5 Prettiest Seaside Towns in Britain

Beautiful Location to film nature and wildlife is Cromer Town in the UK

1. Stonehaven Town

Stonehaven is one of the most vibrant towns in the county of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It was founded in the 15th century as a humble fishing village and since then, it has expanded to a big seaside town full of numerous things to do and see. The town’s population currently stands at about 12,500. The town offers the best of impressive castles and dramatic landscapes that describe the true culture and beauty of Scotland. Some of the most stunning attractions found in this seaside town include the ruined fortress of Dunnottar Castle, Tolbooth Museum, and Cowie Beach. The natives in this town are known to be very friendly and are always willing to do everything possible to make visitors comfortable.

2. Cromer Town

Cromer Town is found in the north Norfolk, England. The town’s buildings are beautifully designed and stylised by Victorian architecture. One of the most fascinating attractions is the towering Parish Church located in the centre of the town. The church building stands at an amazing height of 165 metres and features stained glass windows and 172-step staircase winding from the bottom to the top. Other remarkable attractions include Cromer Town Hall, Cromer Museum, and the Pier pavilion Theatre. The town also has a number of luxurious hotels and restaurants including De Paris Hotel, Cliftonville Hotel, and the Red Lion Hotel.

3. Bath

Bath is found in the ceremonial county of Somerset, South West England. Due to its strategic location and outstanding architectural designs, it was officially declared a World Heritage Site in the year 1987. It has numerous monuments, museums, theatres, and other cultural sites. The Old Orchard Theatre, Rondo Theatre, Bath Theatre Royal, Mission Theatre, and Ustinov Theatre all offer ancient and modern movies. Some of the best hotels in the city of Bath include Harington’s Hotel, The Bath Priority Hotel, The Royal Crescent Hotel, Hilton Bath City Hotel, and Winford Manor Hotel.

4. Penzance Town

Penzance Town is on the western region of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is known to have milder climate as compared to other towns in the UK, making it a very impressive and favourable holiday destination. Many buildings in this town boast of the wonderful Georgian architectural style. The town has a number of art galleries including the Penlee House Art Gallery and the Newlyn Art Gallery. Every June, Penzance Town hosts a number of festivals such as the Glowan Festival and Mazey Day Celebrations.

5. Barry Town

Barry Town is found along the northern coast of Bristol Channel in Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The buildings in this town are built in fascinating Welsh architecture style. The town has numerous attractions including the Welsh Hawking Centre, Fonmon Castle, Barry Island Pleasure Park, Victoria Beach, Memorial Hall Theatre, Valeways Millennium Heritage Trail, Penarth Pier, Barry Island Quasar, and Whitmore Bay. It also has incredibly high cliffs and spectacular sandy beaches. The town centre offers luxurious resorts, and hotels including Panama Tondoori Restaurant, Blue Anchor Inn, Streets Brasserie Restaurant, Oasis Café and Restaurant, and Casa Paco Restaurant.

Hugo, the author of this article writes about travel destinations around the work and reviews accommodation establishments in the UK.

All You Need to Know About Creating a Wildlife Habitat

a frog relaxes in a pond designed for wildlife

As spaces and opportunities for natural ponds and bog areas decline, so do the amphibian population and those of other pond creatures. You can help redress this by creating a wildlife pond in your garden. The first thing to note is that wildlife and fish – such as goldfish or carp – are pretty much incompatible. Fish generate large amounts of waste and also eat the eggs of other creatures. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t have both types of pond but you need to keep them separate.

When planning a wildlife pond you need to choose the location carefully. You need an area that gets roughly equal amounts of sunlight and shade. Ideally you should have dappled shade from trees or shrubs. Too much sun and algae will take over, too little and creatures such as tadpoles won’t be able to develop.

For a wildlife pond it is important that part of it is at least three feet deep. This ensures that if the surface freezes in winter there will be water lower down where wildlife can survive. Make sure too that at least two-thirds of the edges have a shallow slope, like a beach, to ensure easy access for wildlife.

