discovered

WHEN Brits think of Costa Blanca, the places that come to mind are probably rowdy Benidorm and busy Alicante.

But one woman revealed to Sun Travel that the “jewel” of that coastline is actually the small town of Moraira.

It has all the best bits of Spain like white-washed houses with terracotta tiles, sandy beaches with bright blue waters, and a little harbour filled with boats and yachts.

While lots of holidaymakers like to mix up the places they visit each year, the Sun’s Jade Dadalica and her family have been returning to the town of Moraira, several times a year since 2021.

Jade explained: “My family and I go one or twice a year for around two weeks. We went on holiday to Jávea which is a nearby town and went for a day trip to Moraira, which we actually preferred.

“We booked a villa there the following year and have been going back ever since. A lot of the Spanish go on their holidays there, and you only get a few Brits, it’s not rowdy at all.

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“We love it, if I won the lottery, the first thing I would do is buy a place there.”

While Moraira might not have everything that a busy city does, the laidback town still has plenty to offer.

Jade added: “It’s got loads of restaurants, bars, shops, ice cream parlours, and Ale-Hop of course. There’s a market once a week too, that sells everything from clothes and souvenirs to fruit and veg, a lot of locals go and it’s always really busy.

“One of my favourite places to eat is what my family call the ‘windy bar’, but it’s actually called El Cafeti de la Mar. From there you can see the sea and the castle and we love it. We go so much that the owners know who we are.

“It’s always popular with locals, especially in the mornings because they go for breakfast there. But lunch and dinner are amazing too.”

On its menu, El Cafeti de la Mar serves up simple breakfast croissants, bagels, crepes, and Huevos Benedict.

There’s plenty of tapas to choose from, as well as mains in the evenings from salads, to fish dishes, burgers, ribs and steak.

Another of Jade’s favourites is a spot literally called The Secret Bar where you can sip on classic cocktails like margaritas and blueberry daiquiris.

Other places that Jade recommended are La Malquerida, a Mexican restaurant and The Ribs Bar, which has speciality dishes of ribs, steaks and kebabs.

Once you’ve filled your stomach, why not stretch out on the beach for an afternoon siesta – and Moraira has a few playas to choose from.

The main beach in Moraira is Playa de l’Ampolla but when Jade is on holiday, she goes around the corner to Playa del Portet.

Jade said: “The main beach is sandy and is always quite busy because it’s the one the locals use. We go to one on the other side, Playa del Portet, it’s a little less known, so we go out there and hire paddleboards.”

If you want to venture out of the town, then it’s an easy vantage point to take daytrips too.

Jade told us: “From Moraira, you can get to a town called Calp, which isn’t far at all. There are also some waterfalls, called Fonts de l’Algar, which are under an hour’s drive away.

“You have to buy tickets, but these are €8 (£6.95) during the summer, and €6 (£5.21) during off peak, for the whole day. You can go swimming, or climb up the waterfalls, it’s a great place for pictures.

“Of course, Moraira is close to Benidorm, which is funny because it really doesn’t feel like it. We drive down that way to go to the waterpark called Aqualandia for a family day out.”

If you think that it’s too late in the year to take a break to the Moraira to get good weather, you’d be wrong.

In October, it still has highs of 19C and next week during half-term, you can get flights to Alicante, which is the closest airport, for as little as £14.

Ryanair offers one-way direct flights from London Stansted, Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester and Birmingham for under £15.

Although if you do book for half-term hoping to visit Aqualandia, it has closed for the season and will reopen in May 2026.

Jade told us: “I went to Moraira in late September and the weather was still really warm. You can still go on the beach, I even got sunburnt. We always go in September and June which are quieter because it’s out of school holiday time.

“It’s not like other places across Spain which close when the tourists leave either. My dad was speaking to owners of the local bars and they’re open all year round.”

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Plus, here’s a tiny Spanish town that’s actually in the middle of France that you can visit for the day.

And for anyone wanting to make a permanent move to Spain, here’s another coastline where you can still buy property for a bargain price.

