London

Jane Austen
South West
Midlands

The North

Big BenBuckingham StatueNotting Hill Door

London

London in the midst of Indian summer weather is beautiful. Bustling with life (and everything else), I explored the tourist sights - and there were a lot of them.


BoscastleCornwall countrysideTintagel Castle

South-West

North Cornwall. I visited the villages of Tintagel and Boscastle, which possessed some spectacular coastline. So spectacular in fact that I felt I wasn't up to walking it! Tintagel Castle was the supposed birthplace of King Arthur and perilously perched on the edge of the cliff. Boscastle is a small village on a tiny cove and extremely picturesque.


Lynton YHAWestward Ho! BeachTarr Steps, Devon
Exmoor. A land of contrasts - wooded valleys and open moorland exist side by side. I loved the openness of the moor with its heather and wild ponies that roam freely. I toured it with some nice folks I met at the Boscastle YHA; Chris, Carl, and Naida.

Cricket in BathAutumn hay balesRoman baths
Bath. A lovely, lovely city where I saw many typically English things. Like a game of cricket. Well, preserved and orderly English streets. And many, many tea rooms! I also experienced my first fully-fledged walk in the English countryside, where I saw many a hay-bale, cow, dung, and jumped many a stile - what would an English walk be without them?

Sian and TomGumnut Cottage, SheffieldSarah and Alethea, Worcester

Midlands

Worcester. A short overnight stop to meet a penfriend, Alethea and her friend Sarah, who gave me a lightning-quick tour of exciting Worcester! Received a drenching the next morning and learned that I must get some GOOD raingear.

Sheffield. I stayed with a great family, the Hulley's - Mark, Anne, and 3 year old Sian (a little girl with always something to say). Although Sheffield was where the film 'The Full Monty' was set it's no longer as dreary as it was portrayed, and has some great country close by - the Peaks, Yorkshire, and the Lakes, which I all visited.


Edale, DerbyshireFeeling sheepish?Black-faced sheep
The Peaks. Possibly my favourite place in England because I got to spend a few days there and visited most of the major towns. I also had my first taste of hillwalking when I climbed the rather substantial hill from Castleton to Edale just to reach the youth hostel for the night! I also visited Chatsworth and Eyam, and the rolling hills and moors for me personifies rural England.

Eyam graveLake Windermere

The North

The Lakes District. Okay, I didn't really see the Lakes as I only visited Windermere, Ambleside and Grasmere. The area was lovely but a bit overrated. I was disappointed as I was always confronted by souvenir buying Japanese tourists at every turn (except when I went walking in knee-deep bogs), but I can see why Wordsworth and many other poets and writers fell in love with the place.

Bolton Abbey, YorkshireSunday dances, YorkHoliday cardsKnaresborough, Yorkshire

Yorkshire. I took a day trip from Sheffield to the medieval city of York and wandered around the Minster (cathedral) and the streets around it. It's very touristy but pretty and well preserved. I loved its half-timbered houses and its laid-back atmosphere. On the weekend, the Hulley's invited me for a weekend with a few friends in the Yorkshire Dales. The region is full of beautiful green countryside, tiny villages, and peaceful old towns. Even the typically foul weather didn't stop any of us from walking about and exploring.