May 22

Scotland Vacations: Staying In Stranraer

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The nation of Scotland is a splendid destination in which to take a couple of weeks vacation. The nation great for a large amount of varying vacations, featuring extensive expanses of lovely countryside with incomparable amounts of sites of outstanding natural beauty (perfect for ramblers, hikers, hill-walkers, mountain climbers and the likes). The country also features some of the smartest attractions, including, some of the most interesting galleries and museums in the whole of the United Kingdom, majestic spots, stately homes, castles, fortified houses and historical buildings plus much more. In the article below I discuss Stranraer.

Stranraer is a town located in southerly Scotland in the district of Dumfries & Galloway, it is most widely known for it being where it is possible to sail to Belfast in Northern Ireland. Regrettably the largest numbers of tourists fail to see some of the tourist attractions in and around Stranraer. This fact is something of a puzzle, if you arrive at the town, and book a room in a Stranraer bed & breakfast, a day early you can get to see a couple of the local attractions before sailing to the city of Belfast.

There are a selection of things to see and do in the town including the medieval tower house of the Castle of St John situated in the centre of Stranraer. The castle was built in 1510 as a residence for the Laird of Wigtownshire, Ninian Adair of Kilhurst. The castle underwent restoration, during 1988/89, in 1988/89, by Wigtown District Council who made it available to the public in 1990.

Another attraction close to the town is the gardens at Castle Kennedy. The castle is the centrepiece of the gardens which are situated, between 2 lochs, on a hill (it is important to know that you are not allowed to visit the ruins. The castle’s gardens extend across 75 acres. You can purchase plants from a store which has grown them from seed and plants in the gardens.

A further lovely visitor attraction worth seeing is Glenluce Abbey, about seven miles from Stranraer. Although Glenluce Abbey is ruined (actually the most ruined of a trio of Cistercian monasteries found in the South West of Scotland) it has an incredible fifteenth-century Chapter House. Other places worth consideration include, the Machars, Port Logan, Portpatrick and the Mull of Galloway.

If you are thinking about taking a vacation in Stranraer you will be pleased to learn that there is a reasonable selection of Stranraer hotels. Please take a look at our extensive listings of Stranraer hotels and guest house accommodation.

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Apr 13

Are You Having A London City Break? Why Not Have A Trip On The London Eye

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The capital city of England and the British Isles, London, has a huge selection of fantastic visitor attractions, from the amazingly historic to the very new. The vast majority of the attractions are famous across the planet (for instance, the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace the Tower of London). Among the most recently built are the Millenium Dome, London Aquarium, Millennium Bridgethe Millennium Bridge, Millenium Dome, London Aquarium and the London Eye.

The Merlin Entertainments London Eye (it’s full title), is more commonly referred to as, just, the London Eye or,occasionally, the Millenium Wheel (because of the fact that it was built for the Millenium celebrations). The London Eye was opened officially by the then English Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, on December 31 unfortunately there were safety issues which led to it not opening to the public until March. When first erected it was the world’s highest Ferris wheel at a height of four hundred and forty three feet.

The gigantic wheel can be discovered on the South Bank in Jubilee Gardens looking over to the Houses of Parliament below. From within one of the 32 capsules towering over London it is possible to view a great many the many landmarks of London, the Houses of Parliament, St Paul’s, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and Hampton Court Palace are just a handful, what a fantastically unique way in which to see nearly all of London and, most probably, the reason it is one of the most visited tourist attraction in London.

The first flight on the London Eye is at 10 am however the ticket office opens at 9.30 am.  It closes at 9.30 pm between August and July, 8 at night between October and April and at nine at night for the other months.

Visitors traveling in a car will be pleased to discover that there are 3 car parks close by. For those traveling in coach parties there is parking incredibly close to the Eye (Telephone) +44 (0)870 990 8886) for details.

The easiest way to travel to the London Eye is by the underground rail, simply get off at one of the following tube stations; Charing Cross, Embankment, Westminster, or the closest Waterloo. It is also possible to travel by boat, get off at Waterloo Millennium Pier.

Finding hotels in London is as simple as popping over to Google, Bing or Yahoo (or any other search engine of your choice. Whatever kind you prefer you are bound to find your perfect accommodation in London because the city must have the most guest houses, bed and breakfasts and hotels than any other. cheap and cheerful accommodation to the luxurious, huge corporate hotels to the small boutique hotels and lots more.

