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| The Peak District National Park |
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Thursday, September 6, 2007
Much of the area of the Peak District National Park is uplands, however there aren’t many real peaks, mainly rounded hilltops with some grit stone edges, particularly in the northern most areas of the park. Most of the population live towards the southern end of the park. Many of the people, fortunate enough to live in the park work there as well. Tourism is the number one industry within the park and just under a quarter of the residents are employed in tourism jobs. Manufacturing and rock quarrying combine to provide about 31% of the jobs. The Cement Works at Hope is the largest employer in the park, and some other minor industry jobs such as bottling mineral water, a cutlery factory, and a brake lining producer can be found within the park. For the most part the boundaries were drawn to keep industry out of the park. The limestone that is quarried in the park is vital for roads and cement in the area. Shale and gritstone for construction are also quarried. Lead isn’t economically feasible to mine any more, but fluorspar, barites and calcite are still extracted from the park. The northern part of the park is known as Dark Peak and the gritstone and shale support moorland and blanket bog environments. Sheep pastureland and grouse hunting are the most common land uses to the north. The South is White Peak, and has more agricultural uses and contains the bulk of the park’s residents. The White Peak has pasture land more suited to dairy operations. Touring the park can be done in a number of different ways. The Peak District National Park is said to have the best public transportation system for touring in the national park system. The Peak Rail Society was formed by railway enthusiasts in 1975 to reestablish the rail line from Matlock to Buxton through the park. The project has been going on over 30 years, and the Matlock to Darley Dale line opened in 1991. To the north, passenger service resumed in 1997 with the Rowsley depot seeing its first passengers. Steam and diesel locomotives drive tours through time, as passengers are transported back to the heyday of railroads. There are many speciality journeys available. Another great way to see the park is by renting a bicycle. There are several places within the park where you can do this. Most are in the villages and towns in the park. If you plan to ride slowly and take in all the sites, hotels, hostels, bed and breakfast, and cottage rentals are available in many locations and price ranges. On the fourth Tuesday of each month you can hop on the 7:14 Folk Train at Dore, Grindleford, Hathersage, Bamford, or Hope. The Folk Train takes you on a musical trip through the Peak District countryside while musicians aboard the train perform an informal session. Food is available, and all in all this is a nice scenic tour with a short stop at an area inn before returning in the evening. The Edale Rambler Folk Train from Sheffield has been in operation for about five years. If you prefer a more up close and personal experience with nature in the park, ranger guided walking tours may be for you. These hikes are led by knowledgeable rangers and most have a theme. Civil War: Battlefields and Bloodshed will have you walking across a Civil War battlefield and visiting a murder scene of a prominent local royalist. The subject matter will include the impact of the Civil War on life in the 17th century in the Peak District. The Fungus Foray sounds disgusting, but is merely an educational look at identifying fungi that grows in various areas of the park, and viewing autumn colors. The Peak District National Park is a geologist’s dream. Slightly porous and soluble limestone allows water to carve caves and caverns deep in the ground. Hiking and caving are very popular activities in the park along with rock climbing on the many rock formations. Some of the caves have been found to contain stone tools, and the skeletal remains of now extinct animals. If rock climbing is not adventurous enough for you and you would like something a little more extreme, hang-gliding and para-gliding may be your cup of tea. Some areas of the park are ideally suited to these aviation activities because of they catch the wind from all directions, and have the required updrafts. To fly in the park the Civil Aviation Authority requires any hang-glider or para-glider pilot to join an association that they oversee. This is to make sure the proper training has been provided before leaving the ground. The park has been a popular location for movies. Haddon Hall in Derbyshire was recently transformed from a Medieval and Tudor manor house, into Thornfield, Rochester’s house for the recently aired BBC production of Jane Eyre. Haddon Hall, with the help of special effects and sophisticated pyrotechnics burned to the ground for the purposes of the movie. So realistic was the fire, that many locals called the fire brigade. They eventually had to park fire trucks outside the set to comfort the locals. Pride and Prejudice, The Dam Busters and several other films have been shot in Peak District National Park. Article by Susan Ashby of Sheffield Singles. To read more articles like this or for dating in Sheffield visit http://www.sheffield-singles.co.uk Visiting Leeds A few basic facts about Leeds city • The name Leeds was derived from the Latin word Leodis. • Leeds is the second largest metropolitan district in the UK. • Leeds’ natives are called Loiners. • Leeds is located in West Yorkshire. • It has an area of 220 square miles or 570 square kilometres. • The exact population is 7,028,000 as per the most recent census report. • The weather is quite cool on average, but with four very definite seasons. Recent years