Cary Ordway asked:


A trip to Cambria is refreshment for the soul and what better place to do that than a storybook cottage just footsteps from the pounding surf and amazing energy of the Pacific Ocean?

If you’re the type who loves to take long walks on the beach, then Moonstone Beach in Cambria, California, is your kind of place. Cambria is a place where you can spend hours each day walking - on the beach, on the boardwalk and through a quaint, historic artist’s colony chock-full of art galleries as well as unique shops and good restaurants.

Cambria is ideally located near several San Luis Obispo County attractions. The wineries are just a few miles east, Hearst Castle just a few miles north. Some of California’s best beaches are a short drive to the south. And San Luis Obispo is just a few miles south and inland.

On our most recent trip to Cambria we discovered a charming group of cottages on Moonstone Beach that seem especially well suited to honeymoons or romantic getaways. There are just three “Moonstone Cottages” built on a small lot directly across the road from some of the best areas to explore on Moonstone Beach (so named because of the semi-precious agate and jasper stones that can be found in the sand). The cottages are not part of a big resort so you won’t be sharing your getaway with other travelers. Aside from seeing their vehicles parked in front of their cottages, we never even saw our neighbors the entire time we were there.

Each of the cottages is perfectly decorated with a lot of attention to detail. They’re not huge, but quite adequate for a couple and have plenty of room to move around. We stayed in the Seascape, the cottage closest to the ocean with the best view, which included a fireplace and mini-kitchen with a refrigerator, microwave, sink and counter space. Across from the queen bed with its wrought-iron frame was a gas fireplace and, as is common with small cottages like this, an armoire eliminated the need for a closet. A small white table for two was perfect for enjoying the breakfast that arrived in a basket on our doorstep. A flat-screen TV and DVD player were on a small marble-topped desk, and marble showed up again in the bathroom vanity and shower enclosure. The shiny dark cherry-wood floor, along with the updated furnishings, created an overall mood of simple elegance.

Outside, a well-maintained English garden added to the storybook feel and a small patio, chairs and table were available for simply sitting and watching the ocean surf and the visitors walking the nearby beach trails. A mature cypress tree framed the cottage, completing the illusion this little lodging is straight out of Hansel and Gretel.

Along this special part of the California Coast, the walks are the thing. It’s said you can walk entirely around the town of Cambria, including lengthy sections of a first-class boardwalk skirting the shoreline and complete this circumnavigation in about four hours. We settled for good long beach walks where we found plenty to explore including tidepools, small caves, interesting rock formations, abundant driftwood and, of course, the constant backdrop of the ocean waves crashing on shore with incredible fury.

We also walked the town itself, enjoying the many galleries and historic buildings such the Squibb House, originally built in 1877. Shops downtown are often located in historical buildings, or have motifs designed to highlight the historical nature of the village. Some shops are quite stylish and are located in relatively new shopping centers with historic designs.

We took a short drive and noticed the scenery in this part of San Luis Obispo County is what really makes it appealing - the closer you are to the coast, the more Monterey pines appear. The combination of rolling hills, quiet winding roads and towering pines makes this getaway a feast for the senses.

Hearst Castle

Maybe the biggest attraction for Cambria visitors is the Hearst Castle, just a half-hour drive up the coastline. Film stars like Clark Gable, Carole Lombard and Charlie Chaplain once boarded the train in Los Angeles to travel through the night up the California coast to reach the palatial hilltop estate of William Randolf Hearst.

Back in the 1920’s and 30’s, getting to Hearst Castle took a little bit of time. After traveling most of Friday night by train, Hearst’s celebrity guests were met at the San Luis Obispo station and driven by motorcar on primitive roads another couple of hours north to the castle’s location near San Simeon. These Hollywood guests - usually two or three dozen — would then begin a non-stop party that would culminate in another long journey home in order to be on their movie sets Monday morning.

Today, tourists arrive at the Hearst Castle by bus - yes, even if you drive your car, you won’t get to the castle unless you’re riding in one of the Park Service’s motor coaches that shuttle visitors up and down the winding, narrow five-mile road to the castle. With well over a million annual visitors, the castle now has a fleet of buses and a bus station to rival that of a good-size city.

Several tours are offered, so you’ll need to visit more than once if you’re intent on seeing the entire estate. But we found the two-hour introductory tour to be quite thorough, allowing access to many of the more spectacular parts of the castle. The tour guides here are obviously selected for their storytelling skills and ours, in particular, offered numerous anecdotes about Hearst and his many guests, and about the great time and expense that went into creating one of our country’s grandest homes.

