text:
Norfolk Coast

The Norfolk Coast Protected Landscape is a series of significant landscapes in Norfolk, England, sometimes known as North Norfolk. Some of the towns are popular holiday destinations, while quiet villages meet nature reserves, farms and country estates. The North Sea lies beyond mostly sandy beaches.

Towns and villages

 * - Home of the North Norfolk District Council Offices.
 * - Home of the North Norfolk District Council Offices.
 * - Home of the North Norfolk District Council Offices.
 * - Home of the North Norfolk District Council Offices.
 * - Home of the North Norfolk District Council Offices.

Understand
Several towns line the Norfolk Coast, including Hunstanton with its promenade, Wells-next-the-Sea with its quay and beach hut-lined sand, Sheringham with its narrow streets and steam railway, and Cromer with its pier. The distance between Hunstanton and Cromer is just under 40 miles along the A149 Coast Road.

Norfolk Coast Protected Landscape is mostly flat with some gentle hills. The land is mostly agricultural, but there is publicly accessible parkland throughout - including at the Holkham Estate - and nature reserves set aside for wildlife.

King's Lynn and West Norfolk borough includes King's Lynn, Hunstanton and The Burnhams.

North Norfolk district includes Cromer, Fakenham, Holt, Sheringham and Wells-next-the-Sea.

Norfolk Coast Protected Landscape
The Norfolk Coast Protected Landscape covers 280 square miles of the coastline. It features a 20-mile chalk reef.

Protections include:

 * Norfolk Coast National Landscape - Designated in 1968, it is one of 46 National Landscapes in the UK. It is an area of national importance which is protected "for the nation's benefit".
 * North Norfolk Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) - A collection of habitats, including a rich variety of birdlife, between Holme-next-the-Sea and Kelling.
 * The Wash and North Norfolk Coast Special Area of Conservation (SAC) - An enormous 416 square mile protected zone covering North Norfolk mudflats, sandflats, shallow inlets or staithes, and the entirety of The Wash, a bay between Norfolk and Lincolnshire.
 * The Wash Ramsar site - The Wash and its coastline, including at King's Lynn and Hunstanton, are internationally significant wetlands, protected under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

Climate
The East Anglia region is drier than more western areas. A coastal area, the Norfolk Coast has a narrower temperature range than further inland with cooling sea breezes in summer. Detailed information is on the UK Met Office Weybourne Climate page or UK Met Office East of England Climate page.

Talk
The Broad Norfolk dialect is used by some locals. The dialect and accent are easy to understand, but there is some regionally specific 'Norfolk Slang', including:

 * allus - always
 * bishy barnabee/bishy-barney-bee - ladybird
 * duzzy - silly
 * ewe - owed
 * harnser - heron
 * hold yew hard - wait a moment
 * King Harry - goldfinch
 * mardle/mardlin' - chat/chatting
 * pollywiggle - tadpole
 * vister - visitor
 * yisty - yesterday

The Friends of Norfolk Dialect (FOND) records and preserves the dialect. Look out for the dialect in Wiveton, where drivers could spot the unique "Slow You Down" signs.

By train
There are railway stations in King's Lynn, Sheringham, West Runton and Cromer.

Into King's Lynn, there are Great Northern trains direct from London King's Cross, Cambridge, Ely and Downham Market all day, including in the early mornings and late evenings.

Into Sheringham, West Runton and Cromer, there are Greater Anglia trains direct from Norwich during the daytimes.

From London:

 * travel from London King's Cross (interchange: ) to King's Lynn direct;
 * travel from London Liverpool Street (interchange: ) to Norwich, change for trains to Cromer, West Runton and Sheringham;
 * travel from London Stratford (interchange: ) to Norwich, change for trains to Cromer, West Runton and Sheringham.

From London Stansted Airport:

 * use CrossCountry or Greater Anglia trains to Cambridge or Ely and change for Great Northern trains to King's Lynn;
 * use Greater Anglia trains to Norwich and change for trains to Cromer, West Runton and Sheringham.

From The Midlands:

 * use CrossCountry or East Midlands Railway to Ely and change for Great Northern trains for King's Lynn;
 * use East Midlands Railway to Norwich and change for Greater Anglia trains to Cromer, West Runton and Sheringham.

By bus
Routes into the Norfolk Coast area include:

 * Excel A/B/C - into King's Lynn from Peterborough, Wisbech, Swaffham, Dereham and Norwich;
 * Yellow Line X29 - into Fakenham from Norwich;
 * Sanders Coaches X40/X41/X44/44A - into Cromer and Sheringham from Norwich;
 * Sanders Coaches 45 - into Holt from Norwich.

Several firms operate long-distance coaches into Norwich including National Express and Megabus.

By car
From London and The South:

 * Exit at junction 9 for  towards Norwich. Leave the route at Barton Mills and join  towards Brandon, Swaffham and Fakenham. At Fakenham, join local routes or  for destinations along the Norfolk Coast.
 * Exit at junction 33 for  towards Ely then King's Lynn. At King's Lynn, join local routes,  or  for destinations along the Norfolk Coast.

From Peterborough and the West Midlands:

 * Follow to King's Lynn. Exit at  for destinations in the Norfolk Coast Protected Landscape.

From the East Midlands and The North:

 * Leave or  at Newark-on-Trent. Join  and follow to King's Lynn. Use local routes,  or  for destinations along the Norfolk Coast.

From Ipswich and Felixstowe:

 * Exit at junction 51 for  towards Diss and Norwich. Follow to Cromer.

From Norwich:

 * Join to Cromer.
 * Join to Fakenham. Use local routes or  for destinations along the Norfolk Coast.
 * Join B1149 to Holt. Use local routes or for destinations along the Norfolk Coast.
 * Use for King's Lynn.

By train
It is not easy to get around the Norfolk Coast by train, but some short hops are possible:

 * Bittern Line ( National Rail) - Greater Anglia trains between Norwich, North Walsham, Gunton, Roughton Road, Cromer, West Runton and Sheringham. You can book tickets using any National Rail ticket retailer. The Bittern Ranger ticket offers one-day unlimited travel on the line. Change at Norwich for trains to London Liverpool Street, Ely, Cambridge, Ipswich, Colchester, Peterborough and Nottingham. Change at Sheringham for The Poppy Line/North Norfolk Railway to Holt, which is  not  part of the National Rail network.
 * Poppy Line/North Norfolk Railway - A heritage railway "twixt sea and pine" between Sheringham, Weybourne and Holt. Routes are operated using historic steam and diesel engines. The timetable is limited, especially during winter months. Change at Sheringham for Greater Anglia trains towards Cromer, Norwich and the wider National Rail network.
 * Wells and Walsingham Light Railway - A narrow gauge railway using steam locomotives. A visitor attraction, the route closes during winter months except special events. Runs between Wells-next-the-Sea and Walsingham only.

By bus
The Coastliner and Coasthopper buses hug the Norfolk Coast.

 * Lynx Coastliner 36 - King's Lynn, Dersingham, Ingoldisthorpe, Snettisham, Heacham, Hunstanton, Old Hunstanton, Holme-next-the-Sea, Thornham, Titchwell, Brancaster, Brancaster Staithe, Burnham Deepdale, Burnham Market, Burnham Overy Staithe, Holkham and Wells-next-the-Sea (and inland to: Wighton, Little Walsingham, East Barsham and Fakenham). Change at Wells-next-the-Sea for Coasthopper CH1 towards Sheringham and Cromer.
 * Coasthopper CH1 - Wells-next-the-Sea, Stiffkey, Morston, Blakeney, Cley-next-the-Sea, Salthouse, Kelling, Weybourne, Sheringham, Beeston Regis, West Runton, East Runton, Cromer. Change at Wells-next-the-Sea for Lynx Coastliner 36. Change at Cromer for Coasthopper CH2 towards North Walsham.
 * Coasthopper CH2 - Cromer, Overstrand, Trimingham and Mundesley (and inland to: Trunch, Swafield and North Walsham). Change at Cromer for Coasthopper CH1 towards Sheringham and Wells-next-the-Sea.

By Coast Road
The A149 Coast Road covers the coastline between King's Lynn and Great Yarmouth, in The Broads National Park.

Along the Norfolk Coast Protected Landscape, it passes through King's Lynn, Dersingham (near Sandringham), Snettisham, Heacham, Hunstanton, Old Hunstanton, Holme-next-the-Sea, Thornham, Titchwell, Brancaster, Brancaster Staithe, Burnham Deepdale, Burnham Norton, Burnham Overy Staithe, Holkham, Wells-next-the-Sea, Stiffkey, Morston, Blakeney, Cley-next-the-Sea, Salthouse, Kelling, Weybourne, Sheringham, West Runton, East Runton and Cromer.

Also along the Norfolk Coast are Overstrand, Trimingham and Mundesley - on minor routes.

Burnham Market, a bustling shopping village during the summer months with lots of independent delis, cafés, pubs and shops, is a short drive from the A149 (use B1355 or B1155 - follow signs). Holt with its markets and lunch spots is also a short drive south from the A149, using local routes.

The A149 can become narrow in places, including in Stiffkey, where the road is single-track.

It may be faster to travel across Norfolk using alternative routes:

 * A47 - King's Lynn to Great Yarmouth, bypassing Swaffham, Dereham and Norwich;
 * A148 - King's Lynn to Cromer, via Fakenham and Holt.

By road
The Norfolk Coast Protected Landscape is a rural area. There are petrol stations in (west-east):

 * King's Lynn - several filling stations
 * Heacham - BP on A149
 * Hunstanton - Tesco in Southend Road
 * Burnham Deepdale - Gulf on A149
 * Burnham Market - Gulf in Creake Road (B1355)
 * Wells-next-the-Sea - Gulf in Polka Road (B1105)
 * Binham - Howell's in the village centre
 * Blakeney - Blakeney Garage/Gulf on A149
 * Holt - BP in Cromer Road
 * Sheringham - several filling stations
 * Roman Camp - Murco on A148
 * Cromer - several filling stations

There are also several filling stations in Fakenham. Petrol station opening times will vary in the countryside and many will not open overnight.

King Charles III England Coast Path
Norfolk's coastline, including in the Norfolk Coast Protected Landscape, is entirely accessible on foot. The King Charles III England Coast Path (formerly Norfolk Coast Path) follow a series of promenades, boardwalks, coastal defences and pavements. They are National Trails and signposted using the National Trails acorn logo.

