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Winning tip: peace in the Peak District

After a beautiful wintry walk along the Roaches in Staffordshire (having been fuelled with Staffordshire oatcakes), we stayed at the historic YHA Hartington Hall youth hostel, a period drama setting for a cosy bunk. We woke up to find the Peak District under a blanket of snow, calm and with that magical silence that makes the world feel at peace.
Ruth Campbell

The power of the Gower in winter

Winter on the Gower is a windswept wonder – the peninsula’s long, empty beaches stretch beneath dramatic skies, perfect for invigorating dog walks and lungfuls of fresh sea air. After exploring the dunes and salt marshes, warm up in the cosy Britannia Inn at Llanmadoc, where you can tuck into a serving of tender salt marsh lamb, rich with the taste of the land and sea. There is also a community shop and cafe selling great homebaked cakes.
Kayleigh Witts-Thomas

Whisky and climbing in Eryri (Snowdonia)

The Pen-Y-Gwryd hotel at the top of the Nant Gwynant valley was the UK training base for Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s successful 1953 Everest expedition, and the tiny Smoke Room bar is a time capsule of that period. This wood-panelled snug is lit up by a roaring fire, where guests huddle together for a post-dinner whisky and to share tales of their days on Yr Wyddfa (Mt Snowdon), or the rain-lashed peak Glyderau on whose bedrock it is built. Test your resolve in the beautiful natural pool at the top of the garden; there’s a sauna to revive yourself in afterwards.
Gareth Roberts

Narrowboats and mountain passes in Clwyd

Last year, we spent a perfect weekend in the Clwydian Range national landscape, in north-east Wales. Our stay at Faraway Follies – charming cottages nestled in the hills outside Llangollen – was made magical by wood-fired hot tubs under crisp November skies. The drive into town along the Horseshoe Pass was breathtaking, and gliding by narrowboat over the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct unforgettable. Llangollen itself brimmed with warmth: a maze of cosy pubs, flickering fires, and hearty food that made every evening feel like coming home.
Mike

Walking with Neolithic ancestors in Wiltshire

Basing ourselves at the George in Amesbury for a winter break last year, we set off on a pilgrimage through a landscape sculpted by our Neolithic ancestors into a vast temple dedicated to midwinter. From Durrington Walls, to where ancient peoples may have travelled hundreds of miles to join in celebratory feasts, past the burial mounds of forgotten chiefs, and finally to Stonehenge. We spent the evenings in cosy historic pubs, honouring the season with feasting of our own.
Emily Gray

Ancient ways in Herefordshire

Ledbury, the small market town in Herefordshire, seemed an unlikely place for a university friends’ reunion. But its impressive Tudor buildings, 17th-century market hall and Michelin star restaurant – 33 the Homend – soon won us over. The 12-mile ridge of the Malvern Hills was only 15 minutes’ drive away and provided a wealth of walking options through ancient woodlands and across common land, with magnificent views of three counties. Accommodation was a cosy Airbnb down a narrow alleyway, a short stroll from the welcoming Prince of Wales free house for a pint of local draught cider.
Jane

Cosy yurts near Rye, East Sussex

A November break in Barefoot Yurts, East Sussex, was almost too cosy. Two simply furnished but chic yurts, one a bedroom and one a lounge, look out over open fields studded with sheep and horses. A well-equipped semi outdoor kitchen and eco bathroom make up the rest of this isolated off-grid palace. Lying in bed with a wood-fired stove crackling, watching the morning sun disperse the mist, before a brisk roam across Winchelsea beach, enormous burgers at the Ship Inn in Rye and campfire s’mores made for a perfect late autumn weekend.
Cath

Hiking in the Highlands

Visit Easter Ross, north of Inverness, and stay in a four-poster bed at ancient Tulloch Castle on the edge of Dingwall. Take a walk to see the deep eerie canyon at Black Rock Gorge, or really get the blood pumping with a steep hike up Fyrish Hill and be rewarded with panoramic views at the summit alongside the 18th-century Fyrish Monument. Turn up hungry at The Storehouse to enjoy a pork belly poke bowl overlooking the waters edge of the Cromarty Firth and gazing out to the Black Isle peninsula.
Eilidh

