Kay's Hiking and Travel Photo Gallery - August 2011

Kay's Hiking and Travel Photo Gallery - August 2011
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8/31/2011 UK Travel Overview -Typical UK family don't have joint account in the bank, they have separate financial status with wife and husband. Burglary is pretty common, 20% of households experience more than once/yr. Using toilet costs between 20-50p. Narrow road everywhere common to have small cars. Water quality is bad for the rivers and ocean near the towns. Average drink tea 6-8 times/day. Health care cost almost nothing however dental care is another story. So many smokers in the public place except inside the buildings. Not much obesity people now but it's coming. Bird dropping problems everywhere. Over 60yrs old residents get free public transopotation pass that include trains and buses. Current currency rate is $100 = �63 or �100 = $158, USD is weak. Wore LV winter jacket for all summer.

8/29/2011 Chester, England - Chester is lovely town and located south from the Liverpool. There are many Tudor style houses, like zebra color, some houses are stil standing from 15 century. I also enjoyed Chester Wall that surronding the main attractions, Eastgate Clock, Castle, St John the Bapti's church that remining of the old walls, suspension bridge, Grosvenor Bridge, Weir River Dee, canal and more.

8/28/2011 Lake District, England - Lake District National Park is one of the must see place in England according to Orelle. Orelle tooks us, Joan, Christine and I to the one of the flower gardens called Holehird Garden and we spend nice time there. Also we walk around the lake. The rightmost photos at 3rd and 5th rows are display of glass sculpture of John Ditchfield, master glass blower, Glass Studio.

8/27/2011 Thurso, Scotland - It is located northern Scotland and nice beach and port town, however no one swiming in the beach because water is too cold to swim even during summer time, and the ferry terminal and train station are 2 miles apart and no shuttle bus service, people use taxi to get from station to terminal, of course I enjoyed walking. The Pictish Stones that equivalent to the Petroglyphs.

8/26/2011 Castle of Mey, Scotland - It is the 'Queen Mother's Castle' and small scale of the charming castle that located between town of Thurso and John O' Groats at northeast of Scotland. John O' Groats is the one end of the end-to-end trail that the other end located at the southwest of England, see last row 3rd photo from right. No land end sigh, added sign, last photo, I got there after business hour???

8/25/2011 Orkney Islands, Scotland - The Orkney Islands are group of 70 islands. The largest island called the Mainland, which I have visited: Standing Stones of Stenness, Ring of Brodger, Bishop and Earl's Palaces, St. Magnus Cathedral, Maeshowe, Skara Brae and Broch of Gurness. Those places are exceptional and exceeded much more than my expectation. Skara Brae is 5,000yrs old and no windows.

8/24/2011 Stromness, Orkney Islands, Scotland - Ferry to get to the port of Stromness from the port of Thurso, between two ports there were beautiful large cliff about 400-1,000ft hight. Doug Houghton, who is professional photographer, took many photos decorated on the ferry walls, he and his one of photos that first photo. The Stromness is my first town in the Orkney Island that located northern Scotland.

8/23/2011 Stranraer, Scotland - I was walking around the a ferry port town of the Stranraer, which ferry connects between Stranraer in Scotland and Belfast in Northern Ireland. The ferry is in large size, about 1,500 passagers and 350 automobils, and smooth sailing and stable ride. The town of Stranraer is small town and people are very friendly, I had a chance to work with brick layer, a means they let me do it.

8/22/2011 Belfast, Northern Ireland - This is the place the Titanic built and 100 years anniversay next year. The River Lagan water is not clear and dirty, but it is much clear water now compare to years ago, it was stink and no fishes before that a local said. I have witnessed a strange phenomenon that the busy town at daytime however after 7pm the town becomes a ghost town, people were dissapeared.

8/21/2011 Giants Causeway, Northern Ireland - Tour bus to see the Giants Causeway, Carriakfergus Castle, Bushmills Whiskey, Dunluce Castle and Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge, those are located at the northcenter of the Northern Ireland. Those places were very popular, visitors were come with tour buses and large cruises. The Bushmills Whiskey Company picture is one of the bank of the Ireland currency.

8/19/2011 Lytham Hall, England - This is my second time and final to visit the Lytham Hall. I don't have a good luck for this place because last time was funeral ceremony and closed, at this time was wedding ceremony and I couldn't get into the Lytham Hall all the way. I learned how to pick the Samphire, which grows in coastal areas and salty taste. I also enjoyed to pick the wild blue berries up.

8/18/2011 Ashton-Under-Lyne, England - Today I didn't have a plan where to go because I am too busy for traveling every day and no time to make future plans. I purchased one day bus ticket and end up to the town of Ashton-Under-Lyne, which nothing to see much that was disappointed. However I enjoyed the open market at the Preston and walking in the Manchester town.

