The place that is sometimes called “England’s only desert” can be reached by a miniature railway line that runs to a nuclear power station on one of the largest expanses of shingle beach in Europe. Across the pebbled coastal plain, a tiny, gleaming steam engine chugs bravely and ridiculously past weather-beaten huts and abandoned fishing boats, to deposit its passengers near the foot of a black...
Walk-through displays of Christmas lights have sparkled ever brighter in the UK’s grand gardens over the lpast decade or so. They often include tunnels of fairy lights and themed illuminations (animal-shaped lanterns at Chester Zoo or glowing flowers at the RHS gardens). Flaming torches, lasers, glowing snowflakes and stirring seasonal music are also quite likely to feature. These events are well...
Lively old townThe historic centre around Unirii Square, the largest square in Cluj, is beautiful. Look out for the Hotel Melody Central. It opened in 1890 as a hotel but has also been a jazz club and a chapel. St Michael’s church is a huge gothic building and sights around the square include Old Banffy Palace, which now houses the National Art Museum, and the old town hall. The three main...
Sunset beachCadiz’s most famous beach, Playa de La Caleta, is right in the old town. Get there an hour before sundown and watch the sun dip gently into the Atlantic, as the small fishing boats are painted gold by its final rays. This beach imitated Havana’s craggy harbour in the James Bond film Die Another Day – when Halle Berry famously emerged, goddess-like, from the sea. The cove is marked by...
The Garden of DreamsFor most visitors, a trip to Nepal begins in Thamel. This labyrinth of streets and alleys lined with souvenir shops, bars, hotels and restaurants has been the hub for backpackers since the country opened itself to outsiders in the late 1950s. Of the city’s handful of green enclaves, the Garden of Dreams is a serene spot in which to escape the bustle of the streets. Just across...
Poor Puglia. For centuries rampaging armies used this heel of Italy as a convenient motorway en route to richer pickings further afield. Nowadays, tourists treat a large part of the region in much the same way – barely touching the ground at Brindisi or Bari before speeding south to newly trendy Salento, Puglia’s far southern tip (which we’ve covered in a separate guide). What they’re missing as...
The dining room is one of the most important rooms in the house. It’s where we gather to eat, entertain guests, and celebrate special occasions. Having a beautiful and functional dining room is essential to making your home a warm and inviting place. One of the most important pieces of furniture in the dining room is the table. The table is where we gather for meals and it’s often the...
Statistics tend to define the way we think about property. As a nation, we buy and sell more than 100,000 homes a month – more than 3,000 a day. House prices went up 7.8% in the year to June 2022, taking the average property value in the UK to £286,397. The average deposit for first-time buyers is now about £75,000. People aged over 65, who represent less than a quarter of the population, own...
As Omicron cases are on the increase and a new wave threatens to overshadow Christmas, the scientists working on Covid are also making calculations about which of their own festivities to go ahead with and which to scale back. Prof Jennifer Rohn, cell biologist at University College London I was supposed to be flying to the US, but the airline cancelled the flight and the town is in total...
Iwas raised not to talk to strangers. Strangers, I was taught as a child, are people we’ve never met before, therefore we don’t know them. Childhood me would have been horrified to know that, now in my 30s, I frequently engage with complete randoms without giving it much thought. I’m not just talking about shop staff who make the mistake of asking me how my day is going, only to be met with a...