PARROT CAY

Parrot Cay, the only private island resort in the Turks and Caicos, combines unspoilt nature with relaxed luxury, beachside villas and estates, a mile of pristine white sand beach. It is one of the most secluded and exclusive resort islands in the northern Caribbean. Here you'll have no choice but relax. Aside from just plain basking in the sun, major attractions are diving, snorkeling, fishing, boating, golfing and bird-watching.
The island was originally named Pirate Cay because of a local legend that famous female pirate Anne Bonny camped here in the 1720s. It was renamed Parrot Cay as to not frighten visitors. The island is a popular retreat for celebrities who have fallen in love with the altruistic hospitality which is as exceptional as the natural beauty of Parrot Cay.

 

Received from Thomas Goatherd, Northamptonshire

BEADNELL

Beadnell is a small village set at the end of a sheltered, horseshoe-shaped beach called Beadnell Bay. This sweeping crescent of beach is fun for everyone, with golden sand perfect for sand castle building, beach cricket, and water sports. With its protected waters and stunning beach, Beadnell is a watersports paradise.

The harbour walls of Beadnell were built in the 1790's and the lime kilns of that date still remain. Stretching from the harbour is the long golden sweep of Beadnell bay with the ruined Dunstanburgh Castle in the distance. This sheltered bay makes an ideal location for some of the best sailing and wind surfing on the Northumberland coast. The village provides a range of pubs and cafes. There is an historic church dedicated to St Ebba. The church is popular with local residents and holds many memorials to local families.

 

 BEADNELL HARBOUR

 

The entrance to Beadnell harbour actually faces west making it the only west-facing on the east coast of England. This combination of charm and accessibility makes Beadnell a popular holiday village on the north east coast. Walkers and ramblers will enjoy visiting Beadnell, it has miles of perfect walking routes along the beautiful coastline.

 

Received from Thomas Goatherd, Northamptonshire

DAYTONA BEACH

 Daytona Beach, located along the east coast of central Florida, was founded in 1870 and officially became a city when it was incorporated in 1876. This resort is famous for its 23-mile beach, lined with a wall of hotels. The waterfront boardwalk offers concerts in the bandstand, arcades, and go-karts. During Spring Break, nearly 200,000 college students descend on the beach for this ritual party. This is also one of the few beaches in Florida where cars are allowed on the sands, a hangover from the days when motor enthusiasts, such as Louis Chevrolet and Henry Ford, raced on the beaches. The Daytona International Speedway nearby draws huge crowds, especially during the Speedweek in February and the Motorcycle Weeks in March and October. Daytona International Speedway is known as the “World Center of Racing.” It’s the place where dreams begin and history is made.

Daytona International Speedway * Home of The Great American Race

Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau

BRAY

 The thriving town of Bray is situated approximately 20 kms south of Dublin. Backed by the Wicklow Mountains which rise in great heather-clad masses behind the town, Bray is the gateway to the Garden of Ireland - Wicklow. Bray's sandy beach and esplanade are popular with both tourists and locals alike. Once a refined Victorian resort, Bray is nowadays a brash holiday town, with amusement arcades and fish and chip shops lining the sea front. Its beach attracts large crowds in summer, including many young families. The annual mid-summer seaside festival attracts thousands of visitor every year.

BRAY, CO. WICKLOW, IRELAND

The fine expanse of sandy beach, mile-long esplanade, charming harbour and variety of recreational and entertainment amenities make the name of Bray renowned throughout Ireland. The resort is enclosed at the southern end by Bray Head which rises boldly to a height of nearly 800 feet, and from whose summit, partly reached by an aerial chair-lift, spectacular panoramic views are obtained of the district.

YORKSHIRE COAST

 A hauntingly beautiful region, Yorkshire is the largest of England’s historic counties (and its proud inhabitants would say it’s the only one worth visiting). The coastline of the North York Moors offers a dramatic view of spectacular white cliffs covered in pink heather, which plummet down to the dark sea hundreds of feet below. Cottages pile on top of each other in a glorious jumble round the tiny harbor of Staithes. Runswick Bay, also a fishing  village, is more ordered in its red-roofed, white-washed , cliff-clinging cottages above a fine, sandy beach. 

Bridlington * Staithes * Whitby
Robin Hood's Bay * Runswick Bay * Thornwick Bay

In precarious clifftop site with steep flights of steps and narrow passages, Robin Hood's Bay is yet another lovely fishing village. Though associations with the famous outlaw are tenuous, smuggling stories are readily authenticated. Low tide reveals vast sand, rock-pools and fossils. A Norwegian whalebone arch reminds you that Whitby was once an important whaling centre; now interest lies in the old town on the east side of the Esk River, with tea and antique stores, and jewelers selling the gemstone jet.
 