Visitors to the castle marvel at the indoor and outdoor pools - the Neptune pool took 12 years to build — as well as the architecture, gardens and fountains. The introductory tour gives a good view of the main house and its interior including sitting rooms and dining areas that are larger than those found in many hotels. Art and antiquities are everywhere, and the sweeping view of the ocean and surrounding countryside is just as spectacular as anything you find on the grounds.

Other beach areas

Heading back down toward Cambria and then south, you’ll find more than 80 miles of beaches are ready for exploration, each just a little different than the one preceding it. When you drive along the coast on Highway 1, it’s like a slide show of gorgeous beach scenes.

Driving the coastline, one cannot help but notice the exceedingly wide Morro Strand State Beach with Morro Rock in the background. Kayaking along this bay is popular and the beach is so broad that there’s plenty of privacy when you get ready to park your beach towels or chairs.

Pismo Beach is one of the most popular in the area and offers a pier that visitors can fish from. Nearby is a small but busy shopping district with restaurants, shops and other attractions. And down the beach a ways is the only drivable beach area in California, perfect for renting an all-terrain vehicle. Also nearby is the Oceano Dunes Park, set aside for off-highway vehicles as well as camping and other beach activities.

AT A GLANCE

WHERE: Cambria is midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco along the Central California Coast.

WHAT: Cambria is a unique vacation destination because it offers the beauty of the beach, but enough nearby attractions such as Hearst Castle and the Paso Robles Wineries to offer much more than the usual beach activities.

WHEN: Year-round.

WHY: The area is easily accessible from L.A. or San Francisco and offers some of California’s best coastal scenery.

HOW: For more information on Cambria, contact the Cambria Chamber of Commerce at 805-927-3624 or go to www.cambriachamber.org. For more information on Moonstone Cottages, call 805-927-1366 or go to www.moonstonecottages.com. For more information on Hearst Castle, phone 800-444-4445 or visit www.hearstcastle.com.



DARRELL

Fred asked:


What’s YA opinion of White Castles Restaurants?
Please state your opinion and tell what state you are located in?

KELLY

Andrew asked:


If a traditional Christmas celebration is your goal then Hidden England is the place to be.

Belvoir by Candlelight is a feast of old style Christmas cheer. The Castle is decorated in traditional style and lit by candles as it would

have been a century ago and musicians and choirs entertain you in every room. Or visit Belton House in any of three weekends in December

and see the House decorated for Christmas. There are special activities for children and, naturally, a visit from Father Christmas.

Belton also offers an opportunity to join in with Christmas Carols in the Marble Hall on the 8th and 9th of December - with mulled wine and mince pies provided.

To solve your Christmas present problems, Burghley, Belton, Belvoir and Rockingham will be open for Christmas shopping, and at Burghley the annual Christmas Craft Fair from 7 to 10 December provides a wonderful selection of crafts and gift ideas.

Of course, the thought of eating drinking and shopping may simply be too much. If that’s the case then why not join a Winter Walk at Belton on

10 December.

For details of all the Christmas events in the Houses of Hidden England visit here or the web sites of the individual houses. Many events are limited in numbers and pre-booking is essential. Please check opening dates and times before setting out for any visit as at this time of the year opening times are limited. If in doubt please telephone the House of your choice. All the contact details are also on our website.



ALEXIS

Falafel softball asked:


I have a vague memory of playing a game with castles where I shot the other person’s castle and I had to rebuild my castle when it was getting destroyed and it was on one of those games for the playstation 2 or gamecube that is a collection of old arcade games. Does anyone know the title of what I’m talking about?

BRYANT

Suzanne. asked:


to keep people out. like ditches or trees?

SEYMOUR

Frederick Hoymer asked:


The city of Inverness can trace its history back to at least the days of the Picts and has been a stronghold since those times.

It is located where the River Ness joins the North Sea and the river helped to give the city its name. In Gaelic, the word Inverness literally means “mouth of the Ness”. If you’re keen, you can brush up on your Gaelic: around one in 20 of the locals in Inverness are able to speak this language.

As you’ve probably guessed, the river flows into Loch Ness. So you could certainly use your visit to Inverness to do a spot of monster watching! The myths and legend surrounding the Loch Ness monster are numerous. The lake is big, with a surface area of nearly 22 square miles and at its deepest point is 754 feet. Which is plenty of space for the famous monster to hide in, especially when you consider that the deepest ever SCUBA dive was only just over 1,000 feet.

Depending on your view of bagpipe music, you will either want to head towards Inverness during September or avoid it like the plague because that is the month that the city hosts the annual Northern Meeting, which is a prestigious competition for solo bagpipers.

