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Rye (England)
by AlmshoeRachy Rye is a small medieval town in East Sussex., with a population of about 5,000. It is one of the original Cinque Ports, a series of towns along the Kent and Sussex coast formed for military and trade purposes, although Rye itself is 2 miles from the sea. Smuggling has played a huge part of Rye's history. The Mermaid Inn and The Olde Bell ... Inn were apparently connected by a secret underground passageway from the cellars, and the Ship Inn was built in 1592 as a warehouse to store contraband seized from smugglers. My husband and I recently visited for a weekend, staying at the historic Mermaid Inn. We drove down from London on the Friday night - a fairly easy drive once we had got under the Blackwall Tunnel - arriving in Rye just after 6pm. Upon arriving in Rye, we followed Tom Toms directions to the hotel with not really a clue where we were going. We finally got to the hotel and found that the car park was full (we knew parking was on a first come first served basis) but luckily found a parking space just at the bottom of the hill with no parking restrictions over the weekend. Mermaid Street is a beautiful narrow cobbled street. It is very difficult to walk on, and I am glad I didn't have to do it in heels! There is a narrow path on one side to walk on, but often it is busy so you end up on the cobbles avoiding people anyway. The buildings on either side are wonderfully old and all interesting to look at. Jeakes House (the former home of the American novelist and poet Conrad Aiken) a lovely looking bed and breakfast, is about half way up, and just past that is 'The House with Two Front Doors'! Unfortunately I didn't manage to see anyone going in or out to see which door they used! The Mermaid Inn is a real gem. With beams everywhere and roaring fires in the main bar, plus two guest lounges it was incredibly warm and welcoming. A porter took us to our room where we unpacked and had a good look around. The room itself was fairly small, but the en suite bathroom was spacious. We decided to go out and find something to eat and then have an early night. We walked down the hill and found a choice of four eating places serving dinner within metres of the hotel. These included Baileys restaurant which seemed to be more hip and happening with a younger crowd hanging around outside, The Ship Inn, Careys Sea Food & Steak Bar and Simply Italian. We chose to go to the Ship Inn for a drink and to check out the menu. The pub is spacious with a main bar area, and then a separate room with a fire in. There was a good choice of beer and wine, and local cider and perry which OH was thrilled about and got stuck into! Having looked at the menu, we decided to stay there for something to eat. The food was delicious! I had a Smoked Haddock Dipping Pot with Soldiers to start off with, and the OH had a large bowl of Steamed Mussels. I then had a huge Fish Pie, and OH had Scallops with Black Pudding and Bubble & Squeak. Even though mine was delicious, I must admit I had food envy! The food was well priced and dinner and (several) drinks costs us about £60. The following day we had a lovely breakfast and then went for a wander around the town. It is only small (Tom Tom had made it deceptively large the night before - I think we must have done a couple of loops!). We walked from the hotel up to the Ypres Tower, built in 1429 with the permission of Henry III to defend against the frequent raids made by the French. You can go in to the Tower, but it wasn't open whilst we were there so we wandered round outside. There are canons in the garden outside pointing out to sea, and there is a picnic are for the summer (or just warmer) months. We then headed to the large parish church of St Marys and from there in to the main shopping streets. Much of Rye is set on a hill, with single lane roads for the cars. There was a variety of shops. Our favourite was Forget-Me-Not on Church Square which had some lovely gifts - I think it would be a great place to go Christmas shopping. We stopped mid morning for tea and cake in Fletchers Tea House for a cup of tea and cake (there are several tea rooms to choose from - it was a cold day and went for the one we found with a roaring fire) and then went for a late lunch in Carey's Sea Food & Steak Bar - this was OK, but not a patch on The Ship Inn the night before. The choice for food a drinks is great - I think one of the bar staff in the ship said for a town with a population of around 5000 there is over 20 drinking and eating establishments. Later that evening we ended up back at The Ship Inn, where I was able to get over my food envy by having the dish my OH had the night before whilst he went for a pork belly dish. All in all we had the most amazing stay. The weather wasn't great, so the walking had intended to do went out the window and was replaced by relaxed pottering, and eating and drinking far too much! For us it was a great way to escape from London for the weekend without having to travel for too long. There are many things to do, but as with all places these are limited or reduced out of season. We had planned on climbing the tower of St Marys Church to see the spectacular views, but decided we will do this when we return and the weather is better ( we will definitely be going back). It is a peaceful and relaxed place and all the locals we spoke to were friendly and keen to share their local knowledge. Rye seems to be fairly easy to get to from many locations, and the train station is very local. Trains from London have a change at Ashford International. Things to look out for include the Rye Scallop Festival (February time) which unfortunately started the week after we left, were all the pubs offering a variety of scallop dishes and the Rye Arts Festival from 10th to 25th September 2012. Activities you can partake in include kite surfing, and other water sports, cycling (central bike hire place) and walking tours. Summary - a lovely little town to go and spend a few days, lazy ones or active ones. Thanks for reading, and please feel free to ask if you have any questions. Rachel Read the complete review |
