Imperial War Museum

The front photo of this postcard shows the classic view of the Imperial War Museum (IWM) London featuring the 15-inch guns from HMS Resolution (left) and HMS Ramilies (right). This view greets you upon entering the front gate of the museum.

Imperial War Museums is the world’s leading museum of war and conflict. Founded while the First World War was still raging, it gives voice to the extraordinary experiences of ordinary people forced to live their lives in a world torn apart by conflict. (Source: IWM)

Green wall

Composite view of Liverpool

This postcard is a composite of four pictures that are all scenes you will come across to when doing the Liverpool Waterfront walk. The top left photo is that of a close-up of The Beatles Statue; top right is that of Edward VII Monument with the Port of Liverpool building in the background; bottom left is that of the stairway near the Museum of Liverpool with the 'Three Graces' in the foreground; bottom right is another view of The Beatles Statue.

We saw all these sights and attractions when we did the Liverpool Waterfront walking tour. We went to Liverpool on the penultimate day of our summer holiday in North Wales last 2023. It was only a little over an hour's drive from our holiday park. The highlight of our tour was the Liverpool Waterfront walk, where this picture of a boat docked with the famous 'Three Graces' in the background.

Liverpool

Liverpool is a maritime city in northwest England, where the River Mersey meets the Irish Sea. A key trade and migration port from the 18th to the early 20th centuries, it's also, famously, the hometown of The Beatles. Ferries cruise the waterfront, where the iconic mercantile buildings known as the "Three Graces" – Royal Liver Building, Cunard Building and Port of Liverpool Building – stand on the Pier Head. (Google)

We visited Liverpool on the penultimate day of our summer holiday in North Wales last 2023. It was only a little over an hour's drive from our holiday park. The highlight of our tour was the Liverpool Waterfront walk, where this picture of a boat docked with the famous 'Three Graces' in the background.

Isle of Anglesey, North Wales

A place of unparalleled beauty and amazing adventures, Anglesey is an historic island full of character. A place that inspires and appeals to all the senses. (Visit Wales)

The Isle of Anglesey was one of the places we visited during our summer holiday in North Wales in 2023. Our day tour was spent mostly in the picturesque Llanddwyn Island and then made brief stops to view the Menai Bridge and Llanfairpwll Station Sign (longest station name in Europe) before we ended up the day in Beaumaris. It was too late to visit the castle by then so we did a quick tour of the town including the pier before heading back to our holiday caravan in Presthaven.

Inside Plas Mawr, Conwy

Never was a building better named. Plas Mawr, or the Great Hall, is quite simply the finest surviving Elizabethan town house anywhere in Britain.

This was a golden age when fabulously wealthy merchants invested in mansions, rich fittings and lavish entertaining. Robert Wynn, third son of a local landowner, wanted a piece of the action.

He entered the service of Tudor diplomats and travelled to the most splendid royal courts of Europe. His fortune made, he bought a mansion house in Conwy for £200 and between 1576 and 1585 turned it into a celebration of his life, times and wealth. (Visit Wales)

Plas Mawr, Conwy

Plas Mawr is the best Elizabethan town house in Britain. Located in Conwy, home to one of Edward I’s castles, Conwy is the perfect place for history lovers. Robert Wynn bought the house in 1576, for the fee of £200; Wynn set about building the mansion to its current look.

Visitors can step back in time and experience what life was like in a Tudor home. Explore 17 rooms all decorated to their original taste, and imagine the conversations that must have been had during a very difficult period in British history. In addition, after four years of restoration the Elizabethan garden has been brought back to its previous, magnificent best. (Visit Conwy)

Conwy Castle, Conwy

This postcard view is of the impressive Conwy Castle as seen across the river Conwy. We went to the Castle and the town in summer of 2023 and the Castle is huge and imposing as you enter the town's bridge. We spent half a day touring the Castle and walking within the town walls.

Magnificent medieval fortress still towers over town after 700 years

Thanks to restored spiral staircases in its great towers you can walk a complete circuit around the battlements of Conwy Castle. We highly recommend it. This is one of the most magnificent medieval fortresses in Europe.

