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IF you’re an avid camper looking for the next big thing, you’re in luck as the AA has found the best campsites in the country.

Castlerigg Hall in the Lake District has bagged the top spot – and it has everything from basic tent pitches to luxurious glamping pods, a log fire lounge and beautiful lake views.

The results come from The AA which has released the winners of its 2026–27 Caravan & Camping Awards.

Castlerigg Hall near Keswick in the Lake District won the best in England and was declared the overall winner.

Castlerigg Hall was praised by the AA inspector mostly for its “breathtaking” view, great facilities, walking and cycling routes as well as its glamping pods.

The site has 118 pitches in total for tents, caravans, motorhomes and roof tents which start from £12.40 per night.

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For those who want to hunker down with a more comfort, there are some lovely glamping pods on-site too.

The Hex Pod is the most luxurious option and looks more like a studio apartment.

It sleeps up to four people and comes with its own living area, kitchenette and balcony along with a private toilet and shower.

Prices for a Hex Pod start from £125.50 per night.

There’s also an Inspire Pod, Castle Pod, Family Pod and Standard Pod which start from £61 per night.

Campers can take advantage of the beautiful surroundings on its walking and hiking trails, there’s also a play field for running about or playing sports.

Around Castlerigg Hall there are lots of animals and although visitors can’t get up close and personal, they will be able to see them around the park.

Castlerigg Hall has its own Campers’ Kitchen available for its guests where guests can prepare meals – it has twin hobs, a microwave, a kettle and toasters.

Meanwhile, the Campers’ Lounge is a cosy barn and social area which has underfloor heating, a log fire, sofas as well as books and board games – Wi-Fi is available at no charge too.

Also on-site is the Gallery Café which has a outdoor terrace overlooking the Western Fells which are a group of mountains.

One of these are the Ouessant sheep, which is one of the smallest sheep breeds in the world.

It’s also home to two Mediterranean donkeys called Rusty and Dusty as well as pigs, Shetland ponies, Indian Runner ducks and a cat which is likely to be lazing about in reception.

Castlerigg Hall has closed for the season, but will reopen on March 10, 2027 – bookings are available to make now.

THE Great Bear – Ursa Major – burns bright against the darkening sky.

And if I twist my body a little, I can spot the Cygnus constellation shimmering through the gaps between the branches of a nearby tree.

It’s not every day that you get to stargaze from your bath. But at Liba Vineyard, the woodfired tubs are perfectly positioned for it beneath some of the darkest skies in the country.

This glamping site, on an old farm in rural Wiltshire, is home to just three snug pods, each set just beyond the vineyard’s young vines which are preparing for their first harvest next year.

Chris, the founder of the vineyard and glampsite, fires up the hot tub furnaces ahead of guests’ arrivals to ensure waters are kept at a balmy 40C.

Although that evening, I’m left to tend the dying embers solo, chucking on extra logs until smoke billows from the bath’s chimney in a magical plume.

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It’s pretty satisfying to watch nature work its magic beneath the glittering sky.

That’s a big selling point of the off-grid Liba, whose name stems from a blend of the words ‘life’ and ‘balance’. Here, you’re fully at one with your surroundings and there’s a huge emphasis on organic materials and natural methods.

The vineyard’s alpacas, for example, are used to keep the site nice and tidy instead of fertilisers. Every so often, they roam among the vines and gobble up weeds, trim the grass and . . . provide some of the best natural fertiliser.

It’s much easier to manage this type of natural wine-making on a smaller scale, and this small-scale production is partly what will make Liba’s wine so special.

After a soothing evening gazing up at the stars and toasting marshmallows, I was up early the next morning to feed the alpacas before helping out with some grape-picking at a neighbouring vineyard.

While Chris is currently waiting for his own vines to ripen, he has still been able to hone his wine-making techniques by using grapes from nearby vineyards.

I discovered how to weed out the ripe fruit from the rotten stuff and even got involved in the sticky action of smushing grapes the traditional way – with my bare feet.

This is the sort of hands-on experience Chris is hoping to introduce to guests once he produces his first bottles.