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Oxford University Parks (Oxford)
by MelissaRuth With time to kill while my daughter was involved in an activity in North Oxford, I took a walk down the Banbury Road and into the University Parks, which are situated on the banks of the river Cherwell to the north side of the city centre. Surprisingly as I live just half an hour from Oxford I've only been into the Parks a couple of ... times before, but on a beautiful crisp sunny morning I was reminded of what an interesting place this is. **A Little bit of history** As I entered the park through the wrought iron Keeble Gate on Parks Road, I picked up a leaflet from a holder mounted on the display board which provided some interesting background information and helped me to understand what this big open area was that I was entering. The following information is taken from this leaflet that is published by the curators of the park. I learned that parts of the area that the park now covers have been used as a 'pleasure ground' since the 1600s but since 1853 the area has been run by the University of Oxford, when the land was purchased from Merton College, with much of the landscaping having been carried out in 1865. £500 of university money was used to plant the area with many exotic species, supervised by William Baxter, the Superintendent of the Botanic Garden in Oxford. Further planting has been carried out over the years to replace diseased trees or ones that have succumbed to the high winds of storms. Initially the parks covered 91 acres of land, with 4 acres then being used for the university museum. Very sadly a further 20 acres were lost to the development of the rather hideous concrete structures of science buildings for the University in the 1950s, but 70 acres does remain for the enjoyment of both the general public and the University students who use the park for their sporting activities. But enough about the leaflet - it contains lots more interesting information and a clear map, but I don't want this review to just be a rehash of the leaflet so if you'd like to know more please go to www.parks.ox.ac.uk. **My time in the park** About an hour and a half in the park allowed me time to wander over its entire area and get a good feel for what it has to offer, but I could have spent so much more time here too - the plentiful benches looked very tempting to sit and watch the world go by or read for a while, but time didn't allow today. What I noticed most about the park is how alive it is. It really is buzzing with activity. Just about every type of person must have been represented in that park; the elderly ladies I passed who were deep in discussion sitting on one of the benches by the pond, the numerous joggers in their bright coloured autumnal wear, the couple walking hand in hand down a wooded path, the man on his disability scooter and the two people who were being pushed by their families in wheelchairs, the informal football team knocking around and the University lacrosse team training, and the small child walking with a grandparent. I sensed that many people were out in their local area and even carrying back bags of shopping from the nearby city centre, but there was obviously a fair few tourists too, as well as students engaged in their sports or reading books. The park didn't feel crowded at all but everywhere you looked there were people going about their own business. The atmosphere was both energetic and restful; busy bustling Oxford will all of its academia just a few metres away but in the park people were taking time out from their lives to relax and enjoy the fresh air and I suspect, one of the last warmish days of the year. I've never watched lacrosse before, so it was good to spend a few minutes watching the students playing on the purpose printed court (do they have courts, pitches or something else for lacrosse?) and hear the cheer as one team scored. I assume they were training as they weren't in kit which made a little hard for me to work out what was going on, but it felt good to be in an environment like Oxford and see a sport that's out of the experience of most of us state school educated people. Several sports areas have white posts at their edges and this designates that they are freely available for the use of anyone; a team were playing football on one and just warming up for rugby on the other. The thing that was most unexpected for me was when I came across a group of young ladies in the middle of their yoga class under the trees - I think that sums up the sort of place that these Parks are. It looked quite serene and no