Monthly Archives: August 2013

The wonderful beaches of Southern Britain (Part 2)

 

Part 2 and we have two more beaches of southern England (Brighton and Selsey ).

 The wonderful beaches of Southern Britain5. Brighton. After the happiest city in Britain mentioned in part one of my Beaches section, we now visit Brighton, also known as “London by the Sea”, because you can get here from the capital in just one hour. In the 18th century, Brighton had become a popular SPA – resort and like all other coastal towns, it has retained it’s charm to this day. A lovely pebble beach, a Pier complete with an amusement park, streets lined with the rich architecture of Georgian terraces, plenty of roadside cafees, lots of amusement arcades and complete sexual freedom.The reputation of this liberated city is home to a variety of sexual minorities and boasts the presence of a nudist beach (it is in fact the gay capital of britain).

Past engineering achievements have glorified this town. At low Brighton (1)tide, on the waterfront, you can see some concrete sleepers. These are the remains of a unique engineering structure, which was designed and brought to life by the engineer/designer Magnus Volk in 1896. The vehicle he built was a blend between a ferry and a tram, it moved along an underwater rail some 4.5 km long at a distance of 90 meters away from the shoreline. This electrically powered railway connected two piers, one on each end of the beach. “Sea bus” as it was called, was named ”Daddy long legs” by the locals, because of its unusual construction. This unique and advanced railway system operated for several years.

The wonderful beaches of Southern Britain (Part 2)After walking along the magnificent promenade you must visit the exotic Royal Pavilion. Narrow streets inherited from the original fishing village will lead you past antique jewelry boutiques and avant-garde shops to this amazing fairytale palace. A most extraordinary palace designed by the architect John Nash in an Indian style and looks like a mini Taj Mahal. The palace was built for the crown prince who eventually became King George IV. The prince used the palace for secret meetings with his mistress. No matter where you stand on the grounds, you can snap great pictures from every angle. Inside the building, you can enjoy the fascinating interior as it is now open to the public.

The active cultural life of Brighton is worth a mention. Some cities in the world boast extraordinary traditions. Brighton also has many music festivals. The most significant musical event occurred here in 1974, it was the Eurovision Song Contest, when the Swedish pop group ABBA won the top prize with their song “Waterloo.” Thank you, Brighton, for choosing “Abba”, a song which we still enjoy listening to with great nostalgia and much joy. Also, it holds the second largest arts festival in the world, the world’s beard and mustache competition and a festival of the richest people connected with Brighton.

Selsey (1)6. Selsey. The small town of Selsey is located at the southern end of the Manhood peninsula. It’s very quiet place, not too fussy and looks very comfortable, so it was on the day we visited and I also noticed that no one was in a hurry. When I saw the sea, I realized why: the bluish-silver mirror of water merges with the horizon and feels as if it goes on to infinity. The pebble beach is considered one of the best and cleanest in West Sussex and is of great scientific interest, because of the unusual rock formations at the bottom of the sea and large stone boulders on the banks. The problem here is that the sea is washing away the coastline and is of great concern to the locals and scientists. It could be that this beautiful beach will one day disappear altogether.

Once upon a time Selsey was the capital of the South Saxon kingdom. In 1877, they found silver and gold coins on the beach dating back to the Celtic Atrebates rulers and later other gold artifacts with runic inscriptions were also found on this beach, these can now be seen in the British Museum. Nothing here reminds one of the old days and prehistoric life anymore. But the merging of the horizon and the gray-blue sea reminds us of the impermanence of life. Sitting on this beach whilst looking out to sea you can indulge in some philosophical reveries.

Next time in part 3, I will tell all about the English Riviera.

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The wonderful beaches of Southern Britain (part 1)

Seven miles of golden sand in BournemouthThe weather has always been a favorite topic of discussion, especially now, when the climate is changing rapidly. We do not know what surprises to expect from nature in the future. In England after an unusually wet summer in 2011 and an unusually cold winter that followed, we now have an unusually hot summer this year, with temperatures reaching a record 39 C in some places. On the question of “what is happening to the weather”, Forecasters usually respond very succinctly with: “We try our best but no one can be sure” The benefits of this hot weather is that it’s great for the grass when wet and a pleasure to spend time on the beach when it’s hot. Now is the time to go and travel to the beautiful beaches of the British Isles. For example: on the Atlantic coast in Cornwall, where it’s normally cool and windy, this year, you can enjoy a warm sea and a very hot sun.

Bournemouth (1)1. At the beginning of my ratings I Bournemouth (4)described Bournemouth. This is where you will find one of the best beaches in Britain. It’s about seven miles long with beautiful golden sands. It was also voted the happiest city in Britain by the polls in 2007. 82% of the residents said that they were delighted to be living there. I believe this, because it had a very cozy atmosphere when I last visited there, thanks to its mild climate, wonderful parks, and beautiful Avenues. Many years ago a Mr. Lewis Tregonwell fell in love with the nature in the county of Dorset and decided to build a cottage on the shores of the English Channel. Later there followed the building of many villas and cottages in that area. He planted many alleys with pine trees, believing that the fragrant pine scent will be curative for many diseases. When the town finally got a railway, many people started to visit this seaside town. Pine avenues are now a tourist attraction and they are still jokingly referred to as “invalid walks.” Out into the sea near the town center there is a beautiful pier with lots of entertainment including a Theatre and restaurants and on the shore near the pier there is a wonderful aquarium that allows you to walk under water via a glass tunnel.

 

The wonderful beaches of Southern Britain.2. Sidmouth in the county of Devon The wonderful beaches of Southern Britain.like many other settlements along the coast was originally a fishing village. Since the 18th and 19th century it has become a very popular holiday resort, with many of the Georgian houses built in the 1800s converted into hotels. This is the warmest part of the south-west coast. The city is located in a conservation area and is part of a World Heritage site known as the Jurassic Coast. In addition, the area of East Devon is an area of outstanding natural beauty. The beautiful red cliffs and rocks along the beach, refer to the Triassic period and according to the testimony of some geologists it is the first geological period of the Mesozoic era. Climbing Jacob’s Ladder, which leads from the beach to the top of the cliffs, you will find a beautiful park at the top with great views of the shore line.

 

3. Camber Sands is a stretch of beach made up of sand dunes at the edge of the village of Camber in East Sussex. Romantic sand dunes do not only attract lovers of natural beauty, but have also been the subject of scientific interest for a long time. These sand dunes reminiscent of a small desert have an abundant amount of tall grasses growing within them and lots of wonderful butterflies.

 

The wonderful beaches of Southern Britain.4. Weston-super-Mare in North Somerset is not only famous as the birthplace of Ritchie Blackmore who was part of the Deep Purple band but is also a wonderful resort town. A postcard of the town shows a wonderful Grand Pier that burn down recently. A beautiful modern Pier was built in 2010 on the site of the old pier with a wonderful new restaurant and lots of attractions. The town of Weston is situated on the banks of the Bristol Channel and incurs a very high tide, a mile wide. At low tide a big area of mud is exposed along the coast that is why the locals have named it Weston-super-Mud. Muddy coastal waters bring a unique exotic landscape and unusual scenery to the area. The beach however is very wide and sandy. In November, a colorful annual carnival of lights, takes place all around Somerset and the last performance is always played out in Weston-super-Mare.

These are just 4 beaches from the many I shall be writing about together with my photos in the future.

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