Quick Review: TutorVista

If you need homework help or have an examination looming in the distance then online tutoring could be a useful addition to your preparation methods. Lots of people struggle with math - particularly things like algebra, geometry, calculus and statistics and having their own math tutor could really be a big help to them. TutorVista can also offer expert guidance on the correct use of English (in an American sense) and grammar as well as reading comprehension and even science. Whatever your subject, there's an online tutor waiting to help you.

Whether you need tutoring with your reading or writing, TutorVista is bound to have something of interest to you. Alternatively you could always go to the library and read a textbook like normal people do.

Ingram Valley

The small Northumberland village of Ingram sits in the upper Breamish valley in the north west of the county, about 6 miles south of Wooler.

The Ingram valley through which the small Breamish river runs is very popular place with summer visitors and hill walkers. Drive past the visitor centre until you come to the public toilets/car park on the right. This is the starting point to climb the hills.

Opposite the car park, half way up the hill towards Brough's Law, are the remnants of a bronze age settlement. It's easily missed - keep an eye out for the overgrown area surrounded by stones. That's it. It takes approximately half an hour to walk up the beaten path to the top of Brough's Law, where the view is magnificent.

The nearest shop is back on the main road (turn right when you reach it)and is part of a petrol station. Attached is a restaurant which is well worth a visit. There is also a small antiques centre and fresh-local meat butcher shop.

Article adapted from the Wikipedia online encyclopedia.

How to get to the Ingram Valley:
By road from the south: take the main A1 trunk road north and turn left on to the A697. Follow the A697 northwards to Powburn. Take the first left after the River Breamish bridge.
By road from the north: Take the main A1 trunk road from Edinburgh and Berwick upon Tweed. Turn off at Belford, on the right about 12 miles south of Berwick. From Belford follow the B6349 then B6348 to Wooler. At Wooler follow the main A697 about 10 miles southwards and turn right just before the River Breamish bridge and Powburn.
By rail: The nearest station is Berwick upon Tweed.
By bus: There are no regular bus services to the Ingram valley

Map of area: CLICK HERE

Amble

Amble harbour - the friendliest port.

Amble is a town in Northumberland, England. It is a seaport on the North Sea coast. It lies at the mouth of the River Coquet.

Amble grew in the nineteenth century as collieries were opened; its location at the mouth of the River Coquet, and its then newly built railway links to the Northumberland coalfields, made it an ideal centre for the transportation and export of coal. Other industries, such as ship building and repair, and sea fishing, expanded with the growth of the town, although traditional Northumbrian fishing vessels such as cobles will have sheltered in the natural harbour here for centuries previously.

Today, the collieries in Northumberland are all closed (the last, Ellington, closed in 2005), and the railway no longer serves Amble. However, the fishing industry survives, albeit with a somewhat reduced numbers of vessels, as does a small marine industry, mainly concentrated around the construction and repair of yachts and other pleasure craft. A small industrial estate is located to the southwest of the town, whose clients include food processing plants, vehicle repairs and telecommunications companies.

Tourism forms an important sector of the town's economy - part of the harbour has been redeveloped into a marina, and several caravan parks, guest houses and B&Bs exist to serve visitors to the Northumberland coast.

Saint Cuthbert lived on Coquet Island just offshore from the town,which retains its strong Christian identity. Amble's four churches are often quite busy, especially at Christmas eve-although the impact of liberalisation of licensing laws on Midnight Mass remains to be seen. Nearby Warkworth is noted for its castle.

Amble holds the title 'Friendliest Port'. It is believed this title comes from the 1930s when the RMS Mauretania was heading on her last voyage to the breaker's yard at Rosyth and stopped for the last time in Amble. Amble catered for the men of the ship and gave them food and shelter, as they parted they said that Amble was ' the last and friendliest port of England.

Article adapted from the Wikipedia online encyclopedia.

How to get to Alnmouth:
By road: Take the main A1 trunk road north from Newcastle upon Tyne, to Alnwick. Take the Alnwick exit and follow the road towards Alnwick town centre. From the town centre take the A1068 coastal route. Amble is about 8 miles south east of Alnwick.
By rail: The nearest station is Alnmouth.
By bus: Arriva Northumbria service 518 goes from the Haymarket Bus Station in Newcastle via Morpeth to Amble. In the reverse direction, the 518 goes from Alnwick via the coast to Amble. During the summer months the Coastal Clipper service runs between Bamburgh and Amble.

