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EVENT

18 August 2017

07 September 2017 to 08 September 2017

Attendees will examine the present and future of online education, including some of the ways in which technology can be used to provide an effective and engaging online STEM learning experience that benefits both students and educators. Those in attendance will have the opportunity to network with educators from around the world, discover how online learning solutions are being implemented, and learn about new tools that are being developed to further enhance e-learning opportunities. The summits will feature up-to-date information on Maplesoft products, presentations from users and developers, and training sessions on how to most effectively utilise these online education solutions.

The summits will feature speakers from institutions throughout Europe, including the University of Birmingham, the University of Manchester, the University of Turin, Chalmers University and Gothenburg University in Sweden, the Vienna University of Technology and Delft University in the Netherlands. These institutions have used Maplesofts solutions to revamp the way teachers administer courses and materials and will share their experiences.

The rest is here:
International Summit Series: Transforming Online Education - Scientific Computing World

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Online courses are lowering quality of higher education Pittsburgh Post-Gazette With colleges and universities starting up at the end of August, perhaps one should pause to consider the quality of contemporary education. Where once halls were filled with academic banter, today they are often barren places. Studies reveal online ...

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Online courses are lowering quality of higher education - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

China Online Education Group (NYSE: COE) and ITT Educational Services (NYSE:ESI) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, valuation, dividends, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership and risk.

Risk and Volatility

China Online Education Group has a beta of -1.54, meaning that its share price is 254% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, ITT Educational Services has a beta of 1.96, meaning that its share price is 96% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares China Online Education Group and ITT Educational Services gross revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

ITT Educational Services has higher revenue, but lower earnings than China Online Education Group. China Online Education Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than ITT Educational Services, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Analyst Ratings

This is a breakdown of current ratings for China Online Education Group and ITT Educational Services, as provided by MarketBeat.

Profitability

This table compares China Online Education Group and ITT Educational Services net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Insider & Institutional Ownership

24.1% of China Online Education Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 62.7% of ITT Educational Services shares are owned by institutional investors. 3.8% of ITT Educational Services shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Summary

ITT Educational Services beats China Online Education Group on 7 of the 8 factors compared between the two stocks.

About China Online Education Group

China Online Education Group is engaged in providing online English language education services to students in the Peoples Republic of China (the PRC). The Company operates an online education platform that provides online tutoring programs to students through the Internet. Its platform analyzes teachers teaching aptitudes, feedback and rating from students, as well as background, and recommends suitable teachers to students according to their respective characteristics and learning objectives. The Company develops and tailors its curriculum to its interactive lesson format. The Company offers various courses, which include Classic English and Classic English Junior that are focused on the development of English communication skills. The Company also offers various specialty courses that are focused at situation-based English education and test preparation needs, such as Business English and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Speaking.

About ITT Educational Services

ITT Educational Services, Inc. is a provider of postsecondary degree programs in the United States. The Company offers master, bachelor and associate degree programs to over 45,000 students, and short-term information technology and business learning solutions for career advancers and other professionals. It has approximately 138 campus locations in over 40 states. It offers online programs to students in all over 50 states. It designs its education programs, after consultation with employers and other constituents, to allow graduates prepare for careers in different fields involving their areas of study. It provides career-oriented education programs under the ITT Technical Institute name and the Daniel Webster College (DWC) name. The ITT Technical Institutes offers over 50 education programs in various fields of study across business, drafting and design, electronics technology, criminal justice, information technology (IT), and Breckinridge School of nursing and health sciences.

Receive News & Ratings for China Online Education Group Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for China Online Education Group and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.

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China Online Education Group (COE) & ITT Educational Services (ESI) Critical Survey - TrueBlueTribune

As a small-business owner, you should always be looking for an edge on your competition: the latest tech tools, the best talent, the most effective marketing strategies, etc. Yet, you might be overlooking one of the oldest and most profound methods of improving your business: Education.

