UK holidays
-
Great family days out in the UK: readers’ tipsCaves, waterfalls, cable cars, walks, free country parks, busy, quiet … Britain offers a welter of possibilities for day trips to make the most of the bank holiday and summer’s last knockings. Our readers know where …
-
The Pig at Combe, Honiton, Devon: hotel reviewFrom the cocktail bar entrance hall to on-trend rooms, pretty grounds and tempting dinner menu, the fifth hotel in the Pig litter should suit the most discerning of snouts -
BoomTown cancels Winter Gathering following festival deathThe music and arts festival has cancelled its December Winter Gathering event after the death of a festivalgoer and a serious fire at the recent BoomTown Fair -
Scotland’s gin trail serves up a great tourism tonicTake note whisky: gin in Scotland is back, and with a blossoming of craft producers and berry-happy bars, there’s even a trail of distilleries to explore, from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Shetland
-
Night tube: top 10 London clubs – chosen by the expertsLondon’s long-awaited night tube is a gift to the capital’s clubbers. As the Victoria and Central lines start a non-stop weekend service – with other lines to follow in the autumn – we asked the cream of London’s club scene to point us to the party
accommodation
-
The Painswick Hotel and Restaurant, the Cotswolds: reviewThis new Cotswolds bolthole hits all the right notes, in terms of both food and accommodation. Just don’t shout about it when you’re in the village
top 10s
-
10 of the best UK campsites for last-minute bank holiday tripsThe August bank holiday is on the horizon, but don’t just pitch up expecting to nab a camping spot. James Warner Smith, an author at the website Cool Camping, has tips for sites with great views and family-friendly fun – and you can still book
-
Top 10 summer solstice events across the UKFrom sunsets to sunrises, yoga relaxation and stone worship to music festivals, there are solstice celebrations, events and talks across the UK over the next few days
-
How to eat the best, for less: the UK's top 10 budget cafes and restaurantsAfter visiting over 1,000 restaurants for our Britain’s best budget eats series, Tony Naylor bids farewell to the column by sharing his tips on how to dine memorably for under £10, and whittles down all those meals to his 10 favourites
-
10 of the best British wildlife walksFrom a stroll in Dorset to see butterflies to a Cairngorm hike in search of ptarmigan, this pick of UK wildlife walks from a new book has plenty to fauna over
-
Take the kids to ... Forbidden Corner, YorkshireThis oddball labyrinth of walkways, tricks and surprises, set in an idyllic Yorkshire garden, has something for all the family
-
Take the kids to … Diggerland, KentYoung children can drive full-size diggers and dumper trucks, while there are also plenty of rides – on adapted bulldozers obviously – at an attraction that now has four UK locations
-
Take the kids to … Winchester Science CentreFilms and live shows in the planetarium and clever interactive exhibits throughout make science fun for all the family on this good-value day trip
budget holidays
-
Celebrating 50 years of mountain bothiesIn more than 100 wild corners of the UK are free shelters – bothies – for use by walkers. As the charity that runs them turns 50, Phoebe Smith, author of Book of Bothy, picks eight favourites
-
Igloo Hybrid ho[s]tel, Nottingham: hotel reviewOur reviewer usually shuns youth hostels, but he finds this new Nottingham pad a much better budget option than many big hotel chains
-
-
Let’s go to… the Quantock Hills, SomersetEngland’s first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty offers scenic walks, fossil hunting and, as you’re never more than 1.7 miles from a pub, pints aplenty
-
Let’s go to … PontypriddThe town’s fabulous 1927 lido is reopening after a multimillion pound refurb – but that’s not the only reason to drop in on this Taff valley town
-
Let's go to … WindermereA trip to the Lakes to join the celebrations for Beatrix Potter’s 150th birthday will make for family fun – and provide a chance to tuck in to some fine food and drink
-
Let’s go to ... BuxtonMusic lovers are in for a fine time with an eclectic array of concerts on offer in the Derbyshire spa town – and you’ll find plenty of great ales and cocktails for pre- or post-show drinks
sport holidays
-
The delta on London’s doorstep: a walk around the Thames estuaryThe coast from Southend to Sheppey is an atmospheric landscape of big skies, historic forts and nature reserves. And the Thames Estuary Path makes it easy to walk an area that inspired painters, Dickens and Dr Feelgood
restaurants
-
Alt city guide to EdinburghThe Edinburgh festival may dominate the headlines every summer, but all year round there’s a tight-knit local scene of off-beam music, grassroots art and theatre, and a stupidly good range of affordable grub and booze
-
The alt city guide to ManchesterBeyond the shiny, high-profile regeneration projects, independent, left-field Manchester is still thriving, as our guide to its vibrant bars, restaurants, music venues and creative arts scene proves
-
countries
coast & country
London's Burning: commemorating the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire