A weekend in Windsor, England

Story and Photo’s: Phil Wiley

It’s not only the royal family who like visiting Windsor for a holiday. If you’re in England it’s a great place for a weekend away because it’s got the lot: history, the royal connection with it’s castle and parklands, tons of historical pubs and strange old buildings,  the theatre and great shopping. Plus the lovely river Thames, which divides Eton and it’s famous school from Windsor itself, streams through the town.

Here are a few of my favourite parts of this historical vacation spot of the British Royals.

The Crooked House
The Crooked House,Windsor

Popular Mechanic’s magazine named Windsor’s Crooked House , which is now a tea room, in a story about the World’s 18 Strangest Houses. Built in 1592 the Crooked House now leans at a marked angle, which happened after it was rebuilt with green wood in 1718, and as the wood dried the house bent.

There’s a secret passage in the basement, supposedly used for illicit trysts between Nell Gwynn and Charles II. And, less romantically for delivering produce from the market to the kitchens of Windsor Castle. In case you fancy sneaking into the castle for a quick snog with Princess Kate, or William if that’s what tickles your fancy, I’ve got to tell you that, for security reasons, the passage has now been blocked.

And if you just want to have tea and scones, be aware that the floor was never leveled, so you might find your cuppa sliding off your table.

Continue reading

Cornwall Holiday – One Night at Trebarwith Strand

Merlin's Cave at Tintagel

An Unforgettable Cornwall Holiday: One Night at Trebarwith Strand

q

“I will always think of Cornwall with a smile. Visiting Cornwall quite literally changed my life” … guest post by K.Newey

It was the first week of April 2010. My boyfriend at the time took me on a surprise trip down to his homeland of Cornwall (he grew up in St. Austell). The drive down was long and progressively warm. It seemed the farther south we went the better the weather became (though I hear this isn’t always the case). Continue reading

Cornish beach for sale

Looe

Beach for Sale: Iconic England tourist destination to be auctioned

The beaches of Cornwall have long been a favourite UK attraction, enticing visitors with their promise of sand and surf. Now you could own a piece of this iconic Cornish coastline—if you have a spare £30,000 or so, that is.

The 17-acre stretch of beach, located east of Looe, is expected to bring in prices of about £30,000 at auction. The beach is comprised of sand and pebbles, and overlooks Looe Island. There are currently no buildings on the stretch of land, and it generates no income.

Man fishing, Looe island in background

If you’re worried about development, fear not. The new owner will not be allowed to build anything on the beach, or make it private. The new owner will not, essentially, be able to do much of anything with the land. It will remain devoid of buildings and open to the public, as it always was.

Though the sale of beaches is generally quite rare, this is the second sale of its kind in Cornwall this year. Upton Towans, a 76-acre beach in Gwithian that is widely believed to be the inspiration for Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse, was auctioned in July and brought in £80,000—an impressive figure, considering the bidding started at a modest £50,000.

Everybody's gone surfing...

The public sale of beaches will not threaten the iconic beauty of the land, nor their status as a favourite tourist attraction in Britain. Both beaches remain open to the public and protected from development.

For more information on beaches and attractions in Cornwall, enjoyengland.com lists attractions in Cornwall, while visitbritain.tv hosts videos about Cornwall and the rest of Britain.

Article from articlesbase.com

A Yank Back to England: The Prodigal Tourist Returns

A unique travel guide by an Englishman returning to London and discovering a country he never knew

Denis Lipman left London’s East End for Washington, DC more than 20 years ago, but made an annual pilgrimage year after year to visit aging parents, a pair of cantankerous, real-life Cockneys. He endured the visits as best he could.

Enter an American wife. Not content with a grin-and-bear-it attitude, she declares that since each year’s trip to England was inevitable, it was to be

Rating: (out of 18 reviews)

List Price: $ 9.99

Price: