‘The penguins came close as I sat with my camera’ John S Smith’s yellow-eared penguin sighting in New Zealand in 2012. Photograph: John S Smith/Guardian Community While touring New Zealand in a motorhome in 2012, my wife and I checked into a campsite at the tip of South Island. The woman at the campsite looked […]
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Get spirited away on a gin-making adventure in North Yorkshire
‘It’s about to happen, I promise!” says Rob Crossley, the “Professor”, as he uses asbestos fingers to gingerly tip-tap his way along a copper pipe to where the magic is to begin. When the heat spreads all the way down to the spindly tip, he knows the temperature will be right for the drip to […]
Read MoreVirgin Atlantic reports 600% surge in flight bookings to the US
Virgin Atlantic has reported a 600% surge in flight bookings to the US and British Airways reported a jump in searches after the US said it would lift restrictions to allow fully vaccinated passengers from the UK and most European Union countries to travel to the country from early November. Bookings jumped overnight, compared with […]
Read MoreEccentric poets, exotic flora and wild seas: a car-free break on the Llŷn peninsula
Llywelyn the Great built the huge gatehouse of Criccieth Castle on the coast of north-west Wales in the 13th century. Owain Glyndŵr burned it down in 1404 when it was in the hands of the English. The stones of one ruined tower are still scorched orange. Today, the castle hill smells of wild thyme and […]
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Why A Shipping Container Has Been Turned Into Possibly The World’s Smallest Border Store
A small footprint, but sales volumes could be high for R&F. R&F Travel Retail A Swedish company has opened the first border shop in Wales in a 40-foot shipping container to take advantage of demand for duty-free goods now that the U.K. has exited the European Union. Travel retailer R&F—a distribution and, more recently, retail […]
Read MoreLiving the stream: glamping in an American Airstream trailer … in Somerset
“They changed my life,” says Nick Monckton, surveying his restored Airstream trailers proudly. There’s no doubt the vintage caravans look superb in the Somerset landscape, with barbecue, loungers and fire pits, and some horses grazing nearby. But Nick isn’t just having a pleasant glamping experience – he really has turned his life upside down for […]
Read MoreFive-star to no-star: holidaymakers face nightmare in quarantine hotel
Yulia Brill’s £4,500 package holiday on the Greek island of Rhodes turned into a nightmare on just the third day when her eight-year-old son felt unwell. He tested positive for Covid-19 and the family of four was moved from their five-star hotel to a room in a government quarantine hotel for 14 days. “The hotel […]
Read MoreTen of the best clifftop hotels
Druidstone, Pembrokeshire Year after year, people return to the Dru, perched on a spectacular cliff’s edge with stunning views overlooking St Brides Bay. Enjoy the dramatic sunsets over the Atlantic from one of the roof rooms or the garden. Take the winding path down to the sea (around five minutes to descend, slightly longer coming […]
Read MoreTofu Vegan, London: ‘Bring on the big hitters’ – restaurant review
Tofu Vegan, 105 Upper Street, London N1 1QN (020 7916 3304). Starters and dim sum £5.50-£8.50, large plates £7.90-£14.80, desserts £4.80, wines from £18.50 A dozen years ago, an editor invited me to go vegan for two weeks, so I could report back from the raucous frontline of plant-based living. I haggled her down to […]
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Demand for Egypt holidays soars as amber list & PCR tests scrapped
TRAVEL operators reported their busiest day this year as holidaymakers snapped up breaks to destinations such as Egypt yesterday. Some told of “phenomenal” bookings as the Covid amber list and expensive PCR tests were scrapped. 2 Online searches for Egypt rose by 1,170 per cent over the last 24 hoursCredit: Shutterstock 2 Jet2’s bookings for […]
Read MoreHalf-term holiday bookings jump 200% after England travel rules change
Half-term holiday bookings have jumped by 200% compared with August since the government announced a relaxation of travel rules in England, the travel firm Thomas Cook has said. On Friday, the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, unveiled plans to simplify the Covid rules around trips abroad from next month, scrapping the traffic light system and replacing […]
Read More20 of the best autumn escapes around the UK
Harvest twist at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire The traditional harvest jamboree is given a modern twist in Blenheim Palace’s walled garden this year, with an autumn festival promising food markets, foraging trails and theatrical entertainment such as wacky races and a dragon maze trail by a collective of artists and designers(24-26 September and 1-3 October, free […]
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Albania’s capital Tirana tops this year’s cheap list and makes for the perfect budget getaway
CITY breaks are back on, at last. And with airlines slashing prices on popular routes across Europe, now’s the time to book a quick budget getaway. 3 Alabania’s capital Tirana is the cheapest spot for a city break according to the latest Post Office Travel Money City Costs BarometerCredit: 4Corners Images 3 Portugal’s capital Lisbon […]
Read MoreTell us: how will you be affected by the changes to UK travel rules?
