Gloucestershire – History, Holidays and Fine Food   By David Carter   Gloucestershire, pronounced Glostershire, is a pretty English county located south west of the English midlands yet not south-west enough to be truly part of the English south-west! The capital of Gloucestershire is the city of Gloucester, and that is where we begin our tour.   The city lies at the foot of the Cotswold Hills on the Severn River at its last point before the river widens and becomes the Severn estuary.  There are still docks down on the river, yet today they are mainly used for pleasure and leisure boats. The huge stone warehouses and mills have for the most part been converted into sought after apartments and shops, particularly antique shops. The city is ancient, once Roman named Glevum, and that was by no means its earliest history.   Dominating the skyline is the majestic grey-stone Cathedral. You cannot visit Gloucester without visiting this stunning building. Oddly these days Gloucester is not the biggest town in the county, that honour belongs to nearby Cheltenham, a fast growing bustling town located just a few miles away. Only in England can the city be smaller than the town, but that is how it is here.   Cheltenham is famous for its Regency architecture, outside of the capital second only to Bath in quantity and splendour. The town is also rightly renowned for its National Hunt horse racing meeting, four days in March when half of Ireland seemingly evacuate their blessed isle and trek across the Irish sea to cheer on their favourites to victory (more often than not!)  Visit in Cheltenham Gold Cup week and you will be fortunate to find vacant accommodation anywhere within 25 miles of the track. National Hunt racing is for races over jumps, and you won’t find a celebration of jump racing anywhere to match the Cheltenham Festival.   Gloucester is a rugby city, rugby and cricket, Cheltenham for the racing and football, for they possess the only professional soccer team in the county.     Journey half an hour’s drive north of the twin towns and you will come to Tewkesbury, another ancient town with a rich history. It is situated on a gravel spit just above the flood level close to where the rivers Severn and Avon merge. Particularly heavy rainfall makes the inhabitants nervous, and with good reason.   The Abbey dominates this town, the second senior church in the county, and another must see for those interested in such things. The Abbey was founded at the end of the 11th century. Today Tewkesbury still boasts an impressive array of half-timbered houses. Indeed remove the traffic and you could almost believe you were stepping back in time a century, or two, or three, or four!   Tewkesbury has another grizzly piece of history for which it is remembered. The Battle of Tewkesbury fought south of the town on May 4th 1471, a bloody affair in the War of Roses, Lancastrian against Yorkists, the Crown of England at stake. Edward, the Prince of Wales, son of Henry the Sixth was slain, and the Lancastrian cause was fatally wounded with his passing.   But enough of history, and fearsome battles from long ago. Venture south west of Gloucester and follow the Severn River to the Slimbridge Wild Fowl trust. This is a bird sanctuary where thousands of birds are fed and provided for everyday. It was established by the late Sir Peter Scott and is probably the most famous bird reserve in all of England. If you have any interest in bird watching, no matter how slight, a visit to Slimbridge is a treat in store for you.   Venture further east and south of Gloucester and you must climb the Cotswold Hills, a huge limestone ridge that runs diagonally across England almost from Bristol to Oxford. Take the steep road up to Birdlip and turn right at the Air Balloon pub. Look out for the fantastic views from the right as you journey further up and over. The stone is an easy on the eye cream and gold, and the houses, rarely thatched here, preserve the traditional stone colour throughout the county.   Once over the Cotswolds you descend to Cirencester, another ancient town, known as Corinium in Roman times. You can still follow the ancient perfectly straight Roman road from here all the way southeast to Sarum (Salisbury). Today it is a fast four-lane highway, but somehow you just know the ancient Roman road builders would have approved of the new modern highway that follows their route.   Within the Cotswold district you will find umpteen picture postcard villages and small towns with poetic sounding names, such as Bourton-on-the-water, Moreton-in-the-Marsh, Stow-on-the-Wold, and the more oddly named Upper Slaughter, and Lower Slaughter. In summer these towns become crammed with tourists and day-trippers alike. Perhaps you may prefer quieter sleepier places, perhaps explore some of the lesser known and smaller villages, there are plenty to choose from, and all within easy drives.   The Cotswolds is a very pretty area, rolling lush pastures, rich farmland and no surprise then that Royalty choose to live here. Prince Charles and Princess Anne both keep their main residences in Gloucestershire. Gloucester and Cheltenham boast fast road and rail links to London, two to three hours at most with a following wind. The local produce is fine cheese, excellent meat, and local lush fruit and vegetables.   Continue your journey across the Severn westwards towards Wales, but before you reach there, explore the Forest of Dean that lies between the Rivers Severn and Wye. Hilly and thickly forested it is home to deer and more recently re-introduced wild boar, not to be trifled with, especially when they are chaperoning youngsters.   Then you descend into the Wye Valley, and once you cross the river, you are in a different country, Wales, home of the Celts. The huge ancient castle at Chepstow and another at Monmouth are reminders of wars gone past, and of the very fact that you are leaving Gloucestershire behind.   