Best City Centers

For a tranquil and refreshing retreat, East London is matchless. Visitors to South Africa’s only river port receive a warm welcome into a relaxed lifestyle. Nestled between the Nahoon and Buffalo Rivers and lapped at by the soothing waters of the Indian Ocean, East London’s charms makes it a subtropical paradise. Although the primary language is IsiXhosa, the gracious and easy-going people of East London are eager to practice their English to welcome new friends who come to share a taste of this treasure of the Eastern Cape Province.

Gonubi Beach

East London lies just 25 kilometres south of Gonubie Beach, and the N2 transit service provides easy travel to the beach from the city. Granted the prestigious international blue flag award, Gonubie Beach is ranked among those meeting strict environmental and safety standards. The beach facilities maintain safety equipment and trained staff on the premises at all times. Visitors stroll down to the beach from the main parking area along an extended wooden boardwalk that offers a scenic view of abundant native plants and engineered tidal pools.

Nahoon Beach

The most popular beach in East London is Nahoon Beach. The beach is named after a local Xhosa chief. It’s easy to see why it is a favourite, because of its many miles of clean and uncrowded sands. Because of its amazing waves, it is home to the Surf Life Saving Club and also is the location where many national surfing competitions are held. Everyone can enjoy Nahoon Beach – whether one is a fisherman or just a sunbather.

Orient Beach

Are you looking for a safe and lovely beach in London this summer? Then you want to head for the Quigney suburb and go down to the southern end of the Esplanade there to find Orient Beach. It’s a favourite of tourists and locals alike. The harbour has breakwaters that protect the cove and there are lifeguards there too, so you can take the whole family and swim in safety. Add to that the two circular swimming pools surrounded by green lawns and you have bathing and swimming room for thousands of people. In season, there are changing facilities, a refreshment kiosk and many restaurants close by. Add to that the hotels and shops on the Esplanade and there’s not much that’s lacking for you at Orient Beach.

The Aquarium

The Friends of East London Aquarium, the oldest aquarium in southern Africa that the public can visit, opened on December 2, 1931. One of the aquarium’s goals is to help marine animals that have been injured due to pollution or other unfortunate circumstances. Many animals are rehabilitated and returned to their homes in the ocean every year. Another of the aquarium’s goals is to educate the public about the ocean’s eco system so they can understand and respect it. In the aquarium there are big, beautiful, illuminated fish tanks that feature local fish.

East London is the perfect vacation spot for those who love the water. In addition to the usual city type fun that East London offers; it has a number of fantastic beaches which provides ample opportunity to partake in water sports and activities. It is also home to an observation platform, built to watch the Southern Right wales as they migrate southward to its arctic feeding grounds.

Do you fancy a change from the conventional week by the sea for your holiday this year, are you bored of spending your holiday in the same country cottage? How about a haunted holiday? Britain boasts a very rich and intricate history and the tradition of the ghost story keeps that history alive, we’ve all heard the stories of the tower of London which is reportedly still home to a whole host of its unfortunate victims, our most popular literature is also full of the supernatural, from Shakespeare through to Harry Potter, as a nation we do seem rather obsessed with supernatural spirits – so why not spend a short break in one of the UK’s most haunted hotels, or even just a day trip?

Chillingham Castle in the north east of England is argued to be one of the most haunted castles in the UK and has featured on several television and radio programmes over the years. The castle offers self catering apartments for holidays and its picturesque setting makes it the perfect venue for weddings, romantic weekends away or simply a day trip to see the stunning grounds and castle. With its long and detailed history it’s not surprising it’s rumoured to be home to several ghosts, including the blue boy, who was trapped behind a brick wall after stumbling across some important documents, when his body was uncovered in the 1920’s, his fingers were worn away where he’d tried to scratch his way out. Although the pink room, where his body was found, is closed to the public, screams were still heard coming from behind the wall which witnessed his death. Chillingham Castle is also resident to Lady Mary Berkeley who is rumoured to still be wondering the halls in broken hearted after her husband ran away with her sister.

