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current article Walking the Walls of York "As a medieval bowman you stand within the defences of Walmgate Bar while York is besieged. Defenders breach the outer edge of the barbican and you know now that they are in range of your arrows. No. In fact your imagination has run away with you, transporting you back hundreds of years. Walking the walls can do that to you. Renowned as the historic city, York's medieval walls have become a major tourist drawcard. " A look at the popular activity of walking around the medieval city walls, bringing history to life. Views of the spectacular York Minster. Detours through the middle of the old city's alleyways like Mad Alice Lane and the Shambles (a street of former butchers' shops). |
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current article "Who comes not hither ne'er shall know how beautiful the world below..." " William Wordsworth may have been the Lake District's most famous son, but it's just as well he didn't always get his way. For despite the poet being fiercely opposed to its launching in 1845, the Lady of the Lake became the first steamer to ply the waters of Lake Windermere, following a ceremony at Newby Bridge attended by the rich and famous. Nowadays the pier at Bowness is adorned with colourful signs for tourists, little boys urge the ducks into flight, and white swans sail serenely past energetic souls in rowing boats. Cruising from Bowness to Lakeside aboard the MV Tern, a beautiful steamer built in 1891, I couldn't see why Wordsworth made such a fuss. The views from the water were wonderful." This article leads its audience through England's beautiful Lake District, a place of heritage literary and otherwise, and a wonderland for walkers even as it was in Wordsworth's day. |
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current article "A chill in the air" " 'The American lady stood under Micklegate Bar and looked up. Then without any apparent cause, she fainted.' The voice held us spellbound, 'What had she seen? What had she heard?' We huddled together in the dark and gloomy streets of York in northern England, where the city's medieval walls stand to this day, beneath one of the fortified gates (called 'bars') that once delivered an ominous warning to intending visitors. And we looked up. At which point Lottie Alexander continued her ghoulish tale. " This article takes readers along on York's Original Ghost Walk, through dark and gloomy streets and alleyways, to hear a spell-binding storyteller's ghostly tales. And even the most skeptical may be convinced. |
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current article In step with the Roman legions "Places aren't always what you expect. I'd come to see the magnificent Roman ruin that is Hadrian's Wall, and here I was inspecting the toilets. With enthusiasm, what's more. But these are superbly preserved Roman latrines with a flush system, and they're nearly two thousand years old. They even had modern conveniences, wooden benches to sit on, as evidenced by the holes in the stonework on either side." This article gives readers a sense of what it was like at the frontier in Roman times, with insights from my interview with archaeologist Andy Birley at Vindolanda Fort. It also covers popular tourist walking trails and how to get around using the Hadrian's Wall Bus. |
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current article Sink your teeth into Whitby " 'But, strangest of all, the very instant the shore was touched, an immense dog sprang up on deck from below ... and running forward, jumped from the bow on to the sand. Making straight for the steep cliff, where the churchyard hangs over the laneway to the East Pier ... it disappeared in the darkness.' from Dracula by Bram Stoker, 1897 Looking across the harbour toward East Cliff you can see the view that inspired the fertile imagination of author Bram Stoker, who stayed in the Royal Hotel on the western side of Whitby while writing his famous novel." As much of the novel was set in Whitby, you can follow in Mina's footsteps as she runs up the stairs to the graveyard to save her friend Lucy from those red, gleaming eys. The article looks at the main places referred to by Bram Stoker, as well as briefly passing the famous abbey and the house where Captain Cook lived as an apprentice. Included are a couple of mood photographs of the graveyard at night. |
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current article The Bard and the Businessman "Visiting the town of Stratford-upon-Avon taught me about the life of a famous investor, money lender and landlord who was so shrewd that in his will he left only his second best bed to the widow, to prevent gold-diggers getting their hands on the money. His name? William Shakespeare, who was it seems as much businessman as bard. The tourist trail focuses on five "Shakespeare houses", and the logical place to start is where the playwright was born. The entry to Shakespeare's Birthplace in Henley Street is through an exhibition which gives an insight into life in the 16th century during the reign of Elizabeth I. " A different side of Shakespeare to the one you learned about at school, his money, his family and how they lived back then. What's what with the houses and how to save money. |
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