HAVING struggled to lose weight for years, it was a simple diet change that finally helped Emma Dennison to shed the pounds.

But with her huge weight loss came a big surprise – hiding under her loose skin.

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Emma had tried to lose weight for years without success.

And after a catastrophic knee injury left her unable to exercise, she decided it was time to give up.

The 42-year-old weighed more than 20 stone, and as her size grew, her self-esteem shrank.

“I wasn’t always big. I was a bit heavier in school, but I stayed active through university,” she said.

“Then in 2006, I completely blew out my knee. I was in a full cast for eight months. That’s when the weight started creeping on.

“It wasn’t that I was eating junk all day – I just ate too much. And food became my comfort when life felt overwhelming.

“I didn’t recognise myself in the mirror. I’d stopped shopping for clothes I liked. I always had to go to the ‘fat shop,’ and even then, I hated everything. I stopped being in photos. I’d take a thousand of my kids and husband, but I’d avoid the camera.”

Emma is a full-time sheep farmer and mum to Henry, now ten, and Thomas, 8.

Her life never slowed down and she struggled with emotional eating and portion control.

When Emma and her husband Mervyn, from Tipperary, Ireland, began trying for a third baby, she didn’t suspect her weight might be a factor.

She said: “All my hormone levels were fine, but we tried for two years and nothing happened. Eventually, I just said, ‘That’s it. We’ve got two beautiful boys. It’s not meant to be.’”

With the baby dream put to rest, Emma decided it was finally time to focus on her health and gave the 1:1 Diet by Cambridge Weight Plan a go, a programme that mixes meal replacements and normal food with consultant support.

Starting the plan in September 2021, Emma steadily lost weight.

She said: “By May, I was down nearly six stone. Then the scales stopped moving. I was confused. Until that point, I had been consistently losing weight.”

THEN CAME A SURPRISE…

“One night, just for the craic, I took a pregnancy test. I was sure it would be negative… but it wasn’t,” she recalled.

“I was sitting on the toilet at half eleven at night, staring at it thinking, ‘Oh my God. I’m pregnant.’ I didn’t want to wake Mervyn so I lay awake half the night thinking about how I would tell him.”

When she saw the doctor the next day, the news got even more shocking.

“He said, ‘Emma, you’re not just pregnant – you’re already 15 weeks along.’ The weight loss had hidden my bump under loose skin”, she says. Her third pregnancy, Emma says, was worlds apart from her previous two.

“I had no Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction. I was active right up to the end. Two days before my C-section, I was shearing sheep. I honestly believe losing weight made the difference. I felt strong and capable for the first time in years.”

After giving birth to her miracle baby Alistair two years ago, Emma focused on expressing milk, a goal she hadn’t achieved with her older sons.

“I was constantly hungry while expressing. A lot of the weight went back on, but I didn’t panic. I knew I had a plan,” she said.

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She returned to the 1:1 Diet in May 2023, and by December had lost the additional weight, reaching a total loss of eight stone.

Emma now fluctuates comfortably between a size 12 and 14.

She said: “Size 10 doesn’t suit me. I’m curvy and that’s okay. I’m in my 40s now, not my 20s. I want to be healthy, strong, and confident.”

One of the biggest changes came when she began to love fashion again.

She said: “I remember walking into a shop and picking up a top, knowing it would fit. I sat in the car afterwards and cried. That was a freedom I hadn’t felt in years.”

Since then, Emma has become a 1:1 consultant herself, training up while on maternity leave so she can help others see a similar transformation.

And her proudest moment came when she completed Couch to 5k – something her 14-year-old self never imagined.

She said: “I was forced to run a 1,500m race in school. I came dead last – and I mean a long way last. People laughed. When I hit 5k, I thought, ‘Up yours’ to every single one of them.

“Losing weight gave me back my fertility, my health, my confidence and my identity. And I no longer hide from the camera.” 

SCIENTISTS have discovered that a “punk rocker” dinosaur had metre-long spikes pointing out of its neck to protect it from predators.