The glampsite has only been open for around a year and already enjoyed a sell-out summer.

I can’t say I’m surprised. It is idyllic, especially during autumn when the outdoor fire pit can be used to its full advantage.

The finer details are just as important. The mattress in my pod was incredibly comfy, while fairy lights around the fence ensured I could easily get in and out of the hot tub at night.

A small kitchen is well equipped for fry-ups and the sofa can be turned into a bed for two extra guests.

The pods also have lots of windows, to fully embrace nature – including that glittering night sky.

WE MIGHT barely be in November but with the mornings chillier and the evenings darker it won’t be long before we press play on the festive films.

And one in particular – The Holiday (2006) – has one of the cosiest of cottages we all dream of staying in over the winter period.

While Rosehill Cottage might be fictional, the UK isn’t short of similarly beautiful cottages by any means.

So here are six that will give you the same feel as being in the movie’s cottage itself:

Philham Water Cottage, Devon

Nestled in the Devonshire countryside is Philham Water Cottage with a double bedroom and a lounge with a sofa bed.

Like The Holiday itself, you will find a roaring wood stove inside an open fireplace.

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There’s WiFi, a TV and a DVD player too.

The cottage also has a fully equipped kitchen and a bathroom, with a bath tub.

The website says it can host two individuals or a couple, however the cottage does sleep up to four people.

It costs from £95 per night, so £42.50 per person per night if two people were sharing or £21.25 per person per night if four people did stay.

Lew Quarry Cottage, Devon

Set in the grassy green fields, Lew Quarry Cottage, also in Devon, has two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

There’s also a fully equipped kitchen, washing machine, and free WiFi.

If you fancy enjoying a cuppa in the fresh air, there is also a garden with a cosy seating area.

And of course, the cottage has a grand fireplace.

Nearby guests can head to Lydford Castle and Launceston Castle.

A seven-night stay for two adults and two children costs £465, working out at £16.61 per person, per night.

Old Blacksmith’s Cottage, Lincolnshire

Old Blacksmiths Cottage in Market Rasen has one bedroom, alongside a shower room and fully equipped kitchen.

The cottage also has a private garden and parking.

Nearby attractions include Lincoln Medieval Bishops’ Palace and Lincoln Cathedral of St. Mary.

It costs from £320 for a seven-night stay for two people, working out at £22.86 per person, per night.

The Green House, Somerset

The Green House in the village of Nunney, Frome, is a quaint Grade II listed cottage that can sleep up to four people (though children under the age of nine are not allowed).

In the lounge there is a cosy fire, which guests can snuggle up by and admire the period features of the cottage.

In the chilly mornings make sure to head outside to the secluded terrace that overlooks the stream.

In the village – which is often dubbed one of the prettiest in Somerset – there’s also a pub and a small shop.

Nearby attractions include Nunney Castle and Cranborne Chase – an International Dark Sky Reserve.

Stays cost from £571 for seven-nights for four people, working out at £20.40 per person, per night.

The Cottage at The Feathered Nest, Cotswolds

Now if you really want to stay in a cottage that looks almost identical to Rosehill Cottage in The Holiday, book into The Feathered Nest’s cottage in the Cotswolds.

Known as ‘Little House’ it is part of The Feathered Nest’s pub site and dates back to the 15th century.

The cottage found in the village of Chipping Norton, has a double bedroom as well as a lounge area with a sofa bed.

There is a grand open fireplace and a sleek kitchenette too.

Your four-legged friend doesn’t have to miss out on this one either as it is dog friendly.

Stays are a bit steeper costing from £800 for two nights for four people, but if you stay from a Sunday to a Monday you get a discount making it £760 – or £95 per person per night… Maybe a good one for a friend group.

Blackbird Cottage, Dorset

Blackbird Cottage in Beaminster is dog-friendly and sleeps up to five guests.

This restored Grade II listed cottage boasts its original features across its three bedrooms and walled garden.

The ground floor of the cottage also features historic stone floors as well as a wood-burning stove to keep you warm.

