This year more and more tourists are seeking new vacation destinations which offer something different or, at least something alternative to the popular vacation of sand and sun. During these difficult times many groups of people are, alarmingly realizing that they have a much smaller budget for expenditure on a holiday and are, annoyingly, forced to cutting corners to save money. One way of doing this is to look for a cheaper resort. The following article introduces readers to the British town of Birmingham. With the euro and dollar so strong against the pound Birmingham hotel and guest house accommodation is much cheaper than in previous decades.

The city of Birmingham is situated in the English county known as the West Midlands  and the city’s residents are referred to as being “Brummies”. Birmingham’s dialect sounds like those from other northern English cities and it is difficult to follow what is being discussed a difficulty which is made worse if if you are unfamiliar with such dialects. Thankfully nearly all Brummies are extremely kind, polite and helpful and do their utmost to help you understand so if you need to don’t be afraid to talk to locals about directions and help or advice about  bed & breakfast in Birmingham.

Birmingham possesses  a superb selection of tourist attractions including some interesting and informative museums and art galleries, for example the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery and the new Thinktank in the Eastside. The city of Birmingham also possesses a huge number of square kilometers of open spaces and parks, the largest being Sutton Park having 970 hectares making it the largest urban nature reserve in the United Kingdom and the whole of Europe.

The city has a wide ranging and vibrant night life with a large number restaurants, cafes, bars, wine bars and nightclubs. You will discover some of the most popular in one of the city’s squares, Victoria Square, St Martin’s Square, Rotunda Square, Chamberlain Square, the historic Old Square at Corporation Street, Centenary Square and the Gas Street Basin. Gas Street Basin is the hub of Birmingham’s intricate canal systems. The city has about 32 miles of canal with between 8 canals which were dug during the eighteenth century and remained in use nearly until the end of the 20th century. Nowadays the Gas Street Basin has been renovated and is now a rather nice visitor attraction.

As an alternative to a guest house why not think about booking Birmingham apartments. If you If you are considering taking a vacation in Birmingham you should know that Birmingham’s airport is roughly 8 miles distance from the center of the city just off the A45 and near the M42 (junction 6). You will discover that there is a respectable number of guest houses near to the airport.

Now that Inverness is a city, Fort William is now the largest town in the Highlands. The town of Fort William is a massively popular tourist center with numerous folk arriving to climb or view Ben Nevis. In the following article I discuss a small number of alternative places worth a visit if you are taking a vacation in Fort William.

The Educational West Highland Museum

Founded in 1922 was the West Highland Museum in Fort William. A group of people from Lochaber wanted to create a museum, about life in the Highlands, for the people of the Highlands. The present building was purchased in 1926 from the British Linen Bank, and can be found in Cameron Square, just off the Hight Street. Fascinating and small is how some people describe the museum. The exhibits in the museum present a fascinating insight into life in the West Highlands throughout the years. Folk from all walks of life are represented, through the magnificent collections of picture’s, photograph’s and artefact’s

The Excellent Old Inverlochy Castle

In fort William there are two Inverlochy Castle’s, the Old Inverlochy Castle and the more recent Victorian, chateau-style Inverlochy Castle, erected in the village of Torlundy (which is now a luxurious hotel). The Old castle was said to of been built between 1270-1280, by John “the Black” Comyn, Lord of Badenoch and Lochaber, and chief of the Clan Comyn. Although the castle is ruined, the layout has not changed very much since it was first built. Lord Abinger made alterations and enhancements to the house, for a visit by Queen Victoria. Old Inverlochy Castle is still an important part of English and Scottish history, because of the role it played during the Civil Wars of the 1640’s.

The Fascinating Jacobite Steam Train

An excursion on the Jacobite Steam Train, is an exhilarating way to explore the magnificent scenery of the Highlands. The Fort William to the Mallaig journey takes one on a magical tour through the glens. One of the most exciting elements of the journey is going over the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which the majority of folk|people will be familiar with thanks to the fact that it appears in the Harry Potter movies. The 84 mile excursion takes you past Loch Morar, Loch Nevis and Ben Nevis, with a break in Glenfinnan before arriving in Mallaig. There is about an hour and half in which to discover Mallaig, before the return journey, back to Fort William. This journey has frequently been described as, one of the Great Railway Journeys of the World.

There is plenty of accommodation in Fort William available to book online but you will find a comprehensive list of hotels in Fort William at http://www.fortwilliamhotelscotland.com/