.tv which produced the BBC programme "7 Wonders of the South" pres. by Prof Aubrey Manning in May 2005. A video clip and the photographs in original size are fantastic.

Ridgeway - The White Horse and Uffington Castle © Carnyx.tv

Uffington Castle is an Iron Age hill fort crowning White Horse Hill. A simple design of one rampart and ditch, the castle, at 857ft (262m), forms the highest point in Oxfordshire. The original W entrance remains, whilst smaller entrances through the S and NE ramparts were created by the Romano-British during their occupation of the site. Between the castle and the Horse lie a number of burial mounds (notably the Pillow Mound). These date from the Neolithic and Bronze Ages and are unusual in that they were reused for Romano-British and Anglo-Saxon burials (Carnyx.tv from NationalTrust.org.uk)

Manx2.com trip - Sept 2007 (Full continuous illustrated report. Click ~>Manx2Glo )

This trip, which starts under SW England > Gloucestershire also went near Waylands Smithy and the Uffington White Horse Hill (described above by TJ) on the way to Wantage.

After lunch it was off via as many B-roads as possible to

Buscot Park and Gardens, St Mary's Church
dkimages.com costwolds.info Oxfordcitybranch.org.uk

Buscot, Oxon (a lovely mansion and gardens) - a "must" for you itinerary. However, the house is open Wednesdays but not Tuesdays and so I had to make do with viewing the beautiful gardens.
Advised to see the wonderful stained glass windows of Buscot Church, I moved on to the nearby village of Buscot but shyed away when a charming young lady told me that I had half a kilometre walk across the fields in front of me to get to church (they must be very religious in Buscot). Hardly had I returned to the road direction Lechlade, Glos, than I saw the church of Buscot with small track and parking places (sinners can drive to church!). However, the house of prayer was closed and locked and I'll have to see those windows online if I can find them. It is a cute little church and well worth the stop however

From Oxfordshire (see SE England > Oxfordshire above) between Buscot and Kelmscott, Oxon the route took me to the nearby village of

Lechlade-on-Thames (Glos)
thames-path.org.uk

This beautiful little market town, beside the upper reaches of the River Thames, is dominated by the elegant spire of the beautiful parish church of St.Lawrence, so named on the order of Catherine of Aragon. The 400yr old door, leading from the chancel to the vestry, has a carving of a Pomegranite - the badge of Queen Catherine. Built in the 15th-century, it is Perpendicular style of local stone. The is decorated with gargoyles and statues. As with many other Cotswold churches, St.Lawrence's thanks the generosity of local wool merchants. The interior of the church houses some fine treasures including a magnificent brass chandelier above the centre aisle, made in London in 1730. The poet Shelley visited the town in August 1815 when he wrote 'Stanzas in Lechlade Churchyard'. The visit is recorded by a plaque and the walk through the churchyard affectionately called, Shelley's Walk. .

Onwards then to the nearby

Kelmscott, Oxo
c.KelmscottManor.co.uk

Kelmscott, Oxo A majestic country hall by the River Thames (described above by TJ) but which is closed for the 2007 season following flooding in July. Kelmscott manor gates were not locked but it did have a dog that quite definitely was not welcoming visitors.

Burford Main Street The Tolsey Museum, Burford
(© Gari own photos)

Plan the next stop Burford into your itinerary. Burford is an historical market town in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds which indeed earns all the praise it receives for attractiveness. Its church ranks amongst the top 20 churches in England and the town cannot fail to inspire visitors who walk through its ancient streets. Once a thriving wool town, 'The Tolsey' - an ancient market house museum on the main street - where once wealthy traders would meet and do business bears evidence.
Sadly, I hit the wrong road on leaving Burford and found myself on the B road to Charlbury which was to be a later destination (below) and thus missed the following section in italics:

Taking the A40 and A4095 it is not far to Minster Lovell (renowned as one of the loveliest villages along the Windrush valley).

Pretty home at Minster Lovell
completely-cotswold.com

Minster Lovell has all the attributes of the perfect English village, including age old legends. Francis Lovell, of Minster Lovell Hall (video at www.cotswoldswebsite.com), supported the 15th cent. pretender Lambert Simnel. He hid in a secret room which was known only to one servant. However, the servant died suddenly, leaving Lovell unable to get out, and to eventually die of starvation. In the early 18th century, during alterations, the skeleton of a man was discovered in a concealed room which, according to many, was the body of Francis Lovell, and the legend thus confirmed.
Minster Lovell has beautiful honey mellow Cotswold stone houses and inns - The Mill and Old Swan is a fine example, which stands (for over 600 years) in the midst of a lovely estate on the banks of the river. The village in its beautiful dream-like setting against the gently rising Cotswold landscape, has a history going back to Saxon times and has a 500yr old bridge spanning the meandering Windrush, attractive cottages, and spectacular 15th century ruins of a once great house, home of the Lovell's, which was visited by Henry VII on no less than three occasions.

Blenheim Palace
(© Shakespeare-Country.co.uk)

Close by is Witney (see 'The Buttercross' and the History Museum relating to the blanket trade) followed by Blenheim Palace (Woodstock) home of the 11th Duke of Marlborough and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill who is buried at nearby Bladon.
Woodstock was a favoured place of royalty and it is believed that before the Norman Conquest, Kings of England stayed in the town. King Alfred is thought to have visited and Woodstock was granted market rights by Henry II. Borough status was gained by the 13th-century. The town has a particular charm, with a pleasant market place and historic inns and handsome 18th-century buildings, some of which link to Blenheim. The home of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer is here, and the 17th-century museum - Fletcher's House.Now via the A44 and B4437 over

Charlbury and unnumbered road N to Chadlington.  Set on Chadlington Downs amidst attractive walking country just a short distance away from the lovely River Evenlode the picturesque Chadlington has lovely old Cotswold cottages, an atmospheric inn from the 17th cent, a couple of pleasant shops, and beautiful countryside footpaths to wander. A short distance away is the enchanting Wychwood Forest, where Henry VIII, and other Tudor monarchs hunted. The forest is a romantic place, offering wonderful scenery and a rich variety of wildlife and has been designated an area of outstanding natural beauty.


Wynchwood Forest                                                                     Wooden Signposts
(wychwoodnetwork.org.uk)                                                 (© ardingly.fsbusiness.co.uk)

In both Oxfordshire and in Gloucestershire, one must watch out for the black and white wooden signposts which suddenly appear and demand a change of direction - especially to the many other lesser known villages and hamlets to explore in this part of the Cotswolds Their quiet charm makes for a pleasant alternative to the popular tourist filled resort towns. Often you come across the unexpected - in the outlying hamlet of Taston you can see an old village cross and a Victorian commemorative fountain. The Bronze-Age Hawk Stone can be seen in a field a short distance away from the village, and at Spelsbury are interesting ancient buildings of the 17th cent.

On to Chipping Norton which lies in the midst of beautiful cotswold countryside and is surrounded by other villages that radiate the glory of traditional honey-coloured Cotswold stone manor houses and magnificent Churches.

Cotswold stone alms houses
cotswoldswebsite.com

It is a town to be explored and enjoyed and indeed lives up to its descriptive superlatives. This picturesque Cotswold town had a woollen mill that continued in production until 1980 (Bliss Mill) It contributed to the establishment of the town as a centre for fine cloth.
Chipping Norton (700ft) is the highest town in Oxfordshire. The winding, 'higgledy-piggledy' roads add to the charm of the place. Evidence of medieval merchants who flocked to the Cotswolds and how the town thrived from the riches gleaned from the fleece of the sheep who grazed in the lush countryside beyond is evident. This is the area of the 17th-century 'wool towns'. The fine parish church of St.Mary the Virgin is one of the largest parish churches in Oxfordshire. The south porch is hexagonal and stands two storeys high. Close to the church are almshouses from the 17th-century. In the town centre there are several early Cotswold stone properties. The Crown and Cushion (coaching) Inn dates from 1497. The old Guildhall has Tudor windows and some former private historic houses have been converted into interesting antique shops.

The main circle at Rollright, Oxon
(© Gari own photo)

Nearby Attractions: On no account miss a visit to the nearby Rollright Stones - mysterious relics of a Neolithic burial site, to the north or Chipping Norton nr the village of Great Rollright in the Oxfordshire/Warwickshire borderlands. A charming B-road leads via Over Norton to this well signposted site.

Back through Chipping Norton, we take the B4450 to Churchill and the zig-zag way to Gloucestershire. After crossing the River Evenlode, do not take the sharp right to Bledington, Glos but a sharp left to nearby Foscot, Oxon and a right fork there to Bould and onwards to Idbury (see its church. The ancient hill fort can be seen larger at www.ucl.ac.uk/prehistoric/past/past40.html).

     Idbury Church              Hill Fort Idbury
completely-cotswold.com           www.ucl.ac.uk

After Idbury one joins the main A424 road at Idbury stone, leaving Oxfordshire and headed for Upper Risslington.
(Contd. SW England > Gloucestershire )

Favourite parts of Oxfordshire: All Oxfordshire including the parts missed out and especially the northern Cotswolds

BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
Pictures of England for map and detail

Cryptanalysis, chalk horses and co-habitation! - Bletchley Park (Buckinghamshire), Uffington and Kelmscot
On our travels West to S Wales, we first went to Bletchley Park in Bucks where the WW2 codes were broken. We spent a good afternoon there, mostly on a guided tour seeing all the buildings where exciting things happened. It was all disguised as a hospital so that it wouldn't get bombed. We then went to >> Oxfordshire

Buckinghamshire is the home county of 'Chequers' the country residence of the Prime Minister of England.
The rolling Chiltern Hills, delightful country walks, unique market towns and quaint little villages are just a taste of what Buckinghamshire has to offer. Bucks is located in the SE of England bordering on Greater London as well as Oxforshire, Northamptonshire and more. Attractions include the 19th Century, award winning Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire County Museum and the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery.
The county town is Aylesbury, which is in the south of the county. People born here are often refered to as 'Aylesbury Ducks' in reference to the white duck native to the area.
Other towns in Buckinghamshire include Milton Keynes, Buckingham, High Wycombe, Olney and Beaconsfield.
During World War 2, the Buckinghamshire Bletchley Park, a stately home approximately 50 miles from London, was used by British Military Intelligence to break Nazi Germany codes incl the Enigma code. Some of the machines used and other historical equipment from that era can still be found at the park today in the museum there now that the secret mission can be told.

BERKSHIRE
Pictures of England for map and detail

Situated in the heart of Southern England, the County of Berkshire, also known as 'Royal Berkshire' is home to several well known Towns and Cities, such as Windsor, where the famous Royal retreat Windsor Castle can be found. Another Royal connection is the town of Ascot, famous for its very popular annual horse racing festival - 'Royal Ascot'. Berkshire also boasts many picturesque Villages with views across the River Thames absolutely stunning. Eton (the gentry's "public" [i.e. private] school). Reading lies on the extremities of the Berkshire Downs and the Chiltern Hills at a point where the waters of the rivers Thames... Sonning on Thames - was described by Jerome K. Jerome in his book "Three Men in a Boat" as "the most fairy-like little nook on the whole river". Also Visit: Bray (a pretty place lying on a bend of the Thames a short distance from Monkey Island where there was once a fishing lodge). Thatcham (which claims to be the oldest inhabited village in Britain). Woodley (great in aviation history).

SURREY
Pictures of England for map and detail

Places-to-go.org.uk offers - RHS Wisley Gardens. Surrey Gardens also covers: Hampton Court, Kew Gardens, Claremont Landscape Garden, Painshill Gardens, Polesden Lacey, Titsey Place

Due to boundary changes much of Northern Surrey has now been dissolved into Greater London. In the county town of Guildford you can explore a wealth of interesting history and admire its sheer beauty. Local attractions include, Guildford Cathedral set in 20 acres of green parkland, Guildford Castle, which dates back to 1066 and Loseley Park, an outstanding example of Elizabethan architecture built by Sir William More in 1562. Since 1780 the market town of Epsom has held the annual and worldwide famous 'Epsom Derby' horse race which continues to attract many visitors from far and wide. Epsom Forest was long the hunting grounds of the English kings.

SE English Castles & Parks

KENT
Pictures of England for map and detail

Scotney Moat, Kent - NatTrust.org

Places-to-go.org.uk offers a few different places to look out for in Kent - The lovely Canterbury, Chartwell, Chatham Dockyard, Charles Darwin's Down House, Hever Castle, Ightham Mote, Leeds Castle, Scotney Castle, Sissinghurst Castle Gardens.
Ightham Mote is a lovely 14th century medieval moated manor house located 6 miles east of Sevenoaks in Kent. It is not grand but standing in a sheltered wooded cleft of the Kentish Weald it conjures up the history and atmosphere of 650 years ago, better than any other of its type.
Places-to-go.org.uk Kent Gardens also covers: Eltham Palace, Emmetts Garden, Great Comp Garden, Groombridge Place Gardens, High Elms Country Park, Higham Park House & Gardens, Knole Park, Marle Place Garden, Owl House Gardens, Penshurst Place.

Especially gardeners, will certainly not want to miss David's Useful Links

SUSSEX
Pictures of England for map and detail

Places-to-go.org.uk offers in
East Sussex - Brighton, Sheffield Park Gardens, and in
West Sussex - Arundel Castle, Leonardslee Gardens. You won't want to miss Battle ESX either.
Sussex Gardens also covers: Borde Hill, High Beeches Gardens, Highdown Gardens, Nymans Garden, Merriments Gardens, Pashley Manor Gardens, Wakehurst Place

EAST SUSSEX
Pictures of England for map and detail

TJ report:
"Lively and louche Brighton (but avoid the town of Hastings). Quiet and pretty are Winchelsea and Chiddingstone. Quaint but busy - Rye, Chichester and Unusual is Dungeness!. There are any number of seaside towns which all look the same on the "Costa Geriatrica" (with sprinklings of Butlins and Pontins and caravan parks to season!) "

A birthday treat in Sussex. As a birthday treat, we went down to Chichester harbour for the day. The idea was to have a pub lunch then go with plan A out in the harbour on a boat to look at wildlife.  It was a lovely sunny day and warm, and we had a great lunch, but the boat trips weren't running due to sickness - It didn't look THAT rough!
So we wandered round the marina, looking at the yachts and yachtsmen and enjoying the view. Airplane fans would have spend the day at Tangmere Aviation Museum.   Then to a real beach at West Wittering - ice creams! - and then on to plan B - A canal trip between Chichester and Portsmouth. We got on the boat at Chichester, it set off, went 20 yards and broke down. So, after it was hauled back to the jetty and we were on dry land again and got our money back. Not our day was it?    OK, so we went into the city centre - a very small city, and only a city because it has a cathedral. We shopped, had coffee, went searching for books in charity shops and then realised we'd left our shopping in the café. After getting our shopping back again - narrowly preventing the staff from divvying it up between themselves - we went, missions unacomplished, home and  went out for pizza and wine; getting home at 9pm and snoring our way through TV until midnight when we both woke up! Gosh did I feel old - and that on my birthday!

After work on Saturday is was off down to Brighton. We saw a fantastic show called Highland Fling (a version of the ballet La Sylphide, set in Glasgow) and stayed overnight at The Old Ship Inn - the oldest hotel in Brighton where Dickens and various others have stayed.   Our room was right in the front looking out to sea and was just splendid. At breakfast, in our room, we watched the waves and the early morning runners and walkers. The weather was sunny but comfortable and we shopped, had an enormous pile of fish and chips on the pier and got tired and so headed for the car just as the rain started.
Like a mini holiday. So nice. (TJ, Apr 05)

WEST SUSSEX
Pictures of England for map and detail

Arundel_Castle_WSussex - LvGrieken

HAMPSHIRE
Pictures of England for map and detail

Hampshire offers an enchanting blend of both coast and countryside. It is home to the 'New Forest', which covers some 145 sq mls, making it Englands largest, intact ancient woodlands and thus earning the area national and international status. Winchester is home to one of England's largest cathedrals, 'Winchester Cathedral' has its origins in the 7th century, when
a Christian Church was first built on the site. Hampshire has many notable attractions including, 'Mottisfont Abbey Gardens', 'Broadlands' a magnificent 18th century house in a superb setting on the banks of the River Test and Famous for being the home of Lord Mountbatten, and 'Highclere Castle' home of the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon and probably the finest Victorian home still in existence. Hampshire is also well known for Southampton and its amazing harbour which has 4 tides per day, thanks to the influence of the Isle of White, and also Portsmouth (important naval port and arch feind of Southampton - well at least for football) See also Places-to-go.org.uk

ISLE OF WIGHT
Pictures of England for map and detail

Just off the South coast of England lies the largest Island off the British mainland covering approximately 150 sq mls. The Island is one of significant beauty with endless attractions such as the Roman Villa situated in the Isle of Wight's main town Newport, 'Blackgang Chine', 40 acres of Victorian cliff top gardens, 'Carisbrooke Castle' which offers seven acres of castle and earthworks to explore and The Isle of Wight Steam Railway which passes through five and a half miles of unspoiled Island countryside. There are also many picturesque beaches to visit, many of which are award winning.
My own personal memories are now of the other famous towns - Freshwater, Ventnor, Ryde and the world famous yachting resort port of Cowes - but of Alum Bay near the needles where vertical coloured sand cliffs never cease to amaze.
Calbourne is a lovely old place that has long been a natural haunt of artists from all over England and Parkhurst has also for decades attracted residents as it is a daunting top security prison which casts a dark shadow on fair horizons.

See also Places-to-go.org.uk

EAST ANGLIA
Map at East Anglia

Comprising: Norfolk, Cambridge and Suffolk to the north and Bedforshire, Hertfordshire and Essex to the south

NORFOLK
Pictures of England for map and detail

Oxburgh Moat, Norfolk - NatTrust.org

The county of Norfolk lies along the East coast of England. The Norfolk coastline, much of which is an officially designated 'area of outstanding natural beauty' is home to many wonderful seaside resorts with beautiful golden sandy beaches such as Great Yarmouth, Sheringham and Cromer. The Norfolk Broads, a series of ancient waterways renowned for it's birdlife and spectacular views are a must see. Norfolk has so much to offer from magnificent castles, historic buildings, grand stately homes and gardens to museums, steam railways and theme parks.

CAMBRIDGESHIRE
Pictures of England for map and detail

Whether you want to explore the famous Universities, experience the fine cuisine in its many Restaurants, visit the extensive shopping areas or simply try a bit of punting on the River Cam, there is so much to see and do in Cambridgshire for all. You will enjoy exploring this beautiful county.

SUFFOLK
Pictures of England for map and detail

The county of Suffolk lies in the East of England and covers some 1500 square miles. Ipswich, the county town is home to The Ipswich Transport Museum which boasts the largest collection of transport items in Britain devoted to just one town. Close to the centre of Ipswich you will find 'Christchurch Mansion' an outstanding 16th century Manor house set in an historic 100 acre park, which first opened as a free museum in 1896. Suffolk's other main towns include Felixstowe, a pretty seaside resort, Lowestoft, a popular holiday destination and the most easterly town in the United Kingdom and Newmarket,
famous for its Race Meetings.

BEDFORDSHIRE
Pictures of England for map and detail

The County of Bedfordshire is the smallest of the 'Shires'. Void of cities, Bedfordshire has some interesting towns to visit including the Market Towns of Bedford (It's County Town in the North), Luton (South), Leighton Buzzard (Southwest) and Dunstable (South). From the Southern boarders of the County to London it is just 30 miles. It is a rural County which borders Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire and Northamptonshire. Popular Attractions include, Woburn Abbey - home of the Duke of Bedford and Whipsnade Zoo. London-Luton airport is important with holidaymakers and budget flights

HERTFORDSHIRE
Pictures of England for map and detail

is bounded by the Counties of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Greater London and Essex and is not only popular with commuters due to its easy access to Greater London but also with tourists. Its interesting attractions include St Albans Cathedral built on what is believed to be the site of the martyrdom of St Alban, Knebworth House, a beautiful gothic mansion and famous worldwide for its rock concerts and as the home of Victorian novelist Edward B Lytton - author of the words "The pen is mightier than the sword". Scott's Grotto - a series of interconnected chambers - extends some 67ft into the chalk hillside and was built for the 18th century poet John Scott.

ESSEX
Pictures of England for map and detail

in the South-East is a seabord county and offers, the seaside Town of Southend-on-Sea a popular holiday destination which boasts the longest pleasure pier in the world. The port of Harwich is the boarding point for ferries to Holland and Colchester has a famous harbour. Other attractions include Southchurch Hall a museum housed in a half-timbered medieval manor house, dating back to the early 14th century, and White Tiger Valley at Colchester Zoo.

Must see towns include: Colchester (Fascinating historic Essex town in which there was probably a settlement in both the 5th-century BC, and the 1st-century AD.). Frinton-on-Sea - This delightful seaside resort gives way to the pleasures of yester-year whilst offering the very best of the modern). Leigh-on-Sea (a small welcoming seaside resort lying on the Essex coast. Less crowded than neighbouring Southend). Manningtree (Matthew Hopkins, Witchfinder General of the 17th-century, notorious for terrorising East Anglia). Tollesbury (sits attractively off a tidal creek where the waters of the Blackwater River enter the sea).
Writtle (ancient area, ringed with beautiful parklands and historic forests which were once the hunting ground of Kings). Castle Hedingham (Enchanting border countryside where Suffolk and Essex meet). Coggeshall (Since medieval times, wool). Dedham (Enchanting village). Epping (Delightful Market town is recorded in the Domesday Book, it is referred to as the Manor of Eppinga, conferred upon the Monks). Fingringhoe (Home to one of the most outstanding Nature Reserves in the country).
Greenstead Church is said to be the oldest wooden building in the world.

Don't miss, The village of Hempstead lies a short distance from the delightful town of Saffron Walden (highwayman).
Maldon - As estuary towns go, there are not many to compare with the charms of Maldon. It is a fine old town, beautifully set on a ridge. Mistley - The beautiful Stour valley is the land that inspired Constable, it is a place where everywhere you go there is a fresh delight. St Osyth - Pretty Essex village situated by one of the little creeks that run into the River Colne.

Worth A Visit Beauchamp Roding (Delightful Essex village. One of many called Roding. The name is probably taken from the River). Blackmore (Long and fascinating history. Lies in an area mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086). Brentwood (In the romantic days of coach travel Brentwood was a staging post on an old road to London). Burnham-on-Crouch (A small town on the north bank of the River Crouch as it winds its way towards Foulness Point). Canvey Island (It is hard to believe that Canvey Island sits along a coastline which was once a famous haunt of smugglers). Earls Colne (Attractive old village spreads out from the banks of the River Colne). Halstead (Busy little town surrounded by delightful Essex countryside). Jaywick (Holiday resort and hive of activity during the summer months, it offers every possible holiday amenity and entertainment). Marks Tey (A small Essex town between Braintree and Colchester). West Mersea (Small coastal town in the Colchester region - Area renowned for its lively caravan and leisure). Westcliff-on-Sea (Pleasant seaside resort close to Southend. It offers visitors a quieter time than its neighbour). (picturesofengland.com)

SOUTH WEST ENGLAND
Map at Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and the South West

SW English Resorts & Parks

The English South West encompasses the counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.

The Cotswolds A really good informative site for the Cotswolds and the Welsh Border Country is Places-to-go.org.uk which covers Bath, Bibury, Bourton-on-the-Water, the most beautiful village of Broadway, Cheltenham, Chipping Campden, Cotswolds Farm Park, Coughton Court, Hidcote Manor Gardens, Jephson Gardens Leamington, Painswick Garden, Ragley Hall, Stow-on-the-Wold, Stratford Butterfly Farm, Stratford-upon-Avon, Anne Hathaways Cottage, The Slaughters, Warwick. You will enjoy clicking the links at this page which is also adorned with pictures and a slideshow. More about the area and a map of the Costswolds at PicturesofEngland.
There are also maps and country descriptions of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and the South West. The counties to the north are under West Midlands whilst those to the East are under South East & London

GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Map at Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and the South West

Manx2.com trip - Sept 2007 (Full continuous report at Manx2Glo)
Manx2.com started a new daily service from the Isle of Man to Gloucester (Staverton) and onwards weekends to Jersey. In order to check out the possibilities offered, I went down to Gloucester on one of the first flights for a couple of days.
The Metro 23 (pic) flight from the Isle of Man (which took off early in both directions in my case) takes only 55mins and is as comfortable as it is rewarding in that an initial fare of below £50 brings one to a nice small quiet airport right next to the M5 motorway between Gloucester and Cheltenham with the Vale of Evesham, Stratford upon Avon (Warwickshire), Herefordshire and the Welsh Brecon Beacons and Abergavenny, The Forest of Dean and back over the Severn Bridge at Chepstow.
There is no airport bus service to Staverton and one is advised to rent a vehicle in advance, ensuring that they provide a pick-up and drop-off service. In my case, the pick-up worked but no drop-off service from Gloucester was provided and a taxi costs approx. £15. For details, recommendations of services and accommodation used can be found under SW England, SE England, West Midlands and Central and South Wales at http://travel.holidays.com/recommendations.

After picking up a hire-car in Gloucester and a short visit to Cheltenham (mid morning traffic), it was down to the first stop a the beautiful Cirencester and over the source of the River Thames to Somerford Keynes (a distant relative has a home there straddling a ditch that is the young River Thames. The actual spring which marks the source of the Thames is actually at nearby Kemble (A433) and has a commemorative headstone http://www.thames-search.com/source.html) and the neighbouring village of Ashton Keynes, (~~~> Contd at Wiltshire below).

