Tracey Emin, Sex and Afternoon Tea at the Walpole Bay Hotel
“This is the room where Tracey Emin says she had her best sex,” Jane Bishop informs me as she as she hands me the key to room 302 at the…
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“This is the room where Tracey Emin says she had her best sex,” Jane Bishop informs me as she as she hands me the key to room 302 at the…
Learning a new skill, such as art, while on holiday has become a trend in recent years but for some people art classes can be transformative. As I enter Hold Creative…
A same-sex couple has won the Flitch of Bacon Dunmow for the first time in history. Local Dunmow couple, Emma Hynds and Emma D’Costa, convinced the jury at the Dunmow…
Mark Bibby Jackson travels to Brean in Somerset to experience a traditional British holiday. One of the consequences of Covid was the growth of domestic UK staycations. In recent months…
Mark Bibby Jackson leaves Lake Ullswater to visit three castles of Cumbria – Brougham Castle, Lowther Castle and Hutton-in-the-Forest, as well as Rheged. “The river used to mark the border…
Mark Bibby Jackson takes a hike and a boak trip around Ullswater Lake in the Lake District We could not have wished for a more beautiful drive up to the…
Since its launch in 2016 in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, Kynren – An Epic Tale of England has taken audiences on an immersive journey through 2,000 years of history, myth…
Prepare to set off on a gastronomic adventure through Somerset at the eagerly awaited Taste of Somerset event. On Saturday, 15 June, Brean Leisure Park will become a haven for…
If you’re a foodie planning to visit the UK, don’t miss the chance to attend summer food festivals. These vibrant events showcase the best of British cuisine, featuring top chefs…
We do excel at music festivals here in Blighty and this summer’s offerings more than pass muster. So give the tent a once-over and pick a party or two from…
It used to be that the British summer was more fleeting than a UK PM, but whether it’s a consequence of climate change or fake news, summers too seem to…
Travel Begins at 40 rounds up the best festivals in May 2024 from around the Globe, from Cuba to Australia, so wherever you are join in the celebrations. Cultural Festivals…
Foxhill Manor, a private manor house hotel nestled in a country home, offers guests a novel accommodation experience. It combines the charm of a boutique hotel hideaway with the comfort…
It was 1979, and the future was looking somewhat chilly for English country houses. The Labour Government’s ‘Winter of Discontent’ with the unions had left its mark, another energy crisis…
Heatwave, Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes and Dexter Wansel are amongst the artists performing at the Margate Soul Festival from 2 to 4 August 2024. The Kent music festival is dubbed as…
Le Vent du Nord, Kathryn Tickell & the Darkening, Oysterband, Daphne’s Flight and Richard Digance will headline the Broadstairs Folk Week 2024. The Kent music festival will take place from…
River Stage National Theatre is the biggest free outdoor arts festival in the UK capital. It takes place at the National Theatre (NT) on London’s Southbank from 5 to 28 July. This year…
The Broadstairs Dickens Festival is celebrating its 87th anniversary in 2024. The three-day festival held in June in the coastal Kent town celebrates the work of the greatest Victorian novelist…
The Broadstairs Food Festival is a celebration of local food and drink, with exhibitors chosen from Kent and surrounding counties. It consists of two separate free festivals, one held in…
The glorious Farne Islands off the spectacular Northumberland coastline is set to reopen on 25 March after a two-year closure. A paradise for nature lovers and kids, the islands are…
The Newbury Spring Festival is a mix of classical, jazz, folk and chamber music thrown in for good measure. It will take place from 11 to 25 May 2024. Concerts will be performed at St Nicolas’ Church…
Multi award-winning pet grooming expert Kelly Davis has joined forces with Somerset’s most welcoming country house and spa retreat, Montigo Resorts Somerset at Charlton House, to offer an exclusive pet…
Accommodation specialist One Off Places is thrilled to announce the launch of Hidden House Treehouse, a brand new handmade treehouse on a woodland’s edge near Crewkerne in Somerset. The treehouse opened for its…
Travel tech company Flix has announced the launch of its pilot for the first 100% electric long-distance coach service in England. From 21 March until June 2024, travellers will be…
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.