Waterford is Ireland’s oldest city and is renowned for its crystal ware. It has a gripping mediaeval history too. Waterford has a lovely location on the banks of River Suir. It was a well-known European port of the past times. The charm of a small Irish town is retained by Waterford till date. The city has a relaxed ambience as compared to other metropolises. The beautiful city of Waterford has all the makings of an excellent tourist destination including riveting culture, history, arts and music. The calm and serene environs add on to the touristic appeals. As it is in majority of the Irish towns, Waterford also has many pubs.

The climate of Waterford all through the year is windy and wet. The summers are bearable as they are mil and winter is fraught with heavy rains with extremely rare snowfalls. You will have to carry your umbrellas during all seasons while visiting Waterford. Waterford is accessible by air from various cities in UK, Europe, and Ireland. Waterford has an ideal location between the Irish cities of Cork and Dublin, which have excellent airports well serviced by long distance flights.

You can reach Waterford easily by road from any place in Ireland. Waterford is easily accessible by boat journey to Rosslare combined with a bus journey. Rosslare is at a short distance from Waterford. You can also take trains or buses to reach Ireland. Waterford can be explored easily by taxis, buses and cars. The best way, however, is by walking in the city center.

Tourist Attractions of Waterford

As Waterford is world famous for is lovely crystals designs, a visit to the Waterford factory is a must. You can see the vases, bowls, wine glasses and ornaments being manufactured on actual site. The tour around the factory informs you about the production techniques by way of audiovisual displays. You are able to look at the prestigious Waterford Crystal pieces in the gallery.

Waterford has several museums, historical sites and noteworthy buildings in addition to good clubs, restaurants and modern art galleries. The Waterford Treasures Museum is an excellent museum in the old building of the ancient Granary. It houses old artifacts from the archaeological finds. Reginald’s Tower is a magnificent monument, named after Regnall, Waterford city’s founder. William Vincent Plaza located on the Quay is a scenic shelter worth watching. Dunmore East is a fine fishing village. See the intriguing historical site at Ardmore.

Activities in Waterford

You can take short walks, treks and hikes in the mountainous regions surrounding Waterford. Biking is also an interesting activity to be pursued. You may seek pleasure in bird watching and fishing. Take walking tours across the town and explore every nook and corner for yourself. There are excellent cafes and restaurants in Waterford and some worth mentioning include Café Lucia, Bodega, The Brasserie, The Cottage Bistro, The Dry Dock Bar, Espresso, Haricots Wholeford Restaurant, Jade palace, Kambo, Kong’s Chinese Restaurant and La Bohéme and many more. The famous pubs of Waterford are Geoffs, Downse’s Pub and T&H Doolans. The renowned hotels of Waterford are Waterford Castle, Marlfield House, Whites Hotel, The Fitzwilton Hotel, Whitford House Hotel and Dunbrody Country House

Travel Junkie? Bookmark Or Share!

Importance of Summer Camps

Summer camps are extremely enriching for the kids in terms of learning, education, fun and entertainment. It is necessary to keep the kids engaged in some fruitful activity during the summer vacations and summer camps offer the perfect opportunity for this. The children can learn a lot related to nature, friendship, social interactions, personality development and various arts and crafts. By way of summer camps, the children are able to bond better with nature, which is the need of the hour. New friendships can blossom and a lot can be learnt about the flora and fauna of a particular place.

Types of Summer Camps

There are many types of summer camps like short duration, long duration, single day camps, weekend, week-long or month long camps. The summer camps could be indoor or outdoor. The summer camps can be differentiated on the basis of age groups as well. There are summer camps for nursery children, primary school children, middle school level children and teenagers. The summer camps may vary as per the activities also, some summer camps may be focusing on a single activity and others might include manifold activities. Some summer camps are residential and some summer camps are like school, wherein the children attend activities in certain stipulated time period.

Bonding with Nature

The biggest advantage offered by summer camps is that the child gets to bond with nature. Nowadays, the children are busy with urban lifestyles and school and other such things. Summer camps give the opportunity to the children to stay in close association with nature. The children can go for nature walks and know about the trees in the vicinity. They can also go for bird watching and observe birds in their natural habitats.