Manx2.com trip 2007 contd
Passing through Gloucestershire from the Oxfordshire Cotswolds

From Oxfordshire (see SE England > Oxfordshire above) between Buscot and Kelmscott, Oxon the route took me to the village of Lechlade-on-Thames, Glos. This pleasant little market town, beside the upper reaches of the River Thames, is dominated by the elegant spire of the beautiful parish church of St.Lawrence, so named on the order of Catherine of Aragon. The 400yr old door, leading from the chancel to the vestry, has a carving of a Pomegranite - the badge of Queen Catherine. Built in the 15th-century, it is Perpendicular style of local stone. The is decorated with gargoyles and statues. As with many other Cotswold churches, St.Lawrence's thanks the generosity of local wool merchants. The interior of the church houses some fine treasures including a magnificent brass chandelier above the centre aisle, made in London in 1730. The poet Shelley visited the town in August 1815 when he wrote 'Stanzas in Lechlade Churchyard'. The visit is recorded by a plaque and the walk through the churchyard affectionately called, Shelley's Walk. Onwards then to Kelmscott, Oxon (Contd. SE England > Oxfordshire above)

Manx2.com trip 2007 contd
Returning from Oxfordshire to Gloucestershire

After, Kelmscott, Chipping Norton and an exciting zig-zag route to Idbury (see SE England > Oxfordshire) I left Oxfordshire via the A424 and, after approx 2km, turned left and through the delightful Upper and Little Rissington headed for Bourton-on-the-Water which is absolutely delightful if the River Windrush is at normal water levels. I really enjoyed the part of the trip from Chipping Norton to Elmley Castle.

Passing by B roads over the nearby Lower and Upper Slaughter it isn't far to Stow-on-the-Wold. Lower Slaughter is absolutely charming but is surpassed by the extremely picturesque photo-stop Upper Slaughter. Stow-on-the-Wold is yet another busy Cotswold market town and can be seen by clicking its name.

Leaving Stow-on-the-Wold by the A429 and forking left onto the A424 it is once again not far to Longborough and a good meal at a local inn and night at the fabulous Windy Ridge House - a 5 star B&B manor with wonderful gardens, indoor swimming pool and a decor that reflects years of travel and care (see Recommendations SW England). Why not spoil yourself for a night and enjoy the private bathroom and embracing bed.

After a fine breakfast and thus late start next morning, Moreton-in-Marsh is but a short drive via B roads and the A429. I personally preferred this, also busy market town, to Stow and stopped for souvenir cards and banking. Via exciting B roads over Draycott, it was off towards Chipping Camden. These back roads lead passed an impressive manor house and through the best hidden gem of a village - Broad Camden where each and every cottage is thatched. Indded a treasure right next to but not on the tourist route.

Chipping Camden is larger than the road atlas gives credit and it is also a stop for tours having been to Broadway. Nice if you like the company of tourits and love to drop into souvenir boutiques but one can admire whilst passing and continue to the well signposted Hidcote Manor, again via quaint B roads with white signposts. Hidcote Manor is a National Trust property with wonderful gardens and an excellent cafe. I spent too long here but could have spent half a day admiring the house and gardens. Don't miss the manor or the Maize Maze next door which is accessible from the extended car park.

Intended were visits from Longborough via Ford to nearby Sudely Castle nr Winchcombe (opens 10.00) and Snowshill Manor (opens 11.00), but these had been dropped together with the recently flooded but delightful Tewkesbury in favour of the Broadway, Elmley Castle, Upton-upon-Severn, Worcs. route to The Malvern Hills (~~~> West Midlands, Worcestershire)

Manx2.com trip 2007 contd
Return to Gloucestershire from Wales and Hereforshire

I never found the A4136 to Gloucester road from Monmouth and continued on the A40 fast road to Goodrich (Herefordshire) where Symonds Yat (East) was indicated. The deep gorge of the River Wye is crossed from Goodrich via a small bridge which winds its way up and up a scenic single track road to Symonds Yat Rock on the Herefordshire/Gloucestershire border and onwards to Berry Hill (Glos) where one can turn northwards to English Bicknor and Dryslade Farm where excellent farmhouse accommodation awaits.
On no account miss the view from Symonds Yat Rock and keep you eyes open for the wild peregrine falcons. To the west (in Herefordshire) is King Arthur's Cave, the Harkening Rocks (in Wales) and the curious Wyastone Leys where the Monmouthshire border leaves the river and encloses part of the hamlet into Wales. Similarly, Wyesham, May Hill and Kymin on the Redding Inclosure east of the River Wye, lie in Monmouthshire and all a stones throw away from Gloucestershire..

After a hearty farmhouse breakfast next morning, it was southwards through the Forest of Dean to Clearwell Caves (at Clearwell nr Coleford) which are both historically, geologically and naturally fascinating. This once mining facility is open to visitors for a modest entrance fee and should definitely be on the "must see" list. Take a look at their website at www.clearwellcaves.com Even semi-deep level and deep level descents are available.

Whilst in the area, do pay a visit to Saint Briavels where the age-old castle is a Youth Hostel (requires months ahead pre-booking. YHA membership not essential) and the village boasts an interesting church and some fine old inns.

I personally, descended from Saint Briavels to Blockweir to cross the River Wye near Llandogo in Monmouthshire to visit Tintern Parva and abbey..(~~~> South Wales, Monmouthshire )

Manx2.com trip 2007 contd
Final return to Gloucestershire from Wales

From the Roman remains at Usk and Newport it was over the Bristol Channel back to Gloucestershire via Chepstow and the M48 (less popular/crowded than the M4 new bridge). There is no toll payable leaving Wales.
Taking the M5 northwards as far as the Falfield exit #14 for Berkeley it was off to Berkeley Castle (one of the oldest inhabited castles in England) which is indeed a tourist attraction and is a grand castle with lovely gardens and which also has a Butterfly Farm. Indeed well worth a visit.
Also worth a visit is Slimbridge Wildfowl Centre further up the A38 towards Gloucester.
Should you have time to spare then travel via Stroud and then north to Painswick Rococco Gardens on the outskirts of Gloucester. Personally, I tried to find them following the adequate signage on and off the A38 but the signs petered out just short of the gardens and I never found them. They are on the B4073 "Gloucester Rd" which branches NW near Painswick town centre and church.

This ended the short trip with Manx2.com from the Isle of Man to Gloucester for the purpose of checking out the areas that can easily be visited. Indeed a worthwhile and exciting few days covering Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Powys, Merthyr Tydfil, upper Caerphilly, Blenau Gwent, Monmothshire and Newport. There is a lot to see from the honey coloured straw thatched villages in the Costswolds to the wild and barren heights of the Brecon Beacons and the beautiful Forest of Dean and the River Wye. Pleasant was also the fact that Manx2 took off early on both flights. This especially as members of my IsleofMan Yahoo group were complaining about delayed flights with another airline at the same time.
Favourite parts: All parts of Gloucestershire but especially the middle and north Cotswolds and the Forest of Dean.

WILTSHIRE
Map at Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and the South West

Much of Wiltshire is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Trowbridge is the vibrant, industrial and commercial county town. Salisbury is a stunning medieval city with the beautiful Salisbury Cathedral boasting the highest spire in England. Boating along the famous Kennet and Avon Canal is a popular and relaxing pastime. Wiltshire has a multitude of exciting attractions including, the worldwide famous ancient monument 'Stonehenge' symbolizing mystery, power and endurance. Other local places of interest are Swindon, the biggest town in the county, Chippenham, and the quaint old town of Devizes. (picturesofengland)

Manx2.com trip 2007 contd
The Gloucestershire trip brought me to Ashton Keynes and the comfortable inn where I had had such a good meal some years back. Nearby is the lovely Malmesbury Abbey (built on the site of an 8th century Saxon monastery and which by the 12th century was an important Benedictine Abbey and noted seat of learning which possessed the second largest library in Europe) and the lovely Abbey House built 1542 on the foundations of the old 13th century Abbots House, and its magnificent gardens.  The house was once the Abbott's home and part of a former Benedictine Monastery.
On to the historic town of Cricklade (on Thames) and its many gracious Cotswold stone properties and impressive church.   Cricklade prospered as a Saxon town in the 9th cent.and medieval times and depended largely on wool. The beautiful St.Sampson church was originally Saxon but much of what can be seen today is thanks to restoration work in the 14th-15th centuries. The interior displays much Norman work, whilst the magnificent exterior is dominated by a layered tower dating from 1553. The churchyard houses ancient tombstones and the town's 14th-century cross. The Swindon and Cricklade Heritage Steam Railway Line, a project which began 25 yrs ago and is still extending is to be found here also.
Crossing into Oxfordshire the next destination was to be Waylands Smithy and the Uffington White Horse - adequately described and illustrated by the TJ trip report (~~~> SE England, Oxfordshire above).
Favourite parts:  Especially Ashton Keynes and the Heritage Steam Railway

SOMERSET
Map at Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and the South West

Somerset - the cider and country yokel county in the minds of many - boasts some beautiful market towns and villages. Taunton, the county town offers both beautiful countryside and excellent shopping and leisure facilities and is known to hold one of the largest cattle markets in the country. The small yet thriving market town of Glastonbury, famous for its annual pop festival - 'Glastonbury Festival' has a wide range of facilities and attractions including the remains of one of the greatest Abbeys in England, Glastonbury Abbey is set in 37 acres of beautiful parkland. Cheddar is not only known for its worldwide known cheese but also for the very unique 'Cheddar gorge', britains largest gorge, is steeped in fascinating historical and archeological facts such as the discovery of a 9000 year old skeleton, Britain's oldest complete skeleton. Minehead, Somerset's largest seaside resort is set on the edge of Exmoor National Park and is a perfect place to visit for traditional seaside family fun. Somerset is also home to the smallest city in England - Wells, which has one of the most beautiful cathedrals in England (picturesofengland)

DORSET
Map at Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and the South West

Dorset is a county of great beauty, situated on the South Coast of England, bounded by the counties of Devon, Hampshire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Dorset boasts an outstanding 75 mile long shore fronting to the English Channel which separates the United Kingdom from mainland Europe. A traditional English county rich in archaeology, unspoilt rural villages and countryside. Nearby attractions include the picturesque and homely Town of Weymouth (ferries to the Channel Isles), historic Sherborne Castle built by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1594, Mapperton House and Gardens of Elizabethan origin, home of the Earl and Countess of Sandwich.IP (picturesofengland)

DEVON
Map at Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and the South West

Saltram Limes, Devon - NatTrust.org

Devon is the third largest county and borders the popular counties of Dorset, Somerset and Cornwall. It boasts some of England's finest beaches, has a wealth interesting history to discover and many pretty villages including the world-famous Clovelly. Interesting places to visit include Torquay a popular holiday resort and birthplace of Dame Agatha Christie, the most popular crime writer of all time and Tavistock the centre of a beautiful and fascinating district and birthplace of the famous explorer Sir Francis Drake. (picturesofengland)

CORNWALL
Map at Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and the South West

WIP (picturesofengland)

ENGLISH MIDLANDS

The East Midlands comprise: Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire. And Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire
The West Midlands comprise Shropshire, Staffordshire. West Midlands. Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire

THE EAST MIDLANDS
Map at East Midlands

The East Midlands comprises the counties of: Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire in the north and
Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire to the south

CHESHIRE, DERBYSHIRE & SHROPSHIRE

A summer wedding in Shropshire - Jul 04
From Liverpool Airport, we drove via Wilmslow, Cheshire to Disley and visited Lyme Park. Many years ago, I lived in a village called High Lane just down the road from Lyme Park and had good memories of its deer, the folly and the glorious hall and gardens.
Then it was via Chapel en le Frith in Derbyshire to the Peak District - Castleton, the Blue John Mines, and Edale in the Hope Valley - before returning via Tideswell and Millers Dale to the famous spa of Buxton.

Little Moreton Hall - NatTrust.org

Over the bleak moors it was again back into Cheshire and to Little Moreton Old Hall, a National Trust half timbered Elizabethan hall of film fame but very much out of alignment and not a favourite place of its then owners.

DERBYSHIRE AND THE PEAK DISTRICT

Derbyshire is best known for its Rolls Royce engines and the 'Peak District'. England's first National Park spans over 500 square miles and is a very popular and stunning area of natural beauty and endless limestone caverns (Peak Cavern, Blue John Mines). Derbyshire is also water collection country (Carsington Water and Ladybower Reservoir) and home to many wonderful stately homes such as Hardwick Hall and the Medieval Manor House, Haddon Hall. Perhaps the most famous stately home is Chatsworth (chatsworth.org) - the home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. Renowned is also Nine Ladies Stone Circle, Stanton Moor. There is much much more and with such varied landscape, such a richness of wildlife and such a wealth of cultural heritage no visitor can possibly be disappointed. Bakewell, the spa towns of Buxton and Matlock, Chapel-en-le-Frith and Derby all have considerable tales to tell as does the northern millstone-grit "Dark Peak" and "White Peak" in the limestone south,

Dark Peak White Peak
peakdistrict-education.gov.uk

A really good informative site for the Peak District is Places-to-go.org.uk which has a locator map and covers Bakewell, Castleton, Chatsworth House, Dovedale, Eyam Village, Haddon Hall, The Heights of Abraham - Matlock Bath, A great Peak tour in Brief, Crich Tramway Village Museum.
Also check out PeakDistrictOnline.co.uk

Driving down WINNATS PASS to Speedwell Cavern we went to Castleton & Peveril Castle (1175) (description of the whole area) and the The Devil's Arse which was renamed The Peak Cavern for several years before returning to its former, more descriptive, name. From here it is not far to the Blue John Mines (Treak Cliff Cavern). This site has an excellent Virtual Cavern Tour (don't miss this) which takes you all through the caves. "Blue John" is a rare mineral found at only this one location in the world. The name derives from the French "Bleu Jaune" meaning Blue Yellow. It is a form of fluor spar and was discovered as miners were exploring the cave systems of Castleton for lead. Castleton to Edale is an excellent walk description with detailed map showing all the sights mentioned here.

EDALE, Hope Valley brought back memories of early English skiing attemps when one had to climb the hill on foot first. Edale is reachable by rail and just by the station is The Rambler Inn with rooms from £20pppn and a year end fling programme to boot. Meals are mainly Olde English Fare and quite payable. A good selection of beers too at The Rambler. This beautiful walking country in the heart of The Peak District - England's first National Park.
Leaving the Hope Valley, we headed West via Tideswell and Millers Dale . Tideswell is famous for its Well Dressing and Millers Dale -photos- was famous for its 4 platformed interchange station in the middle of nowhere. It was part of the Midland Railway's main line from London St. Pancras, via Derby, to Manchester Central. It was here that a branch line (always referred to as "the branch") to Buxton started. Thus, it became a busy intersection and was also one of the few stations in England to have a post office on the platform.

BUXTON is admirable described and pictured at www.buxtononline.net and is also described in the The Derbyshire Guide and links to Poole's Cavern website which also has a Map of the area of Derbyshire discussed above. Poole's Cavern is a natural limestone cave situated in the beautiful woodland of Buxton Country Park, Derbyshire and has been visited for 5,000 years since Neolithic tribes sheltered here. The cave has been known as 'The First Wonder of the Peak' since the 1600s and last year (2003) celebrated its 150th anniversary since opening as an official showcave in 1853.

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
More and photos at picturesofengland.com/England/Nottinghamshire

Clumber Limes, Notts - NatTrust.org

LINCOLNSHIRE
More and photos at picturesofengland.com/England/Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire "the flatlands" is situated in the East Midlands and is one of breathtaking landscape, pretty towns and villages with cobbled streets and stone built houses. The county is one of the largest in England. Notable places of interest include The City of Lincoln and its 900 year old Cathedral and Lincoln Castle which dates back to 1068. Other places of interest include the town of Grantham home to Isaac Newton and also the birthplace of Britain's first female Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. To the east, the holiday towns of Skegness and Mablethorpe and the small town of Boston, once a major seaport which boasts many historic buildings such as the Boston Stump, the 272 foot tower of the 14th century St Botolph's church, used as a navigation aid.

LEICESTERSHIRE
More and photos at picturesofengland.com/England/Leicestershire

Leicestershire lies to the south of Derbyshire, north of Northamptonshire, east of Warwickshire and west of Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Rutland. It can rightly claim to be situated in the heart of England. Places of interest to visit including the City of Leicester, notable attractions include 'Leicester Cathedral','The National Space Centre' (the UK's largest attraction dedicated to space science and astronomy), 'New Walk Museum and Art Gallery', situated within the historic New Walk area of the city and 'Belgrave Hall' built in the early 18th century, in what was then a small village 3 miles from the town of Leicester. Leicestershire boasts some of Englands most beautiful countryside and interesting towns and villages.

Rutland (map)

Rutland is just 18 mls by 17 mls in size and is the smallest county in England.   The county is bordered by Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.
Historically a separate entity, Rutland was absorbed into Leicestershire in 1974, but reinstated as its own distinct county again in 1997. There are only two towns - Oakham (the county town) and Uppingham.
The most famous feature of Rutland is the large man made lake known as Rutland Water.   With a surface area similar to that of Lake Windermere in the Lake District, Rutland Water is the largest man made lake in the UK. Whilst Kielder Water in Northumberland is larger in terms of capacity, Rutland Water is the largest in terms of surface area. It is used as a reservoir, and is also home to many rare species of birds and, indeed, Rutland Water and its environs belong to the most important breeding sites for Ospreys in England.

The reservoir was constructed in 1976 amid great controversy as the damming of the Gwash Valley led to the flooding of a number of villages. The success in preventing water shortages in the densely populated East Midlands partially made up for this and Rutland Water became a popular centre for leisure activities, including sailing and watersports, whilst walkers and cyclists enjoy using the bridle path around its perimeter. For the less energetic, its scenic beauty may be enjoyed aboard one of the cruisers that tour the water daily.
Rutland’s economy was based for centuries on agriculture and, to a large extent, still is to this day.
The county played an important part in the development of nearby Corby (Northants) , as much of the ironstone used as iron ore at the great iron and steelworks was quarried in Rutland. Additionally, Oakham and Uppingham served as important market towns and stopping off points for travellers. In the case of the former, a local tradition was for royalty and landed gentry to forfeit a horseshoe when staying over in the town - a tradition honoured even by HRH The Queen who donated a horseshoe on a recent visit. Oakham Castle’s great hall displays a large number of these horseshoes.   See more at www.e-travelguide.info/rutland/

More about wining, dining and accommodation at the above site and also at our http://travel.holidays.com/recommendations#r-emidl

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
More and photos at picturesofengland.com/England/Northamptonshire

The southernmost county of the East Midlands is Northamptonshire covering an area of over 900 square miles. The eight hundred year old county town of Northampton well known for its footwear production, has many historic buildings of interest. Attractions well worth a visit include Northampton Museum and Art Gallery, which boasts the largest and finest collection of footwear in the world, Coton Manor Garden, with a 17th century manor house constructed of mellow Northamptonshire stone. Other local places of interest include Sulgrave Manor, the home of George Washington's ancestors, the world famous Santa Pod International Raceway and the 18th century Kelmarsh Hall set in over 3000 acres of gardens and parkland.

THE WEST MIDLANDS
Map at West Midlands

Comprising: Shropshire and Staffordshire - north. West Midlands - center. Herefordshire, Worcestershire Warwickshire - south.

SHROPSHIRE
More and photos at picturesofengland.com/England/Shropshire

Shropshire is situated in the West Midland and borders Wales. The county town of Shrewsbury, birthplace of Charles Darwin, is a stunning historic town with well over 600 listed buildings. Local attractions include Shrewsbury Abbey - this ancient and yet magnificent Abbey is ranked second only to Canterbury as a favourite destination for pilgrims -, Shrewsbury Castle, with its fascinating Regimental Museum and delightful gardens as well as Rowley's House Museum, which is housed within a timber-framed warehouse and has an adjoining 17th century brick mansion. Other main towns are Ludlow, Oswestry and Telford all of which hold their own individual historical treasures.

Now it was time to arrive at our quarters at www.ternhillfarm.co.uk accommodation close to Market Drayton, Shropshire at the A41 (Roman road) and A53 crossroads in SHROPSHIRE. We were attending a wedding close by so this delightful bed & breakfast accomodation was handy. It can be recommended for the passing traveller or for those seeking a bed in this area. The house is a listed Georgian coach stop set in an acre of garden. The present owners renovated the property and gave each and every room its own individual flavour. Rooms are en-suite, non-smoking and meticulously kept. The menu card leaves little to be desired and the wine list satifies good tastes and more than compensates for the paperwork involved in booking rooms. Check out the above link. You won't be disappointed by the Tern Hill Farmhouse.
The next day was a quick visit to Market Drayton before passing via Wem and Ellesmere Lakes - delightful restaurant with strict no-smoking rules - and into North Wales.

STAFFORDSHIRE
More and photos at picturesofengland.com/England/Staffordshire

To the north of the West Midlands lies the county of Staffordshire. The picturesque county town of Stafford offers something for everyone from historic stately homes and ancient castles to beautiful gardens and exciting theme parks. In 'The Potteries' can be found the famous visitor centres of fine porcelain such as Wedgewood, Spode and Royal Doulton. The nearby 'Alton Towers' theme park boasts over 150 rides and attractions and offers a great family day out. Not to be missed is the city of Lichfield. Lichfield Cathedral is the only medieval English Cathedral with three spires.

WEST MIDLANDS (Metropolitan County)
More and photos at picturesofengland.com/England/West_Midlands

The Metropolitan County of West Midlands is situated in the heart of England. The county town of Birmingham - England's second largest city - offers a host of fascinating museums, stately homes, historic castles and beautiful gardens. Other notable towns include Coventry, Dudley, Solihull, and Wolverhampton. 1990 saw the opening of 'Cadbury World', the only purpose built visitor centre in the United Kingdom devoted entirely to chocolate.

HEREFORDSHIRE
More and photos at picturesofengland.com/England/Herefordshire

Vowchurch and the River Dore ©Gari

Herefordshire lies to the west of the River Severn neighbouring Wales. Known for its beautiful, unspoilt countryside with interesting market towns and pretty villages, Hereforeshire boasts notable attractions including the medieval bridge over the River Wye, Eastnor Castle a wonderful Victorian creation in the Gothic style by Sir Robert Smirke built betwen 1810 - 1816, The historic Berrington Hall designed by Henry Holland and built in the late 18th century and Dinmore Manor located in beautiful Herefordshire countryside at an elevation of around 500ft above sea level, which affords spectacular views extending to the Malvern Hills.
The Golden Valley is a lesser know region and is well known for its butterflies and Vowchurch on the River Dore where the brother of Lewis Carroll preached. Tradition has it that several centuries ago two pious ladies disagreed where to build a church to serve the two local parishes. ‘I vow I will build my church before you turn a stone of yours’ - hence the neighbouring churches of Vowchurch and Turnastone. St Bartholomew’s bell turret is 1522. Inside, the 17th Century roof covers chancel and nave and is supported by huge carved oak pillars. The Jacobean screen has dragon carvings and the font is Norman. The Rev. Skeffington Hume Dodgson, brother of Lewis Carroll, is buried here.

More on beautiful Herefordshire & The Wye Valley at VisitHerefordshire.co.uk or request their lovely brochure from Tourist Information Centre, Ross-on-Wye tic-ross@hereforshire.gov.uk or talk to them at +44 (0)1989/562 768. There will be more written about the other regions of this lovely county in this section.

Manx2.com trip 2007 contd - coming from Worcestershire, W Midlands

After the welcome stop in Welland, Worcs, the A4104 climbs to the Malvern Hills ridge and joins the A449 as it crosses into Herefordshire and into the attractive market town of Ledbury.

Headed for Hereford on the A438, one comes to a cross-roads with the A417/A41720 at Trumpet - a name given to the intersection by the quirky 14th century half-timbered Trumpet Inn - The inn is said to be so named from the obligation of coaches that passed by to blow their coach horns. The crossing must have been an important intersection of the Gloucester to Leominster and Tewkesbury to Hereford roads.

Hereford is a destination county town for many but really does suffer under immense traffic. Noticable is the prescence of agricultural vehicles and high speed tractors on the main roads. Leaving Hereford via the A465 and veering northwards onto the B4349 Clehonger, I headed for

Vowchurch in The Golden Valley. Do stop at the Vowchurch church which has been totally renovated by volunteers in the passed few years. The purchase of cards, the history of the church and the jars of jam made by local ladies will all help to further restoration work. The brother of Lewis Carroll (Skeffington Hume Dodgson) was vicar at Vowchurch from 1895 to 1910 and was visited by the 'Alice in Wonderland' writer on occasion. This is a beautiful, quiet place for thought and rest on the River Dore and I fear that I dwelt too long for my schedule for that day. Whatever, I returned home with cards and the history and one jar of Japanese Pear & Ginger jam richer. The Golden Valley was featured recently on BBC TV as a butterfly rich valley.

