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PHOTO STORY United Kingdom
PEMBROKESHIRE COAST PATH
The Pembrokeshire Coast Path in Wales is simply one of the most stunning coastal hikes in Europe. The complete walk is 300km from St Dogmaels to Amroth but with so many villages and seaside towns along the way it's easy to stop off or pick up at other points to make your own magical itinerary.
THE SLATE MINES OF WALES
Get Welshmen to Break the Stone -Daffyd Jones
"Rhaid cael Cymry i dorri'r garreg,
Nid yw'r graig yn deall Saesneg."
"You must get Welshmen to break the stone,
For the rock does not understand English"
There was an art to harvesting slate. Quarrymen learned the trade from their forefathers and taught it to their sons. Snowdonia is considered to have some of the finest quality and strongest roofing slate in the world. At its peak, in 1898, the Welsh slate trade employed 17,000 men and produced 485,000 tons of slate. But little is produced there now, with most mines and quarries abandoned half a century ago.
CARDIFF: City of Arcades
In 1858, the "Royal Arcade", Cardiff's first indoor market, was built. Today the city boasts 7 Grade II listed Edwardian and Victorian arcades: The Royal, High Street, Castle, Wyndham, Morgan Arcade, Duke St and Dominions Arcades and the Central Market. There are also a number of contemporary indoor arcades including Queen St, St Davids and Capitol Arcades. If you can't find a good buy here, you're not trying!
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SIMPLY SNOWDONIA
In 1951 Snowdonia was declared a national park. Covering over 2000km2 including 60km of coast line its an important wildlife habitat area. However, some 20,000 people live within the park area and agriculture continues.
Many of the mountains above and below the ground were an important resource for slate during the 18th and 19th century. Before that, it's believed, iron, copper and stone were mined and quarried during the neolithic and bronze ages.
LONDON SKY HIGH
Archaeologists have unearthed bridge foundations in London that date back 4000 years indicating that people have been building in this city since then. Many of London's buildings have become icons. Take a look at some of the city's modern icons of architecture. Want to know more? Down load City of London inspiring, self-guided walk "Designs of the Times".
 The Shard, Southwark (2013) |
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 Monument Building, Monument (2016) |
 The Cheesegrater (2014) |
 One Wood Street (2007) |
 One New Change (2010) |
PARKING IT - LONDON
For a city of almost 9 million people and more known for finance and trade than a sunny outdoor lifestyle, London has a surprising number of parks, gardens and open spaces. The parks were not seen as just the preserve of the idle rich but were an important space for the urban masses, many of whom were living in dense slums, to get exposure to healthy, fresh air.
THE REGENT'S CANAL
From Paddington to Limestone Basin, Regent's Canal cuts through London's fashionable West End and the city's trendy East End. For half a century it was a wasteland of abandoned warehouses. Now those warehouses are being turned into slick waterside offices, restaurants and cafes. But this working canal still has enough industrial grit and graffiti to retain its personality in the face of gentrification.
The UK canal network was originally used to transport goods in the days before rail. The canal network was extensive. In the industrial north the canals led to Birmingham. Then onto London via the Grand Union Canal and finally to London's dockyards via the Regents Canal.
Regency villas are visible along the canal near Regent's Park, but it wasn't seen as desirable to live by the working canal.
Barges were once towed by horses that walked along side the canal. Today the towpath is used by walkers and cyclists.
The area east of Islington Tunnel was the site of several gasworks and coke companies. Today only the old warehouses and gasholder frame remains.
The canal passes under many bridges but there are only 2 actual tunnels, Maida and Islington. Bargemen unable to use horses in the tunnels had to use their feet to push their way through.
Camden Lock was once the rail and canal interchange point. The markets today occupy the warehouses, rail arches and horse stables of the days of the working canal.
Despite gentrification there are still parts of canal that are overgrown and disused.
And there are other areas already filled with luxury apartments and permanent moorings.
East of Camden and all the way to the docks, warehouses dot the banks of the canal.
Many of these warehouses are being converted to office space, apartments or bars and cafes.
A small group of volunteers who clean up litter on the canal. Awesome job guys!
From Limestone to Regents Park the tunnels and walls are filled with graffiti, but it dies off after the canal gets posh.
More and more people are making narrowboats their permanent home. Why not when you can get a waterside inner city London pad for under £10,000. Read about it:
The canal side around Shoreditch and Haggerston is popular for a pint of craft beer on a sunny afternoon.
These are more decorative than useful.
Cycling the towpath is a swift way to get across the city. The canal isn't near as crowded as the roads it passes under.
The original canal route was revised to avoid passing the homes of the wealthy. Today luxury apartments vie for space on the waterfront.
Some places are more flash than others, but the canal demographic is mostly creatives aged 25-45
SCOTLAND'S HIGHLAND GAMES
Clan gatherings and competitions have been part of Scottish culture for centuries. Some date it back to the Braemer Gathering and footrace during the reign of King Malcolm III in the 11th Century, or the Ceres Games in Fife running since 1314. The 'Highland Games', as they are known today, are a more modern invention, dating back only about 200 years. The Games, held in summer, are an important gathering of the clans with plenty of traditional festivities and competition. The core events are the highland dancing, solo and band (bag)piping and the 'heavy events'. It's the unique, age-old competitions of strength that most people associate with the games;: the throwing of the hammer, the caber toss, and, for those gathering by the River Ness, the lifting of the Inverness Stone.
The clan chief opens the games.
It's not Scotland if there's no Drum & Pipe Band
A mass highland fling starts things off.
'til the closing ceremony calls
Pipers in action
The children's highland dancing competitions are a highlight of the games
The strongmen compete day starting with the hammer throw (pictured) and ending with the Inverness Stone (below). If they can.
It's another delightful Highland summer day in Inverness.
Not just for the pros and strongmen, the Games include races for all ages and abilities.
WINTER SUN
The first frost of the year turns Pollok Country Park into a Winter Wonderland
AVIEMORE DOG SLED RALLY
The Aviemore Sled Dog Rally is the biggest and longest-running event on the British sled dog racing calendar. The first event was held in 1984 with 12 teams. Today, over 250 mushers compete with 1000 dogs. The event is held in late January to catch the snow. Unfortunately, due to climate change, the chance of snow is becoming less likely.
The Aviemore Sled Dog Rally is the biggest and longest running event on the British sled dog racing calendar.
The first event was held in 1984 with 12 teams. Today, over 250 mushers compete with 1000 dogs.
Samoyed dogs were bred by the Samoyedic people of Siberia to herd reindeer and move sleds. Their fur has the texture of angora and has been used as an alternative to wool.
The Aviemore Sled Dog Rally is the biggest and longest running event on the British sled dog racing calendar.
HERMANESS National Nature Reserve
With its velvet green cliff's, ancient granite, Jurassic waterfalls and ancient open moorland, Hermaness, on the Isle of Unst in the UK's Shetland Islands, is a spectacular park for its landscape alone. It's also a wildlife haven. Every spring and summer the reserve is a cacophony of sound as soaring seabirds fill the air and those dramatic cliff faces become nesting sites. With tens of thousands of gannets, fulmars, puffins, skuas and kittiwakes amongst others, this is Britains biggest sea bird colony. Hermaness is the place of legend and imagination where you are in the presence of the ancient and exotic, of giants and treasure islands.
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Meet The Puffins
Find out more about these cute, clown-like birds. They are a bucket list must-see if you're travelling in the North Atlantic. Unfortunately, these lovable little birds are endangered. Their biggest threats are climate change reducing their food supply and pollution from oil and nets.