The footpath follows:

 * Lincolnshire
 * Sutton Bridge
 * West Lynn
 * King's Lynn
 * Heacham
 * Hunstanton
 * Old Hunstanton
 * Holme next the Sea
 * Meets: Acorn Britain National Trails Symbol-black.svg Peddars Way - south towards Ringstead, Castle Acre and Thetford Forest
 * Thornham
 * Brancaster
 * Brancaster Staithe
 * Burnham Deepdale
 * Burnham Overy Staithe
 * Holkham Beach
 * Wells-next-the-Sea
 * Stiffkey
 * Morston
 * Blakeney
 * Cley next the Sea
 * Weybourne
 * Sheringham
 * West Runton
 * East Runton
 * Cromer
 * Overstrand
 * Mundesley
 * Bacton
 * Walcott
 * Happisburgh
 * Eccles on Sea
 * Sea Palling
 * Winterton-on-Sea
 * Hemsby
 * Caister-on-Sea
 * Great Yarmouth
 * Gorleston-on-Sea
 * Hopton-on-Sea
 * Suffolk

See
The Norfolk Coast features a series of nationally and internationally significant landscapes, including areas reserved for wildlife. Many of these are publicly accessible with hides or viewpoints for visitors. Restrictions may apply in some areas to protect wildlife, particularly nesting birds during the summer months.

Do

 * Birdwatching at Cley, Blakeney Point, Titchwell and Holme.
 * Visit Seal Colony at Blakeney Point.
 * Walking
 * Walk along the Norfolk Coast Path long distance footpath (84 miles) from Hunstanton past Cromer to Sea Palling.
 * Walk the Paston Way (22 miles) from Cromer closely following the coast to Bacton then inland to North Walsham.
 * Walk the Weavers' Way long distance footpath (61 miles) from Cromer to Great Yarmouth.
 * Walk around Sheringham Park, National Trust property.

Eat
Famous for locally caught seafood including Cromer Crabs.

Drink
Most towns and villages in the area have pubs & restaurants. In the coastal villages there are often cafes and tea rooms serving traditional tea (or coffee) and cakes.

Sleep

 * There are YHA Hostels at Wells-next-the-Sea, Sheringham and Hunstanton.
 * The coast is popular with holiday makers and there are many hotels, B&Bs, guest houses, camp sites, etc. in the area. If only staying one night, check before booking accommodation as some B&Bs and guest houses have minimum stays.

Stay safe
In case of emergency at sea, dial 999 (or 112) and ask for "Coastguard".

There is a lifeguard service at Cromer, Sheringham, Mundesley and Sea Palling. This operates daily from June until the first week in September, from 10AM to 6PM. The lifeguarded zone is defined by red and yellow flags on the beach, with the beach lifeguard station also flying a red and yellow flag. Do not swim if a red flag is flying.

On occasion live ammunition and unexploded bombs from World War II have been found on the coast. If you do come across a suspicious item leave it alone and report it to the coast guard.

This is a tidal region so be careful, especially with young children.

title: Norfolk Coast


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North of 53

North of 53 is the northern region of Manitoba, north of the 53° line.

Cities

 * — the polar bear capital of the world
 * — a mining town with a sense of humour: it was named after a character in a novel
 * — home of the Northern Manitoba Trappers' Festival, and gateway to the Clearwater Lake Provincial Park
 * — the bustling metropolis of the North (population 13,000)

Other destinations

 * — Manitoba's highest waterfall is accessible via a difficult 22-km round-trip backcountry hike through Pisew Falls Provincial Park
 * — beautiful 13-m-high waterfalls accessible from the parking lot
 * — access is restricted to preserve this refuge for the polar bears, but tours are available
 * — where two provinces and two territories meet in an extremely remote location

Understand
The name refers to 53°N and the northern border of the province is 60°N, so the area is rather large; seven degrees north-to-south is about 420 miles or 750 km. Since the Canada-US border in this area is (mostly) at 49°N and the province is considerably wider toward the North, the "North of 53" part of Manitoba includes well over half the province's land area. However, nearly all the province's population is in the south. This area is quite sparsely populated.

Forestry, mining and hydro-electric development are significant economic drivers. This region is covered by large extents of boreal forest with stunted Black Spruce dominant, with association of Tamarack. There are several mammals in the region including the Arctic fox, Beluga whale and Polar bear. The Polar bear has a significant denning area within the Wapusk National Park, from which annual bear migrations to Hudson Bay are made.

The largest municipality is the city of Thompson. Other major population centres include the city of Flin Flon and the town of The Pas. First Nations reserves (so-called "Indian reserves") comprise half of the region's population.

Climate
This region experiences long and extremely cold winters and brief, warm summers with little precipitation. Overnight temperatures as low as −40 °C (−40 °F) occur on several days each winter.

By train
Via Rail serves Churchill with its Hudson Bay line that begins in Winnipeg. From Winnipeg the train takes about 38-48 hours. There are several different sleeper cars, or you can ride in economy class (depending on how much you want to pay) and trying to find two empty seats to cram yourself into for a miserable night's sleep.

The train stops in Dauphin, The Pas, Wekusko, Wabowden, Thicket Portage, Thompson, Pikwitonei, Ilford, and Gillam en route to Churchill.

By car
Northern Manitoba is accessed by two Provincial Trunk Highways: PTH 10 to Flin Flon and PTH 6 to Thompson, and by a network of smaller roads. These are extended in the winter by an additional network of winter roads.

By plane
Air transport provides access to many northern communities with 58 airfields in the region. Calm Air and Perimeter Aviation provide scheduled passenger service into larger northern communities. Chartered bush planes land on lakes when airfields are not available.

See and do
Churchill is the destination for visitors to the region, to see the polar bears by tundra vehicle. There are lots of other activities in Churchill: dog-sledding, snowmobiling, boating, snorkelling and scuba diving.

There are parks in the region too — see § Other destinations.

Each of the other settlements has one or two things to see or do, but you'd really be going there to experience life in a remote northern town.

Stay safe
See the Churchill article for information on polar bear safety.

If you are going in winter, see also cold weather and perhaps winter driving.

Go next
Nearly all travellers here will leave the area by returning to southern Manitoba.

The area is adjacent to several other parts of northern Canada, but there are no decent road or rail routes to them. Short of undertaking a difficult and dangerous cross-country journey, the only possibilities for reaching them would be chartering a plane or boarding a northbound ship at Churchill.

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

title: North of 53


text:
North Ossetia

North Ossetia-Alania is a republic within the Russian Caucasus bordering Kabardino-Balkaria to the west, Stavropol Krai to the north, Chechnya and Ingushetia to the east. Georgia and South Ossetia lie to the south.

Regions
North Ossetia can be considered as three regions.
 * The Central Lowlands — a fairly flat area (alt. 300 - 600 m ) penned in by mountains
 * Mozdok — a small corridor of territory connects the second largest city and its environs to the Central Lowlands
 * The Mountains — are largely inaccessible without permits, except for the great Georgian Military Highway and the Trans-Caucasian Highway, which head south out of Russia and cross the mountains to Georgia and South Ossetia, respectively

Cities
Central Lowlands
 * — capital and largest city by far; the northern end of the scenic and historic Georgian Military Highway
 * — alternate entry point given its rail connections
 * — third largest town and site of the horrific Beslan school massacre
 * — third largest town and site of the horrific Beslan school massacre

Mozdok
 * — second largest town and site of many terrorist attacks against Russian facilities

Mountains
 * Georgian Military Highway
 * Trans-Caucasian Highway

Other destinations

 * – home to many eye-wateringly beautiful mountains and the 13-km-long Karaugom Glacier
 * (Цей) — this once premiere Soviet high alpine resort offers skiing, relaxation, and excursions to some of Europe's highest peaks; if you're willing to put up with a lot of red tape, it may be possible (once the Georgia-Russian border opens up) to trek across the spine of the Greater Caucasus from here to the Soviet resort of Shovi in Georgia's Racha region. Since 2014 the border between Russia and Georgia via Verkniy Lars/Kazbegi has been open for foreign citizens.
 * — a smaller, but similarly gorgeous tour-base in southwestern North Ossetia

Understand
The Ossetes are an Iranian ethnic group who speak Ossete, a language related to Farsi. As a small, Orthodox Christian group in the predominantly Sunni Muslim North Caucasus, the Ossetes were quick to ally with the Russian Imperial government in its conquest and annexation of the region. This alliance has endured to the present, where Russia tacitly supports its allies the Ossetes in their goal to reunify North Ossetia with South Ossetia (internationally recognized as part of Georgia but de facto independent) and in their ethnic conflict with the neighboring Ingush. This particular ethnic conflict has made North Ossetia a magnet for terrorist attacks, especially in its southeast, and has led to a tight security situation policed by often corrupt officials that is discouraging for travel.

Just to make sure you sound sophisticated, Ossetia is pronounced ah-SEH-tee-yah, Ossete is ah-SEET, and Ossetian is ah-SEH-tee-uhn (not ah-SEE-shuhn)

Talk
While Ossetian is the mother tongue of most locals, all Ossetians speak and understand Russian as well. English is hardly spoken by anyone, which is why you will almost certainly be spoken to in Russian as a tourist. This does however go without saying that learning a few Ossetian words and phrases will be extremely highly appreciated.

Get in
Vladikavkaz is a major regional transit hub and is served by domestic flights from Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and other major Russian cities. It is also easily reached by rail via Stavropol.

By train
Daily trains leaves from Moscow. Trains from Saint Petersburg, Adler and Novorossiysk leaves one time for 2 days.

By plane
Beslan Airport

Get around
Travelers will find pre-arranged travel with reputable agents to be far more convenient than independent travel on unreliable public transportation.

See

 * Dargavs (a.k.a. Мёртвый городок, Mertviy Gorodok, City of the Dead) - A village of little houses built specifically to entomb the dead.
 * Beslan - School Number One made the news in 2004 when over 1,000 people were taken hostage by terrorists, and at least 333 were killed, 186 of them children. This event remains very much an open wound in the Russian consciousness, and is to Russia the equivalent of what 9/11 is to the United States. The school has been preserved in-situ as a memorial to the victims.

Do

 * Skiing
 * Hiking
 * Mountain climbing/biking
 * Adventuring

Eat
Ossetia is famous for its delicious meat pies, very similar to Georgian khachapuri, but it is stuffed with lamb, beef, and mushrooms instead of cheese.

The most common food of the region are Ossetian pies with different fillings such as cheese, potatoes, meat, pumpkin. However Fizonag which is similar to kebab is also wide spread like in the rest of Caucasus. Vladikavkaz offers a large variety of traditional and international restaurants. Dzykka, one of the region's most ancient dishes is popular among the Ossetes, and is most probably the easiest dish for a visitor to taste.

Drink
North Ossetia is famous for its alcoholic drinks, very similar to Russian drinks. Locals prefer to drink an alcoholic drink called Arak, an alcoholic drink produced from corn grain, barley or other grain crops.

