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Skydiving

Skydiving or Parachuting is a sport in which you exit a plane from altitude, freefall for a while and then deploy a parachute to fly safely to the ground. This page doesn't describe activities such as parascending down a mountainside or on tow behind a motorboat, where you have an open parachute right from the start; nor the hazardous sport of BASE jumping (e.g. from buildings and bridges).

Skydiving doesn't work as a spectator sport because the action is too far from the ground. Sometimes teams parachute into an event, but it's just a curtain raiser to a ball game or an interlude at the county fair between the pipe band and the police dog display. Many skydivers wear cameras and download their footage back on the ground, but there isn't yet the technology to transmit images in real time. And screen images hardly convey the blast of plunging out of an aircraft into a roaring slipstream. So if you want to experience it, you have to buckle on a kit and get in that plane.

Understand
There are three main ways to get started.

 * Tandem is where you jump buckled to an instructor, who does all the work. The pair of you freefall for about a minute, perhaps also with an in-air cameraman to record your horrified expression, then spend a couple of minutes under parachute. So it's more like a white-knuckle fairground ride than a sport, with minimum fitness and training needed. This is the commonest way to get started; many people only ever do one jump, as a charity challenge or bucket-list experience.

 * Accelerated Freefall (AFF) is usually a follow-on from an initial tandem, but you can start straight in. You freefall independently from high altitude from your very first jump. An instructor jumps with you, giving signals to correct your body position, to check your awareness of your height, and eventually to cue your parachute opening. (The wind is too loud to talk in freefall, so you need to watch and act upon those signals.) Early jumps are just about maintaining basic stability, then you learn turns and other manoeuvres. It's an intense, immersive approach that's not for everyone, and it's more expensive; but you're a true skydiver right from the get-go.

 * Static line is the old-school method; it's no longer the standard training approach but is still widely available. You're clipped to the plane by a stout lanyard, the "static-line" or "dope-rope". You exit the plane at intermediate altitude, say 4000 feet; the line almost immediately rips your parachute out to deploy then a break-tie snaps and away you float under canopy. There's no freefall so you're not yet a skydiver, but you're certainly a parachutist as you steer and land yourself. This method is relatively inexpensive and you will learn good canopy control, in-air awareness, parachute packing and other excellent stuff before progressing to freefall. You then jump freefall from higher and higher, until you come on a par with the AFF trainees.

Gear up
Kit is expensive. For early jumps you hire the centre's kit, then seek advice from the instructors on what sort of kit you should look to buy, given your body size and how rapidly you're progressing. A modern parachute is a "ram air", with multiple cells that are open at the front so they inflate into a square, corrugated canopy. Your early chute will be large and docile. You'll graduate onto smaller, faster, dynamic canopies, but not too soon, as these are dangerous if mishandled. You always have a reserve, stowed on top of the main canopy in the same container. Plus it's virtually mandatory nowadays to have an AAD - automatic activation device - which is your last chance if you brain-lock and fail to open. Add helmet, altimeter, goggles, and a few other bits and bobs, and you're good to go.

Jump
Jump at an approved centre, affiliated to the relevant national governing body. These bodies hold the definitive list of approved centres for their country, and enforce standards around planes, pilots, instructors, training methods and parachuting procedures, kit packing and maintenance, and airfield facilities and location (eg not next to a fast busy highway or heavy industry). They also set out key regulations eg the minimum age for training or your maximum weight, and whether you need a medical certificate - these rules vary country by country. Below are listed some national agencies. In countries with only one or two centres, realistically there may not be a national body, and the centres set their own rules or affiliate to an outside agency such as the US. Check whether your health insurance covers this activity: it probably will for your home country, but travel insurance will need a supplement.

Next steps: after falling for 13 seconds, you're going as fast as you will, a terminal velocity of 120 mph / 190 k/hr in a "flat-fly" or belly-to-earth position. It doesn't feel like falling, because you're always flying in the onrush of air, as if balancing atop a fountain. Use small movements of your body to turn, shift forward or back, fall slower or faster and so on, in a controlled manner. From there you learn to link with others in "formation skydiving" - and to separate safely before it's time to open. Four is the basic formation team, then eight, and bigger. "Freestyle" means falling in other positions such as head-down, which are much faster and dynamically unstable. Other disciplines include wing-suiting, gradient flying, parachute landing accuracy, surfing ie steering your canopy through a slalom course, and CRW where open canopies are linked. You'll also start to train others, and might work to become an instructor or parachute rigger. All this involves a major commitment of time and money.

How high you go varies between centres, but 15,000 feet above sea level is the standard ceiling. That's because you climb rapidly from near sea level in an unpressurised aircraft without acclimatisation, so you can't safely go higher without oxygen. That height allows you 70 secs of freefall before opening at 3000-4000 feet. However some radical folk go lower: they use wind tunnels as training grounds. These have developed to the stage where four-way wind tunnel competitions are held, but they've not yet become a free-standing sport or alternate training pathway into skydiving.

Destinations
You can skydive in just about any country with well-developed civil aviation and a population base to sustain the sport. Some national agencies are listed below, otherwise, just try an online search, thus "Skydiving in Bulgaria" nets you four possibilities. The bigger centres are open all year, but they have to work around the weather, and the off-season involves a lot of gloomy folk staring at gloomy clouds wondering if they'll manage a jump today. You'll probably need your own wheels, as these airfields tend to be way out in the country with scant public transport. That's so they won't have to share their airspace with airliners and business jets flying on instruments, as bodies hurtling in freefall are notoriously deaf to Air Traffic Control.

Africa

 * South Africa: PASA has a dozen or so centres.

Asia

 * Middle East: Dubai and Abu Dhabi have centres.

North America

 * Canada: CSPA lists 30 centres.
 * Mexico has two dozen centres, many affiliated with the USPA.
 * United States: USPA list 30 centres in the US plus several in other countries that have chosen to affiliate.

South America

 * Argentina has three dozen centres. Chascomús is the closest to Buenos Aires, southeast.

Oceania

 * Australia: APF has about 40 centres, mostly on the east coast.
 * New Zealand: NZPF has a dozen centres, evenly split between the North and South Islands.

Europe

 * France: FFP has two dozen centres.
 * Germany: DFV has two dozen centres.
 * Netherlands: KNVvl has nine centres, with the largest on Texel island.
 * Spain doesn't have a national association, but has centres in Empuriabrava and Seville.
 * United Kingdom: The BPA has some two dozen centres, mostly in lowland England. The largest are Langar south of Newark-on-Trent and Hibaldstow north of Lincoln.

title: Skydiving


text:
Skye

Skye (Gaelic: An t-Eilean Sgitheanach) is the largest and most northerly of the Inner Hebrides off the west coast of Scotland, linked to the mainland by a toll-free bridge. It's a rugged mountainous island with spectacular scenery. Portree is the main settlement, with a tourist information centre, and the main concentration of accommodation.

Gaelic is spoken by 30% of the population, and there's a college teaching entirely in Gaelic in Sleat. On road signs in Skye, the Gaelic version of the place name is given first followed by the English version.

Villages

 * Sleat is the gently rolling southern part of Skye where visitors first arrive. Most use the toll-free road bridge from Kyle of Lochalsh.
 * was once the ferry port, but it's now bypassed by the bridge and main road, so it's a quiet place with an utterly ruined castle.
 * towards the south tip of Sleat has ferries from Mallaig on the mainland.
 * is where all routes converge.

 * Minginish is the central body of Skye, grouped around the dramatic Cuillin mountain range.
 * has boat trips to Loch Coruisk and a fine beach at Camasunary.
 * on the main coast road has ferries to Raasay
 * is little more than a road junction in the wilds, but has accommodation.
 * on Loch Harport is home to the Talisker whisky distillery.
 * is a good base for climbing the Cuillin.

 * is the main village of Skye, and has the most accommodation and other amenities. North of here, the island breaks into three stubby fingers.

 * Trotternish is the largest and most frequently visited peninsula, having the stunning rock formations of the Old Man of Storr and the Quiraing. Buses follow A855 round the coast, with plenty of options for walking and climbing.
 * , the ferry port for the Outer Hebrides, has a notable brewery, the Fairy Glen and the Skye Museum of Island Life.

 * Waternish in the middle has some pretty villages, especially, but is overlooked by most tourists. See also the ruins of Trumpan church.

 * Duirnish is the western peninsula.
 * has the touristy Dunvegan Castle.
 * and Glendale are further up the lane. This ends at Milovaig but you can hike to the lighthouse at Neist Point.

 * Nearby islands:
 * is a short ferry ride from Sconser.
 * just north is sometimes visited by boat trips from Portree.

Understand

 * "Speed bonnie boat, like a bird on the wing, Onward! the sailors cry,"
 * "Carry the lad that's born to be king, over the sea to Skye."

