La Chaussée des Géants est située sur la côte nord de l'Irlande du Nord, près de Portrush, dans le comté d'Antrim. C'est une formation impressionnante de quelque 40 000 orgues basaltiques (le basalte est un type de roche dure et ignée) qui descend comme un escalier géant dans la mer. De forme principalement hexagonale, les orgues ont été formées par des flux de lave qui se sont déversés dans la mer il y a des millions d'années.

36 De quelle époque date Stonehenge ?

Stonehenge est le monument préhistorique le plus célèbre de Grande-Bretagne. Il est situé dans la plaine de Salisbury, dans le comté de Wiltshire. Considéré successivement comme ayant été construit par les druides, les Romains, les Danois et même les Français, il est, dans sa partie la plus ancienne, composé d'un fossé et d'un talus circulaires, avec une entrée flanquée d'une paire de petites pierres levées, et daterait d'environ 3000 avant J.-C. Abandonné par la suite, il fut reconstruit entre 2100 et 1800 avant J.-C.

37 Le mur d'Hadrien est-il toujours debout ?

Le mur d'Hadrien est un mur romain d'environ 120 kilomètres de long, construit dans le nord de l'Angleterre, entre Wallsend-on-Tyne à l'est, et Bowness, dans l'estuaire de Solway, à l'ouest. Commencé en 122 après J.-C. sur ordre de l'empereur Hadrien, c'était la défense frontalière la plus septentrionale de l'empire romain de Grande-Bretagne. Les Romains espéraient que ce mur permettrait de contenir les redoutables tribus écossaises, mais il fut attaqué et franchi aux IIe et IIIe siècles, puis abandonné au IVe siècle.

38 Pourquoi l'investiture du prince de Galles a-t-elle lieu à Caernarfon Castle ?

Caernarfon Castle est l'un des plus beaux châteaux de Grande-Bretagne. Il a été construit entre 1285 et 1322, sur ordre d'Edouard Ier d'Angleterre, trois ans après que le dernier prince de Galles, Llywelyn, eut été tué et sa principauté occupée par les Anglais. On y pénètre par la Porte du Roi, une immense arche surmontée d'une statue d'Edouard II, premier prince de Galles anglais.

39 Pourquoi la Tour de Londres a-t-elle autant de succès auprès des touristes ?

La Tour de Londres est l'un des monuments les plus prisés et les plus imposants de la ville de Londres. Elle possède non pas une, mais 20 tours, dont la plus ancienne, la Tour blanche (« White Tower ») remonte au XIe siècle, soit à l'époque de Guillaume le Conquérant. C'est à sa mauvaise réputation (elle servit en effet de prison) que la Tour doit son énorme succès actuel auprès des touristes, ainsi qu'à son passé riche et varié.

40 How old is London’s tube?

The London Underground, or ‘tube’ as it is often known, was
the world’s first urban underground railway. It began operating
in 1863, when the Metropolitan Railway opened a line between Paddington and Farringdon. Even in those days traffic jams
caused by the congestion of horsedrawn vehicles generated complaints and letters to The Times, and as a result construction work began on the underground railway in 1860.

Although Londoners were originally sceptical about the project, calling it ‘the sewer railway’, the service was an immediate success. Trains were steam operated, and travel must have been murky, sulphurous and extremely grimy compared with today’s electrically operated trains.
London’s buses carry around four million passengers every day, and bus routes cover over 1,800 miles (nearly 2,900 kms) of the capital’s roads. The familiar double-decker buses are one of the most distinctive sights in London, and no visit to London would be complete without a trip on one. The most famous design, with an open passenger platform at the rear of the bus, dates back to the 1950s, although now they are being replaced with more modern types with the entrance at the front.

41 What is Speakers’ Corner?

Speakers’ Corner in the north-east corner of Hyde Park in London is by tradition an area where public speeches can be made by anyone who has anything they want to say - no matter how eccentric or implausible. The area was set aside for such use in 1872, after Hyde Park itself became a popular centre for public speaking.
Speakers talk to the crowds from a soapbox - an improvised platform once made from wooden packing crates used for soap and other items. Individual speakers or representatives of various organisations or special causes deliver their speeches at weekends - to the amusement or bewilderment of passers by. Crowds often gather around a speaker, and generally feel free to make comments on the speech or simply to heckle the speaker if they don’t agree with what is being said!
Speakers’ Corner is often taken as a symbol of free speech.

42 Where can I obtain tourist information about Britain?

Tourist information about Britain can be obtained from the Tokyo BTA office.

43 Can you drive through the Channel Tunnel?

No, you cannot drive through the Channel Tunnel. You can travel on the Eurostar train or Le Shuttle. Those wishing to take their car through the tunnel arrive at the terminal in Folkestone, England, or Calais in France and pay a toll before driving onto Le Shuttle - 800m long rail freight vehicles - the largest purpose designed rail wagons in the world.
There are three different types of shuttle: a doubledecker for carrying cars, motorbikes and bicycles; a single-deck shuttle for carrying coaches, cars with caravans and campers; and another singledeck shuttle for carrying fully loaded freight vehicles up to 44 tonnes in weight.
Tickets for Le Shuttle can be bought in advance, although it is not necessary to book services. Services through the tunnel work on a ‘turn up and go’ basis so there is no fixed check-in time. Drivers of cars, coaches and heavy goods vehicles can all expect departures up to four times per hour. The journey time from platform to platform is 35 minutes, with 27 minutes in the tunnel.

44 Where can I find out about train services and times?

All mainline stations have information desks where you can enquire about train services and obtain train timetables. Alternatively, if you are in Britain you can call train information services on 0345 484950.
Travel agents should also be able to give advice on train timetables, and most public libraries have copies of train timetables in the reference section.

45 Where can I find out about customs regulations?

46 What is the British weather like?

Despite its reputation for grey skies and rain, the climate in Britain is generally mild and temperate. The weather from day to day is mainly influenced by depressions moving eastwards across the Atlantic. Although the weather changes frequently, the temperature is subject to few extremes - it is rarely above 32°C or below -10°C.
Rain is fairly well distributed throughout the year, but, on average, March to June are the driest months and September to January the wettest. If you visit the mountainous areas of the west and north you can expect more rainfall than in central parts of Britain. During May, June and July - the months of longest daylight - the mean daily duration of sunshine varies from five hours in northern Scotland to eight hours in the Isle of Wight on the south coast. November, December and January have the least sunshine - only an hour a day in northern Scotland or two hours a day on the south coast of England.

47 When do shops have sales?

The biggest sales take place in January, when bargain-hungry shoppers have been known to queue all night outside London’s biggest department stores in the hope of snapping up drastically reduced goods. Wiser shoppers wait until the end of January, when there may be a smaller choice of bargains, but often the prices have been reduced even further for clearance. Other sales take place at the end of spring and summer, when there are reduced prices on out of season goods, although it is always best to check with individual stores first.

48 Where can I buy tickets for sporting events and shows?

Contact the arena or theatre where the event is taking place for advice on ticket sales. Many venues list a ticket sales hotline in the telephone directory. By dialling this number you can order tickets and pay for them by credit card. Alternatively, major cities like London have numerous ticket agencies which sell tickets for all major events and shows, and also operate ticket sales hotlines - check the Central London telephone directory for details.
If you are in London you can buy cut-price tickets for the theatre on the day (subject to availability) at the half-price ticket booth in Leicester Square.