The discovery came as analysis of fossils of the Spicomellus – the world’s oldest ankylosaur – was conducted by researchers, uncovering its elaborate armour.

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The Spicomellus, referred to as one of the “strangest dinosaurs” to have ever lived, roamed the Earth around 165 million years ago and had bony spikes fused onto all of its ribs.

This ultra-rare feature has never been seen before in any other vertebrate species, living or extinct, according to scientists.

Ankylosaurs were a herbivorous group of dinosaurs known for their armoured, tank-like bodies and a club-shaped tail tip.

A team of palaeontologists recently discovered remains, helping to build on the original description of the animal, which was based on just one rib bone found near the town of Boulemane in Morocco, which was sold on to a researcher in 2019.

The new fossils revealed the dinosaur had spikes measuring 87 centimetres emerging from a bony collar around its neck.

These could have been even longer during the life of the Spicomellus, according to the research published in science journal Nature.

Professor Richard Butler, from the University of Birmingham and project co-lead, described the fossils as an “incredibly significant discovery.”

He said: “Spicomellus is one of the strangest dinosaurs that we’ve ever discovered.

“It’s utterly unlike any other found anywhere else in the world.

“I think it’s going to really capture the imagination of people around the world, and tell us a lot about the early evolution of the tank-like ankylosaurs.”

He also told the BBC that the dino was the “punk rocker” of its time, alluding to its spiky looks which resemble loyal punk rock fans who may don spiky hair.

Professor Susannah Maidment of Natural History Museum, London, and the University of Birmingham, who co-led the team of researchers said the “absolutely bizarre” fossils were changing how scientists believe the armoured dinosaurs evolved.

She said: “When we originally named spicomellus, there were doubts that it was an ankylosaur at all.

“Now, not only can we confirm beyond a doubt that this interpretation was correct, but Africa’s only known ankylosaur is far weirder than anyone imagined.”

She added: “Spicomellus had a diversity of plates and spikes extending from all over its body, including metre-long neck spikes, huge upwards-projecting spikes over the hips, and a whole range of long, blade-like spikes, pieces of armour made up of two long spikes, and plates down the shoulder.

“We’ve never seen anything like this in any animal before.”

Professor Maidment said that while it is likely the armour evolved initially for defence purposes, it was probably used later to attract mates and show off to rivals.

The discovery of the spicomellus species was made after Professor Maidment acquired a rib bone from a fossil dealer in Cambridge in 2019.

This comes after a new species of dog-sized dinosaurs was discovered.

The Maleriraptor kuttyi is thought to be one of the earliest killer dinosaurs in history.

The now-extinct dinosaur is believed to have lived some 220 million years ago – during the Triassic period.

The small but mighty beast could grow to a height of 3.2 feet and a length of 6.5 feet – about the size of a large-breed dog such as a Great Dane.

And the creature was one of the earliest known carnivorous dinosaurs, along with the rest of the Herrerasauria family.

Dr. Martín Ezcurra from the Argentina’s Natural Science museum said: “Herrerasaurs represent the oldest radiation of predatory dinosaurs.”

The fossilised dinosaur bones were discovered more than in Telangana, India, forty years ago.

But only now have scientists identified exactly what species these bones belonged to.

Herrerasauria fossils were previously found in South and North America.

But the new bombshell discovery has proved that the creatures roamed far more of the Earth than previously thought.

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People have been left in stitches of laughter after hearing about a woman’s story while holidaying in Ibiza – she thought she had hit the jackpot and met Wayne Lineker but the truth left her red-faced

A young woman on a girls’ holiday with her mate was absolutely buzzing after she believed she’d encountered her “hero”, Wayne Lineker. Gary Lineker ‘s brother can frequently be found chatting to punters at his cherished party destination, Ocean Beach in Ibiza – with countless visitors clamouring for snaps with his during their visit.

The Spanish beach club has enjoyed tremendous success since launching 13 years ago, and remains essential for Brits visiting the party isle. Celebrities including Ed Sheeran, Jason Derulo, Jack Grealish and Conor McGregor have been photographed at the San Antonio venue. One woman was thrilled after meeting who she believed was Wayne Lineker, who has remained single for seven years.

