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SINCE the introduction of EES, there have been reports of huge delays, missed flights – and now a new problem has arisen.

It appears that Brits aren’t being correctly recorded as leaving the Schengen Area, meaning they could be banned from entering the EU again and face a hefty fine.

The UK Foreign Office has altered its advice to Brits asking them to carry evidence of when they last left the EU, to avoid being wrongly refused entry.

Brits travelling from the UK to Europe can spend 90 days out of every 180 in the EU – staying over this limit will mean both refusal of entry and a fine.

In some cases a fine can be as much as £8,550.

Before the introduction of EES, Brits would be stamped in and out by officials at passport control.

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Now Brits are being electronically recorded as leaving – but in some cases where EES has been suspended due to long queues, they aren’t.

Without being officially noted as returning home, the clock continues to count down which could cause problems when attempting to re-enter the EU.

Advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) reads: “If you believe you have been incorrectly entered into EES or your record of time spent in the Schengen area is incorrect, approach border officials when you next cross the Schengen border and request a correction.

“If you are exempt, carry documentation confirming your status. If you believe your time spent in the Schengen area has been recorded incorrectly, raise this with border officials and be prepared to provide supporting evidence if requested.”

It doesn’t explain what ‘evidence’ is needed but it’s likely to be confirmation of flights out of the country.

Some Brits who have either not been stamped out physically, or electronically by EES have revealed their issues in returning to the Schengen Area.

Talking to Sun Travel, one woman revealed how she got stuck entering Finland after a trip to Rome.

She explained: “I was stopped at the border in Finland last November by border control who said my record was showing I was still in Italy.

“While I had registered with EES going into Rome, it hadn’t recorded me leaving.”

She added: “After a lot of back and forth with border control officers and around 45-minutes of waiting, it was recognised as an error and I was let into the country.”

In another case, Martin Farrall told The Guardian, didn’t have his exit recorded for the Schengen zone.

Martin and his wife arrived by ferry at Hoek van Holland in the Netherlands.

He said that Dutch border officials enrolled them into EES, but that they had no entry stamp on their passports.

Then 55 days later when he returned to the UK via France, they were not given an exit stamp.

Back at home, Martin checked how many days he had left to travel through the Schengen – and it’s continuing to count down. Meanwhile his wife still has 90 days despite both having travelled the same route.

In another case, one passenger who had returned from Ibiza back in April had two entry stamps, but no exit stamps.

They told local media: “On my last two occasions visiting Ibiza on direct UK flights, my UK passport has not been exit-stamped by Spanish immigration authorities upon leaving Ibiza back to the UK.

“I now have two ‘un-closed’ Spanish visits in my UK passport, making a nonsense of the 90-day rule, and running the risk of me being accused of overstaying my rolling 90 days’ allowance. Which I haven’t.”

For more advice on travelling as a family and the new EES system, head here.

BOOKING is open to secure your 2027 £9.50 holiday before anyone else.

Hundreds of new breaks across £9.50 holiday parks have landed on The Sun’s £9.50 Holidays website – including autumn getaways and dates you can pre-book for 2027.

Unlock the hols by signing up to Sun Club – for £1.99 per month or £12 per year

Haven’t been collecting codes from the paper? Don’t worry – you can instantly unlock the holidays by signing up to Sun Club.

Simply sign up to Sun Club and you will gain access to a special Offers Page, where you can access the new £9.50 holidays instantly.

Sun Club membership costs £1.99 per month (or £12 for the year), and also includes benefits like two-for-one attraction tickets, free darts and horse racing tickets, and freebies like books, skincare kits and more.

We’ve rounded up popular £9.50 holiday parks that have had major glow-ups recently, plus picks like the largest holiday park in the UK and resorts packed with kids’ activities.

Read more on £9.50 holidays

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Seal Bay Resort, Selsey

Crowned as the most popular £9.50 holiday park last year, Seal Bay is one of the most action-packed resorts on England‘s south coast.

Its £18 million ‘White Horse‘ complex is home to a large entertainment venue, multi-level soft play, sports courts, an arcade, bowling, an outdoor pool and more rolled into one action-packed zone.

Not to mention this park has its own mile-long stretch of private beach. On a clear day, you can see the Isle of Wight from across the water.

Forget a standard swimming pool – this park boasts a massive indoor water complex complete with a surf simulator, plus an outdoor lido for sunny days.

The park is built like a mini village, with plenty of shops and amenities on each corner, meaning you can easily spend an entire week here without ever needing to leave the gates.

Unlock the hols by signing up to Sun Club – for £1.99 per month or £12 per year

Skirlington Coast, Yorkshire

Sitting atop rugged East Yorkshire cliffs, Skirlington Leisure Park offers sweeping sea views and direct access to beautiful beaches.

This park recently received a £10 million cash injection, with a brand new waterpark, lido and activities like axe throwing and a mini bike pump track introduced this year.

The waterpark spans both indoor and outdoor areas, centred around two large swimming pools.

Indoors, kids can splash about under the umbrella-shaped water feature, while grown-ups can unwind in the sauna or hot tub.

The large outdoor lido is the perfect place to cool off on a sunny day, but if the weather does take a turn, it is sheltered by a large yellow-striped roof.

Next to the lido there are plenty of colourful deck chairs, parasols, loungers and even some beach huts that give the area that seaside holiday feel.

The lido and outdoor waterpark sit in the Festival Gardens area, a brand new section of the holiday park which is filled with brightly-coloured decorations and pretty fairy lights.

Unity Beach

Following a major £10 million refurbishment, Unity Beach now has a new lido, waterpark and festival gardens.

There’s also plans to upgrade the site’s entertainment complex with a new showbar that will seat over 1,000, so securing your £9.50 holiday for next year now gives you the best chances of seeing all these new upgrades in-person.

The site’s waterpark pairs indoor and outdoor splash zones with high-speed flumes and rubber-ring rides.

Just next door, guests can access Brean Theme Park, which is the UK’s largest free-to-enter theme park. It packs in over 40 rides, ranging from white-knuckle rollercoasters to classic bumper cars.

Best of all, seven miles of open sand at Brean Sands sit directly opposite the resort grounds.

Billing Aquadrome, Northampton

Sprawling across 235 acres of lakes and countryside in Northamptonshire, Billing Aquadrome is designed to keep even hard-to-please teenagers off their phones.

Where else can kids feed alpacas, ride on a BMX pump track, learn TikTok dances, and ride a miniature railway all in one afternoon?

Kids can go full Total Wipeout on the lake’s massive inflatable obstacle course, while younger ones get stuck into slime-making and outdoor survival workshops.

When the sun goes down, the outdoor cinema becomes a popular spot with its open-air cinema screenings, plus there’s also silent discos and live shows in a giant outdoor amphitheatre.

Refuelling the family is easy thanks to loaded burgers at Smash’d Town and sweet snacks from the Bak’D & Swirls dessert shop.

To top it all off, you can fall asleep right on the water’s edge by booking a stay in a cosy lakeside pod.

Parkdean Resorts Trecco Bay, Porthcawl

As the UK’s biggest holiday park – and one of the largest in Europe – Trecco Bay is a colossal coastal playground.

Sitting in the seaside town of Porthcawl, here you’ve got a classic promenade, a seaside funfair, and a choice of stunning Blue Flag beaches right on your doorstep.

But there’s no need to leave site when you’ve got a NERF gun battlefield, bumper zorbing, pirate-themed crazy golf, and a Make a Bear station and more to pick from.

Plus the pool complex has high-powered aqua jets that twist you through the water, as well as inflatable jet skis and mini aqua paddler boats for little ones.

Even the pickiest of eaters can find something here, with top-tier high-street brands like Burger King, Papa Johns, Thunderbird Fried Chicken, and Costa Coffee ready to refuel the whole family.

Unlock the hols by signing up to Sun Club – for £1.99 per month or £12 per year

Golden Sands, Rhyl

Golden Sands Holiday Park in the seaside town of Rhyl is the ideal base to explore North Wales.

