According to the BBC the English Pub is in decline; it was announced that the demise of the traditional English pub has slowed down, on average in 2010 only 30 pubs a week closed down, compared to 2009 when on average 52 pubs a week were calling last orders and closing their front doors for the last time.

This is a worrying impact of a number of factors (the introduction of the smoking ban, Supermarket prices Vs Pub prices for alcohol, the global recessions impact on disposable income, the housing market and/or second home ownership having an impact on village communities etc.) but that is not what I am going to be talking about today – although they are all excellent conversations to have in the pub if you fancy a pint later?

The most serious element of this phenomena, I believe, is the impact the loss of public houses is having on our nations culture and heritage – the stories and the traditions associated with the pubs in England. I am going to name a few lovely pubs and talk about their history and some of the stories associated with them, and I would encourage you to visit if you get the chance. And, of course, I also encourage you to visit your local while you still can (it reminds me of another story in the news this week, to prevent the proposed closure of a library in Stony Stratford, the locals have withdrawn every single book): As the saying goes ‘if you don’t use it, you could lose it’.

The Cat & Fiddle – Hinton Admiral in Hampshire

Built on the location of a Monk’s hospice dating from the early eleventh century in the New Forest it is now a ‘Harvester’ which is a national chain of pubs known for their salad and grill food menus. The name Cat & Fiddle originates from the Latin for St Catherine the Faithful (Caterine de Fidele) even though the pub sign depicts the famous nursery rhyme.

The Cat & Fiddle in Hinton Admiral copyright David Rogers

During the 18th & 19th Centuries the pub was a haunt for smugglers who were operating from nearby Christchurch Bay, with a secret hiding place which survives built into the pubs chimneys for the storage of contraband.

The walls of the Cat & Fiddle are made of Cob (Cob is a mixture of sand, clay, straw, earth and water, built up wet and allowed to dry) which has been used as a building medium since pre-historic times, with a thick thatched roof.

The Castle Inn – Edge Hill in Warwickshire

Edge Hill is famous as the site of the major battle of the English Civil War, where King Charles I raised his standard and faced the parliamentarians for the first time in 1642, a battle that would change the governance of England forever.

The Castle Inn in Edge Hill

The Castle Inn was built just over a hundred years later by the local squire, Sanderson Miller, as a folly to commemorate the battle. Its octagonal walls are adorned inside with weaponry and photographs taken at civil war re-enactments by groups such as the Sealed Knot and it has two bars, roaring open fires and you can even book a room for the night.

Ghost stories abound, with the sound of soldiers fighting having been heard floating across the fields outside, and the sound of a ghostly cavalry officer is said to be heard galloping through the bar.

The Rose & Crown – Bainbridge in Yorkshire

This 15th Century pub nestled up against the village green in the very heart of this lovely North Yorkshire village is named after two famous feuding families.

The Rose represents both the White Rose of the House of York and the Red Rose of the House of Lancaster who were fighting for the English throne known as the War of the Roses. Many pubs with Rose in their title would change their signs from white to red and visa versa as appropriate during this tense feudal period which lasted over thirty years. The families and the nation were eventually united when the Lancastrian Henry Tudor  married Elizabeth of York creating the Tudor dynasty of English royalty after the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 and the pubs were encouraged to show loyalty, subsequently displaying a bi-coloured rose with the crown in respect of this.

James Chapman of Bainbridge holding the Forest Horn

The Bainbridge Rose & Crown maintained an unusual tradition for over 700 years: Forest Horn Blowing! A buffalo horn was blown three times every evening at 10pm between Holy Rood Day in September through to Shrovetide at Easter. It is thought this tradition was to guide shepherds, travellers and drovers to the town from the surrounding Yorkshire fells. Unfortunately this tradition has ceased to happen within the last decade.

The Bewicke Arms – Hallaton in Leicestershire

Is one of three pubs in this picturesque village which is famous for the Easter Monday annual sporting event known as ‘Bottle Kicking, a competition between the Hallaton village team and one from neighbouring Medbourne. The ‘bottle’ is a small beer filled wooden keg and the ‘kicking’ is the sport of getting the ‘bottle’ across the boundary of your home village.

Hallaton Bottle Kicking on YouTube

The teams are made up of anyone who wants to join in and the residents of the two villages, sometimes there are hundreds of participants. The rules are….well I think I’ve told you all of them already, the ‘game’ can last for hours as the ‘bottle’ disappears under a writhing mass of bodies and the ‘scrum’ consisting of dozens of people if not more slowly moves back and forth through the surrounding countryside.

Before the contest a traditional Hare Pie is served and shared (thrown) amongst the competitors and the winning team is chaired (carried) back to the Butter Cross in the centre of the village green in Hallaton and then the celebrations begin, starting with the emptying of the ‘Bottle’.

Bewicke Arms in Hallaton

There are loads of lovely pubs in England (and the rest of the UK) and I have mentioned a few in previous blogs but I think this gives you a taste of what is being lost every time a pub closes due to whatever reason, it should be a countrywide public outcry but it isn’t yet. In the words of Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi, ‘Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got, till it’s gone.’

It was suggested this week that the Government may allow pubs to be be granted late licences for the Royal Wedding bank holiday to boost tourism and allow everyone to celebrate properly. So you have less than a hundred days to pick your drinking venue for that little party and maybe start a new tradition, which could be written about in a few hundred years.

Valuable sources of research for this post are the fantastic ‘The Old Dog & Duck – The Secret Meanings of Pub Names’ by Albert Jack published’by Penguin and the beautiful ‘English Country Pubs’ by Derry Brabbs published by Seven Dials.

A Guide to the English Pub – Top Public Houses in England is a post from: Anglotopia.net

A selection of photographs of the Heart of England under a sprinkling of snow – November 2010

Pictures of England’s Winter 201 November Snowstorm – Britain Snow Pics is a post from: Anglotopia.net

What with the Pope’s visit to the UK recently, the success of the period drama Downton Abbey on British television’s ITV1 and everyone now speculating as to whether it will be St Paul’s Cathedral or Westminster Abbey for the venue of Prince William & Kate Middleton marriage next year; I’ve been contemplating my favourite religious venues and attractions across the UK.

Some are in stunning locations, the medieval monks knew an idyll when they saw one, some have incredible stories to tell, having played significant roles in the country’s history, some still do and probably will do for centuries more, others are romantic in their ruinous state, abandoned by all, if not by ‘Mother Nature’ who welcomed them back with open arms. Some just have a certain something about them that tickles me, a quirk in their history, their architecture or the style of religious practice that was followed there (there were many methods and doctrines of religious life style that could be followed within a Monastery, Priory or Abbey).