Many leaders are returning to school to earn business degrees, which increase their knowledge and prepare them for more advanced challenges, like owning a business. However, because succeeding in business and attending full-time courses on a university campus often dont mix, most leaders have turned to the web for formal instruction. This is perhaps the best strategy for gaining education and experience at the same time - but unless you have a solid strategy, you might not be getting the most from your online program.

First, Research

For so long, online programs were mocked because they failed to provide adequate education. Rather, they were essentially degree mills where so-called students could just pay for the credentials they wanted. Today, thats no longer the case. Nearly all respectable universities offer online programs, and plenty of fully digital schools promise quality education. Still, a few education scams do exist, so it is vital that you only consider an online MBA accredited by established agencies. Accrediting agencies look for standards in educational programs to ensure students receive valuable information and skills. Most schools will list their accreditations clearly on their websites, but you can contact regional accreditation associations for more information.

Some online programs are hybrids, requiring some classroom time in addition to the online component. Further, while most courses are asynchronous, meaning you can listen to lectures and complete assignments around your schedule, some courses are synchronous, where students and instructors are online and available at set times, and lectures are broadcast live over the internet. So, determine the course format that best works around your work schedule and research programs that cater most to your requirements.

Another important consideration is how much different programs cost. Universities that offer both online and on-campus courses are likely to charge the same tuition to both online and traditional students, meaning costs might be high. Meanwhile, primarily online schools are likely to offer lower tuition and fees because their expenses, such as classroom and building upkeep, are dramatically less.

Finally, before you commit to one program, you should learn about available student resources. In business school, student services are nearly as impactful on your future as the courses you take and the information you gain. Vast and active alumni networks, capable and effectual career centers, and more will connect you with peers and professionals that can aid your business now and in the future. If a programs student affairs are not highly rated, you might be wise to consider a different program.

Second, Thrive

While researching and applying to online schools is an achievement, you cant relax just yet. Now its time to turn your focus toward studying. For many online students, the most difficult challenge is learning to self-motivate. On-campus courses are easier to remain focused on, since you must physically attend classes and meet your professors face-to-face. But online courses, especially asynchronous classes, require you to be more independent and stay on top of your workload with less outside management. You must regulate your own participation or else waste time and money while you fail to procure a business education.

The key to self-motivating for online education is to evaluate and set proper priorities. While your business might be most important, your education should be a close second. Your responsibilities to friends and family will need to take a temporary backseat. By setting your online program as a high priority, you will be more likely to complete education-related goals before less-important tasks, ensuring you put most of your energy toward business success.

Finally, to thrive in online education, you must have adequate technology. Before your program begins, you should have a relatively fast computer and uninterrupted access to the internet. Additionally, you should acquire any software required by specific courses, such as QuickBooks for accounting or Hootsuite for marketing. You might want to practice with such tech before courses begin so you will have some familiarity with necessary tech tools.

Third, Succeed

Once you complete your online program, your educational experience isnt over. From the time you start learning to the rest of your days as a business leader, you should apply the knowledge and skills you gain from business school to improve your business. This is the most important step in maximizing online education: Application. It may seem obvious, but this is the step most unsuccessful leaders neglect. Lessons learned are not necessarily lessons used; to maximize your online education, you must be careful not to jump to business decisions and instead review real-world situations as you did example cases in school. Initially, you will make many business mistakes - but you should be able to learn from those, too. If you apply what you learn, you will achieve success.

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How to Maximize Online Education for Business Success - TechDay News (blog)

After more than a decade of working in UK higher education and growing increasingly exasperated by its strained relationship with the Home Office over the importance of international students Kevin Andrews decided to leave.

I was completely disenchanted with UK higher education. I thought: Im going to go off and do something a bit more interesting, said Dr Andrews, who is now vice-chancellor of Unicaf University, an institution that is working to meet the demand for degrees on the African continent.

Unicaf delivers courses to students in Africa in two ways: by partnering with existing universities to deliver their courses online and, increasingly, in regional learning centres; and through Unicaf University, which is now an accredited degree provider with a campus in Malawi, and one opening soon in Zambia.