Hot whiskies and weather in Co Fermanagh

Even arriving at Lusty Beg Island Resort and Spa in County Fermanagh is special: you have to get a two-car ferry across Lough Erne. Once you’re over it’s like being unplugged from the world, although unfortunately they have great wifi. We brought everything we needed – the kids, the dog and a paddleboard. Our cabin was warm and spacious with views of the lough from both sides. We spent our days walking or out on the water, followed by hot whiskies in the cosy bar and restaurant. The weather, in true Fermanagh style, was atrocious but this only made it feel even more cut off.
Ciaran Kearney

Toasty times in the Forest of Bowland

We love visiting the Forest of Bowland when it gets chilly, and Little Oakhurst near Clitheroe is our favourite place to stay. There are toasty shepherd huts and lovely walks nearby (with great pubs). It’s a very good area for birding, but getting in the hot tub when it’s icy out may be our favourite activity. Our favourite cabin to stay in, when it’s available, is the Ivy Shepherds Hut.
Amanda

Nov. 21 (UPI) — President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, from different political spectrums, found common ground while meeting at the White House on Friday afternoon.

Trump and Mamdani met for a half hour in the Oval Office before fielding questions from reporters for another 30 minutes, during which the president said that they have more shared priorities than expected, including cost of living, housing and crime.

“I met with a man who’s a very rational person,” Trump said from his desk as Mandani stood next to him.

“I met with a man who really wants to see New York be great again,” he added. “I’ll really be cheering for him.”

Trump, whose legal residence now is in Palm Beach, Fla., said he would feel “very, very comfortable being in New York” with Mamdani as mayor.

The president said he “OK” with some New Yorkers voting for both of them.

Mamdani said his motivation for meeting with the president is to “leave no stone unturned” in his effort to make New York City more affordable for its residents.

“I have many disagreements with the president,” Mamdani said, but called it his “opportunity to make my case.”

“We should be relentless and pursue all avenues and all meetings that can make our city affordable for every single New Yorker,” Mamdani added.

“I expect to be helping him, not hurting him,” Trump said when asked about cutting federal funding as he has previously mentioned.

Trump said he is fine with Mamdani referring to him as a fascist.

Mamdani affirmed he is a democratic socialist when asked by a reporter while in the Oval Office though Trump previously called him a “communist,” CNN reported.

The president said the meeting between the two was “really good, very productive” and that they both “want this city of ours that we both love to do very well.”

Trump was born and raised in New York City, and said he and Mamdani talked about making housing more accessible and lowering food prices.

“I think you’re going to have a really great mayor,” Trump said of Mamdani. “The better he does, the happier I am.”

Mamdani is likely to “surprise some conservative people” and “some very liberal people,” he added.

The mayor-elect likewise said the meeting between the two was productive.

“We spoke about rent. We spoke about groceries, [and] we spoke about utilities,” Mamdani told reporters. “We spoke about the different ways in which people are being pushed out.”

He said he “appreciated the time with the president” and “I look forward to working together to deliver that affordability for New Yorkers.”

Mamdani is scheduled to be sworn in as New York City’s mayor shortly after midnight on Jan. 1.

Inside a dim New Orleans-style bar in Hollywood, dozens of strangers mingle under the thump of pop music while nursing complimentary cocktails. Each person is sporting a name tag along with a personality sticker, or a few, that best captures their vibe. Neat freak. Plant parent. Night owl. Craft beer aficionado.

The scene reads like a friendly singles mixer, but listen to their conversations and it’s clear the chemistry they are hoping for isn’t romantic. They are here to find the perfect roommate.

Participants mingle around the bar area during SpareRoom’s “speed roommating” event at the Sassafras Saloon in Hollywood.