Map of area: CLICK HERE

Bedlington

Bedlington Terriers.

Bedlington is a town in Northumberland, to the north of the Tyne and Wear urban area. Nearby places include Morpeth, Ashington, Blyth and Cramlington. The parish of Bedlington constituted the historic exclave of County Durham called Bedlingtonshire.

Bedlington was an industrial town with an iron works and several coal mines. However in more recent times the town has undergone many changes, and is now more of a Dormitory town.

Bedlington ('Bedaz' in Charv terms) and the hamlets belonging to it were bought by Cutheard, bishop of Durham, between 900 and 915, and although locally situated in the county of Northumberland became part of the county palatine (from Lat. palatium, a palace) of Durham over which Bishop Walcher was granted royal rights by William the Conqueror.

When these rights were taken from Cuthbert Tunstall, bishop of Durham, in 1536, Bedlington among his other property lost its special privileges, but was confirmed to, him in 1541 with the other property of his predecessors. Together with the other lands of the see of Durham, Bedlington was made over to the ecclesiastical commissioners in 1866. Bedlingtonshire was made part of Northumberland for civil purposes by acts of parliament in 1832 and 1844.

The town has good bus links with nearby Newcastle Upon Tyne which is where the majority of residents have employment. The town's front street has one supermarket, a post office and several other smaller shops, however the number of these is starting to decline. A weekly market (more of a car boot sale, offering an assortment of muck and tat) is held on a Thursday next to the magistrates' court. There are also several public houses.

In terms of food, there are a wide number of takeaways covering Indo-China, Eastern Europe and, of course, fish and chips.

The town is also home to Saint Benet Biscops Roman Catholic High School, a school praised by many members of the local community for its outstanding standards of education with several families making appeals to send their children to the school.

Article adapted from the Wikipedia online encyclopedia.

How to get to Bedlington:

By road: From the south: Take the main A1 trunk road to just north of Newcastle upon Tyne and then take the A19 exit. Follow the A19 for 3 miles and then take the A189 exit at the roundabout. Follow the A189 north towards Blyth. Just after the River Blyth bridge take the first left and follow the road along the river to Bedlington. From the north: Take the main A1 trunck road south to Alnwick. Head for Alnwick town centre and follow the signs for the A1068 coastal route. Follow the A1068 until it merges with the A189. Follow the A189 until toward Blyth. Take the right hand turn just before the River Blyth bridge and follow the river towards Bedlington.
By rail: The nearest station is Cramlington.
By bus: Buses run from Ashington, Blyth and Newcastle Haymarket Bus Station to Bedlington

Map of area: CLICK HERE

Quick Review: easytobook.com

This post is sponsored by easytobook.com.

Where better to good and experience a relaxed way of life, bit of culture and vibrant European destination than Barcelona? The second largest city in Spain is located on the north east coast of the Iberian Peninsula. Legend has it that the city was founded by Hercules 400 years before Rome and that it was rebuilt by the Carthaginian Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal, who named the city Barcino after his family, in the 3rd century BC.

The city is famous for its collection of museums and architecture of Antoni Gaudi. It has 3 miles of golden sandy beaches and a lot of the city was redeveloped for the 1992 Olympic games. The city boasts a Mediterranean climate of warm, dry winters and hot, humid summers. There are more than 200 hotels in the centre of Barcelona and there are some great accommodation deals on offer.

Easytobook.com have a range of Barcelona hotels at up to 75% discount. For more information on cheap Barcelona hotels visit their website.

Belsay

Belsay Castle.

Belsay is a village in Northumberland, in England. It is situated to the north-west of Newcastle upon Tyne and Ponteland, on the A696. Belsay is home to Belsay Castle.

It was founded by Scottish nobleman and doctor John de Strivelyn around 1340 when he was granted the property by Edward III. On his death the castle and estate passed to his daughter, who was married to Sir John Middleton, and has remained with the family since.