The “amber list” of overseas destinations is to be scrapped in an overhaul of UK travel rules, the Department for Transport announced on Friday. The traffic light system is to be replaced with destinations listed as either “red” or “green”. Under the new rules, people who are double-vaccinated will also no longer have to take […]
Read MoreUK Covid live news: cases rates rising in England’s secondary schools, latest ONS figures show
And here are some more lines from the Downing Street lobby briefing. The PM’s spokesman said that the government was making “steady progress to ease [travel] restrictions” and he confirmed a further announcement is coming this afternoon. He said the PM has not yet decide whether Chevening, the grace-and-favour country home traditionally allocated to the […]
Read MoreSki trains to resume between London and the French Alps
With more Eurostar trains now running again on routes from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam, travellers have been awaiting news of ski trains to the French Alps and the reinstatement of other services. But recent news from Eurostar news hasn’t been good. This week the train operator announced that services to Marne-la-Vallée (for Disneyland […]
Read MoreThe Compasses Inn, Crundale, Kent: ‘Wherever they go, I will follow’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants
My bid to wax lyrical about The Compasses Inn in Crundale, Kent, comes with unfortunate timing. I’ve wanted to shout about this award-winning gastropub ever since I stopped by a month or so ago, curious as to why food folk speak about it in hallowed tones. The Compasses, it transpires, is tucked away in a […]
Read More‘A lizard hitched a lift in my bag!’: 10 readers on their most memorable holiday souvenirs
‘I carried the enormous alpaca toy all the way home’ On our way out of the Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia, we came across a shop selling goods such as bags of salt, candy and beautifully patterned jumpers. I was browsing the little fluffy alpaca toys, which are sold all over the Andes, when I […]
Read More10 of the best restaurants, delis and takeaways in York
Skosh A rare purveyor of relaxed good vibes and seriously on-point cooking, chef Neil Bentinck has created a buzzy restaurant that’s unusually broad in its appeal. Food nerds can sit at the open-kitchen counter to get close to the action; elsewhere, guests will find themselves charmed by Skosh’s friendly staff and disarmed by a small […]
Read MoreMinisters to cut ‘red list’ countries by up to half to simplify England’s travel rules
Ministers are to slash the number of “red list” countries by up to half as part of plans to simplify England’s rules for international travel, with sources claiming it would incentivise vaccination. The traffic light system will be overhauled – with the amber tier removed so there is a clearer distinction between what the government […]
Read MoreSparkling days out: readers’ favourite British vineyards to visit
Winning tip: Take a train to the vines, Kent Hugged by purple fields of lavender, the picture-postcard village of Shoreham in Kent is home to The Mount, where you can sample eight varieties of wine from 13,000 vines including pinot noir, rondo, regent, regent, bacchus, seyval blanc, phoenix and siegerrebe. The tiny station at Shoreham […]
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The top 10 UK Christmas markets with cheap places to stay nearby for a festive weekend break
WITH Christmas markets cancelled last year due to lockdown, Brits will be out in force this festive season to make up for lost time. Major towns and cities from Edinburgh down to Bath will start gearing up for Christmas in late November, festooning the streets in lights and setting up seasonal markets. 2 London’s Winter […]
Read MoreSunny Side Up! review – a tasty serving of class-conscious comedy
According to John Godber’s latest comedy, Sunnyside was named the worst seaside town in the country by the Sunday Times. Getting to this fictional resort takes a bus and two trains. Naturally, it’s at the end of the line. “If you don’t like it, don’t come,” is the gruff motto of Godber’s Barney, a man […]
Read MoreNot in our holiday Budget: £500 bill for 10 days’ car rental insurance
I paid £110 for 10 days’ car hire with Budget via an airline website. The price included basic insurance, so I paid £20 for a comprehensive policy with a third-party provider and declined the offer of extra insurance at the airport collection desk. I was then asked to sign two boxes presented to me on […]
Read MoreOn holiday in southern France chez Le Corbusier
I wish I had a beach hut like Le Corbusier’s. A perfect place to self-isolate on the French Riviera’s wildest stretch of coastline. The Swiss-born architect chose Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, halfway between Monaco and the Italian border, to build his retreat in a medieval village that overlooks a rugged, tortoise-shaped cape beyond the pebble beaches of du […]
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Brits given holiday boost as Boris Johnson confirms traffic light rules will be ‘simplified’ with fewer tests for hols
BORIS JOHNSON has hinted that the traffic light system rules will be “simplified” with fewer tests for holidaymakers, in a boost for half-term breaks abroad. The prime minister made the announcement during the latest press conference, following days of speculation about the reduction of Covid travel restrictions. 2 The prime minister has confirmed that holiday […]
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Nine-year-old designs four-person treehouse with trampoline and zip line – and rents it on Airbnb for £110 a night
A NINE-YEAR-OLD who designed and helped build his own dream treehouse is now renting it out on Airbnb for $150 (£108) a night. Eli Sylvester, from North Carolina, designed the four-person treehouse which includes a living area, bathroom, and extras including a trampoline and zip line. 7 A nine-year-old has designed and helped build his […]
Read MorePeace, antiquity and beaches: a guide to five famous Greek islands
Santorini Viewed from an incoming ferry, the island’s semi-circular volcanic caldera, surrounded by towering reddish-brown cliffs and crowned by whitewashed houses perched perilously above the sea, is awe-inspiring. The black volcanic beaches on the eastern shore, which would be the defining feature of a lesser destination, seem here to be the cherry on the cake. […]
Read MoreThousands of jobs at risk unless UK travel rules changed, say airlines
The travel industry has called for ministers to tear up the UK’s Covid traffic light and PCR testing rules as figures reveal their “devastating impact” on overseas flights and holiday bookings in peak season. Bookings for holidays abroad this summer were down 83% on 2019, according to data from the Travel Association (ABTA), with half […]
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Meet The World’s Oldest Japanese Whisky: Yamazaki 55
Yamazaki 55 is the world’s oldest Japanese whisky—and there are only 100 bottles of it to go around. Beam Suntory Last year, in the early months of 2020, right before the coronavirus pandemic hit New York City with everything it’s got, Beam Suntory announced that it was going to release a phenomenal expression in the […]
Read MoreMy Alpine trail running adventure holiday in Switzerland
‘Freedom. That’s what you’re chasing in the mountains.” I was hurrying along a slope below Mont Fort in Verbier to keep pace with Emily Vaudan, a trail running guide for new activity company Bee Heidi, and I kept stopping, trying to run but distracted by the views. Every so often, she paused to shout encouragement […]
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