You will of course need a pond liner as you would with any kind of pond. Ensure you add twice the depth of your pond to the length and width when measuring this. If you want to be green then instead of using sand or underlay to protect the liner you can use a layer of old newspapers – but make sure you take out any metal staples.

When you’ve filled your pond you can trim the excess liner but be sure to leave an overlap of six inches or so. You can tuck this into a slot in the ground and lay turf or a thin layer of soil over it to provide a natural edge. Stone edges and high banks are not friendly for wildlife.

Since the water used to fill your pond will be chlorinated tap water you need to allow time for the chemical to dissipate. You can help things along by adding a bucket or two of rainwater. Put a couple of shovel-fulls of soil in the deepest part of the pond to create a muddy bottom, try to make sure that this soil is free of chemical fertilisers or weedkillers.

It will take some time for wildlife to populate your pond naturally. However you can give things a helping hand. Visit a local natural pond, taking with you some clean plastic bottles and collect a couple of litres of water. This will be full of organisms and nutrients that will help kick start life in your pond.

You’ll also need some plants of course. A good start would be a couple of aerating plants, a water lily, a water iris in the shallows and perhaps some bulrushes. Make sure you choose native plants that won’t take over and choke your pond.

Allow some of the grass around the pond edges to grow long. This provides shelter for frogs and also lets insect larvae to climb up out of the water. You should also choose a shallow area of the pond and place a couple of bricks under the water – be careful not to damage the liner. Lay a flat stone or broken paving slab on top of these to allow a place for frogs to climb out of the water and sunbathe. If you have a rockery close to your pond you can encourage toads by creating cave-like areas using small plant pots turned on their side.

Your pond will probably need some on-going maintenance. Thin out any pond weeds so that at least half the surface is clear water. This is best done in mid to late summer or early spring, before the spawning season, so as not to disturb too much wildlife.

If you follow these tips you should be able to create a haven for wildlife in and around your pond.

If you’re building an aquatic wildlife habitat it’s important to use good pond liners to ensure long life and prevent leaks.

Narwhals – Unicorns Of The Sea

You may not have heard of the Narwhals before, as this unique species of whale is not as widely known about as the Blue Whale or the Killer Whale and is mainly found in the waters around the Canadian Arctic and Greenland – not that accessible for most people. The Narwhal is related to the Beluga whale and together they make up the Monodontidae family.

The Narwhals are a medium sized whale like many others – they run to between three and five metres in length and they have a carnivorous diet, which includes a whole range of different snacks such as fish, mollusks and crustaceans. Whilst the Beluga whales have a good set of teeth, the Narwhals only have two teeth, one of which isn’t even inside their mouths! It’s this second tooth, which forms the most distinctive feature of the Narwhals – the large helical tusk that looks a lot like a unicorn horn.

The tusk is actually the Narwhal’s second tooth and sticks out from the left hand side of the jaw. The length of this fascinating feature varies with the individual Narwhal but it is something that continues to grow throughout the creature’s life. The tusk is usually around 1.5 metres long, to 3.1 metres long and some unique Narwhals (around one in every 500) actually has two tusks –  where the Narwhal’s second tooth also grows out of its jaw. Usually the Narwhals that produce the double tusks are male and there have not been many recorded discoveries of females with two tusks.

In the Narwhal world, size does matter and the length of the male’s tusk is likely to determine where that creature sits in the hierarchy of any group. Whilst the tusk looks pretty savage, it’s actually hollow and not at all heavy. Nevertheless it could still do some damage if used as a weapon. However, the Narwhals don’t really use their tusks as a weapon and there have been very few instances where Narwhals have been seen using their tusks to fight eachother. This enormous denture has fascinated scientists over the years, as there doesn’t seem to be a particular reason for a whale to have a huge tusk.  Generally, the tusks seem to be more of a status symbol, or they may also be used as a tool to break through sea ice so that the Narwhal can get to the air above.