- but he wasn't so born. The Stuart or Jacobite royal family were ousted in 1688 by the Protestant Hanoverians; they attempted several counter-coups and the last and most serious was that of 1745 by Charles Edward Stuart (1720–1788), "Bonny Prince Charlie". His cause was shattered at the Battle of Culloden near Inverness and he fled into the Highlands, spending six months on the run before escaping to France. And had he conducted his military and political campaign with half the guile, fortitude and good luck that attended his flight, he might have regained the crown.

Flora Macdonald of Sleat (1722–1790) happened to be on South Uist when the Prince and a few comrades pitched up there - a dangerous dead-end for them. She was no Jacobite sympathiser but took pity, and arranged passage for him to Skye disguised as her maid, if flouncing about like Liberace playing The Widow Twanky counts as "disguise". They landed near Kingsburgh, Portree on Skye on 29 June 1746, where he was briskly told to change out of that damn-fool costume. Next morning the Prince was spirited away to the island of Raasay, and never saw Macdonald again. He then doubled back to Portree, tramping across Skye to Elgol where on 4 July he was conveyed to Mallaig on the mainland.

All this was a symptom of the remoteness, poverty and isolation of Skye and much of the western Highlands. The terrain was rugged, the soil was poor and boggy, fishing was hazardous, and there were few minerals. The population drifted away to Glasgow and beyond, and in the 19th century came a series of evictions as the landowning chiefs realised that sheep paid better than subsistence farm rentals. But also in that century came a turnaround in perceptions, as stark mountains were re-defined as scenery, and rain-lashed heaths as romantic vistas where the Prince hid out and was never betrayed. It also became not only safe but fashionable to wear the re-invented tartan and sing Jacobite songs, without being considered seditious. "The Skye Boat Song" was first published in 1848 - the folk tune may have been traditional but the words were modern English. It inverted the geography, having the Prince flee from mainland Scotland to Skye, whereas his journey was from the Outer Hebrides to Skye closer inshore thence to the mainland. And of all the places he fled through, the song has indelibly linked him to Skye, two brief transits but easier to work into a song lyric than, say, Borrodale.

Tourism on Skye was boosted at the end of the 19th century when railways reached Mallaig and Kyle of Lochalsh. In the 20th century the island roads were improved, mountaineering on The Cuillin became popular, and the ferries were converted to ro-ro to carry more vehicles. The game-changer in 1995 was the completion of the Skye Bridge from Kyle of Lochalsh, though the operator charged hefty tolls until being bought off in 2004. Tourist infrastructure has lagged behind the growth in visitors - don't come here in summer without booked accommodation. Skye is the most touristy of the Hebrides, yet if you come offpeak, or turn down a back lane (to Glenbrittle, say) it still feels miles from the busy modern world.

By plane
Skye has no air service. The nearest mainland airports are Inverness, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

By car
The main road to Skye is the A87, which branches off A82 (Fort William-Inverness road) at Invergarry, to run west via Shiel Bridge (for Glenelg), Dornie (for Eilean Donan Castle) and Kyle of Lochalsh, crossing the toll-free bridge to Kyleakin. It follows Skye's north coast via Broadford and Portree to Uig.

Or take the A830 "Road to the Isles" from Fort William via Glenfinnan to Mallaig and thence by ferry to Armadale as described below.

By bus
Scottish Citylink Bus 914 / 915 runs twice daily between Glasgow and Skye. The route north is from Buchanan St Station via Glasgow Airport, Dumbarton, Loch Lomond west bank, Crianlarich, Glencoe, Fort William, Invergarry and Kyle of Lochalsh. The route continues across Skye via Broadford, Sligachan and Portree to Uig, about 7 hours in total.

Bus 916 / 917 runs twice daily from Inverness via Loch Ness and Kyle, then via Broadford and sligachan to Portree; 3 hours 30 mins.

Stagecoach Highlands Bus 55 runs three times M-F from Kyle to Kyleakin and Broadford, with two continuing to Torrin and Elgol.

Bus 51 / 52 runs from the ferry pier at Armadale to Broadford and Portree several times a day.

By train
There is no railway on Skye. The two mainland stations with connections to Skye are and. From London they're both about 11 hours by daytime train, 13 hours via sleeper. Kyle has trains from Inverness, and is the better linked, with buses onward to Skye. Mallaig has trains from Fort William and Glasgow; from Mallaig you take the ferry to Armadale as described below, then a bus.

By boat
Calmac car ferries ply between Mallaig on the mainland and Armadale near the south tip of Skye. They take 45 mins and sail daily, every hour or two Apr-Oct but only a couple per day Nov-March. Fares in 2022 are about £10 per car plus £3 per person.

The tiny Skye Ferry runs April to mid-October between Glenelg on the mainland and Kylerhea, which is up a minor road south of Kyleakin. It's an odd contraption, with a swivelling deck, and its capacity is only six cars per trip or 18 per hour; there's no bus from Kylerhea. This ferry is best regarded as a tourist sight, not a practical transport option.

From Uig in the north of Skye, Calmac car ferries sail to Tarbert on Harris and Lochmaddy on North Uist - buses from Glasgow traverse Skye to connect. Those Outer Hebrides or Western Isles can be reached by other routes from the mainland (chiefly Ullapool to Stornoway, and Mallaig to Lochboisdale); so you could then sail to Uig and reach Skye by that circuitous route. It's not dissimilar to Bonnie Prince Charlie's fugitive backtrack to the mainland.

There's also a ferry between Sconser on Skye and Raasay. There's no other transport to that island so you have to double back. And yes, BPC did the same.

By bus
Buses run along the main highways between the bridge, Armadale, Portree and Uig as above.

Stagecoach Highlands Bus 57 circles between Portree, Uig and the Trotternish peninsula. Bus 57C is clockwise, Portree > Uig > Flodigarry > Staffin > Portree and 57A is anti-clockwise the reverse route. It runs every 3 hours or so M-F plus Sa in summer.

Bus 56 runs 3-5 times M-Sa from Portree to Dunvegan, with a couple continuing west to Colbost.

And that's about it. Individual village pages describe some other buses but they're of limited use to the visitor. Many are in effect school buses: anyone can use them, but they only make one run early morning then in late afternoon, M-F in termtime, so they don't run in the summer holidays. A good example is Bus 154 from Portree to Carbost.

By car
The main road A87 and the roads to Armadale A851 and Dunvegan A850 are undivided highways, in good condition though winding and very busy in summer, so overtaking is hazardous. Almost everything else is a single lane with passing places, although the Trotternish road A855 section between The Storr and Staffin has now been widened. Always have in mind whether your nearest passing place is ahead or behind you, and be prepared to respond to other vehicles accordingly. When using a passing place keep left: if the space is on your left pull in, if it's to your right stop adjacent on the left and the oncoming driver will swerve around in the passing place. Out of season the roads are very quiet, but some of those sheep ought to be made to attend road safety awareness training.

Car hire is available in Mallaig and Kyle of Lochalsh on the mainland, and Armadale and Portree on Skye. Book well ahead as their fleets are small. If you fly into, say, Glasgow, you'll do better to hire from the airport.

By bicycle
Many of the roads in Skye are cyclable, although traffic can be a problem in late summer. If you're cycling, make sure you have good raingear; Skye is wet even by the drizzly standards of Scotland. Bikes travel free on the ferry from Mallaig, and the ride from Armadale north to the bridge is pleasant.

By thumb
Hitching is never 100% safe, but residents of Skye are generally very open to giving lifts in remoter areas (especially if you've missed the last bus of the day or it's raining).

See

 * Trotternish, the peninsula north of Portree, was distorted by a huge landslip 10,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age. The ice had been supporting the mountainside, which collapsed leaving strange exposed rock formations. The Old Man of Storr is a rock pinnacle seen from the road, and Kilt Rock is a dolerite sea cliff that doesn't much resemble a kilt. The Quiraing is a weird plateau hidden by rock pillars - you only get a limited view from the road, so take the four-mile loop walk to get close.
 * Macleod's Maidens are sea-stacks near Skye's west tip. They're reached by a long hike from Dunvegan, but more usually seen by boat trip.
 * Prehistoric: the aligned stones and other megaliths are modest, but no coastal headland is complete without its broch or dun. These are Iron Age settlements, around 200 BC to 200 AD, with the best at Dun Ardtreck teetering on the cliffs near Carbost. For even earlier remnants see the Dinosaur Museum at Kilt Rock.
 * Dunvegan Castle is the grandest building on Skye. It's been the ancestral home of the Chiefs of Clan MacLeod for 800 years, but what you see now is mostly Victorian.
 *  Armadale Castle is the masonry shell of an 18th/19th-century mansion, but has attractive gardens and a museum.
 * Other castles that are little more than picturesque stumps are Dunscaith a few miles north of Armadale, Castle Moil at Kyleakin and Duntulm north of Uig.
 * Neist Point Lighthouse on Duirnish Peninsula is the most westerly point of Skye.
 * Loch Coruisk is a scenic loch framed by mountains near the west coast, usually reached via Elgol.
 * Skye Museum of Island Life north of Uig has a preserved township of thatched cottages, displayed as at 1800.

