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The Great Toronto Area Offers Amazing Variety To The Visitor

June 30th, 2010 No comments

Ontario is well known for several things; Niagara Falls, natural beauty and the city of Toronto. The Great Toronto area is a mixture of urban centers and unspoiled natural beauty so the opportunities for different experiences and activities are incredible. In just a short drive from the city you can be in the wilderness or enjoying the theme parks at Niagra. There are also small towns and cities with some unique charms.

Billed as the cultural center of Canada, Toronto is a city with a lot to offer the visitor. The shopping is world class with high end brands, massive malls and quality markets you can buy anything. The waterfront area is a good place to spend some leisure time. The city is easy to travel around as it has an excellent transport and information system. It is thought of as a cultural center as there are many theatres, art galleries and events for the culture vulture to enjoy. It is also the gateway for the other delights of Ontario.

Niagra Falls can be accessed easily from the city and is a must see for a lot of people. The iconic horseshoe falls are not the only attraction at Niagra as there are now many theme parks, shows, events and parks there. At Niagra on the Lake you will find beautiful countryside with gastronomic treats. There is an abundance of wineries nearby and many different wine tours to take.

One of the smaller towns near Toronto with lots to do is Burlington. It sits on the edge of Lake Ontario and has lots of parklands and trails as well as cultural places to visit. A particularly beautiful section of the Trans Canada Trail runs through the town along the lake shore, through parks and over cliff tops. There are companies providing boat tours or dinner cruises from the town to different sections of the lake. There are also art galleries, theatres, historical monuments and museums so you could spend your whole trip just in Burlington.

Port Hope is known as one of the best preserved historic towns in the region. It has an award winning high street and a large number of listed buildings. The center has a large number of exclusive boutiques and unique shops to spend hours browsing in. There are of course opportunities to get out into nature and the Ganaraska River which runs through the town is renowned for trout and salmon fishing.

Nature lovers will find heaven in the Great Toronto area. It is so varied and unspoiled even close to the cities. For hikers and cyclists there are many miles of trails through the different landscapes. Alternatively you could take a boat trip across the lakes or along the rivers. For adrenalin junkies there are a number of places for white water rafting and other adventure pursuits. In the winter the landscape changes completely and you can go skiing or sledding.

There is an incredible number of sporting, cultural and food festivals held throughout the area ever year. Toronto alone has something happening every week and is home to the International Toronto Film Festival.

Vacations should be a time for relaxation, adventure and new experiences. These are all easy to find in the Great Toronto area.

These luxurious Toronto Cruises offer boundless fun, adventure, and excitement for all ages. Whether you are a tourist, vacationer, or adventure seeker, you will enjoy the Halloween cruises for their enriching amenities and cozy accommodations.

Enjoy Your Holyhead Cruise Experience, Cruising UK Waters

September 22nd, 2009 No comments
by David Phillips

A Holyhead cruise destination is gaining currency as more established cruise operators include the Anglesey port in their UK itinerary. Holyhead is a major ferry port linking Britain to Dublin, and so it already has high standard facilities and local attractions ideal for large cruise ships looking to offer their passengers a quality experience.

Holyhead Breakwater is a famous attraction and the longest sea wall in the UK, and cruise liners anchor in a sheltered spot north east of the breakwater and Anglesey Aluminium jetty in the outer harbour. The local boatyard can provide a suitable tug if the cruise ship requires assistance.

This location is ideal for cruise liners over 250 metres in length as the prevailing winds are from the south west, and it is in the lee of the town and harbour. By ships tender it is less than a mile from this anchorage to the Fish Dock landing on the east side of the inner harbour, where coaches can take guests to the various attractions across the island and further afield.

If you sailed up north from Milford Haven or Swansea in South West Wales, chances are you may have glimpsed some amazingly beautiful Cambrian coastal settings. Approaching Anglesey island you may have caught eye of some fine sandy beaches stretching from the south near Llanddwyn, where shots from Demi Moore’s Half Light movie were taken, to Trearddur Bay in the west. And don’t forget world renown South Stack Lighthouse, well worth a visit after arrival in Holyhead.