Through this combination of online and face-to-face teaching, Unicaf now has 11,000 students, a figure it hopes to increase to 60,000 by 2021.

There is a crisis of capacity on the African continent, Dr Andrews said, pointing out that half the population is under 19 just one of the factors contributing to the spiralling demand for higher education.

To meet that demand, he said, Africa would need to build 10 universities a week, [with] each [one enrolling] 10,000 students every week for the next 12 years. This simply isnt going to happen.

I am not saying that all bricks-and-mortar institutions need to be closed, but it is impossible for African governments to build enough to [educate the population] in the traditional way, said Dr Andrews, who was a lecturer at BournemouthUniversityfor 13 years, leaving in 2006. They have to think about innovations, to think about online as part of the solution.

Among Unicafs current university partners is the University of South Wales, which offers a range of degrees in business, education, psychology, public health, and law on the platform.

Helen Langton, deputy vice-chancellor at USW, said that the institution now has about 2,500 students registering through the partnership. All students are charged the same as on-campus international students, but in reality about 80 per cent of this is covered by scholarships from Unicaf.

One of the biggest challenges, Professor Langton said, is being accepted as real by prospective students.

I think that its an issue because the vast majority of our students are from Africa and they are used to scams Nigeria in particular, she said. It looks too good to be true.

Despite his own disillusionment with UK higher education, Dr Andrews is still looking for more partner institutions in the UK. The gold standard reputation of UK universities remains an attractive selling point.

However, as Unicaf University develops its own brand, he believes that there will be less need for these collaborations. His university is recruiting tutors from a variety of pools, including UK university staff recently made redundant, and a new kind of portfolio academic who undertakes some online teaching for a range of web-based learning platforms.

Our data show thatwhen students realise that Unicaf is real and that the vast majority of people who are running it are from the UK originally, they are quite happy to go with that brand, Dr Andrews said.

chris.parr@timeshighereducation.com

Read more from the original source:
Africa 'must embrace online learning' to meet demand for degrees - Times Higher Education (THE)

New Braunfels Independent School Districts Education Expo, hosted by the districts Education Foundation, will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday at the New Braunfels Civic/Convention Center, 375 S. Castell Avenue.

The one-day event will connect district staffers with area businesses and organizations.

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NBISD Education Expo set for Tuesday - Herald Zeitung

Protesters shout anti-Nazi chants after chasing alt-right blogger Jason Kessler from a news conference on Aug. 13 in Charlottesville. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

Protesters shout anti-Nazi chants after chasing alt-right blogger Jason Kessler from a news conference on Aug. 13 in Charlottesville.

Nazis don't always look like bad guys in funny helmets. The Nazis and other bigots in khaki slacks and bright polo shirts who marched in Charlottesville chanted racist and anti-Semitic slogans I'd rather not repeat on a Saturday or at all. But it's discouraging to feel that you have to explain, more than 70 years after Nazi Germany was defeated, why Nazis are still the menace that embody evil.

The 20th century saw a lot of state-sanctioned mass murder: Stalin, Mao, Mengistu and Pol Pot, Armenia, Bosnia, Cambodia, Rwanda, Ethiopia's Red Terror, the Great Purge, the Cultural Revolution, and more. In America there were lynchings and the cruelty of official segregation, which followed the end of slavery, and the massacre of so many Native Americans.

To cite one or another doesn't excuse any. But Nazism was something extraordinary. The laws on race and citizenship they began to impose on taking power in 1933, which were encoded in the Nuremberg Laws of 1935, invoked blood, soil and the twisted science of eugenics to make anti-Semitism and Aryan supremacy the law. They used those wicked decrees to begin to engineer the murder of millions.

Much of the west was slow to believe they should worry about Nazism. Distinguished people, including George Bernard Shaw and Charles Lindbergh, said Germany's repression and race laws may be repellent, but were Germany's business; or that the U.S. and Britain committed equivalent crimes with segregation and colonialism. It was Winston Churchill, in June of 1940, who called the advance of Nazism, "a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science."