Now any normal traveller (especially one who was 3hrs behind schedule) would have returned to the 'main' small B road to proceed to Hay-on-Wye. However, I can't count myself as a normal traveller and chose the unmarked road - no single track with no passing places - over Michaelchurch Escley on the River Monnow and just below Offa's Dyke Path on the Black Mountains. This track headed up and up towards Cefn Hill (486m) and almost the top of the Black Mountains from where a wonderful and breathtaking setting sun view of Central Wales could be enjoyed. Tip: If you take this route then only with dipped headlights turned on the whole way.

Hay on Wye greets as a Herefordshire town but announces itself to be Hay-on-Wye / Y Gelli Gandryll, Powys in the middle of the town. (Contd. ~~~> Central Wales, Powys (Breconshire)

Manx2.com trip 2007 contd - coming from Monmouthshire, S Wales
From Monmouth, to find the A4136 to Gloucester, one presumably has to head south towards Chepstow on the A466 first. Anyhow, I never found the road and continued on the A40 fast road to Goodrich (Herefordshire) where Symonds Yat (East) was indicated and certainly must not be confused with Symonds Yat (West). The deep gorge of the River Wye lies between and large vehicles have to bridge this elsewhere.
From Goodrich, the road to Symonds Yat (East) crosses a small bridge and winds its way up and up a single track road to Symonds Yat Rock on the Herefordshire/Gloucestershire border and onwards to Berry Hill (Glos). On no account miss the view from Symonds Yat Rock (border but access from Glos) and keep you eyes open for the wild peregrine falcons. To the west (in Herefordshire) is King Arthur's Cave, the Harkening Rocks (in Wales) and the curious Wyastone Leys where the Monmouthshire border leaves the river and encloses part of the hamlet into Wales. Similarly, Wyesham, May Hill and Kymin on the Redding Inclosure east of the River Wye, lie in Monmouthshire. (Contd. ~~~> SW England Gloucestershire)

WORCESTERSHIRE
More and photos at picturesofengland.com/England/Worcestershire

Between 1974 and 1996, together with Herefordshire. Also encompasses part of the northern Cotswolds.

Worcestershire is situated in the southern part of the West Midlands. The city of Worcester, known for its connections with the origin of 'Worcestershire Sauce' since the early 1800's, has been home to the manufacturing of the famous fine porcelain - 'Royal Worcester' since 1751 and boasts one of the oldest Cathedrals in the country. Worcestershire has three main towns, namely, Droitwich Spa, Evesham (Cotswolds) and Pershore all of which have their own unique qualities and attractions. To the west of the River Severn, the spa town of Malvern is one of outstanding beauty and is famous worldwide for the 'Malvern Hills', with it's highest peak being the 'Worcester Beacon' which stands at an impressive 1,395 feet above sea level, providing truly breathtaking views. These hills form the border with Herefordshire.

Manx2.com trip 2007 contd - from Gloucestershire
One can move on to Broadway in Worcestershire via direct B road from Hidcote Manor but easier is via Chipping Camden (Glos), taking the B4081 to the A44. One doesn't appreciate the height one is at until shortly before the descent down Fish Hill to Broadway, a signport to the left indicates Broadway Tower - a folly overlooking the plains of Worcestershire and built in 1800 by the Easrl of Coventry who delighted in viewing his folly from the family home in 20ml away Worcester.
Broadway has been called the "show village of England" - a title which one cannot deny. Show villages attract busloads of tourists and one cannot deny that either. As tourists eat at lunchtime, it is therefore a quieter time to see the village with its mile long wide main street and gracious honey coloured Costwold limestone houses. The village is so neat and manicured that it tends to be a bit cool and aloof but the people are very friendly and the steep gabled larger houses rising above the dormer-windowed cottages with the odd black and white thatched roof helps to soften the bluffness of weathered stone dwellings. A cute rural Cotswold village indeed.

Onwards via B roads over Sedgebarrow to Elmley Castle detouring the roads still closed following recent flooding. Of course, it pays to research fully before planning as the Castle at Elmley Castle hasn't existed "for 800 years" some amused gents informed me. Had I read up properly, Elmley Castle is correctly described as: "one of the most beautiful villages in England. The main street is tree lined, and peeping from behind the trees are well tended gardens backed by a memorable picture of enchanting black and white cottages with creeper clad walls and thatched roofs.
Nothing now remains of the Norman stronghold of Elmley Castle but its name and its stones. The castle built in the 11th-century,
for many years was the seat of the Beauchamp family, was a ruin by 1316. It is believed that the castle was rebuilt in the 14th-century but by the 16th-century the castle fell once more into a state of decay, never to be repaired again.

Onwards over the River Severn at Upton-upon-Severn and a stop at the friendly Pheasant in Welland (lovely view of the hills from here), before the ascent of the Malvern Hills south of Great Malvern and into (Contd ~~> West Midlands, Herefordshire)

WARWICKSHIRE
More and photos at picturesofengland.com/England/Warwickshire

Warwick Castle freetoto.com

The county curved around the West Midlands from the head of the Cotswolds to Nuneaton. Stratford on Avon, Rugby, Warwick, Leamington Spa, Kennilworth, Rugby and Nuneaton.

Warwickshire, in the heart of England, is one of the most popular and most visited counties in the country. It is most famous for it's 'Warwick Castle', one of the great fortresses of Europe, built on a hill top first, fortified by William the Conquerer in 1068. Warwick Castle is a must visit and there is much to discover in the town of Warwick itself. A few miles away, at the head of the Cotswolds, is the wonderful riverside town of Stratford Upon Avon - the birthplace of William Shakespeare where he also grew up and the beautiful Holy Trinity church where he was finally layed to rest. Warwickshire is a beautiful and exciting county to explore with it's historic towns and villages and beautiful green countryside. Well situated in the heart of England with easy access to the stunning Cotswolds and the neighbouring counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Worcestershire with many of Englands most famous cities easily accessible, including London to the South East.

WALES

Even many Welsh haven't been able to follow the chopping and changing of their country following the 1974 reorganization of UK counties and boroughs followed by the reorganization of the reorganization in 1996. The current situation is best seen at the excellent map and descriptions of Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subdivisions_of_Wales#Principal_areas_of_Wales

NORTH WALES

Northern counties used to be Anglesey, Caernarfonshire, Merioneth, Montgomeryshire, Denbighshire, Flintshire, . Each county described at Homepage.ntlworld.com. Montgomeryshire is today in Powys (Central Wales) whilst Merioneth is now a part of Gwynedd with Caenarfonshire

Anglesey (Ynys Môn)

Holyhead Island and the boats to Dublin...

Gwynedd (Caernarfonshire & Merionethshire)

Caernarvon Castle has been the seat of the English Prince of Wales since...

Merioneth - A delightful county from Snowdon and the slate mines of Bleneau Ffestiniog and the plain of Bala with Lake Bala over Dolgellau and the world renowned Harlech Castle to the seaside playground of Barmouth and Dovey Valley Estuary.

Conwy (Cty Borough)

Denbighshire (Sir Ddinbych)

Passing via Ruabon to Llangollen - famous for its International Musical Eisteddfod. Don't miss Fouzi's Cafe Bar on the main street near the bridge. Over the 480m high Horseshoe Pass through Ruthin and close to Denbigh before stopping at the City of St Asaph (one of the smallest cities in the British Isles but presently denied its city status) to look at the cathedral then on to > Flintshire

Flintshire (Sir y Fflint)

> from St Asaph it was on to Prestatyn to visit friends and back to more friends at Connah's Quay and over Queensferry and Cheshire and Birkenhead to Liverpool for the ferry home to the Isle of Man.
Flintshire is about the most English of all the Welsh counties - at least as far as the town names go.....

Wrexham (Wrecsam) (Cty Borough)

CENTRAL WALES

Central Wales now comprises (with prior 1974 name): Powys (Montgomeryshire & Radnorshire) // Powys (Breconshire/Brecknock) // Ceredigion (Cardiganshire) . The pre-1974 counties are illustrated at Homepage.ntlworld.com

Powys (Montgomershire & Radnorshire)

These former two counties...

Powys (Breconshire/Brecknock)

Manx2.com trip 2007 contd - from Herefordshire

Hay on Wye (pop 1900) greets as a Herefordshire town (This part of the town is administratively separate, and is called Cusop) but announces itself to be Hay-on-Wye / Y Gelli Gandryll, Powys in the middle of the town. Hay is often described as "the town of books".

The King of Hay-on-Wye. On 1 Apr 1977, bibliophile Richard George William Pitt Booth declared Hay-on-Wye to be an independent kingdom with himself as its monarch. He sought publicity by declaring Hay an "independent kingdom" with himself as its king. This subsequently developed a healthy tourism industry based on literary interests. Booth recently announced plans to sell his bookshop and move to Germany and, local MP Roger Williams was quoted as saying "His legacy will be that Hay changed from a small market town into a Mecca for second-hand book lovers and this transformed the local economy"

As the evening was drawing closer, I sped on past the impressive (and very specially illuminated by the setting sun)

Black Mountains towards Brecon which lies under the Brecon Beacons - impressive moorland hills to the west of Brecon. Brecon can be by-passed and a choice of directions is offered:

1.-Either the short route A40 east between the Black Mountains and the Brecon Beacons to Abergavenny in Monmouthshire
2.-The A470 direction Cardiff over/through the Beacons to Merthyr Tydfil (contd there)
3.-The tourist route via A470 as above to Libanus (YH here) turning west onto the A4215 and the unnamed road over Heol Senni to the A4067 and Dan-yr-Ogof Showcaves in the Fforest Fawr under the Carreg Goch.
The Dan-yr-Ogof Showcaves were voted by the British TV public in August 2005 to be the #1 outstanding natural wonder and favourite beauty spot in the British Isles.

These caves close at 15.00 (see their website). From here, the route would have been to Merthyr Tydfil over Abercraf then A4221 to Glynneath (see Neath & Port Talbort) and A465 over Hirwaun (see Rhondda, Cynon, Taff).
The plan was to visit the show caves via plan 3. above but delays had put this out of the question and route 2. was chosen
(Contd ~~~> S Wales, Merthyr Tydfil below)

(TJ trip)
When we went via Oxfordshire (above) to Wales, and stayed one night at Clyro Court, Hay-on-Wye, Powys at the Baskerville Hall , now an hotel (and I use the word in the very loosest sense). It was where Conan Doyle stayed when he had the idea for The Hound story, and isn't on Dartmoor at all, but on the Welsh borders. We got worried when we arrived at the hotel as the place was in darkness and not a soul about. We rang the reception bell and the chef appeared. He managed to find our room key and we were told the hotel was full. Our room was right up in the eaves - old Victorian servants quarters - and not decorated since the 1960s at the very least. We had to turn the lights on as we went up the interminable staircases, didn't see a soul and are convinced we were the only guests.
Our room was cramped. My partner turned down the bed and a huge spider ran out. The window was so badly fitted that the wind whistled through the sides of the frame and the shower only worked if you held the shower-head below waist level. To cap it all, there was something lurking at the bottom of the lavatory bowl from a previous occupant and, when we arrived for breakfast, we were told that we hadn't been expected and the breakfast things had been packed away! We had been told that breakfast was served from 8.00 to 9.30 (it was 8.30). We just treated it as a joke and a very bad one at that. I lost my £20 deposit but refused to pay the balance. Want the address? I think not! This place is really for those who want a "mystical weekend". After Baskerville Hall, we stayed in a fine hotel, the Swan at Hay after perusing the bookshops at Hay on Wye (Y Gelli) .

Ceredigion (Cardiganshire)

This traditional county embraces all that is Welsh.....

SOUTH WALES

The pre-1974 counties of Wales are illustrated at homepage.ntlworld.com
South Wales now comprises (with prior 1974 name): Pembrokeshire // Carmarthenshire // Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Neath, Port Talbot, Rhondda, Cynon, Taff, Vale of Glamorgan, Swansea Cnty (Glamorgan) // and Monmouthshire, Newport, Blaenau, Gwent, Torfaen (Monmouthshire)

Pembrokeshire (Sir Benfro)

Coming...The wild and beautiful Pembrokeshire. Battered by Atlantic waves. St David's Head, Pembroke, Milford Haven (deep water terminal for resources imports), Fishguard (boats to Ireland), Tenby beach.

Carmarthenshire (Sir Gaerfyrddin)

Coming...A large county with fewer towns laying claim to fame.

Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Vale of Glamorgan, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Cardiff (Glamorgan)

Swansea (Abertawe) (City)

Neath, Port Talbot (Castell-nedd Port Talbot) (Cty Borough)

Manx2.com trip 2007 contd
The extended tour from Brecon via the Dan-yr-Ogof Showcaves in Powys (above), would then have taken me over Abercraf then A4221 to Glynneath (Neath Port Talbot) and A465 over Hirwaun (Rhondda, Cynon, Taff) to Merthyr Tydfil.

Bridgend (Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr) (Cty Borough)

Rhondda, Cynon, Taff (Rhondda Cynon Tâf) (Cty Borough)

Manx2.com trip 2007 contd
From the Dan-yr-Ogof Showcaves in Powys, the route would have been over Abercraf then A4221 to Glynneath (Neath Port Talbot) and A465 over Hirwaun (Rhondda, Cynon, Taff) to Merthyr Tydfil (below).

Vale of Glamorgan (Bro Morgannwg) (Cty Borough)

Merthyr Tydfil (Merthyr Tudful) (Cty Borough)

Manx2.com trip 2007 contd - coming from Brecon, Powys, Central Wales
From the Dan-yr-Ogof Showcaves in Powys (above), the route would have been over Abercraf then A4221 to Glynneath (Neath Port Talbot) and A465 over Hirwaun (Rhondda, Cynon, Taff) to Merthyr Tydfil.
Delays had put this out of the question and route 2. (A470 direction Cardiff over/through the Brecon Beacons to Merthyr Tydfil) was chosen and which proved to be a worthwhile and rewarding journey passing through wild rugged scenery that reminded of Scotland and through lush forestry peculiar to South Wales.
The road from Merthyr Tidfil passed through a small portion of the (~~~> County Borough of Caerphilly, below)

Caerphilly (Caerffili) (Cty Borough)

Manx2.com trip 2007 contd - coming from Merthyr Tydfil
The County Borough of Caerphilly lies above Cardiff and Newport and the main town name is renowned for its Caerphilly Cheese and its castle. This trip only passed through the northern part of the County Borough however and on through (~~~> Blenau Gwent, below).

Cardiff (Caerdydd) (City)

More on the capital city of Wales to come. Meanwhile, read on at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiff and also at http://www.visitcardiff.com/ which greets: Welcome to Cardiff, Capital of Wales! / Croeso i Gaerdydd, Prifddinas Cymru!

Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen, Newport, Monmouthshire (Monmouthshire)

Blaenau Gwent (Cty Borough)

Manx2.com trip 2007 contd - coming from Caerphilly, above
Coming from Merthyr Tydfil over some of Caerphilly, the road passes north of Tredegar and Ebbw Vale to Brynmawr (all Blenau Gwent which lies north of Torfaen and Newport) showing the southern side of the Brecon Beacons from their mining and "upper valleys" side. Since the loss of this industry, the air appears to be cleaner and the industrial passed bcomes the attraction instead of the "turn-off" that it once was. This trip only passed through Brynmawr and the northern part of the county borough however and on to

(~~~> Monmouthshire, below). See also note at ~~~>Torfean, below

Torfaen (Tor-faen) (Cty Borough)

Manx2.com trip 2007 contd - Did not visit as Big Pit closed

From Brynmawr, signs directed to the ...

.. but this closes at 16.00 and had to be missed...read on at ~~~> Monmouthshire, below

Newport (Casnewydd) (City)

Manx2.com trip 2007 contd - coming from Monouthshire

From Usk it was down the A449 to Newport and westwards one junction on the M4 motorway. Caerleon is indicated as an exit and well signposted from thereon. Caeleon is a Roman baths and camp and also has a (free to view) amphitheatre and many believe it to be the scene of King Arthur's Camelot (http://www.caerleon.net/). In 830 AD Nennius listed 'Cair Lion' as one of Britain's 33 cities.

Short of time, it was over the Bristol Channel back to (~~~> SW England Gloucestershire)

Monmouthshire (Sir Fynwy)

A lovely area that changed from Wales to England and back. The River Wye and Symonds Yat at the northern end of the Forest of Dean (Glos) stick in memory.

Manx2.com trip 2007 contd - coming from Blenau Gwent
Coming from Brynmawr, the road from Gilwern to Abergavenny passes through lovely forested scenery which more than compensates for the current road building activity and speed restrictions. Abergavenny (Y Fenni) itself is a lovely town steeped in history and a "must halt" stop.

Returning to the A40, the road east passes north of Raglan whose castle lies north of (and is visible from) the fast road and onwards to Monmouth which is the market, administrative and touring centre for a large region. More to come about Monmouth and its castle.

I never found the A4136 to Gloucester road from Monmouth and continued on the A40 fast road to Goodrich (Herefordshire) where Symonds Yat (East) was indicated. The deep gorge of the River Wye is crossed from Goodrich via a small bridge which winds its way up and up a scenic single track road to Symonds Yat Rock on the Herefordshire/Gloucestershire border and onwards to Berry Hill and English Bicknor (Glos).

On no account miss the view from Symonds Yat Rock (border but access from Glos) and keep you eyes open for the wild peregrine falcons. To the west (in Herefordshire) is King Arthur's Cave, the Harkening Rocks (in Wales) and the curious Wyastone Leys where the Monmouthshire border leaves the river and encloses part of the hamlet into Wales. Similarly, Wyesham, May Hill and Kymin on the Redding Inclosure east of the River Wye, lie in Monmouthshire.(~~> to West Midlands, Herefordshire and ~~> SW England, Gloucestershire)

Manx2.com trip 2007 contd - coming from Gloucestershire
I descended from Saint Briavels (Glos) to Blockweir to cross the River Wye near Llandogo (Monmouthshire) to visit Tintern Parva and Abbey - a further "must see" in The Forest of Dean. There is also a crossing point at Tintern.

Now it was time for the B roads again and a very very small single track road leads uphill from the centre of Tintern Parva towards Llanishen or Llansoy. It passes through Devauden, Llansoy and Gwernesney on its way to Usk. I am so very glad that I didn't miss Usk (Brynbuga) with its Roman Fort (Burrium), castle and very interesting little Museum - definitely a must.

Next it was down the A449 to (~~~> South Wales, Newport) above

NORTH ENGLAND

NORTH WEST ENGLAND
Map at North West of England

Comprising:. Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire .

LIVERPOOL
St John's Coffee House, 174 Market Way, St John's Precinct (via underground passage in front of Lime Street Station). The coffee house makes an excellent http://culinary.senses.com/#beef "> "Scouse" (see ref 53835) which appears to be constantly on the menu.

THE ENGLISH LAKE DISTRICT
- CUMBRIA.
A one-off day trip to Whitehaven posed the problem of renting a car. The large companies are at Barrow and Carlisle only but Enterprise Rent-a-Car is at Lillyhall nr Whitehaven ((0)1900/601 600 £30 for a 1 day rental. Budget used to be here but ceased and recently started again but is not listed on their website. Ian Dutton's Miller Howe (Red Lion Sq) proved to be THE place to eat in Grasmere and my salmon and seafood jacket potato with salad was a gift at £7.95.
After crossing over the Wrynose and Hardnott passes from Elterwater, a welcome drink can be enjoyed at the Bower House Inn at Eskdale Green is a charming olde worlde pub, restaurant and hotel which has payabe prices and a great pub/bar. the Muncaster Castle became a "no" when we saw the £6.50 gardens and £8.50 castle entrance fees (not National Trust). In Whitehaven, The Blue (modern and comfortable cafe & bar), the Vine (pub - with free hot dogs!) and the Wellington (pub) in Whitehaven are recommended.

YORKSHIRE
Map at Yorshire

Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal Water Gardens - NatTrust.org

Comprising: North Yorkshire, East Riding, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire

YORK, YORKSHIRE DALES AND THE NORTH YORKSHIRE MOORS

Dave Ford has an excellent site with maps, photographs and information at his Personal Tour of Yorkshire. Visit his separate pages for City of York, The Yorkshire Dales National Park and Western Yorkshire and The North Yorkshire Moors National Park

NORTH EASTERN ENGLAND
Map at North East of England

Comprising: Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Co Durham and Teeside

-DURHAM

The city of Durham. England's most voluminous waterfall, Barnhard Castle

-NORTHUMBERLAND

Berwick-on-Tweed, Bamburgh Castle, Holy Island Lindisfarne, Alnmouth & Alnwick, Wallington House Gardens, Hexham, Ninehouses.
Newcastle,

SCOTLAND

-Up the west coast and down the east cost
Glasgow, Dunoon, Strone, Inverary, Rannoch Moor, Glencoe, Connan Ferry, Isle of Mull, Isle of Iona, Oban, Invergary, Dxxx Castle, Plonkton, Gairloch, Ullapool, Ledmore Junction, Durness, Thurso, Scrabster, St Margaret's Hope, Orkney at 17c in March, Helmsdale, Carbisdale Castle (Boner Bridge) nr Dornoch, Loch Lomond, Inverness, Battlefield of Clodden Moor, Turmentouil, Ballater & Balmoral, Stonehaven, Dunnottar Castle, Melrose, Arbroath, Glamis Castle, Perth, St Andrews, Crail, Anstruther, Edinburgh, North Berwick, Dunbar, Coldringham Sands, Eyemouth...then Berwick

- St Kilda Archipelago, Outer Hebrides
A lot of data about Scotland can be found by joining the StKilda Yahoogroup (textless mail to StKilda-subscribe@yahoogroups.com ). The St Kilda archipelago is located some 60 mls further towards Labrador than the Outer Hebrides and is a World Heritage Site. Amateur archeologists can buy a passage and two weeks work via the Scottish National Trust but it is well worth it to visit "bird city" and the one road, one vehicle main island Hirta on which some joker painted a zebra crossing close to the radar station (hence the vehicle) atop the highest mountain on the island. The highest sea-cliffs in the British Isles are located here. Soay Island is of world renown for its Soay horned sheep. The island of Dunn is the home of a massive Puffin population just as the island rocks of Bororay with its Stacs is the home of the gannets. Hirta has one pub (the Puff Inn), a KGB (Kilda Generating Board) and a mixed toilet/shower for those who brave the life in refurbished age-old cottages of the original inhabitants who left the island in 1930 in an emergency naval evacuation following a campaign run by a national newspaper.
The StKilda group very rarely issues a posting report but does have a good library of Files, Links and Photographs.

NORTHERN IRELAND

- Portaferry, Strangford Lough
The delightful Portaferry lies at the end of the Ards Penninsula to the east of Strangford Lough (with 150 sq km, the largest sea lough/loch in the British Isles).

A Report on a Day Trip from the Isle of Man to Portaferry
If you ever venture across to Belfast and hire a car, DO head via Newtonards and down the Ards Peninsula to Portaferry - you won't be disappointed. There are castles, castle ruins, stately homes and sports and sites galore to be seen. The idyll village of Strangford lies just across a narrow strip of water served regularly by a car ferry.

We visited Portaferry on a day trip from the Isle of Man and spent a gourmet 2 1/2hrs there. One sees immediately from the bill of fare that Andrew Gargan and his team know their metier. The wine list well and truly invites and contains names seldom seen in UK parts. Prices are certainly fair.

Staying in Portaferry, we headed for The Narrows Hotel/Restaurant where a great meal for a payable price can be had. The wine-card is well laid out (better than the online card) and there are a couple of tips if you are taking white - Chilean Casablanca Valley Chardonnay (fruity, dry) from which region the now world famous Concho y Toro Casablanca originates or Madfish Bay (excellent if you are eating veal or ossobucco) from Western Australia - a well balanced wine with a hint of lemon. New World wines tend to be less acidy on the palette than their traditional European brothers. I mention white wine as you will possibly be eating the local small, greenish mussels prepared in a lovely garlic/cream/wine sauce, as we did, which you will no doubt consume as a soup. DO try the Fruit Berry Creme Brulee if it is on the blackboard as this is excellent and, if not, the waitresses all appear to have a very good taste.
If you are here on a Sunday you are in for an excellent Sunday Lunch choice and my favourite Marinated Lamb finished off with Rosemary (see Culinary.Senses.com/#lamb ) and inviting tagliatelle alla salmone dishes are all there.

The information office of Portaferry is in the stables of the castle ruins and several pubs, antique shops, other restaurants line the streets of the short uphill climb to the main square. Locals told of the amicable coexistence of all beliefs in this quiet township far from the madding crowds of Belfast.
Unfortunately, the stopover of 2 1/4 hrs didn't suffice to explore the region further but did suffice to instill a desire to do so another time. A short shower ended our visit which had otherwise been sun-drenched and very warm in this protected location. Information on Strangford can be seen at www.strangfordlough.org and for those travelling on, there are bus details at www.translink.co.uk. A map of Portaferry is at www.portaferry.freeserve.co.uk/Map.html which leads to the history of this delightful Co. Down township.

- Newcastle, Co Down and Armagh
Forced to leave Dublin due to lack of room (see below), it was north via Drogheda (River Boyne) and Dundalk (Co Louth) and Newry, Co Down and along Carlingford Lough to Newcastle at the foot of the mountains of Mourne. Next day, we headed inland and visited Armagh. Co Armagh is said to be steeped in history but the fortified police stations reminded all too vividly of more recent history and it was a pleasure to cross the border back into Eire and Co Monaghan.