Do

 * Learn Scottish Gaelic at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, Skye's Gaelic college. Attend one of their short courses or do a full degree.
 * The Cuillin are Skye's most famous group of mountains, and there are coastal treks. Visit Walkhighlands (Isle of Skye walks), a free and independent guide to walks on the island.
 * Bag all the Munros, the mountains over 3000 ft / 914.4 m in Scotland. By far the most difficult is Sgùrr Dearg above Glenbrittle, as it's topped by a sharp blade of rock rightly named "The Inaccessible Pinnacle", requiring rock-climbing skills and gear to surmount.
 * Look up your ancestors: the Archive Centre in Portree has records back to the 17th century.
 * Boat trips mostly sail from Portree, with some from Uig and elsewhere. The visit to Loch Coruisk is usually done as a boat trip from Elgol.
 * Events: live music, ceilidhs and concerts are held year round, but mostly July-Aug.

Skye has its own local radio station which is worth a listen to find out about local events. 102.7MHz, 106.2MHz (Portree/Staffin) & 107.2MHz (Sleat) depending on where you are and it is also available online.

Buy
Fill the car tank before you leave central Scotland, and drive cannily. You'll do a lot of mileage just to get here, with not many refueling options en route. The filling station at the south end of Portree has fuel for only a few pence more than city supermarket prices.

Most of the larger villages on Skye have some kind of small shop, but don't expect a broad range or supermarket prices. Portree has the biggest selection, including two Co-op supermarkets. Broadford has a few shops including a small Co-op and a smaller Asda.

Woollen goods are a noted product of Skye. Look for them at the gift shop at the Clan Donald Centre at Armadale Castle or in Portree.

Drink

 * Cuillin Brewery in Sligachan is a micro-brewery that offers tours.
 * Isle of Skye Brewing Company in Uig has brewery tours and a shop. Their most popular bottled beers are Black Cuillin (a dark porter), Red Cuillin (an amber) and Hebridean Gold (a golden ale), available in many pubs across the island.
 * Isle of Skye Distillery make gin and vodka in Portree, no tours.
 * Whisky distilleries: Talisker in Carbost is the best known, but there's also Torabhaig in Sleat, plus Raasay an easy day-trip from Sconser. All three can be toured. Isle of Skye Whisky is perfectly quaffable, but it's a blended product from Broxburn near Edinburgh, with no connection to the island.

Sleep
The main tourist season is from Easter through September. The bridge has made Skye very accessible and popular, outstripping the supply of accommodation, and some hotels are block-booked in summer by coach excursions. So you need to book well ahead, and don’t try to visit in July / August without a booking. It's got so bad, at the height of summer the police have to turn people back on the A87 if they haven't booked anything. Off-season is quieter and some places hibernate, but it's never as closed and boarded up elsewhere in the Hebrides.

Camping is popular with visitors to Skye, but it's even more popular with the midges, who greet each new tent with hungry clouds. You might do better in pods where you can shut them out. Camp sites are dotted around the island, some in very picturesque settings. You can probably wild-camp in a tent most places, but camper vans and caravans attempting to park by the road overnight will be moved on by the police. There are hostels in Broadford, Glenbrittle, Portree and elsewhere.

The main concentration of hotels and B&Bs is in Portree. They're pricey! Self-catering cottages are simply everywhere, some very out-of-the-way; they usually book by the week.

Go next

 * Return to the mainland via the bridge to see Plockton, Eilean Donan Castle at Dornie, and Loch Ness.
 * Or return via ferry to Mallaig to visit Glenfinnan, Ardnamurchan Peninsula and Ben Nevis above Fort William.
 * The Small Isles are Eigg, Rùm, Muck and Canna, reached by ferry from Mallaig; in summer a day-trip may be possible.
 * Outer Hebrides: ferries sail from Uig on Skye to Tarbet on Harris and to Lochmaddy on North Uist.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Skye


text:
Skylands

The Skylands is fairly mountainous region of Northwest New Jersey.

Cities

 * — A city of traditions. Washington camped there during the American Revolution.
 * — A mixture between a collegetown and a wealthy town.
 * — the county seat of Sussex County.
 * — A popular destination with a ski resort in the winter and a water based theme park in the summer.
 * — A large, urban town just across the river from Easton in the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania.
 * — A small town, with a historic, but struggling, Main Street.
 * — Shopping in outlet stores is the thing to do here.
 * — a transit hub near the corner of Warren, Morris and Sussex counties, with a train station very close to Interstate 80, and Routes 46 and 206

Other destinations

 * — beautiful park on the river for camping, hiking, tubing, canoeing, and other recreational activities
 * — the largest body of fresh water in New Jersey, featuring fishing, boating, ice skating, and more

Understand

 * American English is the main language of this part of New Jersey, but Spanish speakers can be found in shops and restaurants in many major towns. Communities of people who speak many major languages in the world can be found in pockets all over this region, as well.

By plane

 * Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown to the west is the closest airport with scheduled air service, about a 20-minute drive to the Delaware River.

 * Newark Liberty International Airport to the east is a major airport and can reach the nearest portions of the region within 30 minutes by car (rush hour traffic notwithstanding).

 * Philadelphia International Airport is also a major airport, but at least a 90-minute drive coming from the south.

By train
Three New Jersey Transit lines originating from New York, Hoboken, and Newark reach into the region.
 * The Montclair-Boonton Line first travels north into Passaic County before turning west into Morris County and terminating at Hackettstown.
 * The Morristown Line enters Morris County from its southeast after Summit and runs through the eponymous town before joining the Montclair-Boonton Line at Denville and also terminating at Hackettstown; its Gladstone Branch stays south at Summit and instead runs through northern Somerset County, terminating at Gladstone.
 * The Raritan Valley Line enters central Somerset County; most trains terminate at Raritan though some offer further service into Hunterdon County and terminate at High Bridge.

By car
Interstates 80 and 78 are the main east-west highways through the region; those will be your two main options coming from New York City (from the east) or Northeast Pennsylvania (from the west).

If you're coming from Westchester or Rockland Counties in New York, I-287 is likely a better bet in order to avoid the worst of New York City-related traffic, although do be cautious about large trucks parked on the side of the road, especially at night, as the highway can be somewhat winding here -- they're not supposed to be there but for the drivers anything to get that early delivery bonus. Coming from farther upstate New York or from New England, consider using I-84 westbound through the Hudson valley and entering Sussex County from the north via US-6 or US-209 (they quickly become US-206 right before crossing the state border).

From Philadelphia and its suburbs to the north and west, US-202 reaches directly into Hunterdon County. Suburbs to Philly's northeast, as well as those on the New Jersey side of the Delaware River, will likely find using I-295 before switching to NJ-29 (along the River), NJ-31, or US-206 (through Princeton) to be the best paths (US-206 can be a hassle during rush hour owing to it being only two lanes for a good portion of its route, though).

From the Jersey Shore, the Garden State Parkway is the fastest way to get to I-287, from where you can travel into the region (US-9 or NJ-18 are your best bets if you're willing to trade tolls for traffic lights).

Itineraries

 * Appalachian Trail

Do
Waterloo Village in Stanhope is a restored 19th-century canal town and open air museum.

The New Jersey State Fair in Augusta is a typical state fair with exhibits, shows and food in a very large fairgrounds facilities for about 10 days every summer.

Professional sports fans could take in a game of either of the region's baseball teams, the Sussex County Miners of the Can-Am League, who play in Skylands Park in Augusta, or the Somerset Patriots of the Atlantic League who play in TD Bank Park in Bridgewater.

Mountain Creek Resort in Vernon is famous for its skiing in the winter time and its water park in the summertime. There are other events in the fall: wine tasting, dog and horse shows, and a farmers' market.

The Land of Make Believe near Hackettstown is an amusement park designed for parent participation with children.

Eat

 * Pizzerias can be found around almost every corner. Most are good, some are better than others.
 * Hot Dog Johnny's: an iconic road stop off of Route 46 in Buttzville, NJ where you can get fantastic hotdogs and fries and some tasty refreshing birch beer.

