Kynance Cove, Lizard Peninsula - Southwest Cornwall

View of the Beach & Water at Kynance Cove


Interested in a holiday by the water in a beatiful location that is suitable for camping and caravanning?

You'll be glad to know of the area around Kynance Cove on the Lizard Peninsula in Southwest Cornwall. Kynance Cove is about two miles north of Lizard Point, the most southerly point on the British mainland.


The name Kynance comes from the Cornish word Kynans meaning ravine or gorge. While not as apparent in this picture, but can definitely be seen in the picture at the top, the cliffs surrounding Kynance Cove are rather high.


Kynance Cove at Low Tide



Kynance Cove Accommodation

The accommodations around Kynance Cove are decidedly low-key, but that is the draw for many. There are some cottages in the area, or you can bring a caravan along with you.

Or, another option well-suited for this beautiful environment is to bring along a tent and set up somewhere under the stars. In this way you can get a better sense of how the Celts for whom evidence of there being in the area as far back as 300 B.C. might have experienced this land & sea.


Kynance Cove Cottage

The Kynance Cove Cottage and Cafe can be seen on the right side of this picture.


Kynance Cove Cafe

Nice Place to Enjoy a Meal


Kynance Cove along with much of the surrounding coast is owned by the National Trust.

Footpaths, other beaches in the area and an "un-developed" environment in general make the Kynance Cove and the surrounding area a great spot for a rustic and relaxed holiday.

Broadway Tower - Cotswolds

Atop a Cotswold hill sits the Broadway Tower, a somewhat peculiar looking structure, that nonetheless draws the eye.


Comfortable Grass on Broadway Hill

On Broadway Hill, the second highest peak in the Cotswolds at 1024 feet, Broadway Tower stands 55 feet high. Designed and built at the very end of the 18th century to resemble a castle, and it certainly does, a compacted one at that.


On clear days standing atop Broadway Hill, or in Broadway Tower affords sweeping views in all directions, as far as the Welsh Mountains to the west.


View from a Window in the Broadway Tower




Take in the view from the Broadway Tower rooftop with your eyes alone, or with the aid of a telescope.


Towns nearby are Evesham in Worcestershire, Moreton-in-Marsh in northeastern Gloucestershire, and the Worcestershire village of Broadway from which the Broadway Tower can be reached by following a path.

Broadway Tower Country Park in which the Tower is located can also be reached along the Cotswold Way. The park is open daily from 10:30 am - 5:00pm. Admission is Adult £4.50, Child (4-14) £2.50, with annual, group, and family prices also available.

Those wishing to reach Broadway Tower by car can take the A44 Evesham - Moreton-in-Marsh.

Learn more at the Broadway Tower website - http://www.broadwaytower.co.uk.

The Famous Dovedale Stepping Stones

Walking and hiking in Dovedale, a popular and scenic dale in the Peak District, is an enjoyable activity. One of the more unique sections of the walking paths in Dovedale are the stepping stones across the River Dove, they are known to be slippery at times but they will most likely get you across the river while staying dry. Granted they do require you exert a bit more care in your steps than a bridge would, but that's part of the fun.


The Famous Stepping Stones Across the River Dove in Dovedale

In 2010 the Dovedale Stepping Stones were re-surfaced with new limestone slabs, making them all a uniform height. Some locals and other users of the stepping stones were not happy with this, but at least the re-surfacers had the sense to use the local limestone and not something unsightly such as concrete.





The Dovedale Stepping Stones have been a feature of the Derbyshire country side for centuries. Walkers, ramblers, and fishers have been using them to cross the River Dove since at least the 17th century when they were mentioned in Izaak Walton's book The Compleat Angler.




Here are the Dovedale Stepping Stones in there weathered and uneven state before they were re-surfaced. One of the complaints of those unhappy with the change of the stones was that in their previous state you could get a sense of the centuries of use the stones had received by looking at the wear and weathering of them.

Golden Cap on The Jurassic Coast

Golden Cap, a 191 meter / 626 foot high peak on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, England is the highest point on the Southern English Coast.

Nearby towns and villages to Golden Cap include Charmouth, Chideock, & Bridgport.

On clear days Golden Cap is visible from up to 10 miles away.

Those wishing walk to the summit of Golden Cap can follow a walking path to the top of 626 foot high hill from Seatown.





The name Golden Cap is due to areas of exposed golden colored of sandstone near the hill's peak.






Looking west from the summit of Golden Cap.




Looking east from the summit of Golden Cap.




View of Golden Cap from the town of Lyme Regis.

Brecon Beacons National Park

The View from High in the Brecon Beacons


Where is Brecon Beacons?

Brecon Beacons National Park is located in southern Wales, the park is roughly 40 miles east to west and 20 miles north to south. The eastern end of the park runs along the Welsh - English border

Located north of Swansea and Cardiff and West of Gloucester, Brecon Beacons National Park offers visitors not just the standard park activities of walking, hiking, camping, and caravanning but also very wide range of other enjoyable activities.