She became even more excited when he reportedly offered to buy her a drink. The party-goer was holidaying with a friend she’s called Faye, and the duo were staying at Ibiza Rocks. One day while at the poolside party hotel, the two women were approached by some “absolute sorts” they nicknamed “Ibiza Final Bosses”. The blokes invited them to Ocean Beach for the day, which they accepted.

She and her mate headed to the beach club with the group and claims she was “having the time of her life” with them, until something caught her attention. She revealed in a frank TikTok video : “Out the corner of my eye I could see Wayne Lineker. I know exactly who Wayne Lineker is, I know he is into brunettes.”

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She continued: “My mate Faye doesn’t know who he is. He approaches and asks ‘do you want a drink’. I respond ‘I’ve got my own drinks but sure I’d love you to get me a drink’. So we end up spending time with Wayne Lineker and his companion, let’s call him Barry for the story.”

Lacy explained she and her friend departed from the initial group they’d joined at the beach club, hoping to spend their day with ‘Wayne’ and his mate. She observed they were having “a great time”.

The pair were invited to an afterparty at the location where the two men were staying. Lacy revealed: “I’m like absolutely, I’m thinking there’s going to a party, this is going to be lit, me and Wayne are going to be a thing, I’m literally going to come back to Torquay engaged. I manifested the whole thing.”

However, she began feeling doubtful when they climbed into a vehicle to reach the party. “I thought we were going to get into a Range Rover, it wasn’t quite that,” she revealed.

Lacy explained she hadn’t realised how intoxicated they were until that point. She described how they exited the car and entered a hotel, despite anticipating a large villa gathering.

“It is a disappointment to say the least,” she remarked.

Please note the follow video contains strong language.

She continued: “So we’re all sat in this twin room with Wayne, Barry, my mate Faye and me. They’re like ‘do you want a drink’, I’m like ‘yeah sure’. Anyway we do the whole formal thing of asking each other’s names.”

Lacy revealed she jokingly asked ‘Wayne’ what his name was, completely convinced it was him, and was stunned when he replied saying ‘Tim’.

She explained: “I said you’re so funny. He goes, ‘what do you mean’. I go ‘you’re name’s not Tim’, he goes ‘yeah my name’s Tim’. So it’s at that moment I realise what I’ve done. This ain’t Wayne Lineker.”

She continued: “I realised I have royally f***ed up. I have brought us to the back end of Ibiza where I have never even visited with this guy Tim – and now come to think of it, he doesn’t even look anything like Wayne Lineker. I am that lit, I’m stuck in this crazy hotel room with my mate.”

She feigned illness so she and her pal could make their getaway.

But matters got worse when they couldn’t find a taxi for more than an hour.

Lacy continued: “I am stuck in a hotel room with f***ing Barry, Wayne, Faye, and me drinking the worst f***ing prosecco while all the Ibiza final bosses are at a party.”

Wayne Lineker, who also runs Linekers bars and Bam-Bu-Ku, spotted the post and replied in the comments.

Wayne quipped: “Who’s Barry? Must be Dean Gaffney.”

Lacy fired back: “No way has Wayne entered the chat. Deffo not as hot as Dean Gaffney, more like Barry from Eastenders. Don’t worry Wayne I would recognise you in a crowded room any day of the week…it was an off brand night.”

The video was a hit with viewers, with one quipping: “What in the Jet 2 Holidays is going on here.”

Another chimed in with: “Wayne Lineker from Temu,”. A third couldn’t contain their laughter, commenting: “I am crying,” while another person penned: “I have never laughed so much at 7am on a Sunday morning.”

Another fan added: “Haha brilliant. Knew that was coming. Sounds like something I’d do. At least you have a great story to tell.”

One viewer shared a personal anecdote, stating: “Wayne Lineker tried chatting me up in his bar in Tenerife 35 years ago! He’s spent his life trying to pull women. I think you can do better.”