You’d be a short walk from shops and pubs as well as a short drive to the famous Jurassic Coast.

If you stay for three nights, you can get a £50 discount working out at £526 total or £35.07 per person per night.

IF my algorithm is anything to go by, Gen Z love nothing more than a bit of #selfcare because #selfcareisntselfish and #metime matters.

And as a semi-perennial singleton (and geriatric millennial), I don’t really have much say in the matter.

So it came to pass that, after booking a last-minute week off work, I went on my first ever romantic mini break for two — the “two” being me and my miniature Dachshund, Dora.

After scouring Instagram for options, my non-negotiables — as Gen Z like to say — were: Dog-friendly, remote, not a hotel and, ideally, with an outdoor roll-top bath.

The plan was also to have a digital detox after my screen time had crept up to an abhorrent ten hours a day.

Enter HappenOak Treehouse. Yep, an actual treehouse in rural Cambridgeshire.

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If I couldn’t shut off the world from a giant oak tree in the middle of nowhere, there really was no hope for me.

On a quiet Wednesday afternoon, I made the drive to the pretty village of Balsham for my unique stay for the next 48 hours.

It took two and a half minutes of strolling through beautiful, signposted woodland for Dora and me to spot our arboreal home-from-home.

Tucked away in the delightful Le Creuset-stocked kitchen was a huge loaf and some homemade banana bread. A nice touch.

The highlight, though, was the location. I quickly decided to ditch my iPhone and go for a sunset stroll.

As a tractor ploughed its patch, and birds tweeted, I felt my shoulders drop.

That evening I did some yoga on the decking, and then ran a piping hot bath. It’s hard to explain just how magical this bath felt.

But soaking in bubbles, as fairy lights twinkled and the branches swayed above, I could have stayed in there forever. Well, an hour or so.

Instead, draping myself in one of the fluffy white robes provided, I opted for the outdoor, Finnish-style sauna, managing to last about six minutes before, dripping in sweat, I came out again to cool down.

It is the kind of treat I steadfastly ignore at my gym, insisting I never have time. Here, however, I had all the time.

After, Dora and I decided the best move was to cuddle up in the giant swing chair, watching the world (and the hard-working farmer still on his tractor) go by. No phones, no TikTok, no WhatsApp, no Spotify, no nothing. It was bliss.

That night, I slept like a well-rested baby, waking beneath two skylights showing gently falling leaves.

After breakfasting on homemade muesli provided by the owners — supplies like coffee, milk, olive oil, free-range eggs and seasoning are all included, and there is a farm shop a few miles away for anything else — it was time for a hike.

A gorgeous 12km round trip took me via gastropub The Black Bull, where we nipped in for a replenishing pint and a bowl of water.

Then it was off to the local shop for some pasta and cheese for an easy dinner.

I’d been so bowled over by my stay that by the evening I found myself hunting for homes in rural Cambridgeshire online, with grand visions of handing in my notice and starting a new life off-grid, in a tree.

My sleep on the second night was slightly restless, which I put down to slightly “flat” pillows. Literally my only complaint of the entire stay.

Otherwise, HappenOak is the perfect getaway for those who need to, well, get away.

In a world that runs at 100mph, it is a place to simply switch off. Who knew? #selfcare isn’t actually selfish.

OUR Spotlight On column suggests what to do and see in the top holiday spots as well as lesser known regions in the UK and farther afield.

This week, in honour of Halloween, we’re taking a look at Nottingham – one of the spookiest destinations in the UK, regardless of the time of year you visit.

MUST SEE/DO

If you’re into your spooks, the National Justice Museum should be top of your list.

The former court and prison dates back to 1375 and it has seen some terrifying things in those years.

Criminals were brought to justice here and held in the dungeons ahead of public hangings and executions.

Paranormal sightings are frequently reported, with some ghost hunters recording cold spots in the basements and hearing distant screams.

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If that’s not thrilling enough, book onto the Original Nottingham Ghost Walk, one of the oldest of its kind in the UK.

The two-hour experience ticks off some creepy locations within the city’s historic Castle Quarter – it will have your hairs standing on end.

