England - Cotswolds

The Cotswolds is a range of hills (the word "wold" literally means "rolling hills") that lies mainly in the county of Gloucestershire, and is noted for its picturesque countryside, towns and villages.  The hills are limestone hills, and much of that limestone has been quarried to build houses and buildings, and many of the buildings in the Cotswolds have a characteristic green-brown colour as a result.  The Cotswolds was a very important centre of the wool trade until about the 17th century, and there is a breed of sheep known as the Cotswold sheep.  The Cotswolds is very popular with tourists, both from the UK and from abroad.

 

	Broadway		Fish Hill
	Bourton-on-the-Water		Enstone
	Burford		Long Compton
	Charlbury		Moreton-in-Marsh
	Chipping Camden		Stow-on-the-Wold
	Chipping Norton		Woodstock
	Hawk Stone		Rollright Stones
	Hoar Stone		Thor Stone
	Lyneham Long Barrow		Snowshill Manor

 

England - South Oxfordshire

Oxfordshire is a county in central southern England, and is home to the town of Didcot, where I live.  Perhaps the most well-known city in Oxfordshire is Oxford, which is home to the famous Oxford University.  I live in the southern half of Oxfordshire, and around my area we have many places of interest, including a section of the Ridgeway and the Uffington White Horse (see the monuments section above).  Because of the good transport facilities to London, house prices can be rather high in Oxfordshire.  The population of Oxfordshire is around 600,000.

 

	Abingdon		Uffington White Horse
	Blewbury		Goring
	Blenheim Palace		Oxford
	Blenheim Palace Grounds		Wallingford
	Cholsey		Wantage
	Didcot		River Thames
	East Hagbourne		East Hendred
	Harwell Laboratory		Steventon
	Harwell Village		Wittenham Clumps
	The Ridgeway		Wayland's Smithy
	Uffington Castle

 

England - Exmoor

Exmoor is a national park in the south west of England, partly in the county of Somerset and partly in the county of Devon.  Exmoor is one of my favourite places as it combines beautiful hilly scenery with the coast, and has a little bit of something for everyone.  It is very much geared towards walkers, and there are some very long and scenic walks for those who want to do that sort of thing, but many of the walks are very short and lead to some nice places for a traditional English afternoon tea!  The weather on Exmoor can be variable, but is fine from about May through to October.

 

	Doone Valley		Hunter's Inn
	Horner Wood		Porlock
	Lynmouth		Tarr Steps
	Lynton		Watersmeet
	A39 Road		Exmoor Moors
	Barbrook		Malmsmead
	Brendon		Simonsbath
	Countisbury		Valley of the Rocks

 

England - Warwickshire

Warwickshire is a central county of England, and is home to the historic towns of Leamington Spa and Warwick.  I lived much of my early life in a town called Kenilworth (famous for its castle) that lies in Warwickshire, and I guess the main attraction of Warwickshire is Stratford-upon-Avon, which lies to the south of the county.  Stratford is best known as the birth place of William Shakespeare, and for this reason, tourism is one of the major industries in Stratford.  The population of the county is around 500,000.

 

	Kenilworth		Stratford-upon-Avon
	Leamington Spa		Warwick
	Alcester		Henley in Arden
	Shipston-on-Stour		Edge Hill
	Banbury		Kineton
	Halford		Ilmington
	Fosse Way		Kenilworth Castle
	Honington		Redwings Sanctuary

 

England - Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a county of England that lies to the south west of Oxfordshire.  It is particularly rich in artefacts from ancient times.  According to Microsoft Encarta, Wiltshire "is rich in prehistoric monuments. Stonehenge is the best known, while Avebury is considered by archaeologists to be the most significant stone circle in the world".  Other places of interest include Salisbury and Salisbury Plain, and Wiltshire has more white horse hill-side carvings than anywhere else in England (and probably the world).