EIRE (REPUBLIC OF IRELAND)

- Shannon to Dublin
An Irish Irish detailed map is at www.theirishriviera.com/map_of_ireland.html . The reason I say Irish Irish is that the map for the South of Irland is found if you click Belfast and the map for Northern Ireland is if you click on Cork. Don't ask why - that's Irish. Also, the fact that all the famous places you might wish to find on a map are missing. Dingle Penninsula isn't marked (see Anascaul instead) and the Cliffs of Moher are someplace around Fisherstreet in Cty Clare (which is on the Central Ireland map which is - believe it or not, when you click at Central Ireland). Kilarney must be there somewhere but you won't find it on this map. Barraduff indicates the approximate position! A very good links site is at IrishPeace.com
We visited the Cliffs of Moher and stayed at the lovely and active Dingle . Next day we went round the Dingle Penninsula and passed via Killarney on to Cork and Blarney. Next day was the crossing towards Dublin via Tipperary, Kilkenny , Carlow, the Vale of Avoca (film location for the TV series Ballykissangel), the charming Arklow and Wicklow.
The final day was through the wonderful Wicklow Mountains National Park and then on to Celtic Monastery Glendalough (At 3rd picture down, refresh for the offpage virtual tour - That's Irish again). Check out Glendalough.connect.ie which not only has celtic music but great links to the area. Finally, the tour finished with 9 holes of golf at the Blessington Lakes and the short journey into Dublin. Due to the British bank holiday, Dublin's accommodation was more than well booked and so we re-rented the rental car for a further day and drove via Drogheda and Dundalk (Co Louth) and Newry (Co Down) to Northern Ireland (see above). The return trip was via Monaghan in the lovely lake filled Co Monaghan, the undulating Co Cavan and the historic and "Royal" Co Meath and finishing off with a meal at the lovely Skerries in Dublin County. The Skerries are also well known for their motorbike road racing.

ISLE OF MAN and the CHANNEL ISLANDS

It only takes a couple of days to see the whole island unless the TT (end May to mid June) or Manx Grand Prix (Aug - Sep) races are on when you will see motor bikes - lots of motor bikes, won't be able to find room on a ferry and can forget accommodation unless you booked it a year in advance. Camping might be an option but caravans are forbidden..
All the travel information and links you need is at Travel.Holidays.com/iomci Great photographs at Island-Images.co.uk Jon Wornham's superb photographic site as well as a host of sites listed at THC/iomci. More illustrated articles can be found at Care2.com members group "Isle of Man Ellan Vannin".

EUROPE - incl N Africa

Europe Quick Links:

SCANDINAVIA, BALTIC STATES, Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Isles,

SWEDEN

Stockholm, Sweden: The Stockholm Royal Palace, Stockholm.
The Royal Palace in the Gamla Stan, Stockholm (Jeppe Wikström)

A letter to Swedish friends after a visit to Sweden and Latvia in 2007

Hej friends! I got back home this morning after a very very short night in Dublin (only left Västerås at 22.00 the night before)
It really was great to meet up with you guys and I thank you for the Edsbacka Bistro suggestion - they really are the best in Scandinavia!

Latvia was a great experience but bad food and mobile phones seem to dominate their lives. One can eat well but the recommended "typical Latvian" restaurants like the Lido on Elizabetes ilea are more for "running pig fat" lovers and less for gourmets. The Latvians all clap like a holiday flight when Ryanair lands at Riga - presumably because they are phoning and walking all over the place before the plane touches down. They seem to do everything to crash the plane and thus clap when it lands successfully despite their efforts.  There would be a case for Ryanair collecting all phones at boarding for those mad people - lovely as they are.

Near the Barkaby Youth Hostel, I  experienced the first drop of rain in my 4 visits to Sweden that evening though but it didn't last for long and I still haven't seen a wet pavement.

The last day in Stockholm was an attempt to get the most for the least out of the new fares. The 10 kr pensioaers fare is gone and 36 kr is the one way fare from T-Central to Barkaby now. Not that the amount breaks any bank but a rise of 360% is a bit steep in anyone's language. I expect there will be riots and protests in Stockholm once everyone's monthly ticket runs out. No buying on the bus at double price anymore either.

I managed to get a 95kr ticket strip for the day and visited the Gamla Stan and surroundings once again. Not as quiet as I remember it as I last saw it way back in the end 60's when the "improved" roads around it were not there. Still the centre is the same old Gamla Stan and as quaint as ever.
The Royal Family didn't wave me over for a cup of tea at the palace so I T-Bahned it to Brommaplan and bussed it to Drottningholm which I always loved (the boats only run in summer). If you go there and visit the pavilion (had some nice "lachs-forellen" again there) say hello to the very nice waitress who you will recognise from the Mongolian eyes. She is a mixture of about 7 nations and was born in Kazachstan and speaks goodness knows how many languages.

Finally, I bussed back past Brommaplan to someplace that had a T-Bahn station and it turned out to be the one that finished at Küngsträdsgården. However, without a jacket, Skeppholmen was even too windy for me and reminded me more of home than the usual windless Sweden.
Man, do they have a super gallerie there and I never really got out of it. The ice cream shop looked really like an Italian gelato shop from Siena (didn't taste like it though unfortunately - but not bad at all)
By the time I had walked the whole gallerie, it was time to head back for T-Centralen and the bus.  19.15 bus to Västerås Airport. Met some nice people on that trip also and saw a wonderful sunset

The Royal Domain of Drottningholm (link to Visit Stockholm)
The Royal Domain of Drottningholm stands on an island in Lake Mälar in a suburb of Stockholm. With its castle, perfectly preserved theatre (built in 1766), Chinese pavilion and gardens, it is the finest example of an 18th-century north European royal residence inspired by the Palace of Versailles. It is also World Heritage Listed.

See also Lovön isle at Wikepedia - The first Swedish site on the World Heritage List and with a history dating back to the stone age.

The picturesque archipelago town of Vaxholm - (By Peter Nordbrink)

One of my dearest lasting memories from my visit, was a bus trip from Stockholm to Vaxholm 16 km E of Stockholm. A popular excursion destination, Vaxholm is the main hub for scheduled archipelago boats and has one or two excellent restaurants. By boat the travelling time 50 to 80 mins depending on the choice Express Commuter or vintage steamer. For those who care to stay in this area of serene beauty, there is a nearby Youth Hostel

Other must sees in Stockholm:
The Wasa Museum Skansen Open Air Museum The Old Town (Gamla Stan) The Royal Palace The Cathedral

NORWAY

Preikestolen - The Pulpit and Lyssefjord

This was a trip making use of Ryanair's cheap flights to Haugesund which arrives 14.05 and in time to take the 20min ride to town (Haugesund airport is on the island of K ) and catch the Kystbussen.no bus down to Stavanger and spend a couple of nights in a single room at the Youth Hostel (Vandererhjem) as the hotels in Norway are more than costly.

An absolute must when in this area is the Pulpit Rock (pictured above) and staying two nights at Preikestolen YH (also single/double accommodation) which itself commands magnificent views and has a golf course not too far away for motorized guests.

PreikestolenHytta (Youth Hostel)

The local camping has information to offer. Taking the correct ferry from Stavanger to Tau will get you onto a direct bus (with timetables here) up to Preikestolen and otherwise, one has to take a costly taxi from Jørpeland. With limited time to spare, I passed on the 600mtr ascent to the Preikestolen cliff and went with two gents from Bergen to the Lyssefjord and took the 2hr ferry which passes below the Pulpit Rock and from which you get to see the Kjerag Bolder Stone from below. Returning from Lysebotn with the same ferry, it is almost a full day's outing but most rewarding. However, there is no public transport from Forsand to Preikestolen and it is best to talk to folk on the return journey to hitch a lift.

Preikestolen-Pulpit Rock Kjerag Bolder Stone

Leaving Preikestolen with Sunday's 09.40 bus (09.15 Mo-Fr / 09.10 Sa), the connections work in order to catch the midday express catamaran which has you in Bergen just after 16.00 and where you can choose between Montana youth hostel (elevated bus 31) or YMCA hostel (in town-all year). There are also some payable hotels (Bergen-Guide.com) and hostels (Hostalworld.com) in Bergen.
In Bergen visit Mount Ulriken (tour bus from town centre to cable railway). Eva and Gyda will look after you up at the top and Jan Hovden - teacher at Grieg Acadamy gives free mini-concerts each evening in the surroundings and atmosphere that Grieg himself experienced. Jan is very talented, plays many composers, has performed all over the world and looks like Grieg himself. Don't miss this (Jan.Hovden@grieg.uib.no) .

Voss Now - By S.Ulvund - Voss - Norway

Voss. Next morning its off to the station and the train direction Oslo for a ticket to Voss (see next report below) to stay at the Voss Youth Hostel for one or two nights (depending on how much walking or side-tracking you wish to do). The seaplane from Extreme Sports to see the Hardangerfjord further south certainly sounds inviting but the journey can also be made by local bus with immediate connection back. My own trip just happened to be in the rain and the return bus decided not to stop at the ferry resulting in a hitch-hike back (without problem). The scenery was well worth it.

Although it is only 38km further down the rail track towards Oslo, Mjølfjell YH is an absolute must. Just take a look at their outdoor jacuzzi and sauna and their fantastic mountain location which reminds me of NH and VT last fall. Good hikers will want to spend at least two days here or more. The hostel boasts an "own railway stop" at Ørneberget (800yds from the hostel). However, they do not mention that the 800yds are almost vertical. See this picture which shows railtrack (mid left) and hostel/hotel (bottom centre). It took my legs 2 days to get back to normal after descending with backpack.

Oerneberget Railway Halt & Mjoelfjell Hostel Jacuzzi at Mjoelfjell Hostel

Take the train to Mjølfjell (6km from hostel and location of only shop) and pay the NOK 100 pick up fee to the hostel. Not only does Mjølfjell have their own railway stop here, they also produce their own electricity. The 6km walk to or from "the shop" makes for a delightful contact with nature and yourself.

Next it back to the railway and change at Myrdal to the scenic Flåm Railway - an absolute must and part of the "Norway in a Nutshell Tour" (great video show here) and thus bulging with tourists.

©Rolf M. Sørensen
Kjosfossen Waterfall on the Flam Railway descent and Flam and Aurlandfjord

Flåm lies in a lovely location on the Aurlandfjord - an arm of the Sognefjord (the world's largest fjord) - and is visited by massive cruise ships (the fjords are very deep). The Camping/Vandererhjem is very reasonable indeed and even has single log cabins. WC is a couple of doors away but the shows are downstairs and NOK 10 for 4 mins hot water away. Take a large beachtowel and your own soap/shampoo to Norway and learn to be quick at showering. No breakfast is served but an arrangement with the Furukroa at the harbour proved satisfactory. The cooperative Spar shop, information office and MiniBank (ATM) is right next to these too.
With time to spare at Flåm (arrive midday and leave next day at 15.35) take the 2hr cruise boat down the Aurlandfjord which turns left into the World Heritage Listed "Narrow Fjord" Naeroeyfjord (picture & map) at the end of which in Gudvangen you can take a 20 min tunnel ride on a bus back to Flåm. Next day you can try a bus trip to Aurland, a delightful village famous for its brown goats milk cheese and lying at the head of a valley of the same name.

The 15.35 Fjord1 (Flaggruten) speed boat to Bergen (over 5 1/4 hrs) calls at a couple of ports, the second of which is the 80km closer to Bergen - Balestrand on the Sognefjord. Balestrand has the Kringsja Hotel (or Vandererhjem) and another Victorian large expensive hotel - both looking over the fjord. In my case it was full moon also and a small meal at Kvikne's Victorian hotel of monkfish turned out to be a veritable large meal and excellently prepared. Kvikne's photo gallery doesn't do the hotel justice as it is quite luxurious. Bjørg Bjøberg (click "Butikk") is one of the many artists residing in Balestrand. With her creative use of water colors, she captures the spirit of the fjord, its’ scenery, architecture, flora and residents. Her gallery/gift shop are located in the village center. The Balestrand Hotel also has wonderful pictures of the area and the hotel has reasonable prices.

Kringsja Hostel, Balestrand on Norway's largest fjord

Next day you can take a cruise ship tour even further north up the Fjaerlandsfjorden which connects with busses and visits a museum before taking you to the tongue of the The Bøyabreen Glacier (part of the Jostedalsbreen glacier - largest in Europe). This returns to Balestrand in time to connect with the Fjord1 (Flaggruten) speed boat to Bergen (but you must have your luggage with you).

From Bergen to Haugesund (assuming you prefer the cheaper and extremely scenic bus than even more express boat) is with Kysstbussen (speek: Shisstbussen) which affords a comfortable ride of about 3 1/2hrs. This includes a larger ferry crossing so your lust for boats will be stilled.

Haugesund has rooms in the third floor of the bus station for the desperate but I preferred:

Anne Grete Gausvik's B&B Røyksund nr Haugesund NOK 320 (£29) at the end of a beautiful peninsula just 12km S of Haugesund. Where possible, pick up and transfer to Haugesund or airport can be arranged. A few minutes walking distance away is Elise's Cafe (also cabin rentals) which meets the desires of boaters and is open as long as they come.
See Recommendations Norway for full details.

A fabulous view of the fjords. Between fjord and open sea

An excellent close to the visit to Norway within easy reach of Haugesund Airport (on the island of Karmoey). Ryanair Haugesund Tel 52 85 34 00 (10.00-16.00). FreedomNorway.com (excellent pictures of the area).

You can visit all regions at VisitNorway.com will take you on a trip all round Norway from the fjords to the Sami people.

Bergen & Voss in Norway (report of friends from 2004)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Norway we stayed in the town of Voss, a small market centre, but the largest settlement for some miles, on the edge of a lake, 1 hour due east of Bergen. Gudvangen and the Sognfjord is to the north and Hardangerfjord is to the south. The town centre has decent shops - supermarkets, petrol stations, clothes shops and tourist shops - and a cinema seating 500 (US or UK films are shown in English with Norwegian subtitles). It all feels as if it's in a 30-year time-warp.
Voss also has a wealth of cafes. Two to recommend are Avhaldskafeen and the Extreme Sports café. Avhaldskafeen in the town centre on the first floor of a blue and white clinkerboard house which used to be a guest house. It's a real locals' café and is the friendliest place we came across in the town (which is high praise, as the whole place was full of smiling Norwegians!). The local old guys sat round a big table in the main window, chatting and reading, while the lady who runs the place buzzed round with seeming boundless energy (possibly a caffeine high!). With a completely different atmosphere was the Extreme Sports café. Situated on the edge of the lake near the Park Hotel car park, it is the centre for booking extreme sports (naturally) and the seaplane! and is run by a group of friendly, polite youngsters. Smart and clean and with a turf-covered roof and a patio area overlooking the lake (open from 10am to midnight). From there you can take a short walk through a nature reserve to the river.

To stay, the main hotels are Fleischers Hotel (Victorian looking next to the railway station) and the Park Hotel Vossevangen. The Park Hotel is highly recommended. If you stay there make sure you get a room with a lakeview (rather than a view of Voss main street). It makes a world of difference. The Elysee restaurant is the best restaurant in Voss and the buffets are huge and endless. Rooms are clean and functional, and whilst the colour-scheme of orange and green leaves a little to be desired, there's a mini-bar but no tea/coffee facilities in the rooms. However there's a bar (beware the excruciating pianist) and a café (called the Station) for any drinks.

Book the seaplane from the Extreme Sports café and go! You get an exhilarating flight to the Hardangerfjord with a view of a glacier. Also recommended is the Norway in a Nutshell trip, which you can do guided or unguided (the latter being more fun). Train from Voss to Myrdal, then the picturesque mountain railway down to Flam. Ferry from Flam to Gudvangen round part of the Sognfjord and then bus back to Voss via the Stalheim Hotel (a favourite of the Kaiser - presumably the German one - and reached by a road of wonderful hairpin bends and with a stupendous view from the top).

Also visit Bergen. The funicular railway to the top of Floyen mountain has to be done, as does a visit to the Torget fish market (try the whale meat) and the Bryggen harbour area. At Bryggen, up a narrow passage behind the sign of the unicorn, try to find the fascinating Theta Museum. It's the smallest museum in Norway (one room) and was the hideout of a WW2 Norwegian resistance cell who were the first to identify where the Germans were hiding the Tirpitz, eventually leading to its sinking. The mechanism for opening the door has to be seen to be believed. The walk from the railway station to Bryggen through the old town is easy and enjoyable and takes you through one of the main shopping areas. (Ref: T 2004)

DENMARK

FINLAND

ESTONIA

A short visit to the Baltic States - 2004 (continued from Lithuania and Latvia below)

The Baltic States www.balticsww.com Lonely Planet Guides www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/loc-eur.htm

ESTONIA - Population: 1.4 million; 65% Estonian, 32% Russian-speaking. Tallinn population: 430,000. Other large cities: Tartu, 105,000; Narva, 80,000; Kohtla-Järve, 70,000; Pärnu, 50,000. Total territory: 45,227 sq. km, a bit larger than the Netherlands. Highest Point: Suur Munamägi (Big Egg Mountain) is 318 meters high; this glorified hill in southern Estonia is the highest point in the Baltics. Climate: July is the warmest month, when temperatures hover around 20°C (68°F); in February, temperatures average -5°C (23°F). Map here

Estonia (whose neighbours are Finland, Russia and Latvia) is distinguished by its over 1000 islands (the other two Baltics have none) and by its winding coastline—which, with its twists and turns, adds up to a surprising 3,794 kilometers. Estonia also has more marshland per square kilometer than anywhere in Europe; bogs cover some 20 percent of the country. Forests cover nearly 40 percent.
Tallin still has the old walls and a very active ferry port (commercial shipping is elsewhere). The city is full of Finns - especially at weekends when some have the reputation of Vodka tourists although we didn't see too much of this as we kept to old town. There are, however, plenty of booze shops near the sea terminal as can be expected with the stringent Skandinavian liquour laws.

Roads between the cities are generally excellent but boring - flat and plain (but not as flat as the English Fens though) and with few facilities. We didn't get to sample many off the main roads but about 50% of these also seemed excellent. Customs checks (money exchange and visa checks for non-EU residents) are still in force at the borders.
Drinks Beer is excellent and some in Tallin can be likened to Barley Wine. However do watch out for the tourist traps where drinks are double-priced - even in a less attractive restaurant. Wine got progressively more expensive as travelled north from Lithuania to Latvia to Estonia.

LATVIA

A short visit to the Baltic States - 2004 (continued from Lithuania)

The Baltic States www.balticsww.com Lonely Planet Guides www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/loc-eur.htm

LATVIA - (bordered by Estonia, Russia and Lithuania) is divided into four regions —Kurzeme, Zemgale, Latgale and Vidzeme — named after tribes that once dominated the respective areas. Despite sometimes being referred to as the Switzerland of the Baltics (partly because of pretensions of being a regional financial center), Latvia is distinguished by rolling plains and modest hills; the highest hill, Gaizinkalns, is a mere 311 meters. Latvia has a 494-kilometer coastline and thick forests.
Population: 2.4 million; 57% Latvian; 40% Russian-speaking; 2% Lithuanian; 1% Polish. Riga population: 800,000. Other large cities: Daugavpils 125,000; Liepaja, 100,000. Total territory: 64,600 sq. km, a little smaller than Ireland. Climate: July’s the warmest month, with temperatures near 20°C (68°F); the coldest month’s February—temperatures near 0°C (32°F). Map here
Riga (Latvia) can be likened to Manchester in many ways and gives the sense of a relatively compact but busy hinterland to a large port complex some miles away. If you like art-deco (think Barcelona) then Riga has many such buildings. Its old town is the smallest of the three capitals but has a very interesting motor museum with an excellent collection of motorbikes (Russian etc) which complement those we know from the Isle of Man.

Next, we moved on to Estonia (above)

LITHUANIA

A short visit to the Baltic States - 2004

The Baltic States www.balticsww.com . Lonely Planet Guides www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/loc-eur.htm

Hotels. This was part of a package deal, staying at central hotels (twice in SAS Radisson and once in Riga of same class but nearer to centre). The hotels were definitely very upmarket.
Getting there and around. Transport was with scheduled Lithuanian Airlines to Vilnius and Estonian Air back from Tallin with coach journies between capitals - mostly organised by a Riga (Latvia) tourist agency. This might have been a remnant of the old Intourist but was generally very well arranged with plenty of free time to explore.
Time to visit. July is the wettest month in Lithuania (can be up to twice that of June or August). Further north, August appears to be the wettest month. Nevertheless, you want to go late May through end of July as the evenings are light and very long indeed. We were very lucky with the weather and brought good sunny weather with us as we travelled north.

LITHUNIA (whose neighbours are Latvia, Belarus, Poland and the Russian Baltic Enclave of Kaliningrad Oblast Population: 3.5 million; 80% Lithuanian; 9% Russian-speaking; 7% Polish. Vilnius population: 580,000 Other large cities: Kaunas 414,000; Klaipeda, 203,000, Siauliai 147,000. Total Lithuanian territory: 65,300 sq. km., about twice the size of Belgium. Climate: July and August are the warmest months, with temperatures usually just under 20°C (68°F); the coldest months are January and February, with 0°C (32°F). Map here

For outsiders anyway, Vilnius is a hard city to pin down. It's not quite Eastern European, not quite Scandinavian, not Russian, and not German. It's not even quite Lithuanian. This ambiguity, the diversity of influences, actually gives the city its unique character and charm. As many travel writers are prone to pointing out, Lithuania's capital has a certain earthiness that both Riga and Tallinn lack. For this and other reasons, many visitors to the region tend to fall madly in love with Vilnius, pegging it as their favorite Baltic city of them all. As London's Sunday Times recently commented: "Vilnius may be the most underrated capital in all of Eastern Europe."
Vilnius (Lithuania) old town is mostly late 18th century development on a mediaeval street plan, untouched by any wartime damage. There is a very large area in the old University/Jewish quarter off a long main street.

Next we moved on to Latvia (above)

VISITING LITHUANIA

This report has been considerably shortened here. For complete report in .txt format, click Lithuania

Whilst Lithuania has been busy doing away with the drab remnants of its Soviet past, it has also been spiffing up the wonderful old buildings that represent its history.

Map of Lithuania currently at http://tinyurl.com/4flrl

History at http://www.inyourpocket.com/lithuania/en/category?cid=3036&chid=

The main attractions in Lithuania are historical and cultural sites, friendly people, folk art and music, the cities of Vilnius and Kaunas, and the Baltic coast from Nida to Klaipeda. It is not for those who demand de-luxe accommodation and glitzy nightlife, although Vilnius does have a good night life.

In Vilnius, the capital, hundreds of grand old baroque buildings have been artfully renovated into well-appointed hotels, mini-malls and cafes. Foreign investment is pouring in, and there is talk of Vilnius as "the new Prague." Still, despite all the shiny facades, prosperity is a long way off, and the average Lithuanian is struggling to make ends meet. In the countryside, life goes on pretty much unchanged.

The country is more agricultural than the other Baltic nations, which gives it a slower pace and a bit more charm. In rural areas in the south, horses are still the preferred mode of transport. Whilst the nation as a whole is intensely Roman Catholic, you can still detect traces of pre-Christian religions influencing life in the countryside, where elaborate wooden sculptures of ragana (witches) and barzdukais (gnomes) are almost as common as crosses.

Popular tourist cities are: Vilnius, Klaipeda and Kaunas

Individual reports on Lithuania can be seen presently at:
http://igougo.com/planning/journalEntryOverview.asp?JournalID=3246

Data about Lithuania from travel-guides.com:

LITHUANIA
Area: 65,301 sq km (25,213 sq miles).
Population: 3,482,300 (official estimate 2002). / Population Density: 53.3 per sq km.
Capital: Vilnius. Population: 543,000 (2001).

GEOGRAPHY:
Lithuania is situated on the eastern Baltic coast and borders Latvia in the north, the Kaliningrad region of the Russian Federation and Poland in the southwest, and Belarus in the southwest and east. The geometrical centre of Europe lies in eastern Lithuania near the village of Bernotai, 25km (16 miles) north of Vilnius. The landscape alternates between lowland plains and hilly uplands and has a dense, intricate network of rivers, including the Nemunas and the Neris.
1.5 per cent of the country's territory is made up of lakes, of which there are over 2800. The majority of these lie in the east of the country and include Lake Druksiai and Lake Tauragnas.

Language: Lithuanian is the official language. Lithuania has a large number of dialects for such a small territory, including High Lithuanian (Aukstaiciai) and Low Lithuanian (Zemaiciai).

Time: GMT + 2.
Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz. European two-pin plugs are in use.

COMMUNICATIONS:
Telephone: IDD is available. Country code: 370. City codes: 2 for Vilnius, 7 for Kaunas, 6 for Klaipeda. Outgoing international code: 810. There are two kinds of payphone: rectangular telephones which take magnetic strip cards and rounded telephones which take chip cards. Phonecards are sold at kiosks and post offices. Plans are underway to introduce one type of phonecard, compatible with both phones. Mobile telephone: GSM 1800 and 900 networks in use. Network operators include Bite (website: www.bite.lt), Omnitel (website: www.omnitel.lt) and Tele2 (website: www.tele2.lt). Coverage extends all over the country. Roaming agreements are in operation.
Fax: Services in Vilnius are available in large hotels, at the Central Post Office, Gedimino 7, and at Faxsav (tel/fax: (2) 629 868) and at a few other fax bureaux.
Internet: Public access is available at the Lithuanian National Library and increasingly at Internet centres and cafes in main cities and towns. ISPs include Aiva (website: www.aiva.lt) and Omnitel (website: www.omnitel.net).