Fountains Abbey, Yorkshire – Cistercian.

Is the largest ruined abbey in England, set in a hidden valley next to the river Skell which is also part of the gorgeous Georgian water garden within the grounds of the Studley Royal estate. As a visitor you approach from above, looking down on the valley and it is a sight to behold. A UNESCO World Heritage Site it really is one of the most amazing examples of human achievement and natural beauty. It is co managed by English Heritage and The National Trust and is open for visitors all year.

Much Wenlock Priory

Much Wenlock Priory Shropshire – Cluniac.

Is an Anglo-Saxon monastery founded just outside the village/town of Much Wenlock in about 680 by King Merewalh of Mercia, whose abbess daughter Milburge was hailed as a saint. Her relics were miraculously re-discovered here in 1101, attracting both pilgrims and prosperity to the priory. There are some beautiful masonry carvings and some more unusual topiary animals in the grounds. Much Wenlock has a spotlight on it at the moment due to the 2012 London Olympics, the town hosted their own Olympics organised by William Penny Brookes who was the inspiration for Pierre De Courbertin to create the Modern Olympics one of the Official Olympic Mascot’s is called ‘Wenlock‘.  The site is open to the public all year and managed by English Heritage.

Lilleshall Abbey

Lilleshall Abbey, Shropshire – Augustinian.

Smaller but just as beautiful, with some gorgeous chevron masonry carvings and a triple Norman arched doorway. The Abbey was used as a Civil War stronghold with nearby White Ladies Priory and Boscobel House and the famous Royal Oak were all used to hide King Charles II from Cromwell’s Troops.

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey, London – Benedictine.

Probably the most famous Abbey in the UK, Kings, queens, statesmen and soldiers; poets, priests, heroes and villains – the Abbey has hosted  them all and is a must-see living pageant of British history. Royal Wedding rumours are currently circling Westminster Abbey and why not, it has been the location for Royal Weddings and Coronations as well as state events and parliamentary services for centuries. A Royal Peculiar not governed by state or church, Westminster Abbey is answerable only to the Queen and is a formidable place nestled next to the Palace of Westminster, the House of Commons, the House of Lords and Big Ben – Westminster is one of the most visited parts of the Country.

Mount Saint Bernard Abbey

Mount Saint Bernard Abbey, Leicestershire – Cistercian (Trappist).

Is one of only a dozen or so active monasteries in England, set amongst the beautiful Leicestershire countryside a county known as the Rural Heart of England it is the nearest Abbey to my home. The Monks established their Trappist order in 1835 and live a life of simplicity, silence, and solitude (Trappist Monk’s avoid unnecessary noise but it is not quite a vow of silence, more a vow of contemplation). It is open for public visits and sells a range of pottery, dairy products (milk, cream and butter) from the Abbey’s herd of cattle and a range of bee products from the Abbey’s apiary (honey, beeswax polish, candles and lip balm) which are all made by hand by the resident monks.

Mount Grace Priory

Mount Grace Priory, Yorkshire – Carthusian.

Is my personal favourite, beautiful location, lovely buildings and what can only be described as a unique lifestyle choice. The crumbling masonry and open grassland of the Priory have become home to a collection of wildlife that has taken advantage of the ruins. The Monks lived as a community of hermits in isolated cells with their own private herb garden, there were angled hatchways or rotating hatches leading out to the wider world where food and provisions could be passed back and forth without the cell’s inhabitant having to come into contact or see the lay brother who delivered it, communication if any was via written note. Mount Grace is the most complete surviving example of this order sometimes also know as the Order of St Bruno. The site also has a Mansion contain Victorian and Arts & Craft interiors and is managed by the National Trust & English Heritage.

Religion In Ruins: My Favourite Abbeys is a post from: Anglotopia.net

I’ve just been camping for the weekend and climbed a mountain with five people I have never met before! I know how the hell did that happen?

Well, there’s this phenomena known as ‘social media’ that seems to be taking over all aspects of our lives, I like it, but I feel that sometimes the social bit is a little lacking and the opportunities to interact, to truly interact with each-other are slim. It’s not like I don’t try, I’m on-line a lot, in fact I am on-line so much that I have an on-line portal site at www.xwidep.co.uk just so people can find any/all of the various ways to get in touch with me on-line; I tweet, I update, I recommend contacts, I blog, I comment, I like, I dislike, I review, I subscribe, I post, I publish; all on-line.

Social Media (it's contagious)

But I was still looking for something more interactive from all this social media, when a couple of months ago a friend of mine from Canada @Loripop326 who I met on Twitter¹ and Facebook² but sadly not yet in real life³; undertook something spectacular, something enjoyable, sociable and interactive, something which was only possible due to the way we live our lives on-line; that something was a Sing-up – created by an inspirational gentleman who I’ll introduce you to later. Sing-ups are hilarious, it is where Twitter users unite to sing a song together, by submitting a couple of lines each on video or audio by e-mail to the maestro who combines them all together in time and in tune (or not as the case may be) with the backing track to some famous songs. The following link takes you through to a collection of them (I insist you click on this link and watch at least one sing-up before you continue reading this).

Sing Up

Okay, you’re back – I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did ; ) Maybe you should sign up for the next sing-up!

So because the sing-up was good and I wanted to get involved so I started following @Paul_Steele on Twitter and he tweeted that he was organising a Tweet-up & Climb.

Now a tweet-up is a meeting between fellow tweeters in real life, usually organised in a pub and not something that I would normally get involved in – but what Paul was proposing was to meet up at a camp-site and climb the mountain Helvellyn via the infamous Striding Edge in the Lake District one weekend and I thought that sounded excellent, so I signed up.

360 view Striding Edge. Ullswater (left horizon) Helvellyn (centre right) Red Tarn (right)

It’s a few hundred miles and due to the wonderful traffic flow on the M6 it took me more than six hours to get there, thank goodness I was camping both the night before and the night after. Even though it took me so long and I had travelled quite far, I arrived at the campsite first and it started raining. This posed me a little bit of a problem, I had never met any of the people I was meeting up with before and everyone was huddled inside their tents because it was raining. So I parked up, and walked over to a large tent to ask if they were expecting me.

Paul had given me some clues, he said one of the people coming @GrantBennett would have a large tent, but after three rather embarrassing moments were I was treated like the weirdo I was acting like, by large tent owners across the campsite. So I decided to set my tent up in the rain alone!! I relocated it later also in the rain, so that we were all camped in the same location which subsequently meant my tent did not stay as waterproof as I would like and I had to bail thirteen cups of water out in the morning.

