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Barnard Castle, County Durham, England.

Friday, July 31, 2009

Today, I am posting information about Barnard Castle, County Durham, England. The town developed in the protective shadow of Bernard Baliol's castle. It sits on the north side of the River Tees.
The castle is one of the largest castles in England and taking its name from the founder: Bernard de Baliol.
Today,The English heritage assume the responsibility for the castle. Barnard castle is an attractive and nice town.

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Eggleston Abbey, County Durham, England.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Today, I am posting information about Eggleston Abbey, County Durham England. Eggleston Abbey is a premonstratensian abbey in England. The Abbey was founded in 12th century by the Premonstratensians, who wore a white habit and became known as "the White Canons". It was the principal remains of the Premonstratensian monastic house.


The Abbey was dissolved in 1540 by King Henry VIII, the lands were granted to Robert Strelly in the 16th century. The Abbey was abandoned in the mid-19th century. Today, the site is maintained by English Heritage.

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Raby Castle, County Durham, England.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Today, I am posting information about Raby Castle, County Durham, England. Raby Castle is one of the largest and most impressive of English medieval castles.
The first castle built on the Raby estate, was constructed during the reign on King Cnut in the early 11th century. The castle stands now, was begun by John 3rd Baron Nevill in the 14th century. The Nevilles owned the castle until the Rising of the North in 1569. Then, the Nevilles lost the castle and a lot of their possessions. Raby Castle has been the home of Lord Banard's family since1626.

The exterior of the castle:
It is really beautiful, the towers are imposing and you can see the Kitchen Tower and Clifford's Tower with original windows.

The interior of the castle:
You can discover the outstanding castle: the Entrance Hall, the Barons'Hall, the Octagon Drawing Room, the Dining room created by William Burn in original design, the kitchen which was built in medieval style,the Blue Bedroom.

You can see also:

  • Paintings like many family portraits.
  • Crafts like porcelain, sculpture and armoury.
  • Furniture and decorative items.

The castle has a wonderful park and garden. In Raby Deer Park, there are the Red deer, Black, and White Fallow deer. And then,you can visit the garden with colourful flowers and special trees.


Well worth to visit.

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Birdoswald Roman Fort, Hadrian's Wall

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Today, I am posting information about Birdoswald Roman Fort on Hadrian's Wall. Birdoswald Roman Fort was one of the sixteen forts along Hadrian's Wall. It is a natural vantage point, which Roman planners utilised in their favour. The fort was occupied by Roman auxiliaries from 112AD to 400. It is one of the best preserved of the forts along Hadrian's Wall. Today, English Heritage assume the responsibility of the site.



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Highland Games in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Today, I am posting information about The Highland Games in Edinburgh on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th. It was really amazing. The Highland Games are events held throughout in Scotland, once a years to celebrate Scottish and Celtic culture and heritage. During this event you have :
  • Highland Games combine athletic and sports competitions. This includes Caber tossing and hammer throwing.




  • Music: the pipe bands is one of the most memorable things during the Highland Games , the music of the bagpipe which is today the symbol of the games. Other musical instruments include the flute.

  • Dance: There are two basic forms of dancing at modern Highland Games gatherings, Scottish country dancing which is like ballroom dancing and Highland dancing which is referred to a style of athletic solo dancing.
  • Clan Village: You can find people who have the same name and keep in touch.


Then, you have a lot of activities for children and also you can discover the Scottish foods throughout the food stand.

The atmosphere was really fantastic,

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History, Whisky and Golf Tour Scotland.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Today we commenced our tour in Fort William (rainy and overcast) then motored down through Glencoe (with brief stop at Visitor Centre) and on to Stirling Castle where the visit was hampered by torrential rain.

After Stirling we went up to Pitlochry to avail of a Distillery Tour at Edradour which lasted about one hour.


After a few selected purchases we moved on to St. Andrews where we spent time inspecting the famous Old Course and taking photos.


Then on to lodgings in Edinburgh.
A long but productive day.

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Scotland Highlands Tour

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Today, our small group commenced Fort William and then proceeded as follows:

-Inverlochy Castle, a magnificent ruin near to Fort William with free entry.



-A scenic view of Fort William from nearby Corpach.


-Glenfinnan, to visit the monument to Bonnie Prince Charlie and witness the famous Jacobite Express Steam Train chugging across the viaduct.


-Ferry from Mallaig to Armadale, Skye. A nice mini-cruise in glorious weather with added bonus of impromptu on board entertainment by a small group of young lady traditional Scottish music entertainers.