Learning New Crafts and Arts

Children can pick up new skills and arts during the summer camps. They can make herbarium files by collecting the leaves and flowers. Children who are interested in nature drawing and paintings can make landscape drawings by observing natural sceneries. Some children interested in cooking can learn the basic cooking. The children can learn sports like golf, football, basketball, swimming, tennis, rugby, cricket and horse riding etc.

There are many summer camps that conduct courses in story writing, drama, acting and dancing. Summer camps give the children a chance to take up water sports like canoeing and wave skiing.

Choosing a Summer Camp

The parents should be careful while choosing the proper type of summer camp. Firstly, the parents ought to consider the age of the children. The summer camps should be conducted by properly registered organization and qualified professionals. There should be proper and substantial safety measures included in the curriculum of the summer camp.

The parents must choose the summer camp as per the age of the child, duration, preference and liking of the child, activities offered, charges, fees and other terms and conditions.

Care to be Observed

The children should be instructed by the parents regarding proper safety rules, code of conduct, respect for nature and surroundings and all such things before leaving for the camp. Do let your children experience all the fun and excitement of the summer camps.

Travel Junkie? Bookmark Or Share!

Picnics are popular ways of spending some fun time away from home and office in beautiful surroundings. The picnics are sure to refresh your mind and souls and take you away from the daily tensions and humdrum of life. The English are enthusiastic about picnics and look forward to this exciting outing. The pleasant weather seems very tempting and we all tend to fall prey to its charms. A picnic is the best way to spend a few carefree days in the vicinity of nature and you will love it all the more if the picnic spot is unique. A survey conducted in 2003, shows that nearly 60% of British people enjoy at least one outdoor feast in a year.

Picnic is derived from French word, pique nique, a rhyming variation and means pecking or picking. Picnics were popularized to a great extent in the 18th century and it literally meant a get together where each one brought his own special dish. With the advent of railways and easy access to rural areas and countryside, picnics became outdoor events. The picnics of the Victorian times were extremely lavish affairs. The modern day picnics are largely spontaneous owing to the supermarket and fast food culture. The family can spend good quality time together by going for picnics.

Picnic Spots in Britain

Britain is full of many interesting picnic spots. The picnickers get a chance to stay in the lap of nature and spot wildlife as well. The various picnic spots in Britain include Hardcastle Crags, Somerset House, Eynsford, Tower Hill Tea Garden, Devil’s Dyke, John Muir Country Park, Cookham Village, Horniman Gardens, Padley Gorge, Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, Headley Heath, Winkworth Arboretum, Stanmer Park, Arundel Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, Kelmscott, Watlington Hill, Hardcourt Arboretum, Avebury Stone Circle, The Naze, Avon Valley Country Park, Wellington Country Park, Ragley Hall, Barafundle Beach, Avebury Stone Circle, Beecraigs Country Park, Clywedog Valley and Trail, Horniman Gardens and Brownsea Island and many more in addition.

The above mentioned picnic spots are the most popular ones and top the list of favorites. Hardcastle Crags in West Yorkshire is a deep ravine of rocky terrain with gurgling streams and thick forests. You can seek pleasure in a lovely nature walk around this place to explore the Gibson Mill, a cotton mill of 19th century. This building has been revamped recently by the National Trust and is Britain’s largest building that is completely powered by sustainable source of energy. You can enjoy snacking at the picnic tables.

Somerset House is a perfect place for an unplanned picnic. It is strategically located in the heart of London. You can enjoy eating sandwiches in the spacious courtyards and the children will love to play ducking games in the dancing fountains. There are many cultural events held every July and the picnicking families can enjoy music and dance performances along with poetry reading sessions. At the Tower Hill Tea Gardens in Kent, you will enjoy the tea gardens on the slope and enjoy breathtaking views of Thames Estuary.

Enjoying picnics in Britain can help you to unwind and experience relaxing getaways.

Travel Junkie? Bookmark Or Share!