HIDDEN GEM

Did you know that Nottingham is home to an underground labyrinth of caves?

Locals first began constructing the City of caves over a thousand years ago, during the Anglo-Saxon Era.

Nottingham’s unique geology and soft rock meant that workers were able to easily carve out spaces and homes that were protected from harsh weather and the natural elements.

Generations continued to carve out more spaces to use as cellars and then as bomb shelters during WWII.

Having seen so much history, it’s no wonder people have reported hearing mysterious noises down there.

Family tickets cost from £62 for two adults and two children.

BEST VIEW

You’ll have to venture a little out of the city centre for the best views, but you certainly won’t regret a visit to Wollaton Hall & Deer Park.

Spread across 500 acres, this glorious green space looks particularly magnificent at this time of year, when the autumn leaves are shedding.

For some chills and thrills, pop into the main manor house, once the home of Lady Middleton.

She suffered a stroke after falling from her horse back in the 18th century, but rumour has it that her ghost still wanders the halls today, dressed in a white gown.

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The tacos at city-centre restaurant Taquero are scarily good.

Favourites include the pork brisket which comes topped with pickled red cabbage and apple salsa and the baja with fried fish, chipotle aioli and coriander.

The Mexican restaurant has just updated its menus for autumn, too.

BEST BAR

Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem claims to be Britain’s oldest inn, having been pouring brews since 1189.

According to legend, the Knights Templar and crusaders ventured here to down ale before setting off for the holy land.

It’s much cosier today and with a much better drinks selection, too!

Think local ales, modern beers, wines and classic cocktails such as the Old Fashioned. Its rooms are small and pokey, which adds to its charm.

HOTEL PICK

If the aim of the game is to be spooked then you may want to check into the Bestwood Lodge Hotel, a 25-minute drive from the city centre.

Once a Victorian hunting lodge surrounded by 700 acres of parkland, the now-hotel is supposedly haunted by the spirit of Nell Gwynn (the mistress of King Charles II).

You may notice strange happenings like lights flickering on and off and the noise of footsteps.

In general, the hotel is atmospheric with roaring fireplaces and dark wooden features. Rooms cost from £75 per night.

THE UK’s best holiday park has been revealed and it is the ultimate peaceful retreat.

Named Best Holiday Park at the Sykes Gem Awards 2026, Stonerush Lakes in Lanreath, South Cornwall is spread across 28 acres and is home to numerous different lodges.

Lodges vary in size between one and three bedrooms, are all detached and timber clad.

Many also have views of the lake or hillside and you can book one with its own hot tub too.

And if you really want something special, there are lodges with cinema rooms and spa facilities available.

There’s an onsite Old Mill Bar and Restaurant right by the lake, ideal for grabbing a bite to eat with meals made using local produce.

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If the weather is nice and sunny, you can sit on the outside terrace.

The inside is just as nice though, with a roaring fire to cosy up next to on cold winter days.

And what’s better is that your four-legged best friend doesn’t have to miss out as the site is dog-friendly.

For a day out, you can also head to the villages of Looe or Polperro, which are both around eight miles away.

There are several hidden beaches nearby as well, such as Lansallos Cove, Lantic Bay and Talland Bay – which are all within a 15 to 25 minute drive.

Silvano Geranio, owner said: “We are absolutely delighted to be named Holiday Park of the Year in the Sykes Gems Awards.

“Personally, I feel incredibly proud to own a park that has received this recognition, but more than anything, I’m delighted for the team.”

Many visitors note how peaceful the park is, with one person commenting: “My idea of paradise.”

Another guest said: “We over looked the lakes which has an abundance of wildlife so quiet and peaceful and relaxing.”

A third person added: “It’s the ultimate relax.”

You could book into a lodge that sleeps up to four people for £477 for seven nights – working out at just £17 per person, per night.

Nithya Raman slowly recited the start of her handwritten message to Angelenos.

Llegué de la India con mi madre a los seis años. Sé lo que cuesta empezar de nuevo.

