historic

Autumn is the perfect time to explore what’s going on across the UK

Autumn is here, and this season is when the UK truly shines. On a crisp bright day there is nothing more beautiful than a country walk, soaking in the technicolour trees as their leaves change from green to all the red and orange shades of autumn.

The only thing that is better is the promise of a cosy pub at the end with a roaring fire, tucked away on a high street that’s teeming with independent shops. This situation might sound like a utopian dream – but there is one place in the UK where you can enjoy all of this.

If it’s the autumn colour you want, you need to start your day at Stourhead in Wiltshire.

This National Trust home and garden was one of the first grand Palladian style homes built in England, and has been kept beautifully preserved.

The home is set within 2,650 acres of lush English countryside with walking paths criss crossing the land.

There’s a vast lake on the ground and at its shores is a hidden grotto where you can look out over the water and see the bright fiery trees reflecting in the still water.

The gardens are also home to several Roman inspired temples, including temples of Apollo and Flora. Once you have enjoyed the house and the garden and maybe even stopped for a cup of tea in the cafe, you can head to the charming town of Mere.

The town is just a 15 minute drive from the property, and is a quiet haven away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Mere is an historic town nestled beneath the South West Wiltshire Downs and close to the borders of Somerset and Dorset.

The charming high street has florists, antique stores and tea rooms, perfect for a weekend wander. There’s also a selection of pubs to choose from – and the oldest is one of the best.

The George Inn, located at the Square in Mere is the town’s oldest pub and dates back to the 16th century.

The main bar has a large, roaring log fire with cosy seating and the menu serves up classic pub food, perfect for warming up after a chilly autumn walk.

BRITAIN’S oldest lido is set to open to the public this weekend for the first time in years.

The historic swimming facility will be open for just one day, giving fans the chance to get a rare peek at 200-year old pool.

Cleveland Pools in Bath, is set to reopen this Sunday for the first time in over three years.

It was first built in 1815 and is the oldest of its kind to exist in the UK, but closed in 1984.

A huge campaign and a £10million refurbishment saw it reopen for just four months in 2023 before it was forced to close again due to flood damage.

The public have not had a chance to visit the Grade II listed lido up until now, with Cleveland Pools Trust running an open day for the public.

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It is important to note that the pools are not currently open for swimming.

So while this is not a chance to have a swim, you will have a chance to hear talks on the future of the site.

Visitors will be able to meet the trustees and volunteers to hear about their vision for the site.

The free event will also have children’s activities and heritage walks around the site.

“This Open Day is an opportunity to shape the future of the pools as we explore a viable and appropriate route to re-opening,” a note on the trustee website explains.

It is running from 10:30am to 4pm, on Sunday, September 13 at Cleveland Pools, Hampton Row, Bath, BA2 6QS.

RIYADH: Perched atop Mount Munikh west of Al-Majmaah, the historic Munikh Observatory offers a striking example of how traditional Najdi builders used natural terrain and local materials to defend settlements and monitor the surrounding landscape.

Rising about 25 meters above the mountain, the watchtower commands panoramic views of Al-Majmaah and the surrounding farms. Its elevated position once allowed guards to watch approaches to the settlement through narrow openings built into its thick walls.

Historical sources, including writings by Al-Hamdani, associate the name “Munikh” with an ancient town near the mountain. The observatory’s origins are traditionally dated to the 15th century, with the watchtower at the summit specifically dated to 820 AH, or 1417 CE.

The site was traditionally known as a marqab, or observation post, and formed part of a broader defensive network surrounding the settlement. A stone wall once encircled Al-Majmaah, following the mountain’s natural ridges and incorporating three defensive bastions.

Much of the ancient outer wall was absorbed by modern urban development, but the section on Mount Munikh remains preserved. Its features include thick, tapering stone foundations and strategically placed firing slits designed for defense and surveillance.

The main structure consists of two cylindrical towers, one nested within the other, rising about 12 meters. Local stone was used for the lower sections, while the upper levels were built of mud brick. Tamarisk wood was used for ceilings and lintels, reflecting the builders’ reliance on materials readily available in the Najd environment.

Five projecting defensive balconies strengthened the structure, with four positioned to protect the flanks and another covering the main entrance. The towers are topped with traditional Najdi crenellations, while specialized openings allowed defenders to monitor and respond to threats.