This park puts you within short driving distance of legendary castles such as Gwyrch and Bodelwyddan, plus there’s beautiful nature spots like Dyserth Waterfall on your doorstep.

When you aren’t out exploring, on-site there’s a heated indoor pool, arcades, a sports court, plus a soft play area.

Plus there’s plenty of activities that kids will love such as slime workshops and NERF gun battles.

Grab some dinner from the site’s traditional fish and chip shop before settling down to watch the live entertainment kick off in the evening.

The fantastic evening entertainment includes family-friendly live shows, glow parties, bingo nights and mini discos.

Newquay Bay Holiday Resort

Newquay Bay is one of the fancier holiday parks available with Hols from £9.50, and feels more like an expensive coastal retreat.

Take a dip in its serene indoor and outdoor heated pools, or take lessons with the on-site surf school, prepping you to hit the waves at nearby Porth beach.

If you fancy a pamper, there’s a hair and beauty salon, alongside a sauna and steam room to truly unwind.

You can even walk across the beach’s narrow footbridge to Porth Island to explore an ancient Iron Age fort, before grabbing a pint at The Mermaid Inn, which sits directly on the beach.

Unlock the hols by signing up to Sun Club – for £1.99 per month or £12 per year

WE all know to take good care of your passport, but what happens if someone steals it?

One couple missed out on their holiday and lost thousands of pounds when their passport was stolen at a busy train station.

Talking to The Telegraph, Reverend Bruce Johnson and Sarah Johnson said they had their passports stolen in London St Pancras.

The couple were heading to Amsterdam when they discovered their travel bag with their documents had been nabbed.

Usually, Brits can opt for a premium one-day service for passport renewals if there is a problem with their documents, for example if it is damaged.

But, this service cannot be used when a passport is lost or stolen.

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In this case, it requires extra checks from the “Lost, Stolen and Recovered” team at HM Passport Office.

The quickest option for anyone with a stolen passport is the one-week Fast Track service.

As the couple were heading on their holiday on the same day, their plans were completely ruined.

Rev Bruce Johnson told the publication: “After speaking to the Home Office plus the Dutch embassy, they wouldn’t accept our other forms of ID, such as driving licences.

“So we had to go home – and lost the whole holiday.”

Eurostar refunded the couple’s tickets, but the loss of everything else from accommodation to train and taxi fares and replacement passports has cost them £2,219.

The couple’s travel insurance policy did not cover passport theft either.

Having a passport stolen is not uncommon – the Passport Office reported that almost 370,000 passports were reported as lost or stolen in the UK in 2025 by November.

This is 62 per cent more than all of 2024.

Advice on the GOV.UK website reads: “You must cancel a lost or stolen passport as soon as possible.

“This will reduce the risk of anyone else using your passport or your identity. You can report a lost or stolen passport for someone else if they cannot do it themselves.”

Advice from the Post Office reveals that if your passport has been stolen, you won’t be able to get a replacement quickly.

It says: “You usually can’t use the one-day Premium Service to replace a lost or stolen passport. This is only for renewing an existing adult passport, where you still have your old one.

“In rare cases, such as a serious illness or bereavement, you may be able to get urgent help. If this applies to you, you’ll need to contact HM Passport Office directly to discuss your situation.

“If you need a replacement quickly, the 1 week Fast Track service is usually the fastest option.”

For the one-week fast track, the earliest time you can get an appointment is the day after you apply.

The new passport is delivered by courier a week afterwards.

This costs £192 for an adult passport and £156.50 for a child passport.

If you want to find out more about other passport rules, head here.

Imogen says she had already complained that the accommodation had not been properly cleaned

A mum claims she fled a ‘nightmare’ holiday park after her children found loose prescription tablets in the bedroom of her caravan. Imogen’s children, aged six and seven, allegedly found the medication inside a low bedside cupboard at Littlesea Holiday Park, near Weymouth, Dorset.

The 30-year-old said the youngsters opened the cupboard themselves before screaming for her. Pictures taken inside the caravan appear to show several loose white tablets, including a large capsule-shaped pill bearing the imprint “XR 1000”.

Imogen immediately removed the tablets, photographed them and handed them to staff at the park reception. She said: “Finding those tablets made my blood run entirely cold. If either of my children had mistaken those white pills for sweets and swallowed them, it could have caused a catastrophic medical emergency.

“As a mother, knowing how close my babies came to being poisoned is a living nightmare.”

The “XR 1000” marking is used on some 1,000mg extended-release metformin products. UK medicines guidance says a large metformin overdose can cause lactic acidosis, a medical emergency requiring hospital treatment.

Imogen said she had already complained through the Haven app about dead insects, cobwebs, a dirty fridge, debris on the floor and marks across the cupboards. A cleaner was subsequently sent back to the accommodation. Imogen also reported a broken kitchen kickboard, bin lid, curtain rail and gate. She said one maintenance worker attended on the Friday but was unable to repair the gate, before another employee returned and fixed it the following day.

The mum said her son also developed a rash on his neck during the holiday. She said: “Beyond the drugs, the accommodation was neglected and thoroughly filthy upon arrival.

“We had to waste our precious holiday time waiting around because they had to send a cleaner back to the caravan. The hygiene standards were so appalling that my son broke out in a physical skin rash on his neck.”

Imogen said she initially received an apology when she handed the tablets to reception. She claims she heard nothing further about the medication until speaking to a manager the next day.

She claims that when she asked for the discovery to be formally recorded as a health and safety incident, the manager replied: “I won’t be doing that as I don’t need to.”

Imogen said she felt “cornered” into accepting an offer of a 50 per cent refund during the discussion. She said she later wrote to Haven rejecting the suggestion that the complaint had been resolved.

The mum left the park at approximately 4.15pm on Sunday, 16 August, earlier than planned.

She said: “I fled the park to protect my family’s health. I have completely lost all faith in Haven Holidays.”

Mateusz Dolata, general manager of Littlesea, subsequently apologised to Imogen in an email He wrote: “A prescription tablet should never have been left in a holiday home and I am truly sorry for this.”

Mr Dolata said the tablets were disposed of appropriately and the incident was later logged on the company’s system so it could be investigated. He said Imogen accepted a 50 per cent refund worth £320 and remained at the park until Sunday evening.

Mr Dolata said Friday had been exceptionally hot and cleaning teams had been working in “very challenging conditions”. He added that this may explain the missed check but was “not an excuse”.

He said the matter had been followed up with the relevant employee and would be used to reinforce the importance of checking every part of the company’s holiday homes. Mr Dolata added: “I am genuinely sorry for the distress and worry caused and I completely appreciate why finding medication in your accommodation would have been particularly upsetting as a parent.”

Haven has been approached for further comment.

Three men in a boat on the Thames

One of my best UK holidays was the week I spent in June 2013 rowing from Oxford to London with two friends, James and Tom.

We hired the boat from a company called Thames Skiff Hire that mainly caters to people recreating the fictional adventure of the characters in Jerome K Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat. Our boat – Ewen – was a 26ft, 130-year-old mahogany skiff. It came with two pairs of oars, a rudder, a cooking stove, a boat hook, and iron hoops that supported a green canvas roof over the hull.

After an hour’s briefing at a slipway by Donnington Bridge, we were off, piloting the boat 80 or so miles downstream to London. That June was blustery and wet. The first day was deceptively fine, but on the second, we got soaked on the stretch of water between Abingdon and Day’s Lock, and came close to packing it in.

Even with the current helping us, the miles ahead seemed like folly. It’s not generally remembered that Jerome K Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat ends in disappointment and recrimination as the companions abandon their sodden skiff at The Swan in Pangbourne.

But we kept going. And, over the subsequent days, the weather improved, we got better at rowing and it turned into an extraordinary and memorable adventure.