I came from India with my mother when I was 6. I know what it takes to start over.

The mayoral hopeful was in the green room of Univision’s Westchester studios on Thursday, waiting for an interview with anchor Guad Venegas. He would ask each question in both English and Spanish, and Raman could respond in English.

But she hoped to do better than that.

Since the start of her campaign, Raman has sprinkled Spanglish into her speeches and sometimes offered whole sentences in softly accented, lightly stilted Spanish. It’s part of an effort to win over Latinos, nearly half the city’s population and a crucial swing vote , with less than a week to go before election day.

“Can you say the whole thing for me?” Raman asked Lauren Perez-Rangel, her Latino outreach senior director, who read the full message in effortless Spanish. Raman repeated it word for word, accent for accent, with no flubs or pauses.

“You got it!” Perez-Rangel told her boss.

“I hope,” Raman replied.

It was showtime.

Raman, who serves on the L.A. City Council, grinned when someone said “me vale madre” — I don’t give a damn — on the walk to the studio. She cracked in English, “I doubt that’s true!” when I told an Univision producer in Spanish that no one likes my work.

A cameraman proclaimed “¡Muy bien!” when Raman rattled off an “uno, dos, tres” mic check. Venegas responded in English, “It’s always like that” to Raman’s comment in Spanish that her pronunciation is better than her comprehension.

During the interview, Raman raised her eyebrows when Venegas talked about streets filled with “basura,” the word for “trash” that became an insulting pun on Bass’ name hurled by then-candidate Spencer Pratt during the primary. Raman answered questions in English even when Venegas only asked them in Spanish, fully understanding what he said. And she kept saying “sí” to acknowledge Venegas’ points, as a native speaker would.

She never got a chance to read her Spanish-language statement, but that was OK. I saw enough to know that while she isn’t going to write the next “Don Quixote,” she isn’t limited to ordering at Casa Vega.

Supporters have praised her efforts en español. Critics dismiss them as pandering. I see something more interesting at work.

Raman spoke Tamil and Malayalam in India before moving to the U.S. as a child. If she wins, she would be the first immigrant mayor since Canadian-born Frank Shaw in the 1930s. She’d also be the first mayor whose native tongue wasn’t English since Bernard Cohn, who grew up speaking German in Prussia and served as mayor for two weeks in 1878.

Having a non-native English speaker in charge of a world capital such as L.A. — and one who wants to express herself in the city’s second tongue — wouldn’t just be symbolic. A person who’s earnest about learning a language is forever trying to decipher something new, failing far more often than succeeding in the early going — yet always working to master the task.

Isn’t that what we want from any politician, especially in a city where 56% of residents live in a household that speaks a language other than English?

Los Angeles mayoral candidate and city councilmember Nithya Raman prepares to speak at a “Latinos Con Raman” rally at La Cita Bar in downtown Los Angeles on Sept. 18.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Familiarity with Spanish has become a prerequisite for L.A. mayors. Antonio Villaraigosa famously took classes to improve his assimilated Spanish. Eric Garcetti described his fluency as “good community meeting Spanish” and often delivered remarks in Spanish. Bass, who was married to a Chicano and treats her ex-husband’s children as her own, isn’t fluent but has a robust Spanish-language outreach for her campaign, complete with ads, mailers and websites.

For Raman, though, learning Spanish isn’t just a way to reach out to constituents. It’s a reminder of “what it means to grapple with a bureaucracy that wasn’t intended for you.”

We spoke outside Univision’s studios after her interview. I asked to speak about her experience with Spanish as a way to show a private side of her to Angelenos. (I had asked Bass to sit down with me and talk about food. The interview was initially scheduled, then campaign spokesperson Alex Stack said it was canceled so Bass could attend a news conference assailing Raman for saying that former LAPD Police Chief Daryl Gates was a “gold standard” in protecting immigrants. Bass’ campaign didn’t reschedule the interview and didn’t provide comment on her Spanish skills in time for publication.)

In 2022, Raman co-authored a motion that introduced live Spanish translation services at city council committee meetings. She wants the city to research whether it can provide the information that’s being lost as the Trump administration increasingly deletes Spanish-language versions of federal websites.

