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.