Sponsors Link

Run by Gloucester Charities the Gloucester Second Hand Books is situated in an old hall on the corner of Phillip Street and The Bucketts Way, opposite Caltex and also across the road from Webbs Rural Supplies (you can’t miss it, it’s the big blue and yellow building on the right as you come into Gloucester from the southern approach).

Well organised and laid out. The books are arranged on trestle tables neat and tidy. Even categorised. If you love books, be they new, but particularly old, you’re in for an adventure.

It’s open Monday through to Fridays from around 9 am to 3 pm, and weekends from around 10 am to 3 pm.

Stop by and say hi to Jeff and the crew. And find yourself a treasure!

A staycation is a neologism (a newly coined word on the brink of entering common use, but not yet accepted into mainstream language) for a period of time in which a person or family stays at relaxes at home or takes day trips from their home to area attractions. Staycations have achieved high popularity in current hard economic times in which unemployment levels and petrol prices are high.

Common activities of a staycation include use of the backyard pool, visits to local parks and museums, and attendance at local festivals and events. Some staycationers also like to follow a set of rules, such as setting a start and end date, planning ahead, and avoiding routine, with the goal of creating the feel of a traditional vacation.

Then there’s the ‘daycation’.

Daycation’s involve visiting tourist destinations or visitor attractions from your home and returning on the same day.

These excursions don’t involve a night away from home such as experienced on a holiday.

Thus the day trip or daycation can be a very popular form of recreation and leisure for families who care for young children or people who are too frail to travel easily or who own pets, or for whom the logistics and cost of a night away from home may be prohibitive.

There are some fantastic places to visit on the Bucketts Way. If you’re living in Newcastle it’s really not that far to travel to ‘get away from it all’. Come on up, and don’t forget to bring your digital camera!

Canoeing is a water sport involving small craft pointed at both ends and propelled by one or more ‘paddles’. The canoe was first used by North American Indians, while another similar type of craft, the kayak, originated among Eskimos.

In a kayak, the paddler sits in a forward-facing position using a double-bladed paddle, whereas in a canoe the paddler kneels, using a single-bladed paddle. Both types of craft are used in the modern form of the sport and strict regulations are laid down for the dimensions and weights of competitive craft.

Kayaks may contain one, two or four paddlers (designated K1, K2, K4, for convenience). Canadian canoes, the name by which racing canoes are now generally known, contain one, two, six or seven paddlers (C1, C2, etc).

Canoeing as a sport began with the founding of the Canoe Club (now the Royal Canoe Club) in England in 1866, and developed on the Continent and elsewhere at the end of the 19th century. There are three main branches of the sport: slalom, wild-water or down-river racing; long-distance racing; and sprint racing. Another variation is canoe-sailing. Slalom is performed on rough, turbulent stretches of river with various hazards, such as rocks, rapids and gates (two poles which hang just above the water) to negotiate.

Canoe Barrington, not that far from Gloucester, gives locals and visitors a chance to enjoy canoeing in a safe and friendly environment. If you’re travelling from further afield you can also make use of the accommodation, which can even cater for larger groups such as schools and youth organisations.