Holidays

The Greek island of Symi is filled with pretty houses, epic beaches, and crystal-clear waters, but it has not seen the same visitor numbers as the likes of Crete, Santorini, Mykonos and Corfu

Greece is home to dozens of beautiful islands that attract millions of tourists annually. Among the most frequented are Santorini, Crete, Naxos, Mykonos and Corfu. However, while some enjoy immense popularity, there are others that despite their own charm, haven’t seen the same vast numbers of visitors.

Symi, located off the west coast of Greece and east of Tilos, is one of the most picturesque in the region. Part of the Dodecanese island group, it’s best known for its charming houses, stunning beaches and close proximity to the popular and significantly larger Greek island of Rhodes located to its south east.

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According to Visit Greece, the main town shares its name with the island it resides on. Interestingly, the town of Symi is reportedly divided into two parts, Gialos and Chorio.

Gialos is the section of the town nearest to the harbour and Chorio, meaning village, sprawls across the closest hillside, reports the Express.

Despite its small size, there’s a wealth of activities and attractions for visitors to engage with. These include visiting the local clock tower known as the Roloi, the statue of fisher boy Michalaki, the town hall, and the Naval Museum. Moreover, thousands of visitors make the journey to the Agios Ioannis, which serves as the main church of the town.

Access to Symi is only possible by boats and ferries after landing in mainland Greece. Travel website Greeka stated that it’s possible to reach the island via Athens and its Piraeus port.

Symi, like many other Greek islands, can get scorching hot during the summer months, with temperatures averaging around 26C in June and 28C in July and August.

These sweltering temperatures make it ideal weather for lounging on the beach, soaking up the sun’s rays and cooling off in the sea. As a result, spots like Saint George Bay and Nanou Beach have garnered rave reviews on TripAdvisor.

On Saint George Bay, Stavros L raved: “A must if you visit Symi. Amazing blue water and the surrounding cliffs create a unique atmosphere, quite crowded during July/August but worth it.”

Fellow user Hills A was equally impressed with Nanou Beach, saying: “Arrived at Nanou beach via our hired boat from Symi Coral Rent a Boat in Pedi Beach…our favourite bay in Symi.

“Crystal clear water, turquoise blue, perfect for snorkelling! The taverna there has delicious and fresh cuisine, plus friendly goats! Definitely going back soon!”

At the Mount Hagen Festival in Papua New Guinea, Janet met a community of people with a living connection to one of the darkest aspects of Papua New Guinea’s recent history – cannibalism

A dark tourist who has travelled to the furthest corners of the Earth met a tribe with a cannibal past at one of the “craziest, weirdest” events she has ever been to.

In recent years, Janet Newenham has really been clocking up the miles. The 38-year-old from Cork leads groups of women to strange and largely inaccessible places, including the alien-treed Socotra Island off the coast of Yemen and the ultra-advanced Chinese city of Chongqing.

However, few places could prepare her for the Mount Hagen Festival in Papua New Guinea, where hundreds of tribes from all over the island come together to showcase their traditional clothing, dances and games. It is a riot of colour and movement, unlike anything else in the world.

There, Janet met a community of people with a living connection to one of the darkest aspects of Papua New Guinea’s recent history – cannibalism.

By all accounts, the practice no longer occurs in the country, with the last well-documented incidents taking place in the 1960s. One of the last reported cases unfolded in the malaria-infested swampland of Sepik, a 45-minute plane ride from the city of Mount Hagen.

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It “was in 1964 when a group of men raided a neighbouring village for meat – as their ancestors had for thousands of years. All seven offenders were hanged by ‘kiaps’ – Australian patrol officers who were the law of the land until PNG’s independence in 1975,” wrote Ian Neubauer in 2018 following a visit to the region.

One tribe that also partook in cannibalism in the same decade is the Asaro people, who are known as the Asaro Mud Tribe.

“If people did them wrong or tried to steal their animals, often they would kill a member of the opposite tribe as punishment,” Janet told the Mirror following her visit. “They stopped more than 50 years ago. They said all tribes stopped in the 1960s.

“We did also meet other tribes that touched on it. And explained it was only ever to honour their family or to exact revenge on another tribe if they had killed someone.”