Post: Post to Western Europe takes up to 6 days. There is a variety of private companies offering express mail services.
Telegram: There are telegram facilities in main post offices in each town.

Radio: BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online.

VILNIUS
~~~~~~~
Founded in the 10th century, Vilnius (pop. 582,000), the capital of Lithuania, exudes a warm, Northern European charm. Start your tour of Vilnius on Castle Hill, where Gedimino Tower offers a spectacular view of the city. It was there that Lithuania's yellow, green and red flag was raised in 1988 for the first time in decades. To the NE is the 14th-century church of Saints Peter & Paul, with a plain facade that belies its sumptuous interior. And just to the W, at the foot of the hill, is Gediminas Sq, with a Roman Catholic cathedral (built on the site of a pagan temple) and bell tower.
You'll enjoy walking from the square, through the University of Vilnius (baroque, lovely frescoes and picturesque courtyards -- esp. in St. John's Church) and past the domed Church of St. Casimir who is the patron saint of Lithuania.   In a Soviet effort to squash Lithuanian identity, the church became a museum of atheism in 1966. (It became a church again in the late 1980s.). Pass from St. Casimir's to Ausra (Dawn) Gate, the last remaining part of the city walls.

To the west of town is Vingio Park. During the Dairu Svente (Festival of Songs), a choir of up to 20,000 voices performs at the open-air theater in the park. The next Dairu Svente will be in summer 2005.

Outside of town is the lively Gariunai market, where residents go to buy hard-to-find goods from Poland, Turkey and China. A day trip can be made to Paneriai, a World War II death camp, where more than 100,000 Lithuanians and Poles (mostly Jews) were murdered by the Nazis. A visit to the site is extremely moving.

Vilnius - Cheap Hotel Rates - http://www.nextag.com
Slideshow of Vilnius currently at: http://tinyurl.com/3vb47

KLAIPEDA
~~~~~~~~~
The port of Klaipeda, today a fishing and manufacturing center, is Lithuania's oldest city (dating back to the 7th century). Although much of its original architecture has been destroyed through the years, the city has a distinctly Germanic look from its 700 years of Prussian rule. Sights include the Picture Gallery's sculpture collection (we liked the statues in the adjacent park best), the History Museum of Lithuania Minor, and the Protestant Church of St.George (on Market Square). Shoppers should visit Mantas Street, where the city's most fashionable boutiques are located. 175 mi/280 km northwest of Vilnius.
Popular Klaipeda Hotels:   Hotel Klaipeda fm $55, Hotel Parkas fm $45    More info: http://www.klaipeda.net/

KAUNAS
~~~~~~~
Lithuania's second-largest city (pop. 400,000) is a university town and a center for industry. Before WWII, it was the capital of Lithuania. Like many cities in the region, it is divided into an Old Town and New Town. The major sights can be seen on foot, beginning in Rotuses Square in the Old Town and walking up Vilkiaus Street to the New Town pedestrian mall, Laisves Aleja (Freedom Boulevard), and continuing to St. Michael's, an Orthodox church that was turned into a museum of stained glass by the Soviets.   Rotuses Sq, in the Old Town, is dominated by the white, five-story Town Hall (note its graceful steeple). The building is so elegant that townspeople call it the White Swan. Also in the Old Town are the Gothic Church of St. George and the nearby 11th-century Kaunas Castle, which contains a history museum. Two other churches of note include the Basilica of Kaunas (the largest Gothic building in Lithuania) and the Church of Vytautas (built in 1399, it's the oldest brick building in the city).

Laisves Aleja, in the New Town, is lined with stores, restaurants and cafes. Also on the street is a small park in front of the Music Theater. The park, now a national shrine, is where the young Lithuanian student Romas Kalanta set himself on fire in 1972 to protest the Soviet occupation. (People often leave flowers at the site.). Other New Town sights include the Devil's Museum (containing 800 folk-art depictions of Beelzebub) and the M. K. Ciurlionis Art Gallery, a wonderful collection of the artist's work. Nearby, a row of traditional wooden crosses and busts of famous Lithuanians lead to the Freedom Monument. (The monument disappeared during the Stalin years and was only rediscovered in 1989.)
Don't miss the slideshow at http://tinyurl.com/5donn . Once you have seen this you will want to go to Kaunas and certainly won't miss it when in Lithuania.
Kaunas Hotels From: Hotel Perkuno Namai $87/Takioji Neris Hotel $36 /Best Western Hotel Santakos $70/Zaliakalnio Viesbutis Hotel $75/Hotel Lietuva $31/Hotel Kaunas $55. Great guide at http://www.inyourpocket.com/lithuania/en/ covers: Vilnius Kaunas Klaipeda Nida Palanga Trakai Druskininkai Ignalina Visaginas & Zarasai

NIDA (Curonian Spit)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Curonian Spit sits at the southern Lithuanian end of the extraordinary piece of land that is Neringa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of extreme beauty and fragility (Starting from Klaipeda, places go in such order: Smiltyne Alksnyne Juodkrante Pervalka, Preila and finally Nida).   Essentially a huge strip of sand, Neringa also has the status of national park, and as such most visitors are required to pay a fee to enter (pay at the `border', some 10km south of Smiltyne). Forested with linden, elm, birch and pine, Neringa plays host to a wide range of wildlife peculiar to sandy environments and is the traditional home of a unique group of hardy fisherman. Essentially, Neringa offers a peaceful, soul-cleansing alternative to the non-stop party that is Palanga, and is worth visiting at any time of the year. The sheltered Curonian lagoon running along the eastern edge freezes over in the winter months and is something quite extraordinary to see. The beach at Nida in 2002 received a `blue flag' status, meaning that the waterwashing its shores is of an exceptionally clean and healthy quality

PALANGA
~~~~~~~~~
Palanga settlement, first mentioned in 1253, was a significant trading and pagan center in the Middle Ages. In the first half of the XIX c it was known as a seaside resort and fishing village. Modern Palanga is a year-round health resort, but is famed more for what happens during the short summer period between the beginning of June and September. During this time the population balloons from a regular 20,000, to 100,000 or more, especially during the weekends. A hotbed of hot people, sunbathers and all-night party animals, Palanga is the number one Lithuanian hedonist institution. Read more at http://www.inyourpocket.com/lithuania/palanga/en/ and http://www.palanga.lt/content.php?lang_id=3&tree=-3|19

TRAKAI - The castle in the lake.
~~~~~~
Photo http://www.inyourpocket.com/lithuania/trakai/en/

One of Lithuania's many former capitals, Trakai, located just 28km west of Vilnius, is a charmingly small settlement, strategically placed in the middle of five large lakes. It is a popular destination for locals seeking a little rest and relaxation and tourists hoping to storm the infamous castle. Trakai now plays host to many a fine restaurant. There must be reason all roads seem to lead to Trakai in the summer.
Regular buses leave from Vilnius daily, complimented by a less frequent number of painfully slow trains. By far the best method to reach the town is by road. To get there, take the A4 out of Vilnius (Savanorioe) and keep following the signs.

DRUSKININKAI
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the historical museum of Druskininkai, which is helped to commemorate the town's 210th anniversary, there is an old advertisement for the town hanging on the walls. In frame one, a man is lurched over a set of crutches, hobbling along the street. In frame two, he stands steadfast and tall. The caption reads, "I spent just one day in Druskininkai. And you see, gentlemen, what a change!" And so goes the story of Lithuania's most famous resort town. It is a place to go to and get well. The town is, in itself, a sanatorium, named one of Europe's top ten health resorts by Newsweek magazine.
It is located a short 130km from both Vilnius and Kaunas, and is widely accessible via public transportation. Buses leave almost hourly, cost 14Lt and take two hours to reach the sanctuary. It is a slightly quicker ride via minibus or car. No matter how you get there, the saltiness of the water and general focus on wellness treatments and spa therapy means that you will be pampered on arrival.
If you are a fan of the restaurant and nightlife, it is important that we reiterate the meaning of the word sanatorium. As defined in several dictionaries, it means a place that provides medical treatment and rest, often in a healthy climate, for people who have been ill for a long time.  You will notice the lack of nightlife. However, on our last visit to the town, we shared the city's prominent hotel with the Russian Women's National basketball team, prepping for the Athens Olympic Games… and they were looking quite healthy.

Your final adventure in Druskininkai should be a trip to the infamous Grûtas Park. This clever reunification of hundreds of Soviet sculptures has been drawing in crowds for years now. The Soviet Sculpture park is impressive, and ever expanding, seemingly like the Union once was itself, which is an ironic tribute. It's easy to spend several hours here, and the kids will love it as there are plenty of distractions for them should they not be interested in the vanities of Stalin and Lenin, including a giant playground and petting zoo.

IGNALINA
~~~~~~~~
Although excavations suggest Ignalina existed in the Stone Age, it is famous in modern history as one of Lithuania's newer townships. Traditionally a backwater settlement, the construction of the Warsaw-St. Petersburg railway in the 1860s put the town on the map. In less than 70 yrs the population ballooned from 85 people in 1866 to 1,535 in 1931.
Today its population has mushroomed to 7,000, and its direct rail link to Vilnius means that for travellers, the town is often their first taste of the Aukðtaitija region. As a town, Ignalina offers an odd combination of trials, tests, sights and sounds. Squat Soviet housing estates rub shoulders with rustic cottages, blind bends lead to stunning lakes, beautiful woodcarvings appear at random and a man in a loincloth lives in a tree. The crazy world of Ignalina starts here.

VISAGINAS
~~~~~~~~~~
If nothing else, Visaginas is extraordinary. Lithuania's newest town (born on August 7, 1975) was originally named Sniečkus after a former leader of the Lithuanian Communist party, and one look at the place confirms that it is indeed the product of pure, unadulterated socialism. Built for the sole purpose of housing the workers of the neighbouring nuclear power plant, the architects' dream was to concoct a model town constructed in harmony with the surrounding countryside. What you actually get is a collection of grey blocks built in a forest, which, depending on one's particular viewpoint, is either good or bad. What is clear is that Visaginas is a town like no other. Almost entirely populated by Russian speakers, and a marvellously bizarre adventure for all.

ZARASAI
~~~~~~~~
Established at the tail end of the 15th century, Zarasai has suffered its fair share of misfortune over the years, experiencing the more wicked sides of plague, fire and war. Essentially flattened in 1812 by warring French and Tsarist troops, it was only after the Napoleonic wars that the town truly began to prosper. Falling under the Russian sphere of influence, the decision to run the Warsaw-St. Petersburg highway through the town saw it transform from one horse
town to boomtown. Things are less frenetic now although, as a regional hub, it's about the only place for a hundred kilometres where you'll find a menu in English and an internet café. With a population that barely touches 9,000, the town never loses its surreal atmosphere of history mixed with provincial madness, ambition and astonishing goodwill.

===

Visas
~~~~
More and more countries are signing visa-free travel agreements with Lithuania. To date these include Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland and the US, plus Nordic countries, although you should note that the periods for which citizens are allowed to stay in Lithuania before requiring a visa are different for each country. EU citizens can live and work in Lithuania for as long as they like. For more comprehensive online information, take a look at the excellent http://www.urm.lt.
List of links at   http://www.inyourpocket.com/lithuania/en/links

Flying in
~~~~~~
See http://travel.holidays.com/ where we learn, inter alia:

http://www.lal.lt/en/ London Gatwick to Vilnius, Lithuania (the Prague of the north) - £30 one-way single plus taxes. Also flies from Dublin and most northern European states plus France and Spain. A great way to get to the Baltic States. Flies Moscow or Kiev (Ukraine). Pricing is via email on request. Prices from euro 45 all over Europe

Car Rental
~~~~~~~~
http://www.inyourpocket.com/lithuania/en/category?cid=1866 Excellent links page.

Other information
=============

The Basics: (full text at http://www.inyourpocket.com/lithuania/en/category?cid=3037&cp=1   )

Alcohol
Almost without exception Lithuanian beer (alus) is light, crisp, cold, cheap and delicious. Many varieties exist and you're
recommended to test a few before settling on a regular brand. Among the more common varieties are the delicious Utenos, Švyturys, Kalnapilis and Ragutis, but be warned, some tend to be stronger than their American/EU counterparts, making the forming of the simplest words (like 'alus') a challenge after just a couple of the most lethal. In Old Town expect to pay somewhere in the region of 5 - 12Lt for half a litre. Lithuanian vodka (degtine) is cheap, generally of a good quality, and is drunk with enthusiasm at the mere rumour of the dropping of a hat. Imported beers and spirits aren't cheap, so don't go falling into the trap of thinking that because the local stuff is giveaway everything else is too. Check prices before a session.

Customs
EU citizens can import as much of anything as they like, limits below only apply to non-EU citizens: one litre of spirits or two litres of wine, beer and 200 cigarettes /100 cigarillos/50 cigars/250g tobacco. You would however be a fool to do so, as these commodities are cheaper to buy in Lithuanian shops. You can bring 50ml of parfumes and 250ml of toilet water.
You can take home as much art as you wish tax free unless it's over 50 years old, in which case expect to pay between a 10% and 20% duty. Take it along with your passport and two photographs of the work in question to the Committee of Cultural Heritage, Šnipiškiu 3, tel. 272 40 05/272 41 13, where it will be valued and you'll be given all the necessary paperwork you need to export it. Many of the better antique shops in Vilnius (see Shopping) can take care of all the paperwork for you. For more detailed information point those browsers at www.cust.lt.

Electricity - 220V, round two-pin European variety. Some thinner Russian sockets still exist.
Floors - American numbering! - Lithunaians consider the floor on the ground to be the first floor and so on.
Money - The Litas (Lt), Middle rate July 2005 = LTL 100 = GBP 20 / USD 35 See YahooFinance for current middle rates.
Most places of any note in Vilnius now happily accept credit cards, and ATMs are available. If you’re planning a trip to the countryside on the other hand, make sure you take plenty of cash along.
Speed Limits Towns 50-60km/h /County Roads 90km/h/ Highways 110km/h (Oct-Mar) 130km/h (AprSep) Vilnius-Kaunas Highway 100km/h
Tipping - It's polite to round up bills in bars and restaurants. Check your bill to see if service is included before doing so.
Toilets - Just utter the two magic words `kur tualetas?' (where's the toilet?) and away you go.
Market Values: Local bus ticket 0.80Lt (€0.23), 100km by train (2nd class) 10.00Lt (€2.90), 1kg beef 15.00Lt (€4.05),
1kg potatoes 1.00Lt (€0.29), 10 eggs 3.00Lt (€0.87), Mars bar 1.60Lt (€0.46), McDonald's Big Mac 6.20Lt (€1.80), Loaf of white bread 1.50Lt (€0.43), Litre of vodka 24Lt (€6.95), Bottle of local beer (½ litre) 3Lt (€0.87), 20 Marlboros 4.50Lt (€1.30)

With thanks to Yahoo Travel http://travel.yahoo.com/ and the pages linked to it and credited above. The TinyURL references are provided by www.tinyurl.com and condense massive URLs down to handier sizes. Some Yahoo Travel URLs (in tiny form) may expire after a time. Use  www.google.com in this case to find maps and photographs.

Enjoy the "Prague of the North"

ICELAND

-The Royal Domain of Drottningholm

www.raa.se on Lovön isle, Stockholm, the first Swedish site on the World Heritage List.

GREENLAND

-The Royal Domain of Drottningholm

www.raa.se on Lovön isle, Stockholm, the first Swedish site on the World Heritage List.

THE FAROE ISLANDS

Firstly, what and where are the Faroe Islands and how does one get there? Read on and click www.Travel.Holidays.com/#fo for the links.

www.Wikipedia.org - will answer most of your questions, show the flag and maps - telling you that Thorshavn is the capital of the "Sheep Islands" - Faroes (Faeroes)- which is a group of 18 islands in the subartic region of the North Atlantic between Scotland, Norway and Iceland. It is part of Europe - although not a member of the EU - has its own language, culture and flag, a population of about 48,000 people, 70,000 sheep and millions of seabirds, a large number of which are puffins. The Faroes have been an autonomous region of the Kingdom of Denmark since 1948 and have, over the years, taken control of most matters, except defence and foreign affairs. Faroese is a Nordic language; similar to Icelandic. The Faroe Islands have their own flag.
Travel times: From Hanstholm, Denmark, by car- and passenger ferry about 37 hours. From Copenhagen/Billund Airports, Denmark, about 2 hours.
Vágar Airport (IATA: FAE, ICAO: EKVG) is the only airport in the Faroe Islands.
Distances: Norway 675km (422mls), Iceland 450km (281mls), Shetland Ils 322km, Aberdeen 580km (364mls)
More information at "Travel Agents/Tours/Guides" below

Location map and how to get there - www.FaroeIslands.com - .
Excellent island pictures at Atlantic Airways Photo Gallery
LonelyPlanet.com - Map of the individual Faroe Islands.

The Faroe Islands in numbers:
-Area: 1.396km² Population: Approx 45.000 (1999)
-Capital: Tórshavn, approx. 15.000
-Since 1948 the Faroe Islands have had home rule within the Danish Kingdom and their own flag since 1940.
-The Faroese language is Nordic; similar to Icelandic.
-Size: 113 km (71 miles) from north to south. 75 km (47 miles) from west to east.
-Total Coastline: Approx. 1,100km (687mls) You can never be further than 5km from the sea.
-Highest point: Mount Slættaratindur: 882 m.

Domestic Transport
Public transport is extremely well organised in the Faroe Islands. The network consists of buses, ferries and a helicopter service. The blue coloured buses connect all towns and villages on Streymoy, Eysturoy, Viðoy, Borðoy, Kunoy, Kalsoy, Sandoy, Suðuroy and Vágoy with frequent services. Together with the ferries it makes a complete network of public transport to all but a few regions of the 18 islands. The airline company Atlantic Airways operates a helicopter service to a few places unreachable by boat or by bus.

SL Visitor Travelcard gives the right to unlimited transport on all scheduled SL coach and ferry routes. The travel card is valid for 4, 7 or 14 days. When you buy the SL Visitor Travelcard, you will get a travelling plan and a route map with some tour proposals which Strandfaraskip Landsins has prepared for you. You can therefore either organise your travelling yourself or make use of some of the proposals offered. The card is available through travel agents and is sold at FARSTØÐIN (Terminal in the port of Tórshavn) and at KUNNINGARDISKURIN (Information counter at the airport).
(www.puffin.fo/travel/)

Practical information

Area
1399 km2

Luggage
All passengers over two years of age have a free luggage allowance of 30 kg plus 5 kg hand luggage. Hand luggage must be able to be stowed under the seat or in the overhead luggage compartment.

Banks
Banks are found all over the country. Banks are open Monday to Friday from 09.30 to 16.00, Thursday to 18.00. ATMs (cash point machines) are open from 06.00 to 24.000 daily.

Bus connections to/from airports
Bus services run between the bus terminal in Tórshavn and Vágar Airport in connection with the departure and arrival of Atlantic Airway's flights. The journey is about 45 minutes each way.

Air tickets etc.
It is essential that the names stated on the air tickets and other travel documents are the same as the names in the passport.

Shops
Shops are usually open from 09.00-17.30 (Monday-Thursday), Friday until 18.00/19.00 and Saturday until 12.00/14.00. However, opening hours can vary considerably.

Postage stamps
Faroese postage stamps are collector's items because of their high quality.

Information brochure
A tourist guide is published in collaboration with the Faroe Islands Tourist Board: "Faroe Islands Tourist Guide 2005".

Infrastructure
The Faroe Islands have some 600 km of good roads. Most of them are duel-lane and asphalt-paved. 17 of the 18 islands are connected by bridges, dams, ferries or Atlantic Airway's helicopter services.

Climate
The climate is oceanic, with a mean temperature in July of 10.8oC. In June, the Faroe Islands have almost 24 hours of daylight.

Credit cards
All common credit cards are accepted at larger hotels, restaurants and shops. It is also possible to use credit cards for tax-free shopping on board the aircraft.

Cell/mobile phones
The GSM mobile phone system is used on the Faroe Islands.

Passport
Although citizens of Nordic countries do not require a passport to enter the Faroes, it is advisable to bring a passport in case of identity checks at the airport. Citizens from non-Schengen countries must bring a passport. Visitors from certain countries also require a visa. You must also bring proof of identity in the form of a driving license, identity card or the like.

Passenger and airport taxes applicable per Dec. 04
These are included in the package tour prices. We reserve the right to make changes.

Post offices
Post offices are found in almost all towns and settlements. However, very small post offices are only open for a few hours each day. The post office in Tórshavn is open from Monday to Friday from 10.00 to 16.00.

Clothing
We recommend that you bring warm clothing and a raincoat. Rubber boots or sturdy shoes with good soles are also necessary.

Refreshments on board the aircraft
During your flight, airline services will include a meal and beverages in accordance with the airline's service concept and suited to the time of day.

Language
Faroese is a Nordic language that is closely related to West Norwegian and Icelandic. The Faroese people speak and understand Danish.

Health insurance
Citizens of Nordic countries and Great Britain are covered by their respective public health insurance plans while in the Faroes. We recommend supplementing this with travel insurance. Residents of other countries always require separate travel insurance.

Contact My Faroe for further information.

Telephone calls
When you call from abroad, the national code for the Faroes is 298. When you call from the Faroes you must dial 00 followed by the national code and the telephone number.

Time zone
Local time in the Faroe Islands is GMT, which is one hour behind CET.

Tax free shopping
Tax free goods may be purchased on board the aircraft.

Customs regulations
Please see current regulations published by the customs authorities.

Transport at your destination
Car and passenger ferries, busses and helicopter services provide transportation to and from the islands.

Currency
The units of currency are króna and oyra. The Faroes print their own bank notes in denominations 1000/500/100/50 kr. The coins are Danish. Danish currency may be used everywhere.

(See MyFaroe.dk - English travel information and tours for the Faroes.)

Links
- Here you will find different links with informations, experiences and travel tips for your next trip to the Faroes.
Nlh.fo Nordic House and Faroes News
www.art.fo/en Faroes Islands National Art Museum
Faroeislands.dk All Villages on the Faroes
www.bryggen.dk Nordatlantens Brygge (Noth Atlantic Bridge) in English
www.dmi.dk Danish Meteorological Institute weather for Denmark (in English), Greenland and Faroe Isles (Danish only)

+++

GERMANY, BENELUX, SWITZERLAND, AUSTRIA

GERMANY AND THE BENELUX STATES

GERMANY

THE MOSELLE

Bernkastel-Kues

THE RHEIN

Hahn airport nr Trier with Ryanair. Overnight close to airport. Rent a Car and drive over Hunsruck to Koblenz and then via Bacharach and Lorelei to Rudesheim.

Speed up the motorway to nr Bonn and meander back over the Eiffel to the Moselle and Hahn

THE NETHERLANDS

Amsterdam

BELGIUM

BELGIUM-LUXEMBOURG-THE MOSELLE

Flew to Charleroi and made use of the euro 10 tickets from the Ryanair desk which take you to any railway station in Belgium via direct route. In our case it was Arlon (the last station before Luxembourg)

LUXEMBOURG

BELGIUM-LUXEMBOURG-THE MOSELLE

Arriving from Charleroi (B)
Stayed at Luxembourg Youth Hostel and made use of the €4.85 per day bus and rail tickets to see the whole country
Spent one day in Germany visiting Trier and the Moselle (see Germany)

+++

SWITZERLAND, Liechtenstein and AUSTRIA

SWITZERLAND
Map of region

THE BERNESE ALPS

Well known for the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau and the base town of Interlaken, this lovely area has retained much of the original Swiss charm which made Switzerland famous a century ago when Thos Cook started tourism.

The 2008 visit to Slovakia continued via Vienna and Zurich and finalised with a departure from the German Friedrichshafen on the lovely Lake Constance.
Friedrichshafen is well known as the birthplace of Graf Zeppelin's (ill-fated) airships. It is a lovely town and well situated for a visit to Switzerland, Baden-Wurttemberg, the SW corner of Bavaria and even Vorarlberg in Austria next to the Principality of Liechtenstein.
Accommodation prices have begun to rise as a result of Friedrichshafen's popularity but the excellent Youth Hostel is well located and decently priced for single or double rooms.

There are several good restaurants in town but my taxi-fraulein recommended me the Xxxxxx on Olgastr when I enquired after a good fish restaurant with wine-cellar and her tip was indeed worth heeding

...more to follow....

LIECHTENSTEIN
Map of region

A beautiful little principality with reduced speed limits so that you don't miss it. Click Liechtenstein on the Swiss map

AUSTRIA

Map of region

The 2008 visit to Slovakia continued via Vienna and Switzerland to Friedrichshafen, Germany on the Lake of Constance.

Arriving at Vienna's Westbahnhof with the train from Bratislava, an excellent information desk fitted me out with all I could use for the few hours at my disposal in Vienna. The best pocket map "Stadtplan & Museen" by www.wien.info is free and informs adequately.

Get a 24hr Netzkarte for euro 5.00 and don't forget to stamp it at first usage. You can ride on anything that moves apart from taxis and fiakers (the horse coaches) and it won't get you to the airport but all underground, bus and tram transport is yours for 24hrs.

From Westbahnhof, take the #58 tram headed to the right (Unter St Veit) and stay on it until Schloss Brucke where the tram turns right into Hadikgasse. You are now at the front gates of Schloss Schoenbrunn which a "must see" in Vienna - even if you don't walk up to it and/or visit it which would be a pity but that takes time.

Return on the #58 to Westbahnhof and go underground to the U3 direction Simmering (east). Get off at Volkstheater and see this majestic building. You are in the Museums Quarter here and there are lots of sights to see. You can also walk through the Maria-Theresian Platz (and statue) and Heidenplatz parks to HerrenGasse or go back to the underground and get there with the U3. Parks and museums can take a lot of time just to walk across or around and it takes a good walker to see the centre of Vienna on foot. I passed on a visit to the Volksheater remembering my last visit many years ago to see Merchant of Venise one chilly November when a very cold east wind was blowing off the Hungarian Pusta.

At HerrenGasse you can walk south into town past the Vienese coffee houses to Michaelerplatz which you cross and find the Spanische Reitschule (Spanish Riding School) on the left of the Hofburg Gateway. This is another "must" in Vienna and also a chance to become more educated that most of the world who appear to be convinced that the horses come from Spain. It is the school that rides Spanish but the horses are White Lippizaner ( In 1580, Archduke Karl, son of the Austro-Hungarian Emperor, Ferdinand I, founded the Lipica Stud Farm to breed horses for the Spanish Riding School in Vienna and the Royal Court stables. Lipica lies in today's Slovenia to the S of Vienna. The horses were of Spanish, Arabian and Berber stock and were bred with the tough and muscular local Karst horse, to create the Lipizzan strain).
Opposite the entrance to the Spanish Riding School on the right of the gateway are the Imperial Apartments/Sisi Museum/Silver Collection - another "must" for your visit.

A very useful 8 page guide can be printed out onto 4 pages from the destination data of the AirBerlin.com website

Not much further on foot from Michaelsplatz is the St Petersdom with its famous chequered and colourful roofing. The local cafes beckoned in the sunshine and, although only an afternoon, Vienna left a very positive memory this visit.

Due to an early morning flight from Vienna, a hotel close to the airport was important.
Vienna has but one such hotel - NH Hotel, Vienna Airport which is considered very reasonable for a 5 star hotel located just opposite the terminal - especially considering the expense and tension of getting a very early morning taxi/transfer from any other establishment. A most enjoyable visit and, in fact, the best hotel accommodation on the whole trip.

...more to follow...

+++

FRANCE and ITALY

FRANCE

N E France

N W France (Brittany, Normandy)

Paris and Region

East Central France (Alsace, Lorraine)

Central France (Centre, Limousin, Midi-Pyrenees)

Map of Haute-Vienne
Detailed road map - Select France and Ambazac

Limousin - Chateau Rigagnac, Ambazac nr Limoges - How about a chateau?

"No going back" on British Channel 4 ran and told the story in retrospective of a business couple from the UK who bought the massive Chateau Rigagnac in the Limosin (Lake District) region near Ambazac and worked day and night to get it up to par. Now a year has passed and we visited the Chateau during March 2007.

Chateau Rigagnac

More than a lot has been done and there is always more with a 1647 chateau. The progress and achievements of Patrick and Colette Bergot can only be admired and Colette's cooking is just exquisite. She is particularly keen on fresh and natural local produce and her recipes are often creations of her own. Somehow, she manages to manage three young children in her stride also.

Only local produce and traditional fare befit a Chateau

Take a look yourself at their great website at http://www.chateauribagnac.com bearing in mind that budget flights to Limoges (Ryanair) and other airports in the region (Easyjet, FlyBE and others). Poitiers would be the closest TGV station for those who prefer to travel by rail. A great destination for those wanting a taste of life in a chateau and unspoiled Haute-Vienne nature.
The Limosin region of Vienne (Poitiers) lies in Poitou-Charentes as does Charentes-Maritimes where a good journalist friend is located at La Rochelle - THE place to be from September onwards when the famous La Rochelle mussels are in season - A to die for dish for gourmets.
The region boasts fortified church, lakes and ravines, towns and villages as well as numerous chateaux and a museum of minerology and "pétrographique", and the Château de Mont-Méry.
Things to do include antique hunting, flying (or learning), cycling, watersports, fishing, hiking, horseriding, golf and, for steam railway enthusiasts, a 141TD 740 steam locomotive with carriages dating from 1930 travelling from Limoges to Ussel. Village markets, chateaux and historic sites are thrown in for good measure. Some even get hooked on property acquisition!
Don't miss the Panorama Monts d'Ambazac (signal de Sauvagnac 701 m.), Vallée des Dauges : Tourbières et maison de la tourbière.
And the Panorama du Puy des Roches with orinentation table - between Jabreilles and St Goussaud - should not be forgotten.
Great area, good sites and, whether you boat, walk, climb, ride horses or just love being a gourmand gormet, there is lots to do in and around this wonderful Chateau de Ribagnac 87400 St Martin-Terressus, Limousin FRANCE. Tel +33 (0)5 55 39 77 91 (Mob +33 (0)6 76 66 09 12). A map and details of the area can be found at the Ambazac and area tourist site

A Scenic Tour:

One of the lovely regions with lakes and sleepy villages is a little north of the Chateau and you will find pictures and descriptions if you click on the village name on the Map of the Creuse Region After a visit to Limoges, take the A20 from Limoges north to exit #20 and then the D36 eastwards to Eguzon. Head south down the D913 and visit the villages Crozant and Fresselines then La Celle Dunoise then D15 eastwards and D48 S to the Three lakes nr Le Bourg d'Hem. You'll love this. Afterwards its to the lovely old town of Gueret via the D33 or D940 and then, on the same road to Pontarion where you can turn westwards onto the D941 to Bourganeuf and then, taking the D5 NW just after Sauviat-sur-Vige, the D56a through Le Chatenet en Dognon to St Martin Terressus (D56) and back to Ribagnac.

S E France (Cote d'Azur)

Mapping - http://www.multimap.com

NICE, France
Hotel Premiere Classe - 385 Prom. des Anglais, Nice (opp airport) - euro 42 for twin bedded room w shower and tv. Breakfast +€4.50. Tel +33/0493/717 213 nice@premiereclasse.fr
-Brasserie du Vieux Port, 7 Pl de L'Ile de Beaute, Nice Port Tel 0493/565 766. Good rest/pizzeria View of whole port.
-Restaurant L'Espad'Or, Port de Nice, 8 Quai des Docks Tel 0493/563 545. Excellent seafood restaurant on E side of port.

Corsica Ferries to Corsica

Home - Back - Forwards

S W France (Aquitaine, Pyrenees)

Map of regions

Poillon (Landes, Aquitaine) nr Biarritz, Dax and Pau together with Cauterets (Pyrenees) nr Lourdes and Pau

UK Channel 4 TV "No going back" filmed the daring break from City business life in 2003 of Benn and Amy Coley - who well and truly booked a one way ticket to SW France to open not only a chalet in the pleasant Landes (Aquitaine) area not far inland from Biarritz (Ryanair) and not far west of Pau (also Ryanair) but also to continue into winter sports with the acquisition of 3 properties in the lovely Pyrenean resort of Cauterets which lies south of Lourdes and Pau close to the Spanish border.

Unfortunately, Benn & Amy were not available for a short review visit at either of their locations and heavy snowfall hindered a visit to Cauterets in March 2007. Whilst we found Pouillon, an attempt to find Houtsak Ina proved impossible. It must be said that, leaving the A64 motorway at Orthez, a strong smell of gas is particularly unpleasant. The countryside around Pouillon is pleasant (even though the village is badly signposted and hard to find) but Dax appears to have little to offer. Pleasant, on the other hand, is the D6 road from Dax to Port de Lanne and then via the N117 to Bayonne and Biarritz. (Use www.viamichelin.co.uk to map directions from Dax to Biarritz via Port de Lanne)

Links: Benn and Amy's Houtsak Ina, Pouillon homepage and Cauterets, Pyrenees information and pictures Tinyurl.com link to a Multimap of the Cauterets region. Pouillon's agricultural roots led it to develop a traditional gascon sport, Couse Landaise, whose local afficionados are knowns as the "Coursayres des Arrigans". The Cauterets winter homepage has photos of the region.

Glacier in the Cauterets region The Pyrenean skislopes

CORSICA

Map of Corsica Area Maps of Corsica (interactive) Lonely Planet

Route:
The route can best be followed on this Corsica Map which opens on a separate page.
Bastia - Cap Corse - St Florent - Ponte Laccia then to the Corsican onetime ski resort of Haut Asco (1400m) in the Corsican National Park - back north over the cross-country road via Belgodere - Ile Rousse - Calvi - Galeria - Partinello - Cargese - Sagone then NEwards to the ski-slopes of Albertacce (1400m) - Corte - Ajaccio - a swim at the lovely beach of Porticcio - Olmeto - then another NEwards trip into the mountains of S Corsica to Santa Maria Siche - back down to the SW coast at Sartene - and the southernmost port of Bonifacio - Heading up the east coast via Porto Vecchio - overnighted at the beach resort of San Nicolao - Bastia and these addresses will be moved to our recommendations pages at http://travel.holidays.com/recommendations

BASTIA
-RIVIERA HOTEL**,1 rue Adolphe Landry, Bastia (nr port) Tel 0495/310 716 €50 twin room en-suite with TV. Good and clean.
-Restaurant Pizzeria U SANTA-LUCIA, U Boscu d'Oro, Pietranera Tel 0495/311 870 - Excellent pizza and service by Marielle & Christelle. On road north out of Bastia

ST FLORENT
-HOTEL BAR DU CENTRE Tel 0495/370 068. Excellent 2* hotel with shower, WC, telephone and TV. Good prices
-Bar de L'Europe, Pl du Village, St Florent. Milk shakes €4.30 but still half price compared with other locals.
-Internet - Conca Micro in St Florent centre (Galeria Commerciale Benvenuti) Tel 0495/358 428 conca.micro@wanadoo.fr
-Brasserie near St Florent marina and parking. Bad service, good prices, bad stomach in the night!

BELGODERE
- Cafe de la Paix. Lovely village (W of the Desert des Agriates) clinging to the mountainside on N197 on way to Calvi from a detour over Asco in the Monte Padro NP region. Stephanie runs this cafe with loving care.

PORT D'ILE ROUSSE
-HOTEL RESTAURANT LA PIETRA, Chemin du Phare, L'Ile-Rousse. Excellent views and lodgings for euro 62 for twin room.
- Brasserie du Port at the port between town and islands. Tel 0495/601 066 hyacinthe.canava@wanadoo.fr

CALVI
- Came, saw and drove on. Calvi is a lovely town but has grown a bit large for a nice short stay.

GALERIA
-SOLE E MARE Restaurant and rooms on the beautiful isolated west coast within the National Park. Seafood specialities but we had the best lamb in ages here thanks to Laetizia's tip. Tel 0495/620 144

PARTINELLO
- N of Porto and S of Galeria lies Aria Marina on the D81 in Partinello. It is a welcome break hotel/bar/restaurant Tel 0495/273 033 on a very winding road after the lovely Curzo high road.

CARGESE
- RESTAURANT LE SAINT-JEAN (D81 S of Galeria and Porto and above the beach of Peru). Try their Clos d'Alzeto with Filet de Sar with sauce langouste - excellent. Mlle Aude advised us well and the souffle was heaven. Tel 0495/264 648 Place St Jean, Cargese

ALBERTACCE
- Hotel Castel de Vergio Tel 0495/480 001. 1400 metres high on the snow line between Porto and Corte (via Calacuccia), this ski resort hotel was but a welcome stop. They do euro 45 pp with breakfast

CORTE
-Various hotels in the forests/mountains S of Corte on RN193 were either still closed beginning May or were very pricey and didn't appear to offer worth.
-L'Auberge du Bosquet, Saint Pierre de Venaco (Santo Pietro di Venaco on Multimap.com) on the RN193 south looked delightful but, on closer inspection, didn't have the facilities we had become used to. Smelt unsavoury. Rooms were €44-46 for sing./dbl. Tel 0495/470 011

AJACCIO (say A'jack'sio in Corsican-French)
- Finally found a place to sleep some 12km before Ajaccio on the RN193 at a roadside tavern/motel that smelt of escaping gas and unflushed toilets. Room door would only lock with brute force and the price was euro 50 for the room. Necessity makes one accept some strange abodes late evening. The name was not even noted.

OLMETO, S of AJACCIO (above Porto Pollo and Propriano)
-La Source Motel/Restaurant Excellent meal here in a strong wind - Jean-Jose will look after you if you mention Travel.Holidays.com. Tel 0495/746 118

SANTA MARIA SICHE
-HOTEL SANTA MARIA SICHE - Excellent Logis de France hotel high up in the mountains with twin bedded room for euro 55. In fact the whole bill for two with bar, evening meal and breakfast and drinks only came to euro 106. Recommended

SARTENE
- Has a Cyber Cafe "Le Cyrnos" on Place Porto run by Antoine Tel 0495/732 870 lecyrnos@wanadoo.fr

BONIFACIO
- RéSIDENCE TERRA MARINA, Bancarello, Bonifacio. More 4-5* than 3*. Tel: 0495/730 890 (Fax : 0495/731 943) info@terra-marina.com Fabulous mini-villas tastefully furnished in Tunisian style. Spoil yourself and enjoy the infinity pool view of Bonifacio and the peaceful "out of town" setting. 5mins W of Bonifacio.

PORTO VECCHIO
- LE SHIRLEY'S BAR, Rue Joseph Pietri 4 Tel 0495/712 759 le_shirley_bar@hotmail.com . Good address on the E coast

SAN NICOLAO - Moriani Plage (E coast S of Bastia).
-Hotel Costa Verde hotelcostaverde@tiscali.fr . Tel 0495/385 041 (Fax /385 606)

--> Go to Bastia then Moby ferry to Livorno, Tuscany, Italy and train to Piombino. Ferry to Isle of Elba

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ITALY

Big-Italy-Map.co.uk

NW Italy (Piedmont, Liguria, Valle D'Aosta, Lombardia)

CINQUE TERRE, Liguria (May 2006)
Excellent description and photos at http://homepage.sunrise.ch/homepage/avong/cinque_terre/ "> The Cinque Terre
ARCOBALENO Rooms, Via IV Novembre 75, Monterosso al Mare (northernmost of the Cinque Terre villages and accessible also by car). A twin bed room with courtesy tea/coffee making facilities cost euro 75.00 Tel 0187/809 183 (Cell 333/444 2792). Extremely well furnished and secured. Shower, TV and frigobar as well as Air Cond. and Phone.
-Visitors get 10% discount at Restaurante La Barcaccia, Via Molinelli 6/8 and Ristorante Al Carugio, Via San Pietro 9 both in old town
CANTINA DU SCIACCHETRA - Cinque Terre wine specialist with rooms from euro 25 pp pn with bath, balcony and sea view. Cherry and Gianluigi, Via Roma 7, Monterosso al Mare (old town through the tunnel)

NE Italy (Trentino-Alto-Adige, Friuli-Venezia-Giulia, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and San Marino)

VENICE

PRINCIPALITY OF SAN MARINO

Central Italy (Toscana, Umbria, Marche, Lazio, Abruzzo, Molise)

Map of Tuscany

TUSCANY - Pisa, Siena, Florence, Isle of Elba

May 2003 After Belgium and Luxembourg, fly with Ryanair from Charleroi to Pisa and stay two nights. Visit Siena and Florence with rail and bus returning to Pisa. Next day, by rail to Piombino and Isle of Elba for 5 days staying at Pareti and Scagliari.
Return to Pisa for return flight to Belgium and on to Shannon, Rep of Ireland.

ISLE OF ELBA, Tuscany (May 2006 - continuation from Nice/Corsica under France)
Map of Elba

Information in several languages from the Hotel Mare, Magazzini website.
Ferry from PIOMBINO to PORTOFERRAIO - euro 10.70 each way with Moby Lines
CAPOLIVERI - La Fontanella gelateria (loc Valdana) is an address to note
PARETI, nr Capoliveri - Villa Miramare Dropped in at this old favourite (stayed countless times in the past). Tel 0565/968 673 (Fax /939 097) info@hotelmiramare.it . Rooms/appartments for 2 with breakfast from euro 40.00 to euro 100.00 dep on season.
PORTO AZZURO - Excellent spaghetti vongole at Lo Scoglietto nr the landing jetty of Porto Azzuro
BAGNAIA - http://www.bagnaia.com/ Pic at Homepages/Elite/Tips
Hotel Villa Mare, Bagnaia n°. 3 - 57037 Portoferraio (LI) - Tel.: +39-0565-961009 - Fax: +39-0565-961191
e-mail: villamare@bagnaia.com euro 60 for twin bedded room per night incl breakfast for 2. Excellent value. lovely situation
The hotel has a public use computer for checking mail. Owners Giorgio or Luciano Campitelli will fix you up at this 3* hotel. Also Hotel Punta Pina
7 pics of Bagnaia - click here

On to Cinque Terre in Liguria above>>

Rome and region (incl Vatican)

ROME

S Italy (Campania, Puglia, Basilicata, Calabria)

BARI

Sardinia, Sicily (and islands)

Italian town/province locator at www.initaly.com/ittnlocat.htm

ALGHERO (SS)

SICILY

PALERMO (PA) - Sicily for North American tourists www.escorteditalytours.com/sicilytours.htm

SICILIAN ISLANDS -Where are they?

The Sicilian Islands are admirably dealt with at www.isole-sicilia.it/english/index.cfm and their location can be seen at http://web.tiscali.it/lampedusa/map.htm whilst their province attributions at www.directa.net/sicilia/Welcome.html

Lipari or The Aeolian Isles
( Lipari, Vulcano, Salina, Stromboli,Alicudi, Filicudi, Panarea) - to Messina (ME)
MAP

The Egadi Isles
(Favignana, Marettimo, Levanzo) - to Trapani (TP)
egadi.com / www.egadi.it MAP

Home - Back - Forwards

The Pelagian Isles
(Lampedusa, Linosa, Lampione) - to Agrigento (AG)
directa.net/sicilia/Welcome.html - MAP

Other isles:

Pantelleria (AG)

Ustica - to Palermo (PA)
(ustica.org/), MAP

Isole di Stagnone, I San Pantaleo and Mozia (TP)
(sicilyweb.com/mappe/trapani.htm) MAP

Lampedusa, Pelagian Isles Map with Lampedusa, Pantelleria, Sicily, Malta, Tunisia
Lampedusa is the main island of Pelagian archipelago, situated almost exactly on 35° parallel and 200 km SW of Sicily, 113 km E of the Tunisian coast and 150 km from Malta. The archipelago belongs with Pantelleria to Sicily's Agrigento and Lampedusa is Italy's southernmost point. The surface area is 20,2 km2 and its highest point is Albero Sole, 113 m. Before 1843 Lampedusa was uninhabited. There is only one village (Lampedusa) situated in the south-east, near the airport, crowded with 4.000 souls. In summertime Lampedusa becomes a very crowded place with over 10.000 people.

This island has mostly rocky shores with spectacular cliffs at the western coast and has almost no trees at all since deforesting at the beginning of this century by the prisoners.

In Lampedusa usually nothing happens, but when something happens it could become a serious problem. Everybody there still remembers the risk of conflict with Libya in 1986, when two Scud missiles of the Libyan Army arrived on Lampedusa - without damages, fortunately - in retaliation and the answer of Libyan leader Ghaddafi to a military action of USA jets in Tripoli and Bengasi.

Nowadays Lampedusa is often at the center of chronicles because of frequent landings of consistent groups of Asian and African citizens on Italian coasts. These people, usually arriving on very precarious ships managed by various mafiosi, risk their lives in a trip that, without exception, will bring them back home on a plane in a few days.

The surface area of Lampedusa, known in ancient times as Lapadusa, is 20.2 sq. km., its perimeter 26 km., and its population over 5300. The surface area of Linosa, called by the Romans Algusa or Aethusa, is 5.4 sq. km., with a perimeter of 11 km. and a population of over 400. Lampione is an uninhabited islet lying just west of Lampedusa and has a surface area of only 1.2 km.
The Isola dei Conigli just off the coast of Lampedusa is a nature reserve where turtles come in from the sea to lay their eggs in a still unspoiled setting.

Linosa was sparsley populated in Roman and Arab times, probably serving as a supply station for ships engaged in the slave trade.
In 1845 Governor Sanvisente landed with 40 persons intending to found a colony on the uninhabited island. He found Roman water tanks and signs of Arab residents.

Links to further information
www.gentracer.com/pelagie.html
www.mediatel.it/provincia.agrigento/lampedusa.html
http://sicilia.indettaglio.it/eng/comuni/ag/pelagie/pelagie.html

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SPAIN (Balearics, Canary Isles), Gibraltar, Andorra, PORTUGAL (Madiera, Azores)

SPAIN, BALEARICS, CANARY ISLES

Map of Spain and Andorra

SPAIN

NORTHERN SPAIN AND BASQUELAND

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MADRID AND CENTRAL SPAIN

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THE SPANISH COSTAS

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SEVILLE, JEREZ AND SOUTHERN SPAIN

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THE BALEARICS

Map of Balearics

MALLORCA & Cabrera

Palmanova. Palma de Mallorca, tour island and visit the northernmost tip.....more coming

MENORCA

Nowadays, there are more reasonably priced flights to the quieter island of Menorca and with such a charter holiday I flew to Mahon (Mao) and transferred down the only main road of the island to Ciudadela. The stay was at the excellent Son Blanc Appartments in Sa Caletta (22 mins walk from Ciutadella) just round the corner from the Son Blanc Palace (where you can also eat out) and bus stop to town. Holidays Uncovered (select Menorca Sa Caleta) and ReviewCentre.com both have good customer reviews of this destination. It is true that the appartments are in a rather quiet area but not everyone wants to be in the "clubbing" district. Sa Caleta is a very small bay but a few steps over the headland and you are in the lovely Santandria which presents itself as a mini fjord. If you dine at Son Blanc Palace, Xavi the excellent cook from Barcelona can prepare you a Merluza Verde (green hake - a dream cream dish) which, together with his Mejillon Salsa Pikante (hot mussels) with a few cockles.

The things you will want to know are: Yes there is an ATM at the airport, whilst you can walk to town in 25mins, there is a bus to the Placa Pins where you will find (on the right) C@fe Internet to clear your mail. On the same side of that street - Passaig St Nicolau - and just behind the bus stop is the Bar Vida where Teresa, (Damien or Greg) will look after you. You might walk to the neighbouring Placa Born 11 if you want a full bar/restaurant and Ca'n Nito is good and has excellent coffee. At the back of the square, a circular road runs round what used to be the town walls and leads you to the carrental shops (I got great rates for 2 days at Europcar, Avenida Consquistador 59 where the English Yvonne will take care of your needs) and also a cute old windmill which is now a gallery and houses the cafe Si Vens Cafe. Ciudadela has a large old town with lovely narrow alleyways and more restaurants than you need. One which I particularly recommend is out of town towards Mahon. Turn off right towards Santa Galdana and about 1km down this road on the right is Meson El Gallo, Ferreries which specializes in home cooking local style. This cute small looking farm style restaurant is sunken and presents a feudal hall to eat in. Prices are payable and the cooking exceptional.