I went for a little walk when I bumped into Paul and Grant as they arrived on site (I recognised Paul from his Twitter avatar and Grant because he was with Paul) and as the night drew in all of my fellow tweeters (bar two who were arriving the next morning) arrived for the night.

My tent in the rain & dark (just relocated)

So after getting to know each-other over a few glasses of wine and cans of beer – loud enough to have a few minor complaints made in the morning – I’d like to say it was because we haven’t lost it but I think it was mainly because we were awake until 1am (at least) and up and ready to go at 7am, for this my fellow campers we apologise – by 8am we were all there and ready to go.

So who is in this unlikely bunch of strangers? @xwidep (that’s me) from the Heart of England, @paul_steele from the edge of the Peak District in North West England, @GrantBennett from South Yorkshire, @ainebelton from Greater London, @Belle_Lulu from the South West of England and @Kusasi from the Cotswolds.

Approaching Striding Edge in the Mist

There were also two other very important members of our team @Shyposter1 from the edge of the Peak District in the East Midlands and a great guy called Paul but whose nickname is Ray from Shakespeare Country – who were running base camp for us.

Unfortunately the mist had taken hold of the mountains and visibility was very poor, but we started off from the village of Glenridding heading up what appeared to be a leisurely incline through woodlands, their were even stone ‘steps’ placed by previous walkers over the centuries that made the climb ‘easier’; the landscape was beautiful and there were a few other walkers heading in the same direction, it is a well trodden path and clearly a very popular route; however the beauty and the wonderful scenery started to fade as the climb got harder and harder, with what can only be described as a serious slog in the enclosing mist. My thighs were burning, my back aching underneath my backpack full of water and high energy snacks, I felt that it was going to be too much for me – even with the occasional rest stop to put waterproof jackets on followed by another to take them off – the weather was changeable to say the least and I was actually starting to love it.

When suddenly it appeared before us, looming out of the mist was Striding Edge.

Striding Edge from Swirral Edge (on the way down)

A sight to behold; a ragged, broken, rocky, fold in the earth’s crust, with tumbling scree scattered slopes plunging into valleys on either side, it looked like a scene from the Lord of the Rings, a thin bridge of stone sticking out into the clouds, apart from it didn’t have a level surface and although I was carrying a walking stick (staff) my beard was only a day’s worth of growth so I wasn’t really playing the Gandalf part well.

Helvellyn (looking back)

It was a fantastic climb and soon we were on top of Helvellyn which has a scree covered plateau at 950 metres (3,117 ft) above sea level, which makes it the third highest peak in both the Lake District and in England. I am now preparing to do another climb this week with some of my fellow tweeters but this time at night so we can see the sun rise on the mountain top, lets hope for better weather this time.

Apologies my photographs were taken using the camera on my mobile phone each and every time the mist cleared.

¹ Lori is a member of a small group of tremendous people I have grown to know and love on Twitter.
² Facebook has introduced me to some of the most amazing people from all over the world that I would not have had the pleasure of meeting in any other way – many of them I have met through Twitter first.
³ Real life! What’s real life? Twitter and Facebook are real, what I really meant is face to face.

Find out more about what I get up to at Extra X-Wide P my personal/professional blog.

Tweet-up and Climb: To Helvellyn and back….. A Lake District Adventure is a post from: Anglotopia.net

I was invited to a birthday party, but not just an ordinary birthday party, this was an English enthusiast’s birthday party;

Why? Because this party would be travelling through stunning English countryside, it would visit a famous seaside resort, stopping in quaint rural towns and villages, riding up and down one of the most beautiful train lines in the UK, on a fabulous steam locomotive, with a fish and chip supper to wrap up the day – all nestled amongst the enveloping North Yorkshire Moors – and yes it was as good as it sounds.

My route finder said it was going to take more than three hours to get there from the Heart of England so we set out early heading up the M1 all the way to Grosmont (pronounced GrowMont) to catch the 12:30pm North Yorkshire Moors Steam Railway Service to Pickering.

Loco leaving Grosmont Station (copyright NYMR)

Even though it is a huge industrial highway sometimes as wide as eight lanes of traffic, the M1 is actually a lovely route through the English countryside, passing by in clear view, you can see Beacon Hill (the highest point in Leicestershire), Hardwick Hall and Hardwick Old Hall (Bess of Hardwick‘s homes the most powerful woman in Tudor England), Sutton Scarsdale Hall and Bolsover Castle (Derbyshire) (both built for heirs of Bess); which are all stunning buildings set in gorgeous surroundings and fabulous to be able see from the road.

Bolsover Castle

I was however disappointed to discover that the Cooling Towers which were sited right next to the raised section of the M1, have recently been demolished – I like Cooling Towers and those ones were so close to the road that you could see the water pouring from the bottom of them as you drove by. Oh well.

Grosmont is a typical small Yorkshire village – grey stone, slate roofs, a few winding streets set at the bottom of a valley but with a train station in the centre. The station deals with both steam railway travellers and normal rail commuters from neighbouring platforms, mixing both locals and tourists together.

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway runs trains daily in the summer and we had a private Observation Car attached to the front of the train where we could sit in Victorian/Edwardian luxury with lovely waitresses bringing us food and drink as we travelled up and down the line from Grosmont to Pickering and back through the gorgeous Esk Valley all afternoon – the Birthday boy (and his brother) both got to don an Engine Driver’s Cap, overalls and ride on the footplate – which is literally a dirty job! You should have seen their soot blackened smiling faces.

It really was a wonderful afternoon, we were the envy of the people in the carriage behind us and of those that pulled up next to as at the numerous stops along the route (Pickering, Levisham, Newton Dale Halt, Goathland, Grosmont), each stop allowing people to stretch their legs or to buy an ice cream (it was swelteringly hot); it was a very lovely lazy way to spend a sunny afternoon.

Whitby Abbey (Old Postcard)

In the evening we travelled from Grosmont to Whitby where we met for a slap up Fish & Chip Supper at the famous Magpie Cafe, as we arrived (a group of twenty one people) there was a queue from the street leading up the stairs to the front door (clearly very popular) and I felt sorry for them, when we were let in past them all due to our pre-booked status (I would advise making a booking if you want to eat on a particular day/time at the Magpie, as it is very busy).

The food was fantastic and I think by that time we had all eaten and drank far too much but hey it was a party. The Magpie is situated on the Whitby Harbour front below the imposing St Mary’s Church and the looming Whitby Abbey sat on top of the opposing headland.

Whitby is famous for many things but in particular the Abbey is said to be an inspirational place for Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ and the town is famous due to its Victorian precious gem ‘Whitby Jet’ and is very popular destination during the tourist season.