one, except me seemed to take much notice of them, but I had my camera with me taking photos for review purposes so took one from behind, just to show the atmosphere. There are eight tennis courts marked out, although the nets are now down as we're in winter sports season. Four of these are located in front of the elegant and highly old fashioned looking Victorian pavilion in the centre of the Parks. This looks just like it is taken from a set of 'Midsummer Murders' and it wouldn't surprise me if they had filmed here as much of that programme is filmed around Oxfordshire. I can just imagine the well to do Oxford parents watching the students play tennis or cricket sitting under the white veranda on white painted benches, although there was no action today. The Oxford University cricket club has played on this site for 130 years however. The Parks also contain a croquet lawn; life in oxford is so different isn't it - where else in the country could you watch a game of croquet while out for an afternoon walk. One of the few sporting activities that is definitely not permitted is cycling. Bejing may have nine million bicycles, but Oxford must have 10 million and you run the risk of being mown down by a bike everywhere else in Oxford, but in the park they are strictly forbidden, allowing you to walk safely around the paths, many of which are suitable for wheelchairs. Fishing without a permit, swimming and tree climbing are also not permitted and dogs have to be kept under control, but otherwise you are free to roam and enjoy the surroundings. My next stop was down to the river where there is a path that you can walk along for quite a while and if you're lucky watch some novices trying to work out how to work the punts that they've just picked up from the Cherwell boathouse which is just upstream. The river is quite narrow at this point and pretty with many overhanging trees and a plentiful supply of ducks awaiting anyone who'll throw them some bread. An old wrought iron bridge crosses the river and from here a footpath heads towards the Marston area of Oxford and a footpath can be followed along the edge all the way out to the ring road in north Oxford and beyond. Back up on the bridge I stood for quite a while looking out over the large pond. In places the pond looks quite bear with sparse stonework and is obviously man made. It looks as though some renovation work has probably been carried out recently on one side as the other side looks much greener and more established. Hundreds of lilies fill the pond and it must look glorious in summer. Personally I preferred to sit on one of the benches by the more natural river than the pond, but it seemed popular with many other people. From the pond I wound my way through a more wooded area which looked stunning on this bright autumnal day with both leaves and berries bursting with rich colours. The park is very much like an arboretum in many ways with one of its purposes being to house a collection of trees and other foliage from across the globe. One of my main frustrations then was not to know what the plants were and where they came from; there is no signage on any of them which I found a bit strange. To the back of the Pavilion are some public toilets. They're functional and adequate and clean, but are the cold industrial looking shiny metal type with combo gadget on the wall that first dispenses your soap, then water and then gives a jet of drying air - not somewhere to hang around in for long! **Where are the University Parks?** If you're in the centre of Oxford the Parks can be found by walking towards the science district of the academic buildings. Cornmarket is one of the main shopping streets in Oxford and I would suggest that the easiest route to the Parks is to walk to the end of here away from the High street to where it meets George Street, Broad Street and Magdalen Street by Debenhams. Walk down the short length of Broad Street, home of the world famous Blackwells book shop and the impressive dome shaped Sheldonian Theatre. Turn left onto Parks Road and after walking past the Natural History museum and Pitt Rivers museum, both also worth a look in, you will come to a set of wrought iron gates that give entry into the Parks. It's about a 10 minute walk from the centre, but worth it to find a good picnic spot and to experience another side of the academic life of Oxford. Parking in Oxford is phenomenally expensive and street parking is for residents only, so I would recommend using the Water Eaton Park and Ride service and leaving this number 5 bus just before it reaches the centre at Keeble Road where you can then walk straight into the Parks. Walking in a park can never rival a walk out in the open countryside and hills for me, but as city parks go, I would have to recommend this one. There is so much variety of things to see and a river to walk along is a bonus. It is a brilliant place for people watching and as well as walking I could sit for ages here watching the sporting activities or just enjoying the shade of a tree while reading or maybe looking at the gorgeous herbaceous borders. It is definitely more than your average city park and I would recommend a visit here to complete the 'Oxford experience'. Read the complete review |
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Morecambe in General