	Avebury Stone Circle		Silbury Hill
	Barbury Castle		Stonehenge
	Old Sarum		West Kennet Long Barrow
	Overton Hill		Woodhenge
	The Sanctuary

 

England - Yorkshire

Yorkshire is the northern-most of the counties considered here, and is where I had the pleasure of living for three years while I was at university in the city of York.  There is a notion that Yorkshire folk are friendlier than their southern counterparts, and my experience was that this is true.  The major cities of Yorkshire are Leeds, Bradford, York and Hull, though Yorkshire is also noted for its breathtaking scenery, and it is this that I have concentrated on here.

 

	Bedale		Pateley Bridge
	Gunnerside		Reeth
	Hawes		Ripon
	Knaresborough		Rothwell (Leeds)
	Thornton Watlass		Bolton Castle
	Fountains Abbey		Ripley Castle
	Ripon Cathedral		Strensall
	York City		York Minster
	Pickering		Malton
	Scarborough		Whitby
	Castle Howard		Castle Howard Gardens
	North Yorkshire Railway		North Yorkshire Moors
	Goathland		Grosmont
	Flaxton

 

England - Norfolk

Norfolk is on the east coast of England, and has some interesting features compared with some of the other counties shown above.  For a start, Norfolk contains very flat terrain, and because of this and its location next to the coast, the country is very vulnerable to flooding and coastal erosion due to sea-level rise.  The county is home to many notable features and places, such as Sandringham, one of the residences of the Queen of England.  Walsingham is also of interest to those of a religious persuasion.

 

	Brancaster		Sandringham Grounds
	Blickling Hall		Shire Horse Centre
	Cromer		Walsingham
	Sandringham House		Wells Next-the-Sea
	Little Snoring		Great Snoring

 

 

England - Lincolnshire Wolds

The county of Lincolnshire lies in the middle-east region of England and the Lincolnshire Wolds form a major region of the county, and the towns of Horncastle and Spilsby are attractive towns in the southern wolds.  The major city in Lincolnshire is Lincoln, and is a beautiful city filled with history and things to see.  In contrast to other parts of the country, Lincolnshire and the Wolds are relatively unspoilt and not completely packed out with tourists.

 

	Gibraltar Point		Old Bolingbroke
	Lincoln City		Spilsby
	Lincoln Castle		Skegness
	Lincoln Cathedral		Snipe Dales Park
	Hameringham		Snipe Dales Reserve
	Horncastle		Lincolnshire Wolds

 

 

England - Lake District

The Lake District is without a doubt one of the most beautiful regions of England, and as such is very popular with tourists.  Situated in the north-west of England, the Lake District is in fact a national park, with an area of around 900 square miles.  The mountainous and hilly landscape of the Lake District is due to the advance and retreat of glaciers during periods of climate change.

Note that this section is a work in progress!

 

	Glenridding		Lake Ullswater
	Santon Bridge		Lake Wastwater
	Aira Force		Honister Pass
	Ambleside		Keswick
	Bowness-on-Windermere		Kirkstone Pass
	Buttermere		Buttermere Lake
	Castle Rigg Stone Circle		Lake Windermere
	Coniston water		Patterdale
	Crummock water		Windermere
	Derwent Water

 

USA

Here are a selection of photos from my trips to the USA.  See North Carolina and Washington DC for more photos of the USA.

 

	Virginia
	North Carolina
	South Carolina
	Mississippi
	New Orleans

 

Other Parts of Europe

These photos are of places in the UK and Europe that I have visited, either on holiday or on business.

 

	Evesham (England)
	The Fens (England)
	Winslow (England)
	Bucharest (Romania)
	Vilnius (Lithuania)
	Cologne (Germany)
	Switzerland
	Albania
	Lisbon (Portugal)
	Porto (Portugal)
	Manchester (England)

 

Others

Finally, some other photos that do not refer to places, and hence don't fit into any of the categories above.

 

	Historic Shipston
	Shipston-on-Sea
	Snow in Didcot 2007
	Snow in Didcot 2009
	Floods in Shipston
	My Family
	Funny Dogs
	Favourite Pictures