8/17/2011 Alnmouth, England - Yesterday I saw the Irish Sea from the west coast, today I saw the North Sea from the east coast. The Alnwick Castle is located in the town of the Alnmouth, which located northeast of England by the Scotland border. It is popular castle by Harry Potter movies. I saw couple more castles from the bus, I couldn't get off because bus runs every 2~3 hrs interval with bad connections.

8/16/2011 Lancaster, England - This is my second visit to Lancaster because I lost my Canon camera, someone stolen when I left it at the bench of the bus terminal, which means I don't have any photos, so that I visited again to re-take all photos with my new Fujifilm pocket camera. Lancaster Castle use it for jail and about 250 inmates are currently prison there. I also visited town of Heysham and Morecambe.

8/15/2011 Glasgow, Scotland - George Square, Art Museum, St Enoch Shopping Centre, Scotish Exhibition and Conference Centre, Glasgow science Centre, many bridges and more that I saw in the Glasgow City today. Someone told me to not miss the town of Dumfries, so that I have stopped by for sightseeing. The common for both places that the large size river runs in the middle of the town.

8/14/2011 Nacked Men, Crosby, England - Orelle dropped me off at the Crosby Beach that 100 nacked men standing in the beach. Those nacked men are solid cast-iron made from moulds of the artist's own body, Antony Gormley. It was high tide and some of were under the water, showing only head or upper body only, however I found full figure of the nacked men. I enjoyed at the Southport this afternoon.

8/13/2011 Singing Ringing Tree, Burnley, England - Shape of small tornado but this is the Singing Ringing Tree, which standing at the top of the windy hill of Burnley that east from Blackpool. It is made by stuck up the galvanised steel pipes and sound produces by the wind. The shape of the tree is different from all angles. I walk around the towns of Bunley and Blackburn.

8/12/2011 Edinburgh, Scotland - Edinburgh Castle, Palace of Holyroodhouse, National Gallery of Scotland, Arthur's Seat, National Monument and more, I enjoyed all those places even rain and cold like winter weather today. The Arthur's Seat is located in the Holyrood Park and actually hike up to reach there, it was my first hike not walk in UK. The views from Arthur's Seat and National Monument were breathtaking.

8/8/2011 Falkirk Wheel, Scotland - This is the place I wanted to come to see it for long time. It is the canal lock that replaced 11 existed locks and save water and time, opened year 2002 and free of charge to bypass this wheel for all boats. It is more like an elvator for the boats, move boats from lower level to upper level and vise versa. It is very quiet movement and only 4 minutes to get from lower to upper.

8/7/2011 Preston, England - Preston is located east from Blackpool about half hour of train ride to get there. I was lucky to see the bicycle race of the 'City of Preston Grand Prix' I visited the Library and Museum building, nice Avenham Park by the river and some shopping centers.

8/6/2011 Llandudno, Wales - Orelle gave me a ride to the town of Abergale, which is the northern Wales and seaside town. Train to get to Llandudno, and ride a tramway that is running since 1902, to get to the top of the Great Orme, the view from there was beautiful. I saw the Abergale Castle from the distance and visited the Conwy Castle, which is located by the Conwy River and close to the Irish Sea.

8/5/2011 Liverpool, England - Peter and Beryl gave me a ride from Lytham to Southport at this morning that was easier for me to go to Liverpool. Train connections are not convenience here. They called a caravan that the same as camping with RV at near Orelle's house. John Lennon's house is 1/3 of the building, and stopped by to the Strawberry Field, see the red gate photo, 2nd row center.

8/4/2011 Lytham St. Annes, England - Lytham St. Annes is the combination name of the Lytham and St-Anne's-on-the-Sea towns and located south side of the Blackpool, and Orelle's house is located in this area. Blackpool is very busy vacation town, however Lytham St. Annes is little more quiet ocean side town. I saw snails, top row rightmost photo. Also I saw England quails walking on the ground.

8/3/2011 Blackpool Beach, England - The Blackpool Beach that from South Shore to North Shore is about 8 miles long sand beach, and beach doesn't stop there, continues to north and south. The 3rd row 2 sets of 2 photos from left are how water level changed in one hour. Nice layers of walk-ways by the beach, which has another purpose of the sea water barrier to protect the buildings and houses from flood.

8/2/2011 Blackpool, England - Blackpool is a popular vacation destination for UK, which I didn't know that. Ocean water is still cold for swimming but I saw many people on the beach during low tide. At this morning it was high tide and there was no sand beach, and later afternoon it changed to low tide and least 1/4 miles of the sand beach appeared. The water level of high and low tides are significantly different.

8/1/2011 Manchester, England - Today was a moving day, moved from Jane's house in London, to Orelle's house in Blackpool that located west central England and by the Irish Sea. Before reach Blackpool, I spent few hours in the Manchester to walk around near the train station. Manchester is the 3rd largest city in England and population is about 2.6 millions.

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