(Kendra Frankle / For The Times)

Hosted by rental platform SpareRoom, the monthly “speed roommating” event connects people who are renting rooms with those who are looking for one in a low-key, in-person setting — no endless online profiles to fill out, no awkward interviews. Loosely based on speed dating, sans the timed interactions, attendees put on name tags indicating either “I need a room” or “I need a roommate” along with their ideal budget and neighborhoods. Then they wander freely. One woman passed out flyers for a furnished studio in downtown L.A. with air conditioning, a Murphy bed, an in-unit washer and dryer and streaming TV. Another woman showed people her rental on an iPad.

Pris Liora, 40, who was looking for someone to rent the extra room in her Koreatown apartment, didn’t prepare any questions for potential housemates, saying she just wanted to do a vibe check. Her only deal breakers? “No pets, no children, no cigarette smoking and no secret cocaine problem,” she says with a laugh.

With the average rent for a studio starting about $1,688 per month, $2,166 for a one-bedroom apartment and roughly $2,983 for a two-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles, according to Apartments.com, more people are embracing shared living arrangements. Rupert Hunt, founder and CEO of SpareRoom, says they’re doing so not only to cut expenses, but also to foster community. The company’s mixers can help spark those connections, he believes — they’ve been hosting speed roommating events in L.A. since June, following successful events in London, San Francisco and New York.

“There’s something so immediate about the event,” says Rupert Hunt, founder and CEO of SpareRoom.

(Kendra Frankle / For The Times)

“There’s something so immediate about the event,” Hunt says. “You meet 10 people in the time it would take you to meet one the traditional way.”

Hunt has even found a housemate for himself at one of the mixers. “I love sharing,” says Hunt, who notoriously rented out two rooms in his New York City apartment for just $1. “I think I’m a better version of myself. I think I get a bit lazy if I’m living on my own.”

At the event, Aeris DeLeon, who was wearing a sticker with the phrase “foodie,” says her mother was the person who told her about the speed roommating event. The 25-year-old was temporarily living in Bakersfield but recently moved back home to L.A.

“It was just dead over there and I was just home sick, and it wasn’t really working out for me,” she says.

Upon arrival, attendees can pick out personality stickers with phrases like coffee addict, plant lover and early bird. (Kendra Frankle / For The Times)

She decided to attend the event because it’s more “personable than just going on Craigslist or Facebook, and it’s the best [way] to weed out scammers,” she says. Her mission was to find an apartment that cost $1,300 a month max with someone preferably close in age.

James Caton, 68, was just getting started in his search for a room. After learning that his apartment building — where he’s lived for nearly a decade — might be sold, he jumped into action.

“To me, as soon as you find out, it’s better to go ahead and start looking for something,” says Caton, who attended the mixer with his childhood friend who was looking to rent a room.

SpareRoom’s speed roommating events are free with an RSVP, and each person receives two complimentary drinks along with a one month trial of SpareRoom premium.

Speed roommating is free to attend and comes with complimentary drinks.

(Kendra Frankle / For The Times)

Even if attendees didn’t find a roommate at the event, several of them continued their conversations late into the evening. Some even stayed for karaoke at the bar. It seemed that in a world where talking about finances can be seen as taboo, having a space to openly discuss rent prices, how to deal with nightmare landlords and housemates and other grievances was its own win, a moment when they could feel a bit less alone.

“If you showed a pizzaiolo what I was doing, they would say it’s all wrong,” says Fiorelli. “Wrong flour, wrong temp. But we do it that way because we like the way it tastes.”

Fiorelli and business parter Liz Gutierrez opened a pizzeria out of a teensy Beverly Grove storefront in early November. Before that, they were making pizzas with a mobile oven at Cook’s Garden in Venice. Fiorelli’s crust has the structure of a New York pizza, with just enough crunch, and an interior with the supple softness of a traditional Neapolitan. He brushes the crust with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkles on sea salt just before the pizza goes into the oven, ensuring that each slice is well seasoned through the last bite. Crushed Bianco DiNapoli tomatoes and sea salt constitute his red sauce, for a base that’s flavorful but not overly acidic. He covers the tomatoes in leaves of Brussels sprouts and hot cherry peppers on one pie, or there’s the classic pepperoni or supreme. The Bianco deserves special praise, with a symphony of four cheeses, roasted garlic, fingerling potatoes, fresh lemon and guandilla peppers. Bite the tip of a pepper, drizzle the juice on a slice and enjoy.

