Joyaux des îles britanniques

Crossing the English Channel from continental Europe to Great Britain, the first view of England is the milky-white strip of land called the White Cliffs of Dover. As you get closer, the coastline unfolds before you in all its striking beauty. White chalk cliffs with streaks of black flint rise straight from the sea to a height of 350’ (110 m). Numerous archaeological finds reveal people were present in the area during the Stone Age. Yet the first record of Dover is from Romans, who valued its close proximity to the mainland. A mere 21 miles (33 km) separate Dover from the closest point in France. A Roman-built lighthouse in the area is the tallest Roman structure still standing in Britain. The remains of a Roman villa with the only preserved Roman wall mural outside of Italy are another unique survivor from ancient times which make Dover one of a kind.

Situé sur la côte jurassique du patrimoine mondial naturel, Portland est la porte d’entrée des attractions telles que Stonehenge, Bath et la cathédrale de Salisbury. De plus, à proximité, vous avez un certain nombre de beaux châteaux, Portland, Rufus et Sandfoot, ainsi que Nothe fort et Max Gate.

La ville portuaire de Cobn est située à 24 km de Cork, la capitale de l’Irlande du sud. Quelques-uns des lieux les plus célèbres du pays y sont visibles: Blarney Castle, célèbre pour ses légendes et notamment celle de la Pierre de l’Eloquence. A l’ouest de Cork, on trouve les plus beaux paysages d’Europe, avec des noms lyriques qui décrient parfaitement les vallées pittoresques, les montagnes et les côtes. Cork est la deuxième plus importante ville de la république irlandaise. Son histoire remonte à l’antiquité, et elle est néanmoins moderne, bien organisées et consciente de son importance. Construite sur un marais, et entrecoupée de canaux sinueux et de rivières, la ville est partagée en deux, avec une architecture mélangeant style ancien et moderne.

Fishguard’s name in Welsh is Abergwaun, meaning the mouth of the River Gwaun. The English name comes from an Old Norse word for a fish trap, and indeed the community has profited from catching and drying herring for centuries. It has remained remarkably unchanged physically over the years. The waterfront has a traditional feel like many others in Pembrokeshire. At first glance, nothing would indicate that this is the site of the last invasion of Britain by a foreign power. But a bicentenary stone recalls the day in 1797 when 1400 French revolutionary troops landed here, only to be routed by the local folk, including a heroic woman shoemaker named Jemima Nicholas, who rounded up more than a dozen dismayed invaders while armed with a pitchfork. A large tapestry depicting the struggle is on display in the Fishguard Town Hall. The surrounding South Wales countryside is dotted with medieval castles, some impressive, such as Pembroke and Picton Castles, and others little more than scenically sited ruins. Cardigan also has a notable garden called Dyffryn Fernant, and St. David’s boasts an impressive early cathedral and a Bishop’s Palace. Prehistoric Pembrokeshire is represented by the Pentre Ifan Burial Chamber, a massive dolmen with an intact 15-ton capstone made of the same type of rock that formed the inner sanctum of Stonehenge.

Douglas est la capitale de l’île de Man. Mann, comme elle est également appelée, est une dépendance de la Couronne britannique, avec ses propres timbres-postes (un souvenir populaire). Ici, les visiteurs peuvent profiter des moyens de transport, allant des tramways hippomobiles, des trains à vapeur et des motos à grande vitesse qui sont en concurrence dans les renommées courses TT de l’Île de Man. En été, la ville conserve tout le charme de la station balnéaire d’une période antérieure, y compris Grand Union Camera Obscura de l’époque victorienne, aujourd’hui restauré pour votre plaisir.

