SEYCHELLES OF ALNWICK THE MARKET TOWN

Alnwick is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116. The town is on the south bank of the River Aln, 32 miles (51 km) south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish border, 5 miles (8 km) inland from the North Sea at Alnmouth and 34 miles (55 km) north of Newcastle upon Tyne. The town dates to about ad 600, and thrived as an agricultural centre. Alnwick Castle was the home of the most powerful medieval northern baronial family, the Earls of Northumberland. It was a staging post on the Great North Road between Edinburgh and London, and latterly has become a dormitory town for nearby Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The town centre has changed relatively little, but the town has seen some growth, with several housing estates covering what had been pasture, and new factory and trading estate developments along the roads to the south.

The name Alnwick comes from the Old English wic ('dairy farm, settlement') and the name of the river Aln. The history of Alnwick is the history of the castle and its lords, starting with Gilbert Tyson, written variously as "Tison", "Tisson", and "De Tesson", one of William the Conqueror's standard bearers, upon whom this northern estate was bestowed. It was held by the De Vesci family (now spelt "Vasey" – a name found all over south-east Northumberland) for over 200 years, and then passed into the hands of the house of Percy in 1309. At various points in the town are memorials of the constant wars between Percys and Scots, in which so many Percys spent the greater part of their lives. A cross near Broomhouse Hill across the river from the castle marks the spot where Malcolm III of Scotland was killed during the first Battle of Alnwick. At the side of the broad shady road called Ratten Row, leading from the West Lodge to Bailiffgate, a stone tablet marks the spot where William the Lion of Scotland was captured during the second Battle of Alnwick (1174) by a party of about 400 mounted knights, led by Ranulf de Glanvill. Hulne Priory, outside the town walls in Hulne Park, the Duke of Northumberland's walled estate, was a monastery founded in the 13th century by the Carmelites; it is said that the site was chosen for some slight resemblance to Mount Carmel where the order originated. Substantial ruins remain. In 1314, Sir John Felton was governor of Alnwick. In winter 1424, much of the town was burnt by a Scottish raiding party. Again in 1448 the town was burnt by a Scottish army led by William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas and George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus. Thomas Malory mentions Alnwick as a possible location for Lancelot's castle Joyous Garde. The Alnwick by-pass takes the A1 London–Edinburgh trunk road around the town. It was started in 1968.

Alnwick lies at 55°25′00″N 01°42′00″W (55.417, -1.700)1. The River Aln forms its unofficial northern boundary. Historically, the town was partly within the Bamburgh Ward and Coquetdale Ward and later included in the East Division of Coquetdale Ward in 1832. By the time of the 2011 Census an electoral ward covering only part of Alnwick Parish name existed. The total population of this ward was 4,766.

Formerly a largely rural and agrarian community, the town now lies within the "travel to work" radius of Morpeth and Newcastle upon Tyne and has a sizeable commuter population. Some major or noteworthy employers in the town are:

•             Metrology Software Products Ltd, developers and suppliers of co-ordinate measuring machine and machine tool software

•             House of Hardy, makers of fly-fishing tackle

•             Greys of Alnwick, makers of fly-fishing tackle

•             Northumberland Estates, which manages the Duke of Northumberland's agricultural, forestry and property interests

•             Barter Books, one of the largest second-hand book shops in England, set in the town's former railway station

•             Sanofi Alnwick Research Centre, a large pharmaceutical research and testing centre

•             NFU Mutual, provider of insurance, pensions, investments

•             DEFRA (Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs)

•             Skin Salveation manufacturers and distributors of skin care products

