Castell Coch - Visit a Fantastic Victorian Folly

Advantages: Beautiful Interiors and Exteriors.
Disadvantages: Not Accessible for Everyone

...Castell Coch is situated in the village of Tongwynlais, just outside Cardiff (About 10/15 mins). The Castle is situated on a wooded hillside overlooking the Taff River - and, less fortunately, the M4 Motorway (The M4 isn't very noticeable from the castle, but you can get a nice view of the castle peeking out of the trees from the road.) HISTORY The castle is very beautiful inside and out. It is like something from a fairytale. There is an element of make believe in the real history of the castle, as the castle as it currently stands is a Victorian Folly, and was only built in 1891. The site of the castle does have a longer history - The current castle is built on medieval remains. The site was occupied and castle's built on it from at least the 13th century. A stone castle on the sight was seriously damaged in a 14th century battle...

cloudwood88 15.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of Castell Coch

Recent purchase of Lawn KIng 484BS

Advantages: Easy start
Disadvantages: Failure to "pick up" all the cut grass

...I read several reviews after deciding i needed a new mower, my "Hayter" had worn out after 11 yrs . one of the big faults with this machine was its inability to pick up all the cut grass , some cuttings were "thrown out " side ways rather than into the collector. Having looked at several reports prices, makes,the best machine for my requirment i opted for the Lawn King R484 BS. The instruction were very good though i would question if they would be for someone who was not mechinacly minded i am a mechanic/engineer so it was not difficult for me. I have found this machine very dissapointing while it cuts ok i still have a problem with failure to pick up and clear all the cut grass again throwing the cut grass sideways. the chute seems to "fill up" easily i spent as long raking up the cut grass as i did mowing it...

JONRG 07.04.2009 · Read review
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Review of Lawn King R484BS

Hanging Gardens of Wellington

Advantages: Nice stroll, good plants
Disadvantages: Steep

...If you only can spare time to seek out one plant in New Zealand, it would have to be the most famous of all its plants - the silver fern. If, on the other hand, you are a nature lover and you find yourself with a free afternoon to spend in Wellington (New Zealand's capital city), then I strongly recommend the Botanic Garden for its plants, scenic views and pleasant strolls. For everyone else, I'd still recommend it, but only after you have taken your fill of the Te Papa museum (which is my number one "must-see" recommendation for Wellington). The gardens span some 25 hectares and if you are anything like me, they will fill as much time as you have to spare and then some. People with bad knees or small children be warned though - it's pretty steep and you may struggle a bit! There are some mobility scooters available though. I came here...

beckyXX 28.12.2009 · Read review
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Review of Wellington Botanic Gardens

The Constant Gardener

Advantages: Excellent plot, superb acting, stunning location
Disadvantages: Emotionally draining

..."In Africa there are no murders, only regrettable deaths." The Constant Gardener is an adaptation of a John Le Carre novel, a thrilling adventure of immense social relevance which highlights commercial exploitation and political corruption in Africa, whilst simultaneously celebrating the astounding beauty of the landscape, culture and people. The political focus of this movie is cleverly interwoven with the struggle of a British diplomat to discover the truth behind his wife's murder, to learn who she really was, and to realise a greater love and trust in her than he ever had when she was alive. The Main Cast Ralph Fiennes ...Justin Quayle Rachel Weisz ...Tessa Quayle Hubert Koundé ...Arnold Bluhm Danny Huston ...Sandy Woodrow Bill Nighy ...Sir Bernard Pellegrin Donald Sumpter ...Tim Donohue Archie Panjabi ...Ghita...

VC81 03.11.2005 · Read review
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Review of The Constant Gardener

The Spice Garden - No Garden, Plenty of Spice

Advantages: Light airy conservatory, pleasant service, good value for money
Disadvantages: Nothing out of the ordinary

...Another week brought another visit from my hungry curry-loving colleague Joep. I had no plans for the evening and asked if he wanted to have dinner. His eyes lit up; "Can we have curry?" he asked excitedly. And so at around 6.30pm we left the office to go in search of a new curry restaurant that we'd not tried before. I'd spotted the Spice Garden on my way to work that morning and decided that this time it would get our custom. The world (well the UK anyway ? and India, Bangladesh, Pakistan etc?..you get what I mean) is full of curry restaurants and in the middle of a recession we should spread our pennies around and try to support a new one each time until we run out or get food poisoning. I got lucky and found a parking space right in front of the restaurant. It's on New Chester Road in Bromborough, about a mile off the M53, close...

koshkha 07.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Spice Garden, Merseyside

A garden to die for!

