Falkland Islands

The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland and is the only town in the islands. There are about 1700 persons calling Stanley home. The town fronts the inner harbor and climbs up the hillside to the higher plateau. There has been a building boom since the 1982 conflict and it is in full frenzy as of March 1998. Brightly painted corrugated iron roofs adorn the houses and color the waterfront. Street names such as Ross Road, Fitzroy Road, Philomel Street, Barrack Street and Shackleton Drive all have their origins in historic personages.

The atmosphere of Stanley is decidedly friendly and rural - a lack of city hustle and bustle, no traffic lights, little traffic, small streets, greetings from passers-by. There is no movie theater: pubs are plentiful for the size of town and population; several gift shops specialize in Falkland knitwear, hats, t-shirts, crafts, souvenirs and Falklands' books, several of which are well worth the monetary investment and space-weight they take up.

The harbor at Stanley is the greatest graveyard of 19th century shipping in the world. Along the seven mile harbor front can be seen the hulks of some twenty ships that were beaten into submission by Cape Horn and never left the Falklands. A sign-posted walk points out many of the wrecks including the East Indiaman "Jhelum" (built in 1839) and the North Atlantic packet ship "Charles Cooper" (the last US sailing packet to sail out of New York harbor and in the Islands since 1866). At the east end of the harbor lies the iron "Lady Elizabeth", 228 feet long with three masts still standing.

Upland Goose Hotel

The 16 room Upland Goose was originally built as a hotel and three cottages in the mid-19th century. It was first known as the Eagle Inn, later as the Ship Hotel and since 1969 as the Upland Goose Hotel. It has been refurbished to include private bathrooms in most of the rooms; the lounge and dining room are charming and cozy.

Malvina Felton gave her name to the original Malvina House back in the 1890's. The modern Malvina House, built in the late 1960's, was converted into a hotel in 1983 and has been extensively renovated. All 18 rooms have en-suite bathrooms with "power shower"; there is a large bar-lounge area and the original Conservatory houses the restaurant, considered the best in town.

Malvina House Hotel

WHAT TO DO WHILE IN STANLEY:
	1) Visit the Falkland Island Museum-Britannia House (see below)
	2) Walk historic Ross Road
	3) Stanley Harbor Maritime History self-guided walk
	4) Sapper Hill for scenic panorama, flora & rock tumble
	5) Cape Pembroke Lighthouse walk
	6) Gypsy Cove with Magellanic penguins
	7) Boat trips along Stanley Harbor
	8) Visits to sites associated with the 1982 Conflict
	9) Tours to Volunteer Point, Cape Dolphin, Kidney Cove, Cape Bougainville for wildlife
	10) Off Road touring by Land Rover

A visit to the Falkland Islands Museum Britannia House is a must for anyone visiting Stanley. It is an open museum, jammed with an impressive collection of historic and maritime relics distributed by themes. There is also a sensitive display from the 1982 Conflict. It's the kind of museum that is not a museum, but a record of and testimony to life and history of the Falklands, built by/of/from the donations of Falklanders. It is impressive.

Open daily except Monday and Saturdays; check locally for hours.