These Brecon Beacons activities include caving, cycling, both road and mountain biking, fishing, geocaching, gliding(paragliding, hang gliding, and sailplanes), golf, horse riding, kayaking and canoeing, sailing and windsurfing on Llangors Lake and Pontsticill Reservoir.



Sunlight Kissing the Hills of the Brecon Beacons


The park is also host to a number of events and festivals.

To read about upcoming events, visit the park's website - http://www.breconbeacons.org

If you are going to be visiting Brecon Beacons in August you may interested to know of the Green Man Festival a Folk / Psychedlia / Dance / Americana / Indie music festival held the third weekend in August in Brecon Beacons since the festival's founding in 2003 it has grown in popularity and attendance and begun to include aspects of culture beyond music such as theatre, literature, film, and much more.


Crowd Gathered to Enjoy the Green Man Festival in 2007

The New Theatre - Cardiff, Wales

Sun shining on the curved exterior of The New Theatre in Cardiff, Wales.


In Cardiff city center is the New Theatre, established in 1906, the theatre has a maximum capacity of 1144 people.

Productions to be seen at The New Theatre include musicals, plays, children's plays, & an annual Christmas pantomime.

Popular acts of the mid-20th century that appeared at the New Theatre included the popular American Cinema comedy duo Laurel and Hardy, and the Wales-born comedian and magician Tommy Cooper.

For a period of time in the second half of the 20th century the theatre was home to the Wales National Opera before their move to the Wales Millenium Centre.

Currently in addition to touring theatre productions such as plays all rounds of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition are held at The New Theatre except for the final round which is held at St David's Hall. The BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition is a competition for opera and art singers comprised of entrants from around the world. The competition is held every two years with the next edition being 12-19 June, 2011.


After the theatre's opening in 1906 the first production was Twelth Night by William Shakespeare.


The View from the New Theatre Balcony to the Stage.


The New Theatre can be found on Park Place in Cardiff City Centre.

In Welsh The New Theatre is known as Theatr Newydd.

To see what is currently showing at The New Theatre, you can visit the theatre's website - http://www.newtheatrecardiff.co.uk

Shaw's Corner in Ayot St Lawrence

The local villagers of Ayot St Lawrence were the originators of the name "Shaw's Corner" Shaw himself eventually adopted the name and had this gate made.

Born in 1856 in Dublin, Ireland, writer and playwright George Bernard Shaw lived in Ayot St Lawrence at a house now known as Shaw's Corner from 1906 until his death in 1950. It was while living here that most of his works were published, though he had already established himself as a playwright prior to moving to Ayot St Lawrence.



View of the House at Shaw's Corner from the Garden



While living in Ayot St Lawrence, Shaw constructed a small 64 sq foot hut, in his garden where he conducted most of his writing. A unique aspect of this writer's hut was that it was constructed on a circular track so that it could be rotated throughout the day to let in the most sunlight or change the view. While the alternative of simply having more windows seems practical, it's not nearly as cool.


In this view Shaw's writing hut you can see that it is somewhat elevated off the ground, and a portion of the circular track on which it rotates underneath.



Shaw's Corner, is open to the public and administered by National Trust. Activities at Shaw's Corner include tours of the house and garden. In the house you will find many of the literary and personal effects of Mr. Shaw. In the summer there are outdoor performances of Shaw's plays in the garden.


"The quality of a play is the quality of its ideas."
- George Bernard Shaw in "The Play of Ideas", New Statesman (6 May 1950)


The Inside of George Bernard Shaw's Writing Hut Where Many of His Most Famous Works were Written



Shaw's Corner in Ayot St Lawrence is about two miles to the west of Welwyn in Hertfordshire.

Standard admission prices at Shaw's Corner are £5.80 for adults, £2.90 for children, and £14.50 for families. Half-price admission is given to cyclists

Thor's Cave in the Manifold Valley

Looking up at Thor's Cave from the Manifold Valley


Thor's Cave, one of the multiple caves in the Peak District in Staffordshire, England. Humans have known of and visited the cave for at least 10 thousand years. Stone tools have been found in the cave as well as other artifacts and even the remains of extinct animals.


Activities in the area apart from the hike into the cave include a number of different rock climbing routes in the area. Another popular activity is walking or cycling the Manifold Way.


According to people knowledgable on the subject, the name Thor's Cave is likely not derived from the Norse God of Thunder, Thor. The origin of the name however, is not well established. One theory is that the name Thor's Cave is derived from the word tor, a word originating in England meaning a rocky outcrop at the peak of a hill.


In the photo at the top it is somewhat hard to gauge the size of the cave opening.

As you can see from this perspective the opening of Thor's Cave is quite large around 10 meters across, roughly the height of a three-story building.


Looking out on the Manifold Valley from the inside of Thor's Cave





Standing Outside Thor's Cave