Looking back, the trip appears to have been packed with incident. We visited lovely riverside pubs, brewed tea on uninhabited midstream islands, and popped into a meditation centre run by an ascetic Hindu sect. We passed Medmenham Abbey, the headquarters of Francis Dashwood’s Hellfire Club; Monkey Island, where the doomed romance in Rebecca West’s The Return of the Soldier unfolds; and we moored for lunch one day at the luxurious faux-gothic hotel Oakley Court, immortalised as Frank-N-Furter’s castle in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Logistically, the trip was never entirely straightforward. Although the Thames skiff was designed to be slept in, it was not big enough for three and the rules around wild camping made things more complicated. I also remember feeling a certain anxiety when mooring the boat to go to the pub. We had been instructed to hammer iron spikes into the riverbank and fasten the skiff to them. But it always seemed weird to walk away from this precious antique and assume it would be there when we got back.

Negotiating the locks that regulate the water level of the river was also tricky. Someone had to remain in the skiff with a boat hook and keep it from bumping against the sides as the water poured out of the sluices. And, of course, rowing that distance, even with the current, requires a certain stick-to-it-ness.

Paradoxically, the minor hardships of the trip probably made it more relaxing than a holiday whose explicit goal is relaxation. The overall pace was slow and reflective. And even within commuting distance of our own beds, it always felt as if we were very far from the daily grind. There were stretches of extraordinary tranquillity, deep silences, wonderful birdlife; I still remember the flash of a kingfisher in the willows outside Abingdon.

Other river-users took kindly to us and our venerable skiff. One evening, we were invited for drinks onboard a beautiful narrowboat whose owner we met as we were queueing at a lock.

Our final destination was Walton-on-Thames, but by the time we reached it, we were enjoying ourselves so much we pushed on to Hampton Court before turning the boat round and heading back upriver to return the skiff.

It’s a trip I’ve always meant to repeat. I’ve travelled much further, at much greater expense and had nothing like as much fun.
Marcel Theroux

A birthday break in the Trossachs

“Gravelfoyle,” my cycle-mad partner, Gary, replied instantly when asked where he’d like to go for his birthday. Gravelfoyle is the nickname of the village of Aberfoyle – gateway to the Trossachs, about 50 miles north-west of Edinburgh, and even closer to Glasgow – which claims to have “the UK’s finest gravel riding” and the waymarked trails to prove it.

Growing up in Edinburgh, I spent many happy summers camping in the Cairngorms and roving around Perthshire. This instilled a habit of going north rather than west, so I didn’t know Scotland’s first national park, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, as well.

Off we set, bikes strapped to the car, passing Falkirk’s Kelpies, whose steel heads reared up alongside the M9, imposing Stirling Castle and the Mordor-esque Wallace Monument in the distance. The drive was only 75 minutes, but we stopped en route at The Smiddy farm shop in Blair Drummond (close to the safari park my brother and I went to as kids) to pick up cheese and chorizo scotch eggs, “the best thing we sell”, according to the butcher.

I’d booked a snug-looking glamping pod on the Cardross Estate near Port of Menteith, not far from Aberfoyle. Tucked away down a single-track road flanked by farmland, where kites soar overhead, it’s a slick operation, from the easy self-check-in to the trolleys for wheeling stuff from the car park. Inside the curved, wooden pod was a sofa, pull-down double bed, shower and fridge, with picture windows framing fields speckled with cattle and crops rolling towards Ben Lomond. We could have chosen one of the estate’s self-catering cottages or a B&B stay in Cardross House, but the pod felt like the most decadent way to enjoy the outdoors, especially once the fire pit was roaring and fizz was in hand.

Later that day, we embarked on our first ride, the 18.2-mile (29.2km) Lomond View, one of three Gravelfoyle routes plotted for gravel biking, and a wet and muddy affair after recent rain. Afterwards, at Aberfoyle Bike Co (where you can hire bikes if you don’t bring your own), the owner, Liam, was ready with a hose and hot drinks.

The next day, we hiked out of the nearby town of Callander on the 3.5-mile (5.3km) circular Bracklinn Falls hiking route. Crossing the bridge over the thundering waterfall, we pressed on through thick forest before returning to baguettes oozing generous fillings at Mhor Bread. The afternoon’s downpour gave us a great excuse to nest in our cosy pod, read and, in my case, nap – the indulgence!

That evening, the sun sprang loose, and we chinked glasses in the flower-strewn garden of Scottish chef Nick Nairn’s namesake restaurant, Nick’s at Port of Menteith. Swallows and housemartins swooped as we ate fish and chips and seafood linguine.

Over three days, we biked and hiked various routes alongside lochs and through yawning, forest-clad valleys, ate fabulous, locally produced food, and soaked up the nurturing goodness of being immersed in the wilderness of the national park.
Kirsten Henton

At the edge of north Wales

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve passed through Ynys Môn (Anglesey) over the years, but until recently I’d never actually been there. Ghosting through the darkness to catch the night ferry from Holyhead to Dublin, I had no idea what the island looked like until our daughter suggested an outing while we were visiting her at her student digs in Bangor, across the Menai Strait.

That first time, she took us to Newborough Forest, a nature reserve on the south-west coast of the island made up of Corsican pines, sand dunes and a sweep of beach that offers panoramic views of the peaks of Eryri (Snowdonia) across the bay. We spent the afternoon walking over to the small tidal island of Ynys Llanddwyn, with its lighthouse and the ruined remains of Saint Dwynwen’s church. Saint Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers, the equivalent of Saint Valentine. It was love at first sight for us, and we hatched a plan to come back for a longer visit.

On that next visit, we rented a cottage with floor-to-ceiling windows that framed the mountains on the road out of Llanfair – or Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch to give it its proper majestic name – well, how could we not? What we discovered on that stay pretty much chimed with what I had read in HV Morton’s book In Search of Wales, published in 1932: “The long roads run through flat, green country, linking quiet, stone-built little market towns together.”

But it’s at the edges that Ynys Môn comes into its own. On the first day, we walked the Wales Coast Path along the cliffs at Rhoscolyn on Ynys Gybi (Holy Island) in the north – an island off an island with dramatic sea arches – and enjoyed a feeling of apartness, of almost floating out to sea.

On another day, we parked up at the beach at Rhosneigr and again followed the signs for the coast path, walking through the marram grass and gorse on the dunes until we found a sheltered cove to go swimming. Then we drove across the island that at one time was called Môn, Mam Cymru (Anglesey, the Mother of Wales) because it was said to grow all the corn needed to feed the country, to Red Wharf Bay and another sweeping beach at the bottom of a single-track lane. There was no corn on the menu at the Boathouse cafe, but we made do with crab meat crumpets and mussels.

Leafing through HV Morton’s book back at the cottage that night, I came across a line that made me rue the fact that I had rattled through this glorious little island on the boat train on so many occasions, simply seeing it as an embarkation point without ever having had the imagination to jump off and spend a bit of time here: “Holyhead is an excellent place for a holiday … you have bathing, fine cliff scenery, and all round you is excellent flat walking country with a supreme view of the whole Snowdon range.”
Andy Pietrasik

North Yorkshire with 42 pals

Twelve years ago, I was sitting in my son Ned’s primary school playground when I said to my friend Vicky, “I’m thinking of taking a few friends up to Yorkshire.”

“I’m in,” she said.

Word got out, and before I knew it 42 of us were heading to lovely Cote Ghyll Mill, on the edge of the pretty village of Osmotherley. It was a youth hostel in those days, before its recent transformation into a B&B. Ned and I made a giant Welcome to Yorkshire banner and Blu-Tacked handwritten names on to the bedroom doors.

None of us realised that week would become our June tradition, until Covid brought it to a halt.

Brilliantly, my mum and dad took charge one day, leading us on a six-mile circular walk from Grosmont through the fairytale hamlet of Beck Hole, a centre for the traditional game of quoits, and back across the North York Moors.