have seen summer temperatures way above 30°C! Major attractions in Leeds Leeds boasts lots of attractions for visitors and tourists. Some notable attractions famous worldwide are the Royal Armouries, Harewood House, West Yorkshire Playhouse, City Art Gallery, the Leeds University and Roundhay park. Adding to these attractions are the Leeds Festivals, music bonanzas, and Leeds’ love of cricket, rugby and football. The Art Galleries include the Henry Moore Institute, Leeds City Art Gallery, Liston Studios, and the University Gallery and they have a lot of displays to attract tourists who love art and sculpture including great paintings and artefacts. Some great ancient houses such as Temple Newsam House and Lotherton Hall attract those who are interested in ancient artistic mansions. A pedestrian will find the Guided Walks, a selection of City Centre Walks really exciting. Those who are interested in history and topography may visit the Canal Gardens, Kirkstall Abbey, Middleton Railway, the Town Hall, Tropical World and the Leeds United Stadium Tour. There are galaxies of museums that display Leeds at its best for all ages. They include the Abbey House Museum, Armley Mills Industrial Museum, Horsforth Village Museum, Royal Armouries Museum, Thackray Medical Museum, and Thwaite Mills Watermill. For nature lovers, there are a host of Parks including the Bramley Falls, Chevin Forest Park at Otley, Golden Acre Park, Middleton Park, Pudsey Park, Rothwell Country Park, Rounday Park, Canal Gardens, and Tropical World, Springhead Park at Rothwell, and again the famous Temple Newsam house and farm. The Guided Walks Visiting a city on a walk has its own charm. Catering to this aspect and desire of many visitors, Leeds City Council has arranged for guided walks around the city. A city guide is provided and the guided walk is arranged during evenings on weekdays and during the day time at weekends on payment of certain charges. You can contact the guided walks organizers on (0113) 252 6807. The walk covers the pubs and yards, churches, historic markets, arcades, paintings, riverside walkabouts, the Town Hall with photos and events, civic buildings in Leeds, and TV themes. When a visitor goes home after experiencing a guided walk, this remains a fond memory for a very long time. The Leeds City Square The city square, one of the most important visiting spots in Leeds, is now undergoing the process of modernization. But the modernization is not aimed at changing the city square into a symbol of modern architecture. It aims to take it back to the days of Victorian designs and architecture with the famous Black Prince statue. The ballustrades have returned and so have the nymphs with lamps. In the process of modernization, the road that ran to the square in front of the post office has been pedestrianised. Leeds Tourist Information Center Tourists have the habit of seeking information wherever they go! Such information might relate to places of interest, lodging and boarding, food, communication, transportation, guided tours or many other topics. A Tourist Information Centre has been set up in Leeds with two entrances, one from the bus interchange and the other from the railway station. Transportation and communication Leeds is well connected with the rest of the UK and the world, the railway station is located next to the City Square behind the Queens Hotel. A number of airports cater to the needs of travellers for inland and overseas journeys to and from Leeds. These include Leeds Bradford, East Midlands, Gatwick, Heathrow, and Manchester airports, with the closest obviously being Leeds Bradford Airport. Leeds is also very well communicated by rail and road links to the rest of England and the United Kingdom. Accommodation in Leeds A number of hotels of different types, right from basic to luxury resorts are available in a city that caters to the needs of visitors based on their choice and affordability. A complete list of hotels and accommodations available in Leeds is available at the Leeds City Council website. Leeds, the city of valour Leeds is also known as the city of valour. More warriors have emerged from this city than most other cities not only in England but also in Europe. The motto for the people residing in Leeds city is confined to three Ps. They are people, pride, and progress. The extraordinary thing about the city and the people is that they never dwell on the past and always look forward to the future. When you visit the city you will find that parks, playgrounds and recreation centres are being constructed for children throughout the city because the people there realise that a community that values youth also values the future. This does not mean that residents of Leeds have no respect for the past. Rather they try to incorporate them into present life while looking towards a better future. Leeds, a core city of England Since the day it was founded and went on to earn city status, the evolution of Leeds has been a never ending process. With a population of only 200 at the beginning, escalating to 50,000 in the 18th century and 100,000 in the 19th centuries, Leeds now houses up to 700,000 people. Located midway between London and Edinburgh the city is situated in Yorkshire. There was a time during the industrial revolutions when Leeds became one of the leading merchant cities of England mainly producing fabrics in the 19th century. The city started as a Saxon village in 1068 and evolved to a town after a century and half in 1207. Today Leeds is known not for its merchandise or educational excellence only, but most for finance and information technology, the two major industries in the city. Other notable cities of England close to Leeds are York (24 miles), Sheffield (36 miles), Manchester (44 miles), Hull (60 miles), Liverpool and Nottingham (both 74 miles) and