The observatory originally served as an early-warning post, with night-fire beacons used to signal approaching danger. Following the unification of the Kingdom, its vantage point was also used to monitor trade caravans, seasonal floods and pilgrim routes.

Mount Munikh occupies a strategic position in the historic Sudair region of the Najd plateau, about 180 kilometers northwest of Riyadh. Al-Majmaah was once known as “Baldat Munikh,” reflecting the mountain and its importance to the settlement.

The Heritage Commission has in recent years restored the observatory and sections of its fortified walls, adding visitor paths, stone staircases and lighting to improve access while preserving the site’s historic character.

A Visitor Center now provides an introduction to the history of Al-Majmaah, Mount Munikh and the watchtower. Bilingual interactive exhibits and guided stations offer visitors a closer look at the region’s architectural and defensive heritage.

What was once a military outpost overlooking a Najdi settlement has thus been transformed into a year-round cultural destination, linking Al-Majmaah’s modern visitors with the landscape and traditions that shaped its past.

THE Great British Bake Off is back in a matter of weeks with a new horde of amateur bakers wanting to prove their skills to the judges.

But did you know that the Channel 4 series films on the grounds of a stunning manor house and you can visit the estate for yourself next month?

Welford Park, a country house in Berkshire, has been GBBO’s filming location since 2014 – and members of the public usually aren’t allowed inside.

For the majority of the year, the 17th century estate is a private family home and working farm.

However, it does open for seasonal events and will open its doors to the public in October for its Spectacle of Light trail.

It will see the grounds, woods and gardens is lit up with lanterns and beautiful light displays for families to explore.

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New for this year is its Alice’s Amazing Adventures in Wonderland where you’ll spot the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat – and even the Queen of Hearts.

There’s food and drink too from hot chocolates to toasted marshmallows and plenty more at Food Truck Village where there’s also a Tipi Bar.

It’s received high praise by families too with one visitor called it a “a magical winter event”.

They added: “The lights at this event were spectacular and the children were in awe of them, as were the adults. The formal gardens in particular were stunning. Hot chocolates were some of the best we’ve had.”

The light trail will be on at Welford Park between October 22 and November 7.

Tickets start from £24 per adult and £14.50 per child (3-15) – infants between 0-2 go free.

For those who want to see the grounds in all their glory, they will reopen to the public for snowdrop season.

Between January 27 and February 28 will be its Winter Gardens & Snowdrops event that has been a tradition for the last 50 years.

The snowdrops flood the grounds of the woods and sit along the riverbanks of the River Lambourn and the gardens.

The gates open at 11am and last entry is 4pm (it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays).

Tickets start from £12 per adult and £8 per child (4-15) – under 4’s go free.

BERLIN  — Leaders of an extremist, far-right party in Germany have quietly borrowed pages from President Trump’s playbook to cast doubt on the integrity of absentee voting — alleging without evidence that residents of nursing homes have had their ballots manipulated and calling for an end to postal voting.

The attack on mail ballots comes as Germany approaches a potentially historic state election that could shatter one of the taboos of its postwar political order by opening the door to a far-right government.

Politicians across the ideological spectrum, mindful that polls show Trump to be widely unpopular, don’t invoke his name.

But the specter of the American president nevertheless hangs over the election that could have reverberations across Europe if the Alternative for Germany, or AfD, party — tacitly echoing Trump’s attacks on migrants, the media and the integrity of elections — pulls off an unprecedented political shock in postwar Germany.

In a country where the guilt of its Nazi past is never far from the surface, the AfD has unapologetically campaigned against what it portrays as the shackles of Germany’s history and won over many new supporters, in part by adopting Trump’s hard-line stance on migrants and his drumbeat of attacks on mainstream news outlets.

The AfD leader, Tino Chrupalla, surprised Germans recently with warnings of voter fraud in the Sunday election in Saxony-Anhalt state, telling a national television audience that some senior citizens in nursing homes had had their absentee ballots cast and signed for them without their knowledge.

This week, in neighboring Mecklenburg-Vorpommern state, the AfD candidate for governor, Leif-Erik Holm, declared, “Postal voting is more vulnerable to potential attempts of manipulation.”

Election officials and organizations representing nursing home caregivers have rejected the allegations and say there is no evidence of voter fraud.

The AfD, considered one of the most extreme far-right parties in Europe, has surged so far ahead in opinion polls that it could emerge as the dominant political force in Saxony-Anhalt and potentially lead a German state government for the first time, either with an absolute majority or with a junior coalition partner.