GATINEAU

Gatineau (Quebec’s fourth-largest city), until recently known as Hull, is based just across the river from Ottawa in the province of Quebec, and, as a result, many federal bureaucracies have their headquarters here. For years, Gatineau has been a more relaxed and fun-loving counterpart to the capital. From Hull’s establishment in 1800, the city’s liquor laws were far more lenient than Ottawa’s, and so this was where Ottawa politicians came to party (the city still has a lower drinking age). Gatineau contains one of Canada’s best museums, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, which provides a fascinating tour of Canada’s history over the past 1,000 years.

ICE CANOE RACE * GATINEAU RIVER * ARTISTS' QUAY

Downtown Gatineau is the place to be for entertaining activities, cultural events, and celebration of all kinds! Laval Street, which is closed to vehicular traffic from May to November, provides a safe and enjoyable route for pedestrians and cyclist. Fireworks, hot air balloons, concerts, ice carving and sand sculptures - you'll find all kinds of entertainment all year-round. In Gatineau, fun and excitement are never far away!

Ville de Gatineau

COLORADO SPRINGS

 Established by railroad baron William Jackson Palmer in 1871, Colorado Springs nestles below Pikes Peak. The mountain is a stunning backdrop for the modern city of Colorado Springs. The first resort town in the western US, it was initially nick named “Little London” because of the scores of English tourists it attracted. In the 1950s, Colorado Springs was chosen to be the home of the prestigious US Air Force Academy and the National Missile Defense Headquarters (NORAD). The latter is situated on the city’s southwestern fringe, deep within the bombproof Cheyenne Mountain. Modern-day Colorado Springs is one of the fastest-growing cities in the US, with rows of houses extending into the foothills to the west, and the vast plains to the east. Colorado Springs averages 300 days of blue skies each year.

Pikes Peak looms over Colorado Springs.

Visit Colorado Springs

EXMOOR

 Exmoor, England's smallest national park, packs in a great variety of scenery, from towering cliffs along the coast, to lush, wooded combes riven by sparkling streams, to gentle farmland in the east and wilder moorland in the center and south. The heathland of Exmoor starts abruptly at around 1,000 feet above  sea level, leaving behind lush wooded valleys and productive farmland well sheltered from the prevailing westerly winds. You'll be very lucky to spot any of the resident red deer, but you'll certainly meet a few hardy, dun-colored Exmoor ponies on your travels. To set the scene, you might want to read R.D. Blackmore's historical novel, Lorna Doone, based on stories about a group of 17-th century outlaws who lived in a beautiful part of the park now commonly known as  Doone County.

LORNA DOONE FARM, EXMOOR,  NORTH DEVON

Received from Thomas, Northamptonshire

KIMBERLEY

DIAMOND CITY

South Africa leads in world gemstone production. Kimberley is the diamond centre of the world.  In 1866, an unusual 'pebble' was found near Kimberley on the banks of the Orange River. The discovery precipitated the world's greatest diamond rush - and changed the course of history. Today, Kimberley is a modern city with broad, tree-lined streets, comfortable hotels and busy shopping centres. But the extraordinary saga of its past seems ever-present, enveloping it in an aura of adventure and drama. If you close your eyes, it's easy to conjure up a picture of the diggers, loafers, gamblers and 'ladies' of ill repute who once inhabited the dusty shanty town. 

The diamond sieve statue in the Civic Centre Gardens depicts the diggers of the early days; with the Oppenheimer Building

The Digger's Fountain commemorates the contribution made by thousands of diggers whom toiled on the mines. Despite the fact that the mines are approaching the end of their lives, the name "Kimberley" will always be synonymous  with diamonds. In the words of former De Beers Chairman, Mr Harry Oppenheimer, 'the city will  remain the capital of the world's diamond industry, even when all the mines around it are silent relics like the Big Hole'.

OCONOMOWOC

 The resort community of Oconomowoc (incorporated as city in 1875) sits in the heart of Wisconsin's lake country. Lac La Belle and Fowler Lake are within the city's limit, with Oconomowoc Lake nearby. A walking tour leads to many of the city's restored mansions, a fieldstone train depot. Ole Evinrude, an Oconomowoc resident who invented the outboard boat motor in 1907, is the focus of an exhibit of early boat motors. Another Oconomowoc claim to fame is its setting for the 1939 premier showing of the movie, “The Wizard of Oz.”

 The only thing brighter than the Oconomowoc area's past is its future!

Boat Races on Lac Labelle, Oconomowoc

Named after the Potowatomi word for "where the waters meet" you will find two lakes in the heart of Oconomowoc that are separated only by a narrow strip of land. Fowler Lake and Lac La Belle not only offer natural beauty that can be admired from the shoreline whether fishing, relaxing on a park bench or while on a walk along the isthmus that separates them, but it  can also be enjoyed from the water.

For more information about the Oconomowoc area, visit City of Oconomowoc, WI