A city in the Tampa Bay Area of Pinellas County, Florida, Clearwater has a history going back to the 1830’s when the construction of Fort Harrison was started on a bluff overlooking Clearwater Harbour. Previous to this, the area was inhabited by the Tocobaga people, at least since the 16th century. Fort Harrison was built as an outpost during the Seminole Wars, later in the 1840’s, land in the area was offered to anyone who would bear arms and a number of families took up the challenge and obtained sizeable tracts of land in the region. Originally called Clear Water Harbour (referring to a nearby fresh water spring), the city continued to grow, although at the turn of the 20th century it only had around 400 inhabitants. During WW2 Clearwater was used as a training base for troops heading for Europe from the USA, it has since become a popular tourist destination, especially the Clearwater Beach area which boasts some fantastic beaches and excellent facilities. Clearwater is also the HQ of the Church of Scientology. Clearwater Map.
August 26, 2009
August 25, 2009
Benifallim Costa Blanca
Well worth a visit when travelling in the northern Costa Blanca, is the delightful little mountain village of Benifallim, located in the Sierra del Rontonar. Having less than two hundred inhabitants, Benifallim really is a tiny place, but its narrow streets and alleyways and charming white-washed houses take visitors back to the times of the Moors, when they battled for control of the village with the Christian forces. Benifallim can be accessed from the CV785. Benifallim Map.
Devon Cities Exeter Plymouth and Around
The fourth largest county in England, Devon is situated in the south-west of the country bordering Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset. Devon boasts a couple of national Parks in the form of Dartmoor and Exmoor, and some historic towns and cities such as Exeter and Plymouth, making the county an interesting and exciting place to visit. Exeter, lying on the River Exe was the most south-westerly fortified town during the Roman occupation of Britain, and even before this was settled, perhaps as early as 250BC. If you are visiting Exeter be sure to take a look at Exeter Cathedral which was founded in 1050, and became the seat of the Bishop of Exeter, being moved from Crediton. The naval port and city of Plymouth is famous as the departure point of the Pilgrim Fathers, who headed for the New World in the Mayflower in 1620, they of course founded Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, America. Plymouth these days is a bustling city with a population of over 250,000. Whilst visiting Plymouth, you might want to consider a trip across the border into Cornwall, where you will find the town of Launceston just 2 miles from the Devon border. In Launceston you can see the 11th century Norman castle which overlooks and dominates the town, it was built by William the Conqueror’s half brother, and demonstrates the importance they gave to the town. Back to Devon and for something a little different, you might consider a trip to the races at Newton Abbot, the course established in 1866 is situated beside the River Teign and is a popular venue for thoroughbred horseracing. Devon Map.
Bude Boscastle Tintagel Port Isaac and Liskeard
The beautiful area of North Cornwall has some wonderful places to visit and holidaymakers will no doubt return time and time again to take in the sights as they will surely not be able to take it all in on one trip. Beach lovers will likely head for Bude, a popular coastal resort on the north coast. Bude has two fine beaches and the surrounding coastline is an area of extreme natural beauty. A little south of Bude finds you at 2 interesting little villages – Boscastle and Tintagel. Boscastle, a pretty village hidden in a valley has a harbour situated in a natural inlet, formerly a significant port but these days relying more on tourism for its survival. Tourism is of course also big in Tintagel, with its associations with the Legend of King Arthur, the ruined Tintagel Castle is located on a nearby island, and the timeless story attracts thousands of visitors to the village. Still further to the south-west be sure to drop in at Port Isaac, another Cornish fishing village with much to commend it, this charming place was previously important for exporting coal, stone and pottery, though fishing and tourism are the order of the day in modern times, the village centre has some fine examples of 18th and 19th century cottages. Places of interest in Cornwall are not confined to the coast and for something a little different you could set your sights on the ancient market town of Liskeard, a place of importance since the 13th century, when it was granted its license to hold a weekly market, which it has done ever since. If you would like to experience the market atmosphere, visit on a Thursday. Liskeard Map.
August 24, 2009
Bahamas – The Early History
The Commonwealth of the Bahamas is located to the north of Cuba in the Atlantic Ocean, it is an independent country, speaking the English language and is made up of a large number of islands, cays and rocks spread over an area of over 5,000 square miles. Thought to have been first settled by the Taino people in the seventh century, the Bahamas has a large population by the time Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World. As Spaniards arrived in the Bahamas they took most of the native population into slavery, and those remaining died of disease, this caused the islands to become depopulated and they were not permanently resettled until the 17th century when a group of travellers arrived from Bermuda, they were known as the Eleutherian Travellers and settled on an island which they called Eleuthera (meaning freedom). After the islands became home to some notorious pirates, they were made a Britsh Crown colony in the early 18th century. Bahamas Map.
Benicarlo Spain
A coastal town and resort situated between Peniscola and Vinaros, Benicarlo is on the “Orange Blossom Coast” (Costa del Azahar) in eastern Spain. Settled since the Bronze Age, Benicarlo was just a small hamlet when the Moors ruled the region in the 8th to 13th centuries, it was later surrounded by a fortified wall after the Christian reconquest. Present day Benicarlo survives economically on agriculture and manufacturing and also has a budding tourism industry, as this stretch of coast gains in popularity. Benicarlo celebrates a couple of interesting festivals during the year, the first one being the Artichoke Fair, which is held in January and celebrates one of the most important crops for the town, during August the festival in honour of Benicarlo’s patron saint, includes the “bous a la mar” (Bulls in the sea) event.