The Shambles

I lived in York last year, but never really took many photos, so it's good to return and do some proper "tourist" shots, like this famous medieval street, known as "The Shambles".

York Minster

York Minster, originally uploaded by British Traveller.

A classic view of one of Britain's finest cathedrals, York Minster.

A novel way of crossing a river

A novel way of crossing a river, originally uploaded by British Traveller.

Me in front of the Middlesbrough Transporter bridge. They can't afford a proper bridge here, so they built a small section and move it across the river!

Whitby

Whitby, originally uploaded by British Traveller.

A day out at the seaside town of Whitby, setting of Dracula and a hundred fish and chip shops. As we walked up the pier, this replica ship came past. But James and Richard got a bit of a shock when I took a picture and, on hitting the button, the Earth shook with cannon fire! You can still see the smoke dispersing.

Update

After leaving the Isle of Man last week, I opted to return home for a short while, for a number of reasons: 1) because I have a hundred things to organise; 2) apple crumble; and 3) most importantly for you, I've finally got Google Map up-to-date. In fact, the map is so big it now stretches across two "pages", so unfortunately you can't see it all at once. Anyhow, the link is here.

The next excursion is Cleveland and North Yorkshire, and I'm off tomorrow. See you there!

Tynwald

Tynwald, originally uploaded by British Traveller.

Forget Westminster, forget Congress, forget Athens, forget even Thingvellir (shame on you if you have to look that one up), what you're looking at the oldest surviving parliament in the world! Impressive, no? It's called Tynwald, and it's where every year representatives from around the Isle of Man come to promulgate new laws, and have done for the last...well, actually noone knows for how many years, that's the only catch. Manx people are proud of their political independence, which in practical terms means: 1) hardly any tax; 2) my vodafone sim card doesn't work, which is why all these blogs are late.

Vikings!

Vikings!, originally uploaded by British Traveller.

I know, I know, this doesn't look like Vikings, but bear with me. The outline of stones you see here are the remains of a genuine Viking ship burial. This was quite exciting for me as I remember studying it at university. The Vikings used to bury people in ships all the time back home, but never in Britain apart from right here, on the Isle of Man.

The Queen's coin

The Queen's coin, originally uploaded by British Traveller.

Britain does its best to pretend to be as many countries as possible without the inconvenience of actually splitting up. A good example of this is the currency. What you're looking at is, at the top, a Manx note and, at the bottom a Scottish note. Interestingly the Manx one carries an image of the Queen while the Scottish one doesn't. I've also thrown in a Manx 50p and a Hong Kong dollar which I found in Edinburgh. Again, note that the Hong Kong coin displays the Queen, as it dates from before the 1997 handover to China.

Port St. Mary

Port St. Mary, originally uploaded by British Traveller.

I arrived in the Isle of Man last night in miserable weather. A good night's sleep, and suddenly it's gone all tropical. Look, there's even pine trees. One immediately noticeable feature of the Isle is how affluent it is. It's a tax haven, of course, and the gleaming, villa-like houses make a marked contrast to many of the other islands I've seen, with their struggling crofting communities.

Morecambe

Morecambe, originally uploaded by British Traveller.

Having missed my ferry by about ten minutes, I'm stuck in Morecambe for the night (thanks, Virgin trains). For those of you who've never seen Morecambe before, it looks a bit like this. I'm staying in the pink house.

One more island

I've just spent a wonderful time on the Northumbrian coastline (see Bamburgh Castle below). Yet more spectacular beaches - the quality of British beaches is the one thing that has consistently continued to inspire me on this trip. But before I choose some more highlights to explore in England, I've decided to take a detour to one more island. Not a Scottish island this time, but the unique Isle of Man, sitting in the middle of the Irish Sea. I've got a ferry booked this afternoon.

The Isle of Man is a special landmark on this trip, because it is the first (and last place) I will visit that is not officially part of the United Kingdom. It has it's own, independent parliament, which it claims is the oldest in the world. More on that later. Pictures coming soon!

Bamburgh Castle

Bamburgh Castle, originally uploaded by British Traveller.

Where do they find all these random rocks to build castles on?

Back on the road

Back on the road, originally uploaded by British Traveller.

Every town has one thing that makes it stand out. It could be anything - a park, a church, a street, a tree. It's usually not something you expect, but you know it as soon as you see it, and then you go 'ah, so that's why I'm here'. In Berwick-upon-Tweed, it's the cascade of bridges that caught my imagination. The first was built on the orders of James I, in 1611. The one behind it is a modern road bridge, and behind that the magnificent railway bridge, built in 1847-50 by Robert Stephenson (with his bare hands).

The end of one country...

Sorry for the delay in replying to comments - you will see that I've tried to make up for it now. To tell you truth, six weeks constantly on the move has begun to tire me a little bit, although I think I can be forgiven this! I feel as though I've poked my nose into every nook and cranny in Scotland, and gotten a wealth of insights into the variety of people and places here. From the Munro-baggers I met on the West Highland Way to the communities buying their own islands and the budding golfers in St Andrews, and from the tower blocks of Glasgow to the flat pastures of the Orkney Islands, I have consumed more experiences than I can digest. At the border of one country and the start of another, I am therefore quite content to have something of a rest.

Don't worry though, Travel Britain will be on the move again soon. However, I have decided that it will be taking a slightly different shape. There is simply too much to see in these islands and it is hopeless rushing around hoping to take everything in. I've moved through Scotland at breakneck speed and it's still used up half my summer! So I'm going to approach England and Wales a little differently. Rather than trying to see a little bit of everything, I'm going to pick a few key places and give myself time to explore each of them, and catch up with some friends along the way. So, if you have any ideas of British highlights to explore, I'm open to suggestions. Looking back over this blog, I've also noticed that I have a lot of pictures of landscapes and cityscapes, and very few of people - in reality, the people I've met have defined this trip much more than the things I've seen, I just tend not to take pictures of them! Perhaps this is something I will try to rectify also.

Thankyou for following this blog so willingly this past six weeks. It's been great to know that people can be as interested in this land as I am, and sometimes it feels as though I've brought to all along with me. It's much appreciated. Craig.

Wallsend

Wallsend, originally uploaded by British Traveller.

No, this isn't an industrial wastelane. It's Wallsend, the home of on the left, one of the world's great historical shipyards, and on the right the excavations of the Roman fort of Segedunum, the eastern terminus of Hadrian's Wall. Also a surprisingly good visitor centre, which serves Thai curry for lunch.

Back in England

Back in England, originally uploaded by British Traveller.

Six weeks ago, I left the comforts of the motherland behind for the wilds of Scotland. Now the lonely traveller returns, to the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where I've teamed up for this weekend only with a couple of old acquaintances. Newcastle, the home of the resilient Geordies (even torrential rain couldn't stop them coming out in their droves to sample the Friday nightlife), has as its centrepiece 'The Monument', dedicated to prime minister Earl Grey. And yes, the tea is named after him too.