Our B&B for the night was a lovely property set down a pitch dark moors path crossing the sheep grazed village green in nearby Goathland, there was nothing visible by the time we got home but the occasional frog crossing the path to accompany us to the door as we returned late, seeking a much needed bed.

Goathland is a quaint and rural moor village which is also the outside location set for ‘Aidensfield’ the village featured in the British television series Heartbeat, there were many tourists visiting the village by the time we had had breakfast and started our journey home, they were all taking photographs of the buildings and the vehicles that hark back to a bygone age that are the haunts of their favourite characters from a TV show that I have to confess, I have never ever watched.

Goathland 'Aidensfield' in Heartbeat (copyright Guardian Newspaper)

We then drove through the moors taking in the wonderful sites (like the Hole of Horcum) and visited Pickering Castle and the town of Pickering (I found a fabulous gift for someone in the Flea Market but that information can’t be shared here just yet). The castle is a lovely ruined site managed by English Heritage and we had a lovely Yorkshire Tea in the town for a very reasonable price.

Hole of Horcum (copyright Guardian Newspaper)

I had a fabulous time in Yorkshire just over 24hours packed with as much as we could muster but I would gladly have done more; Please Sir, can I have some more? No? Oh well, back to the daily grind!

Please Sir, can I have some Yorkshire Moor? is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Londonderry is going to be the first ever UK City of Culture in 2013 and the residents of this fair city have been celebrating ever since it was announced last week.

Londonderry (locally referred to as Derry) fought off stiff competition from England’s second city Birmingham, the lovely historic Norwich (see my Norwich City of Culture post) and Sheffield a South Yorkshire city that has regenerated itself since its heyday as a world renowned industrial giant.

Londonderry has been on the world’s maps since St Columb founded his monastery there but the most striking feature is the surviving mediaeval town wall which is the most intact and impressive town wall in Europe and the only one remaining intact in the UK. From the vantage of the wall walk which ranges in height from twelve feet to a towering thirty five feet in places, you can see views across the historic town which has the same street plan since the renaissance, the defensive walls have never been breached and withstood a number of sieges including one which lasted 105 days in the 1600′s, hence the town’s other nickname, the ‘Maiden City’.

Historic Town Plan (click for reference index)

The city gates are always open now and welcome a couple of million visitors each year, hosting a number of international festivals (see Derry Festival Listings) and there will be celebrations galore in 2013 so book your visits early; the Halloween festival in October is one not to be missed with tens of thousands of people involved, dressed for the part to spook the town and then there is the Amelia Heart festival which is a variety event for all the family which celebrates the famous Aviatrix’s Trans-Atlantic flight which was supposed to have ended in Paris but due to bad weather conditions and instrumentation issues, she landed in Derry instead making her the first woman to fly across the Atlantic single-handed.

Londonderry Wall / Gate

There are many places of interest to visit but a significant recent addition is the Peace Fountain in Coleraine’s park, constructed by voluntary contribution and using donated materials, the Peace fountain was presented as a gift in 2002 from the USA to the people of Londonderry, to represent the city as a phoenix rising from the ashes. The fountain incorporates the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland’s most significant natural landmark and is made from thousands of guns which were melted down, with some of these firearms outlines still visible in the sculpture. Groups, businesses and individuals from across America including Florida, Georgia, Arizona, New York, Washington DC, and Massachusetts raised over $350,000 for the construction of the fountain. Click to see complete list of contributors

Peace Fountain

Other sites to see whilst visiting the city include the St Columb’s Cathedral, Saint Augustine’s Church, Apprentice Boys of Derry Association & Memorial Hall and dozens of museums and galleries depicting the city’s past and its influence on the arts.

As well as being a gorgeous historical city it is in a stunning natural location, sitting either side of the River Foyle (East of the river is known as Waterside and West is known as Cityside) nestled amongst the Sperrin Mountains, Lough Foyle and the stunning Inishowen Peninsula with the Giant’s Causeway and Glenveagh National Park nearby it is a great base to explore this most westerly part of the UK.

St Coulmb's Cathedral (copyright IrishViews.com)

Visit the Derry Visitor web site or the Heritage Trail web site to find out more about this wonderful walled city and surrounding landmarks.

Londonderry Calling – UK City of Culture 2013 is a post from: Anglotopia.net

I have just got back from five days camping in Cornwall during the hottest week of the year, in fact one day was the hottest day ever recorded, and I had a fabulous time. Cornwall is beautiful, captivating and culturally rich.

Portreath Beach (Copyright Phil Hackett 2010)

Camping is one of those activities where you give up your luxuries and survive on your essentials, but the campsite I stayed at had chosen to add some unexpected luxuries which made it one of the loveliest campsites; there was the usual toilet and washing facilities (people and pots) which were very well maintained, free showers that you could access day and night, a herb garden that you could help yourself to for your cooking needs, free charging of any electrical item (phone/iPod/camera) and free freezing of your ice packs (all they asked for was a donation to charity – raising over £2,000 for the Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust last year), there’s an onsite café that served excellent food, evenings and mornings (at the weekend only out of season) and the staff were all relaxed, helpful and genuinely friendly.

When you then consider that Tollgate Farm Caravan & Camping was one of the most economical sites I could find, located in a lovely part of Cornwall on the North Atlantic Coast, above the Bay of Perranporth, it makes it even lovelier.

Tollgate Farm

My plan was to do nothing, well almost nothing – paint, take photographs, write poetry, swim in the sea and stroll along beaches was the sort of nothing I had planned and it turned out that camping in Cornwall was exactly what was required to enable me to do pretty much ‘nothing’ all week.

I went in the Sea at a number of beaches (Perranporth, Porthtowan, Godfrey, Portreath) but my favourite by far was at Gwithian, St Ives; the sea was clear and the waves were exhilarating, the beach is very wide and the fall in the shallows very gradual, subsequently the waves were pounding, rolling and kept both catching me off guard and keeping me on the edge of my senses. I loved how it kept me thinking (how to stay upright, above the waves, alive) but also how it allowed me to think of nothing in particular – very meditative, I relished the rolling surf. My least favourite dip in the water was at St Ives beach, below the Tate, where I had pitched my blanket below the high tide mark and had to relocate seven times after getting my feet and blanket wet from the rising seas. I really enjoyed that too, I kept challenging the sea not to come any higher (like King Cnut/Canute) but I was surprisingly unsuccessful.

My favourite beach was at Morgan Porth. The sand was gorgeous (every beach I went to had very different sand constitution, even though they are just a few miles apart – I did find that rather fascinating; to the amusement of those around me), slightly less crowded as it is a few miles north of the main beaches in Newquay, with long gradual shallows, the sea went out for miles, exposing acres and acres of beach that fan out from the lovely cliff enclosed cove.