by catsholiday Morecambe When we had a few days staying in Carnforth recently we popped in Morecambe a couple of times as it is only about 10 minutes away by car. Morecambe is on Morecambe bay on the western side of the UK and is quite a popular seaside resort for those living in the north of England. The bay is huge and is well known ... for its erratic tides which sadly caught the cockle collectors unaware and twenty one were drowned in 2004. If you are looking over the bay while walking along the promenade it is a splendid sight and seems to go on for miles. On a clear day you can see right across the bay and also out to sea but sadly on this visit we had rain and drizzle and could not see very far at all. Previously we visited in summer and then the views are quite different with blue skies and sunshine everywhere looks better. Morecambe has a long curved seafront and as you enter the town if you stop fairly soon after you arrive and park the car you can walk all along the promenade and on the way you will come across Morecambe's most loved comedian in the form of a statue . The statue of Eric Morecambe is just perfect as he is standing in a typical Eric pose with his left hand on his hip and his right holds his hat. One leg is jauntily raised in a sort of Eric style dance; if you knew his performances you would recognise this statue instantly as it is him to perfection. This rather fun statue was created by sculptor Graham Ibbeson. If you visit in summer you will no doubt have to join a queue to have your photo taken next to the statue but when we went this time there was no-one around. It was a VERY windy drizzly day and so few people were 'taking the air', in fact we didn't take a lot of the air and kept moving the car up the town as we went as it was not pleasant out in the weather. The statue looks great as Eric is looking out over the bay so you get the backdrop of Morecambe Bay and the Lake District hills. At night the statue is lit so it looks good then too but obviously you get the lights in the bay only as a backdrop rather than the view. If you walk the full length of the sea front then you will pass small playground areas, green park areas and of course the whole time you will have Morecambe bay on one side of you. If you choose to move inwards a little and walk alongside the shops then don't expect high class stuff. There are the usual seaside tat shops, some very average cafes and a rather nice second hand book shop but certainly nothing that would bring me to Morecambe for the shopping. Leaping down to the other end of Morecambe to near the railway station as that is where you will find a fairly poor tourist information office which didn't inspire us much at all. The Platform which is Morecambe's only live entertainment venue is also in this converted Victorian-styled building which was the old Railway Station. The day we visited there was a fairly pathetic craft market inside which didn't inspire me at all but I did use the toilets which were fine, clean and they worked. This is also where you will find the art deco hotel 'The Midland' where we enjoyed our afternoon tea which I reviewed recently and where Coco Chanel stayed in the past. I can't say this is the prettiest hotel I have ever seen but inside it is interesting and you do get a splendid view over the bay on a clear day. If you walk from the hotel out along the stone jetty into the bay you will come to the old ferry terminus and all along the jetty you will see statues of terns and other sea birds. These are on rocks and posts and until you get up close they look like the real thing. It makes the jetty a place that is pleasant and interesting to walk along. They are made of metal but look very impressive and add a bit of interest to a walk along the front. Morecambe was once a thriving seaside holiday town but since many people have started to go overseas for their holidays combined with the fact that there is really little to actually attract families here apart from the fact that it has the sea and the promenade. Both Morecambe's piers have been destroyed, West End Pier was washed away in a storm in 1978 and Central Pier had a fire in 1933 but did manage to survive until1992. Several 'attractions' of the sort families might use have closed over the years and really there is nothing like other seaside places have to attract people with children. In my personal opinion that makes Morecambe slightly more attractive but I do realise that those with families might want some entertainment besides the seafront and a few dull shops. When we came with our children a few years ago we walked up and down and then went off elsewhere but we did come back for the Radio 1 Road show which was held on the front and they enjoyed that. Is it worth a visit, well yes it is quaintly English and rather dated but none the less worth a visit? I am not sure I'd want a holiday here though as there really isn't a lot to do in the town itself. It is one of a few places that is worth popping in to see on a day visit. Is it a memorable place to see before you die, well no, I think I would not put it in that class but if in the area pop in to have a walk along the sea front and while you are there try some of the famous potted shrimps that the Queen has given her seal of approval to. Thanks for reading. This review may be posted on other sites under my same user name. İCatsholiday Read the complete review |
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