Hire car for 2 days and explore the beaches of the southern coast and northern coast. Thanks to Yvonne's tips, I got to San Saura (absolutely nobody on this beach) and Macarella (for me, the nicest little cove on the island) on the south coast. Both are by road from Ciudadela only following directions towards San Juan de Missa church after which unsealed roads (dipped headlights) - no tracks - and GREAT CARE must be taken on passing through gateways as a kind of narrow sunken cattle trap will break any fast driver's axle. One of these even has a closed gate but some kind person has errected a sign with an arrow on it for you. On heading down to Macarella, opt for the deviation road to the left by the river (which takes you directly to the beach) as the regular road leads to a car park with a 20 min downhill trek (uphill time depends on the heat of the day). Of course, one has to visit Santa Galdana whilst on the south coast (access from near Ferreries) but this once absolutely beautiful large cove is now a construction site with flyover road and "visit a little island" pathways that have resortified the place and turned it into a geriatric essential bus stop on a tour de l'isle. I also had the only really bad meal on the whole island here. There are three town on the road from Mahon (Mao) to Ciudadela - Alaior, Es Mercadal and Ferreries. The latter two are only 5km apart and above Es Mercadal towers El Toro and its St Nicalau monastery (read souvenirs and cafe). The ascent is a "must" as the view is rewarding in every way. You will see Mallorca from up here (as you did from the SW coastline).

It is via Es Mercadal that you travel to the north coast next day, taking care to turn left almost in the village towards Es Martinells and Platja Bineme-la beach which is your first destination down roads/tracks where it is better to drive with dipped headlights on. An unsealed road completes the exciting journey (you need a good rough island map for these trips) terminating at a house/farm/restaurant/bar or whatever. The beach is sparsely populated and a short walk away. From here, take any road you haven't used this morning (apart from the long drive out to Cap de Cavalleria (unless you are keen on Caps) and before long you will get back to a civilized road of normal proportions taking you down to the Port of Fornells - a large port and marina by Menorcan standards. An excellent restaurant Es Cranc can be found on the Calle Escoles not far from the main placa and a whacking great church. I can't remember exactly what I ate here but I do know that I had a wonderful seafood soup and an excellent house wine.
Now it was off towards Mahon/Mao so first left going out of town and having get to the back of the inlet. After a short drive, Golf Son Parc presents itself in the form of many golf location houses and flats and where the green fee of €55 for 18 holes appeared a bit steep for my taste. They do have a great cafe and you will probably be looking for that after lunch.

Well on towards, Mahon in my case, leaving out the various coves on the east coast (which I'm told are lovely). I didn't have the desire to see the capital (shame perhaps but so be it) and by-passed to San Lluis and down to Platja de Punta Prima which was - well alright I guess. A couple back in Sa Caleta had been allocated there and requested a transfer! Running out of day (even in May), it was round the back of the airport over Sant Climent and Alaior then over the area known as Es Migjorn Gran down to Platja Sant Tomas which resembles a neat city retreat with lawns cut with nail scissors. Those staying there loved it and the large sandy beach is excellent. However, the place is purely residential with no "main street". St Tomas looked lovely in the now low sun and it was off over Es Migjorn Gran again to Ferreries and the main road to Ciudadela. It felt good to be back "home" after the east.

On the night we arrived, we dropped off quite a lot of holiday makers who went for the action resorts of Cala en Forcat and Cala en Blanes just NW of Ciudadela. Not for me but must be nice for those who want someplace where there is "lots going on". I visited the area at the end of my first hire day and enjoyed an ice cream. That was all I enjoyed.

At the extreme SW corner of Menorca is Cap D'Artrutx with the resorts of Platja de son Xoriguer and Cala en Bosc which I didn't visit, despite the invitation in the internet cafe of Lina (Sweden) who was part of the entertainment team down there. The Swedes appear to have taken a liking to Cala en Bosc and the British who holiday there have nothing but praise for their attitude, performances and generally getting on together. Nice to hear. You can read HERE Now hold tight. In Cala en Bosc, the Pizzeria El Pato boasts Indian cuisine on the waterfront. They are located by a small lake and not near the seafront! Now that is rolling Italian, Spanish, Indian and Makebelief all into one.

Data: Booked with DirectlineHolidays (MyTravel). Sites to watch are: www.HolidayWatchdog.com / Little map of island with no detail at www.menorcahabitat.com/search1_en.php / Interactive map if you hit Island then Map at www.menorca-info.com/indelse.htm?home.htm / www.airtours.co.uk/menorcaguide / www.illesbalears.es / www.menorcavirtual.com / www.menorca.net/ (if you can get in) / www.menorca-net.co.uk / www.menorca.org (Spanish only) / any families or groups on flight only arrangement will want to look at the offers page of www.menorcaok.com

On the 8th of October 1993, Minorca was declared a Biosphere Reserve by Unesco.

Enjoy Menorca - it really is very nice!

IBIZA & FORMANTERA

More to follow on Ibiza...

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CANARY ISLANDS

Map of Canary Islands

Home - Back - Forwards

GRAN CANARIA

La Palma de Gran Canaria is the main town and port and well worth avoiding. The beaches in the SE - Las Maspalomos - are the most popular but, as in the case of most Spanish seaside resorts, the old character has had to make way for a Manhattan landscape of appartment blocks.

Away from the coast, Gran Canaria is a wonderful and beautiful island and a car hire of a couple of days is recommended. If you choose a local unknown but cheap supplier, insist that you can try out the brakes, horn and lights before signing up. You will very much need all three and no half measures will do.

Last visit was some years back and this section will be updated later

Binter also connects with the Portuguese Madiera (Funchal) as well as Africa to El Aaiun and Marrakech. They no longer fly to Mauretania (Nouakchott)

FUERTEVENTURA

Stayed at Correlejo in the north opp Lanzarote. Beautiful beaches. Island devoid of earth apart from one small valley with palm trees. Enjoyed the island and a day trip to Lanzarote.

Last visit was some years back and this section will be updated later

LANZAROTE

Fascinating all black lava island with so to say no earth. Very popular with UK visitors and not very Spanish at all in the villages. The island is well worth a day visit from Fuerteventura (hire a car on arrival) as long as the coastal towns and villages are avoided. The island has become known as "Black Little England" - even the local radio is in English.

Last visit was some years back and this section will be updated later

TENERIFE

4hrs flight from Dublin to Tenerife Norte, we stayed at Puerto de la Cruz on this lovely green island. For one day, we rented a car and drove over Spain's highest mountain Tiede (3'xxx mtrs). Visited the rest of the island over several days using the excellent bus system. (def buy a Bono ticket to keep costs up to 50% down)
Santa Cruz de la Tenerife proved to be a wasted day. La Laguna is renowned as the "first US city" on which New York was modelled. However, the direction signs were not supplied with the model and it is difficult to negociate this city and, in fact, the whole island.

The island is popular with the Germans but more so with the Scandinavians and more recently with visitors from the Baltic States. We were astounded to bump into so many Finns who spoke no Spanish, English or German but somehow managed to enjoy themselves with sign language.

Apartementos Marina, C/. San Juan 2, 38400 Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife
Tel 922/385 311 Fax Office 922/372830 / Reception 922/380585
Stayed 13 Dec 06 Puerto de la Cruz Marina Aps Dec 13-18, 06 € 62.90

Travelled to Taganana (seaside in N of island) with 2 new friends (very rocky and wild)
Fish at Casa Africa (Bar Playa), Roque de Las Bodegas #3, Taganana TF, T 922 590100. Fish, salad, beer, cafe €50
Recipe from Alicia, Casa Africa, Tagana, to be included at http://culinary.senses.com - recipes.

Taganana:
A bus tour company describes a tip to Taganana: We go to the northern part of Tenerife to the beautiful Tagana mountains with their unspoilt gorges and breathtaking panoramas. A typical Canary Island lunch with freshly caught fish will be taken in a restaurant by the seaside. The return journey is through the Mercedes woods - another unique climatic zone on the island. http://www.orobus.net/ing/service/frame12_01b.htm Orobus.net

Las Caletillas Heladeria Capricho Edf Caletilla Beach, Local 14 (Ice cream parlour)

Best fares airline serving La Palma island

Islasnet.com Central Reservas Tel: 902.477.478/822.020.400
Tel La Palma: 922.440.829/426.214 Fx 922.426.223

18 Dec 06 TFN 10.00 - SPC (LaPalma) 10.30 Islas Airways ATR72-201 EC-IKK
Same Day SPC 19.50 - TFN 20.20 (6daily+1XD)

Islas fly from Tenerife Norte (TFN): Gran Canaria (LPA 4daily), Lanzarote (ACE 3daily), Fuerteventura (FUE 3daily)
Fares in euro: 82.90 LAP / 118.90 FUE / 78.90 LPA T: 902.391.392

Tarifa Naranja (Orange tariff) - IslasAirways.com 902.477.478
€82.90 LPA [Mo 62.90] / 62.90 FUE (Go Sat 09.20 Rtn So 19.15)

Also saw: Binter ATR72-500 72201 EC- /Transavia PH-HZV
Binter Canarias (Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife N & S, La Gomera, La Palma, El Hierro) .
Binter also connects with theMadiera (Funchal) as well as Africa to Marrakech (Morocco) and El Aaiun/ "Laâyoune" (Western Sahara). They no longer fly Nouakchott (Mauretania)

Car Rentals

Tenerife:
AB Rentacar (Autos Berlin), Edif Portafino, Ubanizacion La Paz, Puerto de la Cruz, TF
Tel: 922/381 974 - 978 Fax: 922/372442. 15 Dec 06 €37.29 incl. Marca: ?'2 elle DIC'?

LA PALMA

Fantastic island with volcanic split that promises to throw 1/3 of the island into the Atlantic one day. A day-trip from Tenerife with Islas Airways (orange tariff) proved rewarding and exciting. Absolutely fabulous view of the main volcano from its rim up at over 2'500 mtrs.
A quieter island than the main destinations and very relaxing.

La Palma, unlike Tenerife - Gran Canaria - and also the barren Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, is not dependant on tourism and attracts a different type of tourist. It is ideal for people seeking rest, quiet, beautiful scenery and nature at its best as well as vulcanologists of course.

The youngest and smallest volcano on La Palma (Teneguia volcano. Erupted 1971) Cumbre Vieja at the southern tip of the island) could push 1/3 of the island into the Atlantic. Scientists worked out that this could conceivably result in a 600-900 mtr Tsunami arriving at the E coast of America (especially Florida). This was the subject of a BBC UK article which is blatantly refuted at lapalma-tsunami.com/. However, the last eruption in 1971 of Teneguia continued for 24 days and in some clefts you can still feel the
warmth and smell the sulphur. It is very much not a dormant volcano.

The island already bears scars of previous eruptions and the largest, and most impressive, San Antonio volcano in the N of the island climbs to over 2'500 mtrs. A good La Palma island site is at islalapalma.com/ and pictures of the various volcanos are at http://www.islalapalma.com/en/things/index.html?p=vulkaan&s=thingsnature

Car Rentals - La Palma

Autos Ancar La Palma SPC Tel: 922.426.201 Fx: 922.426.227
18Dec06 SPC Autos Ancar Villa de Mazo-Lodero, 29 www.ancar-lapalma.com €37 day

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LA GOMERA

Whilst only a 30min boat ride from the S of Tenerife, this journey in abeyance for another visit. La Gomera and El Hierro are the 2 smaller, even quieter than La Palma, islands.

Served by air: Binter Canarias (Las Palmas and Tenerife N. Also from Santa Cruz de la Palma via Gran Canaria LPA)
Also by boat from the nearby S Tenerife

La Gomera is the second-smallest of the Canary Islands, located 28°06′N 17°08′W Gomera is an Arabic word meaning 'small firebrand'. It has something less than 20'000 inhabitants. Its main town is San Sebastián de la Gomera (8'451). It is very much a volcanic island and this is illustrated in a good article at Wikipedia which also states:

The inhabitants of La Gomera have a unique way of communicating across deep ravines by means of an amazing whistled speech called Silbo Gomero. This is indigenous to the island, and its existence has been documented since Roman times. Invented by the then inhabitants, the Guanches, Silbo Gomero was adopted by the Spanish settlers in the 16th century and survived after the Guanches died out. When this unique means of communication was threatened with extinction at the dawn of the 21st century, the local government required all children to learn it in school.

The local wine is distinctive, and is often accompanied with a tapa (snack) of local cheese, roasted pork or goat meat.

EL HIERRO

Smallest and most southerly island of the archipelago. SE of Tenerife.

El Hierro website at elhierro.com has a host of information and a map

Served by air: Binter Canarias (Tenerife N. Also to/from Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de la Palma via TFN). El Hierro Airport, Valverde (VDE) at aena.es indicates destinations and details of Binter (the only airline to serve the island).

Shipping: Fred Olsen Prto. Estaca, s/n, Puerto de la Estaca, Valverde Tel 922 551 274

El Hierro (the smallest island of the entire archipelago) impresses for its untouched beauty, its surprising landscapes and the meticulous care towards the environment taken by its population. This is the ideal spot for those who arrive each year in search of peace and tranquillity.
Whilst only 278km2, the island nevertheless offers a great diversity: from the fascinating volcanic formations in the S and W, passing through the dense pine and laurel forests of the central zone up into the NW to fertile land of the El Golfo Valley with vineyards and plantations.

Clocks lose their use on this little island born of a volcano. Breathe in its tranquillity, and begin to deliver yourself to the earth’s force which is omnipresent in this whimsical theatre of twisted lava. Here you can bathe in a hillside salt pond; contemplate the multicoloured capital - Valverde, or travel back millennia through the archaeology of El Tagoror.
elhierro.com

Traveller report at alliage.co.uk/jottingshierro.htm

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GIBRALTAR

This British Crown Territory on the southernmost tip of Spain is, to this day, disputed by Spain

Essential data and map can be found at the CIA World Factbook

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lonelyplanet.com/maps/europe/andorra/

ANDORRA
Map of Andorra

Undisputed is the autonomy of Andorra which lies nestled high in the Pyrenees between the NE Spanish provinces and SW France. This princiipality is really built on very limited territory and one wonders just how they managed to squash the capital Andorra La Vella into a narrow ravine.

ANDORRA

Andorra has a surface area of 468sq.km. and a population of 65,877. Turisme.ad provides a great website   is full of images, information and what you need to know about this fascinating Pyrenean principality.

The capital is Andorra la Vella. A nice photo of the capital is at Planetware.com. Andorra is divided into three valleys forming a Y-shape, holding the Northern and Eastern Valira rivers which join up to form the Great Valira and separated by mountain crests of a considerable height (The average altitude of the Principality is 1996 m).
The highest point is the peak of Coma Pedrosa (2947 m) and the lowest is at the frontier with Spain (840 m). It has the largest skiable area in the Pyrenees.

Administratively Andorra is divided up into seven parishes: Canillo, Encamp, Ordino, La Massana, Andorra la Vella, Sant Julià de Lòria and Escaldes-Engordany.

The Principality of Andorra can be accessed by road from France through Pas de la Casa and the Envalira Pass and from Spain via Sant Julià de Lòria.

The nearest main cities are Barcelona (at 185 km) and Lleida (at 151 km) on the Spanish side and Toulouse (at 187 km) and Perpignan (at 169 km) on the French side.

Andorra's climate is of mountainous Mediterranean type with a hot summer and a cold winter with considerable snowfall. Temperatures vary noticeably between lower and higher zones with differences of 4 or 5ºC because of differing altitude. The average minimum is -2ºC and the average maximum 24ºC. Snowfall is frequent and rain varies between 700 and 1100 mm per year and is mainly concentrated between October and May.

Maps of the country at the Turisme.ad website

Geographical coordinates: Northernmost and Easternmost: 42° 39' 15" and 1° 47' 19". Extension: 468 sq. km.
Highest point: 2,946 m (peak of Coma Pedrosa). Lowest point: 840 m (confluence of the Runer and Valira rivers)
Population: 65,877 inhabitants. Official language: Catalan   Other languages spoken: Spanish and French
Currency: Euro (as for Spain and France)

The position of Andorra in relation to Spain and France is best seen at the CIA World Factbook Map

Pictures
Some nice photos of Andorra at the www.Turisme.ad website.  Futher pictures at Planetware.com and 4 very nice panorama scans at Andorramania.com which also has several live webcam pictures.

Another excellent information site is AndorraOnline.ad

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PORTUGAL, MADEIRA, THE AZORES

PORTUGAL

Map of Portugal

NORTHERN PORTUGAL

Oporto (Porto) is the home of Port Wine and is the wettest part of Portugal. Perhaps this makes it so attractive to those seeking a retreat from the masses and not few celebreties have villas in these parts

LISBON AND CENTRAL PORTUGAL

Lovely old town Lisbon.

THE ALGARVE AND SOUTHERN PORTUGAL

There aren't many people who visit The Algarve and don't like it. It can probably claim to be in the leaders of European destination that people return to year after year. For golfers, the coast is littered with about 10 courses of good to high standard.

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MADEIRA AND PORTO SANTO

Map of Madeira Islands

MADEIRA

Madiera is about the size of the Isle of Man. There the comparison stops as Madeira is extremely mountainous and rises to over 1'800 mtrs. It has outstanding scenery, the most frightening bus ride along a cliff face and is sadly the place where I spent a week in hospital after a reveller from the Carneval of 2001 decided to crash into me head on.

This was the second visit to Madeira in the same year after enjoying the first visit so much .....more coming

PORTO SANTO

There is a boat service (also flights) between Madiera and the quieter island of Porto Santo. Here one is spoilt with sandy beaches after the stoney cliffs of Madeira ....more coming

THE AZORES

Map of the Azores

ILHA DAS FLORES & Ilha do Corvo

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ILHA GRACIOSA

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ILHA DE TERCEIRA

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ILHA DE SAO JORGE

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ILHA DO PICO & ILHA DO FAIAL

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ILHA DE SAO MIGUEL

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ILHA DE SANTA MARIA

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POLAND, SLOVAKIA, CZECH Rep, HUNGARY

POLAND
Map of Poland

Poland and Slovakia are Work in Progress. However, details of the actual 3 day tour are at Poland-Slovakia See Slovakia and Czech Republic for continuation and extracts from local guides Slovakia-Caves+Waterfalls filed in .txt format and with more information and links

April/May 2007   Poland-Slovakia             WIP

3 day trip from Krakow to Tatra Mountains through Slovakia (and a small part of the Czech Republic)

DAY 1
Depart Krakow Airport
At Myslenice, bear left  then at Wi"niowa, turn R onto route 963
At Mszana Dolna, L onto 968 and at Lubomierz - stay on    968     23.6 km SE
Pieninski National Park / The Dunajec Gap (Pieniny)
At Lacko, PL - 969                    17.4 km E then turn right onto   970    19.4 km S

Entering Slovakia
Stará Lubovna, SK   R on 77         25.4 km W
At Spišská Belá, SK  Stay on 77       261 m NW
Bear left onto               L on 67         21.3 km SW   Evangelical Church - Spisška Sobota
At Poprad, SK - R onto18 [E50]   5.7 km   W
At Tatranská Polianka - local road     0.5 km NW
Starý Smokovec     Tatra National Park Museum / Tatranská Lomnica
Then continue to Zdiar    on 11, 67      9.5 km W

Entering Poland
Go L onto                      960           176 m W    Morskie Oko, Tatras National Park
At Lysa Polana , stay on  960             3.5 km N

Zakopane Ski Resort   Villa Koliba  PL 958 1.9 km W
Arrive nr. Pajakowka - Youth Hostel Zakopane 282.1km

DAY 2
Continue 20 mins W on PL 958 direction Checholov.   Turn L onto local road to Sucha Hora, SK  0.7 km W

Entering Slovakia at Sucha Hora and take SK 59 SW at Trstena then 520 NW to
Námestovo (521)  3.1 km W - visit/shopping
Now take 520 SW back to Oravsky Podzámok, and turn R onto 59 [E77]
After 460 m S visit Orava Castle via service road on the L
Turn L off the 59 at Vysny Kubin onto small road - taking a R at Osádka over Lucky until Ivachnová.
[This stretch will have passed through some lovely typical small hamlets and over a small pass on a narrow road]
At Ivachnová turn L onto the 18 and follow (passing under the D1 expressway) through Malatiny and Andice
Until nr Liptovsky Mikulas. Turn R onto 584 and drive 10.0 km SW up the lovely Demanovska Valley.
Demanovska Valley, is the ice cave, (Demanovska Ladova Jaskyna)-Open fm May
At Repiska, Demanovska Valley- 584     9.4 km N
At Liptovsky Mikulas, L onto D1 [E50] 15.2 km W
13:15 Depart Ruzomberok, SK -    18 [E50]    0.8 km E
Turn right onto                         59 [E77] 10.1 km SW Visit World Heritage, living medieval village of Vlkolínec
At Martin, L onto                      65           4.2 km S     Cicmany, SK
Turn left onto                                            1.3 km E     Museum of the Slovak Village
Return on Local road to                            2.7 km N    Slovak National Museum
At Martin, turn left onto            18 [E50] 26.5 km W
At Zilina, SK -      11 [E50], [18], [E75] 29.4 km NE   Budatín Castle
At Svrcinovec, go                            487 14.6 km NE
Entering Poland
At Myto, PL - Local road(s)                      1.3 km N
At Istebna, turn right onto              941      11.8 km N
16:15 Arrive Wisla, PL - Overnight (623 km so far)

DAY 3
Depart Wisla, PL -                     29 93      17.1 km NW
Entering Czech Republic
At Ceský Tešín, turn right onto          11        19.8 km W
At Havírov - Stop 30, stay on           11        10.4 km W
At Ostrava, CZ -                                        1.9 km W
At Hrabuvka - return on                    58         3.5 km N
Church of Saint Wenceslas   (never found it. Nobody knew it)
Turn left onto                                  472            1.5 km NE Jastrzebie Zdrój
Entering Poland
Go onto                                             91           16.7 km W Wodzislaw Slaski
At Jastrzebie Zdrój, PL -                  933           10.8 km E
Turn left onto                                      93             9.3 km N Ruda Slaská
At Zory - turn right onto                      49            18.2 km E
Bear left onto                                     933            23.1 km E
At Auschwitz [Oswiecim], PL -          933              0.8 km SE
Bear left onto                                     950             30.8 km E
At Wadowice, PL -                  96 [E462]              29.2 km E
Bear left onto                                7 [E77]              16.0 km N Kraków
At Podgórze, L onto    4 [E40], [7], [E77]                2.1 km W Dabrowa Górnicza
Arrive Kraków, PL
End of day

PLACES
Demanovska Ice Caves, World Heritage, living medieval village of Vlkolínec , and Cicmany, SK

ATTRACTIONS
Poland - Villa Koliba, The Dunajec Gap (Pieniny), Pieninski National Park, Morskie Oko, Zakopane Ski Resort

Slovakia - Spisška Sobota, Evangelical Church (Kezmarok), Starý Smokovec, Tatras National Park Museum, Tatranská Lomnica, Zdiar, Orava Castle, Museum of the Slovak Village, Slovak National Museum, Budatín Castle (Zilina),

Czech Rep - Church of Saint Wenceslas, Ostrava,CZ - (if anyone can find it. The locals don't know)

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SLOVAKIA
Map of Slovakia

Slovensky Raj Nat Pk - SK

NE SLOVAKIA and the TATRA MOUNTAINS
Map of Slovakia

Poland and Slovakia are Work in Progress. However, details of an actual tour at Poland-Slovakia and extracts from local guides Slovakia-Caves+Waterfalls are filed in .txt format for more information and links.

Our entry into Slovakia was after passing through the Polish Pieninski National Park-Dunajec Gap (Pieniny) and turning south at Stary Zacz, crossing into Slovakia at Pivniczna and passing through Stara Lubovna and Spisska Bela before reaching the wonderfully scenic/industrial town of Poprad which lies not far from Spišské Tomášovce and the famous and beautiful NP Slovenský Ráj (photo above)

Stara Lubovna is not all that far from the renowned north eastern town of:

Bardejov

After a coffee break in Poprad, which gave a chance to admire the wonderful Tatra Mountains from the south, our short afternoon detour headed over Svit (by worthwhile mistake) and up to Stary Smokovec - a lovely pocket sized ski resort in the Vysoke Tatry (High Tatras). This is truly a lovely place but had the misfortune a couple of winters back to catch a massive hurricane which flattened each and every pine tree in the whole region - a truly sad misfortune and a reason more to support the village.

The High Tatras. SK Storm Devastation Stary Smokevec

We then headed back into Poland via the ski-resort Zdiar and border at Lysa Polana for a night at Zakopane.

Next day it was back into Slovakia at Sucha Hora passing through the lovely lakesside town of Námestovo and stopping to admire Orava Castle (the Carparthian mountains are not short of castles).

Orava Castle

Then a left at Vysny Kubin (because we like back roads) and south at a delightful hamlet called Osadka we passed through Lucky and took the old road Ivachnová - Malatiny to Liptovsky Mikulas where we turned into the mountain valley and
Demanovska Valley, where there is a famous and large series of ice caves (Demanovska Ladova Jaskyna) but sadly only Open from May (a remnant of the old Communist days of "take it or leave it" rather than encouragement of tourism).
Nevertheless, it made a welcome stop and familiarisation with the district and it is to be hoped that the Slovakian tourism officials will awake to offer their truly admirable nature to tourists as and when tourists tour.

Retracing our path, it was back over Liptovsky Mikulas to Ruzomberok and into yet another valley to visit the UNESCO World Heritage, Living Medieval Village of Vlkolínec .

Vlkolinec (UNESCO Heritage) Cicmany_SK-c.ChrisTagneri

Our attempts to find the similarly historical village of Cicmany south of Martin (as directed by the routeplanner) fell foul as Cicmany is simply not south of Martin but south of Zilina . However, the Museum of the Slovak Village (Múzeum slovenskej dediny) / Slovak National Museum are almost in Martin and easily accessible.

Returning to Martin and the main road to Zilina, take Rte# 64 south in Zilina until just after Fackov where a road to the right leads to Cicmany. We, however were headed north by this time as the rented car was better parked in Poland overnight (imagine trying to explain in Slovakian and then to a Pole that your rented vehicle had vanished overnight!)

From the bridge over the Vah River at Zilina you may catch a glimpse to the left of

.
Budatín Castle

North of Zilina at Svrcinovec it was over to Poland and Wisla, PL for the night. The next day was to the Czech Republic (below) and then back into Poland.

SW SLOVAKIA and BRATISLAVA
Map of Slovakia

The Chateau at Salgovce

"Chaos at the Chateau" (orig A Place in Slovakia)

In 2008, it was a visit to The Château Kaštiel' Šalgovce nr the famous Slovakian spa town of Piešťany (area map) which lies on the River Vah slightly to the north of Trnava and Nitra and to the south of Trencin en route towards Zilina

Piestany The Spa at Piestany 'Zdravie' (Fitness/Health)

Castle hotel Salgovce

This beautiful chateau was the subject of an exciting UK Channel4 series "Chaos at the Chateau" and a visit in April 2008. One can see the wonderful completion of the work undertaken at TheChateau.sk and own pictures which will soon follow here.

Castle Salgovce was built by a hungarian nobleman Baron Salgo in 18th cent and has been beautifully and lovingly restored and furnished with antique furniture by Ann and David Darell who featured in a Channel4 programme that covered their progress from 'Chateau seeking' through 'stripped down to 4 walls without roof' to the fabulous boutique hotel which resulted.. The whole castle breathes with luxury, noblesse and nostalgia of the long lost era. Sadly, the Channel4 story link has expired but a TimesOnLine article provides a good substitute as does Wikipedia at Chaos at the Chateau

The lovely Chateau at Salgovce

The chambers:
The twelve suites and bedrooms, as well as all the common rooms are restored to their former glory, with the frescos and stuccos created back in the 17th century. The rooms - each individually furnished - blend the luxury and pompousness of the noblemen of a bygone era with the best of that which modern hotelery provides. All rooms feature own bathroom and toilet - one even a private sauna - and all rooms have bathrobes, slippers, hair-dryers, satellite lcd television, free internet connection, and direct dial telephone. A laundry service, secure parking and airport transfers are also available..

...and its boutique hotel furnished rooms

Salgo Apartment - an exquisite 65m2 two roomed apartment with French sleigh bed with coronet and silk canopy, chaise lounge, writing bureau, dining table for eight, luxurious bathroom with free standing slipper bath, Italian crystal chandelier and wall lights. Intricate Baroque plaster throughout.
Versace Suite - a junior suite, 45m2, decorated in Versace style, with silk draped wall coverings, hand-made iron bedstead and furniture, his & her's twin sinks with luxury massage shower, Italian Renaissance chandelier and light fittings. Baroque plaster ceiling and cornices.
Jester Suite - a junior suite, 30m2, with antique hand-crafted French oak bed with coronet and silk drapes, chaise lounge, sofa, Italian crystal chandelier, table and wall lights, corner bath with integral seat. Baroque plaster ceiling and cornices.
4-Poster Suite - a twin bedded room, 27m2, with brocade upholstered 4-poster beds, with leather sofa and antique trunk, Italian crystal chandelier, table and wall lights, with luxurious rainforest hower. Baroque plaster ceiling and cornices. The dream room for newly weds.
Flower Suite - a double/twin bedded room, 24m2, with antique Habsburg bed and furniture, the walls are adorned with traditional Slovak folk art by local artist Peter Sixta, with Italian crystal chandelier, table and wall lights, with luxurious rainforest shower. Baroque plaster ceiling and cornices.

Restaurant:
The hotel has a beautiful restaurant inside the former castle chapel - all guests will surely enjoy the finest delicacies from around the world together with the aesthetic impressions of the period frescos.

Conferences and social events:
Chateau Salgovce is a perfect venue for seminars, conferences, weddings, banquets and other events, thanks to combining classical architecture, exclusiveness and modern technology. The conference room, which previously served as a cinema, can accommodate up to 120 delegates, depending on the layout. The delegates can also enjoy their free time by many activities, that the chateau provides (for more, check the 'Leisure' paragraph).
Wedding at the chateau can have many attributes - lovely, romantic, stylish, but most of all - fairytale. With all the hotel's services, you are guaranteed to have an unforgetable experience.

Leisure:
The chateau offers many chances to enjoy a stay - hunting, clay pigeon shooting, spa therapies, horse riding, golf, lazy evenings in the sumptuous lounge, sipping champagne, or simple walks in the surroundings. The atmosphere in the Chateau communal rooms is enriched with the most tasteful unobtrusive background music which, it was agreed by all present, is welcome and in no way disturbs and at all times befits the occasion - be it relaxing, taking apperitiv or dining.

Air and Road Connections, Location Map, Current Tariffs (prices per room/night incl breakfast, local tax and VAT.), and 'Specials' - which can be from only £27.50 pp - at: www.thechateau.sk/contact.html

Address/Tel: The Château (Kaštiel' Šalgovce), SK-956 06, Slovakia Tel: +421 (0)38 539 5155

Website and Email: www.thechateau.sk info@thechateau.sk

From Chateau website and piestany.net/castle-salgovce/ (www.bookings.sk/) described and well illustrated.

Piestany lies on the route to Zilina (Budatin Castle - see report on visit to the Tatra mountains and NE Slovakia last year above). Other local stopping points for tours in this region are Trencin to the north and Trnava just to the south as well as the nearby majestically walled Nitra and its and its Baroque Church and the even closer Bosnice.

Nitra Bosnice

No visit to south west Slovakia would be complete without a visit to the capital Bratislava. A good tourist guide by Fastcheck AG is available to download via Ryanair.com destinations.

Bratislava and Bratislava Castle by night

Bratislava is but a short bus ride away from Vienna-Schwechat airport which can also be utilised to reach SW Slovakia. This visit to Slovakia exited via rail to Vienna (see Austria)

CZECH REPUBLIC
Map of Czech Republic

A visit to Ostrava, Czech Republic was part of the visit to Poland and Slovakia 2007. Details of the actual tour and extracts from local guides can be seen at Poland-Slovakia and Slovakia-Caves+Waterfalls for more information and links.
Our aim was to find the Wenceslas Church, Ostrava - so praised by guide books and state literature - but neither the population of the city nor surrounding suburbs appeared ever to have heard of the church and we finally had to make do with a delightful wooden church somewhere near Ostrava (we were lost!).

Wooden Church, Ostrava, CZ

We wouldn't recommend anyone to attempt to find this place as we are not bad at persevering to the end. We did, however, see a lot of main roads around Ostrava and talk to a lot of people in some kind of pidgin English.

Entering Czech Republic at Ceský Tešín. At Havírov stay on Rte 11. At Ostrava 1.9 km W to Hrabuvka and return on #58 3.5 km N to Church of Saint Wenceslas (never found it. Nobody knew it).
Turn left onto Rte 472 NE Jastrzebie Zdrój Entering Poland Go onto Rte 91 17 km W Wodzislaw Slaski. At Jastrzebie Zdrój....

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HUNGARY
Map of Hungary

Hungary brings back the memory of a question I posed after visiting in 1974 - "Keep my beard for 10yrs or not?". It hadn't been easy to get passed the customs in those days with a beard when my passport had none.

Budapest was enchanting and is a beautiful city. Even more so as we knew people there who had famous relatives in the art world and so the visits to the museums and art galleries had a special attraction. There will be more on Hungary one day. Don't miss Buda and go right to the top of the hill there.

You will be well served with the Hungarian Tourist Office website as well as Lonely Planet

Although I never personally visited, a good friend was once in Miscolc in eastern Hungary. That was also before "the better days" which seem to have been seized by the Hungarians - the ones who assissted most in bringing down the Iron Curtain! You will find Miscolc under Northern Hungary at the GoToHungary.com website which also has a map and many pictures of Hungary

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SLOVENIA, CROATIA, BOSNIA, SERBIA, MONTENEGRO, KOSOVO, MACEDONIA, ALBANIA

SLOVENIA
Map of Slovenia