I remember Mum, ever the feeder in our family, opening the boot of their car to reveal her homemade fruit cake alongside a stack of enormous sandwiches they had collected from Danby Bakery. Dad brought a few short thumbsticks (traditional walking sticks) he’d made for the kids from hazel branches. Florence, now 19, still has hers, and Julie, her mum, now uses it to reach an awkward light switch.

Halfway round was Dad’s favourite pub, the Birch Hall Inn, where his drink of choice was always the same: a bitter shandy. The pub doubles as a sweet shop and we came away clutching paper bags of lemon sherbets, cola cubes and pear drops, all bought by the ounce, while Ned carefully chose Barratt’s liquorice sticks for his grandad, as is tradition.

Part of our walk crossed the North Yorkshire Moors Railway line to Whitby, and, after watching a train steaming past us, we all wanted to take a ride. It is a magical way to see the moors. Every carriage told its own story. Couples were more romantic, kids chatted around the tables, and happy heads hung out of the windows to catch the smell of coal and steam. Eleven-year-old Eleanor caught far too much coal dust in her eye and ended up in A&E in Northallerton. Thankfully, she was fine.

In Whitby, Ned’s pals buried him in the sand on Tate Hill beach. Although we brushed him down and emptied his shoes, he still left a little trail of Whitby all the way back to the station and on to the train.

Our trip wouldn’t have been complete without a visit to my own boozer of choice, the Sun Inn, or Spout House, in Bilsdale. Its infamous cricket field, with a dramatic slope where fielders on the boundary can disappear from view, is where my dad and brother played. Spike W, AKA Prince Harry, is also recorded in the score book.

My old primary school friend Audrey is the landlady now. I used to ride her ponies, her dad was the village milkman, and she somehow makes everyone who walks through the door feel as if they’ve come home.

Audrey laid on a domino tournament and the most amazing Yorkshire platter, with cakes worthy of victory at any country show. Competition was fierce, with some local diehard domino players, mainly farmers, joining in. Harriet, aged just six, beat the lot of them. She burst into tears, while her mum, Steph, cried with laughter.

This year, I casually asked Ned, now 21, “Do you think anyone might fancy going back to Yorkshire?”

“Absolutely, Mum,” he replied.

So we’re going back to Cote Ghyll Mill this month.

I’ve dug out the original Welcome to Yorkshire banner and Harriet, now 18, is fiercely ready to defend her domino title.
Jill Mead

A quick dip into Bristol

Travelling by train from Kent to Bristol on one of the hottest days of the year might have been pretty close to madness. In sweltering heat and amid cancellations and delays, I arrived in the city hot, broken and miserable. Less than an hour later, I was gliding through the water at the city’s lido, smugly thanking myself for booking what may be one of the best summer city hotels in the country.

I was in Bristol for the opening of an exhibition – Polly Braden: Against the Tide – at the brilliant Arnolfini arts centre, which seemed the perfect excuse to visit a city that had somehow eluded me. The Arnolfini is a leading hub for the contemporary arts, housed in a 19th-century warehouse on Narrow Quay beside the harbour, a vibrant area packed with restaurants, cafes and bars, as well as some of the city’s leading tourist attractions, including the aquarium and Brunel’s SS Great Britain.

My base was the Lido Townhouse, a six-bedroom hotel in a Georgian building that opened in 2024 in the city’s sought-after Clifton neighbourhood. Each of the rooms has been done out simply but with fabulous taste, featuring colourful throws, sparkling white bedlinen and jauntily tiled bathrooms.

The real attraction is the lido itself, which dates back to Victorian times and has been restored after falling into disrepair. Open year-round, with the water heated to 20-24C, the pool is flanked by old-fashioned changing cabins on one side and a bar and restaurant on the other, with windows and a terrace that look out over the action. Booking directly with the hotel grants you full access to the lido, which is just a few steps across a (very quiet) road in the hotel’s robes and slippers. In 24 hours, I managed to squeeze in three swims, including one at 9.30pm (it closes at 10pm), emerging to sit in my robe at the bar nursing a glass of amaro. Breakfast the next day out on the deck was equally enjoyable, with coffee and a generous plate of Turkish eggs and coffee.

A colleague and I paid £210 for two double rooms and a shared bathroom on the top floor of the hotel, which, with unlimited swims thrown in and 10% off our food bill, seemed like an excellent deal. The harbour is a 25-minute stroll from the hotel along shop-lined Georgian streets, past picturesque College Green and the cathedral. So, though it was a lightning visit, the city showed its best side. A return trip is on the cards.
Max Benato

DAN Edgar and Chloe Lewis have been packing on the PDA during a romantic getaway to Marbella.

The Towie star couple, who only went Instagram official yesterday, aren’t afraid to let the world know they’re utterly loved-up and took to their socials to prove it.

In some new snaps posted to Chloe‘s Instagram story, Dan kisses her on the cheek while she beams a smile in a figure-hugging white dress.

They’re standing together outside under dimly lit lighting, embracing the romantic energy.

Other snaps show Dan and Chloe posing with their heads touching and some stunning photos of palm trees in Marbella.

Dan and Chloe pulled a similar move yesterday when hard launching their romance, posting a snap to their social media story.

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The sweet snap showed the couple wearing the same outfits as the PDA pics, except they’re instead standing together in an elevator.

Dan wrapped his arm around Chloe and placed a hand on her hip while she clicked a mirror selfie.

The pair have been dating for a year now after having a brief fling over a decade ago.

While Chloe and Dan were on Towie together, they never officially dated. Chloe admitted on the show that they had shared a kiss around 2015 before she joined the cast and rumours of romance between them were rife.

Dan went on to date a number of other women on the show, including Amber Turner, and most recently Ella Rae Wise, who he split from just three months before getting with Chloe. 

Chloe and Dan’s surprise reunion was ignited last year as the pair both attended the wedding of their close friends and Towie co-stars Georgia Kousoulou and Tommy Mallet in Majorca.

THE sun was beating down on the harbour walls where parents and their children were perched, gawping down into the water.

One youngster was giggling with delight at her bucket, which was filled with scuttling crustaceans from her succesful attempts at crabbing.

Holidays in the UK don’t get much better than this.

And with Britain basking in weather as hot as the Med over the past few months, there’s been even less of a need to fork out on flights abroad.

I was in Wells-next-the-Sea, a quaint Norfolk town home to trendy boutiques, quayside pubs and a pretty beach backed by rows of colourful beach huts.

As a large family of five, we’d decided to ditch the pricey hotel in favour of Pinewoods Holiday Park, which occupies a gorgeous perch, set a short way back from the ocean.

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It was the first time in a while that a place had exceeded my expectations.

When we arrived at our six-person lodge, I heard a swift declaration of “I could live here!”

The spacious Saltmarsh Lodge — there was ample room for our group, plus the dog — embraced its position near the coast with its wooden panelling and white slatted ceilings, and its three cosy bedrooms were spotlessly clean.

The master bedroom came with a kingsize bed, spacious en-suite and chic dressing area while the other two had twin beds and a separate bathroom.

My favourite part was the open-plan dining, kitchen and living area, where light poured in from the glass doors, large windows and skylight.

We spent most of our evenings in here, settled on the squishy sofas and armchairs playing cards and board games in front of the coal-effect fire.

Afternoons were spent on the wraparound deck, which was delightfully cool thanks to the trees that offered shade from the sun.

The fact it was all enclosed was a big selling point as it meant our furry friend could pad about freely with little chance of escape.

And as we sat on the decking with a tipple, we couldn’t believe how quiet and peaceful the setting was.

Apart from the obvious visual giveaway, you’d never have guessed that there were more than 100 pitches surrounding us.

Around the corner from our lodge was an on-site playground, an allotment (reserved for holiday home owners) and a shop for all the essentials. We’d stocked up on everything we needed for tasty breakfasts, such as pastries, eggs and condiments.

When in Norfolk, you have to buy the locally made Krusty Loaf bread, which is baked fresh every day and raved about in the area.