Sand Pattern Negative - Porth Towan Beach (photograph taken by Jen Byrd)

I apologise now for the quality, I haven’t done some of these things for some time, but what I can tell you is that I really enjoyed doing it.

Art – I only did two pieces, I thought about it a lot but it was too hot, too lovely, too many other things to be doing ‘nothing’ with. Well, those were my excuses anyway.

I drew Portreath Beach using Pastels, for the first time I think. They kept melting and I ended up using a stone from the beach as my tool of choice to rub or smear the colours back into place as my thumb and fingers were a rainbow coloured stain making machine after about ten minutes.

Portreath Beach in Pastels & Real Life (Copyright Phil Hackett 2010)

I painted Morgan Porth Beach using Watercolours but only had a small brush and so my technique is a little naïve. I should have stopped ten minutes earlier than I did but I enjoyed every second and it was my first watercolour for more than fifteen years, so I love it.

Morgan Porth Beach in Watercolour (Copyright Phil Hackett 2010)

Photographs were all taken early one morning on Portreath Beach – it was just too hot and sunny to have my face in a camera and unfortunately it didn’t come out of my bag again all week : (

Portreath Cliff (Copyright Phil Hackett 2010)

I wrote a poem about Cornwall too:

Cornish Cravings

Sun, sea and sand,
British Summer Time,
shit, shower and shave,
under canvas in Cornwall, I craved,
in a place that is mine,
compromising the latter with a warm pasty, scrumpy and cooled wine.

(Copyright Phil Hackett 2010)

Finally, one positive and two negative things about the eateries…. The best Cornish Pasty I have ever tasted was from the St Ives Cornish Bakehouse take away window on the harbour. The Crab & Ale House pub in Truro had run out of Crab which was very disappointing and Rick Stein’s Fish & Chip Shop in Padstow shuts between 2:30pm and 5pm every day – even though there were loads of people wanting to eat there, which was also very unfortunate for me as I got there at 2:45pm : (

If you want to see more of my photographs, art work or even my poetry visit my personal blog Extra X-Wide P or if you fancy getting your creative juices flowing in Cornwall try the official tourist board VisitCornwall.

Creative in Cornwall – Exploring Cornwall is a post from: Anglotopia.net

As the longest day of the year is almost upon us and with Stonehenge featuring on BBC television last night in the penultimate episode of Doctor Who (The Pandorica Opens); I was thinking about the mystery and magical hold Midsummer has on me and what it is about the longest day that has intrigued people for millennia.

Stonehenge (copyright English Heritage)

I have been fortunate enough to know as personal friends the current and previous Director of Stonehenge, I’ve even volunteered my help on Midsummer Night solstice celebrations at the iconic stone circle – helping to manage and support the thirty thousand plus people that feel compelled to be present at the moment the sun rises on the dawn of the longest day.

Stonehenge at Sunset (copyright English Heritage)

All three times I have been a volunteer at Stonehenge, it has involved me working through the night, managing what can only be described as ‘the cloakroom’ – storing and returning chattels and possessions that are either barred, banned or too large to be allowed into the crowded celebrations amongst the stones. I have seen some interesting and intriguing objects submitted into my care from one side of the solstice to the other but they pale into insignificance compared to the interesting and intriguing people I have seen amongst the crowds.

But to be honest, I don’t like being at Stonehenge on the solstice – it is loud, crowded and lacks the magical awe inspiring element the stones are capable of producing – I have been at Stonehenge at dawn (not on a Solstice) and it is a truly magical moment and genuinely enraptured me at the time, a sensation that is vacant for me when the circle is filled to bursting with people, many of them hell bent on ensuring that they will not be able to remember it the next morning.

For me my best memory of the Solstice occurred in a darkened theatre on an ordinary evening in September a couple of years ago, not a solstice night at all but a night at the theatre. Specifically the Royal Shakespeare Company production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon and it was awesome.

Joe Dixon (Bottom) and Andrea Harris (Titania) in A Midsummer Night's Dream by the RSC. Photograph: Tristram Kenton

I was truly taken by the set design and the lighting was magical, the performances were enchanting, with the actors milking the laughter (of which there was lots), balancing the slapstick and humour, the fantasy and the fear of a place that has never been with the knowledge of places we are all familiar with in history and in the human psyche; it really struck a chord with the audience and with me, more than four hundred years after it was first written by William Shakespeare, which is itself fascinating.

The performance transported me away with the fairies only to place me back in my seat three hours later with a smile on my face and sore palms from clapping so hard; I had fallen in love with the mischievous forest fairies, empathised with a man who had the head of an Ass and the heart of an Ox, I was intrigued and engaged in the love square of Demetrius, Helena, Hermia and Lysander and wanted to know more about Oberon, Titania and Puck.

It is still my favourite Midsummer memory and will for me always be an unforgettable one.

If you would like to know about Doctor Who, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream‘ or Stonehenge, click on the links below to visit the appropriate web sites.

The BBC – Doctor Who

The RSC – A Midsummer Night’s Dream

English Heritage – Stonehenge

Enjoy the longest day of the year (shortest day in the Southern Hemisphere) however you may be celebrating it.

A Midsummer Night’s Blog – Stonehenge and Doctor Who is a post from: Anglotopia.net

I went to the 175th Anniversary of the GWR last weekend at the GWR (I’ll explain the difference later) in Toddington, Warwickshire in the Heart of England and I thought, you know what, there probably isn’t much that is more British and steeped in history, heritage and culture, that has had such an impact on the world, than the railway! So I decided I would tell you about my day out.

Stationery Steam Engine

Steam power is very British and very nostalgic; and a visit to the Gloucestershire & Warwickshire Steam Railway to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Great Western Railway, was a fabulous nostalgia inducing event.

For just one entry price we were given access to numerous stalls and stands, a variety of engines and wagons to look at in states of repair, regeneration, refurbishment or if I were being unkind a kind of ‘delayed decay’ until the owners can find the funds to complete the restoration returning these metal monsters to rolling along the rails once more.

But the best bit for me and I think for everyone there, was the opportunity to ride on a steam train, but not just one steam train, but an entire timetable of steam trains, running back and forth along the Honeybourne Line, about every half an hour was all included in the price.

GWR 175th Anniversary

There were loads of people there and the sun was shining, which always makes a day out that little bit more special; the trains were running from Down Distant, through Toddington, Winchcombe and the final stop at Gotherington (although at Gotherington you could also get on a ‘Brake Van’ powered by a small steam locomotive to West Gotherington Halt about a hundred yards away – which is the private line of the owner of the Old Gotherington Station which is now his home and is in his private garden, which was quite a treat actually – the Garden at Gotherington Station was a lovely place.

