Britain at euro-rentavilla.com partner site of jmlvillas.com the holiday vacation homes website

ENGLAND: Is the largest country in the island of Great Britain, It is triangular in shape. The old Latin name was Anglia It occupies the entire island east of Wales and south of Scotland.

The eastern side is bounded by the North Sea. The border in the north with Scotland extends from the Solway Firth in the west along the Cheviot Hills to the mouth of the Tweed on the east. The bottom part of the triangle fronts the English Channel and the Strait of Dover along the southwestern and southern coast of England.

The north and west are generally mountainous with the principal highland region being the Pennines. The country has many beautiful areas, The Lake District, Sussex, the Home Counties, East Anglia, Devon & Cornwall to name but a few.

The climate varies on average from 4 degrees C to 18 degrees C. England covers 130,410 sq km (50,352 sq mi), equivalent to 57 per cent of the area of Great Britain.

The capital city is London (The host city for the 2012 Olympics) and other major cities are Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield & Bristol. Major seaside resorts are Brighton, Blackpool and Bournemouth.

England has the highest level of population of the three countries. There are holiday areas throughout the country and a wealth of history to discover.

Communications are good with an excellent motorway network (that is Free and only has a few tolls - river crossings, section near Birmingham etc) although in the peak holiday periods in summer some of these become very congested. Connections to mainland Europe are excellent with the Channel Tunnel (direct passenger trains from London to Paris or Brussels) and Dover being the busiest cross channel car ferry port in Britain.

South of Portsmouth is the Isle of Wight and the Scilly Isles are located off the coast of Cornwall. Cuisine is very good and England is famous for its pubs. You can normally eat very well in a pub and enjoy a pint of beer or a glass of wine or two with your meal.

The Counties of England: Avon, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Bristol, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Cornwall, Cumbria, Derbyshire, Devon, Dorset, Durham, East Riding of Yorkshire, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucestershire, Greater London, Greater Manchester, Hampshire, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Humberside Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Rutland, Shropshire, Somerset, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Tyne and Wear, Warwickshire, West Midlands, West Sussex, West Yorkshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire.

London is the capital of England and Britain and will be the host city to the 2012 Olympics. It is a vibrant, bustling, multi-cultural city steeped in history. With a population of over 7 million. It is divided by the River Thames with numerous bridges to cross.

It has something to offer everyone with over 30,000 shops in bustling shopping centres with all the major stores, specialist shops and markets (like in Camden, Notting Hill or Brick Lane), stately homes and houses, cathedrals and churches, tranquil green parks and a zoo, over 300 museums and art galleries and a superb choice of over 6,000 restaurants, hotels b&b's and self catering accommodation. As well as all of these there are the cinemas in Leicester Square and Theatre land in Shaftsbury Avenue and surrounding streets.

Places to visit: Buckingham Palace (The Royal family's main London residence), The London Eye, British Museum, The Tower of London, Regents Park and zoo, St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral The National Maritime Museum, The Royal Albert Hall - the home of the Prom concerts. ( The capital also has 400 live music venues, catering for everything from opera to Brit pop), The new Wembley stadium, Houses of Parliament, Madame Tussaud's and London Planetarium, Hampton Court Palace, The London Dungeon and of course the world famous black taxi cabs and red buses.

London is well served by the Underground (Metro - Subway) railway and fast train direct train services to Wales, Scotland and via the Channel Tunnel to Brussels and Paris.

Voltage: The standard electrical voltage in England/ Britain is 240 v AC, 50HZ. A three square pronged adapter plug and/or electric converter for appliances is required

Emergency Telephone number: pan-EU Emergency 112 Can be used in all EU Countries and it can be dialled from a locked mobile or a mobile with no sim card. Also 999 Ambulance - Coast guard - Fire Police

Speed limits : Built-up areas: 30 mph single carriage ways: 60 mph dual carriage ways: 70 mph motorways: 70 mph.

As long as you hold a full licence in your own country and have done so for at least a year, you can drive on British roads.

Motorways are shown by 'M' plus a number on signs. There are no toll charges to pay on British motorways except the M4 Severn Bridge into Wales, the Humber Bridge near Hull, the M25 Dartford Tunnel and part of the M6 (north of Birmingham).

Try and avoid the M25 'London Orbital ' and the M5/M6 in Birmingham during rush hour times (0800-0930 and 1630-1800) as these can be extremely busy

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SCOTLAND: Forms the top part of the Island and the country is also made up of some 186 islands including the Orkneys, Hebrides, Shetlands and Arran. The mainland is predominantly mountainous. The Highlands are well known for their scenic grandeur. There are plenty of picturesque Lochs (lakes). The main mountain ranges are the Grampians and they have the highest peak in Scotland/Britain - Ben Nevis.