Trump has spent years attacking mail-in voting as vulnerable to fraud, despite scant evidence of widespread abuse. Trump himself has voted by mail in recent elections. His administration continues to fight court battles to limit voting by mail.

“Sowing distrust in political institutions is part of the strategy of right-wing populist parties,” said Marcel Lewandowsky, a political scientist at Martin Luther University in Halle, Germany.

“The ‘rigged election’ lie is a powerful narrative within the MAGA movement,” he added, “and serves as a crucial element that fosters a shared identity” with far-right parties in Europe. (Such messaging has also been employed by many rightist politicians in Latin America.)

An AfD victory in one of Germany’s 16 federal states would in one fell swoop obliterate a central tenet of the postwar order: that the far right must never return to power in the country responsible for the Holocaust and the devastation of Europe in World War II.

Many fear that taking power there could serve as a springboard for the ostracized party at the national level, where it is leading opinion polls with about 29% support, putting it far ahead of the other four parties with seats in the federal Parliament.

“Trumpism and the MAGA movement have undoubtedly been an inspiration and model for many European radical right parties,” said Lars Rensmann, a political scientist at the University of Passau who has studied the far right. “In many ways, Trump has been the successful model many European radical right parties try to follow while adopting it to European conditions.”

The AfD’s ascent has parallels across Europe, from Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party to Britain’s Nigel Farage, Geert Wilders in the Netherlands and Herbert Kickl in Austria. In France, the far-right Rassemblement National is looking to the 2027 presidential race with its candidate, Marine Le Pen, having perhaps her strongest chance yet of winning after reaching the runoff in 2017 and 2022.

Meloni`s relationship with Trump has cooled during her nearly four years in power, due in part to the war in Iran, tariffs and security policies that have strained U.S. relations with Italy and all of Europe.

President Trump greets Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at a summit Egypt in 2025. Their once warm relationship has since cooled.

(Evan Vucci / Pool via Associated Press)

Yet there is no pan-European alliance of the far right, in part because these parties champion their own national interests.

“Some components of Trumpism can be shared and exported, such as hostility towards migration and ‘wokeism,’ but it is very clear that national interests that the far-right champion cannot be defended the same way as the American national interests,” said Giovanni Orsina, head of the political science department at LUISS University in Rome.

“If you put your nation first and do so aggressively, you have diverging national interests and so it’s not possible to have an international network of nationalists,” Orsina added.

But many far-right leaders are united in one sense. They admire not just Trump’s tactics, but the “boldness of his transgressions, dismantling liberal and civil norms by repeating things that were once deemed unacceptable for someone seeking public office,” said Rensmann.

“Trump is unpopular in Germany, even across the political right,” Lewandowsky said. “It would be risky for the AfD to embrace him openly, especially because he failed to keep his promise not to start any further wars and large segments of the public feel threatened by the United States under Trump.”

The AfD was created in 2013 as a small anti-euro party before morphing into an anti-migrant force that tapped into voter frustration over immigration and the strains many Germans perceive on housing, jobs and public services.

Despite being ostracized by mainstream parties and kept out of coalition cooperation, it has survived and thrived as a disruptive force.

In the last decade Germany has sheltered millions of refugees, mainly from Syria and other troubled countries in the Middle East. It provides housing, medical care and generous financial support to refugees that AfD politicians say serve as a magnet. Trump once accused former German Chancellor Angela Merkel of “ruining” her country by allowing in so many refugees.

“I think this could be a watershed moment for Europe,” Orsina said of the upcoming election.

An election poster touts the far-right Alternative for Germany party, AfD, right, in Berlin in 2025. It reads “Now AfD.”

(Michael Sohn / Associated Press)

He said the election in 2022 of Meloni and her Brothers of Italy party, which traces its origins to Italy’s postwar neo-fascist movement, sparked fears across Europe that, in hindsight, may have been exaggerated. But Germany is a different story when it comes to the far right.

“Some said she is a neo-fascist and a danger to democracy, but most people in Italy didn’t believe that,” he said. “Italy isn’t a better democracy after four years of Meloni but it isn’t any worse either. But Germany isn’t Italy. And Germany’s relationship with its past is a lot different.”