The town's greatest building is Alnwick Castle, one of the homes of the Duke of Northumberland, and site of The Alnwick Garden; it dominates the west of the town, above the River Aln. The castle is the hub of a number of commercial, educational and tourism operations. From 1945 to 1975, it was the location of a teacher training college for young women and "mature students" (persons of more than 21 years in age). Currently, it houses American students studying in Europe through a partnership with Saint Cloud State University; it is the base of Northumberland Estates, the Duke's commercial enterprise; and is in its own right a tourist attraction. The castle is open to tourists from April to September, and the Gardens all year around. It is the second largest inhabited castle in England, after Windsor Castle. Benjamin Disraeli describes Alnwick as "Montacute" in his novel Tancred. The town's greatest building is Alnwick Castle, one of the homes of the Duke of Northumberland, and site of The Alnwick Garden; it dominates the west of the town, above the River Aln. The castle is the hub of a number of commercial, educational and tourism operations. From 1945 to 1975, it was the location of a teacher training college for young women and "mature students" (persons of more than 21 years in age). Currently, it houses American students studying in Europe through a partnership with Saint Cloud State University; it is the base of Northumberland Estates, the Duke's commercial enterprise; and is in its own right a tourist attraction. The castle is open to tourists from April to September, and the Gardens all year around. It is the second largest inhabited castle in England, after Windsor Castle. Benjamin Disraeli describes Alnwick as "Montacute" in his novel Tancred.

Alnwick marketplace at night in winter. The centre of town is the market place, with its market cross, and the relatively modern Northumberland Hall, used as a meeting place. Surrounding the market place are the main shopping streets: Narrowgate, Fenkle Street, and Bondgate Within. The last of these is a wide road fronted by commercial buildings. In medieval times, Alnwick was a walled town, although due to fluctuating economic conditions during the Middle Ages, the walls were never completed. Hotspur Tower, a medieval gate, is extant, dividing Bondgate Within from Bondgate Without, and restricting vehicles to a single lane used alternately in each direction. Pottergate Tower, at the other side of the town, also stands on the site of an ancient gate, but the tower itself was rebuilt in the 18th century. Its ornate spire was destroyed in a storm in 1812. Outside the line of the walls, the old railway station building is relatively ostentatious for such a small town, due to its frequent use by royal travellers visiting Alnwick Castle. It is now a large secondhand bookshop.

The town has a thriving playhouse, a multi-purpose arts centre, which stages theatre, dance, music, cinema, and visual arts productions. In 2003, the Willowburn Sports and Leisure Centre was opened on the southern outskirts of the enlarged town (replacing the old sports centre located by the Lindisfarne Middle School and the now-demolished Youth Centre). More widely, the Alnwick district boasts a wealth of sporting and leisure facilities, including football, cricket, rugby, rambling, rock climbing, water sports, cycling and horse riding. Golfers can find thirteen golf courses within 30 minutes driving of the town. The castle is popular with film-makers: Blackadder, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Harry Potter; are some of the films shot here.

Bailiffgate Museum, a local history museum. Alnwick's museum, Bailiffgate Museum, is close to the Bailiffgate entrance to the castle. Its collection is specifically dedicated to local social history. The museum has recently had a major refit funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Its collection includes a variety of agricultural objects, domestic items, railway items, coal mining artefacts, printing objects, a sizeable photographic collection, paintings and a range of activities for children. Local artist Stella Vine donated three of her paintings to the museum, as she had grown up in Alnwick. Alnwick Fair was an annual costumed event, held each summer from 1969 to 2007, recreating some of the appearance of medieval trading fairs and 17th century agricultural fairs. It has now been discontinued.

Road

Alnwick town lies adjacent to the A1, the main national north/south trunk road, providing easy access to Newcastle upon Tyne (35 miles (56 km) south) and to the Scottish capital Edinburgh (80 miles (130 km) north). The town is an 'A1 Town', there are several such similar towns in the North of England such as (North to South), Berwick Upon Tweed (28.1 miles North), Morpeth (28.3 miles South), Newton Aycliffe (65.1 miles South) and Wetherby (116 miles South). Being such a stopping point on the A1 (particularly in such a rural area) provides Alnwick with a lot of passing trade and tourism.

Rail

The main East Coast railway link between Edinburgh (journey time approximately 1:10) and London (journey time approximately 3:45) runs via the nearby Alnmouth for Alnwick Station, with a weekday service of 15 trains per day north to Edinburgh and 13 trains per day south to London. Despite its name, Alnmouth Station is located at the western end of the village of Hipsburn, near to the hamlet of Bilton. It also serves the village of Lesbury.