Belsay has many attractions: a fine medieval castle, enlarged into a mansion in the 17th century; the imposing Greek Revival villa which was built later; and the outstanding, plant-rich gardens linking the two buildings.

The whole ensemble was owned by the Middleton family for more than seven centuries. First came the castle, still dominated by its massive 14th century 'peel tower', one of the best surviving examples in England. Though built as a refuge at a time of endemic Anglo-Scottish warfare, it was also designed to impress: its first-floor great chamber still displays rare traces of elaborate medieval wall paintings.

Following the coming of peace under James I, a column-entranced mansion wing was added to the castle in 1614: here the family lived until Christmas Day 1817, when they moved into Belsay Hall.

Sir Stephen Middleton gave the property to English Heritage around 1980.

Article adapted from the Wikipedia online encyclopedia.

How to get to Belsay:

By road: From the south: Take the main A1 trunk road to Newcastle upon Tyne. On the A1 western bypass take the Kenton turn-off (A696) sign posted toward Ponteland. Follow the road on through Ponteland and Belsay is about 10 miles further on. From the north: Leave the A1 at Morpeth and head for the town centre and over the River Wanbeck bridge. At the roundabout take the third exit and head towards Loansdean. About 800 metres after leaving the roundabout you will see the golf club house on the right - turn right immediately after. Follow the road for 8 miles to Belsay.
By rail: The nearest station is Cramlington.
By bus: Very infrequent bus services run from Newcastle Haymarket Bus Station, Morpeth and Ashington. Check before travelling.

Map of area: CLICK HERE

Quick Review: Next Student

This post is sponsored by Next Student.

Being a student is an increasing expensive undertaking, with growing tuition fees and living costs. I know from my own experience that the fees can really mount up after 3 or 4 years at college or university and paying them back can be a worrying prospect. Next Student is a company that offers a Student Loan Consolidation service, advice and assistance. Their Student Loan Consolidation package benefits from having a reduced rate of interest compared to paying back several loans at the same time. With Next Student, the interest rate can be fixed as low as 4.5%.

If you would like more information on how to manage your student debt, visit the Next Student website.

Embleton

Embleton Bay - miles of golden sand
leading to Dunstanburgh Castle.

Embleton village in the English county of Northumberland is about half-a-mile from the beautiful bay which carries its name. The sandy beach is backed by dunes where a variety of flowers bloom: bluebells, cowslips, burnet roses and, to give it its common name, bloody cranesbill, amongst others. Dunstanburgh Castle stands at the southern end of Embleton Bay. Close by to the south is the pretty fishing village of Craster.

Embleton has an attractive little main street with one shop. There is a small well-kept green with the village pump on it, out of use now but at one time the source of the water supply. The church is large with several interesting features and is historically connected with Merton College, Oxford. Close by is a pele tower - part of what was, until 1974, a fortified vicarage. On the retirement of the then vicar, the Reverend Peter Karney, who was the son of the first bishop of Johannesburg the Right Reverend Arthur Bailey Lumsdaine Karney - the tower passed into private hands and a new vicarage was built nearby. In the vicarage field there is an ancient dovecote. The village hall, the Creighton Memorial Hall, is said to be the largest in the county and is named after a former vicar who became a famous Bishop of London. The hall is the venue for a lot of the social life which goes on there. One road is named after the Embleton-born W. T. Stead, a journalist and social campaigner who lost his life on the RMS Titanic.

Article adapted from the Wikipedia online encyclopedia.

How to get to Embleton:
By road: Take the main A1 trunk road north from Newcastle upon Tyne, to Alnwick. Take the Alnwick exit and follow the road towards Alnwick town centre. From the town centre take the B1340 towards Seahouses and the coast. Embleton is about 8 miles north east of Alnwick.
By rail: The nearest station is Alnmouth.
By bus: Arriva Northumbria service 501 goes from the Haymarket Bus Station in Newcastle via Alnwick to Embleton. In the reverse direction, the 501 goes from Berwick via the coast to Embleton. During the summer months the Coastal Clipper service runs between Bamburgh and Amble, via Embleton.

Map of area: CLICK HERE