A TERRIFYING giant wasp spider that can camouflage itself has been discovered in the UK.

The rare spider with a wasp-like body has been found in a garden in Norfolk – and they’re slowly spreading across the nation.

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The creepy crawly was spotted by Craig Calvin and his two children, Ralph and Hugo, in their garden last week.

The wasp spider cunningly disguises itself as its namesake and is easily recognisable due to its striped abdomen and legs.

With its vivid black and yellow stripes and dramatic zigzag web, it’s been dubbed the “great mimic” by the Wildlife Trust.

The species was once a rarity in the UK but now they’re being spotted more frequently across the country.

Mr Calvin said: “I’d never seen one before – it’s quite large and looks completely out of place on the Norfolk Broads.

“It’s such a beautiful creature. A perfect example of how wildlife is changing right on our doorsteps.”

One of the biggest in Britain

Although it has the external characteristics of one, the spider is simply a mimic of a wasp.

It’s the female spiders who have the yellow, black and white stripes just like the common wasp and it’s legs are stripy too.

The males are smaller and pale brown.

They build their webs in grassland and heathland and attach their silk egg-sacs to the grasses.

Wasp spiders are completely harmless to humans and are a fascinating addition to the UK’s biodiversity.

They are originally native to southern Europe and can be found in southern England but they’re slowly spreading northwards too.

The wasp spider measures as one of the six biggest spider species in Britain.

Spider season approaches

Spider season occurs from August to October, with wetter conditions often enticing them into homes, the Royal Meteorological Society reports.

Among its spider prevention tips are keeping windows shut at night. clearing any clutter that they may like to hide in and vacuuming regularly.

The website also praised cats and dogs as great helpers in terminating the critters.

And B&Q has the perfect solution to keep your house creepy crawly free for just £7.99.

Beyond getting rid of spiders, the spray also helps to prevent the build-up of cobwebs.

You can also keep spiders out the house by using a simple kitchen staple.

Earlier this year, The Sun revealed that white vinegar can often do the job.

Peppermint oil is also a great way to keep critters out.

Keep pests out all summer

IF you want to ensure that your home is pest free this summer, here’s what you need to know.

Hornets and wasps – hate the smell of peppermint oil so spraying this liberally around your patio or balcony can help to keep them at bay.

Moths – acidic household white vinegar is effective for deterring moths. Soak some kitchen roll in vinegar and leave it in your wardrobe as a deterrent.

Flying ants – herbs and spices, such as cinnamon, mint, chilli pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cloves, or garlic act as deterrents.

Mosquitoes – plants, herbs and essential oil fragrances can help deter mozzies inside and out. Try eucalyptus, lavender and lemongrass.

Players from six Valley League football schools came to Granada Hills Kennedy High on Monday for a media day, and you can say without any doubts that Van Nuys senior quarterback Carlos Herrera has been changed by his experiences.

When he decided to try football for the first time as a freshman, he said he knew little about the sport such as putting on shoulder pads. By last season, he was the City Section Division III offensive player of the year after passing for 2,158 yards and 23 touchdowns and running for 807 yards and 12 touchdowns.

“It never crossed my mind,” he said of his football success. “It’s changed my life physically and mentally. It helps me mentally. When I go into the real world, nothing will be as tough a challenge.”

Cousins Diego Montes (left) and James Montes of Kennedy.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Defending league champion Kennedy has the Montes cousins, quarterback Diego Montes and defensive lineman James Montes. Diego has a 4.6 grade point-average, made All-City and is known for his versatility.

“Every time I try to sack him, he runs away,” James said.

Kennedy lineman Lazara Barajas has made big changes physically.

Last season he weighed 298 pounds. Now he’s 262 pounds after he stopped eating chips and used better cardio techniques to drop weight.

First-year Reseda coach Ed Breceda is a Reseda grad and former Regent assistant.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

First-year Reseda coach Ed Breceda, who graduated from the school in 2006 and was an assistant coach under former head coach Alonso Arreola, is going back even further, bringing back smash-mouth football from the days of coach Joel Schaeffer. He brought three running backs to the media day — Innis Marquez, Erick Figueroa and Jonathan Orantes.