Close up of Locomotive Plate

The funny thing is, if you had asked me a few days before, I would have said that I have no interest in going to a steam train event, I know little about them, and don’t really want to know. But I had a fantastic day, there was loads to see and do and the sheer childish excitement I got from riding on a steam train, is hard to explain. It is a deep memory (false or not, seeing as I am not old enough to remember steam trains in running in real life) that is etched in the British psyche; the “chuff, chuff, chuff” of the steam being forcibly blown out of the stack (listen to me using all the right terminology), the lovely way that the pollution (because let’s be honest it is exhaust) hangs in the air leaving a little cloud of the trains journey through the gorgeous Cotswold countryside, the regular “clackety, clack” of the wheels running over the joins in the rails – it was simply mesmerising.

Cotswold Countryside 'steaming' past

I’m not going to go into any technical detail about the engines, the steam railway network , the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Steam Railway or the Great Western Railway other than to say it is 175 years this month since the Great Western Railway was created as a company and for more information visit the following web site that has some fantastic information for novice and expert alike.

Gloucstershire & Warwickshire Railway

Delayed Decay

Hope you enjoyed this, I certainly did, I felt like a young Fred Dibnah : )

Exploring England’s England: 175 Years of Steam Rail in Britain is a post from: Anglotopia.net

After the success of Liverpool as European Capital of Culture in 2009 the UK is holding a City of Culture competition for 2013 click here for more info.

Final bids are due in at the end of the May 2010; four cities are short-listed for the title: Birmingham, Derry, Sheffield and Norwich.

Norwich Castle Courtesy of Freefoto.com

For most of the medieval period and into the late eighteenth century Norwich was England’s second city and the wealth created by its merchant traders allowed it to become a very cultured city.
With many religious institutions considered as great European Christian centres but also functioned as important centres of learning, the universities of their time – the friaries in Norwich attracted scholars from all over Europe. This made Norwich a very multicultural city; by the mid 16th century almost 40% of the population was Dutch, Walloon, Flemish or Huguenot French.

Click here to view a timeline of some key events in history from a Norwich, England and World perspective, over the last 1,000 years (a fantastic document courtesy of HEART).
Norwich has a reputation for ‘doing different’, different as in innovative and/or exceptional. Subsequently Norwich has a huge collection of ‘firsts’, ‘largests’, ‘oldests’ and many other that are worth sharing.

Firsts:
• the first woman to write a book in the English language – Dame Julian of Norwich ‘Revelations of Divine Love’ in 1395
• the first black circus proprietor in the UK Pablo Fanque in 1841 (he’s celebrated in the Beatles ‘Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite)
• the first industrial nurse in the UK Phillipa Flowerday worked at the famous Colman’s Mustard factory in 1872
• the first non-denominational cemetery in England 1819
• the first printed plan of an English City
• the first British made carpet 1583
• the first long distance commercial phone call in the UK 1878
• the first all metal aeroplane to be made in the UK
• the first driving school in the UK
• the first use in the UK of the post code system
• the first English local authority to install a computer
• the first conventional street to be pedestrianised in Britain

The first computer?

The Mall Norwich

The most iconic buildings in Norwich are known as the Norwich 12. Norwich Castle, Norwich Cathedral, The Great Hospital, The Halls – St Andrew’s and Blackfriars’, The Guildhall, Dragon Hall, The Assembly House, St James Mill, St John’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, Surrey House, City Hall and The Forum.

For more information visit their web site

UK City of Culture is a post from: Anglotopia.net

A philosophical issue all destinations, attractions and tourism partnerships have to deal with at some point – competition, who is your competition, your neighbour, the next nearest city, nearest country, continent? My argument is that you have to work in partnership and in competition and it is this balance that makes a destination successful and Tourism such an exciting sector to work in.

Partnership and Competition are both sides of the same coin, especially in tourism. As equal as night and day, waxing and waning in parallel with the seasons. The question is not when is a partner a competitor, but how do I manage the conflicting requirements of both; balancing those times when it is appropriate for competition to have the priority when you make a decision with those moments when there is mutual benefit through partnership?

When I am troubled by such a dilemma I take a moment to remember the words I was once told by a wise old Warwickshire woman from Wootton Wawen, she told me to repeat her words whenever I was unable to make a decision between being a competitor or a partner with my tourism neighbours. These were her words to me but do feel free to replace the named destinations to suit your particular dilemma.

She coughed quietly, shuffled comfortably in her seat, looked me straight in the eye and said…

“You would prefer that people visited Europe than any other continent, that they visited the UK than anywhere else in Europe, and visited England than anywhere else in the UK. You would like those visitors to come to the Heart of England than any other region, that they came to Warwickshire than any other county and that they visited Warwick whilst they were there.”

She took a deep breath and said, “that’s not all of it Deary” and so she continued;

“You would much rather they visited Warwick Castle than anywhere else in Warwick and that they told Warwick Castle that they had visited because you had told them too!”

She paused, looked me in the eye with her steely gaze, “You remember that” she said “and the following and the answer to your dilemma should be clear.”

“Not one visitor can get to Warwick Castle without visiting Warwick on the way, to get to Warwick they must have been in Warwickshire and they can not visit Warwickshire without visiting the Heart of England, which is steeped in the history and culture of this green and pleasant land, rich in diverse destinations and wonderful attractions but it is only one of many regions of the United Kingdom which form the vibrant culture which this country has held as an attraction for tourists from all over the World for centuries, of which this you should be proud of.”

The old woman pointed a gnarled finger at me and adopted a wise authoritative tone and said, “You need to be an ambassador for yourself, your town, your county, your region, your country and your fellow countrymen and they will be ambassadors for you in return, only then can you be confident and positive enough to compete with each other for the visitors once they have chosen to arrive at your business.”

Wise words indeed!

For more information or assistance with this or similar problems do not hesitate to get in touch *Click Here*.

Tourism – what is competition? is a post from: Anglotopia.net

As it was Saint David’s day this week I thought Explore England’s England would have a Welsh slant – the English Welsh border is awash with Castles and history that either side of the border should be equally proud of but the particular area I am going to concentrate on today is the Wye Valley in Herefordshire.

A place which is a very fond one of mine is Goodrich Castle

Standing high on a rock above the River Wye, Goodrich Castle is a most striking ruin, the original ‘Godric’s Castle’ was established in the late 11th Century but the castle remains, that you can visit today, date mainly from the 12th and 13th centuries.

Goodrich became an important link in the chain of castles surrounding Wales during Edward 1st’s campaign against the rebellious Welsh; the thick high walls and rocky foundations made the castle very strong and importantly its position; dominating an ancient ford (river crossing) on the River Wye, meant it was also in a great strategic position.