Learn
North Ossetian State University-located in Vladikavkaz.

Stay safe
Because of the ongoing Ossete-Ingush ethnic conflict, regional instability, and proximity to Chechnya, travelers should tread very cautiously, even though it is safer than its eastern neighbours. Avoid going near the border to South Ossetia, as the border is guarded by extremely corrupt army officers on both sides.

Respect
Ossetes are very hospitable people and are generally well open to foreigners. You do need to remember that this is a traditional and conservative society, even by Russian standards.

Speaking out against a person's relatives, either alive or deceased, may make a local person act very hostile against you. This doesn't mean that Ossetes are temperamental, rather they are strong believers in honour and dignity.

Never touch a person's hat: according to Ossetic customs, hats are considered to be a sacred and untouchable thing. Ossetes have zero tolerance towards touching people's hats, and this can lead to some unwanted quarrels. When greeting people, you need to greet the elders before you greet any others, just as a form of respect.

Ossetes are very proud of their own culture and language, and may act generally very defensive if you speak out against their customs.

Avoid discussing the conflict between the Georgian government and South Ossetia. Most North Ossetians feel a deep sense of kinship with their counterparts in South Ossetia, and many took up arms and went across the border to join militias and fight against the Georgian military when they attempted to reclaim South Ossetia by force in 2008.

Mobile
In North Ossetia there are three GSM operators (MTS, Beeline, Megafon), one 3G-UMTS operator (Beeline) and one CDMA 2000 operator on 450 MHz frequency (SkyLink) and they often have offers that give you a SIM card for free or at least very cheap. If you are planning to stay a while and to keep in touch with North Ossetian and other North-Caucasus people, then you should consider buying a local SIM card instead of going on roaming. To buy a SIM card from a shop you'll need your passport for identification. It only takes five minutes to do the paperwork and it will cost less than $10.

Go next

 * Georgia - the Georgian Military Highway heading south to Kazbegi in Georgia is open to all third country nationals with no special complications apart from the need to track down insurance in Vladikavkaz if coming into Russia from Georgia. Border officials may question you as to your travels but they shouldn't pose a problem.
 * Dagestan - take a detour via Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria to avoid Chechnya and Ingushetia.
 * Ingushetia - minibuses run from Vladikavkaz's smaller secondary bus station in Ulitsa Pushkinskaya to the Ingush capital Nazran.

title: North Ossetia


text:
North Paravur

Not to be confused with Paravur, which is approximately 175 km to the south.

North Paravur is an emerging suburb of Kochi City which is nearly 22 km from the city center and 16 km from city, in Ernakulam district in Kerala. The city and its adjourning villages are famous for its legacy in ancient Chera Empire, being the erstwhile capital city of so. The town rose to fame, with first major excavations carried out, that throw light into lost port city of Muziris, hailed as largest port of ancient world.

Understand
Paravur shortly known as Parur in the past, is one of the oldest towns in South India, established in 52 B.C. when an ancient Tamil tribe Cheras, decided to make the city as its capital, owing to presence of a natural port here as well. You can still see very old houses and community living of Tamil Brahmin people around Kannankulangara and Mookkambi areas.

The mighty Periyar river flow through this region, making many small islands and making the region one of the most fertile lands for agriculture.

The Cheras named this capital known as Murichipattanam (spelled as Muziris in Greek), soon rose to international fame, due to its extensive trading relations with Egypt, Mesopotamian, Greek, Roman and Chinese civilizations. The sea route from Egypt to Muziris was known as ancient spice route, where extensive spices, cotton, rice were traded. The Cheras also built several palaces and temples, typical its traditional Dravidan culture. St Thomas landed up at Muziris and constructed Kottakavu Palli Church in 52AD

From 11th century AD onwards, the fortunes of Muziris declined due to its constant wars with neighbouring Tamil state, the Cholas. In 1344, the great Periyar floods made a major blow to Muziris, when river Periyar changed its course of flow and choking the port of Muziris. Soon the Cheras shifted their capital to nearby Thiruvanchikulam and renamed as Mahodayapuram. After prolonged 100-year Chera-Chola war, by 14th century, the Cholas successfully raided Muziris and set the city under fire, making the city completely lost in memories.

After partition of Chera Empire, the city came under control of Kochi Kingdom. The Kochi Rajas encouraged extensive farming here, due to its fertility. In 14th century, the Raja granted a township to large number of Jews, who sought asylum from Jerusalem. The town was soon occupied by colonial Portuguese, after they constructed extensive fortifications. The town also witnessed a major battle between Portuguese and Dutch, leading to defeat of former. In 18th century, Kochi Raja partitioned Paravur into two and granted the northern portion to Travancore Kingdom as an enclave to built extensive fortifications known as Nedumkotta to thwart possible Mysore invasion. Thus a new town was established known as North Paravur under Travancore and South Paravur under Kochi. In 1949, both Paravurs were united after merge of Travancore-Kochi state. However the name struck as North Paravur (Parur) to town. It has also become easy to call and identify as north because there are 3 more similar sounding Paravoor or Paroors in Alleppey, Quilon and even one in Ernakulam dist.

Until a decade back, Paravur was small countryside hamlet famous its unique variety of rice known as Pokali as well as extensive backwater fishing. The rise and development of modern Kochi city, soon made Paravur growing into a major suburb of the city due to availability of affordable housing. With the new roads through Gosri Bridges, and the container Terminal Varapuzha road, the distance to Parur from Cochin has reduced to 23 km and a drive of less than 40 minutes on a normal day.Paravur town is just 12 km from Kochi corporation limits

Talk
Like elsewhere in Kerala, Malayalam is the lingua franca of public here. English and Tamil is also widely understood here.

By plane
Cochin International Airport is 15 km from Paravur, with several international and domestic connections.

By train
There is no railway line or station in Paravur. The nearest railway station is Alwaye 16 km away.

By car
NH-17 (Mumbai-Kochi Highway) passes through N. Paravur and is well connected by other state highways.

Itineraries
Cherai Beach is 5 km from here. Cherai beach is a wonderful place to be. You can have boat ride in the lakes near beach. Can have bath as well as sun bathe.

Your itinerary would depend on your interest. In case you are interested in exploring history visit the temples (Venketachalapathi Temple of GSB community, Peruvaram Shiva temple. Mookambika temple (Goddess of learning), Mannam Subramanya temple, Kannankulangara Krishna temple) Jewish Synagogue, Churches (Jacobite Syrian church, St Thomas church etc.). Take an auto and you can complete the entire trip in half a day. Remember all these places especially temples open early morning (5AM), close by 11AM and then re open from 5PM to 8PM. If you are a foreigner there would be certain areas where you are not allowed entry.

From Paravur you can also travel to Cheraman Juma Masjid (the first Islamic mosque in India), Ancient Musris port (now known as kottapuram), Thiruvanchikkulam mahadeva temple (now protected by ASI), kizhthali shiva temple, shringapuram temple, kodungallur Bhadrakali temple & have a ride in the lake in a country boat.

Other places of interest around Paravur are Chendamangalam (home to Paliyath family, who occupied high places in the ancient Cochin kingdom, Alangad (again famous shiva temple), Kalady Shankaracharya stoopam (birthplace of shankaracharya), Aluva Manalpuram (famous for Shivarathri festival) etc.

Eat

 * K.R. Bakes
 * Al-fala
 * Uduppi vegetarian
 * CECEE Tower (3 star)
 * Ruchi thattukada near Chitranjali theatre (street food).

Two more 3-star hotels and few resort style living is available at Cherai in 3-km radius. In the evening kappa and meat is the favorite food of people in the North Paravur.

For vegetarians await new quality restaurants which are coming up near White City at the current Indus Motors Shop. There are many small vegetarian restaurants available in Parur and Cherai.

Drink

 * CEE CEE Towers
 * Golden Palace
 * Parur Tourist home
 * Aiswarya
 * Local toddy shops

Local"Kallu" the toddy. Karimeen curry, kappa, muringa, kakka, njandu are main foods.

the quality charayam is getting from North Paravur.

title: North Paravur


text:
North Pittsburgh Region

The North Pittsburgh Region is in the Pittsburgh Region of Pennsylvania, made up of Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Indiana, and Lawrence Counties.

Itineraries
Visit one-room historic schools in the area and see what it was like to go to school before cell phones and computers.

Cemetery Drive
Cemeteries are a fairly common feature of roadside landscape. But here’s an itinerary of some cemeteries you probably don’t pass everyday.

Morning
Begin your drive at 200 Union Church Road, one mile east of Mars-Evans City Rd., south of Callery. Behind Old Union Presbyterian Church, James Glover is buried in the middle of the 7th row of graves. Glover was Butler County’s first permanent white settler and a Revolutionary War veteran. Head northwest to the Evans City Cemetery, one mile south of PA-68, off Franklin Rd. Much of the 1968 zombie movie Night of the Living Dead was filmed here! There is also a monument honoring Civil and Spanish-American war veterans.

Take PA-68 West to Harmony and the Harmony Society Cemetery. Commune members lived in this now National Historic Landmark District from 1804-1814. The cemetery holds about 100 graves and the gate is an easily movable one-ton revolving stone! The Harmonists did not believe in marking graves, so all remain unmarked.

Near Harmony, between US-19 and Mercer Road, is the Harmony Mennonite Meetinghouse and Cemetery. It is the oldest Mennonite Meetinghouse west of the Alleghenies and its last regular service occurred in 1902. The cemetery dates back to 1815. While in Harmony, have some lunch at the Harmony Inn or Otto & Gerts.

Afternoon
From Harmony, take I-79 North; get off the Portersville exit onto Route 488. Pull out your Moraine State Park map from this guide’s center spread to find 10 cemeteries within the park’s boundaries! Continue north on Route 528, then go east on West Liberty Road. About one mile on the right is the B.W. Snyder Cemetery (40 degrees 58 minutes N, 80 degrees W). This is the largest cemetery within Moraine State Park, containing 20 stones, all dating back to the 1800s.

Back on Route 528, continue east to the end of West Liberty Road and turn right onto Muddy Creek Road. Make another right onto North Country Club Road. After about 1.5 miles, there is a parking lot. From there, you can access three more cemeteries within half a mile of each other. First is the Harris or Shaffer Cemetery, (40 degrees, 57 minutes N, 80 degrees W) which is enclosed by a hand-cut stone wall. This cemetery contains three headstones, dating back to 1827. It was rebuilt in 1964 due to vandalism. Next, walk to the left, where you will find a horse cemetery. Judge Saulsberry is buried here, under a plaque.