Stay safe
Emergency — Dial 911

 * Morristown Memorial Hospital, 100 Madison Avenue, Morristown, NJ 07962. +1-800-247-9580. Regional Trauma Center
 * Hackettstown Regional Medical Center, 651 Willow Grove Street, Hackettstown, NJ 07840. +1 908 852-5100
 * Warren Hospital, 185 Roseberry Street, Phillipsburg, NJ 08865. +1 908 859-6700
 * St. Clare's Health System (4 Hospitals)
 * Clare's Hospital/Boonton Township — 130 Powerville Road, Boonton, NJ 07005. General Information: +1 973-316-1800.
 * Saint Clare's Hospital/Denville, 25 Pocono Road, Denville, NJ 07834. General Information: +1 973-625-6000.
 * Saint Clare's Hospital/Dover, 400 West Blackwell Street, Dover, NJ 07801. General Information: +1 973-989-3000.
 * Saint Clare's Hospital/Sussex, 20 Walnut Street, Sussex, NJ 07461. General Information: +1 973-702-2600.
 * Newton Memorial Hospital, 175 High Street, Newton, NJ 07860. +1 973-383-2121.
 * 24 Hour Pharmacy in Mt. Olive

title: Skylands


text:
Skyros

Skyros is an island in the southern Sporades Islands of Greece. The main town is also named Skyros, but is known locally as the Chora, as are the main towns on numerous other Greek islands.

Understand
During the summer the island population swells dramatically from 3,000 to 8,000, but the island doesn't feel exploited or overcrowded.

History
According to Greek mythology, Theseus died on Skyros when he was thrown from a cliff. Neoptolemus, son of Achilles, was from Skyros (or Scyros, as its name is sometimes transliterated), as told in the play by Sophocles, Philoctetes (line 239). In c. 475 BC, according to Thucydides, Cimon defeated the Dolopians (the original inhabitants) and conquered the entire island. From that date, it was colonized by Athenian settlers and became a part of the Athenian Empire. It was on the strategic trade route from Athens to the Black Sea. Cimon claimed to have found the remains of Theseus, and returned them to Athens. In 340 BC the Macedonians took over the island and dominated it until 192 BC, when the king Philip and the Roman Republican forces restored it to Athens. Rupert Brooke, the famous English poet, is buried on Skyros, having died on board a French hospital ship moored off the island in 1915, during World War I.

Get in
The north side of the island is 17 km from the town of Skyros.

By plane
Skyros Airport is served by both domestic and international airlines. The airport is near the village of Trachy.

By boat
Skyros has a ferry service with the following ports: Evia (Kymi), Skopelos, Alonissos. The best ferry service is the ferry from Kymi in Euboea to Linaria.

Get around
Especially to get to the secluded beaches you have to rent a vehicle, while for the main beaches between Kyros city and Molos the public bus service is sufficient

See

Beaches
In addition to the beaches mentioned here, there are many more, but sometimes difficult to reach. Some of them are practically only accessible by boat

Eat
Around the island you will find very nice beach restaurants everywhere. The food is usually good and differs only slightly. Fast food, pizza, gyros etc. are also abundant, especially in and around the capital.

Drink
Skyros is a rather quiet island without the noisy mass tourism of other Greek party islands, so the nightlife takes place at a low level. You should not expect big disco nights or wild parties, just a few bars and beach bars to enjoy a drink. These bars offer a wide variety of music styles, from Greek to international songs, but still quite relaxed. The nightlife of Skyros focuses mainly on the capital. There are also a few beach bars in Molos and Magazia, which are converted into lounge bars in the evening. Bars in Skyros are usually open until 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning,

Sleep
Most of the accommodations are located at Skyros Town and Molos, because here, apart from the well-known beaches, you will find some nightlife, which is rather dull on the rest of the island.

Stay safe
You can safely move at night on the island, crime is virtually non-existent, except possibly pickpocketing. Beware of poisonous snakes between rocks and abandoned houses.

Go next
Excursions to the surrounding islands of Euboea and the other Northern Sporades Islands are only possible with great expenditure of time and not as day trips

title: Skyros


text:
Slagelse

Slagelse is a city in Zealand.

Get in
Slagelse is a traffic hub for western Zealand. There are many buses.

Train
Slagelse is on the main Copenhagen-Jutland line with two trains an hour in each direction.

Slagelse is on the Slagelse-Høng-Tølløse private line.

title: Slagelse


text:
Slatington

Slatington is a borough in Pennsylvania's Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The borough lies in the center of the highly populated Northeast megalopolis region of the U.S., 27 mi west of the Skylands and New Jersey state line, 69.6 mi north of Philadelphia, and 100 mi west of New York City.

Understand
Slatington, originally inhabited by the Lenape Native American tribe, is a small Lehigh County town located about 30 minutes northwest of Allentown. Named after the prosperous slate industry once housed there, Slatington is home to roughly 4,200 residents (2020 Census). Although there are a lack of activities to do within Slatington, there are plenty of nearby outdoor attractions and nature trails to explore the beauty of Pennsylvania.

By car
Pennsylvania Route 873 is the primary artery through Slatington. From Allentown, a driver would take Pennsylvania Route 309 North to Schnecksville and then continue onto Route 873. The journey would take about half an hour.

From the north, Route 873 is accessible from Pennsylvania Route 248, which runs between Lehighton and Easton.

By limo

 * A&A Limousine Service, or
 * J&J Transportation, or
 * Your Way Taxi & Limo,

Outdoor activities
Numerous outdoor biking/hiking trails converge near Slatington along the Lehigh River.

Buy
Slatington lacks major shopping outlets. The nearby communities of Walnutport and Whitehall Township provide more opportunities for shopping.

Sleep
There are no hotels or lodging in Slatington. The closest available lodging is located in nearby Danielsville.

The nearest chain hotels are located in Allentown and Lehighton.

Tourist information

 * Discover Lehigh Valley, 1250 Simon Blvd., Easton,

Phones
In Slatington, like all Lehigh Valley locations, you must dial an area code when you place a call. Area codes in the Lehigh Valley are 610 and 484.

Other Lehigh Valley locations

 * Allentown, 15.2 mi
 * Bangor, 26.5 mi
 * Bethlehem, 20.5 mi
 * Easton, 23 mi
 * Emmaus, 19.7 mi
 * Fogelsville, 15.7 mi
 * Hellertown, 28.3 mi
 * Nazareth, 17.5 mi
 * Phillipsburg, NJ, 26.8 mi
 * Whitehall Township, 12.2 mi

Leaving Slatington is very much the same as coming in. You can leave by the LANTA bus system or by car taking Route 873 to Route 309 into Allentown. Slatington is also an entry point to Pennsylvania's Coal Region and the nearby towns of Lehighton and Jim Thorpe are accessible via PA Route 248 and US Route 209.

title: Slatington


text:
Slave Lake

Slave Lake (pop 6,650 in 2016) is a town on Lesser Slave Lake in North Central Alberta. Slave Lake serves as a local centre for the area. There are several outdoor activities available for visitors, including a provincial park, pristine beaches, and a bird research centre.

Understand
The administrative office for the Sawridge First Nation Reserve is also in the town.

History
The area of the present-day Town of Slave Lake was discovered by Europeans when David Thompson visited the area in 1799. Following his brief visit, several fur trading posts were established around Slave Lake, with a Hudson's Bay Company post established at the mouth of the lake. The first community, called Sawridge, was renamed Slave Lake in 1923. It was wiped out by a flood in the 1930s, and was moved to its current location.

In 2011, large parts of the town were affected by wildfires in the area. Winds pushed the flames into the town and destroyed many houses and businesses. Mandatory evacuation orders were issued, but with highways being closed, residents were urged to make their way to beaches, large parking lots, and open spaces. Highway 2 was eventually re-opened for evacuation, and full evacuation was ordered for Slave Lake.

One third of the town was destroyed, including the town hall, the library, a radio station, a mall and a lot of homes and other buildings; no injuries or deaths were reported.

Get in
The Town of Slave Lake is located at the intersection of Highway 2 and Highway 88. The closest major transportation hub is Edmonton, 281 km south of town. Slave Lake is accessible from Edmonton via Highway 44 and Highway 2.

By bus

 * Operates a route several days per week between Peace River and Edmonton including stops in High Prairie, Slave Lake, and Westlock.

By plane
Slave Lake has an airport available for landing charter flights only.

Get around

 * Riverline Taxi,
 * Arrow Taxi,

Do

 * Lesser Slave Lake offers 7 km of pristine, white sand beaches in the Lesser Slave Lake Provincial Park, which has been featured on the Discovery Channel as part of the Great Canadian Parks series.
 * The Pelican Mountain range is to the northeast where Marten Mountain rises 1020 metres above sea level.
 * Summer activities (April through October): biking, camping, fishing, hiking, off-roading, recreational boating
 * Summer festivals: Riverboat Daze, the Alberta Open Sandsculpture Championships, the Lesser Slave Lake Song Bird Festival and numerous fishing tournaments.
 * Winter activities: ice fishing (Walleye, Northern Pike (Jackfish), Whitefish), cross-country skiing, back-country sledding

Eat

Drink
There are two bars ( and Fairways Lounge) and a restaurant in the Slave Lake Inn and Conference Centre.

Lesser Slave Lake
Lesser Slave Lake is a body of water (and region) which extends westward from the town of Slave Lake.

title: Slave Lake


text:
Slavonia

Slavonia (Slavonija in Croatian) is the northeastern region of Croatia, bordering Hungary, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. (It should not be confused with the nearby country of Slovenia.)