Narwhals tend to live quite long lives – normally up to 50 years – and unfortunately it is usually the lack of access to air that kills Narwhals. This happens when the freezing waters which they inhabit develop a thick layer of ice that the Narwhal can’t break through, or find a gap in. They can also be hunted by polar bears, killer whales, Greenland sharks or walruses, although this is usually only at a very young age.

Humans are of course the other risk to Narwhals. In Medieval times the Narwhal was thought to be the unicorn of the sea, a creature with mystical powers, which of course led to attempts to try and get hold of its tusk so that human beings could wield their own magic powers. Although there’s never been any proof that a Narwhal tusk brings the bearer any special good fortune, it’s said that Elizabeth I was given one and that it hung in Windsor castle for several decades – and as Queen of England for more than 50 years, she didn’t do too badly for herself…

Amy is a freelance writer who loves anything to do with marine life. She writes for Royal Caribbean Cruises in the UK and is happiest when out on the high seas!

What Does A Green Garden Look Like?

If you are truly a proponent of going green, then you will employ a number of different gadgets, devices and design principles in order to help you make the most of it. A green home then should be filled with little indicators of your green leaning, and this will at the same time help you to communicate the message to anyone who comes round.

The same goes for the garden, and in fact it actually makes sense that it should be even more important for the garden which after all is actually green and also a natural space where you’ll be growing plants and creating your own little microcosm of an ecosystem.

So does your garden meet the mark? Does it have all of the hallmarks of a truly green garden? Here a checklist of things that can make it so…

Vegetables

There are few things more green than growing your own fruits and vegetables and this way you’ll be able to not only save yourself money on food shopping but at the same time ensure that that food has been grown organically. Going green is more than just a way to save money and reduce your emissions, it’s a lifestyle choice that means learning to live off of the land and to work with the ecosystem, and growing your own vegetables is a great way to embody this spirit.

Alternative Energy

If you are going to embrace alternative energy in any shape or form, then you will do so most likely using some kind of outdoor installation. Whether you use solar panels, wind turbines or geothermal energy, all alternative forms of energy are found outdoors. Of course you don’t need to invest in alternative forms of energy in order to go green – this is no doubt a big step – but still a roof full of solar panels is a pretty good sign that you’re looking at a green residence. And of course if you do decide to bite the bullet it will repay you with dividends.

Solar Lights

If you can’t afford to go the whole hog and have your roof covered by reflective surfaces, you might still want to use solar energy in some smaller capacities and using solar garden lights is a logical and easy way to do so.

Bird House

A garden isn’t only useful to the environment for converting carbon emissions back into O2, it can also provide a habitat for the local wildlife in the area, help the spread of pollen and seeds and generally encourage the local ecosystem. Using a bird house or bath you can encourage this further and again get the opportunity to watch nature in action.

Organic Fertilizers and Pesticides

If Sherlock Holmes were assessing whether the owner of a garden was a fan of going green, he might notice egg shells around the plant beds, or ladybird gardens kept nearby. Going green means eschewing the synthetic options for fertilizer and pesticide and getting more creative, and this can leave some little tell-tale signs on your garden.

Gemma Hastings is the author of the above guest post. She specializes in providing informative piece of note about solar panels. For more information you can click on the link or follow her on .

Help Out the Environment with Biodegradable Packaging

Biodegradable Packaging for a Better Environmental Future

The human race continues to defile its only environment, the Earth, with an inordinate amount of non-recyclable garbage. Everything from baby diapers through phone books to plastic bags are only used once every day, disposed of in the trash and then carted off to the nearest landfill where they take decades or even centuries to decompose. Indeed, some of the more “well” designed materials are essentially impervious to age and will never beak down if not exposed to sunlight or air. It is with these facts in mind that the environmentally conscious have taken to using biodegradable packaging.