Alnwick was once connected to the main line by the Alnwick branch line, but this was closed in January 1968. The Aln Valley Railway Trust, is in stages, reconstructing the branch as a heritage railway. The Alnwick terminus, called Lionheart station, is located near the Lionheart Enterprise Estate on the outskirts of the town rather than on the site of the original Alnwick railway station closer to the town centre. The building of the A1 bypass makes reopening the section of the line leading into the town centre unviable.

Air

Newcastle Airport lies around 45 minutes driving time away, and provides 19 daily flights to London (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and London City), with regular flights to other UK centres. The airport also operates regular flights to many European destinations, along with destinations in Africa. Newcastle Airport is the nearest, however for alternative flights, Edinburgh Airport, Leeds Bradford Airport and Manchester Airport are all within 150 miles (240 km).

A TO Z OF TRAVEL

A: AGE YOU WENT ON YOUR FIRST INTERNATIONAL TRIP:

I had to check with my mum on this one, but apparently it was a trip to France aged four. Though ten years after that I’d still only been to France, with years of childhood holidays spent building sandcastles and hiding from the rain under a groundsheet on windswept Normandy beaches. My first time on a plane was at 13, flying to Germany to see my aunt and uncle, and first time out of Europe was New York at 18.

B: BEST (FOREIGN) BEER YOU’VE HAD AND WHERE:

Mmm, difficult one. I’m going to have to go for a three-way tie between Little Creatures Pale Ale (from Fremantle in Western Australia), Costa Rica’s Imperial, and Beer Lao.

C: CUISINE (FAVORITE):

Probably Moroccan, after going out there without very high expectations and being totally blown away by the food. On paper lamb and prune is not a combination I expected to like, but the slow-cooked tagines were delicious, along with aromatic spices, grilled chicken brochettes, couscous which actually tasted of something and gallons of mint tea. I’d love to go back out there and do a cookery course sometime.

D: DESTINATIONS, FAVORITE, LEAST FAVORITE AND WHY:

Favourite is so hard to narrow down. I’ll have to go for a tie between New Zealand, for its fantastic scenery and wine, and Thailand as my first introduction to the beaches, buckets and beauty of south-east Asia, and for being one of the places I could go back to time and again.

Least favourite is probably Khota Bharu in Malaysia. My friend and I got stuck there waiting for a boat to the Perhentian Islands. We ended up sleeping in a cockroach-infested room (with its dripping tap and hole in the ground apparently classing as an ‘en suite’), got constantly stared at and hassled, then she got food poisoning from some mystery meat at the night market. It’s not top of the list for a repeat visit!

E: EVENT YOU EXPERIENCED ABROAD THAT MADE YOU SAY “WOW”:

During my second year of uni I spend the holidays working in the US, then blew the money I’d earnt on a week in the Bahamas at the end. Unfortunately two days in we got hit by the edge of a hurricane. I’ll always remember sheltering in a restaurant which was the only place nearby with a generator, drinking beer by candlelight and watching broken umbrellas and huge tree branches blow past the window.

F: FAVORITE MODE OF TRANSPORTATION:

Definitely trains. I’m not the biggest fan of flying so anywhere I can possibly get somewhere by train I will. It just feels so much more civilised and relaxing, and the scenery’s certainly a lot better.

G: GREATEST FEELING WHILE TRAVELING:

Getting off the plane. Not only does it mean that I’ve arrived and can’t wait to start exploring a new place, but it also means I’m not up in the air any more!

H: HOTTEST PLACE YOU’VE TRAVELED TO:

I do like the heat but even for me the 42 degrees temperatures at New Year in Perth in Australia were a bit too much. The whole city was deserted as everyone stayed inside with the air con on. It was a bit of a shock to the system getting off the plane back at Heathrow a few days later to frost and minus 5 temperatures – especially to my sister who was still wearing her flip flops.

I: INCREDIBLE SERVICE YOU’VE EXPERIENCED AND WHERE:

Earlier this year we stayed way out in the rice paddies outside of Ubud in Bali at the Balam Bali Villa. It’s a real peaceful oasis, with rooms with your own terrace around the pool. But the staff are the best bit – they took us on a tour around the local village, organised drivers, trips and spa treatments for us, paired us up with another couple to share the cost of a day trip, served breakfast however late we got up, and let us help ourselves to drinks from the honesty bar and borrow DVDs.

