Laura Ginn – Page 21 – Travel Britain – United Kingdom Travel Guide for England, Scotland, Wales, & Ireland

Gloucester

May 1, 2014June 12, 2014 Laura GinnGloucester0 comment

Gloucester is a large cathedral city in Gloucestershire. The city lies deep in the heart of the picturesque Cotswolds, not far from the border with South Wales and a short hop from the West Country. It is an interesting place with history dating back to Roman times. There was once a large port in Gloucester that was used to transport men and goods in Elizabethan times. Back in those days, magnificent tall ships were a common site and the city was a thriving commercial centre. Today the tall ships are…

Pontypool Wales

Pontypool

April 15, 2014June 12, 2014 Laura GinnPontypool, Wales0 comment

Pontypool in South Wales grew up on the edge of the Welsh coalfields. The town is only a short distance from its nearby neighbours, Newport and Cymbran, and many people living in Pontypool commute to other towns in the area. Like many of the towns and cities in South Wales, Pontypool has suffered a great deal with the decline of the coal mining industry. In its heyday, Pontypool was a prosperous and thriving market town, with its population working in the coal, steel and iron industries, but times changed and…

Livingston Scotland

Livingston

April 1, 2014June 12, 2014 Laura GinnLivingston, Scotland0 comment

Livingston in West Lothian, Scotland, was once a small mining village, housing the workers for the booming shale oil mining industry in the 1800s. According to historians, the name Livingston derives from a Flemish gentleman called De Leving, who came to the region and built a large tower. The tower is no longer in evidence, but the town now bears an approximation of his name. Livingston was the home of Robert Burns, who was inspired enough by at least one local lady to write his famous song: the Bonnie Lass…

Colwyn Bay Wales

Colwyn Bay

March 15, 2014June 12, 2014 Laura GinnColwyn Bay, Wales0 comment

Colwyn Bay in North Wales is a relic of a bygone age when seaside towns were the fashionable place to go on your annual summer holidays. Modern Colwyn Bay isn’t quite as popular as it was a century ago, but it still has enough charm to attract many thousands of visitors during the summer holiday season, and thanks to its close proximity to the A55, it is only an hour’s drive from Manchester and Liverpool. Colwyn Bay is like many other traditional seaside resorts: it has a long promenade, a…

Carrickfergus Northern Ireland

Carrickfergus

March 4, 2014June 12, 2014 Laura GinnCarrickfergus, Northern Ireland0 comment

The town of Carrickfergus is in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, and is only a few miles up the coast from Belfast. It’s one of the oldest settlements in Ireland and is known to have been a small town in the 1100s. It was around this time that the original Carrickfergus Castle was built by John de Courcy, an Anglo-Norman knight. Since those early days, the town has been the location for a number of historical events, including the Battle of Carrickfergus in 1597 and the last witch trial to be…

Bradford England

Bradford

February 28, 2014June 12, 2014 Laura GinnBradford, England, Yorkshire0 comment

Bradford is a large, multi-cultural city in West Yorkshire, adjacent to Leeds and nestled at the foot of the Pennines. Despite its industrial heritage, Bradford has award winning museums, many examples of fine 19th century architecture, and plenty of great things to see and do. Thanks to the success of the wool trade, the city of Bradford expanded massively in the 19th century and people came from all over to work there. Today, many of the old mills and Victorian buildings have been restored and put to a different use…

England Helmsley

Helmsley

February 25, 2014June 12, 2014 Laura GinnEngland, Helmsley, Yorkshire0 comment

If you were to try and describe what you would imagine to be the ideal image of an English market town, the image that you describe would almost certainly match that of the town of Helmsley in North Yorkshire. The pretty market square is still a hive of activity and you will find tea rooms serving the quintessential English afternoon tea, as well as county pubs which have altered little over the centuries. As if this wasn’t picturesque enough, the town is rather romantically surrounded by the stunning North Yorkshire…

England Spalding

Spalding

February 21, 2014June 12, 2014 Laura GinnEngland, Lincolnshire, Spalding0 comment

Spalding is a small market town deep in the heart of Lincolnshire. It isn’t the most famous place in the region, but if you are looking for a base from which to explore the beautiful fen lands of northeast Lincolnshire, Spalding is perfectly situated. Extensive waterways and wetlands characterise the area and the River Welland cuts right through the middle of Spalding. There are many historic links between Spalding and the Netherlands, mostly as a result of the thriving bulb and flower growing industry that remains a significant part of…

Bristol England

Bristol

February 17, 2014June 12, 2014 Laura GinnBristol, England0 comment

Bristol lies on the cusp of the West Country and is a great place to stay for a night, a weekend, or longer. A lot of visitors pass through Bristol in their haste to reach the historic city of Bath or continue on to Devon and Cornwall, but Bristol has loads to offer so it is worth spending a bit of time there exploring its many attractions. The city is a major cultural centre with a thriving music scene and a host of theatres, festivals, restaurants and shops; it also…

Bakewell England

Bakewell

February 14, 2014June 12, 2014 Laura GinnBakewell, Derbyshire, England0 comment

If the name Bakewell conjures up a tempting picture of a delicious tart, you are probably salivating at the thought of visiting the place itself. But don’t worry because you will not be disappointed. The small market town of Bakewell in the heart of the Peak District does indeed lend its name to a very famous pudding, but the name is actually derived from an ancient cluster of thermal springs that first attracted settlers to the area. Until the 19th century, Bakewell was just another small market town, but thanks…