Around the World In: World Heritage Sites

World Heritage Sites are wonderful things and there's plenty of them to go at. I've visited quite a few on my travels (although that's as much because the UK has quite a few), so here are some of my favourites.

1. Tasmanian Wilderness, Australia

Some 40% of the Australian state of Tasmania is designated as some form of protected area. The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage area takes in much of the south and west of the island which is largely inaccesible and a beautiful part of an already beautiful place. I made the trip to Cradle Mountain while I was studying at the University of Tasmania, but unfortunately the weather got the better of it and this is the best photo I managed. Cradle Mountain itself is hidden in the cloud on the right of the shot.

I'm hoping to return to the area when I reach Tasmania around this time next year on my Grand Tour. Easiest access to the World Heritage area is probably via the Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park.

2. Tongariro National Park, New Zealand

Famed for the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, a long distance trek across this amazing volcanic landscape, Tongariro National Park sits at the centre of New Zealand's North Island. Rich with Maori mythology and somewhat alien to look at, it's no wonder the area is so popular. Oh, and I suppose it's an added bonus that Peter Jackson used the area to shoot several sections of the Lord of the Rings films. Mount Nguaruhoe doubles as the infamous Mount Doom, but the whole park is beautiful, even in the ice rain.

Somewhere else I'd like to revisit on the Grand Tour. Access is free (as far as I can see), the main gateway being at Whakapapa.

3. Þhingvellir, Iceland

Þhingvellir, the place where Iceland's ancient Althingi met for several centuries, also happens to lie over the ridge where the North American and Eurasian plates are pulling apart. History and geology all rolled into one and a beautiful place. Not that I could see much of it when I visited this time last year, it being winter and snowing and whatnot. Felt a bit like wandering through Middle-earth... Hopefully when I revisit in the summer I'll see a bit more of it than this.

Access is free, but in winter the area is easier to access as part of an organised bus trip from Reykjavik.

4. Bru na Boinne, Ireland

A rather more human site, this one. Bru Na Boinne is cited because of it's outstanding collection of Neolithic tombs, art and other landmarks. The most famous of these is probably the white walled Newgrange passage tomb. Personally, I found the strange collection of mounds at Knowth more interesting, what with it's huge central mound and numerous smaller satellite tombs. That and the fact that Knowth is home to a third or more of all the known megalithic art in Europe. The huge kerbstones which encircle the main mound are inscribed with all manner of carvings. Very cool.

Oh, and there's something strangely compelling about seeing down the passage at Knowth. Not sure why...

All access to the two main sites - Newgrange and Knowth - is via the Bru na Boinne visitor centre. Entry is €11 to visit Newgrange and Knowth and includes the exhibitions at the visitor centre, plus guided commentary at the sites. Dowth can be accessed without visiting the centre and as far as I can see has no entry charge. Don't hold me to that one...

5. Maritime Greenwich, United Kingdom

Beautiful architecture, amazing history and ground-breaking science all come together in Greenwich, home of the Old Royal Naval College, the National Maritime Museum and the Royal Observatory. All three are well worth checking out to get a real feel for the history of this area of London. If you've got the time, you should try taking the river boat up from the City to the pier near the Old Royal Naval College or even up past Greenwich itself to the O2 to get a wonderful view of the buildings.

Seems somewhat appropriate to approach the Royal Naval College from the water, doesn't it?

To visit Greenwich, hop on the DLR and alight at Cutty Sark. This will entail some changing of trains. Alternatively, get on one of the river boats in central London and head up the river, disembarking at Greenwich Pier. Entry to the National Maritime Museum and Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College is free. There is a charge of £9.50 for access to the Royal Observatory. If you also want to visit the Cutty Sark, save money by getting a combo ticket which includes both the Observatory and the Cutty Sark.

There's so many World Heritage sites all over the world. I've visited many more - these are just some of my favourites - and I hope to visit even more over the course of my round-the-world Grand Tour starting this summer.

World Heritage sites can be vital to preserving historic sites and sensitive habitats. Do you have a favourite site? Or perhaps you'd like to see something given World Heritage status? Why not share in the comments below?

Ireland: Dublin-Belfast-Derry/Londonderry

This is part 1 my posts about an Ireland road trip. You can find part 2 HERE.

Just back from my two week trip to Ireland. Here goes with the first of the recaps!

Meteor is a type of pizza...

Well, it started with the standard trip through the airport. Gemma got stopped at security to be scanned for bomb residue or something - obviously looked suspicious... Then we spotted what we think might have been part of the Team GB Para-Cycling team in Costa.

Anyway, the flight was uneventful and short and then a short wait for Claire coming in from Birmingham. Gemma was amused that the mobile network she'd picked up was called Meteor. Mostly because it's a type of pizza from Dominoes. And then off to the hostel.