Many of Reseda’s players are enrolled in the school’s police magnet program. Orantes also is part of the school’s cheer team.

Canoga Park coach Lucius Mills has spent months trying to convince one of his school’s top soccer players, Gabriel Trigueros Estrada, to join the football team. He finally arrived this summer and is showing promise as a senior safety with no football experience. Mills is hoping if Estrada has a good experience, other soccer players will follow in future years.

San Fernando coach Charles Burnley played for the Tigers and is always reminding his players about their strong football tradition. San Fernando produced a Heisman Trophy winner, Charles White.

The Tigers have been strengthened by two transfers from Heritage Christian, quarterback Julian Zarzo and running back Brandon Marshall. But the player to watch could be 6-foot-4, 290-pound junior tackle Paul Villegas.

San Fernando 6-4, 290-pound junior Paul Villegas.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Only 16 years old and part Samoan, he’s gaining physicality and adding strength. And what about his eating skills?

“What didn’t I eat,” he said.

San Fernando plays Sylmar at the Coliseum on Oct. 17.

Brothers Rayleo (left) and Elizeo Reyes of Sylmar might be small in stature but they play with heart and toughness.

(Eric Sondheimer / Los Angeles Times)

Brothers Rayleo and Elizeo Reyes are key players for Sylmar as defensive backs. Never doubt their toughness, for Rayleo is a 5-6, 150-pound senior and Elizeo is a 5-5, 149-pound junior.

“We like to fly around and hit people,” Rayleo said.

Both can’t wait to play at the Coliseum. “I’ve always been a USC fan,” Elizeo said. “It’s a dream come true.”

Panorama is excited about sophomore safety Brandon Hernandez, who ended up starting as a 14-year-old freshman last season.

Asked how do you get someone so young ready to play on varsity, coach Adrian Beltran said, “You make them be best friends with the linemen. He hung out with them at lunch, after school.”

Flying with just a small personal bag can be a struggle when it comes to packing light, but a flight attendant has shared a handy hack that could help avoid extra fees

Excess luggage charges can quickly escalate, turning a dream getaway into a costly nightmare. Keen to keep my Poland trip this month on the cheap, I flew with no-frills carrier Ryanair and stuck to the complimentary baggage allowance – just a small personal item.

The challenge arises when you’re keen to bring home souvenirs, on top of having a compact cross-body bag. Flight attendant Miguel Muñoz previously shared with Express.co.uk a nifty loophole, noting that “duty-free bags don’t count as carry-on baggage” and are usually overlooked by gate staff. This tip has even been echoed by thrifty TikTokers, so I was eager to try it out.

Miguel outlined the trick: “If you have something that doesn’t fit in your suitcase or you want to bring an extra bag on board, here’s the trick.

“All you have to do is carry a duty-free bag. Or ask for one at the duty-free shop, and you can place whatever you want in the shopping bag.”

Boarding the plane with my bulging duty-free bag had me anxious, but to my relief, the crew waved me through without a hitch.

With Ryanair’s baggage fees stretching from £12 to £59.99, avoiding that extra charge felt like a victory.

This trick was a lifesaver for the extra bag and jacket that I couldn’t squeeze into my main luggage.

While this method did work wonders for me, a few folks have mentioned that airline staff requested a look inside their bags.

To sidestep this, if you’ve made any duty-free purchases, place them on top. Also, always ensure your airline permits carrying duty-free items onboard in this manner.

Having triumphed with this hack, I’m eager to test out the neck pillow packing hack. This essentially involves replacing the pillow stuffing with small clothing items.

However, it’s worth noting that some travellers have been caught out using this hack, with a few even being denied boarding.

When I was invited on a trip to Cognac in the south of France, I could never have anticipated learning so much about myself and my hometown in the process

When I headed to the beautiful region of Cognac, France, it was somewhere I hadn’t really heard much about except for the drink (of which I wasn’t a huge fan).