Other destinations

 * Nature park Kopački rit
 * Nature park Papuk
 * — a piece of disputed land on the bank of the Danube, proclaimed by a Czech activist as the Free Republic of Liberland

Understand
Slavonia is a distinct region in terms of ethnological factors in traditional music.

See

 * The Kopački Rit is the biggest natural wetlands in Europe and the birdlife is spectacular. This enormous nature park, located around 15km north of Osijek where the Danube and Drava rivers flow into one another, is a great day out in the countryside - though bring some insect repellent as the mosquitos do bite!! There is no public transport to the park, so take the local bus to Bilje and its a 2-3km walk.

Itineraries

 * Stay in Osijek, the principal city of Slavonia and visit all the sights and cities around.

title: Slavonia


text:
Slavonski Brod

Slavonski Brod  is a city in Slavonia on the north bank of the Sava river, which also acts as a border to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Across the river lies the smaller Bosnian town of Brod.

By car
Slavonski Brod lies along the A3 motorway (Autocesta) Zagreb-Slavonski Brod-Belgrade, which has been renovated which is an important route between South-Eastern and Western Europe. The Autocesta is a toll-road.

Other roads connect city to Pécs (Hungary), Osijek and Sarajevo.

Hitch-hiking
You can hitch-hike onto the highway at the gas stations on either side of the road in Brod or before the toll booth.

By train
From Zagreb: Trains run several times per day. The ordinary fast train travels about 2 hours 30 minutes. Tilting Intercity train Slavonia is one of the best trains in Croatia, with seats of European standards, travels slightly over 2 hours and complimentary coffee is served on board. The difference in price compared to a regular intercity train is negligible (~), but the seats are often hard to get in the last minute on weekends. The passenger trains also run several times a day, but travel significantly longer and are not reliable.

From Belgrade: Direct lines from Belgrade are available (travel time approx. 3.5 hours). However, there is an option of changing trains at Vinkovci.

By bus
Several services operate to Slavonski Brod from any major Croatian city, as well as from Belgrade, Novi Sad, Subotica (Serbia) and many cities in Bosnia. Direct lines are also available to and from many German, Swiss and Austrian cities: Munich, Vienna, Graz, Zurich (daily), Stuttgart, Cologne, Düsseldorf (twice a week). Buses are operated by Croatian bus companies and are reasonably reliable.

By plane
Slavonski Brod is the largest city in Croatia without an international airport. The closest major airports are Zagreb and Belgrade.

Osijek airport (approx. 100 km away) operates seasonal flights by Croatia airlines to Split and Dubrovnik.

By boat
Although the River Sava is suitable for sailing, it is only used for freight traffic. However, ambitious projects are under way which would include tourist boats from other cities on the Sava river.

Do

 * Poloj is a sand beach on the Sava river, about 5-10 minutes drive from the city center. Locals swim in the river, but it is an imperative to remain cautious while being in the river, as this is a large and fast river. Greatest caution is advised to people who have no experience with swimming in rivers.The beach was not used for many years during and after the war and is now being renovated. The ambitious plan includes many sport grounds, a restaurant and a bar.
 * Motorijada (Motor fest) is an annual biker's gathering which takes place on a weekend around the day of the city (15th May). The fest lasts for two nights (Friday and Saturday) and gathers many biker clubs from Croatia, Bosnia and other European countries. The line-up consists of one very popular Croatian rock band per night and a number of Croatian demo bands. The accompanying events include a mix of international activities (such as mechanical bull riding) with a feel of Slavonian village gathering (tents with beer and food). The event takes place on Poloj, a beach on the Save river.
 * Take a walk in the hills of Vinogorje, just north of the Autocesta, for example to Sjeme Panj Umjetnost Život.

Drink
Even though it is not a 7-day-per-week party destination, city scene becomes wild and vibrant on a clear Saturday, especially during holidays. The reason is a large number of students from Zagreb and Osijek and a large number of people who emigrated from city, who regularly return to city for holidays.

The most popular clubs include Iguana, Alfa and Navigator, which play modern clubbing music and offer a range of drinks at arguably the lowest prices found in a major city in Croatia. For instance, a glass of juice-vodka would cost approx. €2 in Slavonski Brod and almost €4 in a club in Zagreb or on the Adriatic. Clubs usually work to 03:00, when the crowds usually move to Rupa (a rock club), Pivnica or Cezar. Other clubs are also available and their popularity varies. It is best to ask any young person in the street on a Saturday night about "in" places.

Slavonski Brod also hosts two large turbo folk clubs: Navalis and Cezar (folk section).

Go next
Papuk - a hill 60 km northwest of Slavonski Brod, a nature park and a popular recreational destination. Kopački Rit - a nature park famous for its bird life at the confluence of Drava and Danube rivers.
 * Osijek - the largest city in the Slavonia region is a beautiful old city and an important cultural centre in Croatia.
 * Đakovo - a smaller city half way between Slavonski Brod and Osijek, famous for one of the largest and most beautiful cathedrals in South Central Europe.
 * Vinkovci, Vukovar - twin cities north-east of Slavonski Brod.

title: Slavonski Brod


text:
Slănic

Slănic (occasionally Slănic Prahova) is a town in Muntenia.

Understand
Located about 100 km north of Bucharest in the hilly area near the Carpathian mountains, Slănic is a spa town known for its salt mines and lakes.

By bus
There are frequent minibuses from Ploieşti (40 minutes - one hour travel time) and several daily buses from Bucharest (two hours and half); some of their schedules are available on autogari.ro

By train
Slanic is reached by a railway, but trains can't actually enter the town because of a damaged bridge; instead they stop about 10 km away in Poiana Slănic (which is linked with Slănic itself by minibus). There are three or four commuter trains daily from Ploieşti (50 minutes travel time); timetables are available on the rail operator CFR website.

Get around
The town can be visited on foot.

Sleep
Accommodation is available in several guesthouses with prices starting at around €12/night.

Go next
A similarly extensive salt mine is in Turda, but quite far away.

title: Slănic


text:
Slănic Moldova

Slănic Moldova is a spa town in Moldavia.

Understand
Located in the western part pf Moldavia in the Carpathian mountains, Slănic Moldova is known for its mineral springs.

Get in
There are hourly buses from the nearby town Târgu Ocna (a 15 minutes trip), which has connections by rail with most parts of Romania.

Get around
The resort is walkable. You can go and see the mineral springs.

By car
If you want to visit Târgu Ocna, you can get in the car and drive 17 kilometers.

See
The most important thing to see here is the mineral springs, which are drinkable and help people to treat sick and some diseases. The mountains are rich in sulfur and iron, that's why the springs are rich in minerals.

Do
In the neighbour of the Town Hall, there is wireless internet for free and anyone can access it anytime. Another thing to do is to go to the mineral springs through the town park and see the picturesque image of the mountains around the village.

Buy
A lot of souvenirs are available here. Also, near the town park there is a complex where anyone can find clothes, magazines and food stores.

Drink
There are a lot of places where you can drink anything.

Sleep
Accommodations are available in guesthouses (prices starting around €12/night) and several hotels. The most important hotels are Eurovacanţa (***) and Nemira (****).

title: Slănic Moldova


text:
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Sleeping Bear Dunes is a United States National Lakeshore on Lake Michigan near Traverse City in Northern Michigan. It consists of miles of sand dunes on the Lake Michigan shoreline and the islands of North Manitou and South Manitou.

History
According to a Chippewa legend, a bear and her two cubs swam across Lake Michigan to escape a fire on the other side. The mother reached exhausted safety on the shore, but was unable to save her cubs, who drowned within sight of shore. The Great Spirit Manitou transformed the mother into a huge sand dune (looking out toward the lake), and the cubs into islands.

The area became important to Great Lakes shipping in the 19th century, as one of the few large safe harbors on the way around the Lower Peninsula to Chicago. Farming, both for subsistence and to supply passing ships was an important local industry.

The National Lakeshore was assembled in the 1960s and 1970s, largely from private land (and not without some controversy), eventually including not only the recreational immediate area of Sleeping Bear Dune, but the geologically – and scenically – significant shoreline to the south and northeast, and the two Manitou Islands.

Landscape
The National Lakeshore consists primarily of a 35-mile (60 km) stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline, featuring immense sand dunes rising as high as 460 feet above the lake, sculpted entirely by the winds and waters. The park includes or borders several small inland lakes and the mouth of the Platte River at its south end. The mainland portion of the park is broken into three sections by the villages of Empire and Glen Arbor.

The park also includes North and South Manitou Islands, each about 6–7 miles from shore. These were high points of ridges left as the glaciers receded, covered by wind-blown sand, and partially forested. North Manitou (7.75 by 4.25 miles) includes low-lying sandy regions in the southeast, rising to hills and 400-foot sand dunes in the northwest. South Manitou (about 3 by 4 miles) features perched dunes on the west, descending to a wide, concave harbor in the east.