It was two years ago this month, with USC’s defense at an unthinkable nadir, that Lincoln Riley finally decided to fire Alex Grinch, his first defensive coordinator.

“I am that committed, and we are all that committed to playing great defense here,” Riley said in 2023. “Whatever it takes to get that done, that’s what we’re going to do.”

Not everyone took Riley’s comments seriously at the time.

“There’s a school on the West Coast right now that’s going to re-commit to defense,” Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said a month later. “You give up [46] to Tulane last year in a bowl game — at a place where Ronnie Lott played. Now they’re going to think about defense. That was the first thing we thought about 25 years ago.”

Rest assured, USC has thought about it plenty since. And now two years into the rethinking process, with the College Football Playoff very much within reach in mid-November, USC’s defense is still the biggest question mark facing Riley and his staff over the final stretch of this season which continues, fittingly, against Ferentz and his 21st-ranked Hawkeyes on Saturday.

On paper, the defensive improvement has been palpable, year over year, even if it’s a bit less drastic from this season to last. USC is giving up more than two fewer points per game in 2025 and fewer yards per game through the air and on the ground than in 2024. The defense has created more pressure, already with three more sacks than last season (24 to 21), and clamped down in the red zone, with opponents scoring only 67% of the time, third-best in the nation.

But that progress hasn’t always been linear, admits D’Anton Lynn, the Trojans defensive coordinator. Where in his first season, Lynn had a litany of experienced defenders from the transfer portal to lean on, his second season has made for a much different experience.

“This team is more talented, but they’re just young,” Lynn said. “It’s just guys who haven’t played before. There are certain mistakes you have to live through.”

Those mistakes have surfaced at some of the worst possible times this season. In the loss to Illinois, a late pass interference call and a missed tackle on a swing pass proved to be the difference. At Notre Dame, a blatant missed run fit saw Irish back Jeremiyah Love break off an explosive touchdown run that turned the tides. The run defense ended up coming unglued, giving up over 300 yards in a rainy defeat.

The last two games have been much more encouraging, with USC holding Northwestern and Nebraska to three points apiece after halftime. The difference between the two halves was significant as the Trojans held the two opponents to a combined total of 209 second-half yards.

In both cases, the defense didn’t find its stride until it was first punched in the mouth. But Riley credited Lynn for his adjustments from there.

“When leaks have sprung, we’ve been able to get them closed pretty quickly,” Riley said.

The next step is stopping those leaks before they burst. And that starts, Lynn says, with letting the mistakes they make roll off their shoulders.

That mental hurdle is one that USC’s young defense has struggled with this season.

“Just kind of all year with us, we’ve had those moments where we shoot ourselves in the foot, or we get good calls, and we just mess it up ourselves,” cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson said. “We’re just zoning in on that, and just the battle within ourselves. Like man we’ve gotta buckle down right, and we’ve gotta get this stuff done.”

That battle is quickly reaching its crescendo with just three weeks left in the season. But as that final stretch approaches, the blueprint for USC’s defense is clear to Lynn.

“We need to be consistent up front,” Lynn said. “We need to stop the run. We need to limit big plays. When we do those things, we can be a really good defense. That’s easier said than done, but again, it just comes back to being consistent.”

Gaza’s Civil Defence says 35 unidentifiable bodies uncovered in Gaza City as Hamas searches for dead Israeli captives.

WHEN it comes to taking a break in autumn, many Brits look to escape the worsening weather at home with a sun-soaked getaway.

So we’ve found the sunniest beach in Europe – and it’s just over four hours from the UK.

Saga Holidays has discovered Europe’s sunniest beaches during the low season, and coming in the top spot is Playa de Maspalomas in Gran Canaria.

During the months of November to April it has just over 10 hours of average daily sunshine, and average maximum highs of 22C.

Playa de Maspalomas is just over two miles long and the waters are ideal for swimming and paddling.

Visitors can sunbathe on the sandy shore, but be warned that the beach is known for being windy thanks to it being so flat.

