Best Pubs in Margate, Kent, UK
Hairy Traveller Mark Bibby Jackson discovers the best pubs in Margate Kent, UK. Learn about the oldest pub in Margate as well as the smallest pub in the UK…
Travel Topics
Hairy Traveller Mark Bibby Jackson discovers the best pubs in Margate Kent, UK. Learn about the oldest pub in Margate as well as the smallest pub in the UK…
The Also Festival in Warwickshire is an ideas festival; a weekend of inspiration, creativity, and wellness, blending invigorating talks, workshops, music and performances. Attendees can expect enriching experiences from world-class…
In the Dark is a new and astonishing live music experience. Judith Schrut went to London’s ancient church of St Bartholomew the Great to see what it’s all about. Take…
Travel Begins at 40 rounds up the best festivals in March 2025 across the globe, from Wales to Colombia, with cherry trees, loads of Guinness and even some frozen dead…
Eileen Wise spends a week at Combe Grove near Bath to see if the wellness centre can change her life. A few months ago, I was idly flicking through the…
The Green Man Festival is an ethical, independent, non-corporate celebration of music, art and nature set in the stunning Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) National Park. With its vibrant line-up of…
Travel Begins at 40 rounds up the best festivals in February 2025 across the Globe, from Mongolia to Easter Island, so wherever you are you just can’t help celebrating the…
Imagine waking up to the gentle sound of waves, the golden glow of sunrise on Gyllyngvase Beach, and the promise of a day dedicated to your well-being. At St Michaels…
What better place to host a wellness festival than Bath, the UK’s most renowned spa town? Rebalance Bath, running from 30 January to 16 February 2025, is a celebration of…
Legendary snooker player turned DJ, Steve Davis is to headline Psychic Dancehall festival in Derby. The initial lineup for the Psychic Dancehall Festival in Derby, set for 22 March 2025…
Mark Bibby Jackson stays at the Montigo Resorts Somerset at Charlton House, a beautiful Georgian country house that has been given a fresh spice of life. Sometimes I find myself…
Mark Bibby Jackson takes the train from London Euston for a Manchester city break and sample the city’s festive offerings including its Christmas Markets. It’s been a long time since…
Explore global festivals and events in December 2024, from Europe’s enchanting Christmas markets to Guatemala’s colourful Fiesta de Santo Tomás. Experience diverse cultures, dazzling lights and unforgettable traditions worldwide. Follow…
The unmistakable glow of Manchester Christmas Markets 2024 is set to illuminate the city centre once again, transforming streets and squares into a wintry wonderland from Friday, 8 November, through…
The British Ceramics Biennial will return to Stoke-on-Trent from 6 September to 19 October 2025, offering an ambitious programme of free exhibitions, screenings, talks, and events that celebrate the city’s…
Discover the best pubs in Shrewsbury town centre from historic inns and real ale pubs to dog-friendly options and pubs with accommodation. Shrewsbury, with its winding river Severn and medieval…
Nestled in the heart of Shropshire, Shrewsbury is a medieval English market town that oozes history and charm. With almost 800 listed buildings, medieval streets full of timber buildings and…
Robert Spellman previews the EFG London Jazz Festival 2024 held from 15 to 24 November featuring Pat Metheny, Jamie Callum and Dave Holland. The reliably fantastic EFG London Jazz Festival is…
Travel Begins at 40 has just launched an exciting video project. Our founder and editor Mark Bibby Jackson, aka the ‘hairy traveller’, will travel across the UK and beyond to…
From the India to Turkey and Colombia to Belgium, we bring you the best December global festivities, including where to ring in the New Year, and that is not even…
Mark Bibby Jackson takes a short break in Norfolk where he makes friends with some seals in total isolation on Winterton Beach. When people ask me what’s the favourite place…
The Derby Film Festival, a premier regional film festival in the UK, will be uniting film enthusiasts, filmmakers and industry professionals once again in November. Derby Film Festival 2024 Programme…
From the original December market to the city that created stollen, the source of mulled wine and the first Christmas tree, let Travel Begins at 40 guide you through some…
Head to Wales in April to discover the amazing countryside during the Chepstow Walking Festival. The Chepstow Walking Festival, established in 2014, is a highly anticipated six-day annual event that…
The UK has so much to offer with its rich history, galleries, theatres and concert halls, its commercial and scientific enterprise and its varied and undeniably scenic countryside.
UK National Parks
There are 15 National Parks in the UK, ranging from coastal areas to mountainous regions in England, Wales and Scotland. There are currently none in Northern Ireland. Unlike National Parks in other countries, in the UK parts of the designated, protected areas can be owned by private landlords. Such areas as the Lake District, Yorkshire Moors, Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, Snowdonia and the Cairngorms draw hikers and naturalists to them like a magnet.
UK Weather
The British never tire of the weather as a talking point. Broadly speaking it is a temperate climate, although winters are becoming wetter and summers warmer, probably from climate change. Warmer in the South, wetter in the West and colder in Scotland and Northern Ireland, the UK climate can be subject to diurnal change on a sudden basis, although, with the advent of satellites, the weather forecasts are more accurate. It is wise to take a waterproof with you on an extended trip.
Northern Ireland
Since the Good Friday Agreement brought greater stability to this previously troubled land, visitors are on an increase. The Titanic Museum displaying memorabilia regarding that renowned disaster and Ulster Museum looking at 3,000 years of Irish culture and history, are well worth a visit. Outside of Belfast, the Mountains of Mourne in County Down and the Giant Causeway, 60 miles outside Belfast, are not to be missed.