The fight to defeat that "perverted science" was bloody, costly and came close to failing several times. But when the war was won, the U.S., Britain and Canada were forced to face their own most painful contradictions, and began to turn themselves into better, freer and more diverse societies.

I've interviewed young Nazis and Ku Klux Klan members. They seem to be loveless, clueless clods, who see only skin color and ethnicity or "blood and soil" as the Nazis of the 1930s and 2017 call it.

The world barely escaped from the death grip of Nazis 70 years ago. The men and women who won that battle gave us freedom, as much as those who served Washington, Lincoln and Harriet Tubman. It dishonors those who struggled against Nazis to forget the evil they were brave enough to confront and defeat.

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Explaining, Again, The Nazis' True Evil - NPR

Transcript

I'm here with Brad Simpson. He's the Chief Wealth Strategist at TD Wealth. They've just come out with their quarterly investment strategy publication-- a great publication, really interesting. And you start things off with a quote that I think kind of sets the theme for the entire thing. And you say, "the only man I know who behaves sensibly is my tailor. He takes my measurements new each time he sees me. The rest go on with their old measurements and expect me to fit them." That's from George Bernard Shaw. Why did you start with that?

Thank the universe for Shaw. At the end of the day, we think that we are in a time -- I think our name of our publication says it all, "Grand Distortions." We are of the belief that we are in a generation of change in the financial marketplace, and this change requires a whole new way of doing things. And one of the things that we tend to do in portfolio management is kind of stick with our knitting, what we've always done.

So it's kind of going back to the tailor and saying, I've changed. The world's changed. And I need to have a new attire to prepare myself for the environment that I'm in. And that's really it.

And it really comes down to, I guess, making sure that it's tailored -- you talk this tailored for you. And there's what's happening in the world, but it's got to make sense for your life, in terms of the risks that you're managing at the same time. So you go through this. Again, you talk about the market. Then we talk about the tailoring side of things.

But let's talk a bit about the world we're living in right now in terms of the market today. And you talk about where are we now? So where are we now?

Well, I think a starting point to that is that at the asset allocation committee, which I'm a member of, we set a group of themes that are always going on about 18 months. So we literally have five themes right now that, I think, in a really good way, frame our thoughts and thinking today.

So our starting point on that is yearning for yield. And yearning for yield is really this idea that investors, if you had a GIC in 1980 or 1981, it yielded 13 and 1/2%. Got $100,000 in that, your income was $13,500. That same investment in terms of deposit today, you might be getting 1.25% for it, where you're getting an income of $1,000, $1,250. That's rate shock. And so yearning for yield is this notion of really getting that tail end of folks doing whatever it is to find something that will produce an income for them.

Second thing is rarefied air. Rarefied air is looking at equity markets globally. And again, with on the backs of monetary policy pushing up most of the industrialized nations' stock markets, really, to their all-time highs and as we know, we've discussed in the past, most other financial assets too, from real estate to art too. So really, that's the rarefied air piece of this.

The third notion, the third of our themes is the Trump

Not to interject, but what I really loved about the chart that you have on this thing is you have Trump fear and Trump hope. And it looks as though we're kind of stuck in between right now.

Yeah. Yeah, back in November when he was elected, how the market turned into this hope phase, where we would have a new cycle of growth and a new pro-business government, if you will. And if anybody's been watching the television or following the news the last few months, thus far, their accomplishments really can kind of get down to nothing. And interestingly is that there's really such kind almost low hope or thought towards the change they could accomplish, that TD Economics actually isn't even taking the impact of what they're going to possibly put in place and giving that consideration in the forecastings right now.

So on the one hand with Trump, you have this notion that there's this world of possibility, and then the market is really traded off of that. And now we're kind of at this place, well, maybe nothing's going to happen. And this middle point is like a neutral, right? It just is want not really of not knowing what to do from here.

