Picture of Britain

[Onlyforfun]

What a perfect antidote to Big Brother / Celebrity Love Island etc etc dumbass TV.

Great landscapes, music, paintings (and I'm no art lover) and a Land Rover Defender. All it lacks is a Border Collie.

[bigcumba]

I've seen quite a bit of this series as well OFF, it's been excellent all the way, and with David Dimbleby as a perfect guide to it all. I'm not an art person as such, but I do like landscapes so this has been great to watch - and it's given me a pile of places I want to visit now! On top of that we had good old Rolf on art earlier - what a relaxing way to spend a Sunday in front of the telly.... now where's me pipe and slippers... :)

[tophatter]

yep i agree with you OFF. I love this programme.

[Onlyforfun]

CXould do with a little less of the dramatic camera pans round the paintings (sometimes we don't get to see it as a whole!) but apart from that its hard to fault. May well even go to trhe exhibition.


Would love to visit thingy Scar in Yorkshire, looks mental!

[icebreaker]

I've been watching this series this series as well and I love it. I like the way it mixes in a historical context as well. Truly, the Beeb is a world-best at making programmes like this.The Highlands episode was stunning and made me promise myself a holiday there sometime. Never knew that ol' Queen Vic was an accomplished amateur artist in private.

[bigcumba]

Would love to visit thingy Scar in Yorkshire, looks mental!

Gordale Scar - that looked spectacular! As it says in the caption for this pic check out the folk in the bottom left corner to get an idea of the scale of the place

http://www.yorkshire-dales.com/malham/gordale-scar.html

[Onlyforfun]

I've been watching this series this series as well and I love it. I like the way it mixes in a historical context as well. Truly, the Beeb is a world-best at making programmes like this.The Highlands episode was stunning and made me promise myself a holiday there sometime. Never knew that ol' Queen Vic was an accomplished amateur artist in private.

If you ever go (and you should) I'd be more than happy to give you a few pointers. I did a Geology degree and spent many months tramping round most of the Highlands, with many good nights on the lash included!

[icebreaker]

OFF mate, my tramping days are well and truly past. The fitness and and stamina of youth are long gone! When I see the Highlands, (which remains a great desire of mine) it will be thru' the window of a tour-bus unfortunately. Dude, I'm nearly as old as the igneous rocks that you studied. Ante-Deluvian!

[Onlyforfun]

:laugh


Any tour that goes up the West Coast via Skye to Wester Ross would be visually and alcoholically impressive. The Grampians (the big high bit in the middle along the A9) are higher but not as jaggy (not very poetic description, but its how I see 'em).

I have very fond (and hazy) memories of Skye and Ullapool, and a wee pub in the middle of nowhere (not even a road going to it - how they got the beer there I'll never know) that you had to knock on the back door to get it opened up.

[bigcumba]

My personal favourite bit of the Highlands is Tayside - Kenmore and Aberfeldy particularly. You'll be hard pushed to find a more beautiful village than Kenmore...

here's a view from the Kenmore hotel (brilliant place to stay - great grub, great atmosphere, and over 400 years old!) - this view is towards the bridge over the River Tay where it leaves loch Tay.

http://www.conneryscottishwalks.co.uk/kenmore_bridge.jpg

This next one is looking down on the village from the Black Rock - you can walk up there in a couple of hours without too much effort.

http://www.fco.gov.uk/Files/kfile/PostG8_PERTH_KenmoreBig.jpg

Here's the hotel itself

http://grampian.stag.org.uk/kenmore01.JPG

And finally a clever panorama style pic again from the hotel on the riverbank

http://grampian.stag.org.uk/kenmore2.JPG


You can tell I love this place:D Many fond memories of childhood holidays and I finally went back 3 years ago for my 40th birthday.... if I could I'd retire there!

[icebreaker]

Many thanks for those, BigC. They are absolutely lovely. It's whetted (there is such a word, isn't there?) my appetite for a holiday. I plan on going to that part of the world next April/May on a tour.
BTW, I believe there are some truly excellent single malts native to Tayside???

[bigcumba]

There are a couple of distilleries in the Tayside area - both in a lovely wee town called Blair Atholl. The most famous area is a bit further north in Speyside, plus of course the island of Islay off the west coast which produces particularly peaty concoctions. Here are links to the Tayside ones

http://www.scotlandwhisky.com/distilleries/highlands/Atholl

http://www.scotlandwhisky.com/distilleries/highlands/Edradour

[sparkyminer]

Picture of Britain is on BBC2 now, an alternative to the, as yet, sheer hard work of Live8.

[jollyjayne]

Would love to visit thingy Scar in Yorkshire, looks mental!
This is how Gordale Scar looked in March this year.
And to think that "The Pennine Way" goes right up the waterfall !
I would recommend this together with nearby Malham Cove.