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It’s also well-known for its golden sand dunes that look like a desert – which are made from the island’s breeze which moves the sand to create the spectacular shapes.

The dunes even have its own ecosystem with plants, animals and a lagoon – here you might spot waterbirds and the native Maspalomas giant lizard.

Near the beach is the Maspalomas Lighthouse, which was built in 1861, and there are plenty of beach bars and restaurants for families to enjoy too.

Behind the front row of eateries on the promenade are even more places to grab a snack and lots of souvenir shops.

Playa de Maspalomas was also one of the best beaches for 2024 according to Tripadvisor.

It was well-loved thanks to its family-friendly facilities, as well as miles of rolling sands as well as watersport zones and designated nudist areas.

To get to the sunny beach, you need to head to Gran Canaria which you can do from £16 for a one-way ticket with easyJet.

You can fly from all over the UK including London Gatwick, London Stansted, London Luton, Belfast, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow and Birmingham.

As a whole, the island of Gran Canaria is a favourite of Assistant Travel Editor, Sophie Swietochowski.

She said: “I paid a visit to Gran Canaria for the first time this year – and it did not disappoint. 

“The volcanic island is only a four-hour (ish) flight from the UK, yet it offers balmy weather that is worlds apart from those April showers back home, reaching highs of up to 23C in spring.

“I’ll be honest, I barely left the resort during my visit, but there’s no harm in that. Book yourself a plush all-inclusive hotel and it’s simply impossible not to unwind when you’ve got pina coladas being delivered to your sunbed every hour. 

“Got children? That’s what the kids clubs are for. My resort, Paradisus by Melia, had an excellent one for all ages from tiny tots up to teens.”

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Here are the sunniest beaches in Europe…

Low Season

Gran Canaria, Playa de Maspalomas
Tenerife, Playa de Las Teresitas
Limassol, Lady’s Mile Beach
Almeria, Playa de los Genoveses
Crete, Agia Fotia Beach

High Season

Fethiye, Ölüdeniz Beach

Rhodes, Antony Quinn Bay

Samos, Tsamadou beach

Limassol, Lady’s Mile Beach

Ayia Napa, Nissi Beach

Here you can find more of our travel team’s favourite European holiday destinations.

Plus, here are the top five places in the UK where you get the most hours of sunlight during autumn and winter months.

Marburg, Germany. It’s a fairytale city, not only because of the hilltop castle that overlooks its cobbled streets and half-timbered houses, but also because this is where the Grimm brothers once lived and studied, starting the collection of folklore stories that would eventually become their famous anthology of fairytales. Throughout the city, sculptures – some perched in improbable places – pay homage to this past, forming a mile-long route known as the Grimm Path. It’s very much like a treasure hunt.

But on my visit to Marburg, I had a different type of treasure hunt in mind and, once done with enchanted mirrors and kissy-lipped frogs, headed straight for the SecondHand by DRK (Deutsches Rotes Kreuz – the German Red Cross) to scout for pre-owned items.

Whereas once there was a stigma to buying secondhand, nowadays it’s on trend. “Thrifted” has been tagged more than 7m times on Instagram, and accounts such as @charity_shop_life and @my.thrifted.abode have tens of thousands of followers. According to Booking.com’s 2025 travel predictions, “Thrift shopping and vintage stores are becoming a core part of the travel experience, with 73% of travellers having already purchased secondhand items while abroad”. Google data also shows that searches for destination-specific secondhand shopping – “thrifting in Berlin” or “vintage markets in Stockholm”, for example – have skyrocketed.

Guides and tour operators haven’t been slow to jump on board either – for £200, Fashion Tours London will guide you around the capital’s secondhand stores for a whole day, while Red Shed Vintage Tours and Gold Crest will set you loose on a variety of French brocantes (flea markets).

But while curated tours suit some, for me it would dampen the thrill of exploring on my own. There is bounty almost everywhere, of course, but I’ve found France great for rustic kitchen and homewares, Madrid a good hunting ground for vintage designer accessories, while in Venice it’s glassware (there’s a tiny charity shop attached to a church where I almost always find genuine pre-loved Murano glass).