Belfast est la plus grande zone urbaines d’Irlande du nord et est située sur la côte est du pays. Au nord-ouest, la ville est entourée par des collines, comme Cavehill qui a inspiré « les Voyages de Gulliver » par Jonathan Swift. L’emplacement de Belfast est idéal pour la construction de navires, pour laquelle elle est célèbre. Le Titanic y fut construit en 1912 dans le plus grand chantier navire du monde entier. Jusqu’à l’Accord du Vendredi Saint en 1988, Belfast connu le pire pendant les Troubles avec de nombreuses morts. Cependant, depuis cette époque, le centre-ville de Belfast est devenu un endroit plaisant parfait pour les piétons avec des musiciens de rue et autres artistes, et un front de mer revitalisé.

Rothesay, standing along the Firth of Clyde, presents the visitor with a combination of illustrious gardens and grand architecture. The magnificent ruins of Rothesay Castle, which date from the 13th century, are what most people visualize when they think of a medieval castle. With a drawbridge, encircling moat, immense circular curtain wall and tall stone towers, Rothesay is unique in Scotland for its circular plan. The ruins of St Blane’s Chapel, a 6th century monastery, sit atop a hill with views over the Sound of Bute. For true elegance, visit the country estate of Mount Stuart House with its colonnaded Marble Hall and extraordinary Marble Chapel. Built in the late 1870’s in the Gothic Revivalist style, it was constructed of reddish-brown stone and houses a library of 25,000 books. The Ardencraig Gardens, sitting atop Canada Hill, feature a walled garden and exotic aviary. Ascog Hall Fernery, located on the grounds of a baronial-style house from 1844, is a beautiful garden with the oldest ferns in Britain.

Oban is a small town on the west coast of Scotland. The site began as a small fishing outpost and has been occupied as such for literally thousands of years. Rural in its roots, the modern-day village of Oban grew around the famed whisky distillery founded in 1794. Renowned for its 14-year-old malt whisky, the Oban distillery has become a tourist attraction, drawing many visitors to the area. The quiet, rural feel of Oban is responsible for the abundance of wildlife within the town boundaries. Here grey seals can be spotted swimming in the harbor or resting along the shore. A wide variety of land and seabirds are found throughout the area. On occasion dolphins and river otters also visit. A beautiful balance exists between this small town and the natural environment surrounding it, where the sounds of nature mingle with the melody of the streets.

Ullapool is a village of around 1,500 inhabitants in Ross and Cromarty, Scottish Highlands, located around 45 miles north-west of Inverness. Despite its small size it is the largest settlement for many miles around, and an important port and tourist destination.

New Haven is a coastal city on Long Island Sound, in Connecticut. It’s home to the Ivy League Yale University, founded in 1701. The institution’s museums include the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, the Yale University Art Gallery and the Yale Center for British Art. Grove Street Cemetery, dating from the late 18th century, has a 19th-century Egyptian Revival gateway. The New Haven Museum covers local history.

Newcastle upon Tyne, clinging to the north bank of the River Tyne, grew around the Roman settlement Pons Aelius and was named after the castle built here in 1080 by William the Conqueror’s eldest son, Robert Curthose. The port developed in the 16th century, quickly becoming one of the world’s largest shipbuilding centers. Newcastle harbors a spirited mix of heritage and urban sophistication. Among its ultra-modern structures, is the beautiful refined curve of the Gateshead Millennium suspension bridge, one of seven major bridges that cross The Tyne. The modern reflective, spherical-profile of the Sage Gateshead Concert Hall contrasts greatly with the distinguished vertical columns of the traditional-style Theatre Royal, located in Grainger Town, the historic center of Newcastle.

Crossing the English Channel from continental Europe to Great Britain, the first view of England is the milky-white strip of land called the White Cliffs of Dover. As you get closer, the coastline unfolds before you in all its striking beauty. White chalk cliffs with streaks of black flint rise straight from the sea to a height of 350’ (110 m). Numerous archaeological finds reveal people were present in the area during the Stone Age. Yet the first record of Dover is from Romans, who valued its close proximity to the mainland. A mere 21 miles (33 km) separate Dover from the closest point in France. A Roman-built lighthouse in the area is the tallest Roman structure still standing in Britain. The remains of a Roman villa with the only preserved Roman wall mural outside of Italy are another unique survivor from ancient times which make Dover one of a kind.