Which proved harder to find than expected. Got to the right bus stop and then we got stuck. Found it in the end. Isaacs Hostel is tucked down a little side street near the city centre and it's a pretty great hostel. Reasonably sized rooms, clean facilities and free breakfast and WiFi. Advice: if at all possible, avoid the rooms at the front of the hostel because the train line passes right outside and can be quite loud, as we discovered on our first night.

There was no toucan...

Our first real day in Ireland began with the obligatory raid on the free breakfast. Then it was off into the city for some exploration. First stop, Trinity College and its famous library to see the Book of Kells. Great little exhibition, slightly glitchy audio guide. The Book itself was beautiful, but photography wasn't allowed.

Almost better was the Long Room of the Library and this I do have pictures of. In my dreams, I have a library like this. So beautiful.

After spending a while just gawping at the gorgeous bookshelves and that amazing ceiling, we headed off again and took a stroll through a park while we waited for the museums to open, it being a Sunday and the museums not opening till 2pm. Pretty, isn't it?

Almost as awesome as the museums, in fact. We started with the National Museum of Archaeology and History, which mostly involved me making a beeline for the bog bodies. I'm fascinated by these things. Not sure Claire and Gemma were quite so enchanted. Something slightly creepy about them, isn't there?

Look at the perfectly preserved fingers!

Oh yeah. Anyways, having creeped Gemma and Claire out with the crispy critters we moved on to the National Museum of Natural History. This is laid out like a traditional museum, all glass cases full of stuffed animals. It's known as the Dead Zoo. Got some amazing glass models of invertebrates though. Very cool.

Misleading sign outside suggested there was a toucan somewhere in the museum. We did not find it.

And then it was back to the hostel for tea and a delightful game of what we came to call Wall Pool. Seriously, look how close the walls are to the table. Made for an interesting game...

Her name is D

Second full day in Ireland and it was time to pick up the car. A little Micra, bit beat up and pointed out to us by the guy at the counter as "She's out there". So she had to be female and given that the only letter on her reg plate was a D, that had to be her name.

Gemma took first shift at the wheel and drove us up to the Hill of Tara, an Iron Age complex of ringforts and other earthworks which used to be the seat of the High-Kings of Ireland. Some awesome little things, like this carving just inside the Mound of the Hostages.

And this is the Stone of Destiny. Yes, it's supposed to be a bit phallic. There's a lot of fertility ideas tied up with the High-Kings.

After that it was on the Bru na Boinne, the World Heritage site which takes in the huge passage tombs complexes at Newgrange and Knowth. Personally, I found Knowth the more impressive of the two. So pretty.

Newgrange is also pretty, but we weren't allowed to take photos inside the passages.

And then onwards across the border into Northern Ireland which caused some delightful issues because our speedometer was only in km/h and not mph. Resulted in me doing some super quick calculations and having to tell Claire how fast she was allowed to go every time the speed limit changed.

We didn't really do any exploration in Belfast. Got to the hostel, nipped to the supermarket, cooked tea and went for a drive up to Cave Hill to have a look out at the city in the night. Nah, not for us. I suspect Belfast's actually got some cool places to explore, but we were only there overnight.

Don't call us Southerners

Third full day into the trip meant a drive up through County Antrim to the north coast. We opted for the coast road, which I think must be stunning in the sunshine. Still pretty cool in the damp, but we didn't stop for many photos.

First stop was Carrick-a-Rede and its rope bridge. Seriously cool and not nearly as wobbly as I expected. In fact, I was quite tempted to jump on it and see how much it wibbled. Nice chatty staff, although one of them on finding that we were English asked if we were from Essex. Not good - we're northerners, not southerners. He won't be making that mistake again.

Spent some time on the island the bridge links to, enjoying the sunshine and the view.

And then off further along the coast to visit the world famous Giant's Causeway. Stunning place, every bit as good as the photos (if a little busier). The admission includes a guided tour and an audio guide if you want it. We took the guided tour and got to spend 45 minutes or so being regaled with stories of the giant Finn McCool who built the causeway to pick a fight with another giant in Scotland. Great fun. Here's Finn's boot as an indicator of his size.

And here's the Causeway itself. Absolutely amazing.

It's volcanic, actually - used to fill most of the valley but obviously over time it's been eroded down to what you can see today.

And then we were off again to spend the night in Derry-Londonderry. Of which you can read more in the next post!

Hostels:
Dublin: Isaacs Hostel
Belfast: Global Village

Things to Do:
National Museum of Ireland, Dublin (admission free)
Hill of Tara, Co. Meath (admission free)
Bru na Boinne World Heritage site, Co. Meath (€11 for both sites)
Carrick-a-Rede, Co. Antrim (£5.90)
Giant's Causeway, Co. Antrim (£9)