Flora and fauna
The sand dunes provide a distinctive environment for vegetation. Dune grasses' long roots seek out water and help to hold the dunes together, along with thistles, bearberries, and other hardy plants. Juniper and jack pine take hold in the sand. Oak and white pine trees are found slightly inland from the beach. Further inland (where the soil is richer) it's a prime example of a beech/maple hardwood forest with some hemlock, basswood, and black cherry.

Birds can be found throughout the park, especially waterfowl such as Canada geese, loons, ducks, mergansers, and gulls. Shorebirds such as the sandpiper are common; the endangered piping plover nests on the North Manitou shoreline, parts of which are off-limits during mating season for this reason. Bald eagles nest on the islands, but hawks and owls are the main predatory birds. Sandhill cranes can be found in some wetlands. Thrushes and warblers inhabit the woodlands; the threatened prairie warbler nests in the mainland dunes along Lake Michigan.

Despite the park's name, black bears are rare in the area. Chipmunks, fox squirrels, and gray squirrels (including the uncommon black variety) are commonplace. The northern flying squirrel (which really just glides short distances) lives here but isn't often seen. Several species of bats (which fly quite well) are out between dusk and dawn. Raccoons like to hang out around campsites to scavenge. Beavers, otters, and minks can be found around inland lakes and streams. Bobcats (a feline slightly larger than a housecat) are present but avoid human contact. White-tailed deer have become increasingly common since forests were cleared in the area (they are hunted, in season) -- and are known to host deer ticks, which also attack humans. Coyotes and opossums are other recent arrivals to the area. Cougars have been sighted (see "Stay safe"), though they are generally elusive and avoid contact.

The islands have a limited variety of mammals, due to their distance from the mainland and their small size. Beavers, mice, chipmunks, squirrels, snowshoe hares, bats, and coyotes can be found. North Manitou also has raccoons and white-tailed deer. The deer were introduced, and because they had no predators overwhelmed the island, eradicating some plant species and halting the growth of new maple, cedar, and pine trees. They are now hunted to keep their numbers down and much of the vegetation is recovering. On the other hand, South Manitou's plant life is fairly representative of what the mainland was like before farming and deer grazing. The trees are mostly beech and maple, with a stand of huge white cedars (one fallen specimen was over 500 years old) and yew growing in the underbrush. Trillium (which are protected) grow on both islands, along with many other spring wildflowers and orchids.

Climate
The park lies at 45° North, halfway between the always-frozen pole and the always-warm equator. Although Lake Michigan moderates temperatures somewhat, summers are hot (sometimes over 90°F by day) and winters are cold (sometimes below 0°F). The vast water reservoir to the west means the heat is humid and the cold is snowy. Sunscreen and footwear to protect you from hot sand is essential in the summer. Spring comes fairly late, the chill of autumn can come early, and weather coming off the big lake can change conditions quickly, so dressing in layers is a good idea.

Visitor information

 * Park website

By car
The National Lakeshore is several miles from Traverse City: Take M-72 west to Empire, then the western leg of M-22 and/or M-109 to access most areas of the park.

By bus
Grand Traverse and Leelanau County's Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA) has bus service to Empire and Glen Arbor, M-F, and connections with the Greyhound bus network in Traverse City.

By plane
Traverse City's Cherry Capital Airport has regular commercial air service from Detroit, Chicago and other regional airports.

Fees and permits
An entry fee of $10 per private vehicle, or $5 per person (16 and older) for those on foot or two wheels, is charged for all parties visiting the park; the fee is valid for seven days. A $20 annual pass is available for those planning on making multiple visits. There are additional fees for camping (see "Sleep"). Passes can be purchased at ranger stations or from 24-hour machines at the visitor center and two main campgrounds.

Get around
Local and state roads connect most parts of the mainland portion of the park, so cars or bicycles are the most practical way of getting from one to another. One potentially confusing road is M-22, which goes up the west side of the Leelanau Peninsula then comes down the east side; make sure you know which leg you're on and which leg your destination is on.

The islands are accessible by private motorboat or by commercial ferry:
 * Manitou Island Transit, P.O. Box 1157, Leland, MI 49654 (several miles north of the mainland part of the park, on the west leg of M-22) +1 231-256-9061. From mid-June thru Labor Day, they offer daily transportation to South Manitou (with a 4.5-hour layover at the island, also suitable for day-trippers) and Su M W F Sa to North Manitou (no layover, so it's for campers only), as well as sunset cruises and scuba expeditions.  In early summer they operate on a less frequent schedule, and in the fall they run a single ship to both islands on Su W F.  Closed from the end of deer-hunting season through April.  Reservations recommended.  $29 round-trip to either island.

See

 * Port Oneida Farms (northern section of the park) and Tweedle/Treat Farms (southern section) are historical farming communities that are very well-preserved examples (in the sense of not being replaced or modernized; they're in varying states of natural disrepair) of 19th-century settlements in the area. South and North Manitou Islands also have abandoned farms.  The Village (North Manitou Island, near the dock) is a row of former homes and cottages, long since abandoned and slowing falling into disrepair.  The interior of many of the buildings in these areas are unsafe and are off-limits unless specifically designated.
 * Port Oneida Farms (northern section of the park) and Tweedle/Treat Farms (southern section) are historical farming communities that are very well-preserved examples (in the sense of not being replaced or modernized; they're in varying states of natural disrepair) of 19th-century settlements in the area. South and North Manitou Islands also have abandoned farms.  The Village (North Manitou Island, near the dock) is a row of former homes and cottages, long since abandoned and slowing falling into disrepair.  The interior of many of the buildings in these areas are unsafe and are off-limits unless specifically designated.
 * Port Oneida Farms (northern section of the park) and Tweedle/Treat Farms (southern section) are historical farming communities that are very well-preserved examples (in the sense of not being replaced or modernized; they're in varying states of natural disrepair) of 19th-century settlements in the area. South and North Manitou Islands also have abandoned farms.  The Village (North Manitou Island, near the dock) is a row of former homes and cottages, long since abandoned and slowing falling into disrepair.  The interior of many of the buildings in these areas are unsafe and are off-limits unless specifically designated.
 * Port Oneida Farms (northern section of the park) and Tweedle/Treat Farms (southern section) are historical farming communities that are very well-preserved examples (in the sense of not being replaced or modernized; they're in varying states of natural disrepair) of 19th-century settlements in the area. South and North Manitou Islands also have abandoned farms.  The Village (North Manitou Island, near the dock) is a row of former homes and cottages, long since abandoned and slowing falling into disrepair.  The interior of many of the buildings in these areas are unsafe and are off-limits unless specifically designated.
 * Port Oneida Farms (northern section of the park) and Tweedle/Treat Farms (southern section) are historical farming communities that are very well-preserved examples (in the sense of not being replaced or modernized; they're in varying states of natural disrepair) of 19th-century settlements in the area. South and North Manitou Islands also have abandoned farms.  The Village (North Manitou Island, near the dock) is a row of former homes and cottages, long since abandoned and slowing falling into disrepair.  The interior of many of the buildings in these areas are unsafe and are off-limits unless specifically designated.

Do

 * Climb the big dune. The dune at the center of the park near Sleeping Bear Point isn't an easy climb, but it's within the ability of anyone in decent physical condition, and worth the effort for the view.  Open any time, day or night, year-round.
 * Over a dozen hiking and cross-country-ski trails totaling 55 miles (94 km) lead to the dunes and other interesting areas of the park.  Some of these are closed in winter. Horseback riding is permitted on one of them (Alligator Hill). The iPhone app Sleeping Bear Trails lists each trail.
 * Ranger-led nature walks on the Cottonwood Trail are offered in summer.
 * Evening campfire programs are offered by the rangers at the D.H. Day and Platte River campgrounds during the summer, open to everyone.
 * Snowshoe hikes are organized and led by the park rangers on weekends during January and February. They start from the visitor center, and last about 2 hours.
 * Kids 6-16 can apply to become Junior Rangers. Fill out the workbook ($1.95 at several park concessions) with the help of a ranger, and get a Junior Ranger patch and bragging rights.

Buy
The visitors' center has a small selection of books and souvenirs available.

Eat
There is no restaurant within the park, so visitors should plan on dining in one of the nearby towns.

Drink
Alcohol is permitted in the park, but disturbing other campers or the natural setting of the park is not.

Lodging
There are no hotels operated in the park, but lodging can be found in the nearby cities of Arcadia and Traverse City and the towns of Honor, Empire, and Glen Arbor.

Camping
There are two campgrounds operated by the park service:

Backcountry
Leave-no-trace camping is permitted on both of the Manitou Islands and on the mainland. All sites are open year-round, but the only access to the island sites during the off-season is by private boat, because the ferry doesn't run year-round (see "Get around"). A $5/night backcountry permit is required (good for 1-4 campers), except as noted.