The capital is Edinburgh and other major cities are Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee. Temperatures are generally colder than in southern England - Edinburgh from 3.5 degreesC in January to 14.5 degees C in July. In winter there are the ski resorts and fishing is very popular as well as the country having many golf courses including the famous St Andrews.

English is generally spoken, but a percentage of Scots speak the Scottish form of Gaelic. This is mainly in the Highlands and islands. Cuisine is very good and remember when you are in Scotland, you are in the home of Scotch whisky - Find out some more about Scotland and read the Scotland Factfile below

Scottish Islands and Regions: There are 95 inhabited islands in Scotland with a total population of just under 100,000

The islands of the Inner and Outer Hebrides lie at the very edge of Europe and have a rugged natural beauty, with unspoilt beaches, plentiful wildlife and a unique culture and traditions. Orkney and Shetland share many of these qualities together with archaeological sites, burial mounds, stones circles and settlements of the earliest peoples. The islands have a Norse heritage that is evident everywhere . There are also thousands of birds and other wildlife that make their home in these isles

If you are looking for spectacular mountains, majestic glens and mirror-like lochs form the perfect backdrop to picturesque towns, isolated crofts, towering castles and pagoda-topped distilleries the Scottish Highlands have so much to offer. A startling variety of wildlife also makes its home in the sea-lochs and glens where an unbroken thread of human history reaches back into the mists of time.

The great outdoors combine History, legend, romance to guarantee visitors a warm Highland welcome and a truely memorable holiday. Whether you are looking for an action-packed adventure, a taste of the local culture and history, or just complete peace and quiet, the Highlands of Scotland is a place well worth visiting

If you want to savour the atmosphere of Hebridean islands, the charm of rural villages and the natural frontier which separates the rugged grandeur of the West Highlands from the gentler beauty of the Lowlands this is the place to visit. You can trace the footsteps of heroes like St Columba, Sir William Wallace, Robert the Bruce and Mary, Queen of Scots and villains like the notorious outlaw Rob Roy.

It is an area where you may see an eagle, an osprey, a wildcat, a fine antlered stag or even whales and dolphins. And if the fancy takes you, you can enjoy the spectacle of a Highland Games, the warmth of a traditional folk night or the flavour of a local food festival. Scotland's first great travel writer, Sir Walter Scott wrote of the landscapes around Loch Katrine in his best-selling poem, the Lady of the Lake.

Robert Louis Stevenson said that Edinburgh is what Paris ought to be. The capital city has magnificent architecture shifts from the lofty tenements and narrow streets of its medieval Old Town as they tumble down the spine of the Royal Mile, to the grace and geometric precision of the Georgian New Town. Above it all, in its towering splendour, stands the Castle. An enchanting walk around the city will reveal an alleyway leading to an ancient courtyard.

Outside the city, the Lothian countryside provides a beautiful setting for the rich gems of the capital. This is an area steeped in history, filled with castles, great houses and battle sites. It's also the ancient home of the game of golf and you can find some of the great golf links and parkland courses of the world here. In fact, the trails and parkland and miles of glorious coastline in the Lothians open up the countryside for everyone - from the fine golden beaches, to ramblers high in the Pentland Hills.

Vibrant and energetic, Glasgow enjoys a year-round buzz that visitors just love. This is particularly true of the city's arts scene. Over 200 arts organisations, including Scottish Ballet and Scottish Opera, are based there, creating the cutting-edge productions and attracting high-profile exhibitions that led to the city being crowned as a European City of Culture.

In 1999 Glasgow was the UK's City of Architecture and Design and its architecture is certainly an attraction in itself. Central Glasgow's Manhattan-style town planning affords many sweeping vistas of the city's impressive Victorian buildings, dotted with little gems from the medieval to the present day. But it¿s the Art Nouveau 'Glasgow Style' for which the city has become famous and no one should miss the work of Glasgow's most celebrated sons, architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Surrounding the city is some of the best of Scotland's scenery, from the rolling hills of the Clyde Valley to the beautiful walking country of East Dunbartonshire that borders the south-west Highlands. Exploring further, you'll find that many of the towns and villages in the area such as Paisley, Hamilton, Biggar, Greenock, Gourock and of course the breathtaking New Lanark World Heritage Site make great day excursions from the city and offer a range of attractions that make discoverng their rich history a real joy.

From the rolling heather moorland of Rannoch in the west, all the way to the well-manicured golf courses and path network of coastal Fife, you'll soon discover that Scotland's heartlands are an area with an astonishingly diverse terrain, with plenty to attract and entertain visitors. And in between, the Angus Glens with their unspoilt wildness and sense of space make for the perfect escape.

