The middle of nowhere

Why go to a small village, miles from the nearest city?  Well, we go to far away places to get away from the stress of modern life.  There are no traffic jams, no queues, and no urban pollution.  There is none of the stress that goes with living in a city. Visiting a castle or walking along a beach can be very relaxing.  It's nice to get away and just take it easy sometimes.  These photographs were taken in Craster, which is a small village on the north-east coast of England.

Relaxing

There are no nightclubs or funfairs in Craster.  That's the charm of the place.  The pace of life is slower and you can relax in the beautiful countryside.  Sometimes groups of friends rent a cottage for a few days, and spend their time relaxing or sightseeing by day and sitting around and talking in the evenings.  It can be fun to have a barbecue outside - if its not raining too much - and just chat with friends.

Still plenty to do

There are still lots of things to do in these quieter places.  In Craster, for example, many people come for the fishing.  The village once made its living from fishing, now it makes it from tourists who come to fish.  You can hire a boat and spend a day at sea.  If you don't like fishing, there are lots of walks which go past historic buildings or beautiful countryside. After a walk by the sea it's nice to stop at a restaurant for tea or coffee and maybe some seafood.

Clean beaches

Not so long ago, we joked about how dirty our beaches were.  Not any more.  We have got some great beaches.  Newquay, in Cornwall, or Porthcawl in South Wales, for example, have some of the best surfing in Europe, and are very popular with young people.  They surf in the day, then party at night.  Newquay on a Saturday night is certainly lively!  People go to the pubs, then party on the beach through the night. Last year in Brighton, on the south coast, a quarter of a million people came to the beach to watch DJ Fatboy Slim play a free concert.

Where we stay

Visitors generally rent cottages, stay in caravans, camp or stay in holiday camps. Comedians used to compare holiday camps to prisons, but times have changed and now they are fashionable again.  More and more young people are staying at holiday camps to see top DJs or bands playing.