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British IslesBritish IslesThe '''British Isles''' are a group of large islands in the north Atlantic Ocean off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. ==A disputed name== The British Isles is a disputed historical name given to Great Britain, Ireland, and the surrounding islands. It is a controversial name that is rejected by many inhabitants of the Republic of Ireland as it is considered that Ireland is in no sense "British". The term should not be used in the island of Ireland if you do not wish to give offence. Image:Britishisles.JPG|thumb|British Isles map ==Countries== *England *Scotland *Wales *Republic of Ireland *Northern Ireland ==Cities== *Belfast - Capital of Northern Ireland. *Birmingham - Second largest city in England. *Bristol - City in the West of England *Cardiff - Capital of Wales. *Dublin - Capital of the Republic of Ireland. *Edinburgh - Capital of Scotland. *Glasgow - Largest city in Scotland *London - in England. Capital of the United Kingdom. *Manchester - Second largest urban area in England. *Southampton - Port on the south coast *Swansea - Wales' second largest city. ==Other destinations== The British Isles also include a number of outlying islands, listed below, some of which are protectorates, territories and dominions. *Channel Islands (United Kingdom)|Channel Islands *Isle of Man *Isle of Wight *Orkney *Shetland *Fair Isle *The Hebrides *The Small Isles *Isle of Arran *Isles of Scilly *Lundy *Looe Island ==History== ===PreHistory=== At the end of the last Ice Age , approximately 10,000 years ago, most of northern Europe was still covered by ice. As the ice melted the British Isles were uncovered, although it wasn’t until the sea levels rose enough to flood the area of the North Sea and the English Channel that the British Isles formed. During the time the land bridge was still present the first human occupation occurred in the South of England. ===Neolithic period=== During the Stone and bronze age periods, the early Britains created many stone and earth monuments. The most famous is Stonehenge although Barrows ( earth mounds) , earthworks, standing stones and stone circles can be found in all corners of the British Isles. ===Roman period=== From AD 47 until AD 399 , England and Wales where occupied by the Romans. Large numbers of Roman archaeological sites are present, the most famous being the temples at Bath and the Hadrian wall forming the border with Scotland. Archaeology is popular in the UK and most towns have some kind of museum displaying artefacts and local finds. ===Formation of a nation=== By the time of the Norman invasion to 1066, England , Wales and Scotland has formed into independent Kingdoms. Around 1282 Wales was finally joined with England but it wasn’t until the Act of Union of 1707 that Scotland was brought into the group. Ireland was repeatedly invaded and fought over by the English until the formal partition into the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland ( part of the UK) in the 1920’s although this has been in dispute ever since. ===Things to see=== Given almost 10,000 years of human occupation, wars , invasions and the industrial revolution there is a wealth of Historical things to see when visiting Britain. Researching an area before you go will provide a very rewarding trip although a visit to the local Tourist Information center is advised to locate items of local history and sites of interest. ==Get in== Fly non-stop from Newark, NJ to Edinburgh on Continental is a great way to go. Saves the aggravation of Gatwick or Heathrow and then getting the 400 miles by plane, train or rental car. ==Get around== === Ferries === Traveling between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland by ferry is cheapest using the Stena Sealink or Irish Ferries links. However, the land journey, (especially on the UK side) is quicker, cheaper and more convenient on Swansea-Cork Ferries [http://www.ferrybooker.com/swansea_cork/swansea_cork_ferries.asp]. === Trains === Britain and Ireland have separately managed rail networks. In this context "Britain" does not include Northern Ireland, which is physically connected to the Irish rail system but is under a different management. 1. British Rail System Despite privatisation, it is really quite easy to plan a train journey, using the website www.nationalrail.co.uk. You don't need to know what train company is running the trains on your route: just use the journey planner and enter your starting point and destination. Basically, the major cities and towns (most of those with a population of 20,000 or more) are connected by frequent services (generally at least one train per hour, although a change of train may sometimes be necessary). Some examples London to Birmingham - 2 trains an hour from Euston Station to New Street (90 minute journey): 1 per hour from Marylebone to Snow Hill (2 1/4 hrs) London to Manchester - 2 per hour (2 1/2 hrs) to Liverpool - 1 per hour (2 1/2 hrs) Leeds - 2 per hour (2 1/4 hrs) Newcastle - 2 per hour (2 3/4 hrs) and so on. Major cities have commuter and suburban networks - the largest and most complicated being in London. Rural areas are less well served, but only a few areas such as the Scottish Border country are entirely without a train service. Generally speaking buses cover the gaps in the network, though they are often not well integrated with train services. The American concept of the "Union Station" never caught on in Britain, so many cities have more than one central station - and London has more than a dozen. Some cheap discount tickets require advance booking - this will be made clear if you book via the website. It is worth doing so as the discounts can be as much as 80%. Travelling TO London in the morning - eg to arrive before about 11 am - is extremely expensive, better to arrive in the afternoon or evening. Some train companies, especially those running commuter or suburban services, expect you to buy a ticket before you board and will penalise you if you do not. Best to buy at the ticket office if you have not time to book via the internet. Trains are reasonably comfortable, but can get crowded at peak times (7-9 am, 4-6 pm). First or Business class is a way of avoiding the crush - at a price. For speed freaks, the top speed of British trains is 125 mph, some way short of TGV, Shinkansen or Acela speeds. The Britrail Pass is available to US citizens planning to use the British Rail network and offers unlimited travel over a set time period for a fixed cost. British trains have a reputation for unreliability, and punctuality indeed became very poor in the aftermath of a train wreck at Hatfield near London which revealed weaknesses in the rail maintenance regime. Things have improved somewhat in the last year or so. 2. Irish Rail System The website www.cie.ie tells you all you would wish to know about railways in the Republic of Ireland. In short, railways link Dublin with the main towns such as Cork, Limerick and Galway, and there are commuter trains in the Dublin area. 3. Northern Irish Railways After a period in which the future of railways in Ulster looked bleak, new trains and upgraded track are giving the local railways a new lease of life. The Northern Irish rail system, however, consists only of lines from Belfast to Dublin, Bangor, Larne and Derry/Londonderry. === Buses === Bus services in the British Isles can be divided neatly as follows 1. London Buses The familiar red buses criss-cross the crowded streets of London, and have recently started to attract back customers previously lost to the car. Buses are slower than the Undergound railways (tubes) but give you an opportunity to see the city, rather than the inside of a tunnel. 2. Inter City Buses (Coaches) National Express coaches (coach = long distance bus) provide the equivalent of the Greyhound buses in North America - a slowish but low-cost ride between major cities. Scottish Citylink does the same thing in Scotland, CIE in the Irish Republic and Ulsterbus in Northern Ireland 3. Local Buses These range from frequent commuter and urban services in cities to services running a couple of times a week between remote villages. Some of these latter services are provided by the Post Office. In Ireland, CIE (who run trains as well) run all buses - but in Britain most services are provided by large bus companies such as Arriva and Stagecoach. Most local bus companies offer day trips by bus or minibus. Airports are also often linked by special services to nearby towns and cities. ==See== ==Do== ==Get out== {{stub}} fr:Îles britanniques First page | Prev | Next | Last page |
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