Despite it not being on my initial radar, I am a firm believer in exploring new places and cultures as they can capture your imagination in completely unexpected ways. Still, when I arrived in Cognac, what I unveiled was never something I could have anticipated.

When I first landed in France, I immediately had a full day of activities planned including a tour of the beautiful home of Baume de Bauteville balsamic vinegar, and a visit to the iconic Remy Martin Cognac house for a private tour complete with a guide to its history and, of course, Cognac tasting sessions. I wasn’t a huge fan of the drink before, but I soon changed my tune. Of course I was posting all about my trip – and that’s when a friend back home got in touch with an interesting revelation.

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They informed me that Cognac was twinned with Perth, Scotland – which just so happens to be my hometown. It completely stole my imagination and got me researching. Immediately I had a lightbulb moment; Perth is also a distillery town, so of course I learned this after a day at a distillery! That was the first piece of the puzzle. So I looked into it all a little bit more.

Twin cities are a concept most of us will have heard of but probably have never thought about before. I will hold my hands up and say that the only time I had ever truly thought of them was when I saw the names on road signs when coming into towns and cities. That is about as far as my knowledge about them went, until now.

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The concept of a Twin City was first coined after the end of WWII in a bid to promote both cultural and commercial ties to the two cities that were involved., whilst also promoting prosperity in a post-war landscape. However, the first ‘official’ twin cities agreement happened in 1931, when Toledo, Ohio twinned with Toledo, Spain.

I could not believe that I had absolutely no idea that Cognac and Perth were twinned before-hand, and it started to feel a little bit like fate that I was there. It really got me thinking about everything and wanting to know more.

What I started to notice was all of the little things that tied these places together. For start, Perth is on a river, as is Cognac. Food and drink are both massive tourism opportunities for both places and they are even similar sizes. The population of Perth is around 47,00 and Cognac’s is 60,000 for the area! It all started to make sense. Even the humble beginnings of Remy Martin reminded me of home.

Wanting to learn more, I reached out to Graham Knight, who runs the ‘Friends of Cognac’ society in Perth. I wanted his unique insight into the partnership and what it meant for both communities.

He explained: “The twinning agreement between Perth and Cognac was signed in October 1991 and arose out of the common elements of whisky and cognac. At that time Perth was the headquarters of a number of whisky companies e.g. Bells, Dewars ,Peter Thomson and Cognac was home to Hennessy, Remy Martin, Martell, and Courvoisier et alia.

“An extract from the twinning agreement reads ‘establishing a firm foundation for future understanding, respect and friendship between the people of Cognac and Perth for all time.’ The most obvious similarity is geographical, both towns (Perth of course now being a city) lying on famous rivers and are important administrative centres. Tourism is also a common thread in each area.”

“The core of our activity is a programme of group visits to Cognac, and from Cognac to Perthshire in which we are hosted in the homes of French friends for a week, and they in turn are hosted in our homes. These visits enable the sharing of our lives, towns, local areas, activities and cultures, not to mention our food and drink! Over the years strong friendships, often life-long, have been forged, and we’ve even improved our language skills.”

What I began to realise was that actually, there were so many similarities between Perth and Cognac. I realised that these two places are so similar because of the kindness of people, the landscapes, the output of produce in the areas and the rich histories of the two places.

Once I knew that there were ties to Perth all around the French region, my trip felt extra magical. I started looking at everything differently and absorbing more of it – and there was plenty to enjoy.

I spent the morning with Frapin Cognac to tour their impressive distillery and Chateau. It’s been in the family for hundreds of years and you can sense the pride in it all around you. They’ve really kept family at the heart of what they do and I adore that concept. I really could feel the warmth of the people and really felt like I was sat with a family having lunch, much like how many places feel like in Perth.

That afternoon, I went to the beautiful Cognac Jewellery School and created my own vine leaf earrings. The lovely Jessica guided me through my first taste of metal-work, and we started talking about how she had moved to Cognac from England right before the pandemic hit and fell in love with the region and its culture and beauty. I couldn’t stop thinking about my hometown link; even the leaves reminded me of ones I’d find in Scotland.