The white loaf, with lashings of butter and scrambled egg, went down a treat.

After an indulgent first breakfast, we took a mid-morning stroll to the beach where the dunes are backed by brightly decorated beach huts and, beyond that, a pine forest.

With the sea reachable in just ten minutes, it meant that the dog could be frolicking in the water in no time.

You could easily spend a whole day here, with a pit stop at the Wells Beach Cafe, which serves up cracking bacon butties and frothy coffee.

It also has a pizza corner and an ice cream bar, as well as soft and hard drinks, including Prosecco.

But if you’re not much of a beach lover, the main town centre on the other side of the holiday lodge is well worth a potter around.

The port town has a history dating back more than 400 years and is still renowned for its fresh seafood.

I was drawn more to its trendy shops than the fish, though — Glitter & Mud does some excellent trinkets, from homeware to clothing.

Make sure to pop into The Golden Fleece for a pint, too, which we enjoyed on its small patio while seagulls squawked overhead.

Before we knew it, three nights had rolled by and we had to wave goodbye to our cosy lodge.

But we couldn’t leave until we had ticked off one British seaside staple: fish and chips.

A lengthy queue forms outside Plattens every evening — and for good reason.

Its batter is wonderfully crispy and its curry sauce packs a punch.

Like I said earlier, holidays in the UK don’t get much better than this.

THIS weekend will be the last chance for Sun readers to book a £9.50 holiday this year.

There are still plenty of bargains to be booked with The Sun’s £9.50 holidays – and you’ll get first pick if you’re a Sun Club member.

Sign up to Sun Club for £1.99 per month or £12 per year

Traditionally, Sun readers collect codes in the newspaper to enter onto the Hols from £9.50 website to unlock access to booking.

But if you’re a Sun Club member, there’s no need to collect any codes – you’ll get automatic access earlier than those collecting codes

Sun Club Members can skip collecting codes in the paper and go straight to the booking page to bag a last-minute break at their choice of park.

Members can access the hols from midnight on Sunday, August 23, whereas those collecting codes in the paper will have to wait until the morning to purchase a paper to collect their final codeword.

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Here’s how to book a £9.50 holiday with Sun Club:

1. Sign up to Sun Club by clicking here.
2. Once you’re signed up, head to the Sun Club offers hub- or click here.
3. Gain automatic access to the booking your hols from midnight on Sunday, August 23.

Booking opens on Sunday, August 23 and closes on September 21.

However, you’ll want to be logged on and ready as soon as it opens, so that you can bag the holiday park you want before it sells out.

The Sun’s £9.50 Holiday Agony Aunt Tracy Kennedy recommends using the ‘Midnight Service’ trick to bag your holiday.

This means being logged on and ready with the parks and dates you want in mind from around 11:55pm on Saturday night, so that once it hits midnight you can go straight to booking.

Some popular UK parks with new dates available include Parkdean Resorts’ Kessingland Beach, Trecco Bay, Camber Sands and Vauxhall in Great Yarmouth.

You can also book a Park Holidays resort like Sand le Mere or Lossiemouth, as well as Lyons resorts like Sunnysands or stay at Hendra and Unity Beach.

There are even European breaks available at resorts in Spain, France, Italy and Portugal.

Sign up to Sun Club for £1.99 per month or £12 per year

These parks still have availability to book a break this autumn, so whether you’re looking to jet off abroad for some last-minute sun, or book a cosy UK Halloween break, the choice is yours.

You can even book ahead and secure a holiday for next year, which is a nifty trick to avoid the January £9.50 holiday rush.

Signing up to Sun Club costs £1.99 per month or £12 per year.

Not only does it make booking your £9.50 holiday a lot easier, but there are plenty more benefits and freebies exclusive to Sun Club members.

Savvy Sun Club member (and Queen of the £9.50 holiday) Tracy Kennedy saved nearly £1,000 in one year on family hols and days out by being a Sun Club member.

This is because being a member gets you discounts on attractions, holidays, and there are even some freebie goodies thrown in there, too.

Sun Club members can currently bag 2-for-1 Diggerland tickets, four free tickets to the races per year and free goodies like skincare kits and audio books.

Once you’re a member, check out the Offers Hub to see the full list of goodies you can claim.

Sign up to Sun Club for £1.99 per month or £12 per year

PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle are returning to the UK – but that’s not the only tie they have to Europe.

The couple are rumoured to have a luxurious bolthole in what is called the ‘European Hamptons‘.

Found in Melides in Portugal, the luxurious CostaTerra is a 722-acre private community with high-profile and celebrity home-owners.

The royal couple reportedly paid £6.3million for a holiday home on the resort in 2023.

The golf and leisure complex is found between the coastal villages of Comporta and Melides which are 90 minutes south of Lisbon.

CostaTerra describes itself as ‘an ideal luxury getaway for families seeking an authentic lifestyle-focused coastal retreat.’

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It has an 18-hole golf course and offers lots of activities for its homeowners like yoga, surfing, sailing, horse riding and bike riding.

One Sun Writer who visited described it as a “well-kept secret” – and it’s also home to one of the most beautiful beaches in Europe called Galé Fontainhas Beach.

The materials contain iron oxide, which gives them their distinctive reddish-orange colour.

The beach cliffs, reaching over 50 metres in height, and the waters are often clear.

One visitor wrote on a Tripadvisor review: “A real hidden gem. Beautiful clean beach, crystal clear water, just about right waves to have fun in the water, magnificent views from the top of the rocks.”

Another is Gale Beach which has carved sandstone cliffs that one visitor said “could have been cut straight out of the Grand Canyon.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle aren’t the only members of the royal family to be drawn to this part of Portugal.

Princess Eugenie and her husband Jack split their time between the UK and CostaTerra where they also own a house.

Jack actually works in marketing and sales at a private resort itself.

Both Shakira and Madonna have reportedly both enjoyed stays at CostaTerra too.

When one Sun Writer visited the Alentejo coast, she discovered a flamingo-filled lagoon, beautiful rice fields and vineyards.

There are also charming village streets without a single tourist and, perhaps best of all, stunning secret beaches only the locals knew about

Melides has been in existence for more than 500 years and for much of that time it has been a quiet hamlet with a white-cobbled central square

Clare Fitzsimons took a trip on the Hurtigruten cruise ship MS Trollfjord, sailing up into the Arctic Circle on a voyage that had her eating seaweed and scaling mountains

As someone with only a passing grasp of balance, tottering across a rocky shoreline doesn’t seem the best idea. Add in pools of water, crashing waves, and very slippery seaweed underfoot, and it’s tantamount to a disaster in the offing. So what could be worth all this peril?

Truffles. Well, sort of. “It tastes like truffle,” says Angelina Eriksen, handing me a sprig of what looks like purply-red moss. Eyeing it dubiously, I nibble a bit. And it does taste like truffle, even though it is in fact… seaweed.

Having grown up near the north-east coastline and spending many a day sliding over seaweed-covered rocks, I’ll admit it had never occurred to me to start eating it. But here in remote Lofoten, one of the most northerly areas of Norway, somehow chomping seaweed straight from the water doesn’t feel so odd.

Of course, most of us have tried seaweed in Asian and Japanese food, but having it directly from the sea is a very different experience, and one that Angelina and her business partner, Tamara Singer, who run Lofoten Seaweed, are celebrating.

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Seaweed has been eaten for hundreds of years. The Vikings even used it to avoid getting scurvy and it thrives in the light — something it’s definitely not short of during my visit in May as Norway transforms into the famous Land of the Midnight Sun.

Instead of darkness, the sun appears to bounce off the horizon and begin to rise again. All in all, it’s an odd but incredible sight, looking out over the glistening blue water as the next day already begins in daylight.

Then again, a trip along the Norwegian coast aboard the Hurtigruten cruise ship MS Trollfjord feels like a constant stream of once-in-a-lifetime moments.