Further to the left is the third of the larger cemeteries within the park, the McBride Cemetery (40 degrees, 57 minutes N, 79 degrees, 59 minutes W). It is south of the Earl Stamm farm, in the middle of an old field. Six people are buried in this cemetery, all of whom were born in the 1800s; one of the stones is flipped over.

Evening
Travel north on Route 8 to Slippery Rock for a unique dinner experience, complete with spirits. The North Country Brewing Company building used to be a funeral home! Don’t worry, that’s now history! You deserve a good meal and a cold brew too.

Other Notable Stops
Travel east on Route 422 and take Cornetti Road south toward West Winfield. On Sasse Road is Wooden Cross Cemetery which contains a marker for the worldwide influenza pandemic that killed 550,000 in the U.S. alone. This marker commemorates the many Eastern European immigrants buried here. North of Sarver, at the intersection of Route 356 and Cooper Road, is a monument and marker at Pape or Hannahstown Cemetery. Buried here is William Andrew “Uncle Billy” Smith, the man who drilled Edwin Drake’s first producing oil well near Titusville, Pa., in 1859.

Morning
Start your morning off with a clean slate in Cranberry Township, where the historical society offers our first one-room schoolhouse of the day, Sample School. See what it was like to go to school before cell phones and computers.

Afterwards, take a ride north on Route 19 to Baldinger’s Food From All Nations. This candy and specialty foods store fits well into the old-fashioned theme of the day. It still has the original crank cash register and “penny candy” that costs a penny!

Afternoon
For a nice lunch and another history lesson, continue North on Route 19 to The Kaufman House. This vintage hotel restaurant was built in 1837, three years before Zelienople became a borough! Enjoy a tasty meal and you just might learn something, too!

For afternoon history lessons, follow Route 68 to Route 422 east into Butler where you can visit the Little Red Schoolhouse. This schoolhouse dates back to 1838 and was the first public school built in Butler. It is a living history museum recreating the one-room school experience for school classes.

From Butler, take Route 8 north to Slippery Rock to visit the Hickory Corner Schoolhouse. The schoolhouse is now located on Slippery Rock University’s campus, but was named for its original location at the intersection of Hickory Corner and Unionville Road in Franklin Township. Back in its heyday, eight grades would be taught at the same time in this one room.

To finish up the day, travel west on Route 108 and stop at the Birdwatcher’s Store. This store is a newly-remodeled century-old schoolhouse!

title: North Pittsburgh Region


text:
North Platte

North Platte is a city in Nebraska. With a population of over 23,000 (2020), North Platte is the largest community in Lincoln County, located in west central Nebraska.

History
In November 1868, the rails of the Union Pacific Railroad reached the location of what is now known as North Platte. Situated between the North and South Platte rivers, just west of the confluence, the town was named by a flip of a coin to determine between North Platte and South Platte. North Platte was incorporated as a city in 1873.

In 1882, Colonel William F. Cody, known to the world as Buffalo Bill, responded to the calls of local civic leaders and produced an Independence Day celebration known as the "Old Glory Blowout". He later developed this into his famed Wild West Show, which toured throughout the world. The home he built while living in North Platte, known as Scouts Rest Ranch, is now a state historical park, and is open to tour.

North Platte could have gone the way of many small towns in rural Nebraska, becoming a sleepy backwater, except for native Bill Jeffers. Jeffers rose from a "call boy" for Union Pacific, to become president of the railroad. He chose his home town of North Platte to build a reclassification yard. Union Pacific's Bailey Yard is now the largest railroad classification yard in the world. Nearly 4,000 employees service more than 150 trains per day, totaling nearly 15,000 rail cars. During World War II, North Platte became famous for the North Platte Canteen. Volunteers met in early December 1941 at the Depot to greet what they thought was a train load of local troops headed for war. When the train stopped, it turned out to be carrying boys from Kansas instead of North Platte. After they got over their disappointment, townspeople offered all of the goodies they had collected to the Kansas boys. From this humble beginning, on Christmas Day 1941, the North Platte Canteen opened. For the next 52 months, volunteers met every single troop train that came through town, day or night. By April 1, 1946, this all-volunteer effort had served more than 6.5 million service personnel.

By car
The primary means of getting to North Platte is Interstate 80, which runs east-west; US 83 serves as the primary north-south route. Lincoln is three hours east on I-80; Cheyenne is 3 hours west on I-80; Denver is four hours west on I-80 and I-76.

Get around
Most people get around North Platte by car, but you can also explore the city by bicycle, using the streets and highways, or the extensive network of trails.

Buy
When you go through North Platte on either Interstate 80 or Highway 83, be wary of the first two gas stations south of the Interstate at exit 177. The advertised prices flashing on their brightly-lighted signs will only be available on one or two pumps! If you don't pay attention, you will be paying some of the highest prices for gas along the Interstate. Go north into town a couple of blocks and you will find reasonable prices.

Eat
You'll find just about every fast food place and many of the chain restaurants in North Platte that you will in the rest of the country. These are some of the best local restaurants.

Drink
Karaoke can be found most nights of the week at some location.

Connect
The following locations offer free wireless Internet service:
 * Starbucks Coffee - 2020 S Jeffers, just off of Interstate 80 at exit 177.
 * Pro Computing - 721 S. Dewey, +1 308 532-1447. Also offers Internet surfing and e-mailing on their computers for $5 per hour.
 * Espresso Shoppe - Downtown at 408 N Chestnut St, +1 308-534-9550

Go next

 * Sutherland
 * Hershey
 * Brady
 * Maxwell
 * Wallace
 * Wellfleet

title: North Platte


text:
North Pole

The North Pole is Earth's northernmost point in the middle of the Arctic Ocean.

Understand
The geographic North Pole is in the northern hemisphere at the Earth's axis of rotation, latitude 90°N (longitude not applicable). While the South Pole is on the continent of Antarctica, the North Pole is (as of the mid-2010s) covered by a sheet of shifting ice on the Arctic Ocean. Like the South Pole, the precise location of the North Pole is constantly shifting due to shifts in the Earth's axis of rotation.

There are no man-made structures marking the North Pole, as the ice moves from year to year.

While many explorers have tried and failed to reach the North Pole, it is now within reach for commercial tourists.

There is also the North Magnetic Pole. One definition is the point on the surface that magnetic compasses point to, following the Earth's geomagnetic field. Another uses the Earth's more broad magnetosphere (which affects the Aurora Borealis) as a reference. These positions drift, and the drift has become more rapid since the late 20th century. They are also subject to reversals on average about once every 500,000 years.

A somewhat arbitrary definition is the Northern Pole of Inaccessibility, the farthest point from any coastline. This is a fixed location (barring major sea level changes that might redefine coastlines) at 84°03'N 174°51'W.

A few locations further south use North Pole-related names to promote Santa Claus-themed attractions... and then there's the Northern Pole of Cold, in Russia, as the coldest region in the Northern Hemisphere.

Get in

The North Pole can only be reached on expeditions specifically mounted for the purpose. Most travel primarily by air, sometimes with a component traversing the last leg of the journey on the ice. The other alternative is traveling by boat, on an ice-breaker cutting through the Arctic Ocean.

The First
On April 9, 1909, Robert Peary, his partner Matthew Henson, and four Inuit reached the North Pole. They are recognized as the first, although there is still controversy surrounding this claim, as some believe the men missed the North Pole by several miles.

By air
Most expeditions take place in April when the Arctic night is over but the winter ice is still strong. They start from Longyearbyen in the Svalbard islands, and continue on to the Pole by a combination of plane and helicopter. They usually stop at the Russian polar research station and "ice airport" Barneo (also spelled "Borneo") which is set up each spring at about 89°N and drifts on the Arctic ice pack. Some expeditions drop travelers here or somewhere else short of the Pole itself, leaving them to finish on the ice. A less demanding and more affordable option are flying sightseeing expeditions starting in Germany or the UK, using a long-haul aircraft to overfly Norway, the Svalbard Archipelago, and the North Pole itself, without landing but flying low over areas of interest.

 * Arctic Direct. Their North Pole Odyssey generally follows the routes of history's famous polar explorers, such as Dr. Frederick Cook who claimed to be the first to Pole in 1908 and Commander Robert E. Peary who claimed to be the first in 1909. The trip heads north via the Magnetic North Pole, Eureka and Nansen Sounds, and Ellesmere Islands, Cape Columbia. The return south incorporates Etah, Greenland, where Peary collected his Inuit support teams. A seasoned polar escort leads the Odyssey.
 * Arctic Odysseys. Offers multiple excursion.  Travel via helicopter, plane, icebreaker, dog sled, skiis, or a combination for a celebration at the North Pole.  Make a phone call from the Pole, enjoy a Pole barbecue, or take a dip in the frigid waters before returning shipboard or to your Arctic expedition camp.
 * Global Expedition Adventures. Offers a variety of packages, including plane/helicopter directly to the Pole, overnighting at the Pole, skiing "the last degree", and even skydiving onto the polar ice cap. You will typically be looking at a minimum of US$12,000 per head for the trip.
 * Icetrek. Offers day-trips from Longyearbyen, 3-4 day excursions overnighting at Barneo, and skiing expeditions up to 9 days on the ice.  €7,900–13,900.
 * Northwest Passage. Offers packages including plane/helicopter flights all the way to the Pole, last-degree skiing, and dogsledding to the Pole.
 * Polar Challenge. Offers the opportunity to take part in a 350 nautical mile competitive team Polar race to the Magnetic North Pole and beyond. Includes full pre-race training in Wales, Austria and the Arctic, equipment and full administrative support. Entry fee £17,500 per person.
 * North Pole Adventures. Offers standard as well as not so standard North Pole packages from special honeymoon deals to overland ski crossings to vodka tasting at 40 degrees below zero.  Flights take off from Moscow and Frankfurt.  Trips average about €10,000 per person, although honeymooners enjoy a two for the price of one deal.

By sea
There are two commercial sea vessels making regular trips to the North Pole, the nuclear-powered Russian ice-breaker Yamal, and 50 Years of Victory, operated by the Murmansk Shipping Company. They depart from Murmansk (tour packages beginning in Helsinki and in Moscow), making several two-week journeys in the Summer (when the ice is easier to get through). Yamal is equipped with 50 cabins and suites with private bathrooms and exterior windows, fine dining, heated indoor pool, gym, library, etc. 50 Years of Victory, the largest icebreaker ever built, has 64 cabins in five categories. Voyages are booked by a variety of tour operators (including some of the air-excursion outfits, plus several others), generally at about US$18,000–25,000 per person (double occupancy).

Get around
Crosscountry skis and dogsleds are about the only viable transportation option near the North Pole; staying with your tour group is advisable.