Packaging in the Present

The use of packaging materials to store and protect items during their distribution provides a needed and very valuable function. As such, the production of packaging has become a multi-billion-dollar industry that supports almost every other industry in the world. The industry is so wide spread and well-entrenched that, around the world, packaging accounts for nearly 2% of the combined gross domestic product (GDP) of every country on the planet.

The Future of Packaging

The reduction of packaging waste revolves around several useful technologies. Foremost is the concept of prevention, which aims to use the least amount of packaging to accomplish the safe transport of the interior products. Considerable research goes into the design of the products themselves to reduce or eliminate external packaging. Similarly, packaging technology aims to minimize the amount of material used by utilized sir space as a cushioning and insulating device.

On the production side, strenuous efforts are made to reuse and recycle packaging materials. The benefits to the planet are multifold as there is less waste material to dispose of and there is less energy used in manufacturing replacement materials.

What Does It All Mean?

Sustainable or biodegradable packaging is the only safe and efficient way to produce the packaging that is required by a modern world without endangering the environment. Prudent companies should carefully consider their options before utilizing non-biodegradable packaging.

Consumers are becoming far more cognizant of the fact that the world is not a bottomless pit when it comes to resources. They understand that companies have a moral obligation to safeguard the future by making environmentally sound decisions about their products and packaging and these same consumers are increasingly willing to shoulder their fair share of the cost. In short, it is exceedingly short-sighted for a company to underestimate its customers.

Brendan Kenny is a part of an elite team of writers who have contributed to hundreds of blogs and news sites. Follow him @Beekayyyyyy.

How to Make Fat Cakes for Birds

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How to Make Fat Cakes for Birds

There’s nothing nicer than waking up on a crisp autumn morning to the sound of birdsong, so why not hang a few birdfeeders outside your window or in your garden to entice them to stop by?

You’ll be doing the birds a favour too – as the weather gets colder, a calorie-rich source of nourishment is just what they need to keep warm, and homemade fat cakes offer just that!

Here’s how to make your own fat cakes for birds, costing just a few pence each!

1)      Melt the Fat

Melt a block of lard or suet in a saucepan over a gentle heat, stirring continuously until smooth.

2)      Prepare the Dry Ingredients

In a mixing bowl, mix together twice as much dry ingredient as you have fat (i.e. if you’re using 250g of lard, you’ll need 500g of dry ingredients). There are tons of options to choose from but if you’re hoping to attract a certain species, here are some of the foods that popular wild birds love to eat:

Wheat Grain: pigeons, doves, sparrows, blackbirds and jays are all likely to pop round for a visit if you leave this delicious snack out for them!

Sunflower Seeds: almost any bird will eat sunflower seeds, except pigeons and doves. Buy these if you’re hoping to attract finches, woodpeckers, sparrows and blackbirds!

Suet: If you want to attract chickadees, nuthatches, jays or woodpeckers in particular, use suet rather than lard as your fat as it’s their dish of choice!

Other dry ingredients popular with most birds are porridge oats, dried berries and even cheese shavings. However, be sure to avoid apple pips, uncooked beans, mushrooms, onions and chocolate which are all extremely poisonous for our flying friends.

3)      Stir Together

Mix your dry ingredients together with the melted lard or suet to form a thick paste that sticks together. If it’s still on the runny side, add some more oats or seeds.

4)      Prepare Old Yoghurt Pots

Gather up some old yoghurt pots and cut a small hole in the bottom of each. Then thread a 20cm length of twine or string through and tie into a knot on the outside of the pot.

5)      Fill Your Moulds

Now pack your yoghurt pots full of the mixture, compressing it down firmly to ensure that it is all stuck together.

6)      Set in the Fridge

Leave your pots in the fridge overnight to help the mixture set and harden.

7)      Hang Them Up

Now comes the fun bit! In the morning, cut the yoghurt pot away and you will be left with a nice, solid fat cake on a length of string, which can easily be tied to a washing line or tree branch. Just hang them up and wait for the birds to notice!