Spinning 360 degrees just a few feet from towering cliffs of a fjord in the ship’s namesake Trollfjord. Tick. Sailing by a huge mountain, Torghatten, with a hole right through the middle of it. Tick. Crossing into the Arctic Circle. Tick. Visiting the city that has the most rainy days in Norway. Tick.

Ok, the last one might not be top of your list, but Bergen is beautiful even through the showers and was where I began my voyage north.

Known as the city of the seven mountains, Bergen is surrounded by those peaks with a funicular taking visitors, commuters and even a kindergarten, to the top of Mount Fløyen.

Norway’s second largest city feels easy to navigate with its bustling fish market, delightfully wonky houses and array of restaurants. I tried the reindeer on our first night at Bryggeloftet, the oldest restaurant in Bergen, before collapsing into bed at the wonderfully comfy Clarion Admiral hotel ahead of the cruise sailing the next morning.

Many people think of a cruise and immediately envisage thousands of people and 20 decks of entertainment. For some, that’s heaven. But for those looking for a calmer, slower and altogether more intimate sailing experience, Hurtigruten is perfect.

MS Trollfjord first worked as a coastal transport ship, the equivalent of the local bus or train service for the remote coastal communities littering the shores. A four-year-old refurbishment saw it return to the waves as part of the company’s Signature Voyage range.

Unlike colossal cruise ships, it allows access to much smaller ports and fjords. With a maximum capacity of around 500 people, the ship feels cosy.

My Arctic Superior room delivered good night’s sleep — with an excellent blackout blind on the porthole for that midnight sun — before exploring our first port of Åndalsnes.

The quaint town sits under the imposing Romsdal mountain range, 5,510ft up. There is a walking path to the summit, but there’s also a gondola for the less energetic among us. It’s stunning, especially when the clouds parted, revealing the most incredible rainbow between the peaks.

Not all of the ports are big towns either; in fact, Træna is the absolute opposite. Home to around 500 people, its year-round resident population has hardly changed since the Stone Age. Our guide — and local resident — Ramona Remmen took us round their ‘open village’, a real working town sharing the reality of life for normal Norwegians.

While most of the cruise’s stops are only a few hours, it’s enough time to take in the local area and spectacular views. There are plenty of those aboard the ship, too, as it can hug the coastline and capture the incredible scenery along the way, including a special moment as you cross into the Arctic Circle for the first time.

Less time in the deeper ocean is much better for seasickness as well, so that means you can take full advantage of the variety of great food on board from the three restaurants available and their Norway’s Coastal Kitchen concept, celebrating ingredients sourced from the farms, fisheries and fjords along the route.

The main dining area, Flora, is inspired by seasonal produce, while Brasserie Árran (named after the Sámi word for the fire at the heart of their lavvo tent) offers a traditional offering.

Røst is the ship’s fine-dining option, with a focus on fish on a three- to five-course rotating menu. I was lucky enough to have mine paired with a Havets Bobler tasting. Meaning ‘bubbles of the sea’ in Norwegian, it’s quite literally what it says on the tin. Well, the bottle.

The sparkling wine, from the Rathfinny vineyard in Sussex, is stored 34m deep in the 6.5C sea to speed up its maturation time. The bottles come with sand still covering them, and it only adds to the interest of what is a delicious glass of bubbly.

The exact location they’re stored underwater is a closely guarded secret.

It’s far from the only link to the sea on board. The restaurants try to feature seaweed in at least one dish per day. They’ve even got seaweed beer, with a slightly salty tang that just makes it taste even better.

Aurora Spirits, the world’s northernmost distillery, is great for a day trip from our last stop in Tromsø and created a special seaweed gin to be served on board.

You can also smell like seaweed (in a good way) as the soaps and beauty products on the ship are sourced from Lofoten Seaweed which I visited from the picturesque fishing village of Reine before a final leg to the unofficial capital of the Arctic, Tromsø. There, with a heavy heart, I waved farewell to what’s likely the closest I’ll ever get to the North Pole.

It was an unforgettable experience, and maybe next time I’m wandering along the coastline at home, I’ll keep an eye out for some stray truffle seaweed to add to my G&T. Well, if it was good enough for the Vikings.

Book it

Hurtigruten’s Svalbard Line (Northbound) travels from Bergen to Longyearbyen over eight days. There are 14 departures between May 2027 and September 2027, on MS Trollfjord and MS Midnatsol .

All-inclusive meals and unlimited selected drinks are included, with prices starting from £2,466pp, based on two people sharing a Polar Inside cabin onboard MS Trollfjord, departing on 30 August 2027. Flights and transfer options start from £250pp per route.

Uber have launched stylish open-top convertible rides for newlyweds this August Bank Holiday after research claimed 72% of couples suffer from severe stress over their big day.

Travel giants Uber say many are ditching traditional country-estate weddings and instead fleeing to sleek, fast-track town hall ceremonies like pop star Dua Lipa had.

Research claims 72% of couples experience severe stress leading up to their big day and 42% have considered cancelling it completely.

Top drivers for the shift include slashing exorbitant costs (28%), keeping the vows quick and meaningful (24%), and paring down the guest list (23%).

Despite this, 72% of brides still demand an ‘iconic, internet-breaking photo moment’, while 46% worry a low-key wedding lacks that signature ‘wow’ factor.

Uber says it’s stepping in to give registry office couples the ultimate post-ceremony upgrade via rides in their open-top convertible ‘Hitch ‘n Ride’ service

Couples getting married during the August Bank Holiday are being promised a paparazzi-style entrance and exit from the registry office.

They’ll let couples step straight from their doorstep into a luxury convertible ride directly to their ceremony and onwards to their reception venue.

Uber say they’re working with ‘expert chauffeurs’ who will provide direct transport for the couple and two witnesses.

They add a chilled bottle of premium English sparkling wine will be provided for the drive between the registry and the reception.

Uber say the experience is available to couples getting hitched at registry offices in Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Glasgow, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham, Bristol, Sheffield and Leicester.

This news comes as registry office couples say cutting the traditional guest list saved them an average of £2,171 in venue and catering costs.

They say couples are opting to reallocate that budget where it actually counts, such as 28% putting it toward house deposits, while 22% are prioritising dream honeymoons.

Uber UK’s general manager, Andrew Brem, said “At Uber, we believe showing up for our riders matters, whether it’s for the everyday trip or one of life’s biggest moments.

“For couples saying ‘I do’ at their local town hall, ‘Hitch ‘n Ride makes getting to the celebration easier, while adding a little extra magic to the journey.”

‘Hitch ‘n Ride’ will run exclusively over the August Bank Holiday [August 28-31] across the UK.

Tickets will go live on www.hitchnride.co.uk at 10am on August 24 on a first-come-first-served basis.

It’s summer in the city, the pubs are crowded, and the coast beckons. In a year that has so far brought five significant heatwaves, it is a fair description of the current holiday season.

But the same was true, too, of the much less frequent hot, dry summers of the past, including 186 years ago when Charles Dickens put pen to paper in anticipation of escaping London for the sea breeze in Broadstairs, Kent.

“There is no news in London – everybody is hurrying out of town – the two great theatres are shut up – and all the watering places are crammed with hot people,” he writes to his brother Alfred on 12 August 1840.

His letter, which is to go on public display for the first time, is one of several items of correspondence shedding light on Dickens and his holiday pursuits, from picnics on the Thames, beach showering on the Isle of Wight, and being ravaged by mosquitoes, bugs and other insects

“While Dickens rarely slowed down, he made sure to find time for holidays and days off, packing up plenty of his belongings and heading to the Kent coast or the West Country with his family,” said Emma Harper, deputy director at London’s Charles Dickens Museum, where the letters will go on display in the study where he wrote Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby and The Pickwick Papers.

“While Dickens loved London, he was very happy to escape its crowded hot pubs for the cooler climes of the coast, or if he decided to break his routine by taking a spur of the moment day off, he would consider this a holiday. He would take his work on holiday with him and sometimes even brought his favourite pieces of furniture along so he could write from the chair and desk that suited him best.”

