General Knowledge Quiz

[LSWR Cavalier]

Am totally guessing now: for Schleswig-Holstein, I'll venture Flensburg -- largely because it's a town I like the idea of.

Flensburg, twinned with Carlisle for obvious geographical reasons, and with Neubrandenburg! Why do like the idea of it?
Wrong, sorry. Kiel (as keele of a boat) is the capital and biggest town

 

[Calthrop]

Flensburg, twinned with Carlisle for obvious geographical reasons, and with Neubrandenburg! Why do like the idea of it?
Wrong, sorry. Kiel (as keele of a boat) is the capital and biggest town

Never been there; but has always intrigued me -- last town in Germany before Denmark (as you say, cf Carlisle) -- and at the very end of World War II in Europe, it was (being still more or less in one piece) briefly the capital of Germany. (And it once had a metre-gauge line.)

 

[Calthrop]

Taking frantic stabs now -- Thueringen: Weimar ? -- for historical reasons?

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Taking frantic stabs now -- Thueringen: Weimar ? -- for historical reasons?

No sorry, Erfurt is capital and biggest town

 

[Gloster]

Nordfhein-Westfalen; I would guess that Köln is the biggest city, but Dortmund is the capital (or maybe Dusseldorf). Another is probably Thuringen, but the east is not my area.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Nordfhein-Westfalen; I would guess that Köln is the biggest city, but Dortmund is the capital (or maybe Dusseldorf). Another is probably Thuringen, but the east is not my area

Half a point. Duesseldorf is the capital of NRW (not Bonn, which used to be the capital of Germany (west))
..
Another clue: Frankfurt/M is the biggest town in but not the capital of Hessen. The capital is right next to the capital of another Bundesland

 

[Gloster]

Another clue: Frankfurt/M is the biggest town in but not the capital of Hessen. The capital is right next to the capital of another Bundesland

Ludwigshafen?

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

No, it is a 'small' town near Frankfurt/M

 

[Calthrop]

Wiesbaden?

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

@Calthrop got three right: Dresden, Schwerin and Wiesbaden so may set the next question

Halle in Sachsen-Anhalt was bigger than Magdeburg the capital for many years but they are about even now

The third-biggest town by area after Berlin and Hamburg is Gardelegen, 632 km2, 'only' 22k inhabitants. It lies astride the high-speed line from Hannover to Berlin, so many of us have passed through without stopping

 

[Calthrop]

Thanks. I've mentioned previously that most of the questions I'm able to think of nowadays, seem to be about rivers: so...

There's a river which is popularly widely considered to be England's shortest one recognised-ly bearing the title of "River". Please name it; and indicate its location, at least approximately -- all and any other info about it, also welcome !

There is this particular river which I have in mind for this distinction; if anyone comes up with, earlier, a yet shorter genuine River in England -- they win !

 

[A Challenge]

The River Fleet?

 

[Calthrop]

The River Fleet?

Afraid not; the river I'm thinking of -- is shorter, cleaner, and a lot more rural !

 

[SteveM70]

The river Morar?

Spent a week in Scotland with my best friend when I was 18 and we stayed a couple of nights at the then Garramor youth hostel just by Morar station. We walked the length of the river in about 10 minutes.

Even more memorably, our stay coincided with the weekly visit of the fish and chip van. Absolutely out of this world, the best I’ve ever had

 

[Calthrop]

The Morar is indeed very short -- less than one kilometre -- but I'm afraid I'm being a Sassenach chauvinist: the question is about rivers in England only.

 

[MotCO]

River Yar on IOW?

Edit - measured it on Google Maps at around 3 miles long (Western Yar)

 

[SteveM70]

The Morar is indeed very short -- less than one kilometre -- but I'm afraid I'm being a Sassenach chauvinist: the question is about rivers in England only.

Whoops. I really should follow the advice I keep giving my kids - RT(F)Q

 

[Calthrop]

River Yar on IOW?

Taking it that you mean the Western Yar (crazy island -- has not one but two rivers named the Yar, on it !): I'm inclined to think that it's a tiny bit longer than my "question river"; but I can't find any actual cited length for said Western Yar. Do you have such? -- if so, please submit it, and we'll see which river wins.

 

[MotCO]

Taking it that you mean the Western Yar (crazy island -- has not one but two rivers named the Yar, on it !): I'm inclined to think that it's a tiny bit longer than my "question river"; but I can't find any actual cited length for said Western Yar. Do you have such? -- if so, please submit it, and we'll see which river wins.

No, I couldn't find anythng quoted, but the river does run almost due north, and the Island at that point is about 3 miles top to bottom - please see screenshot of Google maps with the walking distance between the Freshwater Bay Golf Course and Yarmouth almost following the course of the river.

 

[Calthrop]

I'm a computer-idiot, and couldn't get the attachment to do its stuff, I'm afraid. On the basis of your 3 miles as above; and with the river's source being, if I understand rightly, a very little way north of Freshwater / Compton Bays; I'm inclined to consider my question river, a bit shorter -- but would be open to authoritative data to the contrary, if available.

 

[MotCO]

I'm a computer-idiot, and couldn't get the attachment to do its stuff, I'm afraid. On the basis of your 3 miles as above; and with the river's source being, if I understand rightly, a very little way north of Freshwater / Compton Bays; I'm inclined to consider my question river, a bit shorter -- but would be open to authoritative data to the contrary, if available.

Does this help:


I've measured the river from Freshwater Bay Golf Club, which is as close to the south coast as is possible.

 

[DerekC]

I have memories from living at the bottom end of Wensleydale (happy days!) of a river that's said to be the shortest in England, connecting Semerwater to the River Ure. I now confess to having looked at the OS map - is that OK? If I am right it's the River Bain.

 

[MotCO]

I have memories from living at the bottom end of Wensleydale (happy days!) of a river that's said to be the shortest in England, connecting Semerwater to the River Ure. I now confess to having looked at the OS map - is that OK? If I am right it's the River Bain.

If it's correct, I'll concede. I make it around 2.5 / 2.6 miles long.

 

[Calthrop]

I have memories from living at the bottom end of Wensleydale (happy days!) of a river that's said to be the shortest in England, connecting Semerwater to the River Ure. I now confess to having looked at the OS map - is that OK? If I am right it's the River Bain.

That's the one I was thinking of: the Bain indeed, running through the village of Bainbridge -- never been there, but have read about it. (When I'm setting: pretty well any looking-up is fine by me.)

If it's correct, I'll concede. I make it around 2.5 / 2.6 miles long.

Wiki says 2.45 -- which would indeed, as you figure, seem to beat the Yar for shortness. (Thank you for the visual map.)


So it's for @DerekC to set the next poser; whether riparian, or on another theme...

 

[DerekC]

Sticking with the source of the River Bain:

Why is Semerwater pleonastic?

 

[xotGD]

Sticking with the source of the River Bain:

Why is Semerwater pleonastic?

Because Semer means water? So the name is water-water?

 

[DerekC]

Because Semer means water? So the name is water-water?

Even better than that - "Semer" apparently derives from the Old English sæ meaning 'lake' and mere also meaning 'lake' so it's lake-lake-water.

Your pond.

 

[xotGD]

Football:

Huddersfield Town were the first club to win 3 league titles in a row. In which seasons?

Bonus point for naming the club that denied them a fourth consecutive title the following year.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

1923, 24, 25? Preston North End?

 

[xotGD]

1923, 24, 25? Preston North End?

That's close enough. It was 23-24, 24-25 and 25-26.

I am happy to say that it was Newcastle United who won the 26-27 title.

Your turn to kick off...