See
The ice terrain at the North Pole tends to be rather flat, though some interesting formations of snow and ice can be found. There's only one protracted sunrise and sunset each year (which will not be during your visit). Tour operators stick a sign pole into the ice, but that's unofficial and purely for photographic purposes.

Despite their name, polar bears don't usually venture this far north (preferring the southern "coastal" parts of the Arctic ice cap, with better swimming opportunities.)

Do
There are few formal recreational opportunities at the North Pole. Each year, however, there is a marathon foot race called the North Pole Marathon organized by Polar Running Adventures.

Adventurous types may try searching for Santa Claus but it is highly unlikely you'll be able to locate him, even if the blizzards which are common in most areas happen to clear for a while. That hasn't stopped the Arctic Circle city of Rovaniemi, Finland and the nearly-Arctic Interior Alaskan city of North Pole from promoting themselves as Santa's home; a few points further south also use North Pole or Santa Claus to promote Christmas-themed attractions.

Buy
There are no shops at the North Pole; you should bring everything that you might need for your expedition.

Eat
You or your tour operator will have to bring along all of your food. Celebratory caviar is traditional upon arriving at the Pole itself.

Drink
The North Pole's ocean-formed ice contains salt, making it unsuitable for drinking, even when thawed. BYOB. Celebratory champagne is traditional; vodka at -40° while standing on an iceberg is also quite appropriate.

Sleep
Although there are no permanent accommodations at or near the Pole, temporary camps can be set up, providing heated shelter for one or more nights. Barneo has semi-permanent heated shelters, which are commonly used by expeditions spending more than a day on the ice. See travelling in cold weather.

Connect
Any system based on geosynchronous satellites (which, relative to Earth, hover at fixed points above the equator) will not work, as they drop below the horizon near 80°N. This line corresponds to the middle of Ellesmere Island in Canada and northern Svalbard.

Iridium satellite phones are the only ones that will work, and they should work excellently since the poles are where the orbits of every satellite overlap. Globalstar will not, as its satellites can only relay to a nearby ground station, of which there are none close enough to the North Pole.

Go next
All visitors to the North Pole head south after their stay, typically back to the same location that they arrived from.

If you want to visit something similar, go to the South Pole in Antarctica.

title: North Pole


text:
North Pole (Alaska)

North Pole is a city of 2,100 people (2019) near Fairbanks in Interior Alaska. The city is a summertime attraction for tourists visiting nearby Fairbanks and, due to its location on the Richardson Highway, those traveling to and from the Alaska Highway and Valdez.

Understand
Prior to Christmas each year, the US post office in North Pole receives hundreds of thousands of letters to Santa Claus, and thousands more from people wanting the town's postmark on their Christmas greeting cards to their families. It advertises the ZIP code 99705 as the ZIP code of Santa. A community program also responds to letters addressed to 1 Santa Claus Lane.

By car
North Pole is on Alaska State Highway 2, about 14 miles east of Fairbanks.

By air
Fairbanks International Airport is the closest airport with scheduled service.

Recreational pilots can fly to.

Get around
The town is quite small and, weather permitting, can easily be explored on foot.

By taxi
Taxis are available locally from North Pole Taxi or King Cab.

Buy
The city of North Pole has a 5.3% sales tax.

Postage and mail - use the special Santa/North Pole cancellation slot.

Go next
Salcha -

title: North Pole (Alaska)


text:
North Pole (disambiguation)

Although, most of the time, the North Pole refers to the northernmost geographic point in the world, there are other places called North Pole.

 * North Pole is the northernmost geographic point. The article covers also thed magnetic North Pole and some related concepts.
 * North Pole (Alaska) – a Christmas-themed city near Fairbanks in Interior Alaska
 * North Pole (New York) – a small Adirondacks village near Wilmington (New York) with a Santa Claus-themed park
 * North Pole (Western Australia) – a cattle station near Marble Bar, named as such because the Earth's magnetic North Pole was here around 800,000 years ago

See also Santa Claus.

The Poles of Cold are the places in the southern and northern hemispheres where the lowest air temperatures have been recorded. The Northern Pole of Cold is believed to include Oymyakon and Verkhoyansk in Russia's Sakha Republic (Yakutia).

The Poles of Inaccessibility are the furthest points from any coastline in northern (and southern) polar regions. The Arctic (or northern) pole of inaccessibility (85.8, -176.15) is located on Arctic Ocean pack ice 1,008 km (626 mi) from each of Ellesmere Island, Komsomolets, and the Genriyetta Islands. See also Next-to-impossible destinations.

title: North Pole (disambiguation)


text:
North Pole (New York)

North Pole is a small hamlet in the town of Wilmington in Essex County NY, near Whiteface Mountain and Lake Placid.

Understand
North Pole is a tiny crossroads with only a few houses, near Lake Placid. It is home of one of the earliest US theme parks. Santa's Workshop opened on July 1, 1949, six years before Disneyland (1955), serving as a model for many theme parks of the 1950s. A postal substation was opened as "North Pole NY" in 1953 and remains open seasonally. It is possible to purchase a letter from Santa with the North Pole postmark.

The hamlet once claimed to have its own television station: while the "WPTZ 5 North Pole" studios were always in Plattsburgh, the original analogue TV transmitter site was on a mountaintop in this area. (The station no longer has any tie to the "North Pole".)

Get in
By car, North Pole NY is two miles west of Wilmington on Whiteface Memorial Highway (NY 431), a road which then ascends through parkland to climb Whiteface Mountain.

From Interstate 87 (Keeseville), take NY Hwy 9N 16 miles southwest through Au Sable Forks to Jay, then NY Hwy 86 5 miles west to Wilmington. Turn west on Whiteface Memorial Highway 431.

From Lake Placid, take NY Hwy 86 12 miles north to Wilmington. Turn west on Whiteface Memorial Highway 431.

Get around
Access is by car or bicycle, normally following the Whiteface Veterans' Memorial Highway from Wilmington.

A toll ($10/car or $6/bicycle) is charged to those continuing beyond North Pole to ascend Whiteface Mountain by road. There are various lookout points with parking on the mountain itself.

Eat and drink
Facilities are limited at the North Pole crossroads, try Wilmington.

Go next

 * Lake Placid

title: North Pole (New York)


text:
Northport (New York)

Northport is a village on the North Shore of Long Island in New York. It is located in Suffolk County.

Understand
Northport used to be inhabited by the Matinecocks, one of 13 Native American tribes residing on Long Island. The land that Northport sits on, known as Opcathontyche at the time, was sold to three Englishmen in 1656. Farming began on the land around the harbor and the area of became known as Great Cow Harbor. In the 19th century, shipbuilding began, which brought much growth to the city. By the 1830s, the city became known as Northport.

Get in
By car: There are many ways to enter Long Island.

From the north: The most common route is taking I-95 South to the Throgs Neck Bridge. From the Throgs Neck Bridge, take the Cross Island Parkway heading south, then take the exit for I-495/Long Island Expressway. From the LIE, take exit 53, then drive 3/4 mile down Deer Park Road, take a left at Elwood Road and drive about 3.5 miles until you come to Fort Salonga Road/Rt. 25A.

From the south: Take I-95 North towards towards the Goethals Bridge. Take the Goethals Bridge to I-278/Staten Island Expressway. Take I-278 through Staten Island to the Verrazano Bridge. Getting off the Verrazano Bridge, take the Belt Parkway heading east. Take the Belt to the Southern State Parkway. Stay on the Southern State Parkway, then get off at the Sagtikos Parkway exit. Take the Sagtikos until it turns into the Sunken Meadow Parkway. Get off at Exit 4W/Pulaski Road. Take Pulaski Road all the way to Larkfield Road. Take a right on Larkfield Road and drive straight down to Rt. 25A/ Fort Salonga Road.

By train: From NYC, take the Long Island Rail Road out of Penn Station going to Port Jefferson. You may need to transfer at Huntington to get to Northport train station located on Larkfield Road, 2 miles south of downtown.

Get around
Northport does not offer much public transportation. Aside from a few buses, the best way to get around town is by car, although biking and walking are not bad alternatives. Everything is within a few miles' walking distance.

See
Northport contains various attractions for visitors, as well as normal residents. The main attraction of Northport is Northport Village located in the downtown area. The village, which is located on Main Street stemming from Rt. 25A to the Northport Harbor, is lined with popular stores, bars, and restaurants. At the end of Main Street is the Northport Harbor, where many boats are moored at Seymour's Boatyard. With the park and the dock, Northport Harbor is an extremely scenic and beautiful place to relax and socialize.

Do
On a nice summer day, head down to Crab Meadow Beach located at the end of Waterside Rd. off of Rt. 25A. Great little beach to lay out and relax, or even bring the kids. When the weather isn't cooperating, see a musical at the John W. Engeman Theater on Main Street. Also, enjoy shopping on Main Street at the fine boutiques and shops.

Many historic homes line the streets of Northport Village. A short easy walk along Bayview Ave will allow views from the sidewalk of many beautiful Victorian and Circa homes as well as views of the harbor, Northport Bay, and the sunny village park.

Part of the Village Park, at the foot of Main Street, was the turn around for the trolley that ran up Main Street to connect with the railroad. Tracks are still visible, but only those who have visited all the pubs in one night are able to hear the trolley whistle.

During the summer, on Saturdays, there is a Farmer's Market in Cow Harbor Park. Visitors can buy local organic produce, seafood, baked goods, and ornamental plants and herbs. Later in the summer, there's fruit from local orchards. It is not unusual to hear live music in the park as well.

For a nice night out, the best choice is always downtown on Main Street. With the selection of bars and restaurants, it is an eventful place on weekend nights. The John W. Engeman Theatre is also very popular downtown to see a nice musical production. After that, Lic's Ice Cream is a great place for a scoop of Hershey's Ice Cream. Take a walk down the pier to relax or sit in the park and listen to music in the cabana.

Eat
The variety of restaurants in Northport allow for a good night out no matter the choice of food.

Sleep

Otherwise, see Huntington (New York), as Huntington Village is barely farther.

Connect
The Village of Northport can be contacted at: PO Box 1143, East Northport, NY 11731

title: Northport (New York)


text:
North Reading

North Reading is a town of 15,000 (2020) in the southern part of the Merrimack Valley region of Eastern Massachusetts.

Middleton is a town with a population of 10,000 (2020).

Understand
The area was first settled by European immigrants in 1651 when the town of Reading received a special land grant north of the Ipswich River. It was incorporated as the separate town of North Reading in 1853.

Nearby Middleton was first settled by European immigrants in 1659 and was incorporated in 1728. The town grew as a farming community, mostly due to its location on the Ipswich River, with homesteads of hundreds of acres. However, during the 18th century, Middleton also contained a vital ironworks industry. In the late 18th and to the mid-19th centuries Middleton was a vacation town to those who lived in areas such as Lawrence and Lowell.