If you visit Britain for two weeks, and decide to spend one week in London, a second week in the Cotswolds will come as a welcome change. A chance to wind down. To do some walking, contemplating a slower pace of life, and none the worse for that. Enjoy.   Journeying Through Dorset - & The Jurassic Coast By David Carter         The county of Dorset on England’s south coast is a county of great contrast but one that will reward the determined traveller again and again. Take a break from driving and jump the three-hour rail journey from London Waterloo to Bournemouth. Deer can often be seen as you pass through the New Forest after Southampton, so keep one eye open.      Bournemouth is a clean and prosperous seaside city with hundreds of hotels ranging from the tiniest, to large international standard establishments. The beach is long and sandy, and though it may be busy on the weekends in the summer, it is long enough to accommodate all comers.      Five miles to the east you will find the pretty ancient town of Christchurch where the Priory stands cheek by jowl with the ruined mediaeval monastery. Stroll beside the twin rivers of Avon and Stour as they head for the sheltered harbour and onward to the sea at Mudeford Quay. The Quay is well worth a visit too, if only to watch the kids of all ages pulling the crabs from the fast flowing Run as it dashes through the channel.       To the west of Bournemouth is the revitalised town of Poole, and the huge natural harbour, second in size only to Sydney. Take a boat trip to Brownsea Island and spot the rare red squirrels. Visit Sandbanks too, and millionaires row, where film stars, pop people and sportsmen and women like to take a fancy to the modern art deco homes.      From the end of the Sandbanks peninsula take the old chain link ferry to Studland Bay. There is a beautiful sandy beach here too and you can walk along the shore to the pretty village of Studland, but be aware that this is a nudist beach. And it’s used, at all times of the year, making the patrons much hardier souls than I! It’s not unknown for them to approach strangers too. Methinks they hide a weird sense of humour!       From there, head south towards Swanage. Stop off at Wareham and take a drink at the Inns on the picturesque quay. Take the Swanage road and pass the impressive ruin of Corfe Castle. Spend a while climbing the fortifications, and experience the feel of what it must have been like defending a fortress in the middle ages.      Swanage is a small typically English seaside town, almost unchanged in the last fifty years, and no less attractive for that. You can arrive there by steam train on the Swanage Railway from Wareham. Travel west of Swanage and the terrain becomes wilder. This is Purbeck country, the Purbeck Hills, Purbeck stone, and the Jurassic coast.      Towering cliffs, strange rock formations such as the Durdle Door, and Lulworth Cove are worth seeking out. This coast is known as the Jurassic coast for the vast number of dinosaur remains that have been and still are regularly discovered. The original Jurassic Park!  Continue westward to Weymouth, another English seaside town. But Weymouth has much more to offer than most. The quayside that boasts working fishing vessels coming and going on every tide, the nature reserve, and the monk’s swannery at Abbotsbury. Buy fresh fish and crabs from the boats moored at the quay, take the seasonal quick ferry to Jersey and Guernsey. It’s a four hour trip but you can be there and back in a day. And don’t forget to visit the strange place that is Portland Bill to the south and west of the town. It is here in Portland harbour that the Olympic Games sailing events will take place in 2012.      Continue westward to Lyme Regis on the Devon border. It was here that Meryl Streep filmed the famous scenes from A French Lieutenant’s Woman on the Cobb, the old stone quay that curls out into the channel. Walk on it at your peril in high winds, for it is slippery, and not flat!              Time to turn inland. Beaminster and the old church, before continuing on to the county town of Dorchester. This is Thomas Hardy country, there is a statue to him at the top of the High Street. Dorchester is Casterbridge in his books, Mayor of Casterbridge, and Tess of the D’Urbervilles, and there are memories of him everywhere.      Continue northward to Shaftesbury and Sherborne, home of Sir Walter Raleigh. Visit the Abbey, the castle and the antiques shops that abound in the town. In the north of the county the countryside and the people differ markedly to the costal strip. A slower pace of life, more time for everything. The land is rolling, green hills on chalk downland that is home to rare breeds of sheep. In places huge sculptures have been carved from the hillside where the thin topsoil has been removed revealing the white chalk beneath. White horses, riders on horses, and the mediaeval pornography that is the Cerne Abbas Giant. Visit Blandford Forum too, another riverside town that can trace its heritage back to Roman times, and beyond.      Take a slight detour over the border into Wiltshire and see the county capital of Salisbury and the beautiful cathedral with the tallest spire in England.      Dorset is a fine county to explore, full of quaint thatched cottages, and beautiful pubs that anyone can visit at any reasonable time. Rest your feet for an hour, you don’t need to buy alcohol if you prefer not, you’d be made just as welcome buying soft drinks and hearty crusty rolls. For the most part the food is good and fairly priced. Distances in Dorset between the towns are small and you can see a great deal in a week, but hey, two weeks would be all the better!            Shropshire – England’s Forgotten County By David Carter      Shropshire is England’s forgotten county but it is well worth making the effort to get there. It is only three hours by train from London and there is plenty to see and do. It is primarily a rural county steeped in history bordering as it does mid Wales from Oswestry in the northwest to Ludlow and the Hereford border in the south.      