Birmingham has an excellent collection of places to visit and things to do including some highly informative and equally interesting museums and art galleries, for example the Barber Institute of Fine Arts and the Thinktank in the Eastside. The city of Birmingham also possesses a large number of square kilometres of parks and open spaces, Sutton Park being the largest with 2,400 acres making it the very largest urban nature reserve in the whole of Europe.

Some Interesting Places To Stay In Birmingham

Macdonald Burlington Hotel Birmingham

The Burlington can be rather a cheap place to stay but it does not cut corners. This 4 star luxury hotel offers superb service with modern facilities all within a two minute walk of New Street station. If you are arriving by car you will be pleased to know that the hotel is adjacent to a 2,000 space NCP car park.

Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre

Another city centre hotel offering superb accommodation at a very reasonable price is the Holiday Inn. This 3 star establishment is a little further away from New Street station (roughly a five minute walk away) but is maybe more suited for those visiting Birmingham on business.

Staying Cool at The Rotunda

If you are in search of something a little more different than a chain hotel then maybe you should consider staying in serviced apartments? Apartments need not be as expensive as they sound and the Staying Cool at The Rotunda offers both 4 star and 5 star accommodation at a surprisingly reasonable price. If you like boutique hotels you will love the style of these fascinating apartments.

The above mentioned hotels are just three of a great many, and widely varied, number of hotels available in Birmingham. Accommodation ranges from small family run guest houses offering friendly, and homely, bed and breakfast to some of the finest luxury hotels and apartments in England. Whatever your budget you are sure to find accommodation to match, or go well beyond, your expectations.

Learn more about hotels in Birmingham. Stop by Karl Fraser’s site where you can find the best deals on Birmingham bed and breakfast.

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Bagpipes and tartan, as soon as you hear these words or see these two items, the odds are that the word “Scotland” will spring to mind (or vice versa). You usually see these items in a lovely piece of art or on a box of shortbread. While many see the history of Scotland as romantic many see the raw facts and accept that most points in the history of Scotland are punctuated by battles and bloodshed. Just looking across the stunning landscapes you will, in only a short distance, come across a historical site associated with the nation’s turbulent history. In fact these sites draw enormous numbers of folk each and every year.

In order to visit many of the finest historical sites in Scotland it is necessary to travel extensively but often it is possible to visit a respectable number of first class historical sites if you remain in one place, especially if this happens to be the city of Glasgow. Glasgow has a wealth of superb visitor attractions and masses of important historical sites all within easy reach. The following examines just three of these places of interest, Crookston Castle, Glasgow Cathedral and Newark Castle.

Glasgow Cathedral

The foundations of Glasgow were laid during the seventh century when St. Mungo built his small church on the site. He died in 612 and today he is the city’s patron saint. Over the years the site expanded and the church was much modified and then, during the 12th and 13th centuries, it was built over. On the 6th July 1197 it was consecrated and today it remains as one of the most important landmarks of the city. Few medieval churches managed to survive the Scottish Reformation as most were utterly destroyed, damaged beyond repair or simply abandoned and left to be ravaged by the elements and locals who reused the stone.

Crookston Castle

Crookston Castle is most well known for being owned by the Darnley Stewarts. It was Henry Stewart, Lord Darnley who became the second husband of Mary Queen of Scots. The castle is a stone ringwork fortress and keep built, by Sir Robert de Croc, during the 12th century passing over to the Stewarts i the mid 14th century.

Newark Castle

Newark Castle sits on the south shore of the Firth of Clyde, enjoying wonderful views across the river. In 1478, George Maxwell inherited the Barony of Finlanstone, and built himself a castle on the site. There are still parts of his castle visible today. Major changes were made to Newark Castle by the most notorious of George Maxwell’s descendants, Sir Patrick Maxwell. In 1597, Sir Patrick constructed a new north range replacing the earlier hall, in the form of a three storey Renaissance mansion. In 1694, the last Maxwell died, and the castle was sold. When the last owner died, in 1909, the castle passed into state care, and is now looked after by Historic Scotland.

Of course there are numerous other historic places to visit in and around Glasgow but I hope that the three introduced above inspire you to discover more. Hopefully it will not be too long before you decide that your only option is to take a city break in Glasgow.

Learn more about cheap hotels in Glasgow, please stop by our site where you can find the best deals on cheap Glasgow hotels.