David Bebnowski, an author who has written books on far-right populism and who is a history instructor at the Free University in Berlin, said there is another important connection among far-right voters across Europe that the AfD is tapping into — a yearning for change in countries where establishment parties have struggled to respond to voter frustration.

Trump’s success as a force for disruption, he said, has provided a powerful example.

“You can’t really trace a grand MAGA strategy adopted by the far right, but you can see that they are, in part, very much in line with the ‘spirit of Trumpism,’” Bebnowski said. “What aligns them is a sense of disruption and optimism that they will be able to change the way politics are done in a way the other parties can’t.”

Kirschbaum is a special correspondent.

ONE of the UK’s last remaining seaside funiculars has reopened after an eight month closure.

The Saltburn Tramway shut back in January 2026 ahead of major restoration works.

It has since reopened, with guests able to use the funicular between the town centre and seafront.

Some of the works included restoring the carriages, by both modernising while keeping the historic style with oak interiors and larger windows.

Safety improvements include new brake systems and buffers.

The funicular dates back more than 140 years, having opened in 1884.

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It is also the oldest of its kind in the UK, being a water-balanced cliff funicular.

A spokesperson for the attraction said: “What an incredible day as we welcomed passengers back to the Saltburn Cliff Tramway for the first time following its refurbishment.

“Seeing the tramway back in operation and filled with smiling passengers once again was a proud moment for everyone involved in the project.

“Thank you for your patience during the refurbishment works and for giving such a warm welcome to the tramway’s beautiful new handcrafted carriages.”

Tickets cost £2.10 for adults or £1.50 for kids aged between 4-15 years old.

Kids under three go free while dogs and bikes cost 20p each.

Saltburn-by-the-Sea, or simply Saltburn, is more of a traditional seaside town due to its lack of arcades or rides on the promenade.

Earlier this year, the town saw a huge surge in interest according to Trainline, with bookings up 133 per cent.

‘The wind is in from Africa / Last night I couldn’t sleep.” Joni Mitchell has ear-wormed her way into my head as my wife and I step out from Zahara de la Sierra into the mountains of Sierra de Grazalema natural park. The Africa bit probably comes from yesterday’s visit to Zahara’s castle museum. Here, high above the tiled terracotta mosaic of village rooftops, we learned how the recapture of this picturesque hill town was a turning point in the Reconquista – the military campaign of the 1400s that saw the Catholics retake southern Spain after seven centuries of Moorish control. As for sleep deprivation, I may just have overdone it on last night’s tapas.

Either way, Africa feels present as we tramp through the countryside of Andalucía, if only in the wildlife. The painted lady butterflies drifting over the flower-spangled verges, the turtle doves purring from the olive groves and the booted eagle drifting overhead: all are summer visitors recently blown in from the great continent to our south.

It’s day two of our White Villages of the Ronda Mountains walking tour, a self-guided seven-day route from On Foot Holidays that explores this alluring corner of southern Spain. We arrived yesterday by bus from Málaga, winding up through the mountains until the whitewashed dwellings of Zahara appeared like teeth in the hillside ahead. This was the first of the week’s four pueblos blancos, all tucked picturesquely into the natural park’s rugged 51,695 hectares (127,740 acres) of limestone peaks and serpentine river valleys.

I’ve walked with On Foot before, so the routine is familiar: water bottles and packed lunches stashed in daypacks, laminated map around neck on lanyard and route app open on phone (belt-and-braces navigation). Best of all, our luggage is already wending its way by taxi to the next destination.

The conditions couldn’t be more perfect. The hillsides burst with blossom and birdsong, the May temperature is a pleasant mid-20s (midsummer out here would be punishing), and the peaks stand proud against the clear blue sky. It’s hard to believe February brought such heavy rains that much of our route was then impassable – and some areas of the park were affected by wildfires later in the summer.

But each month here has its own character. September/October – also prime walking season – sees the chestnuts and cork oak forests turn russet and gold, and the spring irises and orchids replaced by the post-summer bloom of wild asparagus and autumn crocus. Overhead, those booted eagles will be massing for their return journey – along with bee-eaters, honey buzzards and other winged voyagers – back to Africa.

Today’s hike takes us south towards Grazalema: pueblo blanco number two. We skirt a reservoir then wind along a lush river valley, nightingales serenading us from the oleander thickets, and by late morning are rising into the mountains, the vista gaining grandeur as we gain height.

Lunch is in a high meadow, where we unwrap our bocadillos while bees buzz and butterflies busy themselves among the blooms. Afternoon brings a long uphill slog, then finally a cool descent through shady pines to sleepy Grazalema. Another 11 miles (18km) under our belts.

We stay two nights in Grazalema at the Hotel la Mejorana, meeting wild ibex on a mountain circuit high above town, and eating at the cosy Cádiz el Chico restaurant, where a menu featuring partridge and wild boar (though, thankfully, not ibex) reflects the region’s hunting traditions. At night, the cobbled streets are quiet beneath a canopy of stars.

Benaoján, the third of our pueblos blancos, lies about 16 miles to the south-east. We exit Grazalema early in the morning, beneath the Los Peñascos mirador. Roosting griffon vultures line the cliffs like pterodactyls, warming up in the morning sun before, one at a time, flapping off on table-top wings for another day combing the plains.

Our route leads down through the oak woods before rising again into the hills. Here we enter a limestone wonderland, the karst formations sculpted by wind and rain into Henry Moore-like statues. Bee-eaters dart overhead, their liquid chirrups audible long before we lay eyes on them. A passing walker greets us with a cheery “Buen camino!” He’s returning with his father to see the farmhouse where they grew up. We find Dad sitting on a nearby rock, devouring an empanada. They’re the only other walkers we meet all day.

Our hideaway at Benaoján is the Molino del Santo hotel, where we dine beside a chuckling stream on a terrace crowded with potted geraniums. From here, it takes us two hours to hike to the Cueva de la Pileta, an immense cave system discovered in 1905 when a local farmer spotted bats streaming from a fissure in the hillside.

Local guide Ainhoa Bullón leads us down cool, narrow passages into measureless caverns, her thin torch beam illuminating flowstone formations as enormous and elaborate as a Gaudí cathedral – formed, she explains, by the drip-drip of lime at the rate of 1cm every 400 years. The farthest recesses hold exquisite shamanic rock art, some more than 25,000 years old. Ainhoa overflows with information, talking us through the cave’s successive ages of antiquity, from Neanderthal to Neolithic. Most important, she delivers us safely back to the blazing sunshine outside.

Our week ends at Ronda, perched atop the precipitous El Tajo gorge. The celebrated clifftop town seems to beckon us onward like some mythical sky citadel as we tramp our final kilometres towards it. Below the cliffs, we find ourselves back in tourist land, sharing the steep climb to the top with a gaggle of selfie-snapping day trippers.

We make it, slumping at the first available cafe table to lever off boots, fold away the map and order a celebratory cold cerveza. Tomorrow, we catch our bus back to Málaga. For now, a final night lies ahead, with a stirring panorama from our room at the Parador de Ronda and the promise of a slap-up meal down in the old town. Our beers arrive, and any lingering strains of Joni are soon lost to a busker’s volley of flamenco guitar.

The trip was provided by On Foot Holidays. It costs from £985pp for a seven-night self-guided route in Grazalema natural park, ending in Ronda; five-, six- and eight-night routes also available. The walking season is February-May and September-December (April, May, September and October being optimum)

A PRETTY Italian city has banned riding bikes in certain areas – after the mayor was hit by one.

Como is known for its historic city centre with a Gothic-Renaissance cathedral and alpine backdrop.

But many use bikes to get around the city and now the Mayor of Como, Alessandro Rapinese, is introducing a bike ban in parts of the city after he was hit by an electric bike.

From September, bikes will be banned across around 30 streets.

The bike ban applies to both electric and push bikes.

According to Italian media Ansa, the Mayor said: “People act based on their own experiences and I know what it’s like to be hit by one of these beasts.”

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He added: “In this case, I didn’t even end up in the hospital.

“I was hit by a bike. I gathered information, and that’s where the measure came from.”

The new bike rules are part of a wider traffic plan which will create a Limited Traffic Zone (ZTL) to manage tourists better as well as implement stricter rules on vehicles in the city.

Other rules introduced include some vehicles requiring an annual permit and a €3 (£2.60) permit for daily entry to the city.

And tourists staying in hotels can only drive in the city centre if their accommodation has parking.

Deliveries can also only occur between 6am and 11pm.

Locals are outraged with the decision and have pledged to organise a protest on September 12.

Como isn’t the only Italian spot to place restrictions on bikes – Palermo has also restricted bikes in some areas since 2023.