“You have to show them that you’re trying,” Raman told me. “And even if you go out there, and you speak broken Spanish, and you mess it up, and you don’t conjugate it properly, and you get all the endings wrong — ‘a’ versus ‘o’ — the fact that you show up and you say it, and you try it in Spanish, means something to the people that I’ve been talking to.”

Her Spanish journey began with four years of classes at a suburban Boston high school. She chose Spanish instead of French because she felt it “would be more useful for me in the world.”

Raman forgot most of it while attending Harvard and MIT but started practicing with her brother, a Spanish major at UCLA, when she moved to L.A. 13 years ago. She read bilingual books for beginners and streamed shows such asNetflix’s dark comedy “La Casa de las Flores” (“The House of Flowers”) and podcasts such as “Chill Spanish.”

Those lessons have happened “pretty regularly” since she joined the city council in 2020, Raman said, although she scaled back once the mayoral campaign intensified.

I wondered what languages are spoken in her household. Her husband, whose Tamil-speaking parents are immigrants from India, only speaks English. Her twin 10-year-olds “can kind of follow along” when she speaks to her parents in Tamil, but she is no longer fluent in Malayalam.

“I have friends like who speak a different language, and they’re, like, religious about speaking it to their children,” Raman said. While she would love for her children to learn other languages, “life is too stressful trying to make every moment of your time with your family into almost a chore.”

I asked about the pandering charge. Throwing out Spanish phrases in an effort to appeal to Latinos is a political cliché as weak salsa as eating tacos in East L.A. or cruising in a lowrider.

Raman shook her head.

“To try and communicate to people in the language that they speak doesn’t feel like pandering. It feels like what the city should do,” she said. “Why shouldn’t elected representatives here also speak Spanish, or do their best to communicate to people in their language?

“If there was a lot of Tamil speakers here,” Raman continued, “I would appreciate that for me and for my family and for my grandparents.”

Mayor Karen Bass speaks during the “Latinos Con Bass” campaign at Ernest E. Debs Regional Park on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026 in Los Angeles.

(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)

Then I tested her Spanish.

Had she heard of one of my favorite words: convenenciero? Someone who goes with what will help them and doesn’t stand for anything but themselves. Haters have never outright called Raman a convenenciera, I said, but that’s what they’re insinuating in almost every other sentence.

In fairness, most politicians have a bit of convenenciero in them.

“People say, ‘She doesn’t stand for anything,’ but people also criticize me for being ideological, so which is it?” Raman calmly responded. “I try and learn. And I don’t come and say, ‘I know what you want.’ I say, ‘I’m trying to learn what you want, and I want to make the city work for you. How can I make it work?’”

So you’re not a convenenciera?

“I don’t feel that,” Raman said, repeating the phrase two more times.

I told her I’d ask three questions in Spanish. First: how was she doing?

“Bien. Un poco nervioso.”

“Poca nerviosa,” I corrected. A bit nervous. She thanked me for correcting her and said, “Sí, sí, nerviosa.”

What was she doing to try and relax during this campaign?

“Yo quiero estar con mi familia. Mis hijos …” I want to be with my family. My children …

She thought about the right phrase.

“… son mi vida.” Are my life.

What’s a word she loves in Spanish?

Perez-Rangel suggested chisme — gossip.

“I do like chisme!” Raman said with a laugh. But that wasn’t it.

“I like the word tomar [to take] and how many different meanings it has,” she said in English, then rattled off definitions and tenses in Spanish. Tomar bebidas. Tomar su tiempo.

“Tomar City Hall?” I asked.

She laughed again and said something that needs no translation: “Yes.”

FIVE minutes into my holiday and the conversation had already turned to poo.  

Animal poo, but poo nonetheless. And lots of it, apparently.  

We had needed a holiday but, with money tight, were forgoing poolside cocktails and fluffy hotel bathrobes for a stay volunteering at Fairfield Community Farm on Ruskington Fen, Lincs.  