J: JOURNEY THAT TOOK THE LONGEST:

I’ve done some long flights – like 32 hours including stopovers on the way back from Australia – but my longest ever journey was a 48-hour Indian train trip from Goa to Delhi. We were in three-tier bunk beds, sharing our compartment with an Indian couple on their honeymoon, and passed the time playing cards, watching the world go by and drinking endless cups of chai. I can’t say I wasn’t glad to get off and have a shower after the second night, but it was a great window into Indian life.

K: KEEPSAKE FROM YOUR TRAVELS:

Mainly just photos, plus a slightly swollen ankle to remind me of a night out in Manly in Sydney. A misguided running jump down the steps onto the beach ended up with a landing on the concrete rather than the sand, and a right ankle broken in two places. And yes, cheap wine may have been involved…

L: LET-DOWN SIGHT, WHY AND WHERE:

India was the first stop on my RTW trip in 2003, and although it was fascinating place, it wasn’t the easiest place to travel – as two 20-something, pale, blonde girls we did stand out a bit. So as we arrived at the Taj Mahal three weeks in we were burnt out, and that combined with hassle of epic proportions and a guide whose monotone commentary made even the Taj’s great love story sound like he was reading the phone book, I was a bit underwhelmed with the place (as you can see from my face!). I’d like to go back and see it again under different circumstances though.

M: MOMENT WHERE YOU FELL IN LOVE WITH TRAVEL:

I went on a university field trip to Thailand aged 19 (the benefits of studying geography…). It was way out of my comfort zone having hardly left Europe before, but I totally loved the place. We travelled to Bangkok then way beyond the tourist areas right out into the countryside, where we met local people and explored remote temples on the Cambodian border. It started off my long love of travel and south-east Asia.

N: NICEST HOTEL YOU’VE STAYED IN:

One of my favourites is Hopewell in the Marlborough Sounds in New Zealand. It’s a backpackers rather than a fancy hotel, but with an amazing location, only accessible by water taxi or three-hour drive on a very windy unsealed road. You can borrow kayaks or bikes and explore the Sounds, collect mussels on the shore, or just sit in the outdoor hot tub overlooking the water or laze by the open fire. It’s got an amazing kitchen if you want to self-cater or the owners make a fab BBQ and home-made pizzas when you can hang out with travellers from across the world over a local Sauvignon Blanc.

O: OBSESSION—WHAT ARE YOU OBSESSED WITH TAKING PICTURES OF WHILE TRAVELING?:

Landscapes and buildings are definitely my thing. But my New Year’s travel resolution is to take more people shots and portraits.

P: PASSPORT STAMPS, HOW MANY AND FROM WHERE?:

I got a new passport recently so it’s looking a bit sparse at the moment, with stamps only from Malaysia, Indonesia and the US so far. The last one was almost full though so I’ve got a bit of catching up to do.

Q: QUIRKIEST ATTRACTION YOU’VE VISITED AND WHERE:

Probably the ‘big things’ of Australia. The big prawn, the big banana, the big Merino, the giant Ned Kelly. You’ve got to hand it to the Aussies for their ability to make tourist attractions out of absolutely nothing!

R: RECOMMENDED SIGHT, EVENT OR EXPERIENCE:

New Year’s Eve is usually a bit of a letdown but the one I spent in Sydney Harbour was fantastic. It definitely helps to have hot weather and be able to sit outside, drinking champagne (ok cheapo sparkling wine) in front of the Harbour Bridge and watching the fireworks over the city.

S: SPLURGE; SOMETHING YOU HAVE NO PROBLEM FORKING OVER MONEY FOR WHILE TRAVELING:

Definitely experiences. I’d rather stay somewhere cheap and spend money on doing things while I’m out there, so have splashed out on some memorable experiences like a helicopter trip over Mount Cook in New Zealand, zip-lining in Costa Rica, and swimming with stingrays in the Cayman Islands.

T: TOURISTY THING YOU’VE DONE:

I’ve got no problem with being a complete tourist sometimes, and have done all sorts of touristy things – from full moon parties in Ko Pha Ngan and drinking a pint of Guinness in Dublin’s Temple Bar, to doing the bus tour round the stars homes in LA and firing an AK47 in Cambodia. One touristy thing I always like to do though is climb up something tall for a view of a new city.

U: UNFORGETTABLE TRAVEL MEMORY:

This is so hard to choose, but I’ll go for spending Cambodian New Year in Siem Reap. People were going mad on the streets, partying and throwing water and chalk dust at everyone. We met a really cool group of people and hung out chatting and drinking all night in the Angkor What? bar. Then just before it got light we headed over the the ruins at Angkor Wat to watch the sun rise over the temples.

V: VISAS, HOW MANY AND FOR WHERE?:

None in the new passport, but the old one had all my Asian visas, as well as my USA and Australian working holiday visas, and the Indian one I spent a whole day in the visa office in London queuing for.

W: WINE, BEST GLASS OF WINE WHILE TRAVELING AND WHERE?:

I love wine, so have drunk it all over the world, even Thai wine in desperation once (don’t do it). One of the best glasses I’ve ever had was after cycling around the vineyards of Sonoma in California, meeting the winemakers and tasting the wines where they were grown. The wines got better as we went on, though the cycling got worse, and we ended up drinking a glass of red amongst the vines as the sun started to go down, accompanied by a huge lump of cheese which is all we could find for lunch!

X: EXCELLENT VIEW AND FROM WHERE?:

My first view across the Alps from the top of a mountain over Méribel, once I graduated from the baby slopes to the grown up lifts in my first week of skiing. The stunning snow-capped mountains all around me took away from the fear that I had to get all the way back down there somehow.

Y: YEARS SPENT TRAVELING?:

Erm (quick mental arithmetic)… 29 years. Wow. Though my main years of travelling (i.e. to places other than France) have been the last 15 years.

Z: ZEALOUS SPORTS FANS AND WHERE?:

I’m not exactly a massive sports fan but do like a bit of motor-racing and have been to a few Grand Prix around the world. The maddest crowd had to be in Imola in Italy as the obsessive Ferrari fans, the Tifosi, went crazy as Michael Schumacher scooped a Ferrari win right at the last minute.

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ENGLISH FOR TOURSIM - THE ASSIGNMENT OF UNIT 2

Pronunciation

1.      Do you know the name of these famous attractions?

a.      Spain   / speɪn /

b.      France / fræns /

c.       Japan   / dʒəˈpæn /

d.      China   / ˈtʃaɪ nə /

e.      Russia  / ˈrʌʃ ə /

2.      Match them with the outline map of the country where they are located. What are the names of the countries? London, Mexico, Rome, Canada, Italy, Moscow, Athens, Madrid, Paris, Hungary, Tokyo, Germany, Brazil

6.      English words that are polysyllabic (have more than one syllable) always have one syllable that is stressed. In most English dictionaries, the stressed syllable is indicated by a stress mark, a symbol that resembles an apostrophe. The stress mark follows the syllable that is stressed. For example, in the word incredible, the second syllable (-cred-) is stressed. Here are some examples.

Reading

1.      First is Germany, second is USA, and the third is Poland

2.      Germany, USA, Poland, UK, Canada, Malaysia, Italy, China, Russia, France, Japan

3.      Yes, it does. I am very surprised, that Germany is one of the most tourist departures per year

Vocabulary

Tourism features and attractions

1.      Complete the Table

Climate	Natural Features	Built Attractions	Events	Food, Drinks and Entertainments	Accommodation	Transport
Rainy	Beach	Cathedral	Carnival	Restaurant	Hotel	Train
Sunny	Desert	Museum	Folk Dance	Bar	Motel	Plane
Chilly	Waterfall	Castle	Music Festival		Habour	Metro
Damp	Countryside	Art Gallery	Concert		Camp Site
Oceanic	Coastline	Heritage	Nightlife
Subtropical
Tropical
Temperate

2.      Complete the sentences

a.      I don’t really like the city. I prefer to live in the villages

b.      There aren’t many beaches on the island. The beach is mainly rocky with steep cliffs

c.       The Netherlands has a temperate maritime climate, with mild winters and cool summers

d.      These beautiful old churches are part of our national heritages

3.      I wish I could add more

Costumer care

1.      Visiting and adapting to a foreign culture, doing a research and literature.

2.      Taking care of your place with love, Find the magic and ‘spirit of the place’, the Genius Loci, Excite the tourist with live experiences, Organize the Business of ‘welcoming’ among the populace, Use the web, promote tourism on Social Media and by ‘word of mouth’.