I hope you enjoy making your own mini birdfeeders – if you have any recipes of your own I’d love to hear them, so please share in the comments below.

Estelle Page is a keen gardener and advocate for the environment. She loves to do her bit to help the local wildlife, whether that’s hanging bird feeders from her balcony or feeding the ducks at the nearby pond with her kids! She blogs for Capital Gardens, an online garden centre.

Why People Need to Interact with Nature and Wildlife

Urban life and global economic crises have disconnected people from nature and wildlife. People are now spending more time in the cities working long hours without a break to make ends meet, thus denying themselves of the chance to experience life outside the city. The few who understand the value of going out to experience the free gifts of nature or watch wildlife spend years saving for this exercise.

Some nations derive a good percentage of their national income letting foreigners see their game and indigenous plants, showing how valuable nature and wildlife can be. It is important for you to spare some time during summer to go and enjoy some swimming session at the pool or sunbathe at the beach in order to obtain benefits such as discussed below.

Nature and wildlife have been found to boost your immunity. Smelling the fresh salty air at the sea shore, smelling pollen and walking by the park are attributed to stronger immunity systems. When you sit or stand watching wildlife, you are able to relax completely and forget all your stressors in life.

Some specific types of plants generate a scent that also helps relieve your Central Nervous System. Passion flowers among other flowers that are found in the natural habitats are known to relieve anxiety, depression, stress and related conditions. They make you stronger and stimulate your white body cells thus giving you more protection against some diseases through the simple art of aromatherapy.

Nature and wildlife are among the most leading factors stronger body, longer life and effective stress remedies. Going out in the sun is among the most effective natural stress relievers. You need to get out in the morning or late evening to enjoy the sun and obtain vitamin D which plays many roles within your body, and also get rid of any stress buildup.

Submerging your body or part of your body in a stream of water also has the same stress relieving effects. This is why swimmers rarely get stressed. Visit a spring nearby and play with kids inside the water, or visit a nearby river, sit on a rock at the shores while dipping your feet inside.

Walking at the park or walking an animal, down the river or climbing a snow capped mountain is great exercise that not only strengthens your body, but also boosts your blood circulation. This exercise also helps burn the fats that could have been the cause of poor heart functionality in the future.

The natural environment is free from major pollutants, and this makes you stay stronger and healthier for longer. Spending more time in a natural environment gives you the opportunity to stay away from polluted air in the city. This is the time you spend watching the Wildebeest migrate, the birds feeding, mating or moving as well as collecting shells at the shores of the ocean.

A red tailed hawk overlooks an Iowa tallgrass prairie

Buying a Forest

If you’ve ever spent a lovely afternoon wandering through a forest or even just sitting under a massive tree relaxing and enjoying the wildlife, chances are that you’ve contemplated how nice it would be to have a forest of your very own to enjoy whenever you wanted. Unfortunately, growing a forest isn’t an overnight job, and even fast growing trees like pines take around 30 years to reach maturity. The other option is buying a chunk of forest, and this is what more and more people are doing across England and Wales.

How much?

As with everything in the property market, the size and price of the forest will depend very much on where in the country it is located. Prices in the south east of England are far higher than in rural Wales or the North-East, for example. Around 4 acres of woodland in a remote location could cost around £25,000 and you will own the freehold to the land outright. Larger wooded areas in popular counties such as Sussex could set you back £150,000 or even more.

What can I do with it?

The first thing to be aware of is that it will be impossible to get planning permission in most cases to put up any sort of building on your newly-purchased forest, whether that be a summer house, dwelling house or even a stable for a horse. You will be able to gather firewood and manage the trees in the woodland, which means chopping down any trees which are overgrown or damaged. What you do with the wood is your business, so you might be able to get that oak coffee table you’ve always wanted, or even get enough wood to provide all of your friends with an oak coffee table too. Responsible forest management is the key, and there may well be legal convenants on the sales contract specifying exactly what you can and cannot do with the land.