I wasn’t sure if my 13-year-old daughter would forgive me for calling this a holiday. 

Kathy, the farm’s founder, was explaining the work to be done before we had even put up our tent.  

“There are goats to groom and pigs waiting for belly scratches,” she said.  

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Run entirely by volunteers, the farm uses animals, nature and getting dirty to support wellbeing and is home to more than 30 animals, including goats, sheep, pigs, ponies, chickens, ducks and geese.  

While she may have been less than enthusiastic at the thought of the trip, within hours my daughter was bottle-feeding The Hooligans – a trio of frisky sheep – and discovering that Milkshake, a 250kg Tamworth-cross pig, has no concept of personal space.  

The day passed in a blur of feeding, grooming, feeding, carrying and more feeding. 

Soon, we’d clocked up a full day on the farm without checking the time. 

Nightfall at Fairfield didn’t mean sundowners, either.  

There were ponies to settle into their stables and last jobs to finish before we could finally retreat to our tent. Then, the rain started.  

Sloshing our way into Day Two, we realised that volunteering at Fairfield isn’t all cuddling lambs. If a fence needs fixing, a gate needs painting or a stable needs mucking out – did I mention poo? – you roll up your sleeves and get on with it.  

Then came the task of moving The Hooligans from one end of the farm to the other. Simple, it was not. 

We laughed, skipped and side-kicked our way across the field while the bleating Hooligans went in different directions. 

Herding sheep is definitely an acquired skill, but my daughter and I were starting to feel like right Farmer Joes. 

And between the animals, endless cups of tea, a visit from the farrier to tend Quin’s hooves and collecting goose eggs, something else happened. 

We stopped rushing. We forgot about our worries.  

Carol, one of Fairfield’s longest-serving helpers, said her weekly volunteering sessions give her purpose, connection and something to look forward to, adding: “The farm saved my life.” 

I may have been looking for an affordable British break with a difference. 

But after our stay at Fairfield – between poultry pecks, pony pats and poo (did I mention the poo?) – our break became something I didn’t expect.  

Quality time together. Nowhere else to be. And nothing to rush for. 

But next year, I’m putting in a request for a shower. 

A POPULAR English Island will be closed to visitors for an entire day due to Storm Austen.

It comes as winds of up to 70mph are set to batter parts of the UK, on Thursday evening and Friday.

Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour will be closed on Friday, October 23 due to Storm Austen.

It is still unclear if the National Trust owned isle will open on Saturday.

A spokesperson for National Trust Brownsea Island also told Bournemouth Echo: “We apologise for any disappointment or inconvenience this may cause.

“The safety of our visitors, volunteers and staff is our top priority and this decision has been made to ensure everyone remains safe during the adverse weather conditions.”

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The Island, which can be reached via boat from Poole Harbour, was already due to close on November 1 and will not reopen to the public until mid-March 2027.

Typically, it costs £12 to visit but National Trust members can enter for free.

It comes as the Met Office has issued weather warnings for wind and rain across parts of the UK, with two named storms due to bring disruption.

Storm Austen is expected to affect south-west England on Friday – with an amber warning for wind issued in parts of the region.

Over the weekend, Storm Boelo will affect Northern Ireland, Scotland and parts of northern England with what the Met Office described as “impactful winds”.

New Zealander Stephen Fleming, England’s new Test coach, has suggested the national team should be led by someone from England.

Fleming, who will take charge of his first series in South Africa in December, is the latest overseas coach to lead the England men’s team.

Since 1999, only two Englishmen – Peter Moores (twice) and Chris Silverwood – have been in charge of the Test side, while Ashley Giles had a spell as white-ball coach.

In the same time period England have been led by two Zimbabweans, in Duncan Fletcher and Andy Flower, and Australian Trevor Bayliss – while Fleming has succeeded his fellow Kiwi Brendon McCullum, who remains white-ball coach. Another Australian, Matthew Mott, also had time in charge of the white-ball team.

Fleming’s backroom team, announced last week, is heavily weighted towards homegrown coaches.