Writing

New Zealand (also known as Aotearoa) is an island country in Oceania. It is a sovereign state in the south-western part of the Pacific Ocean. It is made up of two large islands (the North Island and the South Island) and many smaller islands. These islands are located to the southeast of Australia. The capital city of the country is Wellington, but the largest city is Auckland. Both of these cities are on the North Island. The largest city on the South Island is Christchurch. The official languages are English, Māori and New Zealand sign language. English has never been officially granted official language status but it is used as a default official language due to its wide usage. In 2010, New Zealand was ranked as the 8th happiest country in the world.

The name "New Zealand" comes from “Zeeland” (which translates to "Sealand") in Dutch, after it was sighted by Dutch Explorer Abel Tasman. Zeeland is a province of the Netherlands. New Zealand is called “Aotearoa” in the Māori language. It means "Land of the Long White Cloud". Ao means “cloud”, tea means “white”, and roa means “long”.

New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II. The Prime Minister is Jacinda Ardern. New Zealand has made itself a Nuclear Free Zone: They do not use nuclear power and do not allow nuclear weapons or nuclear powered vessels in their territory. Elections are held every 3 years.

As of the 2006 census, 4,143,279 people lived in New Zealand. Most of them have European ancestors. The indigenous people of New Zealand, the Māori, had a population of 565,329, or 14.6%. The people of New Zealand often call themselves Kiwis, representing their national native although flightless bird. The North Island is smaller than the South Island, but most people (more than 3 million) live there. The main religion in New Zealand is Christianity. Just over 2 million New Zealanders are Christian.

Farming represents a large community in both the North and South Islands. Most New Zealanders, however, choose to live in more urban areas. Wellington is the capital of New Zealand. Auckland is the largest city, with around 1 million people. Other cities in the North Island include Hamilton, Tauranga, Napier/Hastings, New Plymouth, Wanganui, and Palmerston North. South Island cities include Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson, Invercargill and Timaru.

New Zealand sits at the boundary between the Australian and Pacific continental plates. When these two plates moved together ('collided'), one (the Pacific) moved under the other (the Australian) north of the South Island. As a result, there was a great deal of volcanic activity. South of the South Island, the Australian plate moves under the Pacific plate instead. The plates slide past each other in the South Island, where they have pushed up the Southern Alps. Because of these two colliding plates, New Zealand often has earthquakes. One of the best known is the 2010-2011 group of earthquakes that hit the Christchurch area. The diagram shows that the North Island is on the Australian plate, but most of the South Island is on the Pacific plate. New Zealand is still geologically active, and will remain so as long as the islands are sitting above the plate boundary.

The oldest rocks in New Zealand date from the Cambrian period, 512 million years ago. New Zealand became part of the global supercontinent Pangaea. When that split (End-Triassic/early Jurassic), New Zealand became part of the southern supercontinent Gondwana. Finally, Gondwana broke up, leaving the continents rather as they are today.

New Zealand was isolated from the rest of the world for a long time. It split from Australia 83 million years ago. Because of this, there are many plants and animals that only live in New Zealand. Before humans came to New Zealand, there were no mammals, except three species of bat and marine mammals such as seals, dolphins, and whales. Instead, New Zealand has many different kinds of bird. New Zealand has several species of flightless bird, including the kiwi. Especially important is the Tuatara, the only living member of a whole order of reptiles. New Zealand used to have rare species, but some, mostly birds, were hunted to extinction early in its history. The giant Moa, Dinornis, is a famous example. The group of birds to which the Moa belongs had been in existence since the Cretaceous period. Humans arrived in New Zealand about a thousand years ago, when many moas lived, especially on South Island. Archaeological sites with evidence of Moa hunting are all over New Zealand. The moas became extinct about five hundred years ago. Extinctions closer to today have been caused by habitat change and introduced species like rats and dogs, which can kill the native species.