DID YOU KNOW?

BATH: Bath has the only natural hot springs in Britain which led to the creation of the Roman ‘Baths’!

BRISTOL: When diarist Samuel Pepys visited Bristol in 1668 he reported that dogs were used to pull goods around the city’s narrow alleyways.

GLASTONBURY: The Glastonbury Zodiac is a circle some 30 miles in circumference. Viewed from 20,000 feet all signs of the Zodiac can be seen, each formed from hills, earthworks, mounds, footpaths, streams etc. This vast work has been dated at 10,000 BC. How did they do that? And who were they?

EXETER: the motto of the city of Exeter is Semper Fidelis (forever faithful). This is also the motto of Plymouth Argyle Football Club and they both share it with the US Marine Corps (who shorten it to Semper Fi.)

DARTMOOR: Dartmoor ponies are not truly wild. They are all owned by farmers who let them graze on commons.

FALMOUTH/TRURO: An important industry in Cornwall in the 18th century and early 19th century was smuggling. It was big business!! Check out The Kings Pipe, a brick chimney, found in Falmouth. It was used to burn contraband tobacco taken from smugglers.

PLYMOUTH: On the 14th Dec, 1810, Plymouth was struck by the strongest tornado yet reported in the UK..T8 rating on the Torro Scale and wind speeds of 213 to 240 mph!

NEWQUAY: Iron Age Man smelted ore in Newquay for weapons, while Industrial Age Man used the town to trade tin and china clay.

PENZANCE: Close to the harbour is the Dolphin Inn, which is said to have been the first place in Britain where tobacco was smoked.

BUDE: The Bude Boom was a very loud, unexplained noise in October 2006. The source of the sound was never identified

ST IVES: In October 2007, keepers from Newquay zoo identified prints, supposedly left by the legendary Beast of Bodmin, as being those of a puma.

BOURNEMOUTH: In a 2007 survey, Bournemouth was voted the UK’s happiest town. 82% of people said they were happy with their lives

PORTSMOUTH & SOUTHSEA: The very first Sherlock Holmes novel was written in Southsea by Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle

BRIGHTON: Brighton has the oldest continuous electricity supply in the world?

OXFORD: In 1954, at Oxford’s Iffley Road track, Roger Bannister became the first person to run a mile in less than four minutes.

CANTERBURY: Elf, pirate and girl-magnet Orlando Bloom was born in Canterbury on the 13th January 1977.

LEICESTER: During term-time 10% of Leicester's population is made up of students!

BIRMINGHAM: Birmingham actually has more canals than Venice!

NOTTINGHAM: The screen room on Broad Street is, with 22 seats, the smallest public cinema in the world

CHESTER: In 2005 the people of Chester broke the world record for building the largest mosaic out of toast ...Ever! It took over 400 loaves of bread to make.

MANCHESTER: Crystal Lake in the south of Manchester was originally called Mosquito Pond. The old name didn't make it sound quite as enticing a picnic spot.

LAKE DISTRICT: The Lake District prides itself on having produced the world’s biggest liar. In the 19th Century, Will Ritson claimed to have seen turnips as big as sheds, and each November a lying contest is held in his honour.

YORK: York Dungeon caused controversy with its 2004 Christmas display "Satan's Grotto", where children could sign their souls away on a scroll and receive gifts of severed fingers.

NEWCASTLE: Newcastle is home to Britain’s National Surfing Championships? At Longsands Beach. Former two times British Surfing Champion, Gabe Davies, & current British Surfing Champion, Sam Lamiroy, are both from Newcastle.

LONDON: Half the city burned down in the Great Fire of London in 1666, but only six people were injured.

CARDIFF: Cardiff Castle is reputedly one of the most haunted places in Wales. Its ghostly inhabitants include the second Marquess of Bute, a giant and faceless woman.

WALES: There are more than 750,000 Welsh speakers in the world, some in countries as distant as New Zealand and Argentina.

SCOTLAND: Contrary to popular myth, the kilt originates from the end of the 16th century and was never worn into battle by ancient Highlanders. Not even Mel Gibson.