Former England opener Marcus Trescothick, who was in interim charge of the Test team earlier this year, is joined by ex-England wicketkeeper James Foster and former spinner Richard Dawson.

Jonathan Trott, an Ashes winner with England, is about to begin a spell in charge of England Lions. Both Trott and Dawson were in the running for the Test job before Fleming was appointed.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, former New Zealand captain Fleming said it will be a “priority” of his tenure to help develop English coaches.

“I do believe that primarily the national team should be coached by a national representative,” said Fleming.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity, but there will be some development in terms of the coaching, and you can see by our staff.”

As well as Fleming and McCullum filling the head coach roles for the men’s national teams, England’s selector, Marcus North, is Australian.

In September it was announced that another Australian, Leah Poulton, will become the managing director of England women. Between 2020 and 2023 England women’s head coach was Lisa Keightley, the former Australia international.

In addition to developing the coaches on his own staff, Fleming said he will also occasionally invite county coaches and former England players into the set-up.

“There are some really key people who have come back into the system and I’m really pleased about that,” he said.

“I look forward to working with them, but it is a real focus and it’s an ambition as well that you will also get county coaches who will be introduced at certain times and you will get past players that will be asked to come back as well.

“It’s really inclusive and a comfortable nature of using what’s around, but also driving what should be driven within the county game and the English game.”

I’LL admit it. I’m a scaredy cat. So it was rather out of character for me to be tip-toeing through a churchyard in the pitch black, led by a stone-faced monk and the Witchfinder general.

I was on a Ghostly and Macabre tour in the quiet Suffolk town of Bury St Edmunds.

Costumed guides John and Mike had been recalling gruelling stories of local murders and the paranormal before we made our way, squelching through soggy maple leaves, to the charnel house.

“This is usually when the owls join us” said Mike. Just then, an owl hooted back, right on-cue.

The house was built to store bones when graveyards became full. And what happened when the crypt piled up? Well, that’s where ‘bonfire’ comes from (bone-fire in old English).

“Usually, no one is allowed in here” whispered Mike. “But on tours with us, you can come in.” I gulp.

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Bats circle as John creaked open an iron gate.

I was starting to become convinced these animals were paid actors.
I’ll keep it secret what I saw inside. Just know that I darted back to my hotel room in a flash afterwards.

Luckily, the ivy-clad Angel Hotel, where Charles Dickens penned The Pickwick Papers, is nothing like the eerie building I’d been exploring.

My room had a free-standing copper bathtub and plump bed, while downstairs, the kitchen was cooking up hearty dishes such as braised-beef ‘Pickwick Pie’.

It was also perfectly positioned for exploring the rest of this quaint town and its quirky thrills.

That includes the 12th-century Moyse’s Hall Museum, which is set to open a new gallery named Crime And Superstition on Halloween this year.

The gallery explores Bury’s deep-rooted ties with witchcraft, including everything from 17th century voodoo poppets to hand-made wands.

The centrepiece is A Tryal Of Witches, the best-documented English witch trial, detailing a 1662 case in which two Suffolk women were found guilty of bewitching children.

It even influenced the infamous Salem witch trials in the States.

Slightly less spooky is the 1,000 year-old abbey ruins and gardens.

Visitors enter via a huge, 14th century Abbey Gate under an imposing portcullis into the remains of what was once one of Britain’s most powerful monasteries.

Opposite here, on Abbeygate Street, you will find a truly thriving high street with boutiques including chocolatiers, tailors and antique shops.

I was visiting on a Saturday, when the local market was in full swing and the independent cafes and restaurants were packed, including Italian spot PrimaVista, where the fresh tomato spaghetti easily rivalled dishes I’ve had in Italy.

Make sure to swing by The Nutshell, which claims to be the UK’s smallest pub, measuring just 15ft x 7ft.

It’s delightfully quirky, with a 400-year-old mummified cat displayed above the bar along with a mummified rat.

“It’s to tease the cat”, flat-capped local Chris smirked.

Bury locals are fiercely proud of their brilliantly bizarre town, and after my time here I admit, I’m under its spell, too.