Best City Centers

Falkirk is a town situated in the centre of Scotland, not far from cities like Edinburgh and Glasgow. The population in Falkirk is 32 379. The tourist information centre in Falkirk is situated on Glebe Street, which is not far from Falkirk’s Grahamston Railway Station. Falkirk is an enjoyable town for many reasons. The main attraction in Falkirk is in the west end and is called the Falkirk Wheel. Falkirk is home to some lovely parks and gardens, which is why I enjoy visiting Falkirk. My favourite parks in Falkirk are:

Callendar Park – This beautiful place is over 170 acres. It is well known for the many daffodils in the spring time. Throughout most of the year Callendar Park is blooming with flowers. Callendar Park has so much to do for all the family; there are plenty of activities to choose from. These include, a play area which has a bouncy castle, a huge slide, a golf course, crazy golf, a lake which can be used for boating, and electric cars. As well as all of these activities, there is also a big area of grass for picnics. This park is a nice place to walk. During the summer, there are a variety of events held in the park, as well as concerts. From the centre of Falkirk, it only takes 5 minutes to get to Callendar Park. In the park there is also a kiosk which sells a variety of snacks.

Dollar Park – This is a lovely place to enjoy a stroll, alone or with a pet. Dollar Park is peaceful and has gorgeous displays of shrubs. This park is not far from the Falkirk town centre, it’s only five minutes away. Dollar Park is open throughout the whole year and has a kid’s play area which has as bouncy castle.

Muiravonside Country Park- This Country Park is quite big, and is 170 acres. Muiravonside has so much to do, especially for the children. There is horse riding, a play area and plenty of area for long walks. In the park there is also lots of wildlife, flowers and trees to see. The park is open throughout the year. Also in the park, you will find a Ranger Service, in which there are, people to guide you around the park.

Bantaskine Estate – This park is fantastic for both long walks and short strolls. It is very peaceful and enjoyable. Bantaskine Estate is a really pleasant park. You can walk along the Union Canal banks or stroll through the woodlands. In 1746 the battle of Falkirk took place in the area of Bantaskine Estate. This battle was one by the Jacobites.

These very nice parks in Falkirk are great for a day out; I highly recommend each of them. Public transport around each park is quite good. I love visiting Falkirk, just to see the parks and to have a memorable day with my family. I find that Falkirk is very unique and each park has something special. There’s never time to get bored when visiting Falkirk.

A Mauritius holiday can comprise of many different activities. The island has a number of interesting and beautiful sites to visit, so when you’re not soaking up the sun on the island’s beautiful beaches, take a trip to one of these interesting areas.

Jardin des Pamplemousses
It is no doubt that most days spent on holiday in Mauritius will be on the pearly white beaches the island boasts. But when you feel like doing something other than lying on the sand, there are a number of interesting places you can visit. The botanical gardens, known in Mauritius as Jardin des Pamplemousses (literally translated as Garden of Grapefruit) is a beautiful place to visit while on a Mauritius holiday.

You can spend hours wandering through some 62 acres of garden, where 500 different plant species are waiting to be admired. One of the most fascinating plants is the talipot plant, a remarkable plant which takes 60 years to flower, and then when it finally does, it does so suddenly. The giant Amazon water lily, with a diameter of 1.5m can be found in the lily pond, one of the garden’s central attractions. This park is well worth a visit when on holiday in Mauritius and provides an interesting day out when not on the beach.

Chamarel’s Coloured Earth
One of the most fascinating natural phenomena in Mauritius is the rainbow-like earth found in Chamarel. At this spectacular site, the earth separates into 7 different colours, ranging from yellow, red and orange to deep purple and blue. This attraction will certainly be an interesting site to see when on holidays in Mauritius.

No matter the weather, come rain or shine, these colours never mix, so whenever you go, the colours can clearly be seen. The phenomenon is said to be a result of the uneven rate at which the original molten rock was cooled, but the fact that the colours remain separated is what is so intriguing about the site. Even mixing the different sand colours around in a test tube will fail to permanently mix the colours, as the sand naturally separates again within a matter of days. You can even buy a tube full of the sand as a memento of your Mauritius holiday.

Isle Aux Cerfs
An excellent day out is a trip to the island of Aux Cerfs, a small and beautiful island off the east coast of Mauritius. You can walk around in the island in about 3 hours, enjoying beautiful scenery along the way. Stop off at secluded beach coves, and swim in the beautiful clear ocean. A Mauritius hotel, Le Touessrok, has a variety of watersports available, so you can enjoy the Indian Ocean to the fullest when on this island.

Le Morne Brabant
One of the most beautiful places to stay when on a Mauritius holiday is Le Morne Brabant. Situated on the south-western tip of Mauritius, this isolated peninsula hosts some of the most upmarket Mauritius hotels. The area’s most prominent feature is the mountain rising from the centre of Le Morne peninsula, a 555m basaltic land mass. The area has been declared a World Heritage Site because of its slave history.

Another interesting feature of the area is that it is home to the extremely rare Mandrinette flower, an almost never seen type of hibiscus. A range of watersports, a golf course and trips to nearby islands can all be arranged in this area, making it an ideal location for a Mauritius holiday.