Steve's World Blog Information and articles on cities, towns and villages around the world.

April 11, 2012

Clovelly Devon

Clovelly Devon – Clovelly is a fishing village on the north coast of Devon in the UK. It was primarily known through the novel Westward Ho by Charles Kingsley. Even Charles Dickens describes in his book A Message From the Sea, the rugged area around Clovelly. With its picturesque location Clovelly attracts many tourists. However, the site itself can be visited only on foot, as cars are not allowed due to the steep slope. For older people, however, there is the possibility to use a Land Rover with a service charge, which carries the people down at the harbour. An 800 metre long road with cobblestones leads down to the harbour, where there is a quay wall from the 14th Century. There are two chapels in the village, restaurants, gift shops and craft shops. Clovelly has a small beach, where many visitors head when the weather is fine. The village has about 400 inhabitants, many of which still survive through traditional fishing, as demonstrated by the white fishermen’s houses. Clovelly is close to the Hartland Peninsular and nearby towns include Holsworthy, Putford, Bude and Bideford.

See a map of Clovelly here: http://www.my-towns.co.uk/clovelly-map.html

And a map of Devon here: http://www.my-towns.co.uk/devon-map.html

Basildon Essex

Basildon Essex – Basildon is a new town in Essex, created in 1949 after the Second World War, it was intended to house those who suffered due to the bombing in London and the destruction of many of its neighbourhoods. Part of its population comes from East London, near the docks. Basildon was created from four small villages, Pitsea, Basildon, Laindon and Vange. The first reference to Basildon in historical annals is in the Domesday Book, (records of 1086) being referred to as “Belesduna”. Basildon’s name means “the hill” and the words come from Anglo-Saxon, “Beorhtel” and “dun.” Throughout the centuries and in different historical documents, Basildon will be called in different names such as: Berdlesdon, Batlesdon and Belesduna. Within the district of Billericay, we can see a house dating from 1620 where the Pilgrim Fathers met, before emigrating to America on the Mayflower. Basildon today has a population of 185,000, it is situated to the south-east of Brentwood, to the south-east of Billericay and to the north-west of Southend-on-Sea, South Benfleet and Canvey Island.

View a map of Basildon here: http://www.my-towns.co.uk/basildon-map.html

Mortehoe North Devon

Mortehoe North Devon – A pretty little North Devon village which is steeped in history, Mortehoe is situated high above the town of Woolacombe and surrounded by protected land owned by the National Trust. Located a little inland from Morte Point (a peninsular notorious for shipwrecks), Mortehoe is a charming place with delightful tea rooms, shops, and friendly pubs. Its church (St Mary) dates from Norman times and it also boasts a Heritage Centre which outlines the rich maritime history of the area. Mortehoe is close to Woolacombe, Ilfracombe, Braunton and Barnstaple and is a popular tourist destination for those visiting this rugged coast of Devon.

See a map of Mortehoe village here: http://www.my-towns.co.uk/mortehoe-map.html

And view street maps of Devon here: http://www.streetmapz.co.uk/devon.html

April 10, 2012

Combe Martin and Hele Bay

Filed under: England,United Kingdom — Tags: , , , , — needahand @ 5:16 pm

Combe Martin and Hele Bay – A couple of attractive little villages and good spots to visit if you are in North Devon, Combe Martin and Hele Bay are situated to the east of Ilfracombe, on the coast and both minor holiday resorts which attract a number of tourists to the area, both are also on the western edge of the Exmoor National Park. Combe Martin is a delightful village with a long High Street once thought to be the longest village street in England (it isn’t!), it also has a small sheltered cove with a nice little beach. The village of Hele Bay is even smaller but also has a nice little beach and is sheltered by surrounding hills.

See a map of Combe Martin here: http://www.my-towns.co.uk/combe-martin-map.html

Truro Cornwall

Filed under: England,United Kingdom — Tags: , , , , — needahand @ 10:56 am

Truro Cornwall – Truro is a city of 20,920 British residents (2001), and capital of the county of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is located on the banks of Truro river near its mouth in the English Channel. Industries in Truro include the ceramic industry, textile, wood and food production. The most prominent monument is the Truro Cathedral (Gothic Revival), which reaches a height of 76 metres, and was begun in 1880 and was completed in 1910, it was built on the site of the former St. Mary’s Church, consecrated six hundred years before. Truro is the only city in the county of Cornwall. Truro has a busy tourist industry with thousands visiting the Cornish coastal resorts and looking for a place to visit when the weather is not so good. Truro has good shopping and a number of interesting tourist attractions. Truro is to the east of Redruth and to the north of Falmouth, it is a 27 miles drive from Penzance.

See a map of Truro here: http://www.my-towns.co.uk/truro-map.html

April 9, 2012

Ayamonte Costa de la Luz

Filed under: Holidays,Spain,Travel — Tags: , , , — needahand @ 6:35 pm

Ayamonte Costa de la Luz – Ayamonte is a Spanish city in the province of Huelva in the autonomous region of Andalucia, Spain. In 2008 there were 19,738 inhabitants. The municipality of Ayamonte has an area of 142 square kilometres and a population density of 136.5 inhabitants per square kilometre. The town lies at the mouth of the Guadiana River on the Atlantic Ocean (Costa de la Luz) and thus on the border with Portugal. The distance to the provincial capital of Huelva is 48 kilometres, to Seville it is 140 kilometres. In Roman times, the mouth of the Guadiana River, was known as the “Ostium Fluminis Anae”. From there, was an important trade route leading north to Merida. It is assumed that even at this time Ayamonte occupied a strategically important position. In 1239, the Moorish domination was ended by troops of King Sancho II of Portugal. In 1263 they designated the river as a border between Portugal and Spain, and the town of Ayamonte came under the jurisdiction of the Castilian crown. First, they belonged to the county of Niebla, but later formed its own marquisate. 1664 Ayamonte was awarded city status by King Philip IV. If you wish to visit Ayamonte, you will find lots of hotels and privately owned apartments for rent. Ayamonte is in the region known as the Costa de la Luz in the region of Andalucia.

Learn more about Ayamonte here: http://www.needahandspanishproperties.com/ayamonte.html

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