Conwy Castle, an artist's impression

Magnificent medieval fortress still towers over town after 700 years

Thanks to restored spiral staircases in its great towers you can walk a complete circuit around the battlements of Conwy Castle. We highly recommend it. This is one of the most magnificent medieval fortresses in Europe.

In the distance rise the craggy mountains of Snowdonia and spread out below you are the harbour and narrow streets of Conwy – still protected by an unbroken 1,400-yard (1.3km) ring of town walls.

It’s enough to take the breath away. Especially when you consider that King Edward I and his architect Master James of St George built both castle and walls in a barely believable four years between 1283 and 1287. (Visit Wales)

'Hafod Eryri', Snowdon summit building

The current building, Hafod Eryri, on the summit of Snowdon first opened in June 2009. The name derives from the Welsh word for a summer dwelling on the mountain. It welcomes over six hundred thousand visitors a year and it’s not hard to see why, on a clear day the views can stretch as far as Ireland.

On arrival at Hafod Eryri you are welcomed into a modern, contemporary environment where you can relax and take in the incredible views to the valleys below. During your 30-minute stopover, you can venture up to the cairn which, at 1085m above sea level, is the highest point in Wales and England!!

Within the building is a café area serving a selection of ‘grab and go’ food and beverages to enjoy whilst taking in the panoramic views. Hafod Eryri is the UK’s highest re-fuelling station! Our gift shop stocks a range of unique souvenirs, clothing, and local produce; you can even send a postcard from the summit post box! (Snowdon Mountain Railway)

Sunset from Snowdon summit

The picture of this postcard (front) shows the summit visitor centre with a spectacular sunset behind it taken from midway up the stairs as you climb towards the summit of Mount Snowdon.

The current building, Hafod Eryri, on the summit of Snowdon first opened in June 2009. The name derives from the Welsh word for a summer dwelling on the mountain. It welcomes over six hundred thousand visitors a year and it’s not hard to see why, on a clear day the views can stretch as far as Ireland. (Snowdon Mountain Railway)

The back of the postcard shows a small photo of one of the heritage steam carriages that regularly goes up to the summit of Snowdon. However, the one we rode in when we had our annual summer holiday in North Wales in 2023 was a traditional diesel train. It took us an hour with lots of amazing views to see as our train slowly ran up to the summit visitor centre. Then we had 30 minutes to admire the summit before going down again for another hour.

Inverness

Take a trip to the capital of the Highlands, Inverness. Explore this compact city and discover a slower way of life, but still with interesting things to do and events. Use Inverness as a base to explore Highland scenery, iconic castles, majestic mountains and unique wildlife, including the famous Loch Ness monster. (Source: Visit Scotland)

The picture in this postcard showed part of the city centre of Inverness beside the River Ness. Most of our week-long holiday in Scotland in September 2022 were spent in the Scottish Highlands. We based ourselves in Inverness as we were lucky to be hosted in the beautiful house of my wife's cousin. Unfortunately, we did not get to see much of Inverness but we did saw this postcard view often during our travels to the different tourist attractions of the Highlands.

Highland cattle in Wicken Fen NNR

A Highland cattle and a calf were shown in this postcard of Wicken Fen NNR in Cambridgeshire. The back of the postcard explained why they are found hundreds of miles away from their home in the Scottish Highlands - to keep the ground of Burwell Fen, part of Wicken Fen, free of scrub.

According to the National Trust's Wicken Fen website:

Grazing animals are essential in developing vegetation in new areas of the nature reserve. The animals help to keep the landscape open and help wetland and grassland plants to become established.

Fort William, Ben Nevis & Loch Linnhe

This postcard showed the town of Fort William sandwiched by Loch Linnhe and Ben Nevis. We passed by Fort William and stayed a bit for a stopover lunch and rest before driving down to Glasgow when we had our summer holiday in Scotland last September 2022. We saw Loch Linnhe as we were driving the coastal road but not sure if we caught a glimpse of the Ben Nevis.

Described as the Outdoor Capital of the UK, the town of Fort William is a popular base for weekend breaks and holidays in the Scottish Highlands. It is usually the starting base for many avid walkers and climbers who wish to conquer Scotland's largest mountain, Ben Nevis. The town lies at the northeast end of a sea loch, Loch Linnhe.