The appeal of a tour also depends on how you feel about rummaging with others in tow. For me, it’s a bit like skiing: you don’t want to stop others from having a good time, but nor do you want them to affect your good time. Personally, when I’m in treasure-hunting mode, I prefer being alone, without someone sighing at my shoulder. I’ll just meet you at the bar later and reveal my finds, OK? “You’re a bit like Oscar the Grouch in the Muppets,” observed one friend. “Happiest alone in the bin.” Well, quite.

Whatever your MO, it always helps to do some research before you go – get acquainted with the names of the charity shops at your destination; look for Instagram accounts specialising in vintage. Use Google to search for pop-ups such as kilo sales, and in France use brocabrac.fr to look for brocantes calendars in the area you’re visiting – they generally move from location to location each weekend. This worked nicely for me in the summer, when the brass swans I’d been eyeing up one Sunday were still available the following week on the same stall – but in the next town.

Google Lens can be helpful, too, in determining whether the item you’ve found is genuine or worth the price being asked. Towns with an ageing population, such as Kraków and Léon, tend to have the best bargains, while capital cities and those with a university will probably have higher prices, due to the number of avid shoppers. And generally speaking, the farther out of town you travel, the better the bargains will be. I also wander the streets surrounding weekend markets as residents often capitalise on the passing footfall to set up their own little garage sales.

I’ve been buying secondhand since my early teens and it still gives me a dopamine hit: in Germany I stumbled across an ostrich leather handbag for €2, right next to a synthetic Primark one tagged €3.50; in Romania I unearthed a silk Hermès scarf in a bin full of polyester ones; and in Greece I sifted through shelves of books to find a volume of beautiful botanical drawings. An angry rooster jug I picked up for 100 krone (£12) at a market in Copenhagen remains one of my most beloved purchases. Only recently did I discover he was made in Czechoslovakia in the 1930s and that others like him have sold for close to £200 on Etsy (although there’s no way I’m ever selling mine).

One of the great delights of buying secondhand abroad is that you’ll uncover items not readily found at home and they make the best souvenirs. The vintage stoneware escargot dishes I nabbed in a market near Biarritz, for example, that now sit on my dresser holding my rings, remind me of that trip daily. I love, also, the interactions that such purchases spark. People on market stalls or in small shops tend to be far more engaging than staff in big chains and this often leads to interesting chats and fun exchanges.

“Non, non, ce n’est pas pour toi!” shrieked a woman, laughingly, at a flea market in Nantes, as I peered closely (too closely, in retrospect) at a small statue, trying to make sense of it, before realising it graphically depicted a sex act. “German,” scoffed the man on the stall in Copenhagen, as I examined a mustard pot in the form of a boy squatting with his pants down (the mustard was dispensed via his bottom).

Of course, it’s very easy to get carried away, and you need to be mindful of what you can pack and carry. On a girls’ weekend in Lisbon a few years ago, the Humana secondhand stores were so full of gems that some serious sitting on suitcases was required for the return journey – but, honestly, who in their right mind would leave an utterly perfect, €10 camel cashmere coat behind? Or a pair of Italian leather boots that actually fit?

The really impossible items – furniture, huge mirrors and ornate frames – make me sad because even I have to admit there’s no way that chaise longue or antique dressing table can be squeezed into my bag (and where shipping is available, it tends to be from slicker operations with consequently higher prices). It may well be time for a driving holiday – in a lorry. And I doubt I’m the only one with such ideas: on a recent stay at a campsite in France, the noticeboard listed a week’s worth of local brocantes and vides-greniers (“empty attics” or car boot sales).

As for the DRK in Marburg? Well, I didn’t strike gold on my own behalf – but I did for someone else. A few years ago, while travelling, I met an Australian woman as keen on secondhand shopping as I am. We’ve stayed in touch and she mentioned recently how much she likes Boden prints. Guess what was hiding on the rails? A blouse in a vibrant green pattern, tick; silk, tick; size, tick; one parcel winging its way to Oz, tick. Proof that thrifting isn’t just good for the planet and addictively fun – it’s a great way to make friends, too.