If you want to see other Scottish pursuits then you should time your visit to take in the annual Highland Games which attract top notch contestants for such sports as tossing the caber, the stone put, Scottish hammer throwing and sheaf tossing amongst others. These are all ancient sports that still retain their spectacle in today’s modern world. The strength of the “heavy” athletes simply has to be seen to be believed. The caber is similar in size to a telephone pole - usually around 16 to 20 feet long and weighing somewhere between 80 and 130 pounds. So don’t try this sport at home - the skill you need to even be able to balance a caber let alone throw one through the air in the direction you want it to travel isn’t something you can pick up overnight.

Other sports aren’t ignored either. Inverness has two football clubs. Caledonian Thistle are members of the Scottish Premier League, so you are assured a top class game.

History fans will want to visit Inverness Castle. This is currently used for the Inverness Sheriff Court and most of its current structure was built in 1836. However, the site has been used for a castle since the 11th century, so it is steeped in history. If you want an extra souvenir, get hold of the Royal Bank of Scotland’s £50 note which shows the castle on its reverse side.

When you decide to visit Inverness, do your best to stay in one of the many smaller locally owned and run hotels and guest houses that are available. You’ll be assured of a warm Scottish welcome and your host will almost certainly be able to help you by pointing out little known local secrets and places to see that are on or off the beaten track according to your preferences.



DOUGLAS

Marcus S asked:


Please give a date (AD) and explanation.

COLLIN

Robin M. asked:


Has anyone read Emily Windsnap and the castle in the mist? Is it good? I read the first chapter but I don’t have any time to read it! Anyone? Anyone at all? Please answer!

VINCENT

Corina Clemence asked:


France’s Loire Valley has the grandest selection of 15th and sixteenth century castles. With fifty to sixty “must see” castles sprinkled on both sides of a 100-mile stretch of the Loire River, the first-time tourist can feel overwhelmed. Below are 5 of the best-known castles.

Chateau Clos Luce

Not more than a half mile from Amboise is Chateau Le Clos Luce, a chateau built and designed by Leonardo da Vinci. He lived the last three years of his life here under Francois I’s sponsorship. The rooms are filled with 40 models of Leonardo’s inventions so you can marvel at his foresight and amazing mental powers 500 years earlier.

Chateau Chenonceau

Chenonceau Chateau stuns you with its two-story, 260-foot Great Gallery spanning across the River Cher. Originally “acquired” by King Francois I, it then passed to his successor, Henri II, who gave it to Diane de Poitiers his mistress. Diane extended the chateau and built a bridge across the river.

When Henri II died, Catherine de Medici, his wife, took revenge on her rival by forcing Diane to exchange Chateau Chenonceau for nearby Chateau Chaumont. Catherine then commissioned the construction of the bridge gallery. Incredibly extravagant galas were held here until Catherine’s son, Henry III, was assassinated. His wife, Louise de Savoie, placed the castle in mourning, furnishing it completely in black and white.

History leaps out as you tour the rooms and the gardens. In WWI the Great Gallery was converted to a hospital. In world war II the chateau marked the boundary between Nazi-occupied and free France and became the location for prisoner exchanges. Today the gardens and the chateau are maintained as if they were at their height under Catherine de Medici.

Chateau Chaumont-sur-Loire

Built in the 15th century by Lord Amboise on the site of a tenth century feudal fortress, Chaumont commands beautiful views of the Loire River Valley. It was later the home of both Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici of Castle Chenonceau fame. Enjoy this chateau for its tapestry, drawbridge, fortress feeling, furnishings, and incredible vistas.

Chateau Chambord

King Francois I was not content with just the castles at Chenonceau and Amboise. He acquired over 10,000 acres of hunting land and decided to build the world’s most magnificent “hunting lodge.” Chambord was built over many decades by Francois and his successors, Henri II and Charles IX in the sixteenth century.

Fully restored now, Chambord stands as the most extravagant of all the Loire chateaux - 500 feet wide with 440 rooms and 365 fireplaces. The central grand staircase was purportedly designed by the great Italian, Leonardo da Vinci. It has double spirals which enable two parties of people to climb and descend simultaneously without crossing paths. Chambord will reward any visit with its grandeur and extravagance.

Chateau Amboise

Amboise’s narrowed cobbled streets wind at the base of the large. Although only 25% of the original chateau survives, the fortress walls with flying banners look down on the village and neighboring river. It was here that King Francois I hit his head on a low arch, fatally wounding him.

Whilst chateau hopping remember to take the time to visit some local wine cellars, for “degustation” or tasting Take the time to relax and enjoy your vacation.



RON

JaimeLaVida asked:


…
A few years ago I found Crystal Castles and fell in love. Now they are becoming overplayed and I’m getting tired of them. What should I listen to now?
..

KEN