The Value Of Cotswold Art

All these images help to illustrate my "Cotswold Guidebook", bar the last one, and that adorns my kitchen wall painted by my 15-year old daughter, Flora. The quotes are a little bit of fun provided by John Ruskin and Oscar Wilde. So what is Art? Can a photograph be considered Art? Let the debate begin....

"Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing." Oscar Wilde. This artist's pictures sell for £35,000+

David Prentice, John Davies Gallery, Moreton in Marsh

"The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love colour the most." John Ruskin

Irises, Barnsley House Garden, Cirencester

"No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did he would cease to be an artist."
Oscar Wilde

Colin Carruthers, Iona Gallery, Woodstock

"Everything that you can see in the world around you presents itself to your eyes only as an arrangement of patches of different colors." John Ruskin

Alliums, Barnsley House Garden, Cirencester

"The true mystery in the world is the visible, not the invisible." Oscar Wilde

Wet Paint Gallery, Cirencester

"To see clearly is poetry". John Ruskin

Moss, Northleach Churchyard

Flora's Garden

johndaviesgallery

ionahousegallery

barnsleyhouse

contemporary-art-holdings

flora-fricker

Enjoying the South East of England

Bodiam Castle - a child's dream of a fairytale castle

Hever Castle with its connections to Henry VIII - Dreamy, sublime...

The Hop Farm in mid-Kent venue for Music Festivals

The Twins of Biddenden, a prime example of a beautiful Kent village

The Seven Sisters Country Park - A view from the South Downs Coastal Path

Fishing boats at rest on Hastings Beach

It may be the most populated region of the UK but you can still "Get Away From It All" - you can walk around isolated castles like Bodiam, alone and in solitude (but get there early), or walk from Cuckmere Haven down to the Seven Sisters, or beach it at Hastings and buy some fresh sole or dabs...

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-vh/w-visits/w-findaplace/w-bodiamcastle.htm

http://www.hevercastle.co.uk

http://www.hopfarmfestival.com

http://www.biddendenkent.co.uk

http://www.sevensisters.org.uk

http://www.hastingsfish.co.uk

Traffic-Free Cycling Routes - Cumbia, Derbyshire, Hampshire and Worcestershire...

Overlooking Derwent Water: there can be few better views...in Cumbria's Lake District

The Tissington Trail along the disused railway from Ashbourne to Parsley Hay

The New Forest in Hampshire has miles and miles of criss-crossing tracks

Is he returning from the pub or descending Bredon Hill in Worcestershire?

Here's a selection of places to cycle and to enjoy our fabulous countryside. Please send me your favourite routes with images, and explain why....

Traffic-Free Cycling Route 1 - The Granite Way, Okehampton, Devon

The Granite Way has fabulous views on both sides of the track

Three views of, and from, the Meldum Viaduct

Hello Fellow Cyclists, or Would Be Cyclists.

Apparently this may be an old wives tale, but regular cycling will put ten (that's 10) years on your life. So, herewith, some of my favourite traffic-free cycle paths starting with the Granite Way. Please send me details of your preferred routes, and explain to me why they are so special to you....tomorrow, the Lakes, or Peak District....

For more information try these map-guides:

http://www.goldeneyemaps.com/product.asp?ID=32

http://www.goldeneyemaps.com/product.asp?ID=28

An Inspiring View - What Inspires You?

Saunton Sands from the Lay-by, My Favourite Lunch Spot
Saunton Sands at Dusk - Magical!

Today, I rode my motorcycle to the lay-by overlooking this beach, ate my sandwiches and just gazed at this amazing view, and thought how lucky I am that it was a mere ten minutes from my home and workplace. What views inspires you? And, why?

http://www.brend-hotels.co.uk/TheSauntonSands/Home.cfm

http://www.eyeball-surfcheck.co.uk

http://www.sauntonholidaycottages.co.uk

http://www.coastal-cottages.com/saunton.asp

Northcote Manor Country House Hotel, North Devon

This is, without doubt, the finest Country House Hotel in North Devon. You will feel immediately at home here. The log fires, the warm, cosy sofas, the antiques, the slow tempo all makes for a relaxed and pleasant experience. The hotel overlooks the winding River Taw valley and is set amidst a large acreage....but, this Sunday they are holding a Wedding Fair, and the Star Celebrity just happens to be my darling wife, Caroline of Caroline Fricker Couture. If you are looking for that Special Dress, or Gown, for that Special Day, she would be delighted to meet you there from 1-5, 6th March.

http://carolinefricker.com/

http://.carolinefricker.blogspot.com/

www.northcotemanor.co.uk

Cornish Harbours

I have already illustrated the beaches and gardens of Cornwall. All worthy places to make a special visit, but nowhere in the UK are the harbours so special as those in Cornwall. The noise of the gulls, the activity of the fisherman and the visitors makes for amusing "People Watching", and of course there is the fresh seafood....and the pubs littered with wonderful old photographs of times gone by. Later, I shall be recommending places to stay and eat, but for now just take in the photographs and imagine you are sitting beside the quayside... Bring on the summer!

Harbours illustrated above, from the top: Polperro, Port Isaac, St Ives, Looe, St Mawes, Polperro and Mousehole.