You've mentioned the five -- so yearning for yield, rarefied air, Trump effect. Stuck in neutral was another one that you talk about.

Yeah, and stuck in neutral is really this notion that on the one side here is, if you look at the halfway through 2017, things are pretty good. The industrialized nations, their economies are all kind of growing around 2%. Their markets are particularly strong. And then in some of even in those industrialized nations that were a little bit of laggards in the past are really starting to perform really well. And in particular when you look at Europe, you see Germany performing well.

You see France really starting to surprise and perform well. And so on the one hand, manufacturing is strong, if you're looking at the purchasing managers index and the surveys that are coming in from there. Credit conditions are still very favorable. And yet growth still is only 2%. And so kind of stuck in neutral is the reality is while you we're doing all these things, the fact is we still have this issue of demographics in these industrialized world.

We still have these mountains of debt that we've created. Today on balance sheets of federal reserve boards, our central banks around the world, it's over $25 trillion now. So then you kind of throw that into the mix, where any time there's any thought of inflation, and it just kind of peters away, right? And growth is hard to come by.

So one hand, we have these things that we're doing to get things going. But ultimately, stuck in neutral is that there is some embedded things that are causing things to not go like they used to.

The fifth one you talk about here, as well -- again, stuck in neutral, yearning for yield, rarefied air, Trump effect, and global a-go-go, just in terms of looking outside North American borders.

Yeah, and then the last piece is -- that still your equity allocation is a major part of your portfolio. And there's no secret that most Canadians have an incredibly domestic-oriented portfolio. And for the last six months, we had been speaking an awful lot about trying to move out from that and try to add positions in the United States. We still think that is a good place to be.

We have reduced our allocations across our platform in the United States, though. And we've really taken some of those proceeds, and we've taken some of the proceeds that we've reduced in allocations in Canada, and moved into international markets, particularly focused on Europe. And that's, again, really about in an earlier stage of return around compared to the United States.

They really didn't start this monetary cycle till about two to three years afterwards. And so now they're starting to see the early stages of that benefit. And valuations there on a comparable basis are much better.

When you put all that together, you talk about, again, from the wealth asset allocation committee, to having a cautious stance at this point, just given how well everything's pointing right now.

Yeah. No, so ultimately, I think the starting point, and it really leads our document, is that when we meet is ultimately we're trying to come down to, are we in an environment should you be really defensive? Should you be cautious? Is this the time to become a little bit more assertive, or is this a time to be aggressive? And we're cautious right now. And cautious doesn't need to be worrisome or calling market tops or anything of that nature.

It's just looking at the inputs of what's gotten us to where we are today. We think it's just time that you have a little bit of sober second thought and think about perhaps taking this time to readjust your portfolio.

Now, we've talked about this before as well. But when you take a look at the ingredients of what's happening in the world, that you need to bring it back and go, what does this all mean for me? And you talk about -- we've talked talk about the risk priority plus portfolios, the idea of risk. I think the one thing that's really interesting is that people may not realize that the traditional allocations -- fixed income, equity, those types of things -- you may be incurring a whole lot more risk than you are aware of because that risk bleeds between those allocations.

Exactly. Right. Yeah. And so what we've been really focused on in the last decade, particularly in the pension universe, has been this movement between building investment portfolios that have a broad category of asset allocations. And that can be equity, and that can be fixed income, but also use of absolute return strategies, use of private capital.

But that's still not enough. And you still have to get to this notion -- so think about a great diversifier along the lines of typically in an asset allocated portfolio was real estate. In fact, my team was just doing a portfolio review for a family that almost 50% of their investment portfolio was ultimately in real estate.

In our view of things, they were looking at this, well, this is good diversification. And our view is that real estate equals equity. There's nothing more, nothing less. And that's what a risk factor approach to investing means.

And why does real estate equal equity?

Ultimately, it is an investment that is a structure like an equity investment, right? It has its ups and downs, its revenues, its dividends that it pays out, which is ultimately very much an equity structure. And if you look at a portfolio, say, of real estate during a crisis like 2007 and 2009, yeah, it performed like that. And that was a big surprise for many.