He positively gloated about his successful mission to construct an outdoor shower cubicle near his “very pretty” holiday cottage in Bonchurch on the Isle of Wight in 1849, expressing no qualms about spoiling the view for others. He writes to the printer William Bradbury: “We have made all visitors in search of the picturesque, mad, by putting up an immense wooden caravan on the beach, to shut in a noble waterfall and convert it into a shower bath! With some five hundred feet of fall. Which we take, every morning, to the unbounded astonishment of the aboriginal inhabitants.”

Of an 1851 trip on the Thames with his son Charley “and three other young Eton Shavers”, he promises that if his friend Thomas Beard joins them, he will be “armed with a hamper from Fortnum & Mason’s”. They can dine on a bank, “and if you can come, you and I will console ourselves for our antiquity, after dinner, with a trifle of tobacco and champagne”.

Dickens “relaxed energetically”, said Harper, and he loved to travel. To his biographer John Forster he writes of a 1842 trip to Italy: “I see myself in a striped shirt, moustache, blouse, red sash, straw hat, and white trousers, sitting astride a mule, and not caring for the clock, the day of the month, or the day of the week.”

Reflecting on one long excursion, he tells Beard in 1845 of “the gentlemanly vagabond I have been, for the last six or eight months – the extraordinary beds I have slept in – and the bewildering amount of fleas, mosquitoes, bugs, and other insects I have unwillingly bepastured – these things have hardly left me any leisure in my holiday, until within the last four or five weeks. During the whole of which time I have been employed, chiefly, in lying on my back on sofas, and leaning out of windows and over balconies, in a sort of mild intoxication.”

A summer trip to France ‘got worse and worse’ for one family as they were greeted by a ‘radioactive’ pool, a dead rodent, poison and broken furniture at their holiday home

What was meant to be a charming holiday home in France resembled more of a ‘horror house’, as a family trip went from bad to worse during a ‘hellish’ experience.

Richard Glendenning, who hails from London, travelled to France this summer for a holiday with his wife, her parents and their eight-month-old puppy. Wanting a quieter and more authentic experience, the couple booked a 10-night stay at an ’18th-century barn, with a private pool and sauna’ through Airbnb, nestled in a rural area of Bars in Bergerac.

Before they arrived, they were aware that the holiday rental was a little rustic around the edges, but at the time, it was all part of the appeal. It was only when they turned up at the property on Monday, 27 July 2026, that they realised it was far from what they had been expecting.

“It looked like a very lovely gîte (self-catering holiday home) online, I thought it’d be charming and nice,” Rich exclusively told the Mirror. “But it was in no way indicative of how hellish the experience was.

“It was actually two buildings next to each other that were part of the same space, and when we first arrived, it was filthy. It was the messiest place, and it looked like nobody had bothered to clean it for a year or so – it was awful.”

He continued: “It was like something from a film set, where you try and make a horror house with insects, cobwebs and spiders, everywhere. In the kitchen, the ceilings were fairly low, and I walked into one of those sticky tape things, covered in flies. There were flies everywhere, alive and dead.

“The bathrooms weren’t clean, and I had to use another bedroom in the other building, but when I went in there, I found a dead rodent, a rat.

“The towels were also tiny; you could barely wrap a toddler in one, and I had a white stain on mine. We were looking around, and in one bedroom, the owners had taken the bed from the mezzanine area, so there were just really horrible mattresses on the dirty floor, like in a squat.

“I walked through one of the bedrooms that was facing the pool, and instead of a bed, there were just stacks of wood pushed against the wall.” Rich added that they had arrived a “little bit early”, which had been previously agreed, and the cleaners did later fix the bed.

However, there were more surprises waiting. “The outdoor swimming pool was a comedy green, it was like a radioactive, glowing green colour, rather than a beautiful blue,” Rich revealed. “There was also a noisy filter machine, and there was an auto-motored machine going around, so that wasn’t done either. The owner had also removed loads of furniture from around the pool that were in the photos and advertised.”

Rich and his wife also spotted a “layer of scum around the edge of the pool”.

Rich and his wife had previously confirmed with the owner that their puppy could stay at the property, and the owner had agreed before their arrival. But the accommodation became worryingly unsafe for them and their beloved pooch.

“I saw this kind of gravel or type of salt across loads of the floors, and it was even across the dining table in the house. So I asked the owner, and she said, ‘Oh, that’s poison we put down’. She knew beforehand we were bringing a puppy, so that was unbelievably dangerous,” he said.

“We knew it was going to be rustic, but we thought we’d spend more of our time outside than in the house. But there’s rustic, and then there’s filthy, broken and items missing,” Rich’s wife added.

They also discovered that what looked like a microwave was actually the kitchen’s main oven, but the couple said, “You couldn’t even fit half a pizza in.” Rich’s wife said that the oven in the other building, which they were offered to use, was “so disgusting” and had “never seen something so dirty”, so they were left without an oven for a few days before it was cleaned again.

While they were caught off guard by the state of the property, the family decided to have some lunch outdoors near the pool on their first day. A platform area had been a “major selling point” for them because of the “beautiful views with a big table under some trees”.

In true French style, they laid out a “huge spread” on the outdoor table by the pool, with wine and cheese. “We put it all on the table, and it instantly collapsed. All the food and wine, everything went everywhere and broken plates”, Rich explained.

During their stay, Rich and his wife said they were in communication with the owner and Airbnb while documenting everything. “We were complaining and telling the owner what we found,” he said.

Airbnb confirmed that it has ground rules for hosts that make clear its expectations and the standards hosts must meet. If they fail to comply, Airbnb will investigate and take action, which may include removing the property from its platform.

“The owner was very responsive and trying to help, but she kept saying that it was her last rental and she’s selling the property,” Rich’s wife said. “She had given up on the property, really.”

To help with their issues, the owner said they could use the second building “freely”. However, this only revealed more, as it was “beyond dirty and dusty” and “uninhabitable”.

The couple explained that cleaners did return to clean the main property again during their stay following the complaints, but “didn’t do what they promised to do”. Although after two to three days, the pool was “back to a blue colour”.

The owner allegedly told the couple that before their arrival, she had around five 20-year-olds staying in the property and said that they had “left the place in a complete state, broken, and that’s why the pool was green.”

When speaking to the owner about the collapsed table, Rich said that the owner nonchalantly told them, ‘Oh, just take the table from the dining room in the house out there.’ He added that the owner had also told them she’d ordered new furniture, although it “never arrived”.

They were offered relocation by Airbnb, as all bookings come with AirCover, which means Airbnb will help guests find a similar place or issue a refund in the rare event that something isn’t as expected on arrival. However, because it was the peak summer period, they had two elderly parents, and one car that didn’t fit them all, they felt it wasn’t a realistic option for them.

Rich said: “The case was closed down without us being satisfied with any outcome”. Airbnb said it is providing feedback to the customer service teams that handled the case, as it did not meet their expectations.

In another turn of events, rain began leaking through the rental’s roof. His wife explained: “It was the final night in my bedroom, and thankfully, we weren’t in that room and didn’t have any lights on, but the rain flooded through the light socket.

“It went all over the bed. I had packed everything; my suitcase was open and directly under the flood. Every single item I owned was soaking wet.

“We were meant to drive back to the UK the next morning, but everything was wet, so I was desperately trying to dry everything before leaving, but didn’t manage to.”

After the ongoing ordeal of their accommodation, Rich said: “We need a holiday after the holiday. It just got worse and worse – it was hellish.”

A spokesperson for Airbnb said in a statement: “We are disappointed to hear about this experience and how it was handled. We have reached out to the guest to provide a monetary refund for the entire cost of their stay and are investigating the host.

“We have standards and ground rules for hosts, which require listings to be clean and free of health hazards, safety hazards and secure. While these reports are rare, we investigate and take the relevant action, which can include removal of listings from Airbnb.”

Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

WHY settle for one pretty European island, when you could head to two?

Located just 25 minutes apart, you could head to both Lanzarote and La Graciosa in Spain in one holiday.

Travel experts at Sundeals have shared that you could head to both Lanzarote and neighbouring La Graciosa without having to get another flight.

And the best part? A seven-night package costs as little as £254 per person.

From Lanzarote, it only takes 25 minutes on the ferry to reach La Graciosa, which is a volcanic island with less than 750 residents.

The ferry costs around €32 (£27.37) return per person.

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Sarah Jooste, Product Executive at Sundeals said: “Taking the ferry across to La Graciosa for the day completely changes your perspective of Lanzarote and feels like discovering a hidden island that many visitors never see.”

“For lunch, I’d recommend Casa Enriqueta on La Graciosa, where tapas start from around €6 (£5.13) per dish, while traditional rice and seafood dishes such as paella are typically around €16 (£13.69) per portion, served overlooking the harbour.”

While on the island, you can also head to Caleta de Sebo, which is the main hub of the island where you will find local shops and places serving fresh fish.

For a beach spot, visit Playa de las Conchas, which boasts golden sand and amazing views.

Thanks to the rugged landscape, another popular activity is to head off on a 4×4 Jeep Safari across volcanic land formations.

Prefer hiking? Head up Montaña Amarilla for panoramic views over the sea and coast.

Of course, Lanzarote has many amazing spots too including diving around Museo Atlántico which is Europe’s only underwater sculpture museum, with more than 300 sculptures.

You could also head to Jameos del Agua where you’ll find an underground lagoon inhabited by tiny blind albino crabs found nowhere else in the world.

There is even a restaurant hidden inside the volcanic cave too.

The restaurant serves traditional Canarian dishes but you could also book onto the Insólita Experience guided tour, which includes access to hidden areas of the caves, a tasting at Bar Galería and entry to the Casa de los Volcanes Museum from €41.20 (£35.24) per person.

Sarah also recommends: “Back on Lanzarote, Bodega Rubicón, in the La Geria region, is a brilliant place to experience the island’s unique volcanic wine culture, with tastings from around €22 (£18.82). It is one of those places where the landscape is just as memorable as the wine itself.”

Kevin Nelson, Managing Director at Sundeals said: “Our research tells us travellers are looking for smart ways to book holidays that give them exactly the experiences they want, with flexibility and a great price.

“A two-in-one holiday, where you have a central base but other destinations or countries nearby to spend a day in, are a great way to pack a lot in for a low-cost.

“Lanzarote is a brilliant example of that. Visitors can enjoy everything they expect from a Canary Island escape but also discover a real hidden gem in La Graciosa.

“For anyone looking to make the most of their holiday time, Lanzarote offers something increasingly valuable – the chance to experience several different sides of a destination without spending your trip travelling between airports.”

Holidaymakers warned viral airport photo trend can turn dangerous in seconds

British holidaymakers are being warned against copying viral plane-spotting videos at a popular Greek island airport. It comes after two tourists were seriously injured by jet blast within days of each other.

Skiathos International Airport, officially called Alexandros Papadiamantis Airport, has become one of Europe’s most famous plane-spotting locations because its runway sits extremely close to the coastline and surrounding public areas. Aircraft pass remarkably low over spectators as they approach, attracting holidaymakers who gather nearby to photograph and film arrivals and departures. It features a short, narrow runway measuring 5,341 feet.

But two recent incidents have highlighted the risk when aircraft are taking off. On August 10, a 52-year-old Italian tourist suffered serious head injuries after the force from a departing aircraft reportedly knocked her to the ground.

She was initially treated at the Skiathos Emergency Clinic before being airlifted to Volos General Hospital. Just three days later, another Italian woman in her early 50s reportedly suffered a severe arm fracture after being knocked over by the jet blast from another departing aircraft.

Local authorities and the airport have consistently placed large warning signs around the perimeter fence to emphasise the serious risks of being near departing aircraft. The prominent signs displayed around Skiathos International Airport, Alexandros Papadiamantis, alert onlookers that the force of engine thrust can push people and objects away. Police and city officials keep reminding visitors to avoid congregating directly behind the runway.

Emily Matthews, travel advisor at Private Portugal Tours, says tourists should understand that standing near a runway to watch a plane land and positioning themselves directly behind an aircraft preparing to depart can expose them to very different risks. “The videos that make Skiathos famous can make the whole experience look like an unusual holiday attraction, but tourists need to pay attention to exactly where they are standing and what the aircraft is doing,” Emily said.

“Standing directly behind a departing aircraft to get a dramatic video is something holidaymakers should avoid. If there are warning signs telling you about jet blast, take them literally and move away.”

Take off is where tourists need to be particularly careful

Skiathos has sometimes been described as Europe’s answer to St Maarten in the Caribbean, where aircraft famously pass low over a beach before reaching the runway. That close approach is what many tourists travel to photograph.

However, watching aircraft take off can be more hazardous for spectators too close to the runway perimeter, as large aircraft generate substantial thrust as they depart. Warning signs at Skiathos specifically alert visitors to the danger of jet blast.

“People may arrive because they have watched a video of an aircraft flying low overhead, then assume that anywhere around the runway is part of the same experience,” Emily said. “The important distinction is what happens when a plane turns around and prepares to take off. If you are positioned behind it, you can suddenly be in the path of extremely powerful airflow.

“Do not choose your position because a video looked impressive from there. Look at the warning signs around you and keep well away from areas where spectators are being warned about jet blast.”

Do not assume the crowd means the spot is safe

Plane spotting at Skiathos is well established, and large numbers of spectators can gather close to the airport. Emily says that creates another risk for tourists: assuming that a location must be safe because dozens of other people are already standing there.

“A crowd is not a safety assessment,” she said. “It is very easy on holiday to think, ‘Everyone else is doing it, so this must be where you are supposed to stand.’

“That logic can be especially persuasive when people have their phones out and appear to be waiting for exactly the same photograph. But warning signs do not stop applying because a crowd has formed beside them.”

The August 10 incident is currently being investigated by local authorities, according to reports. The tourist was believed to have been standing at a plane-spotting area close to the airport when she was knocked down. Skiathos has also seen jet-blast injuries in previous years, reinforcing that the hazard is not theoretical.

The ‘perfect’ video is not worth standing behind a departing aircraft for

Emily also warns tourists against trying to recreate footage they have seen online frame-for-frame. Viral travel videos often show only the few dramatic seconds when an aircraft passes or begins its take-off roll. They do not necessarily show the warnings around the location, how far the person filming is from the aircraft or what happened immediately afterwards.

“Social media can flatten the difference between watching something and participating in the risk,” Emily said. “You might see people’s clothes and hair being blown around and think that is part of the fun. Once enough videos like that circulate, being hit by the blast can almost become part of the attraction.

“Two serious injuries within days should be enough to remind people that being knocked off your feet is not a harmless holiday experience.” She advises tourists who want to watch aircraft to choose a position away from the direct line behind departing planes, respect barriers and signs, and move if local staff or authorities instruct spectators to do so.

Keep children away from the jet-blast area

Families should be particularly cautious about bringing young children into crowded plane-spotting locations where departing aircraft are nearby. “Children are naturally going to be excited when a huge aircraft passes close overhead, but this is one place where parents should decide where the family stands rather than simply following the crowd.

“If you cannot clearly understand the warnings or you are unsure whether your position is exposed to departing aircraft, move farther away. You can still enjoy watching the planes without trying to stand in the most dramatic possible spot.

“Skiathos is famous for an extraordinary view that aviation enthusiasts cannot experience at many other European destinations. That does not make every position around the runway equally safe. The simplest rule is to remember the difference between the spectacular low approach people travel to see and putting yourself behind an aircraft as it powers up to leave. A holiday video is never worth ignoring a warning sign for.”