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Dec 05

Amazing Vacations In York

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Many folk are deciding to take vacations closer to home this year. For the majority of us it is to cut costs but is this a wise decision or a terrible mistake? Frequently many of us fail to see the many local tourist attractions but they are frequently brilliant and far better than those we see somewhere else. Folk resident in the UK have a mindblowing list of vacation destinations each of which has a massive selection of top class visitor attractions to visit. In the following article I introduce the English city of York and hotels in York.

York is situated in the English county of Yorkshire and was, hundreds of years ago, the capital city of a huge kingdom covering most of northern England. In such an ancient city it will not be an enormous surprise to discover a large collection of incredibly old buildings, but you might not expect the astounding sight of the 12th century Gothic York Minster.

The earliest incarnation of York Minster was a humble church of wood in which the Northumbrian King Edwin was baptised in 627. It wasn’t until the time of the Norman Conquest that the earliest sunstantial construction made from stone appeared on the site. Constructed by Thomas of Bayeux, a Norman Archbishop it was extended by Archbishop Roger who constructed a north transept and a south transept. Following many more alterations it was declared complete and consecrated in 1472. Inside has the biggest medieval stained glass window in the world. York has other places to visit including; the National Railway Museum, the Jorvik Viking Centre, Barley Hall, The Shambles, York Castle Museum and York Dungeon.

On top of all of the incredible historic and ancient tourist attractions introduced above, York is an exciting place to go out partying in or experience live music, the opera or theatre. It that doesn’t thrill you then you could visit a pub instead there are certainly plenty to choose from, including; Old Star Inn, Oscars Wine Bar, The Bluebell Inn, the Slug and Lettuce and The Royal Oak, and, lastly, the Black Swan. Of all of them the Black Swan is probably the finest with a superb atmosphere and sometimes having live music.

B&B Accommodation In York

Like many other UK cities you will find a massive variety of York bed and breakfast accommodation ranging from cheap and cheerful guest houses to first class hotels. The Middlethorpe Hall hotel is just two miles from the city centre of York but provides superb accommodation with it’s own private gardens, gym, sauna and steam room, and it also offers massages. Other top York hotels include; Marriott on Tadcaster Road, Hotel du Vin and Bistro, Parsonage Country House Hotel and Bishops at 135 Holgate Road and one of the best guest houses is Crossways on Wigginto Road, or if you are looking for something different why not consider Marmadukes Boutique Hotel.

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Nov 23

Spending Time In Birmingham, England and Things You Need To Know

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Currently increasing numbers folk are seeking new holiday destinations which have something completely different or, at the very least something rather than the common vacation on a sunny beach. During this, so called, credit crunch the majority of us are, unfortunately coming to the inevitable conclusion that they have dramatically less cash for investing in a vacation and are, frustratingly, having to making cutbacks to stretch their cash further. A way of meeting this requirement is to search out a less expensive resort. The article below introduces readers to Birmingham,  a city in England. With the English pound so weak against the dollar and euro guest houses and hotels in Birmingham are a bargain.

You will find Birmingham in the county of England called the West Midlands  and the inhabitants of the city are referred to as being “Brummies”. The accent of Birmingham sounds like many other northern English dialects and it is rather tricky to understand fully what is being spoken a struggle which is exaggerated if if you are new to such accents. Thankfully the vast majority of Brummies are extremely polite, helpful and kind and do their utmost to help you understand so if the need arises don’t be afraid to approach folk about directions and help or guidance in locating  bed & breakfast in Birmingham.

The city has  a superb collection of places to visit and things to do including some interesting and informative galleries and museums, for example the Barber Institute of Fine Arts and the new museum in the Eastside called Thinktank. The city of Birmingham also features an impressive number of hectares of woodland and parks, Sutton Park being the largest with 2,400 acres making it the very largest urban nature reserve in the whole of Europe.

The city features a varied and vibrant nightlife with many restaurants, cafes, wine bars, bars and nightclubs. You will find most in one of the city’s squares, Victoria Square, Centenary Square, St Martin’s Square, Chamberlain Square, the historic Old Square at Corporation Street, Rotunda Square and the Gas Street Basin. Gas Street Basin is the central hub of the city’s canal system. Birmingham has about 32 miles of canals with between eight canals which were built in the 18th century and continued being used until the late twentieth century. Today the Gas Street Basin has been renovated and regenerated and is now a rather nice tourist attraction.

As an alternative to a hotel why not think about apartments in Birmingham. If you If you are considering a Birmingham vacation you will need to know that the closest airport is approximately eight miles east of the the city center just off the A45 and near the M42 (junction 6). You will find there is a useful number of guest houses and hotels close to the airport.

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