I think that’s what I’ve loved the most about all of this, is understanding the ties that bring these two very different places together. Ultimately, what it comes down to is a deep-rooted sense of pride in communities, which is something that I think is beautiful. I love that the two places can share this commonality with one another, showing that as humans, we really aren’t all that different deep down.

Colin Powell once said “the ties that bind us are stronger than the stresses that separate us”. I think the idea of twin cities can encapsulate that perfectly. We are so different, yet there are these commonalities that tie us together in ways we could not have imagined, no matter where you’re from! When I was offered this trip I could never have anticipated learning more about my hometown in the process. Now, I also feel like there will always be a string tying me to Cognac.

My trip to Georgia took an unexpected turn after I participated in the emerging dark tourism trend – only to discover I had actually invaded someone else’s living space

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done on holiday? Once I broke into someone else’s home. It was September 2024 and my boyfriend and I were chasing the tail of an adventure.

It was one we thought we might find in Georgia, a nation in the Caucasus with a tremulous Russian border. A series of gushing blog posts pointed us to the country’s most compelling dark tourist hotspot: Tskaltubo, former bathhouse of the Soviets.

If you’ve never heard the term before, dark tourism has been an emerging niche among thrill-seekers for several years now. Defined by darktourism.com as tourism that involves travelling to sites that include death and disaster, it’s been widely expanded to include locations linked with dictators, serial killers and incarceration.

READ MORE: Millions of Brits are forgoing travel insurance but my holiday nightmare shows you need it

And it’s only growing in popularity. According to research published by the Digital Journal, the industry is projected to reach over £32 billion in value by 2031, while a 2022 Travel News survey found that an overwhelming 91% of Gen Z (13-28 year olds) had engaged in the activity in some form.

Tskaltubo, a spa town where the late Joseph Stalin and his comrades used to kick back and unwind, certainly fit the bill of morbid allure. Besides, the photos made it look like something straight out of the Last of Us.

It’s been abandoned since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and what remains are half-crumbled buildings, floating stairs, and premonitions of societal collapse. It looks like another world entirely.

We took a bus to Tskaltubo, a dusty town that appeared half-empty, and in my search for a creepy building to explore, I saw the hotel. It was several stories tall. Grass poked through the steps on the walk up to it. There felt like there was something drawing me in.

There is something particularly unsettling about an abandoned hotel. Corridors upon corridors of rooms lay empty. Furnishings were torn crudely from walls, leaving chunks of scrabbled plaster.

Damp spread through the white ceilings like bleeding tendrils. And yet signs of life were there. I saw a half-open Bible by the window sill. Old documents thrashed over the floors. A half-drunk coffee mug by a boarded-up door.

I climbed up the half-dilapidated staircase to the topmost floor. There, I could sense an unnatural stillness. Stretched along the hallway was a string laid out like a tripwire. I stepped over it, heart racing.

I sensed some kind of presence but I told myself I was making it up. Then I came across a room with a doll tied to it. Room 125. I stopped and stared at the doll. Its eyes were red and they were boring into me. A door slammed. I screamed and I ran.

I found out later that it was not my imagination. Tskaltubo is in fact home to tens, perhaps hundreds of IDPs. IDPs are internally displaced persons and there are over 280,000 in Georgia, based on a UN report.

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The majority of them fled the region of Abkhazia in the 1990s on the back of the Georgia-Abkhaz war. With few alternatives, many chose to settle in Tskaltubo, where they lived in abandoned bathhouses and hotels on the verge of collapse.

In 2022, 12 of the sanatoriums were sold to investors, while the Georgian government has created a housing scheme to rehome refugees. But, according to a BBC report, as of 2024 inhabitants say many families are still living there.

I thought about my pounding footsteps, the shrieking. The ominous boobie traps left, not by a ghost, or a horror villain, but by people with no other home – I assumed to ward people like me off. But I’m just part of a wider problem.