The Caledonian Canal, Fort Augustus

 

The Caledonian Canal connects the Scottish east coast at Inverness with the west coast at Corpach near Fort William in Scotland. The canal was constructed in the early nineteenth century by Scottish engineer Thomas Telford. (Wikipedia)

This postcard shows the five Fort Augustus Locks. These locks are in Fort Augustus, located at the foot of the famed Loch Ness. We visited the village of Fort Augustus during our summer holiday in Scotland last September 2022. We had fish and chips for lunch and took a stroll at this beautiful village teeming with tourists, which included walking in all five locks before driving back to Inverness via the eastern side of Loch Ness.

Glenmorangie whiskey

 

This front photo of the postcard is that of the copper stills used in the Glenmorangie Distillery to produce their famous single malt Scotch whisky. Glenmorangie is classed as a Highland distillery and their stills are the tallest in Scotland.

In our Scotland holiday last August 2022 we spent most part in the Highlands where we based ourselves in the city of Inverness. Our Inverness host, who was a cousin of my wife booked us a classic tour in Glenmorangie Distillery. This one-hour tour was described as thus:

Get to know our creamy, complex single malt as you trace the journey of our signature whisky, The Original, through our distillery. Scent the fruity aromas that emerge in our lighter spirit and see the bourbon casks where our whisky mellows for 10 years. Finish your whisky distillery tour with a two-dram tasting from the Core Expressions range. (Source: Glenmorangie)

The North Coast 500, Scotland

The front of this postcard shows the map of the North Coast 500 (NC500) coastal road route while the back explained what it is:

The North Coast 500 is an iconic coastal route that covers over 500 miles of stunning scenery across the north Highlands of Scotland, beginning and ending at Inverness Castle.

Most of our Scotland holiday in 2022 was spent in the Highlands of Scotland, where we based in the northern city of Inverness. I have read a good deal about this coastal road route and it need a great deal of planning with stays from 5-7 days which we cannot afford to do at the time as we wanted to go to many different places in the Scottish Highlands as well.

Urquhart Castle, Loch Ness

This postcard shows the ruins of Urquhart Castle and behind it is the famous Loch Ness. We spent a day here during our dream holiday in Scotland last August 2022.

URQUHART CASTLE

Wild natural beauty and 1,000 years of history - Urquhart Castle offers a taste of the Highlands at their most dramatic.

Discover 1,000 years of drama, experience a glimpse of medieval life and enjoy stunning views over Loch Ness from the ruins of the greatest castle in the Highlands.

Climb the Grant Tower that watches over the iconic loch, peer into a miserable prison cell, said to have held the legendary Gaelic bard Domhnall Donn, and imagine the splendid banquets staged in the great hall. A more comfortable view of the iconic ruins, against a backdrop of Loch Ness and the hills of the Great Glen, can be enjoyed from the café.

Fort Augustus, Loch Ness

This postcard shows an aerial view of the small village of Fort Augustus on the southern tip of the famous Loch Ness. We spent a day here during our dream holiday last August 2022.

FORT AUGUSTUS

Situated on the most southern tip of Loch Ness on the Great Glen Way, this historic and scenic hamlet is a popular tourist destination.

Lying on the impressive 60 mile long Caledonian Canal, halfway between Inverness and Fort William, Fort Augustus offers spectacular views down Loch Ness and is a paradise for keen walkers and cyclists with many beautiful walks around the area, the most popular being the Great Glen Way.

Eilean Donan Castle

This postcard shows the view of the 13th century Eilean Donan Castle from the east side while the next postcard showed the castle from the western side. In the late summer month of August 2022 we visited this iconic castle when we spent our dream family holiday in Scotland especially in the Scottish Highlands.

According to the Eilean Donan Castle website:

As one of the most iconic images of Scotland, Eilean Donan is recognised all around the world. Situated on an island at the point where three great sea lochs meet, and surrounded by some majestic scenery, it is little wonder that the castle is now one of the most visited and important attractions in the Scottish highlands.

Although first inhabited around the 6th century, the first fortified castle was built in the mid 13th century and stood guard over the lands of Kintail. Since then, at least four different versions of the castle have been built and re-built as the feudal history of Scotland unfolded through the centuries.