Goodrich has a turbulent history passing from family to family during the years but the story of it’s ruin is told during the Civil War in England and Wales, during 1646 Parliamentary commander, Colonel John Birch, turned his attention to Goodrich but because the Castle was so strong and well fortified he set to a long siege of the Castle. Four and a half months later Birch’s siege was finally successful when the famous mortar cannon ‘Roaring Meg’ was used by his Parliamentary forces to breach the castle walls.

The mortar, which was designed to fire 200 lb projectiles, is the only surviving Civil War mortar, she can now be seen sited in the grounds of Goodrich Castle, returning more than 350 years after she had done the ruinous deed, ironically the mortar was cast at the nearby Goodrich Furnace, established in 1575, by the Earl of Shrewsbury, at that time the owner of the Goodrich Castle.

The castle is believed to be haunted by the spirits of two lovers, Alice Birch, the niece of Parliamentarian Colonel John Birch, and Charles Clifford, the son of a Royalist commander. Both Alice and Charles caught up in the castle when the siege began fled from the besieging forces and drowned in the River Wye as they tried to cross the ford at ‘Goodrich Boat’. During stormy nights it is said that their ghostly figures can still be seen attempting to complete their tragic escape.

Goodrich Castle is now managed by English Heritage and is open to the public all year; it is a great place to visit in stunning English countryside and won the Regional Excellence in Tourism Gold Award for Best Small Visitor Attraction in 2008, so well worth a visit.

Nearby to Goodrich are a number of other excellent Castles to visit – including Longtown Castle (English), White Castle (Welsh), Wilton Castle (English), Skenfrith Castle (Welsh), Grosmont Castle (Welsh) and Eastnor Castle (English).

English/Welsh Castles is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Okay, sorry for the delay, real life had an impact on the virtual (I know outrageous but these things happen!!)

So a sunny winters Sunday made me hanker for a whiz round the Heart of England’s country lanes in my lovely classic car ‘Carmen’ a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, but where to go?

Well the sky was starting to look a bit threatening weather wise, once I had set out driving through the English countryside, so I decided to go somewhere close, Kirby Muxloe Castle in Leicestershire.

Situated four miles west of Leicester the Castle is constructed with bricks that were fired on site and not from quarried stone, which makes it slightly unusual for a fortified building, but Kirby Muxloe Castle is also one of the earliest brickwork castles erected in England and one of the last of its type to be built, a quadrangular castle, which adds to its uniqueness but that, is not, in my humble opinion, what makes Kirby Muxloe Castle so interesting; I think it is such a wonderful place because it is not a ruin!

It was built for William, Lord Hastings, who for a time held a position of great power within the realm. William, Lord Hastings was Edward IV’s second cousin and Lord Chamberlain, he acquired the site in 1474 and obtained a license to crenelate (fortify with battlements i.e. make into a Castle), but did not proceed with the fortifications until 1480.

Quadrangular Tower (crenelated)

During the Wars of the Roses, he fought for Edward IV at the Battle of Mortimer’s Cross (which has a lovely Water Mill) and followed the King into exile in 1471, which eventually led to his downfall and an explanation of why Kirby Muxloe Castle is not a ruin.

After Edward’s death in 1483, Richard, Duke of Gloucester and the king’s brother, took the throne as Regent of England to rule on behalf of the heir, Prince Edward (who was still a child).
Although he was still Lord Chamberlain, a few months after Richard became Regent; Hastings was charged with treason for allegedly plotting against him. Lord Hastings must have been seen as a significant threat to the future King of Shakespeare fame because within just a few days, Richard had him beheaded on Tower Green the first execution for the Tower of London.

Within a month, Richard seized the throne for himself, declared the Prince Edward and his brother Richard; the two heirs to the throne, as illegitimate, and became King Richard III. Shortly after, the two boys disappeared. Many historians blame Richard III for the mysterious demise of the “Princes in the Tower.”
Despite William’s execution, the Hastings family retained control of the brickwork castle, and, for a time, continued the building program, however, in 1484, Lady Hastings abandoned the project.

So the reason Kirby Muxloe Castle is not a ruin is because it was never finished!

Kirby Muxloe Castle is now managed by English Heritage and is open to the public to walk around all year round for free, which I did when I took these photographs, just as it started to snow; in the summer you can pay to go across the moat and explore the ruins in full.

Explore England’s England: A Ruined Castle? is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Happy New Year, hopefully you are all getting over having indulged yourselves this Holiday season and are now ready for part two of the Twelve days of Shakespeare Country:

6. Spend the day at Britain’s Ultimate Castle – with a medieval experience like no other, Warwick Castle is always going to be a highlight of any Shakespeare Country visit,

http://www.warwick-castle.co.uk

7. Shakespeare Country may have Britain’s ultimate castle but believe it or not we also have the UK’s largest ruined castle – Kenilworth Castle; one of my favourite places in the world. You can take a tour of the romantic ruins and explore the majestic grandeur that has lasted through the centuries and is the site of one of the greatest ‘English Love Stories’ between Queen Elizabeth the First and Robert Dudley the Earl of Leicester. In 2009 English Heritage completed a six year restoration programme (which I ran for the first year or so) which sees Leicester’s Gatehouse and Leicester’s Stables restored, a new visitor centre and the stunning recreation of the lost Elizabethan gardens built to celebrate the Queens nineteen day visit to the Castle is well worth a visit.

8. Wander around major new art exhibitions at Compton Verney; including in 2010 Dali, Constable, Magritte, Rembrandt, Degas, Cezanne, Bacon and Ernst, also the home of the largest British Folk Art collection and some awesome Chinese Bronze’s; set in a beautiful Grade I listed Robert Adam house nestled in a ‘Capability’ Brown landscaped garden, Compton Verney is stunning to look at but it can also have an impact on your other senses with an award winning café/restaurant that will be one of those meals that you will remark upon in your postcards home to make your friends salivate.

9. Explore the Georgian grandeur of Royal Leamington Spa and shop amongst the hundreds of independent shops that offer the largest range of choice for the discerning tourist. Set amongst the regency architecture and grand parades of a bygone era – one of only two towns in the UK to be granted the Royal title – Jephson Gardens alone warrants the monarchy’s approval, an award winning public park which is opposite the Tourist Information Centre located in the Royal Pump Rooms home to a museum on Victorian Spa Treatments and the town’s art gallery. You can send all day and all your holiday money in Royal Leamington Spa with ease and in comfort.