The stunning Glamis Castle was the childhood home of the Queen Mother and set in the most tranquil of Scottish country side, it was also the setting for Shakespeare’s Macbeth and to this day still conjures images of witches and the supernatural. With tickets available for day trips to view the castle and gardens this beautiful castle is the perfect family day out or an exquisite setting for a wedding. Like most castles, particularly of this age (dating back to the 14th century), it is plagued with supernatural stories ranging from secret rooms to conceal deformed children, to soul sucking devil card players to entertain drunk noblemen to traditional old fashion hauntings, all of which promise an interesting story to fascinate even the most firm of sceptics.

It’s not just magnificent castles which host the most spectacular ghost stories; the Station Hotel in Dudley may appear to be simply a conventional hotel, with its inviting atmosphere and convenient location in the heart of the country. It’s not until you explore its theatrical history and see the impressive list of former guests ranging from Laurel and Hardy to Bob Hope that it starts to become so intriguing. Although many of the ghost stories surrounding this intriguing haunted hotel seem to have found their fame on a popular paranormal television show, the most commonly reported ghost is that of a young woman who was murdered after threatening to inform her killer’s wife of his infidelity. She never got the chance as it’s reported that after he killed her, he disposed of her body sending it through a chute that ended in the cellar (which along with room 214) is reported to be one of the most haunted places in the building.

So if you’re looking for an interesting day trip or a short break away somewhere and you don’t want to have to rely on Britain’s unpredictable weather, why not visit one of these stunning places?

Hemel Hempstead is still known as a ‘New Town’ although it isn’t so new anymore. In 1949, to accommodate the rapid growth of the London population after the Second World War, it was decided by the government of the day to build a series of ‘new towns’ in the vicinity of London. Hemel Hempstead became a “New Town”, along with the likes of Milton Keynes and Stevenage. Now, 60 years later, Hemel Hempstead is a thriving town of over 80,000 people with a wide variety of industries and a modern and growing shopping centre.
Although Hemel Hempstead as we know it is a recent development its history goes right back to the 8th century. In the book, The History of Hemel Hempstead, by the Hemel Hempstead Local History and Records Society it says, “Hemel Hempstead itself first enters the written records in the eighth century when lands in the district of Hamele were granted by Offa, King of Essex, to the Bishop of London in A.D.705.” The word Hempstead itself probably simply means ‘homestead’.

Hemel remained a small hamlet right through to the times of the Tudors when Henry VIII granted a royal charter to make it a market town and he is said to have stayed here overnight with his wife of the time, Anne Boleyn. This gave the town some credibility and it began to grow a bit after that.

Today, its most famous landmark has nothing to do with royalty and is in fact a… roundabout known far-and-wide as, the magic roundabout, no doubt as a homage to the children’s TV programme of the same name. The ‘Magic Roundabout’ is not in fact one roundabout, it’s a series of mini roundabouts around one big central one.

Its official name, which it is never called, is the Plough roundabout! Handy to know for the SAT NAV users!

On first encountering the magic roundabout it can look a bit confusing and some older drivers have been known to drive a long way to avoid having to use it! However, once you get used to it, it is actually a very clever piece of road building and planning and there are hardly ever any accidents at this roundabout, which I suppose adds weight to those who say that we should remove more signs and instructions from our roads and allow the motorists to use their heads more.

Hemel has benefitted from its location and it has excellent rail links into London and north to Birmingham and beyond through Milton Keynes. It also sits right beside the M1 and is 10 minutes from the M25 which means that both Luton and Heathrow airports are within half an hour’s drive (on a good day!)

There are rumours that Hemel is set for another big growth spurt as the government comes under pressure to build more affordable homes around London but so far nothing has been confirmed. Let’s hope that if the rumours do have substance that Hemel’s many parks and wooded areas will remain untouched and that any development will concentrate on brown field sites.