So what we're seeing is that if you think about that, you go that that real estate has equity risk. Equities obviously have equity risk. And the fact is that if we had a big correction in an equity portfolio, many of those listed companies, where you have investment grade bonds, and your fixed income would also have an impact on them as well. And that's really what risk priority management is about and allocating like that. And it's not something that, really, universally we're seeing more and more of. And there's a fascinating section at the Canadian Pension Plan that actually discusses all this and says that this how they're allocating.

So we know it's a movement that we think that we're one of the leaders of. And we think it makes an awful lot of sense.

I've only got about 30 seconds left, but for the risk priority portfolios, and there's a number of them, what do they do, just in layman's terms, that address this risk issue, so that you don't have that real estate/equity problem or something like that.

Yeah, well, the bottom line is we still have the allocations there. But the first thing is, is knowing how to build a diversified portfolio is to understand the risks that you're taking, right? And so I think for us, the starting point is that if we can acknowledge that if I own a stock and an investment grade bond from the same company and one side of that gets hit, the other one will get hit.

They move together.

They'll move together. So really, for us is that saying that we are looking at building an investment portfolio, that just saying how much I have in fixed income and equity isn't enough. Ultimately, we have 10 different models that we're running, that all can be customized and changed because we also think that in 2017, having something that is finished and done that's kind of down from and set upon in front of a client is long over. We live in a world where we very easily can sit down and meet with somebody with one of our professionals and custom make something for the person sitting in front of them.

So for us, it's a starting point, back to our tailor analogy, right? We send out the cloth, right? But ultimately, you're going to take those tapestries, and you're going to take that tapestry and get it to fit the client. And that's really what our whole process is all about.

Brad, thanks very much.

No, thank you.

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Chief Wealth Strategist: A Time Of Grand Distortions - Seeking Alpha

Noel Baker follows in the footsteps of Pippa Middleton and pays a visit to Glengarriff and the Eccles Hotel.

One delightful aspect of Pippa Middletons recent visit to Glengarriff was how, at the end of an evening, she tucked into a Tayto sandwich. Surely its only a matter of time before Irelands premier crisps are being served at Buckingham Palace.

The younger sister of the future Queen of England was in this glorious part of West Cork for a wedding and stayed in a bridal suite at the Eccles Hotel.

It certainly made for some fabulous advertising for the village and its surrounds, even if, as one local told me on a recent visit, for a few days afterwards it was a case of Pippa this, Pippa fecking that...

Pippa and co may have been over a wedding but Glengarriff has had its fair share of famous visitors and residents over the years, not least the late Maureen OHara, whose five-bedroom house went on the market earlier this year.

My gang arrived in Glengarriff at lunchtime on a Saturday and we headed straight for Jims Coffee house, located just at the point the road begins to slope down into the village. The sun was beaming, dogs were frolicking in the back garden and the place was packed.

We devoured some delicious sandwiches the korma pitta bread is a real hit and then made our way to the Eccles Hotel, with its unmissable cast-iron verandah catching the eye every bit as much as the view opposite it.

Luckily, our family room opened out onto the waterfront and its the kind of vista you just want to drink in. You can see why high profile figures have decamped here over the years, among them George Bernard Shaw and WB Yeats.

And given there has been accommodation available at this site since 1745, there have been many years. Pictures of Yeats et al feature at various points in a building that reeks of history and heritage.

Its not your identikit nouveau hotel with feng shui sofas and ergonomically-enhanced bar stools.

Its a treasure trove of windy stairways and open fires, where the heritage seems to bounce off the walls back at you.

Recently brought under new ownership, it will be interesting to see how those in charge maintain and even develop this rich and vital sense of classy antiquity, no matter what other tweaks are made to this beautiful old building.

Its understood the new management want to push Eccles as a choice wedding venue. Clocking the spacious dining area and the views out the windows, its easy to see the appeal.