Consider staying in Shrewsbury, the capital of the county. Shrewsbury is a growing mediaeval town with a large mixture of places to stay and lots of things to see. It straddles the mighty Severn River, one of Britain’s longest rivers. The river twists and turns and revisits the town in several places. It can and does still flood some of the city and the effects of global warming have persuaded the town council to beef up the flood defences.      On a mild balmy day with the river low and sleepy it seems hard to believe that the river could ever offer a threat, but when it is angry and running, it does. Visit the castle set beside the Victorian railway station. Shrewsbury is also the home of Charles Darwin and there are reminders of their famous son throughout the town. Consider too the half timbered and ancient Rowley’s museum. To the north of the town is an area called Battle, named after the Battle of the Roses fought there in 1400 when men were slaughtered. Do visit the church just north of the battlefield site where a permanent memorial is on display.      But Shropshire has much more to offer than simply the county town. In the south Ludlow is a fascinating ancient town. Katherine of Aragon was imprisoned there in the castle after Henry the eight turned his attention elsewhere. The castle is still in surprisingly good condition and is open most days.        Bridgnorth is a town split in two. The lower level beside the River Severn and the high town, which commands views along the river. Take the old Steam powered Severn Valley railway, scene of countless films and TV series, from there south towards Kidderminster over the border in Worcestershire.      In the north of the county Ellesmere in the Shropshire Lakeland is a small town well worth a visit. Check out the canal where Thomas Telford’s masterpiece, built in 1760 runs through the town before wending its way over the border and into Wales and on to Llangollen. Oswestry in the northwest is a bustling market town and on market day you are likely to hear Welsh being spoken as often as English.      Another small town well worth a visit is Much Wenlock, located on Wenlock edge, a cliff face that runs diagonally across the county. There is an ancient monastery there and quaint buildings aplenty. In the far south of the county Ludlow is a must. Narrow streets with many half-timbered buildings always have something to offer. Check out the Feathers Hotel in Ludlow for olde England history and charm.      For the more energetic walking holidays across the moorland of the Long Mynd offers surprising taste of wilderness. Lastly, if you still have time, try and visit Telford at Ironbridge where Thomas Telford’s bridge still stands, the first metal bridge ever built anywhere and the harbinger of the industrial revolution      Shropshire is still undiscovered, especially for the international traveller, but it has much to commend it. The people are gentle and friendly and it is well worth the effort to get there.     Hampshire – Mild, Convenient, & Full of Variety. By David Carter        The southern English county of Hampshire is only two hours from London by car or on the frequent rail services. The county has much to offer regardless whether you seek cities, rural open countryside, or beaches and boat trips.      On the coast you will find the bustling fierce rival city ports of Portsmouth, fighting ships, and Southampton, merchant and cruise vessels. In Portsmouth you must visit the historic dockyard. Go on board Horatio Nelson’s flagship “Victory”, check out the “Warrior” and Henry the eighth’s “Mary Rose” which is still undergoing restoration after being raised from the seabed. Take an hour’s cruise to the Isle of Wight and see Britain’s biggest yachting extravaganza of Cowes week.      Southampton is the traditional homes of the Cunarder Queen liners. It still is, and fabulous views can be had of all the liners coming and going up Southampton water from Calshot beach in the south of the county.      To the west of Southampton is the amazing New Forest. The New Forest was established in the eleventh century by William the first as his personal hunting ground. Thousands of wild ponies, deer, cattle, donkeys, and at certain times of the year pigs can be seen all over the forest running free. Good times to visit are early May to take in and photograph the foaling season, and September, to see the roundup, known locally as the drift, when all the ponies are rounded up and branded and checked for health problems.        If you go walking in the forest, and you can do just about anywhere and it costs nothing, ensure you wear stout shoes as the Forest is a stronghold for Britain’s only poisonous snake. the adder. All the towns stock antidote these days and deaths are unheard of, but an adder bite can still inflict nasty pain. Bites are very rare, adders are small snakes that rush off into the undergrowth, but just in case you should stand on one, good shoes are a must.      Check out Lyndhurst in the centre of the forest, Burley for the witches, I kid you not, Brockenhurst for the ponies, restaurants, hotels, and main line quick rail links, and lastly Lymington for sailing and interesting shops and antiques. To the north east of the county you will find Winchester, Hampshire’s third city and the county town. This is a smaller ancient city boasting an impressive Cathedral, burial place of Jane Austen, as well as the monument to King Alfred, he of the burning the cakes fame, Wessex’s own ancient king.       Golf, sailing, riding, and fishing on the three majestic rivers Itchen, Test and Avon provide fishing on rivers as beautiful as you will find anywhere.  Hampshire is unquestionably one of England’s most beautiful counties, a week would never be enough to take in all it has to offer. Why not stay for two? There is a wide variety of accommodation from small boarding houses to international standard hotels, cottages to riverside marina apartments. You can see thousands of cottages, villas and apartments worldwide on my web site www.pebblebeachmedia.co.uk. Have a good holiday!   And take care.