The area also boasts some of Scotland's most attractive towns and cities: Perth, with its upbeat air, busy shops and relaxing pubs and wine bars; Dundee, dynamic and ideal for a cultural fix; Pitlochry and Aberfeldy, friendly,small-scale and welcoming, while not forgetting the pantile houses and colourful harbours of Fife's East Neuk - that is a photographer's paradise. Moving away from habitation, the region offers plenty of active opportunities, from fabulous golf on some of the world's most famous courses to more adventurous alternatives, all set against countryside and coastlines rich with abundant wildlife.

Here you will find rich, rolling farmland, rugged sea coasts and Clyde coast islands characterise the south of Scotland. It's a land of ancient abbeys, castles and historic houses and also boasts strong literary connections, with both Robert Burns and Sir Walter Scott having lived here.

Scotland really starts right at the border with England. You will immediately find different accents in the shops and different names for beer in pubs are just two of the ways in which Scotland stamps its own personality straight away. Even some of the money is different with many of the Scottish banks issuing their own bank notes. The scenery changes and the hazy blue peaks of the Cheviot and Eildon Hills running out to a wide horizon have lifted the hearts of generations of travellers at Carter Bar on the A68.

There are then the forests and wild moors of upland Galloway and the vivid greens of Ayrshire's rich pastures, with the steep mountainous profile of the island of Arran as a backdrop. Wherever you travel here, you can be sure of a real Scottish experience

Voltage: The standard electrical voltage in Scotland/ Britain is 240 v AC, 50HZ. A three square pronged adapter plug and/or electric converter for appliances is required

Speed limits : Built-up areas: 30 mph single carriage ways: 60 mph dual carriage ways: 70 mph motorways: 70 mph.

As long as you hold a full licence in your own country and have done so for at least a year, you can drive on British roads.

Try and avoid the M25 'London Orbital ' and the M5/M6 in Birmingham during rush hour times (0800-0930 and 1630-1800) as these can be extremely busy

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TO ENTER THE MAIN jmlvillas.com SITE for Self catering holiday rentals in Scotland CLICK HERE

WALES: Is the smallest of the three countries in Britain. It occupies a broad peninsula on the west side of Britain. The country also includes the island of Anglesey (with fast catamaran car ferry connections to Ireland). The country is almost entirely mountainous with two main ranges, the Cambrian that extend north to south through the centre and Snowdon in the north, the climate is very similar to that of England.

Language

The official languages are English and Welsh and you will see that most signposting on the roads and street signs are in two languages.

Population
The shape and nature of the land have a huge influence on population. Most of the country's 2¾ million inhabitants live in and around the lowland coastal plains of the south and north. Travel into the hills and mountains and the population soon becomes thinly scattered across large areas dotted with the occasional small town/village.

Climate
Wales is a mixture of weather patterns. It has been said Wales is green because of the rain. Not so true as many parts of the country have average or below-average rainfall - it even boasts some of the sunniest spots in Britain

Anglesey, Brecknockshire, Caernarfonshire, Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Glamorgan, Merioneth, Monmouthshire, Montgomeryshire, Pembrokeshire, Radnorshire.

It celebrated its centenary in 2005 It is a vibrant city that has undergone a major transformation of the last few year with the docklands development being transformed into a stunning waterfront with a wealth of attractions, leisure facilities and its own Visitor Centre 'The Tube' to keep you informed. There is also the Millennium sports stadium that has been home to English football final whilst Wembley stadium has been rebuilt.

It has a thriving cultural scene, accommodation to suit all budgets, a diverse mix of entertainment, restaurants and bars and some of the best shopping in the UK. It also has the advantage of being very close to the sea.

Cardiff’s arts facilities are exceptional, with the National Museum and Gallery housing the second largest Impressionist collection after Paris. Cardiff's Bay has been transformed into a stunning waterfront with a wealth of attractions, leisure facilities and its own Visitor Centre 'The Tube' to keep you informed. South Wales is strewn with castles and Cardiff has its fair share; most notable the stunningly elaborate Cardiff Castle located in the centre of the city. On the northern edge of Cardiff, set in the wooded hillside, is the fairytale Castell Coch (Red Castle) located.

Other major towns and cities are: Holyhead, Ruthin, Swansea, Ruthin, Porthmadog, Llangollen, Llandudno, Llanberis, Caerphilly, Caernarfon, Betws Y Coed, Aberystwyth

Voltage: The standard electrical voltage in Wales/ Britain is 240 v AC, 50HZ. A three square pronged adapter plug and/or electric converter for appliances is required

Speed limits : Built-up areas: 30 mph single carriage ways: 60 mph dual carriage ways: 70 mph motorways: 70 mph.

As long as you hold a full licence in your own country and have done so for at least a year, you can drive on British roads.

Try and avoid the M25 'London Orbital ' and the M5/M6 in Birmingham during rush hour times (0800-0930 and 1630-1800) as these can be extremely busy

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TO ENTER THE MAIN jmlvillas.com SITE for Self catering holiday rentals inWales CLICK HERE

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