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Arriving at Fort William you will be forgiven for thinking it is a thoroughly modern town. Unfortunately the town was extensively remodeled from the middle of the last century and the town’s seafront was replaced by the road you most probably drove along to get there. Thankfully many older buildings survive which add some atmosphere to the busy High Street. Adding to the drama is the tallest mountain (or Munro) in the British Isles, Ben Nevis, which can be seen, from almost anywhere, looking down upon this busy little town.

Many people arrive at Fort William to admire the view of Ben Nevis and attempt to reach the summit. One of the things you should know about this Munro is that one route is pretty easy on foot compared to the other which should only be tackled by experienced mountain climbers. Please ensure that you make sure that you are dressed for all weathers as it is likely you will see them all and, even at the height of summer, snow is not unusual. Ben Nevis sees more deaths a year than Mount Everest.

If you are not the type to go climbing mountains then maybe you will appreciate the more leisurely way in which to see the finest sights of the area, by taking a ride on a steam train from Fort William to Mallaig. The West Highland Railway is said to be the finest most beautiful train journey in the United Kingdom.

Riding the Jacobite steam train will be a real thrill for any fan of the Harry Potter series of movies as they will know the Jacobite better as Hogwarts’ Express (the steam train which features in many of the films). The highlight of their train journey will be the Glenfinnan Aqueduct which is becoming known as “Harry Potter Bridge”.

Another view which you will catch a glimpse of while on the Jacobite is the Glenfinnan Monument. Standing looking out across Loch Shiel the monument is a memorial to the raising of the standard by Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745 and those who fought the Jacobean cause.

Nearly at the halfway mark, at Glenfinnan, you will have a short 20 minute break. Although the scenery there is superb you will be pleased that there is a small informative museum and a quaint cafe in an old dining car, to pass your time.

You should really make a day of your ride on the Jacobite, leaving fort William in the morning it returns from Mallaig in the late afternoon/early evening and you will enjoy every minute of this most beautiful train journey in the United Kingdom.

Want to find out more about hotels in Fort William, then visit Karl Fraser’s site which has the most comprehensive listings of Fort William Hotels.

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Edinburgh many be Scotland’s capital, and it may also be Scotland’s number one vacation destination but the sad fact is that many of the annual visitors to this fine city are missing the opportunity of visiting the fantastic nearby city of Glasgow.

Glasgow is a lively and vibrant city attracting more and more visitors annually. While most folk visit to enjoy the vibrant nightlife that the city offers more people are becoming aware of the many artistic and cultural elements of this fascinating city. Below I introduce the reader to three such places to visit in Glasgow.

The Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum: The Kelvingrove Art Gallery is Glasgow and Scotland’s premier museum and art gallery, and home to one of Europe’s great civic art collections. It has also been voted one of the most popular free visitor attractions in Scotland. You will find Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum on Argyle Street, in the West End of Glasgow, on the banks of the River Kelvin. The gallery was built in a Spanish Baroque style following the Glaswegian tradition of using red sandstone. The building was designed by Sir John W. Simpson and E.J. Milner Allen, and opened in 1901. The museum’s collections were originally from the McLellan Galleries and the old Kelvingrove House Museum in Kelvingrove Park.

The House for An Art Lover: House For An Art Lover is one of Glasgow’s most popular attractions. The Art Nouveau House was orignally designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Glasgow’s most famous architect, with the help of his wife Margaret Macdonald. The design was for a competition, in 1901, to design a House for an Art Lover. The Mackintoshs entry was disqualified from the competition, on the grounds of late submission. Over 100 years later, the house now stands completed in Bellahouston Park, thanks to engineer Graham Roxburgh and architect Professor Andy Macmillan. Building work began in 1989 but was then halted, and resumed again in 1994, due to the collaboration between Glasgow City Council and Glasgow School of Art.

The Peoples Palace: The People’s Palace and Winter Gardens are a museum and glasshouse situated near Glasgow Green. They were opened on 22nd January 1898 by the Earl of Rosebery, and were intended to provide a cultural centre for the people of Glasgow. The ground floor originally provided reading and recreation rooms. However, since the 1940’s, it has been Glasgow’s social history museum, and tells the story of the people and the city from 1750 to the present day. Attached to the People’s Palace is the Winter Gardens, an elegant Victorian Glassghouse where on can relax among the tropical plants, or enjoy the cafe.

Of course there are a great many more cultural attractions in Glasgow so when you are next planning a Scottish vacation you should investigate this stimulating city further. One final word is that you may have difficulty finding hotel vacancies at times so it is well worth booking your accommodation at the earliest opportunity.

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