Located about an hour north of Prague, Houska Castle has no fortifications, no kitchen, and had no occupants when it was built. It does, however, have something within its walls that no other castle in the world has—a large hole in the ground that many consider to be the literal gateway to hell. Houska was strategically built over the hole (which is fabled to be bottomless) to seal up the gateway and keep demonic creatures from entering our world. The demons are said to be trapped in the wa… (View original article)

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Lincolnshire County Council

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Seven sites, including Lincoln Castle and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, currently receive council subsides

Heritage attractions in Lincolnshire could be responsible for their own finances after councillors approved plans to look at how the service is funded.

The county council wants attractions to generate their own income and reinvest it, rather than relying on a budget from the authority.

… (View original article)

I had never been to Northern Ireland, that contentious-riven part on the north eastern section of the island. So when in the Spring of 1973, Chris, a boyfriend, invited me to spend a long weekend visiting his family, I was excited.

We drove west from London across England to northern Wales to catch the ferry from Hollyhead to cross the Irish Sea to Dundalk, then on to his cousin’s house in Belfast for dinner. We spent the night and moved on to County Fermanagh the next m… (View original article)

Culzean Castle: One of the properties earmarked for investment.

National Trust for Scotland

Scotland’s largest conservation charity is set to make 90 members of staff redundant as part of a major restructure.

The National Trust, the custodian of historic properties and sites across the country, said the job losses were part of a wider project aiming to widen its appeal.

In June, the organisation revealed proposals to place 142 staff at risk of redundancy.View original article)

SCOTLAND is well-known for its love of creepy ghost stories: sinister tales and urban legends about spooky parts of the country.

With such a rich and macarbre history, it’s not hard to see why certain locations get a reputation for being haunted.

So, if you want to do something truly scary this Halloween, ditch the cliched horror films and take a trip to some of the most haunted castles across the country.

Are you brave enough to walk through the castle grounds and h… (View original article)

Inverness Castle

The regeneration of Inverness Castle and the development of a Northern Innovation Hub are among the projects to have submitted business cases as part of the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal.

The £315 million Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal contains commitments to major infrastructure delivery including the Inshes to Smithton Link Road, grade separation of the Longman Interchange and West Link road improvements.

It is antici… (View original article)

As many people say, one of the best things about going on a year abroad is the freedom it gives you to travel. As my “home” for this semester is the French city of Nantes, the capital of the Pays de la Loire region, it is ideally situated to explore the neighbouring Loire Valley and region of Brittany.

One of the most instantly recognisable features about this corner of Western France is the châteaux that can be found along the riverbanks of the Loire, following the river’s course b… (View original article)