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Settlement Association

Calthrop

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Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, is also twinned with a settlement in the French departement of Lot-et-Garonne. Troon's "twin" is Villeneuve-sur-Lot; Llanelli's is Agen.
 
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RailUK Forums

Calthrop

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The wood-engraver and book illustrator Joan Hassall (1906 -- 88), who lived nearby, worshipped and played the organ in Kirkby Malham church. She was the daughter of the artist John Hassall, creator of the famous "Skegness is so bracing" poster.
 

Calthrop

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Boat trips for seal-watching are run from Abersoch around the St. Tudwal's Islands a little way offshore. Another good location for seeing seals, is Donna Nook on the Lincolnshire coast: near North Somercotes, which lies about halfway between Cleethorpes and Mablethorpe.
 

Calthrop

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Born in Blackburn, was the famed hill-walker and guides-thereto-compiler Alfred Wainwright (1907 -- 91). Wainwright was instrumental in designing and setting up the Coast-to-Coast Walk, across northern England's hill country between the Irish Sea and North Sea coasts: western end thereof being at St. Bees, Cumbria.
 

Calthrop

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A victim of the "Popish Plot" hysteria of the late 1670s / early 80s -- when being a member of the Catholic clergy could effectively be a death sentence -- was Nicholas Postgate: a Catholic priest active in that area of Yorkshire: who, at the age of 82, was arrested at Ugglebarnby; and ultimately executed (nastily) at York in 1679. In that episode, a similar and equally ugly fate was -- equally unjustly and irrationally -- visited in 1681, on Oliver Plunkett -- Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland.
 

Calthrop

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Whitesands Bay, about two miles west of St. David's, is described as the best surfing beach in Pembrokeshire. Another very well-regarded surfing spot is -- perhaps a little surprisingly -- the East Strand at Portrush, Co. Antrim.
 

Calthrop

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Robert the Bruce, King of Scots 1306 - 29, was allegedly born at the now ruined Turnberry Castle. He was buried ("mostly, at all events") at the abbey of Dunfermline, Fife.
 

Calthrop

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Samuel Pepys, on a journey from London to Portsmouth in 1668, stayed overnight in Liphook. Pepys was awarded the freedom of the city of Portsmouth, in recognition of his work for the Navy.
 

DerekC

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Another literary connection Portsmouth has is with Charles Dickens, who was born there. However Portsmouth doesn't feature much in his novels. Apart from London, the place appearing most often is Rochester, Kent, presumably because Dickens was brought up next door in Chatham from age 4 to 11.
 

Calthrop

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There is a song in the general "folk" realm, featuring Rochester: about history and provenance of which, there is a good deal of uncertainty. It goes to the same tune as Waltzing Matilda: there is dispute-and-disagreement as to which song came first, and which was a "cog on" / parody, vis-a-vis the other one. At all events, the Rochester-related song is about recruiting / inveigling in that town, of volunteers for the army, to fight in -- per context -- the War of the Spanish Succession, 1701 -- 14, under the generalship therein of John Churchill, First Duke of Marlborough (Wiltshire). Part of the song's chorus runs: And they sang as they marched through the dear streets of Rochester / "Who'll be a soldier for Marlborough and me?"
 

johnnychips

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Johnny Morris, the animal TV presenter, used to live in Aldbourne. He was born in Newport, Monmouthshire.
 

DerekC

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The third worst mining disaster in the UK happened in 1910 at the Pretoria Pit in Over Hulton. Three hundred and forty four men and boys lost their lives. Three years later the worst of them all happened when four hundred and thirty nine died at the Universal Colliery in Senghenydd, Glamorgan. The owners were fined £10 for failing to install a ventilation system in compliance with the law.
 

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