Explore the Garden of England…

There has never been a better time to take a short break in Kent, the ‘Garden of England’. Many of the coastal towns are benefitting from arts-led regeneration schemes and there is much to explore, catering for all ages and tastes.

 

The largest event is the Folkestone Triennial which runs until the 14th September. Twenty-two international artists have been commissioned to provide over fifty pieces throughout the town. The works include David Batchelor’s Disco Mecanique (pictured left), Tracey Emin’s bronze castings of baby clothes and, Turner Prize winner, Marl Wallinger’s Folk Stones, a war memorial. The vibrant seaside town is a buzz of activity, especially around the regenerated ‘Creative Quarter’, which boasts many trendy cafes and galleries. Well worth a visit.

Continuing with the arts theme, it would be wrong not to mention the tired seaside resort of Margate. The town may have lost the glamour it used to possess yet there is still boasts plenty of character, especially the blustery sea front and the artistic hub of the town. Until the new gallery opens, the Turner Contemporary, which celebrates the artist’s association with Margate, is housed in the former M&S on the high street. Current works include Walker and Bromwich’s On The Threshold Of A Dream (until September 14), an inflatable work about conflict and escape. Dotted across town is the summer-long installation of local artist Ann Carrington’s Shell Lady sculptures, each named after a famous historic Margate woman.

A short train journey away is the small town of Whitstable. Their biennial event seems on a much smaller scale, yet Ryan Gander’s plasticine animation, with a Richard Briers voiceover, is unsettling and funny, but most compelling is Serena Korda’s Library of Secrets, an interactive work inviting hand-written confessions to be hidden within its books. “None of you know I’m a transsexual,” reads one secreted in What Katy Did. The biennial runs until the 6th July.

Between Folkestone and Margate, Dover and Deal are also worth a visit. Deal’s main attraction, and the heart of all the action, is the seafront. Deal Castle dominates the seafront and it is possible to explore the whole building. Another building on the seafront is the tall and narrow Timeball Tower, with a giant grey ball on its roof. It was built in 1821 to enable communication between ships and the mainland before the age of telephone and radio. From 1853 to 1927 the time ball was raised and dropped at 1pm daily to provide an accurate time check for observers at sea. The tower is now a museum of signalling and precision electrical timekeeping.

The English Heritage recently transformed Peverell’s Tower, the highest point within the walls of Dover Castle, into holiday accommodation. From every window the tower has tremendous views – either of the castle buildings, softly lit at night or, best of all, of the English Channel and the ferries coming and going from the docks. Guests at Peverell’s Tower enjoy free entry to the castle itself (plus unrestricted access to the grounds outside opening hours). This is two attractions in one: an ancient castle with a rich history stretching back beyond Norman times, and an incredible labyrinth of Second World War tunnels.

 

Destination: Norfolk

Norfolk and the Norfolk Broads are a major holiday destination and prove popular with sailing enthusiasts and holidaymakers, keen to experience the waterways and rivers that criss-cross the region. Tourism is the major industry in these parts but you wouldn’t think it. Most of the Broads are protected areas and have remained untouched and unspoilt for hundreds of years. There are 40 Broads in all, linked together by around 200km of lock-free waterways. Originally peat diggings, they became flooded during the 14th Century as water-levels rose. Bicycles also provide a pleasant way of experiencing Norfolk, and can be hired from nine points located close to the moorings.

Destination: Wales

750 miles of exceptional coastline are one of the many reasons that Wales is a top holiday destination. The National Parks of Snowdonia, Pembrokeshire and the Brecon Beacons are also chief attractions and provide the visitor with some of the most impressive landscapes in all of the UK. Short break holidays are particularly popular in the country’s Southerly reaches with Pembrokeshire, the United Kingdom’s only coastal National Park. Wales’ relative proximity to England’s major cities and its accessibility mean that it is often the first choice amongst people searching for short break holidays and weekend cottage breaks.

Destination: Yorkshire

 

The desolate splendour of the Yorkshire Dales and its National Park, which covers around 700 square miles, attract visitors from far and wide. Holiday cottages are a popular choice of accommodation and allow occupants the opportunity of being up close and personal with this dramatic region. Despite its popularity The Dales’ remoteness is still evident in places such as Grassington and Kettlewell which maintain an untouched charm. Yorkshire also possesses a rich industrial heritage – West Yorkshire was once a centre for the British Wool Market producing dress cloths, heavy woollen cloths and ready-made clothing. In fact this region became a world centre of the wool trade with products being exported all over the globe. The remains of this industry can still be seen through the mill chimneys that rise up from the Pennine valleys of the Pennines and contribute to the unique and charming character belonging to Yorkshire. 

 

Destination: Cumbria

 

The Lake District National Park, England’s second largest county, forms part of Cumbria and is one of the reasons why the region is so popular amongst visitors and holidaymakers. Its landscape is one of the most dramatic in England and consists of four peaks that rise over 4000ft. It’s great walking country, well suited to hiking enthusiasts and ramblers with a number of internationally recognised trails and paths that wind through the heart of the magnificent countryside. 50 stone circles found in Cumbria date back to the Bronze Age and vividly illustrate an intriguing past. Some of the best ones can be found at Castlerigg, Little Meg and Grey Croft. 