-Pub lunch at Eilean Iarmain, superb views at waters edge .Also art gallery and Gaelic Whisky shop.

-Visit artist gallery at Broadford, Skye.



-Across Skye Bridge to Eilean Donan Castle (photo opps) and then on up to Castle Urquhart on famous Loch Ness.



-Back to Fort William via Fort Augustus (pub meal) and then on down the Great Glen tracking various lochs in the clear late evening sunlight.



A great day! Watch this space for tomorrow's tour record.

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Lake District and Scotland Tour

Friday, July 24, 2009

Today, our tour group left Oughterside promptly about 9.00am and then visited

Carlisle for shopping and Internet access.

Next we drove to Birdoswald Roman Fort on Hadrian's Wall where we explored the fort remains and availed of photo opps.


Next was the long drive north to Scotland and a stop at the heritage village of Luss on Loch Lomond where, again, we availed of photo opps in the sunshine and visited the local church with its Viking era grave marker.


Next, we moved north, first tracking Loch Lomond then on into the Highlands via Rannoch Moor, Glencoe and Fort William where we are staying overnight.



Overall, a good day aided by clement weather.

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Day Tour England

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Today, we visited a variety of interesting sites including the ruins of Castle Barnard, the ruins of Egglestone Abbey ,Raby Castle, Ullswater (a lake) and Castlerigg Stone Circle. The stunning Lake District scenery added another dimension.














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Melrose Abbey, Scotland

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Today, our group commenced Edinburgh and travelled south through the Scottish borders. Here, we visited Melrose Abbey which dates from 1136. The Abbey has had a chequered history being battered by the English, rebuilt and then robbed of stone. Novelist Sir Walter Scott instigated repairs in the 19th century.


The Abbey is located in the pleasant country town of Melrose and is worth a visit if in the area. Robert the Bruce's heart was buried at the Abbey.

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Glasgow Cathedral, Glasgow, Scotland.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Today, I am posting a short video on Glasgow Cathedral which is or also called St Mungo's Cathedral. It is the only Scottish medieval cathedral to have survived the Reformulation more or less intact, which was due to a division of the interior into three smaller churches. This cathedral was built during the 12th and the 13th centuries with the Sacristy and the Chapter House added in the early 14th century.
Today, the Cathedral is maintained by Historic Scotland. It is located close to the heart of city centre. Glasgow Cathedral is overlooked from the east by the Glasgow Necropolis whilst nearby is the St Mungo Museum built in 1993. It is a good tourist site. Expert Cathedral guides are available to groups visiting the Cathedral.

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Summer Colours at Greenbank Garden, Scotland

Monday, July 20, 2009

This afternoon, I visited nearby Greenbank Garden, south of Glasgow. This is something of a 'hidden gem' offering a combination of solitude and a variety of colours and plants in a walled garden dating back to the late 18th century. Colour contrast is the theme with hot bright reds and oranges compared with soft blues, creams and whites. Certain of the images capture bees at work.

The last of the still images shows the sculpture 'Foam' by Charles d'Orville Pilkington Jackson which dates from the 1938 Empire Exhibition.















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Hiking in Largs, Scotland.

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Today, we enjoyed a hike along the promenade in Largs. We were a little group of 8 persons. The hiking was good despite the weather which changed abruptly. You can see when we walked along the promenade, neighboring islands, ferries and sailboats.
This is the famous Waverley Paddle Steamer.

We stopped at the Pencil monument which commemorates the Battle of Largs from 1263.


After, we crossed Kelburn Country Centre, we had a fantastic view of the Island of Cumbrae and the Marina. At the end of the walk, the weather was better, we could enjoy the landscapes and the view.

It was a excellent hiking.

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posted by Nigel Cole @ 1:31 PM  1 comments

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Anonymous Alex Gallagher said...

Did I see a mention of your organisation in the weekend papers?

Glad you enjoyed your day hiking in Largs. Yesterday was indeed changeable, with a heavy shower every half-hour in the morning... and even some pm. But Largs is a nice place, even if the weather is a bit Scottish!

If you enjoyed the views there is another walk, through Douglas Park and up to the trig point, where the views are even better, IMO. It's quite steep towards the end, but not very strenous (there are steps some of the way). You could try that next time.

Or you could visit during our annual Viking Festival, http://www.largsvikingfestival.com/

July 20, 2009  

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