UNITED KINGDOM - England

Location - Western Europe; Capital - London; Population - England - 50.5 million; Currency - Pound Sterling MORE UK - ENGLAND

Another sight that's an easy day-trip from London is Stonehenge, a few kms from Salisbury. And York is only a two hour train ride from the Capital.

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Children play in front of the 5,000 year-old Stonehenge

It is still not known what World Heritage Site Stonehenge was used for. It was possibly a burial ground, a calendar, centre for worshipping the Sun etc

Original construction began around 3100BC, and expanded over the centuries - Stonehenge

A view of Salisbury Cathedral from the ancient hill fort of Old Sarum - Salisbury

Making my way to the Cathedral via the High Street Gate - Salisbury

13th century Salisbury Cathedral is one of the major cathedrals in England - Salisbury

In the summer/autumn of 2011 the Cathedral hosted Conflux, an excellent exhibition by Sean Henry - Salisbury

Part of the Conflux message is that the holy is in all people, like the ordinary working man - Salisbury

Reflections in the Cathedral font - Salisbury

A Cathedral window via the font waters - Salisbury

The young self looking at the old self, by Sean Henry - Salisbury

The sculptures are dotted around all nooks and crannies of the Cathedral - Salisbury

For me church interiors are usually quite sombre and dull affairs so these these sculptures spiced it up a lot - Salisbury

Salisbury Cathedral houses one of only four original copies of the 13th century Magna Carta - Salisbury

The grounds of Cathedral Close - Salisbury

I presume she's part of Sean Henry's exhibition, so only around until 31 October 2011 - Salisbury

Next to Choristers Green is Arundells, the home of former British prime minister Edward Heath - Salisbury

Also on Choristers Green is Mompesson House, which served as a location for the film Sense and Sensibility - Salisbury

The River Avon flows through Salisbury

As you'd expect, Market Square hosts a bustling market - Salisbury

13th century St Thomas's Church - Salisbury

This historic building is now a pub - Salisbury

The Mill is a converted bar restaurant next to the river - Salisbury

The 15th century Poultry Cross, where the poultry market used to stand - Salisbury

On my way back to the train station - Salisbury

St Helen's Square is in the pedestrian-only centre of York

The Shambles is the most famous street in York

It's lined with 15th century Tudor buildings which are now independent shops. No chain stores here! Shambles, York

Much of York's appeal stems from its medieval cobbled streets populated with boutiques and a refreshing lack of chain stores. Actually the chains are all there but they don't overwhelm - York

Stonegate is home to Ye Olde Star Inne, the oldest pub in York, along with a few craft beer shops/bars

Purpleman is also on Stonegate - York

A Tudor building on Stonegate - York

Micklegate Bar is one of several medieval gates lining the city walls - York

The huge York Minster was built between the 13th and 15th centuries - York

And how the colour changes at dusk - York

The western front of the York Minster - York

York Minster is said to be the largest medieval cathedral in northern Europe and the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, after Canterbury - York

Walking towards the western front of the York Minster - York

Inside York Minster - York

Half way up the 276 steps to the top of the York Minster tower - York

York Minster tower - York

The Wheel of York as seen from the top of the tower - York

Past the west towers to the city skyline - York

The Treasurer's House was the home of the treasurers of York Minster - York

Nearby is the Minster's 15th century St William's College - York

Walk up High Petergate to Bootham Bar, part of the city walls - York

Opposite Bootham Bar is the York Art Gallery - York

A couple of minutes from the Art Gallery are the ruins of St Mary's Abbey - York

The abbey - and the Yorkshire Museum here on the right - form part of the Museum Gardens - York

The corridor entrance to the Softpots shop - York

The Golden Fleece says it's the most haunted pub in York

There's fierce competition on the ghost tour circuit. They can be entertaining but an hour is definitely my 'being herded around' limit - York

Keep an eye above the shops in the old city and see what you can spot - York

The River Ouse passes through the centre of the old city - York

Taking the car for a dip in the Ouse - York

Drinkers gather outside the King's Arms, a pub famous for flooding when the river-level rises - York

There's a couple of bars with a great riverside location further upstream - York

Lendal Bridge and the River Ouse - York

The Wheel of York is meant to be a temporary attraction, currently located near the train station - York

The Merchant Adventurers' Hall is a 14th century building where merchants gathered to conduct business - York

Legendary 18th century highwayman Dick Turpin was a prisoner at the York Castle Museum before his execution - York

Clifford's Tower is all that remains of York Castle - York

A mini-fairground lies at the bottom of Clifford's Tower, next to the York Castle Museum - York

Looking down on Clifford's Tower from its walls - York

A merry-go-round outside the York Castle Museum - York

Clifford's Tower provides a decent view of the York Minster - York

Take a walk along the city walls, built on the former Roman walls - York

A bile beans advert on the side of a house on Lord Mayor's Walk - York

An amazing sight a couple of kms west of the station is the York Cold War Bunker. The grey tower is a collapsed ariel mast which could be raised from within the bunker - York

To quote the website, the bunker 'was designed as a nerve-centre to monitor fall-out in the event of a nuclear attack' - York

The bunker was built in 1961, not with the aim of long-term survival, but to gather information in the event of a nuclear attack. This could then be passed on to the government and other nerve-centres - York

One of three decontamination rooms, comprising a shower to wash off radioactive dust - York

Take the stairs down from the decontamination rooms to the nerve-centre. About 50 volunteers could survive up to 30 days in the bunker - York

The plant room contained the generator and back-up generator and water tank - York

The operations room was designed to record nuclear explosions which allowed fallout warnings to be sent out - York

The bunker was closed down in 1991 but left in its original state. These devices are various recording instruments of radioactivity, while the white drum is akin to a pinhole camera which could photograph a nuclear explosion - York

The Royal Observer Corps were the group of volunteers tasked with running the bunker. The ROC was disbanded in 1995 - York

Website and content Copyright © 2008-2017 Mark Wilkinson. All rights reserved.

LINKS

www.enjoyengland.com - England tourist board

www.visitbritain.com - Britain's official website

www.britainexpress.com

www.yorkshire.com - guide to Yorkshire

www.visitsouthwest.co.uk - guide to south west England

www.visitsoutheastengland.com - guide to south east England

www.visitenglandsnorthwest.com - guide to north west England

www.visitnortheastengland.com - guide to north east England

www.eetb.org.uk - guide to east England

www.thetrainline.com - train information across Britain

www.nationalexpress.com - National Express coaches cover Britain

I am not responsible for the content of external websites.