Cornwall

An accident of geography, an upheaval in the long forgotten mists of time, decreed that a part of the continent of Europe should become an island. This happy accident, more than any other single cause, determined the English character and ensured that England should in time become what it is today; a part of Europe and yet set apart, not subject, as are many other lands, to the casual crossing of her borders by either friend or foe.

Throughout this planet there are so many lands to see and wander at. Some marvelously exotic, some awe inspiring, others that bask in almost daily sunshine, and beckon the traveler if for that alone. A few have less easily classifiable assets but beckon nonetheless, perhaps because they combine so much of the best that can be experienced in other places or perhaps because they have a unique charm that many find irresistible. Of these, few can have been more eulogized by poets, by painters, or by writers, than England 'this green and pleasant land'. For, guarded by her girdle of the sea she has, over the centuries, been able to develop and enrich her institutions, her character and her ways, at her own pace and largely without interference. Because of her position she could have her triumphs and rejoice in them; have her sorrows and grieve in privacy if she so wished.

England has rewards in plenty to delight both those who live here and those who visit and would avail themselves of them. Here is the heart of a once mighty Empire the like of which has not been seen since Rome, and the trappings of such an Empire, the pomp, pageantry and tradition, remain. Travel in almost any direction, from any starting point, and history is there to be seen. From the grandeur and isolation of Hadrian's Wall to the legendary seat of King Arthur; from the brooding mystery of Stonehenge to the majesty of Canterbury's Cathedral whose pilgrims, immortalized by Chaucer journey still.

Of the history of London volumes could be written, as indeed they have been. About the beauty of London, in the face of wars, neglect, and redevelopment, concern has long been expressed, and this concern continues. Fortunately the beauty too continues, despite the planners and developers who do not always appear to either plan or develop as happily as could be wished. But, when the day is dying and the buildings remain only as silhouettes against the deepening sky, stand on any of London's bridges and it is not difficult to recapture the feeling that the poet Wordsworth must have experienced, and which inspired him to write his unforgettable sonnet 'Upon Westminster Bridge'.

England is by no means of interest only to those historically inclined for; above all else, England has variety to offer. Variety, for instance, in the beauty of its coastline. The remarkable thing about this is just how great a variety can be found in such a small area. Examples of this are to be found all around these shores, as may be seen at Westward Ho! in Devon with its wide, flat stretches of tide washed sand, where the sea seems to go out forever. Less than ten miles away on the same coastline, towards the picturesque Clovelly, may be found hardly any beach as such, but huge seaweed covered rocks dotted, at low tide, with dozens of rock pools where children may be seen playing for hours, shrieking with delight as they do nothing more exciting than disturb a watchful crab!

In countryside too there are considerable differences to be seen from one area to another. Nothing too dramatic; that would be out of character with the country. There is no Grand Canyon, and there are no Rocky Mountains. Instead there is a happy medium that ensures that changes in the landscape, whilst very real, are not overpowering. Contrast the grandeur of the Cheddar Gorge in Somerset and the craggy, brooding moors of the Bronte country in Yorkshire with the flat and peaceful lands of East Anglia, so beloved of the painters Constable and Gainsborough, and the soft rolling countryside to the south of the Thames Valley.

Above all, perhaps, there is variety in the weather! Much has been said about England's supposedly damp and foggy climate but, as is so often the case, there is a great deal of mis information and exaggeration about this. Certainly the 'smogs' which so afflict cities like Los Angeles were, until comparatively recently, a very real menace but, in London at least, they are now a thing of the past. So too is the image, so beloved of readers of Conan Doyle and countless producers of Hollywood films, of swirling mists and fogs in cobbled streets, as the dauntless Sherlock Holmes, accompanied by the ever faithful Doctor Watson, set out on yet another adventure!