10. Take a walking tour around Stratford-upon-Avon with one of the Stratford Town Walks, if you wanted to get underneath the surface of the Bard’s town, then there is no better way to find out about those things that you probably didn’t know you needed to know but once you have find out you will not be able to stop yourself telling your friends and family what you now know about Stratford-upon-Avon. Tours are various and can be walking tours or river boat tours and cover topics such as ghosts, romance, intrigue, history and of course William Shakespeare and his family’s influence on the development of this beautiful English town.

11. Take a Leisure Drive around the stunning countryside and through the beautiful villages and towns of the Cotswold’s – Chipping Campden and Moreton in the Marsh in particular are very pretty with tea shops, art galleries, craft shops and antique stores that will keep you coming back for more. The area is perfect for a classic car run (hire a classic car from The Open Road) or a relaxed tour drive in the height of modern comfort (hire a personal chauffeur guide from Guiding You Ltd) and spend your afternoon wandering the grand country town of Shipston-on-Stour or ‘Sheep Wash Town which is where the name originates.

12. Henley-in-Arden is a medieval market town with one of the best known traditional wide High Streets in England with its great variety of architectural styles and a medley of red brick and black and white half-timbered buildings. The street is pretty much straight but variations in its width and slight curves offer the visitor a number of pleasant views perfect spots for you to take some holiday snaps.You can sample the world famous ice cream or visit the Visitor Centre that documents the fact that Henley was once two distinct settlements – Henley and Beaudesert. The site of Beaudesert Castle and St Nicholas Church Beaudesert date from the end of the 11th century while the church of St John the Baptist and Guild Hall date from the 15th century. The latter has a collection of relics including furniture, pewter plate, manorial rolls and the 1449 charter that granted the town its privileges.

Hope you enjoyed that little homage and that it has piqued your interest in the land we call England’s England – Shakespeare Country.

Twelve Days of Shakespeare Country – Part Two is a post from: Anglotopia.net

I thought as it was the festive season and because I love the traditions of Christmas, that I would deliver to you (my True Love?) the twelve things you must do when visiting Shakespeare Country in a stylized nod to the Twelve Days of Christmas.

The first thing in Shakespeare Country you must really do (I hope you sang that to yourself?):

1. You must as part of any visit to Shakespeare Country take the time to watch a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company  at their award winning RSC Courtyard Theatre. Some of my most memorable moments have been sat starring in wonder and joy at the characters performing up on the stage in Stratford-upon-Avon. The Courtyard theatre has amazing character and charm and is the RSC’s temporary home and a mock up of the stage and seating arrangements being developed in their £118m transformation of the Memorial Theatre and the Swan Theatre which both re-open to the public late in 2010.

2. You can not go home to your friends and relatives without having visited the five Houses connected to William Shakespeare in and around Stratford-upon-Avon and the Holy Trinity Church where his remains lie undisturbed to this day. Starting at his Birthplace which includes the Life, Love & Legacy exhibition where you can hear his words spoken and re-enacted as part of Shakespeare Aloud. This year the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust have unveiled a rediscovered portrait of Shakespeare and are proud winners of the Best Tourism Experience award at the Heart of England Excellence in Tourism Awards in 2009 which is also the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s Sonnets.

3. Shakespeare Country is not only famous for our most talented poet and playwright it is also the home of such fantastic British motor vehicle brands as Jaguar and the Mini. Whilst you are exploring England’s England you must explore the Heritage Motor Centre, in Gaydon; home to the world’s largest collection of British motor cars, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Mini in 2009 there is something for everyone here from super cars to vehicles from the movies, it also has a go-kart track where you can test your driving skills.

4. Come rain or shine you can wander around Europe’s largest indoor butterfly paradise at the Stratford Butterfly Farm, where you can discover many of the world’s most beautiful butterflies in an exotic environment of tropical blossom with splashing waterfalls and fish-filled pools. Watch in awe as hundreds of spectacular and vibrantly coloured butterflies fly and feed around you. It is a beautiful tropical paradise in the Heart of England’s countryside and just a walk across an ancient stone bridge over the River Avon from the centre of Stratford-upon-Avon.

Clopton Bridge at Christmas

5. Now seeing as I have mentioned the beautiful meandering River Avon as it winds it’s way through Stratford-upon-Avon and under the ancient Clopton Bridge, I feel I ought to tell you about the cruises you can take on the River Avon with Bancroft Cruises, knowledgeable and friendly staff navigate a number of leisure cruises up and down the river all year round introducing you to the Rivers most famous residents the Swan’s of Avon.

6. Finally in this first installment of the Twelve Days of Shakespeare Country let me introduce you to the ghosts and spirits that haunt the streets and plays of Shakespeare’s Stratford-upon-Avon. You can take part in a ghost hunt or Victorian séance at the award winning Creaky Cauldron museum of Witchcraft and Wizardology, where everything from Harry Potter to the Witches of Macbeth in fiction and centuries worth of spirits are available for you to explore and enjoy.

That’s it this time; the next six days will be posted in the New Year…

Explore England’s England: The Twelve Days of Shakespeare Country Part 1 is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Well, I’d like to thank you for welcoming me to Anglotopia.net, I am only assuming that you have welcomed me because of the warm feeling I am already getting from the thought of sharing my views and opinions on the wonderfully diverse culture and heritage of ‘Old Blighty’ with you. My name is Phil Hackett but on-line I tend to use my alter-ego X-Wide P (xwidep) which is the stage name I use for my band Relevant Elephant and is short for both Extra Wide Phil and Wideboy P (it is a long story and one day I will tell you all about it and them).

So I guess you’d like to know a bit more about me? I am the Chief Executive of Shakespeare Country the award winning official tourist board for Stratford-upon-Avon, historic Warwick, Royal Leamington Spa, romantic Kenilworth, and the beautiful Cotswolds; all quintessentially English. Shakespeare Country’s marketing strap-line is ‘Explore England’s England’ and in my next post I shall be introducing you to the secret and the not so secret treasures that Shakespeare Country has to offer the discerning visitor.

Scenes of Shakespeare Country

I am very fortunate (managed by both accident and design) to be working in a career sector that supports my personal interests, having spent the last eighteen years working in culture, heritage, museums and tourism. I won’t name names just yet (as I will hopefully introduce you to them over the coming posts) but I have worked with, for and at hundreds of visitor attractions, listed buildings, historic sites, museums, galleries, theatres, World Heritage Sites, ancient monuments and cultural events and festivals; and I love to go on holiday in the UK, known as a ‘Busman’s Holiday’ over here.

I am looking forward to introducing you to the sights and scenes I know and love but in the meantime if you would like to do a bit of research before my next post (I will be asking questions) visit my web site here.

Explore England’s England is a post from: Anglotopia.net