Advantages: Plenty to see and do for both adults and children
Disadvantages: None

...The Alnwick Garden in Northumberland is a really lovely place to visit, as I discovered recently when in the area. I had decided to visit on the recommendation of a friend who had recently spent a day there, and had spent quite a while telling me about it afterwards. I was intrigued to find out more and visit here myself, as although I live in the North East and have visited many places in Northumberland, I had never visited The Alnwick Garden. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ HOW TO GET THERE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Alnwick Garden is situated just off the A1 at Alnwick in Northumberland, and is well signposted if travelling by car. Buses connect Alnwick to surrounding towns and also Newcastle. If travelling by train, the east coast line stops at Alnmouth which is 4 miles away. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE ALNWICK GARDEN ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Alnwick...

JEFFJEN 17.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Alnwick Garden, Northumberland

Gardening for Wildlife

Advantages: Encourages a mini eco-system right on your doorstep
Disadvantages: Does involve a small amount of effort!

...It is a widely held belief that gardening is good for you. It is good exercise, it builds confidence and self-esteem, and it promotes a sense of inner peace like nothing else on earth. In short, it can heal the mind and soothe the soul and really should be handed out in blocks of 1 hour on prescription in place of chemicals and drugs that fool your brain into thinking you are fine. I am a great believer in gardening for good health, and, having been treated for depression last year, have found my garden the most therapeutic and important element of my healing process. My garden is an oasis of cool, soft-edged light, filtering through trees and climbers. Gentle sounds of wind chimes and bells ring out through the space, and although I am close to a busy main road, you wouldn't know, for the air is clear and quiet. It is the most...

phoenixgreen 10.09.2006 (14.06.2007) · Read review
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Review of Member Advice on Gardening

Busch Gardens

Advantages: read opp
Disadvantages: read opp

...Well having wanted to visit Busch Gardens on a number of occasions and unfortunately not being given the chance, I felt I had to visit the place during my recent visit to Florida. I had always heard mix reactions about the theme park, some complimenting it, whilst other simply saying it was not there thing. Nevertheless, I was still determined to visit it, at least once to squash the rumours and determine for myself whether this place was thumbs up or thumbs down. History of Bush Gardens Africa (Tampa Bay): Bush Gardens is the name of two of the biggest theme parks in America, one in Tampa Bay, Florida, and the other one in Williamsburg, Virginia. Bush Gardens is currently owned by Busch Entertainment Corporation. Busch Gardens Africa was first opened in 1959, and was a 340 acre African themed, safari park. The park was...

jaygami1986 30.04.2008 · Read review
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Review of Busch Gardens, Tampa

Phenomenal Album by Savage Garden

Advantages: Great music
Disadvantages: None

...SAVAGE GARDEN Darren Hayes vocals Daniel Jones guitar, keyboard,sequencing Tracks Listing 1. To The Moon And Back (5:41 2. Carry On Dancing (3:45) 3. Tears Of Pearls (3:46) 4. I Want You (3:52) 5.Truly Madly Deeply (4:37) 6. Violet (4:04) 7. All around Me (4:11 8. Universe (4:20) 9. A Thousand Words (4:00) 10. Break Me, Shake Me (3:23) 11. Mine (4:30) 12. Santa Monica (Album Version) (3:37) 13. Santa Monica (Studio Version) (3:37) About Each Track To The Moon And Back "I would fly to the moon and back If you'll be, if you'll be my baby..." This track is about a woman who feels unloved and uncared for so she keeps away from human affection. The track's theme is a futuristic hyperbole but it is a very romantic song. I like the intro that has a robotic sound effect which is followed...

browndoll 10.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Savage Garden - Savage Garden

The Garden on the Downs

Advantages: Easy to get to and small and shady enough to enjoy without getting exhausted in the heat.
Disadvantages: Hilly in places.

...This is a real gem of a West Sussex garden, particularly so because you don?t have to pay to look at it! A few facts about the Garden:- Highdown Gardens was created 90 years? ago by Sir Frederick and Lady Stern who set out to prove that you could grow a garden on chalk. The garden was built in an old chalkpit that looked over the South Downs, and the chalk sides of the pit give a very attractive backdrop to some parts of the garden. All the plants and trees growing there are tolerant of soil that is very alkali and the gardens have been given a ?green flag? status by the Civic Trust and regarded as a National Collection. As a general rule, I?m not very interested in formally planted gardens. I love the ?rough and tumble? colour and shape of informal and wild flower gardens. Highdown Gardens suits me. There are lots...

gillianae 16.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of Highdown Gardens, Worthing, Sussex