Practicalities

Buying a forest is pretty much the same as buying any other sort of land or property. There are dedicated agencies which specialise in the sale of forest or woodland, and you simply browse through the listings, and contact the seller about anything of interest. Postcodes are given so you can check out on foot any wood you’re interested in buying, and once you have had a lawyer read through the conditions of purchase, you make your offer to the seller. Once your offer is accepted, you go through the same process as you would selling or buying a house or other piece of property.

Responsibilities

Buying a woodland is a good investment but also carries significant responsibilities, in that you will have to visit the woodland regularly and make sure that you take steps to ensure the trees survive for future generations. Trees may need to be felled if they become damaged, and have to be inspected for signs of disease. New trees may need to be planted in their place, and you will also have to be aware of any wildlife in your forest which is a protected species.

Finding a beautiful and affordable oak coffee table is easy at National Furniture.

Make a Birdhouse Gourd

 

Make a Gourd Birdhouse

Gourds are ready for birdhouse making in late summer or early fall in most places. Gourds make excellent birdhouses when hollowed out and prepared. Here’s how to use gourds to make birdhouses for your backyard birds.

Gourd Selection

Choose gourds that are free of blemishes, the so-called bad or rotten spots. Make sure the gourd has time to dry completely before preparing if for the birdhouse. Make sure the gourds have fully matured before they are picked as this may cause them to dry incorrectly. Remember that gourds are in the pumpkin and squash family and may be confused with pumpkins. Pumpkins and squash would rot before they would dry sufficiently enough to use as a birdhouse. Pick gourds suitable for crafts.

The best way to dry gourds is on the vine. Leave them to dry naturally and they will last longer. If you must harvest gourds early, cut them with a large piece of stem still attached and put them in a protected place so they may dry. Be aware that harvesting them too early increases the chances of rot. Wash the gourds to remove any dirt. Make sure the gourds have plenty of room and aren’t touching each other for best results.

Some gourds take months to cure, or dry. It’s worth the wait because properly dried gourds last much longer than those gourds harvested too early and forced to dry under less natural conditions. Many gourds grow mold on the outside. This is normal if rot doesn’t set in. If the sides of the gourd are still firm, you can use the gourd for the birdhouse. If the gourd has turned mushy, it’s time to find another gourd because this one is rotten.

Prepare the Gourd

Once the gourd has been properly selected, you can start preparing the birdhouse. You may take a mild detergent to wash off the gourd before painting it. Use a vegetable brush gently to brush off any lingering mold or dirt before you start to paint the gourd. Dry off the gourd with a paper towel.

Paint the Gourd

If you choose to paint the gourd birdhouse, choose a paint that can withstand the outside elements. Waterproof paints and a finish are recommended. Start with a latex or oil base primer. Primers are generally white base colors. They help the paint stick to the surface. Then apply the paint that you wish. Allow each coat, including the primer, to dry completely before adding more paint layers.

When you are finished with the painting, spray the gourd with a finish. A common finish to use with gourds is shellac, found at most hobby and craft stores and many home and garden stores. Use any sealant made for an outdoor project.

Make the Birdhouse

After the paint has completely dried, wait another day to be sure the paint and finish is dried. If you decide to leave the gourd in a natural state, skip the painting part and make the birdhouse. You can use a special drill bit, called a holesaw, to drill the holes or you can use a knife to cut out a hole. This is where the birds will enter the gourd to make their nest. Scoop out any leftover flesh and seeds with a spoon or stick. Do this carefully so you don’t damage the gourd or paint job.

Attach a strong wire to the stem of the gourd. You can run the wire through the stem nearest the gourd for better results. Hang the gourd birdhouse in a place where birds will find it safe and easy to reach.

Earthbeats – Quotations to Inspire

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Every creature is better alive than dead, men and moose and pine trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it. 
~Henry David Thoreau, “Chesuncook,” The Maine Woods, 1848