Ferries sail to Dublin, the Irish capital, and to Dun Laoghaire from Holyhead. In fact the port of Holyhead now welcomes some of the top cruise ships in Northern Europe. Cruise lines such as Holland America, Noble Caledonia, Oceana Cruises and Hapag Lloyd will increase their visits, drawn no doubt by the variety of historical and natural attractions for their passengers. Holyhead has already hosted a cruise ship carrying 750 passengers, the 48,000 tonne Seven Seas Voyager.

Plans are advanced for using the Anglesey Aluminium jetty as a more convenient embarkation facility, which will attract ever larger cruise ships otherwise bound for the larger ports at Dublin and Liverpool. The aim is for Holyhead to accommodate ships of around 85,000 tonnes and so using this pier would be a great plus. It is likely that for an upgrade of Holyhead port facilities an investment of around 7 million is needed, and around 500,000 of this would help upgrade the jetty.

Looking ahead, the extra investment in port infrastructure at Holyhead, especially when as many as 70 cruise liners sail in North European waters, increases the chance of this Holyhead cruise destination becoming a real possibility for many keen cruise passengers. And now Anglesey council is leading the “Celtic Wave” initiative to encourage co-operation between key ports in Wales and Ireland, namely Holyhead, Swansea, Milford Haven, Cork, Waterford and Dublin. The strategy is supported by 1.2 million, aiming to draw bigger cruise ships and visitors to these ports.

There are so many attractions rich in history to visit it may be hard to choose. You may want to visit the nearby historic castles of Wales, at Beaumaris on Anglesey and Caernarfon and Conwy on the mainland, all UN World Heritage sites. Or perhaps seeing the last working mill in Wales at Llynnon appeals to you, or appreciating the Rex Whistler canvas at Plas Newydd, near Llanfairpwll. Or you may be keen to stretch your legs on the Anglesey coastal path. These and more will draw more visitors to choose a Holyhead cruise destination in future.

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The Ancient Roots of Barry, South Wales: Part 2.

March 18th, 2009 No comments

In the Eighteenth Century, they found dishes, saws, knives, flints, a scraper, a prehistoric horn celt with strange markings, a spokeshave and some arrowheads from the Neolithic Period. These artifacts are safely ensconced in the Museum of Wales in Cardiff, but unfortunately, no one at the time thought the find significant enough to warrant a dig and now there are houses on it.

An ancient Roman kitchen, complete with remains and utensils underwent a similar fate. In 1533, Leland was made the Kings Antiquary and was directed to make a tour of all places where records were held. This took him nine years and his description of the island was:

“It is about a mile in circumference and has good corn, grass and some wood, and there is no dwelling on the Island, but in the midst of it is a fair little Chapel of St. Baruch which is visited by many pilgrims. It took the name Barri from this holy man who was buried there and whose remains are yet on the Island”. (The Welsh name for Barry is Y Barri).

Viking raiders attacked the south Wales coastline, often taking hostages from monasteries in the 10th. Century, but they did not try to settle in the area. The island was long known as the Saints Retreat or the Island of Saints. Later, in the early 16th. Century, the island was used by smugglers and pirates and was nicknamed the Smugglers Fortress. This coincided with the increase in shipping to and from Bristol, Britain’s second biggest port at the time.

Barry Island soon became the centre of piracy and smuggling in the Bristol Channel. In 1784, the island became known as the “Fortress of Knight”. Knight was the most prolific pirate and smuggler in the channel and people were to terrified to speak out in court against him., although he was also considered a bit of a local hero. His armed ship was called ‘John O’ Combe’. He was eventually forced out to Lundy, which he also fortified. He and his successor, Arthur, returned to Barry so frequently that H.M. Customs asked the government to station a cutter in Penarth and 60 troops to Barry.

Rhoose was infamous for its wreckers and George II sent troops to break up the smugglers and wreckers. They landed at Aberthaw “the Rhoose men’s favourite landing zone, from where they could easily transport the contraband along Port Road to Cardiff, the main market for such things”. Several large caves were filled in while constructing the present day docks and it is likely that they were used by the pirates until they were moved on in about 1850.

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