Get in
By car, North Reading is easily accessed from Interstate 93 by Exit #39 at Concord Street or Exit #40 at Route 62 or from Interstate 95/Route 128 by Exit #40.

The MBTA Haverhill Line stops at Reading or Andover stations, to the south or north of town respectively.

Middleton lies just west of Interstate 95. There are exits off the highway in Boxford and in Danvers which provide access to the town.

See
The North Reading Historical Society maintains a number of buildings in town that are publicly accessible at various times.

title: North Reading


text:
North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia (German Nordrhein-Westfalen) is the most populous state in Germany, with 17.5 million inhabitants, located in the west of the country. It consists of two historically independent parts: Nordrhein, the urbanized area across the river Rhine in the southwest, and Westfalen in the northeast, which is quite diverse as it includes both the heavily industrialized and densely populated Ruhr Valley and the very green Teutoburg Forest.

The region contains several of the most-often visited cities of Germany, both for business and pleasure. Here you can find numerous headquarters of Germany's large and mid-sized corporations, European outposts of Asian and American multinationals, as well as world-renowned factories. Many of the globally important trade fairs take place in Düsseldorf and Cologne, the latter is also a major cultural centre. The beautiful historic city of Bonn was West Germany's de facto capital until 1990 and still contains many federal institutions, both governmental and cultural.

With the large population accumulated within a small area, as well as equally sizeable tourist traffic, North Rhine-Westphalia possesses the appropriate transportation infrastructure, with three major international airports and a very efficient – if sometimes overcrowded – railway and motorway network. NRW, as it is frequently abbreviated, also contains the first "cycle highway" of Germany which is planned to grow to over 100 km of fully grade separated extra broad cycle route. Accommodation and gastronomic opportunities are aplenty as well. There is always a lot going on and getting between destinations is easy and quick.

Cities

 * — the state capital on the Rhine, known as a major professional services hub
 * — Spa and university town founded in Roman times and Charlemagne's favorite residence
 * — seat of government and de facto capital of West Germany 1949-1990/98, the "Bundesstadt" still has many federal and international institutions remaining and big city trappings you wouldn't expect from what author John le Carré called "a small town in Germany"
 * (Köln) — the fourth largest city in Germany, famous for its cathedral, location by the Rhine, and being the media capital of Germany.
 * – biggest city of the Ruhr district, home of frequent Bundesliga champion Borussia Dortmund and transforming industrial centre
 * — the world's biggest inland harbour, spectacular at night
 * – centre of the Ruhr agglomeration, transforming from an industrial site into a cultural metropolis
 * — a historic city with a particularly bike-friendly infrastructure and population

 * — with the vintage suspended monorail (Schwebebahn) over the river Wupper

Other destinations
The Middle Rhine Valley is traditionally considered to end in Bonn, although the demarcation is anything but dramatic. You may want to continue to explore the valley upstream to Rhineland-Palatinate when in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Understand

North Rhine-Westphalia (often abbreviated to NRW) is a German state founded after World War II by British occupation authorities. The state capital is Dusseldorf while Cologne is the most populous city. It consists of, as the name indicates, the province Westphalia in the east and the northern Rhinelands in the west. The hyphen symbolizes the attempt to bind people and regions that are so very different and stands also for the gap between the ethnic groups. This gap runs from the south-east to the north-west for 283 km across the state.

While the Rhineland is famous for its carnival and the "Rheinische Frohnatur" is a cliché throughout Germany, the Westphalians are said to be much more reserved and introverted. All over the state, but especially in its former industrial heart, migration has played a major role since at least the 19th century. Last names give an indication where much of the labour force came from when coal and steel built a nation and the stars of Schalke 04 during its glory days in the 1930s had names like Kuzorra or Szepan. Today the descendants of the earliest immigrants are hard to distinguish from people whose ancestors lived here even earlier, but new migrations of Turks, Italians and Yugoslavs after the war have left their mark on certain neighbourhoods – not least in the ubiquitous (and delicious) döner and pizza restaurants.

The geography is also varied from the Cologne "bight" (Kölner Bucht) that represents the southernmost reaches of the North German Lowlands to the moderately high mountain ranges that surround it, like the Eifel or the Sauerland. In general the north is flatter than the south and the west is more urbanized than the east.

In the middle of all aspects, geographic and ethnic, lies the Ruhr Area (Ruhrgebiet), the name of the river at whose banks the region is situated. It arose during the past 150 years by immigrants from all over Europe but has strong roots in Westphalia and the Rhinelands as well. The region was and still is the heart of heavy industry in Germany, based on coal and steel. Although mining has mostly come to an end, the people strongly derive their identity from heavy industry. And there are still some successful manufacturers of specialist steel or products made from it. Car manufacturers like Opel in Bochum were once thought of as the replacement for heavy industries, but they are in the news more for threatened closures and layoffs than anything else. The City of Essen was named European Capital of Culture in 2010. This gave a boost to the cultural scene in the region, put it on the map for something other than "rust belt" doom and gloom, and helped right many inaccurate stereotypes about the region. Finally, Dortmund is internationally known for its football club Borussia Dortmund, which has managed to carve out one of the most respectable club images in world football.

North Rhine-Westphalia has about 18 million inhabitants, which makes it the most populous state in Germany and the fourth largest in area. The Ruhr is the third or fourth largest urban region in the European Union, after London and Paris and either ahead of or behind Madrid. Also, 34 of the 100 largest companies in Germany and 9 of the 100 largest European companies have their headquarters in North Rhine-Westphalia. Despite this, the region was hit hard by deindustrialization, and while many cities have managed to diversify their economies, others are still struggling to move on.

Tourist information

 * North Rhine-Westphalia tourism website

Talk
In most large cities the regular Hochdeutsch is spoken everyday, due to the communities there being mixtures of locals and immigrants from all parts of Germany, Europe and the world. The local dialects are mostly present in the form of unique vocabulary, otherwise you should find local German easy to understand (if you know any, that is).

The area, particularly the economic heartland of the Ruhr, has been a destination for millions of immigrants since the mid-19th century. As a result, immigrant languages can be found spoken by many. However, although someone has, for example, an ethnically Polish last name, they may not speak or think of themselves as Polish — their ancestors may have come to the area before the German Empire was even founded.

In larger cities, English can be spoken by those performing service jobs, and chances are any person you encounter will speak at least basic English too. This is not a rule, and you may still encounter people, mostly seniors, who do not speak communicative English.

Thanks to a history of immigration and the region's geographic location, it can be possible to hear languages such as Arabic, Dutch, French, Italian, Polish, and Turkish in major cities.

By plane

The major airports within North Rhine-Westphalia sorted by passenger numbers are:

Additionally, both Bonn, Cologne and Düsseldorf, as well as many other cities in the region, can be reached by a direct high-speed train from Frankfurt Airport.

By train
Several ICE high speed lines go through the state, among them the Frankfurt Cologne mainline with speeds reaching 300 km/h. Regional trains are sometimes cheaper and often take more "scenic" routes that are too curvy for high speed trains. In the immediate border area with Belgium and the Netherlands (the Euregio) special discount tickets for local trains apply making day trips across the border very affordable indeed.

By bus
There are a number of inner-German as well as international bus lines with stops in most major cities of the state. As the domestic market only became deregulated in 2012, there is still a lot of change and routes may appear and disappear on relatively short notice.

By car
As this is the most densely populated state of Germany, numerous long distance Autobahnen run through this state and across the border. Due in part to the high population density, they are however also prone to congestion, especially at the first and last weekend of major holidays or during rush hour.

Get around
Public transport is very good with a high density. You need only one “NRW Ticket” from the Deutsche Bahn to be able to use all local, regional train RB and regional express trains RE (no high-speed trains, though their top speed is usually ), light rail systems S-Bahn, metro (U-Bahn/Stadtbahn), trams (Straßenbahn) and buses in the whole North Rhine-Westphalia. You don't need to purchase another ticket when you change from local train to bus, light rail and tram.

Example: You purchased a ticket from Aachen to Wuppertal for local, regional and express trains. With this ticket, you can use the monorail (Schwebebahn) and the city buses in Wuppertal.

See

There is plenty to see and explore in the NRW. The most obvious recommendations are the large cities, with both rich history and bustling contemporary life, full of events, including the famous Carnival of Cologne. But if you want to escape from the hustle and bustle, the Eifel mountains in the south-east are a very different environment, peaceful, quiet and full of great sights. Aachen Cathedral with parts of the building dating back to the 800s is well worth a visit. For more modern history check out the German Mining Museum in Bochum.

Do
The abundance of rivers provides for plentiful river cruising opportunities. Many locals own boats and, as the Rhine is also connected naturally and via canals to many other major rivers and bodies of water, enjoy travelling around Europe's waterways at their whim.

North Rhine-Westphalia is also home to many sports clubs. Borussia Dortmund soccer club has been particularly successful in the 2010s.

Eat
There is no particular North Rhine or Westphalian cuisine, but this doesn't mean you are not in for some culinary delights. Due to the abundance of ethnic minorities, there is a variety ethnic restaurants of all shapes and sizes – from the local Döner Kebab stand to exquisite fine dining establishments. Of note is the fact that Düsseldorf has a sizeable Japanese population (1% of the city), which is there mostly due to Japanese companies having their European headquarters there. Therefore, you will find quite a few higher-end Japanese restaurants in the city.

Drink
Beer is the drink of choice in the region, with every city being proud of local breweries and the unique kinds and brands of beer that they make - like the Kölsch in Cologne. Head over to the local Bierkeller and mingle with the locals if you speak some German (or just enjoy the atmosphere and people-watch, if you don't). In larger cities you will also find other kinds of busy nightlife, with nightclubs catering to various cultural groups and music tastes.

Sleep
As the area is densely urban and well-travelled by both business and leisure travellers, the accommodation base is plentiful and offers a wide choice, from exquisite boutique hotels in historic monuments, through efficient and comfortable business-oriented hotels down to small and cosy (and inexpensive) local Pensions.

Go next

 * Lower Saxony forms a geographic continuum with Westphalia, and offers all kinds of attractions, both natural, historic and modern.
 * Rheinland-Pfalz and Hesse are farther up the river Rhine, and you can get there by all means of transportation, including boats. Apart from beautiful natural landscapes and world-famous wineries, you can also visit another major German city, Frankfurt, which has frequent and fast railway connections with Düsseldorf, Cologne and Bonn.
 * Netherlands and Belgium border North-Rhine Westphalia, and there are many transportation options to get there, even for a day trip

title: North Rhine-Westphalia


text:
North Ridgeville

North Ridgeville is a city in Lorain County, Ohio.

By car
North Ridgeville lies at the intersection of I480, I80/The Ohio Turnpike, and SR10.

title: North Ridgeville


text:
North Savonia

North Savonia (Pohjois-Savo) is a province in the Finnish Lakeland, north of Saimaa proper, but with connecting waterways.

Cities

 * — the largest city in the region
 * — the largest city in the region
 * — the largest city in the region

In general cities in North Savonia are small – the population of the region's largest city, Kuopio, is around 121,000 inhabitants and the second largest city Iisalmi has only 21,000 inhabitants.

Other destinations

 * , a ski resort in Nilsiä, now part of Kuopio, with accommodation and some outdoor activities also during the summer.

Understand
The region is known for its natural beauty, including the stunning scenery of the Finnish Lakeland and the hills and forests of the North Savo uplands. The economy of the province is diverse, with a mix of traditional industries such as forestry and agriculture, as well as more modern sectors such as high-tech manufacturing and healthcare. The region is also home to several universities and research institutions, including the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio.

Talk
Local dialect of Finnish is Savo. Most people speak English at least satisfactory, especially young people. Also Russian and German may be understood (not widely), but don't expect people to speak or understand Finland's second language Swedish in this region.

By plane

There are flights from Helsinki to Kuopio Airport. Lappeenranta and Tampere airports are the nearest airports with international connections.

By train
Kuopio, Varkaus and Iisalmi have railway connections.

By bus
Buses operate to all municipality and city centres.

By car
Distances are long and service level of public transportation is poor, so the best way to get in and get around is by own car. It is possible to rent a car from Rissala airport or Kuopio.

By boat
In summer there are daily cruises from Savonlinna in South Savonia to Kuopio.

North Savonia (up to Iisalmi) is reachable from the oceans via the Saimaa Canal.

Get around

Trains can be used from Varkaus via Pieksamäki to Kuopio and Iisalmi or between the latter. Some intermediate stations may have VR bus connections.

For coaches and buses, in addition to Matkahuolto, see the schedules of Waltti.

Especially if you are willing to go to more remote areas of province, having your own car is useful. Rent a car in Kuopio, Iisalmi or Varkaus.

By taxi

 * Smartphone apps: Valopilkku, 02 Taksi, Taksi Itä-Suomi

By boat
The main waterway is from Iisalmi via Kuopio to Varkaus on Saimaa. The Keitele–Päijänne–Vesijärvi route leads from Keitele via Päijänne in Central Finland to Lahti and Kouvola. There are also many smaller lakes, most with many bays and islands.

See

 * Lepikon torppa, a few kilometres from Pielavesi centre, is the birthplace and childhood home of President of Finland Urho Kekkonen (1900–1986). It is now a museum.
 * Mekaanisen Musiikin Museo in Varkaus is the only mechanical music museum in Finland.
 * Olvi Panimomuseo in Iisalmi shows the history of beer and different stages of brewing.
 * Pisa, a fell and a view spot and a protected area between Juankoski and Nilsiä in Kuopio. The Treaty of Teusina in 1595 determined Pisa to be one landmark of the border between Russia and Sweden. On the top (270 m) you can still see the markings in stone.
 * See Kuopio and its surroundings from Puijo observation tower.
 * Pumpulikirkko in Rautavaara.
 * Seinävuoren rotkolaakso in Tuusniemi. Around 50 km from Kuopio there is a gorge with a 2.5-km hiking trail.
 * Go hiking to Orinoro gorge in Leppävirta. There is a 7-km-long hiking trail, which leads you into a narrow gorge with vertical cliffs. Alternatively you can drive by car as close as 700 m to a gorge.

Do

 * In a nice summer day, take a cruise in Finland's biggest lake area Saimaa. Depart from Kuopio.
 * Metsäkartano, located in the municipality of Rautavaara in northern North Savonia, this nature tourist centre offers variety of sport and outdoor activities both in summer and winter and accommodation in log buildings and even in a tepee made of peat. In the restaurant they serve organic food.
 * Relax in a spa in Leppävirta
 * Ski downhill or cross-country in Tahko, Nilsiä (nowadays officially a part of Kuopio).
 * Hike to the Orinoro gorge in Leppävirta.

Events

 * Navitas Marathon in the beginning of June in Varkaus
 * Vekara-Varkaus is a summer event for children held in June in Varkaus.
 * Kuopio Dance Festival in June.
 * Kuopio Wine Festival; wine, food, friend, celebration. The wine village opens in the beginning of July offering wine, food and music performances and festivities continue for one week.
 * Suonenjoki strawberry carnival is one of the oldest summer festivals in Finland. In 2010 the carnival tradition will be 40 years old. Suonenjoki municipality is considered as a strawberry capital of Finland, as it is the biggest strawberry producer in the country.
 * The Wife Carrying World Championships is arranged in Sonkajärvi each summer.

Eat

 * Kalakukko, a specialty of the region, a rye bread pastry filled with fish and meat. Buy it in a marketplace, especially in Kuopio.

Drink
Try kotikalja, non-alcoholic home-made ale, usually served in summer season but can be found in restaurants, especially in buffet, all year round.

Tap water is drinkable everywhere.

Stay safe
As in the whole Finland, it is really safe to travel in North Savonia. There are few brown bear in wilderness but you almost never see them as they give way when hear people coming. Beware of vipers in the summer. Insects, such as mosquitoes, gadflies and deer flies are irritating and their bite itchy but not dangerous. Ticks may carry borreliosis and the dangerous tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) but it is extremely rare to get a disease (there has been only one recorded case of TBE in North Savonia).

title: North Savonia


text:
North São Paulo

North São Paulo is a region in the state of São Paulo. Built on vast farmlands and pastures that extend beyond the horizon, the region is a good representation of São Paulo's prosperous countryside, annually celebrated in the Barretos' rodeo festival.

Cities

 * - Agribusiness city that hosts the country's most popular rodeo festival
 * - Italian-founded city who inspired the Brazilian painter Cândido Portinari
 * - The region's largest city and main center of shopping and nightlife
 * - Cozy resort town by the Grande river
 * - The region's largest city and main center of shopping and nightlife
 * - Cozy resort town by the Grande river

Get in

 * Dr. Leite Lopes Airport

title: North São Paulo


text:
North Sea

The North Sea is a body of water surrounded by the following countries:

 * Norway – Vestlandet
 * Denmark – separating it from the Baltic Sea
 * Germany – the states of Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony, with ports at Bremerhaven and Hamburg.
 * Netherlands – with ports at Rotterdam and the Hook of Holland
 * Belgium – with a port at Zeebrugge
 * France – with ports at Calais and Dunkirk.
 * England – a country of the United Kingdom, with ports at Dover, Harwich, Kingston-upon-Hull and North Shields.
 * Scotland – a country of the United Kingdom, with a port at Aberdeen

There are sizeable islands and archipelagos around the edges of the North Sea, including the Orkney, Shetland and Frisian Islands. The Norwegian coast is famous for its fjords.

Crossing the North Sea is possible with a number of UK east coast ferry routes.

Noordzee

title: North Sea


text:
North Shore

There's more than one place called North Shore.

Australia

 * The Lower North Shore and Upper North Shore are districts of Sydney

Canada

 * North Shore (British Columbia) - the Cities of North and West Vancouver in British Columbia
 * North Shore (Quebec) — The North Shore or Côte-Nord is a region of Quebec on the shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

New Zealand

 * North Shore - part of the North Harbour district of Auckland

United States of America

 * North Shore (Massachusetts)
 * North Shore (Minnesota)
 * North Shore (Illinois) - affluent suburbs north of Chicago along Lake Michigan
 * North Shore (Oahu) - in Oahu, Hawaii

title: North Shore


text:
North Shore (British Columbia)

The North Shore (of Burrard Inlet) is a local regional grouping of northern suburban areas of Vancouver where dense urban meets dramatic tall mountains. The mountains provide attractions like the Grouse Mountain ski resort. At the west end of the North Shore is Horseshoe Bay, ferry terminal to the Sunshine Coast and Vancouver Island.

Understand

The first European settlers started to arrive in the North Shore in the 1860s, attracted by the logging potential of its old growth forests. The lumber, in turn, was attractive to ship builders and a ship building industry was born that would be important to the region for decades. The settlement grew and by 1891 the residents had organized and incorporated the District of North Vancouver, which covered the entire region from Horseshoe Bay to Deep Cove. "North Vancouver" was chosen as the name so potential real estate investors would better know where their land was.

Most of the early settlement and industry focused on what is now considered Lower and Central Lonsdale. Property owners in this area felt they could do better if they separated from the District, so the City of North Vancouver was incorporated in 1907, taking with it the municipal hall, the ferry connections to Vancouver and most of the business and industry in the North Shore. Meanwhile, people living west of the Capilano River were becoming anxious that the increasing industry in the North Shore would affect them. This led to the incorporation of the District of West Vancouver in 1912 to preserve the residential nature of the area.

Although all of this happened more than 100 years ago and the borders of the three municipalities are invisible to anyone except local politicians and municipal government employees, the structure of government and the interests that were important in their creation continue to shape the community.

West Vancouver has the wealthiest people and the most expensive real estate in the country, a dwindling stock old rental high rise buildings along the waterfront and Park Royal, a successful and growing shopping center featuring many of the world's luxury brands, on land that it leases from the Squamish First Nation. Its separation from the other two municipalities is more obvious due to the coincidence of the Capilano River with most of the boundary between it and the District of North Vancouver. There is also the fact that, as with most wealthy enclaves, the residential property tax rate is 40% lower than other municipalities in the region.

The boundary between the City and District of North Vancouver has no correlation to any feature of the local geography. It exists only because it demarcated the extent of the lands owned in 1907 by the developers that got the provincial government to create a municipality dedicated to getting their properties developed for sale while avoiding the burden of maintaining roads and bridges to homesteaders in the district.

True to its roots, the city has always been more development-friendly. Its 12-km² footprint is the urban core of North Vancouver and the hub for many of the commercial and non-profit activities that serve all of North Vancouver and is connected by a 12-minute Seabus ride to downtown Vancouver. Over 80% of the population lives in high rise or multi-family developments and approximately half of the 50,000 residents are renters.

The 160 km² of the district entirely surrounds the city and much higher proportion of its 90,000 residents live in single family homes. This is changing as the District Council has been pursuing a policy of densification around 'town centers' in addition to an urban core, which is for practical purposes the city. Its commercial base is of a similar size to the city but spread out more across the community. Industrial activity is also split relatively evenly with the district likely to grow as a major federal government funded ship building program gets underway on the grounds of Seaspan, one of its major waterfront employers.

The North Shore is distinguished by its world class recreation and tourist attractions made possible by mountains that are the iconic background to most pictures of the City of Vancouver. Early recreational enthusiasts from Vancouver and elsewhere would brave ferry rides and long treks up the local mountains to go skiing or hiking. Over the years, parks were set aside, trails cut and ski areas built to make it more accessible.

The ski areas became Olympic venues for freestyle skiing and snowboarding. The mountain trails are cherished and convenient escape routes for city dwellers into nature in addition to being home to world-class mountain biking and trail running events. The year round gondola service at Grouse Mountain provides thousands of fitness devotees a ride back down after exhausting themselves running or walking up the 2.9 km length and 800 meter elevation of the 'Grouse Grind'.

Every North Shore mountain has a peak that invites hiking and climbing. Each valley in-between has a recreational opportunity in the lake or river that will be protected by a park created to make it available for the enjoyment of residents and tourists alike.

The most accessible and visitor friendly of these is the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Much of the terrain across the North Shore is challenging and can be dangerous, which has resulted in a very active local Search & Rescue organization. The owners of the Capilano Suspension Bridge have taken the historical necessity of spanning the deepest and most dangerous of the North Shore river canyons with a long suspension bridge and turned it into a world class tourism destination and a safe way for the first time visitor to view the spectacular scenery while at the same time getting an introduction to the region and its history.

While it is an increasingly attractive destination for tourists it remains a very attractive place to live for people that value the natural recreation and lifestyle options it offers.

Get in
See Vancouver for intercity options to the region by plane, bus, and train.

By car
If you're coming from Vancouver, you enter the North Shore by either Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway) across the Second Narrows Bridge into North Vancouver or by Highway 99 across the Lion's Gate Bridge into West Vancouver. Visitors travelling south on Highway 99 from Squamish or Whistler will arrive in the North Shore just above Horseshoe Bay.

By public transit
Going to the North Shore means crossing a fare zone boundary so a ticket to/from Vancouver, Burnaby or Richmond will cost and a ticket to/from Surrey will cost.

TransLink operates the SeaBus, a passenger only ferry, between Waterfront Station and in North Vancouver on the North Shore. A ticket or transfer used on a bus or the SkyTrain is also accepted on the SeaBus.

The SeaBus runs every 15 minutes until 6:45PM M-F and 10AM - 6:15PM on Saturdays. It runs every half hour at all other times. The SeaBus operates from about 6AM to 1:20AM, with shorter hours on Sunday. A schedule is available on the TransLink's website.

By boat

 * Ferry terminals in the North Shore area:
 * in West Vancouver has three routes servicing it, including to Bowen Island, the Sunshine Coast, and Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. See West Vancouver for details.
 * has a single route connection to Vancouver (Horseshoe Bay)

Get around
It is convenient to get around the North Shore by driving or taking the bus. There is also a variety of hiking and biking trails. The bus service is mostly aimed at getting people downtown so travelling from one part of the North Shore to another may involve a transfer. However, it is possible to reach many of the attractions by bus. There is excellent service between the SeaBus and many of the attractions on the North Shore, such as the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge or the Grouse Mountain Skyride.

Parking is quite plentiful and usually free on the North Shore. The City of North Vancouver has talked about installing meters around Lonsdale Avenue, but so far nothing has been done.

By car
Two provincial highways -- Highway 1  (Trans-Canada Highway) and Highway 99 -- cross the North Shore and provide main thoroughfares for getting around it. Hwy 1, or the Upper Levels Highway, runs east-west from the Second Narrows Bridge in North Vancouver to Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver. Hwy 99 runs north-south through West Vancouver from Horseshoe Bay to the Lions Gate Bridge.

Another major street that runs east-west, roughly parallel to the waterfront, is the combination of Marine Drive - 3rd St - Cotton Rd - Main Street (roughly one street but different names in different spots). Lonsdale Avenue runs north-south through middle of the City of North Vancouver, while Capilano Road and Taylor Way provide access from the northern parts of the cities to the Lions Gate Bridge. Many shops, restaurants and businesses are located along Marine Drive and Lonsdale Avenue.

By public transit
The North Shore bus system is built around the three hubs of Park Royal in West Vancouver, Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver and Phibbs Exchange in North Vancouver. Buses run between each of these hubs and out to the various attractions and parts of the region (e.g., Grouse Mountain, Horseshoe Bay, Deep Cove, etc.). Park Royal and Lonsdale Quay have buses that connect with downtown Vancouver while Phibbs Exchange has buses that connect with Vancouver and Burnaby. Travel within the North Shore on the bus system is considered one zone and costs $2.50. Taking the bus outside of the North Shore will be two or three zone travel and will cost more ($3.75 or $5, depending on the destination), unless it is a weekday after 6:30PM or a weekend/holiday (when all zones are $2.50). If you are a student (in some cases a valid student ID will be requested) then the fare for one zone is $2.50. If it is after 6PM or a weekend/holiday then the fare will be $1.75 regardless of zones crossed.

West Vancouver has Blue Buses with a distinctive appearance, but they take the same transfers and fares that the other TransLink buses in Greater Vancouver do.

By bike
For those who want a good workout (there are a lot of hills), there are many designated bike routes on the North Shore. Generally, they are well signed and on quieter streets, but do not always have bike lanes marked on the pavement. A map is available from the Translink website.

Villages in the North Shore

It is common to see references to areas like Deep Cove and Horseshoe Bay when books, websites, locals, etc., talk about the North Shore. These areas are like village centers within the city, but are not big enough to be districts. They include:

 * Deep Cove is nestled below Mount Seymour next to Indian Arm and is a great area to relax and enjoy the scenery. Very busy on the weekends in summer, it has a number of small shops, restaurants, parks, canoe/kayak rentals and hiking.  Or you can grab some takeaways, sit on the grass and watch everyone play around you.  Deep Cove is reached by taking the Dollarton Highway exit from Hwy 1 (first exit after crossing the Second Narrows Bridge) and following it until it ends or by bus #212 or #211.  Located in North Vancouver.
 * Lynn Valley lies north of Highway 1 near Lynn Creek and is focused on Lynn Valley Road (exit 19 on Hwy 1 or by bus #228, #229, #210 or #255). It includes shops and restaurants plus two regional parks with hiking and swimming opportunities. It is also home to the North Vancouver archives and boasts a new Library and plaza designed to give the community a central meeting place.  Located in North Vancouver.
 * Lower Lonsdale refers to the lower portion of Lonsdale Ave and the waterfront around Lonsdale Quay. Parts of it were previously used for industry and ship building, but it is now being converted to condo towers, shops and restaurants.  Lower Lonsdale can be reached by heading south on Lonsdale Ave from Hwy 1 (exit 18) or on the SeaBus (and many other bus routes) via Lonsdale Quay.  Located in North Vancouver.
 * Edgemont Village is a two block strip of small shops and restaurants in the District of North Vancouver. To drive there, head north from the Westview exit on Highway 1 (exit 17), turn left at Queens Ave and then turn right at Edgemont Rd.  Alternatively, head north on Capilano Road and turn right onto Ridgewood. Bus service is provided by the #232 from Lonsdale or the #246.  Located in North Vancouver.
 * Ambleside Village is in West Vancouver across the harbor from Stanley Park. It has many shops and restaurants, plus a park and beach.  To get to Ambleside from the Lions Gate Bridge, take Marine Drive west and drive past Park Royal Shopping Center.  From Highway 1, take the 15th Street exit.  Further west along Marine Drive is Dundarave, another village along the waterfront.  Like Ambleside, it has shop and restaurants (although on a smaller scale), and there is a park with a small beach and pier that provides views across the harbor to Stanley Park and UBC.  Located in West Vancouver.
 * Horseshoe Bay is a small village with a picturesque setting amongst the mountains that line Howe Sound. It also marks the end of Highway 1 and the start of the Sea-to-Sky highway, as well as having a BC Ferries terminal, so it provides both transportation and sightseeing opportunities.  There are a small number of shops and restaurants and a couple of parks. A live web cam view of the bay shows all the marine traffic and BC Ferries ships as they travel in and out of the area.  Located in West Vancouver.

See

 * See (or take a walk) on the Capilano Suspension Bridge (fee) or Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge (free) in North Vancouver
 * Look up at tall trees or gaze out at Point Atkinson Lighthouse at Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver
 * Wander around the market, learn about North Vancouver's shipbuilding history or take in the view at Lonsdale Quay
 * Visit one of the many local parks and gardens

Do

 * Ride the Skyride to the top of Grouse Mountain to see the city laid out below you. Or take part in one of the many activities like zip line, skiing, skating and hiking. Located in North Vancouver.
 * Rent a canoe or kayak in Deep Cove and paddle around. Located in North Vancouver.
 * Hike, there's no shortage of options. For something close, choices range from paved and flat West Vancouver Seawall to the outdoor stairmaster of the Grouse Grind in North Vancouver. The more adventurous can head to the provincial parks.
 * The North Shore is world famous amongst mountain bikers as one of the best places to mountain bike. More information is available from the North Shore Mountain Bike Association.

Eat
If you're looking to buy your own food, there are plenty of grocery stores scattered across the North Shore and there is a market at Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver.

The North Shore has a large number of restaurants serving a variety of tastes. Generally, if you drive along Marine Drive in West Vancouver or North Vancouver, or along Lonsdale Avenue in North Vancouver, you won't have a problem finding a restaurant.

Drink
Nightlife options on the North Shore are limited. Clubbing is pretty much non-existent (you have to go to Vancouver to find night clubs), but there are a number of good neighbourhood pubs. Coffee, of course, is as ubiquious here as it is in Vancouver.

Stay safe
When hiking in the mountains here, do not go beyond your abilities or provisions. Stay on well marked trails and leave plenty of time to get back to the trailhead before night fall which happens quite quickly in the dense forest. Many hikers have to get rescued every weekend from the trails in the summer. Most of these are unnecessary rescues where tourists were completely unprepared and got lost on the trails.

There are a lot of black bears around in the summer. Be Bear aware when hiking around the North Shore areas.

Go next
Northward on Hwy 99 takes you through the Sea to Sky region, which offers varied outdoor activities including hiking, swimming, rock climbing and camping. It also takes you to the resort area of Whistler, with its nightlife, fine dining and a wide variety of activities that will keep you busy regardless of what season it is.

Vancouver Island is a 1 hr 35 minute ferry ride away via BC Ferries and the Horseshoe Bay ferry terminal. Arriving in Nanaimo, you can head down island to Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, or across the island to Tofino, where you can go whale-watching, surf and storm-watch.

The Sunshine Coast is another getaway destination, with the same mountains and water scenery but a slower pace. It is accessed by a 40-minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay.

title: North Shore (British Columbia)