Newcastle (94 miles). Article by Susan Ashby of Leeds Singles. To read more articles like this or for dating in Leeds visit http://www.leeds-singles.co.uk Entertainment in Manchester They say that a city’s entertainment and recreational options speak volumes about that city’s prospects as a desirable and rewarding place to live. If such were the case, then Manchester’s vibrant entertainment options certainly speak volumes about the joy of living in this fine, fun-filled city. Manchester is an absolute standout when one considers the depth and breadth of its entertainment options in the field of art, cinema, dance, music, theatre, museums, sports and the performing arts. Take for example the Lowry at Salford Quays, inaugurated in 2000 at a cost of £21m, courtesy of the National Lottery fund. Located near the Imperial War Museum North and the Old Trafford football stadium, The Lowry is best known for keeping the biggest collection of L.S. Lowry’s original paintings. Art is its soul, they say, but the Lowry has more to offer than just art. It also houses two theatres that regularly feature touring plays as well as musicians and comedians. These are the Lyric, believed to have the largest stage in the United Kingdom, outside of London’s West End, and the Quays. Located at the city centre, the Whitworth Art Gallery regularly stages eye-opening, innovative exhibitions and houses over 31,000 great modern pieces, including paintings by Constable, Turner and other masters. The gallery has an impressive collection of watercolours, wallpapers and textiles. Among its most famous pieces is the marble sculpture Genesis by Sir Jacob Epstein. Cornerhouse on Oxford Road is renowned for its contemporary and cutting-edge multi-media visual art displays. Since it opened in October 1985, the centre has established itself as a venue for artistic experimentation and innovation. When it comes to contemporary dance performances, Dancehouse Theatre, home of the Northern Ballet School, stages regular performances all year round. The Lowry and the Green Room also stage dance performances throughout the year. Manchester has a diverse array of musical offerings as well, ranging from classical and opera to pop, rock and jazz. Bridgewater Hall is the seat of classical music in Manchester and home to the Halle Orchestra and the Manchester Camerata as well as a regular venue of the BBC Philharmonic. The city’s best professional musicians are usually products of the Royal Northern College of Music where they were trained to compose and perform musical scores, jazz concerts and opera arias, among others. Musically gifted children are taught the finer points of their craft at Chetham’s School of Music and these prodigies perform free lunchtime concerts for the public. On the other hand, the city’s leading proponents of pop, rock and jazz converge at Manchester Academy, Labatt’s Apollo, Band on the Wall and Roadhouse. You will find well-known indie and dance bands at Manchester Academy while Labatt’s Apollo regularly hosts a diverse array of famous British and American singers as well as Asian superstars. Band on the Wall has nightly blues and jazz jam sessions while the musical stars of tomorrow hone their skills at the Roadhouse, a dark and sweaty basement venue. Numerous bars, pubs and nightclubs throughout the city host their own in-house live bands. In addition, Manchester has many museums that chronicle not only the city’s rich history but also important milestones and landmarks of the United Kingdom and the world. For example, the Manchester Museum, which is owned by the University of Manchester, features over six million items from seven continents, including carvings from India, ancient Egyptian crafts from Africa, age-old art from the Mediterranean, fossils from Australia, pottery from the Americas and much more, including a fossilized Tyrannosaurus Rex from South Dakota. Meanwhile, the Museum of Science and Industry is concerned with science, technology and industry, especially Manchester’s significant contributions in these areas, particularly in textiles, computing, communications, sewerage and sanitation. The People's History Museum, located on The Pump House on Bridge Street, traces Manchester's social culture, particularly with regard to the history of working people in the United Kingdom over the past 200 years. Manchester's other notable museums include the Greater Manchester Police Museum, Imperial War Museum North, Manchester Jewish Museum, Pankhurst Centre, Urbis and The Gallery of Costume. Manchester also has a dazzling array of clubs and nightspots for the local party people (check out the separate article on this website). Among the most popular venues are Rock World (rock ‘n roll and heavy metal), South, Phoenix and Paradise Factory (techno, trance and funky house); Prague V (gay friendly) and student-oriented venues such as Club Underground, The Ritz, The Brickhouse and 5th Avenue. The theatre scene in Manchester is alive and well. The larger venues include the Palace Theatre, the Royal Exchange Theatre and the Manchester Opera House, which regularly hosts West End touring shows. Although relatively small and located at the basement of the Central Library, the Library Theatre has received glowing critical reviews for staging the works of modern playwrights. Other notable smaller theatres include the Green Room, Contact Theatre and Dancehouse. The Royal Northern College of Music has four theatre spaces for opera and classical music. In addition, Manchester has two widely-respected drama schools: the Manchester Metropolitan University School of Theatre and the Arden School of Theatre. Article by Susan Ashby of Manchester Singles. To read more articles like this or for dating in Manchester visit http://www.manchester-singles.co.uk |
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