~~~WIP~~~

CROATIA
Map of Croatia

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BOSNIA HERZEGOVINA
Map of Bosnia Herzegovina

~~~WIP~~~

SERBIA
Map of Serbia

~~~WIP~~~

MONTENEGRO
Map of Montenegro

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KOSOVO
Map of Serbia

~~~WIP~~~ Kosovo's 2008 independence has been recognised by the US and the UK but not by all countries. The country code KV has been used here but is not official.

MACEDONIA, FYR of
Map of Macedonia

~~~WIP~~~

ALBANIA
Map of Albania

~~~WIP~~~

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GREECE, CYPRUS, MALTA, N AFRICA, Mediterranean Middle East

Home - Back - Forwards -

GREECE AND CYPRUS

Map of region

NORTHERN GREEK MAINLAND

~~~WIP~~~

SOUTHERN GREEK MAINLAND

~~~WIP~~~

PELOPENES

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CYCLADES ISLES

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DODECANESE ISLANDS

Rhodes

The review on our trip to Rhodes is yet to come but this charter trip (with allocation on arrival) saw us in Falaraki which proved much better than its name. The Lyristis Appartments was just fine and nicely half a km from the "Clubbing St" and about 1.5km from the "Bar or Pubbing St".

It was a "hot" visit with temperatures getting up to 42c and my friend flaked out and read or rested all day.

I pushed off on my own to Rhodes town and took one day trip to the Island of Symi (€15 and well worth it) nestled into the Turkish coastline

On a Monday there is a boat to the smalll island of Kastellorizo which one feels is half way to Cyprus and lies about 1.5mls off the Turkish coast. The island is so far east that no Greek map has it (at least not in the right place).
In January 1917, a fluke shot from a Turkish battery hit the petrol storage of the Ben-my-Chree III (1908-1917 - Isle of Man Steam Packet Co) and the ensuing fire finished up with the Ben3 sinking in shallow waters. That shot was like a 6 in the lotto.
The Ben3 was requisitioned in 1915, turned into one of the first seaplane carriers, and served off the German coast before transferring to the Dardanelles where a pilot performed the first ever airplane to sea torpedo attack and successfully hit a ship that had, apparently, just been hit by a British submarine also.

Anyhow, I took a day trip to Kastellorizo which is full of Greek-Australians (the original population, decimated by war, took the £10 offer to go downunder where they are now 50'000). It was a kind of homage trip as I'm from the Isle of Man and the story of the Ben3 will be appearing somewhere towards the end of this year.

This trip proved far to hot (hitting 42c/102f) to tour around the island and the beach, restaurants and walks in and around Falaraki proved otherwise to be sufficient travel.

Yes, that was a great week on Rhodes and the day trips proved rewarding. The Lyristis can be recommended and the young people coming home at 06.30 didn't disturb as that was the time I left to take my trips.

~~~WIP~~~

CRETE

~~~WIP~~~

CYPRUS
Map of Cyprus

CYPRUS
Just one week before the Iraq war of 2003, a last minute great deal to Paphos. Visited the whole island from Ayia Napa to Nicosia and enjoyed the springtime pleasant temperatures. Nice quiet but busily touring vacation. A day trip to Cairo proved too good to resist.

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MALTA, N AFRICA, Mediterranean Middle East

Map of region

MALTA

Unmaterialised was a visit to Malta in April 2008 with destination Bugibba to the NW of the island in mind.
Malta comprises the main island of Malta, the smaller and laid back island of Gozo and, lying in between them the very small island of Comino. Malta was awarded the George Cross for Bravery during WWII having shown defiance towards invading troops and loyalty to its ally UK.

Valletta (Capital)
Valletta, with its building of bastions, curtains and ravelins, along with the beauty of the baroque buildings along its streets, became known as the 'Most Proud', amongst the ruling houses of Europe. In Maltese, Valletta is known as Il-Belt, simply meaning "The City".

Sliema
Located on the Malta's NE coast 5km north of Valletta but only 0.5km by ferry, Sliema is set on a peninsular. 'The Strand (Ix-Xatt)' facing Marsamxett harbour, Valletta, Sliema Creek & Manoel island or 'Tower Road (Triq It-Torri)' towards the open Mediterranean sea.

St Julians
St Julians was initially a fishing village but later turned to a summer residence for wealthy locals and now developed into one of the island's mostly sought after resorts for night life and entertainment - especially by the youngsters and the middle aged. Within walking distance of Paceville, this village still retains some of it's old dwellings and boat houses.

Bugibba/Qawra
Bugibba and the adjacent Qawra lie in the North Eastern part of Malta. Both Bugibba and Qawra are very popular tourist resort with numerous hotels, restaurants, beaches, bars, nightclubs and a casino.

Mellieha
Furthest north from St Paul's Bay lies the town of Mellieha atop a hill and overlooking the 'tail end' of Malta. An attractive hilltop village with a main street winding downhill, it is also surrounded by fertile valleys and most spots provide good panoramas of the countryside, the Bay (which has the longest beach in Malta) and NWwards towards Comino and Gozo.

Gozo Island
Gozo, which in Maltese is called Għawdex (pronounced: Awdesh), is some 67sqkms. It is 14kms long and 7kms wide with a coastline of 43 km. Together with the smaller isle of Comino and the main island of Malta, these form The Republic of Malta.

A map of the above and fuller details at ChoiceHols

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MOROCCO

ALGERIA

TUNISIA

LIBYA

EGYPT

ISRAEL

LEBANON

TURKEY, Russia, Other Eastern European States

TURKEY
Map of Turkey

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RUSSIA
Map of Russia (European)

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OTHER EASTERN EUROPEAN STATES

BELARUS
Map of Belarus

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UKRAINE
Map of Ukraine

~~~WIP~~~

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MOLDOVA
Map of Moldova

~~~WIP~~~

ROMANIA
Map of Romania

~~~WIP~~~

BULGARIA
Map of Bulgaria

~~~WIP~~~

GEORGIA
Map of Georgia

~~~WIP~~~

ARMENIA
Map of Armenia

~~~WIP~~~

AZERBAIJAN
Map of Azerbaijan

~~~WIP~~~

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AUSTRALASIA

AUSTRALIA

An out of the ordinary trip round Australia is Jan & Max's journey from Cape York, Queensland to Darwin, NT via the East, South and West Coasts followed by a cross Australia conclusion from Darwin to Adelaide. Well worth visiting this site.

Australian Good Beer Guide www.goasdoue.com Visit the amber nectar producers. www.perthweb.net.au/entertainment/pubs Pubs and Entertainment in Western Australia

Australia - Flights, Accommodation, Tours, Attractions, Cars www.traveldownunder.com.au Australia's largest travel directory

QUEENSLAND

^Use above options ^ until vNew Options below allocatedv

Detailed/interactive maps: Excellent Regional Maps - Qld Travel with Hi Resolution Maps
Overview maps: Lonely Planet - Regional accommodation with maps

Queensland - the home of superlatives and the Great Barrier Reef and commonly referred to as the "Sunshine State", is Australia's ultimate outdoor playground. Hike through tranquil rainforests, relax on an island or go diving on the Great Barrier Reef. From the fun of the Gold Coast to the adventure of the Cape you will know you have found a special kind of paradise in Queensland. On the South Coast, Brisbane, the capital of Queensland is neighboured to the east by Australia's tourism capital, the Gold Coast with golden beaches and exciting nightlife. North is the natural beauty and more relaxed atmosphere of the Sunshine Coast. Further north on the East Coast are the world famous Whitsunday Islands. Here you can charter a yacht to explore these magic islands, or simply book a stay on one of the many resort islands and be pampered to your hearts content. The World Heritage Listed Great Barrier Reef spans 2 000km from the tip of Cape York to Gladstone in the south. A scuba divers paradise with 2 900 individual reefs, 71 coral islands, 10 000 species of sponge, 350 different species of coral, 4 000 species of molluscs, 350 species of echinoderms and over 1 500 species of fish. Far North Queensland or the Tropical North is home to the World Heritage Listed Daintree Rainforest, crocodiles, fantastic barramundi fishing and the anglers dream - the Black Marlin. (atn.com.au/qld.htm)

CAPE YORK and NORTHERN QUEENSLAND

CAIRNS and THE FAR NORTH

Daintree National Park - A large rainforest park with rivers gorges and waterfalls. Walking tracks through rainforest and some excellent swimming holes. Cruises available up the Daintree River and are a great way to spot many birds and animals, and even crocodiles.

Cape Tribulation - Spectacular beaches are surrounded by dense rainforest on one side and spectacular coral reef on the other.

Mount Hypipamee NP (The Crater) - High altitude rainforest with flora closely related to the sub-tropical rainforests of southern Queensland and New South Wales. Being at a higher altitude than other parks on the Tablelands, climatic conditions are wet and cool. On the southern Evelyn Tableland in the Hugh Nelson Range, this park is centred around a volcanic pipe which has a crater approx 70m across, sheer granite walls and an 82m deep lake, 58m below the rim.
7 species of possum can be found in the park and the crater is home to many rainforest birds such as the golden bowerbird and spotted and toothbilled catbirds. Scrub turkeys as well as Lewin's and bridled honeyeaters (common around the picnic area) and Victoria's riflebird, a bird of paradise, might just be performing his spectacular mating dance (in spring).

Lake Eacham NP - Lake Eacham is a maar (volcanic crater formed by explosions of overheated groundwater) surrounded by rainforest. The varying soil types and drainage patterns result in a wide variety of forest types. A 5km track around the lake passes several different rainforest communities. At the start of the track there is evidence of rainforest clearing during World War II with dominant grey-green wattles in the canopy and a large number of young rainforest species underneath. There are approx 100 species of birds in the rainforest here as well as one of the few marsupials active during daytime, the small, dark, musky rat-kangaroo.

Lake Barrine National Park - Lake Barrine is a 65m deep blue lake surrounded by lush rainforest is also a maar. The vegetation consists of mainly tall trees (<40m), many large fig trees, and an undergrowth with long-leaved ginger plants and aeroids. A 7km track circles from the lake's edge below the car park and passes two exceptionally large kauri pines, a tree which dominated Tableland forests for thousands of years. Wildlife includes the common saw-shelled turtle, water dragons, amethystine pythons and the colourful Boyd's forest dragon, a lizard that grows to 45cm. The lake is an ideal location for scientific studies of pollen found in sediments on the lake floor. These layers which go back millennia, are used to record past changes in vegetation and therefore climatic changes Study of these sediments and those of other maars nearby have provided evidence for a theory proposing expansion and contraction of Tableland rainforests.

THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

From Lizard Island, the most northern island resort, down to Magnetic Island just off Townsville, this group of islands offer a wide variety of natural wonders and attractions for you to enjoy. Here you can be pampered at one of the most exclusive resorts in the world, relax under the palms on powder white beaches, experience the spectacular scuba diving or fight the biggest game fish of all - the Black Marlin. Other islands include Fitzroy Il, Hinchinbrook, Dunk Il, Bedarra Il, Orpheus Il

Home - Back - Forwards

ATHERTON TABLELANDS and QUEENSLAND BUSH

If you like the Outback and Cassowary birds, then our trip over Innisfail (88km S), Mount Garnet to Undara Lava Tubes nr Mount Surprise is a "must see".
More about this trip to follow which led to Mount Garnet (opal mines) and then half sealed outback roads to Undara.
The trip back went over Atherton and Baron Falls to Kuranda - THE tourist attraction with a Skyrail chair lift to see more rainforest. Don't miss the Butterfly Sanctuary here.
Kuranda is a little bit "resortified" and has all the "nice" things like souvenirs and the wrong food cafes but is a lovely setting and the road down the remaining 23km to Cairns has a breathtaking viewpoint before the drop over the Great Barrier Reef region around Carins.

TOWNSVILLE and THE CAPRICORN COAST

We have friends in Townsville (actually from Fremantle in WA but working with the Australian Air Force in Townsville). Another good friend in Wales is a regular visitor there too. She (and a Tripadvisor.com reader) strongly recommend Pizza Tonite, 53 Sooning St, Nelly Bay on Magnetic Island (07) 4758 1400, Nelly Bay, QLD 4819.
Remember when travelling from Cairns or Brisbane that Queensland is big - very BIG - and it is also hot with early spring temperatures of 26c at breakfast.

WHITSUNDAY COAST
Map of the Whitsunday Coast & Islands

Airlie Beach - Delightful coastal village. Mainland centre for the Whitsunday Islands. Surrounded by the Conway Range NP Many stunning beaches - Earlando and Dingo beaches are favorites for fishing and beachcombing while Funnel Bay, 4km from the village is one of the most picturesque spots on the coast.

Townsville, the capital of North Queensland is the the third largest city in the state. Located in North Queensland's 'dry tropics', enjoying an average of 320 days of sunshine each year. The city is the perfect stepping off point for tropical islands and the Great Barrier Reef, Magnetic Island being only 20 mins away by high speed catamaran. Also close by are many National Parks the outback and magnificent rainforests . Townsville is on the shores of Cleveland Bay where Captain Cook sailed in the Endeavour on June 5 and 6 1770. The first wharf was built at Ross Creek in 1864 and later became Townsville Harbor. Today it is Northern Australia's premier port shipping over 6.5 million tonnes of cargo a year. Townsville's heritage has been retained with much of the central business district and waterfront areas now housed in magnificently restored historic buildings. The city centre is framed by The Strand Waterfront and the looming pink granites of Castle Hill.

Mackay, located halfway between Brisbane and Cairns is surrounded by magnificent beaches and country charm. The streets are lined with towering Royal Palms and ferns with colouful parrots giving the town a unique tropical appearance. With a population of 40 000 the town is an important centre of the sugar industry, shipping almost 1/3 of Australia's total production. There is easy access to the Great Barrier Reef, and mainland beaches and the spectacular Eungella , and Hillsbourough NPs are close by.

Charters Towers is situated 135km south-west of Townsville, with a population of almost 10 000. In its gold-rush days it maintained a population three times that. From 1871, and until 1911, some seven million ounces of gold were extracted from the region. The enormous gold reserves prompted the building of Australia's first regional stock exchange, which magnificent heritage building has been fully restored in recent years. Grand hotels, banks and public buildings of that era are still in use today giving the visitor a glimpse of what life must have been like back in the boom times. The major industry for the region is now cattle, but a renewed interest in mining has attracted many companies to the area to exploit remaining gold by modern mechanised methods.

Ravenswood - 123km SW of Townsville, this historic town once boasted more than 50 hotels in the booming gold rush days at the turn of the century. Today Ravenswood is classified as a heritage town through the National Trust of Queensland. The Ravenswood Restoration and Preservation Soc actively works to coordinate the preservation of the array of historic buildings. The town is a short 90 minute drive from Townsville, and gives a fascinating insight into the history and heritage of the areas gold rush era. A booklet is available on five heritage trails which incorporate the many heritage buildings of the town, historic mining sites and the "White Blow", an outcrop of white quartz located several km out of town. The impressive Imperial Hotel built 1902 is magnificently restored complete with swinging saloon doors, a red cedar hand carved bar in the shape of a horseshoe and beautiful leadlighting.

Bowen situated on a peninsular in the shores of Port Deninson is Northern Queensland's oldest town. With a colourful past stretching back to 1770 the town was proclaimed in 1861. The historical museum and the Bowen Murals are some attractions

CAPRICORN COAST
Map Rockhampton to Bundaberg

Centered around the Beef Capital of Australia, Rockhampton, this region is rich in diversity. National Parks, heritage buildings, beautiful beaches, island retreats and international resorts are all within easy reach. Roslyn Bay Harbour is the gateway to the Keppel Bunker Group of islands and the Great Barrier Reef.

ROCKHAMPTON is located inland on the Fitzroy River and has many buiildings classified by the National Trust lining the streets which come to life in summer with the mauve blossoms of hundreds of Bauhinia trees. Heritage Drive or, for the more energetic, the Heritage Walk take in the grand old architecture which have been lovingly preserved and restored. The towns botanic gardens have been lauded for containing some of the most extensive examples of indigenous flora and fauna in Australia. The Fitzroy is a favorite for many water activities including water skiing, boating, fishing or holidaying on a houseboat and some excellent bushwalking tracks lead to the Mount Archer Lookout with stunning views over "Rockie"

Yeppoon - This pretty resort town is the main town on the coast of the Capricorn region. Enveloped by hills and with streets lined pines and palms, the town is a great base to explore the coastal wonders. Close by are the tiny holiday resorts of Cooee Bay, Mulambin and Causeway with quiet tree-lined beaches and Byfield State Forest with excellent examples of Australian flora and Fauna including the rare Byfield Fern. Rosslyn Bay Boat Harbour is hopping-off point for Keppel Bunker Group of islands and the Great Barrier Reef.

Emerald, 263km W of Rockhampton, You can fossick in the country's largest sapphire fields or dig up your own thunderegg.at Mt Hay

SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND

THE DISCOVERY COAST

AGNES WATER / TOWN OF 1770:
The Discovery Coast is a comfortable drive north of Bundaberg along sealed roads and both afford accommodation, camping sites, restaurants and cafes. They are ports for Great Barrier Reef and wilderness tours.

Oceanfront Agnes Water boasts the most northerly surfing beach in Queensland. Rolling surf makes the beach a mecca for board riders. The beach is also a safe swimming haven, stinger free and patrolled during peak seasons. The township has ample shopping, as well as restaurants and take aways. Whilst there, "musts" are the surrounding National Parks, Deepwater, Eurimbula and Rodds Peninsula. At Agnes Water you’ll find million dollar sea views, charming beach cottages and delux accommodation.

To the north lies the Town of 1770, a town that grew up in the footprints of Captain James Cook was officially named during the 1988 Bicentennial year.
Town of 1770 overlooks Round Hill Creek estuary to Eurimbula National Park to the north and the southern most island of the Great Barrier Reef to the East. The surfers’ shacks of old share the foreshore with a new brand of beach hut, B&B’s, holiday apartments and guesthouses, but the crystal clear water and natural landscape has changed little since Cook’s landing. One of the town’s main attractions is proximity to the coral cays of the Great Barrier Reef - Lady Musgrave Island, part of Capricorn Cays National Park, is only an eighty minute trip away.

LADY MUSGRAVE ISLAND

At the southernmost end of The Great Barrier Reef lies Lady Musgrave Island which can be visited from Bundaberg or Hervey Bay by day excursion. Very lovely island. Very expensive boat - we opted for Hervey Bay and Fraser Island (below) instead

Lady Elliot Island

Take a flight from Bundaberg airport. Only 30 mins away. Go for the day or stay a few nights. Tel: 1800 072200
More info: Tourist Infomation Centre cnr Takalvan and Mulgrave St 4153 2333 or Visitors Ctr, Bourbong St 4151 2527