The town of Paradise in California‘s Butte County was all but completely wiped out as the state endured its worst-ever wildfires in September last year. But they are nothing if not resilient, these Californians, and the message in Butte and the grape-growing territory heading south-west to Napa Valley is that it’s business as usual. This … Read more
This is the couple who packed up their possessions to live in a van – and are now helping others follow a sustainable way of life. Dustin Grevemberg from Louisiana and his wife Noami from Trinidad sold most of their items three years ago to buy a 1985 Volkswagen Vanagon to live and travel in. … Read more
The month began with gin, and it wasn’t long before strange, melancholic headaches became a regular feature. By the third week of this particular month (I’m not saying which), things needed to change. That’s how I find myself at the Barberyn retreat and spa in Beruwala, an unfussy little town on Sri Lanka’s west coast, … Read more
Can I cruise from Sydney to Papua New Guinea? What UK holidays are there for singletons? And can I attend a Papal Mass in Rome? The holiday guru offers top tips to travellers Cruising from Sydney to Papua New Guinea is doable but not easy A walking break in the UK is recommended for singletons without … Read more
The world’s finest spring gardens are right here in Britain. No, really — that’s not an idle boast. The mild, damp climate helps, along with a rich legacy of plants and centuries-old gardening traditions. So here’s a varied selection of Britain’s most inspiring spring gardens. Opening times can vary from month to month, so be … Read more
An Inspector Calls… The friendly Cornish hotel and restaurant that’s popular with locals (but you wouldn’t want to spend a romantic night there) Mannings has 30 rooms and nine apartments fronting a car park The Inspector checked into an apartment which had a ‘whiff of old shoes’ The a la carte breakfast menu comes recommended over … Read more
‘They’ll have the coat off your back, they’ll skin you alive, my child!’ This was the warning Patrick Leigh Fermor was given in Sparta, when he said he was going to the Mani in the early Fifties. Having walked across Europe at the age of 18 and kidnapped a German general on Crete from under … Read more
Great British Boltholes: Hexham’s Langley Castle is an award-winning medieval marvel with some ghostly goings on… Langley Castle in Northumberland is the North East England Hotel of the Year It’s a castle hotel with ‘medieval redoubt’ decor and ‘excellent hospitality’ There’s a small cocktail bar and a restaurant serving ‘posh and delicious’ food By Neil Armstrong … Read more
When architects go wild: The hilarious Instagram account that’s packed with pictures of Belgium’s ugliest houses Hannes Coudeneys has spent the past eight years snapping pictures of his homeland’s most peculiar homes He posts his hilarious images on his Instagram account, Ugly Belgian Homes, which has over 55,000 followers But not everybody agrees with Hannes’s … Read more
Wand-erful! Harry Potter fans treated to a brand new ‘Dark Arts’ light show conjured up on Hogwarts Castle at Universal Studios The show, called Dark Arts at Hogwarts Castle, is running nightly at the Hollywood theme park until April 28 It features a mesmerising display of lights, music and special effects and an appearance by … Read more
A huge San Francisco office tower has been named the best building in the world for 2019. The 1,070ft (326m) Salesforce Tower was given the gong by the Chicago-based Council On Tall Buildings And Urban Habitat (CTBUH), which hands out awards each year to the high-rises that it believes are creatively designed and enhance the … Read more
UK and U.S tourists were asked to draw some of the world’s most famous landmarks from memory and the results range from the amazingly good to the shockingly bad. And overall, it seems that it’s Americans who are the better artists with higher accuracy scores than the Brits. In total, 132 people aged 18 to … Read more
Plane that was due to fly from Copenhagen to Florence lands 65 miles away in Bologna because the information for the route wasn’t loaded into the GPS system The problem on the Scandinavian Airlines plane was discovered before take-off Decision to fly to a close destination was made instead of cancelling the flight The passengers … Read more