North Manitou Island
Ad hoc - Camping is permitted anywhere except within 300 feet of water or buildings, or on trails. Fires prohibited.

Stay safe

 * Cougars are endangered but have been sighted in the area. They are light brown felines, 5–8 feet long (including the tail).  In the unlikely event that you encounter one, don't approach it, and don't run.  A cougar expects prey to flee and will react like a house cat chasing a mouse.  Pick up any small children or pets.  Make eye contact, spread your arms to make yourself look bigger, and back away slowly.  If it approaches you, make noise and throw things at it; let it know that you're dangerous too.  If it attacks, don't curl up defensively... fight back.  Cougars rarely kill humans, and are more likely to strike from an ambush position on a child or small female than a family or adult male.
 * The explosion of deer populations in Michigan parks has led to a large number of deer ticks, an unpleasant parasitic insect. Ticks are known to spread diseases such as Lyme Disease, and leave a painful, itchy bite.  DEET-based repellents and clothing treated with Permethrin will prevent tick bites.  Ticks cling to thick grasses and brush along paths used by deer, which also unfortunately include hiking trails made by man.

Go next

 * To the northeast lies the winemaking portion of the Leelanau Peninsula, one of Michigan's key grape-growing and wine-making regions.
 * To the east on beautiful Grand Traverse Bay is "cherry capital" Traverse City.
 * Beaver Island is a partially developed island some 40 miles to the northeast of North Manitou Island.

title: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore


text:
Sleepy Hollow

Sleepy Hollow is a village in Westchester County in the state of New York. It was one of the settings for Washington Irving's short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".

Understand
Founded as an agricultural center in Dutch New Netherland by Frederick Philipse. Philipse switched allegiance to England when the British evicted the Dutch, but his heirs were less astute in their political affiliations: 3rd generation Philipses continued allegiance to England during the American Revolution and were forced to forfeit their vast land holdings. After the war, the small hamlet around the Philipse's mill was renamed Beekmantown after a prominent patriot family. By 1874 the hamlet had grown into a village and incorporated as North Tarrytown. In 1996 residents of the village voted to change its name from North Tarrytown to Sleepy Hollow to distinguish it from the adjacent village of Tarrytown. Sleepy Hollow shares a zip code and a school system with Tarrytown, but the two villages are separate municipalities.

Washington Irving's short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is set here and in Tarrytown. In the story, "Sleepy Hollow" is the valley of the Pocantico River, now largely occupied by Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and Rockefeller State Park Preserve.

Sleepy Hollow Chamber of Commerce provides tourist information and descriptions of seasonal events on its web site and in its storefront window: 1 Neperan Rd, Tarrytown, +1 914 631-1705.

By plane

 * Newark Liberty International Airport, Newark, New Jersey, John F. Kennedy International Airport , and LaGuardia Airport: The three major international airports in the New York City area offer service to just about anywhere. Westchester-based taxi and livery cars offer regular service to and from the three internationals from most areas of the county. New York City yellow cabs will take to you Westchester in a pinch, but the fares can be exorbitant. Ask if your hotel offers shuttle service.
 * Newark Liberty International Airport, Newark, New Jersey, John F. Kennedy International Airport , and LaGuardia Airport: The three major international airports in the New York City area offer service to just about anywhere. Westchester-based taxi and livery cars offer regular service to and from the three internationals from most areas of the county. New York City yellow cabs will take to you Westchester in a pinch, but the fares can be exorbitant. Ask if your hotel offers shuttle service.
 * Newark Liberty International Airport, Newark, New Jersey, John F. Kennedy International Airport , and LaGuardia Airport: The three major international airports in the New York City area offer service to just about anywhere. Westchester-based taxi and livery cars offer regular service to and from the three internationals from most areas of the county. New York City yellow cabs will take to you Westchester in a pinch, but the fares can be exorbitant. Ask if your hotel offers shuttle service.

By car

 * Sleepy Hollow is easily accessible from the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada via interstate highways such as the New England and New Jersey Turnpikes (I-95) and the New York State Thruway system. The I-87 portion of the Thruway connecting Albany and New York City crosses the Hudson River in adjacent Tarrytown on the Tappan Zee bridge as does I-287, which connects with I-95 to the east. The Saw Mill River Parkway, which runs along the village's eastern flank, connects with the Taconic State Parkway to the north (to Albany and the I-90 east-west portion of the Thruway system) and the Henry Hudson Parkway into New York City. Route 9 connects Sleepy Hollow to the major highways in Tarrytown.

By train

 * Metro-North Railroad - Hudson line. Downtown Sleepy Hollow is just about equidistant from the Tarrytown and Philipse Manor (Sleepy Hollow) stations. Express service between Tarrytown station and New York City's Grand Central Terminal is about 35 minutes, about 39 minutes to Philipse Manor station. Local rail service is available between other Metro-North commuter stations. Taxis swarm the Tarrytown station at the arrival of nearly every train, but Philipse Manor does not get the same attention. On all Metro-North trains on-board fares are subject to a stiff surcharge, so buy your tickets at the station or at the vending machines located on the southbound (to New York) platform at the Tarrytown station. Metro-North's "One-Day Getaways" discount package is available to Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate. Enterprise has a car rental office for Metro-North stations.
 * Amtrak. Long distance connections are available in New York City's Penn Station and at Metro-North's Croton-Harmon station. Amtrak connections available to VIA Rail Canada.

By bus

 * Bee Line System. Westchester County's bus service provides access to White Plains and other locations in the county. Schedules and route maps are available on-line and at the Tarrytown and Philipse Manor (Sleepy Hollow) train stations.

Get around
If arriving by train from New York City and planning only a day trip within the central business district, you can get about on foot or by local taxi. NY Waterway tours have their own bus transportation between destinations. If you stay in local hotels or motels, a car becomes something of a necessity. Broadway (aka Route 9) is the main north to south route through the village.

See
The main attraction is Sleepy Hollow's association with Washington Irving's short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", so visit the old churchyard where the Headless Horseman purportedly rests. If you look hard you might find the headstone of Catriena Ecker Van Tessel whose anglicized name, Katrina Van Tassel, appears in Irving's story.

Do

 * Take a guided kayak tour on the Hudson River. Hudson River Recreation, . Tours depart from Kingsland Point Park, Palmer Ave. Seasonal.
 * Take a guided kayak tour on the Hudson River. Hudson River Recreation, . Tours depart from Kingsland Point Park, Palmer Ave. Seasonal.
 * Take a guided kayak tour on the Hudson River. Hudson River Recreation, . Tours depart from Kingsland Point Park, Palmer Ave. Seasonal.
 * Take a guided kayak tour on the Hudson River. Hudson River Recreation, . Tours depart from Kingsland Point Park, Palmer Ave. Seasonal.
 * Take a guided kayak tour on the Hudson River. Hudson River Recreation, . Tours depart from Kingsland Point Park, Palmer Ave. Seasonal.

Annual events
The weekends prior to Halloween are filled with events that tie in to "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow". If possible, make advanced reservations as most events fill quickly. Adjacent Tarrytown, setting for portions of the legend, is also home to numerous October events. To avoid disappointment, call in advance to confirm dates and times. Most events require reservations or advance tickets.

Buy
The central business district, encompassing Beekman Avenue and the adjacent portions of Broadway (Route 9), offers restaurants and shops.

Sleep
There are no places to sleep in the town, but nearby Tarrytown has some options.

Stay safe
Dial 911 from any telephone for emergency police, medical, and fire services.

Go next
In adjacent Tarrytown, visit sites related to the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and browse the numerous antique shops.

title: Sleepy Hollow


text:
Sleepy Hollow (disambiguation)

There's more than one place called Sleepy Hollow:

United States of America

 * Sleepy Hollow - a village in New York state's Hudson Valley and the setting for Washington Irving's famous ghost story

 * Sleepy Hollow (Illinois) - a farming village just outside of Chicagoland, named for Irving's story

title: Sleepy Hollow (disambiguation)


text:
Slidell

Slidell is a small city in St. Tammany Parish, one of the Florida Parishes of Louisiana.

Named after the statesman, John Slidell, this town is a growing suburb of the New Orleans area. Since Hurricane Katrina, Slidell and its surrounding areas have seen a tremendous population surge.

Get in
Two Amtrak trains a day pass through. Your other alternative is automobile. Shuttle services that run between the New Orleans airport and hotels on the Mississippi gulf coast may also be available.

Get around
You'll pretty much need a car. There are several unreliable cab services in town, the worst of which is Camelia Cab.