 

Destination: Cornwall

 

Consistently the most popular holiday destinations in the UK, Cornwall has the United Kingdom’s most temperate climate and possesses a distinctive, unusual coastline. Much of Cornwall’s popularity can be attributed to its beaches, which number over 150. Many have been granted the prestigious Blue Flag award and provide safe, clean environments in which people can to enjoy their holidays. Cornwall also has a fascinating industrial past with mining playing a key role in its history. The pioneering inventions and innovations that took place here during the 18th – 20th century had a significant bearing on the mining industry on a global scale. The remains of this once thriving industry were recently granted World Heritage, status by UNESCO. 

 

Landscapes of our United Kingdom- Part 2

You’ve heard of Jurassic Park no doubt, but did you know that England has a real Jurassic Coast? It’s made up of 95 miles of the Dorset Coast, in Southwest England, about a third of it owned by the National Trust. Composed of wild beaches, sheer white cliffs and stunning rock formations, the Jurassic Coast has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage site for the important (and easily seen) evidence of the history of life on earth – 185 million years of it – frozen in its rocks.

 

Great Britain – that part of the UK that includes England, Scotland and Wales, but not Northern Ireland – is surrounded by islands. Some, like the Isles of Scilly, off Cornwall and Orkney, off Scotland, are part of the UK.But others, in particular, Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark and Herm, like the Isle of Man, are independent (sort of – as you will see) states with their own governments and laws and an oddly tangled relationship with the UK.

Why not visit Europe’s youngest democracy, Sark. Sark is the smallest of the four main British Channel Islands. Three miles long and a mile and a half wide, it has a population of 550 and no motor cars. In fact one tractor drawn ambulance is the island’s only motorized vehicle. 

Sark was the last feudal state in Europe- maybe the world. Through 2007, it was governed by a Seigneur, appointed by the British monarch, and its legislators were landowners who had inherited the right to govern. Then, in August of 2006, the legislators voted to allow all of Sark’s residents to stand for election and Europe’s youngest democracy was born. The transition to full democracy takes place this year.

Landscapes of our United Kingdom- Part 1

The forces of nature – of wind, seas and ice – have combined to give this relatively small, island kingdom an amazing variety of landscapes – all within relatively short distances of each other. No one in the UK is ever more than two hours from the sea. There are mountains and ranges of majestic hills, rolling farmland, wild heaths and moors, exquisite lakes and lochs and gentle, lovely valleys and streams.

England’s Lake District, often called Lakeland, stretches over 885 square miles of Cumbria in the northwest corner of England, just below the Scottish Border. There are more than 50 lakes and mountain tarns as well as England’s highest mountain, Scaffell Pike, and three others of more than 3,000 feet.

 

 

The United Kingdom has some of the world’s most beautiful beaches. That shouldn’t be as surprising as it seems to be to some overseas visitors. After all Britain is an island kingdom. It has nearly 7,800 miles of coast. Nowhere in the entire country is more than two hours from a beach – and in practice, most places are a lot closer than that.

Okay, so the UK’s beaches are not the sort where you can bask in the sun (not very often, anyway) or spend hours swimming warm seas. The water, even on UK beaches washed by the Gulf Stream is pretty chilly. But what the UK’s beaches lack in tropical charm, they more than make up for in sheer drama. For walking, surfing, exploring, wildlife watching, these are some of the most beautiful and isolated beaches in the world. Many of the best are in England’s Southwest and along the coast of Wales. Such as Kynance Cove, an ephemeral, sandy beach, surrounded by rugged Cornish headlands, that only appears when the tide goes out.

The beach, managed by the National Trust, is located on The Lizard, a spit of land off the coast of Cornwall that is the most southerly point of the United Kingdom. The beach rims Kynance Bay, characterized by turquoise waters and small, colorful islets.

 

 

 

Destination UK- Best locations for a summer vacation???

 

Well it’s coming round to the holiday season and if you haven’t already booked your summer vacation, maybe it’s worth checking out destinations a bit closer to home?

Once upon a time not so long ago our first thoughts at holiday time were where we are going abroad this year. With the debate on climate change and the exchange rate at its present low, more and more people are staying in the UK for their holidays, but what is there to do in the UK?

 

Over the next couple of weeks i’m going to explore the options for holidaying in the UK… But where and when are the best places to stay in the UK?

 

Italy’s Euro nightmare is finally over!

 

The reigning World Champions failed to live up to expectations this summer. An ageing squad stumbled through the group stages and was unable to create any lasting memory from the tournament. They struggled to hit the heights of two years ago and the notoriously slow starters didn’t recover from the initial Dutch demolition. Donadoni seemed to lack managerial experience and seemed to lose the dressing room after the humiliating opening defeat.