Whatever changes, that view will not, and for that we can all be truly grateful. Across to the right is Garnish Island, a planned subtropical haven of exotic plants and architectural delights.

The ferry trip across takes just a few minutes but the journey is enlivened by the expanding panorama of the bay and the chance to witness seals slouching on the rocks or bobbing along by the boat.

Once across, follow the maps to make your way around the Italian Garden, Happy Valley, and down the Dell.

There are some spectacular vantage points, not least the Martello Tower, which dates from 1805, well before businessman Annan Bryce and architect Harold Peto transformed Ilnacullin into the wonder it is today.

Back on dry land, we headed off to the Ewe Experience a few kilometres out the Kenmare Road.

This is obviously a labour of love, using the side of the mountain as a canvas for a marriage of ideas and nature.

Kurt Lyndorff, formerly an overseas reporter with Danish media, chiefly Jyllands Posten, and his partner Sheena Wood, an artist and ecologist, had previously lived on Mizen Head before they moved here and built a home and garden unlike any other.

Youre greeted at the entrance by artworks including a sheep poking its head out of a Morris Minor. Inside the theme continues, with eye-popping sculptures and artworks that range from a pig in a bath to a dinosaur peaking over the undergrowth to a dragonfly made out of tin and metal.

The trail takes you through the trees, climbing up alongside a waterfall, with the artworks and associated poems developing themes such as the evolution of the planet and mans role within it.

From an adult perspective there is much here to ponder, from a childs perspective it is simply a wonderful place to move from one surprise to the next. My three struggled to observe the no running rule, but in any event, we all had a workout.

Just down the road from the Ewe Experience is the local nature trail, and you cant turn left or right around these parts without a sign pointing you in the direction of a lake or a walkway.

The proximity of sea and mountain is really something, as is the sight of the sun setting in the distance over Garnish Island. We were all wrecked by the time we made it back to the Eccles Hotel.

One perfectly-cooked steak later, I was ready for the scratcher, although I did treat myself to a drop of Jameson and water as I sat outside on the veranda and watched the world go by - not that much did. And I bought my wife a bag of Tayto.

The following morning we took a stroll up through the village, which was already gearing up for a busy Sunday and busloads of tourists, breaking things up with a visit to the playground and another stroll along the walkway that brings you across the waters edge.

After that it was time to leave, but even then this part of the world had another surprise in store. Until this particular morning I must have been the only man from West Cork to have never travelled the route from Glengarriff to Kenmare.

Having now done so, I can only marvel at the scene, the mountains and valleys and the sea disappearing in the rear view.

Its only when you take in the sheer breadth of the geography here that you remind yourself that this country is still a knockout.

Disappear through the tunnel hoven out of ancient rock and appear out the other side, looking over into Bonane and south Kerry and marvel at the surrounds. Even Pippa and co might agree: it puts Bucks House in the hapenny place.

Where to stay:

Glengarriff has plenty of options. Rooms at the Eccles Hotel start at 135 per night, see wwweccleshotel.com

Where to eat:

Again, loads of options. Jims Coffee House is great for lunch but be warned, they dont take cards so have some cash handy. See their Facebook page for food details. McCarthys Bar in the village also comes recommended.

What to do:

The Ewe Experience (www.theewe.com) is well worth a visit, while another option is the Bamboo Park (www.bamboo-park.com).

There is also the local nature trail and various walks, plus the boat to Garnish Island is a must - enquire at the pier and see http://www.garnishisland.com. After that, theres always just lounging around looking at the scenery.

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Follow Pippa Middleton and head to Glengarriff in West Cork - Irish Examiner

Sunday Business Post

West Cork residence has streak of the poet Sunday Business Post West Cork residence has streak of the poet View Gallery. Built as a hotel in the late 1800s, Grove House was popular with artists and writers. A home which was once an artist's retreat frequented by George Bernard Shaw offers a respite for the creative ...

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West Cork residence has streak of the poet - Sunday Business Post