Do
Find a swamp tour in the nearby Honey Island swamp. It will change how you view Louisiana

 * Mardi Gras. Slidell's season celebrations are smaller than the mega-celebrations in New Orleans, but still fun and much less visited by tourists. The main parades don't even interfere with the biggest New Orleans parades; several are 2 weekends before Mardi Gras. The Krewe of Selene parades the Friday evening before Mardi Gras. Offbeat early parades include the "Krewe of Bilge", a boat parade on local waterways, and "Mona Lisa & Moon Pie", known for its silly humor and creative hand made non-motorized floats.

Drink

 * Olde Town - hopping bar scene

Go next

 * Central New Orleans is about a 30 mile drive west on I-10.
 * Mandeville is some 20 miles west on I-12; with Covington and Abita Springs a few miles further to the north.
 * The Mississippi Gulf Coast is some 25 miles east on I-10

title: Slidell


text:
Sliema

Sliema is in Malta. Sliema and St Julian's are Malta's most modern and most built-up areas and where most tourists stay. It is where one will find the most hotels, rental apartments, restaurants, bars, shops and clubs. Sliema and St Julian's form a near continuous town spread over two adjacent peninsulas with St Julian's to the north (about a 20-minute walk) and Valetta and a third peninsula to the south (about a 20-minute drive).

Understand
Malta is a very Catholic country and its people are some of the friendliest and most embracing of tourists in Europe. It is important to note though that certain behaviour is strongly frowned upon (such as excessive drunken raucous behaviour) and other behaviour is illegal (such as topless sunbathing) despite this town being a common tourist area.

Street names in Malta are written first in Maltese then in English, it becomes helpful to learn both since some people only use one or the other when giving directions and some maps only give the Maltese (on the assumption that the reader will be able to translate).

By car
The area is well signposted from Valetta and the international airport and is about 20 minutes drive from Valletta and 1 hour from the airport.

By bus
The bus service is run by Arriva, most buses are air conditioned. A day ticket costs €2.60 & can be used as often as you wish on any route during the day of purchase.

Buses for Sliema leave the Valletta terminus regularly. Be warned that the Valletta - Sliema/St.Julians routes can get quite crowded in the summer months. A number 12, 13 or 14 will take you to Sliema & St Julians.

The bus routes are very much concentric to Valletta, such that if you wish to travel from Sliema to another part of the Island (in any direction) it will often be necessary first to travel into Valletta then back out again.

By boat
A ferry regularly (each half hour between 08:00 and 18:00 and later on special occasions such as Notto Bianco) crosses the harbour between Sliema and Valletta. A one-way ticket for the five-minute journey costs about €1.20; there are also two or three water taxis plying the same route. Whichever you use, be aware that on the Valletta side there is quite a climb up to the centre of the city.

Do
The town is a mostly residential area and as such tourists would tend to travel outside of Sliema during holiday.

However, there are a number of excellent restaurants in and around Howard Street and a tiny supermarket just off Stella Maris Street.

The sea front is well developed and offers shaded seating areas often with free wireless internet, an array of cafes, bars and restaurants and some stone beaches with safe and clean swimming areas.

Sliema is one of the largest and most modern shopping centres in Malta: see 'Buy' below.

Scuba diving
Scuba diving is the biggest attraction in Sliema. Diving in Sliema is easy, fun, and you can see ship wrecks, stingrays, barracudas, lots of small fish, and explore tunnels and swim through s at the Fortizza dive site.

Boat tours
All Yacht Services Ltd is a small family business that offers boat tours on different catamarans. The boat tour can be private or public and departs from Sliema towards Comino, Gozo or Malta. They tend to not overcrowd the boats and also offer all-inclusive packages including food and drink, as well as watersports during the day.

Learn
Several of Malta's English language schools are located here.

Buy
This is Malta's largest and most modern shopping district. You'll find several streets packed full of shops, including international favourites like Zara, Top Shop and Mango, as well as a variety of many designer labels. Malta's prices aren't anything to be excited about, but if you're looking for something trendy, possibly from a store that's more uncommon outside Europe, this is where you'll find it. There is also a Marks and Spencers, with a small deli section.

The latest addition to Sliema shopping is The Point mall at Point Tigne, a three-level, air conditioned mall with a supermarket, cafes & many designer outlets.

Budget

There are also inexpensive reataurants on the street Triq Ix - Xatt in bordering Gzira.

Splurge
Baracuda in Baluta Bay has some of best food around. Fish is what they do best, fresh out of the sea.

Stay safe
Being the busiest tourist area petty crime associated with it is most rife here. There is, however, relatively little crime compared to many other mediterannean tourist destinations.

Go next

 * St. Julian's
 * Valetta
 * Gzira with several restaurants near the waterfront and Manoel Island.

title: Sliema


text:
Slieve Bloom Mountains

The Slieve Bloom Mountains are a low range of mountains between County Laois and County Offaly. The upper reaches are a nature reserve open heath and blanket bog. The Slieve Bloom Way is a 70-km, long-distance walking trail which usually takes three days to walk. There is also a wide variety of shorter, looped walking trails from each of the trail heads in the Slieve Blooms as well as a variety of mountain biking trails at Kinnitty and Baunreagh.

Understand
Ireland began on two separate continents: 450 million years ago the northwest was in Laurentia, and the southeast lay in Gondwana the other side of the Iapetus Ocean. This ocean closed up, to squish the land masses into the super-continent of Euramerica, with mountain building along the joint or "Iapetus suture". The Slieve Bloom mountains were among those so formed, with a base of Silurian mudstone from the ocean floor, overlain by Devonian or "Old Red" sandstone; later came limestones. They 9nce towered over 3500 m, but sand- and mudstones erode much faster than granite or gneiss. They're now some 400-500 m, hikes not mountain climbs, but rising prominently from the lowlands. The highest are Arderin (527 m) at the southwest end of the range and Baunreaghcong (511 m) northeast. The ridge forms a natural boundary between Counties Offaly and Laois, with a corner in Tipperary near Roscrea.

The terrain is too steep for farming so the slopes are forested with commercial conifers, with lanes for truck access that are firm going but with views closed in by the trees.

Visitor information
The mountains aren't a designated "park" but Slieve Bloom is the umbrella tourist promotion for this area.

Towns

 * is the main west-side base: it is the trail head for the Slieve Bloom Mountain Biking trails and the Slieve Bloom way. It has accommodation, places to eat, pubs, mountain bike hire, and, should you seek one, a pyramid.
 * nearby lacks accommodation but is the Start of the Offaly Way and an eco walking trail along the Silver river.
 * has a few visitor amenities and is near the north trailheads..
 * is the main approach from the southeast.
 * is a workaday place but as the county town has lots of accommodation.
 * 6 Birr is a Georgian town with its own castle.

Get in
By road from Dublin follow N7 / M7 towards Portlaoise: reckon an hour, though the first section out of the city hasn't been upgraded to motorway. For north and west slopes, leave at Exit 15 at Emo and take R422 for Mountmellick and Kinnitty. For south slopes, stay on M7 to Exit 18 then follow R445 into Mountrath.

The trails start from above those villages.

Get around
You need wheels to reach some of the trailheads. Public transport. Trains or bus to Portlaoise. A new bus route Route 823 travels 5 times daily between Portlaoise and Birr and stops at Clonaslee Cadamstown and Kinnitty.

See
The ten highest peaks, from southwest to northeast, are:

 * 406 m / 1332 ft
 * 430 m / 1411 ft
 * at 527 m / 1729 ft is the highest
 * A narrow public lane crosses the range through Glendine Gap between Arderin and Barcam, giving easy access to both.

 * 484 m / 1588 ft
 * 482 m / 1581 ft
 * 514 m / 1686 ft
 * 407 m / 1335 ft
 * 487 m / 1598 ft
 * 511 m / 1677 ft
 * 483 m / 1585 ft

Do

 * walks include a 4.5-km walk along the River Barrow taking in the Glenbarrow Waterfall and the 10.5-km Old Mill Loop.
 * Kinnitty walks include a 4.5-km loop through Kinnitty forest passing Kinnitty Castle and the 6.7-km Glinsk Castle loop and the 11-km Glenregan Loop
 * Clonaslee Looped walks include 6-km Ricket's Rock Loop,11.7km Glendineoregan Loop Walk
 * Cadamstown walks include the 7-km Silver River Eco trail, Paul's Lane Loop and the 11km Giant's Grave loop.

Loops are colour-coded. Yellow is the long distance Slieve Bloom Way. Looped walks at each trail head are colour coded green shortest loop easy, blue medium, red longest most difficult.

Eat
Places to eat can be found at the trailheads at Glenbarrow, Clonaslee and  Kinnitty village. There is also a variety of places to stay and some great pubs in Kinnitty, Clonaslee and Mountrath.

Wild camping is tolerated: the upper reaches of Glenregan above Kinnitty and The Cones above Glenbarrow. More information can be had from Coillte. The Leave no trace principles apply and ou may not light fires.

Go next
Near the east coast rise the Wicklow mountains, of similar height, and with a long-distance trail the Wicklow Way.

title: Slieve Bloom Mountains