Midhurst Spread Eagle: Fit for a Queen
Irene Caswell takes a micro-break to the Midhurst Spread Eagle in the West Sussex market town and discovers a hotel steeped in history that is truly fit for a Queen…
Travel Topics
Irene Caswell takes a micro-break to the Midhurst Spread Eagle in the West Sussex market town and discovers a hotel steeped in history that is truly fit for a Queen…
Writer and musician Anthony Joseph has said of his project Windrush: A Celebration, ‘How do we look at 70 years of musical and cultural impact?’ Indeed, so deeply entwined are…
There really is only one place to go for some fun for the family in the UK capital in the build up to Christmas, the Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park London. The fair is free to enter…
On his annual Isle of Wight holidays Mark Bibby Jackson takes a step back in history, as well as visiting a few familiar haunts. The Isle of Wight has always…
A highlight of the festive season, Winchester Christmas Market opens on 22 November. Since 2006 the market has been recognised as one of the leading Christmas Festivals…
Mark Bibby Jackson takes a stroll down memory lane in London’s South Bank, visiting the transformed Borough Market and popping in on the Tate Modern…
Southwest Wales will be getting deep, down and meaningful when the Tenby Blues festival comes to the Pembrokeshire town between 9-12 November, 2023. This year sees …
Seeing age as no barrier, John Sutcliffe donned his walking boot and took to the wilds of Britain on an epic journey that would take him from cape to cape…
The EFG London Jazz Festival held in November is the leading jazz festival in the UK capital. This year it will include Imelda May, Pat Metheny, ANOHNI and Meshell Ndegeocello…
With more than 100 Thai recipes, Busaba Bangkok Thai Cookbook brings the taste of Thai cuisine direct to your kitchen. Coral Glennie reviews what treats you have in store. The…
A medieval market town littered with fine examples of Georgian architecture, Mark Bibby Jackson discovers that Beverley is steeped in tradition with the Beverley Minster…
A new exhibition, Orlando at the Present Time, launched at the Charleston Farmhouse marks the 90th anniversary of Virginia Wolf’s seminal novel, Orlando…
On a trip to the North York Moors, Mark Bibby Jackson encounters in the Farmhouse a wonderful conversion with breathtaking views and great food that will eventually lead to Switzerland…
On a trip to Whitby and the North York Moors, Mark Bibby Jackson encounters a small village steeped in popular culture, an iron-ore rush and two abbeys that would grace…
The hugely popular Beverley Festival of Christmas, in East Yorkshire, has grown from a small market to one of the largest festive celebrations in England. Held on 8 December…
Mark Bibby Jackson ventures into the Potteries to discover the most fantastic gardens, a model pottery and sips tea at the World of Wedgwood. At school I perpetually came bottom…
An exhibition devoted to the works of Anni Albers runs at the Tate Modern, London from 11 October 2018 to 27 January 2019. This exhibition, co-organised by Tate Modern and…
A wry, somewhat light-hearted, but certainly not lightweight stroll through the history of Britain, Bognor and Other Regises; a Potted History of Britain in 100 Royal Places takes us from…
Looking for things to do in Derby, join Mark Bibby Jackson as he has a run in with an anti-suffragette, climbs a steep tower and settles into a pint or…
On one of their infrequent London weekend breaks, Roger Hermiston and Eileen Wise discover the lure of the capital undiminished while staying at the Haymarket and visiting the West End. It’s…
The Old Stones is a comprehensive guide to all the megalithic sites in the British Isles, containing details of each site interspersed with historical context, written and edited by experts…
Visitors to Sir Isaac Newton’s home county can celebrate a true global giant thanks to a quirky journey through arts and science in the innovative five-day Gravity Fields festival in…
Wales might be best known for its castles and sheep, but have you ever considered it as a beach holiday destination. Well, the weather might be far from ideal, but…
Roger Hermiston and Eileen Wise spend a weekend on the Essex – Suffolk border basking in the trio of delights at Maison Talbooth, Le Talbooth and Milsoms hotel and restaurant…
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.