The timeline means that there are a handful of older members of the Asaro living today who were involved. “It wasn’t scary (to meet them), but the more you think about it, it is crazy to think that they have eaten people,” Janet added.

The reputation of the Asaro stretches far beyond the borders of Papua New Guinea, and not just because of their unusual past. Their cultural dress has also caught the eye and inspired many copycats. “They are covered in mud and they wear these really heavy masks designed to scare away their enemies,” Janet explained.

The history of the look is mired in confusion, but it is unlikely to be as ancient as one might suspect. In fact, some historians believe it had its origins in the 1950s.

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“According to one theory, some time ago, Asaro people were hiding from their enemies from another tribe near a riverbank of white clay. The Asaro got covered in clay and mud, and their appearance frightened the opponents, as in the traditions of the tribes, only the ghost can be white. But the legends of the Asaro people still do not explain why this tradition became so important for them, or how they got bamboo claws on their fingers,” writes the Journal News.

“Another version says that once, during a wedding of one Asaro, one man came in a strange costume with a terrible mask and clay on his body. Everyone thought he was a ghost, so they fled.”

According to research conducted in September 1996 by Danish anthropologist Ton Otto from Aarhus University, the Mudmen tradition is an invention of the Asaro people. Its current elaborate form evolved from a 1957 cultural fair, when the Asaro debuted the look, Otto claims.

Over the years, the tribe has used events such as Mount Hagen to show off and perfect their costumes and dances. However, this has given others the chance to copy the striking get-up.

Recently 29-year-old subsistence farmer Kori from Komunive village told the BBC of his concerns over plagiarism.

“The government does not recognise or protect our ownership rights and everyone in the highlands is now claiming to be a mud man,” he says. “But it’s our story and the others have copied it from us. It is a big worry for us because we don’t have any copyright protection.”

James Dorsey visited the Asaro five years ago and heard how an older member of the tribe relocated to a different part of the highlands in the late 20th century, which brought him into contact with other groups. From them, he learned the practice of bakime: using a disguise to take revenge on an enemy.

The returning elder introduced the method of covering one’s face with white tree sap as a disguise. This then morphed into girituwai, whereby a light wooden frame with a mud-soaked bag covering it engulfs the entire head. These were a part of the inter-tribe “spearing raids to capture pigs and women” that were common until the mid-20th century, Geographic Expeditions reports.

“In an effort to curb this cultural violence, in 1957 local organizers put on what was called the “First Eastern Highlands Agricultural Show,” and they invited the Asaro to participate. The tribal chairman at that time, Ruipo Okoroho, saw an opportunity to put the Mud Men on the tourist map. Organizing all of the local headmen, he had them wear, for the first time, the prototypes of today’s Papua New Guinea masks, large, surreal, and weighty,” the publication continues.

“The story goes that the day of the first Sing-Sing, as the show is popularly called, over 200 masked Mud Men stalked slowly onto the grounds, driving a screaming and terrified audience before them. No one had seen anything like them, especially not in such numbers. The Mud Men took first prize for tribal representation that year and the following two years, prompting an end to all such competitions in the future.”

MANCHESTER UNITED and Tottenham will face off in the Europa League final next week in a battle for a place amongst Europe’s elite.

The winner will earn a spot in next season’s Champions League, a reward that is potentially worth in excess of £100MILLION.

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Much has been made about whether that prize is suitable or not, given that United and Spurs currently occupy 16th and 17th spot in the Premier League – but Uefa aren’t changing their rules for the two underachievers.

Qualification would mean a huge amount to both clubs, with the lure of the Champions League meaning more top talent could be enticed to join in the summer – not to mention a huge boost to their transfer kitty.

For Spurs, the money would be the cherry on top of the giant cake that is ending their 17-year wait for a trophy.

While United almost NEED to win the competition given their current financial situation, with a defeat meaning a huge loss in potential revenue amid a slew of cost-cutting measure by Sir Jim Racliffe and his Ineos team.

Once getting to the Champions League, advancing to the very end could earn up to a potential £95m extra for the eventual winner – but United and Spurs will be aware that their chances of going all the way are slim.

In fact, of the eight different teams that have gained qualification into the Champions League by winning the Europa League over the last 10 years, just one has made it to the semi-finals.

That was Villarreal, who were knocked out of the tournament by eventual winners Liverpool.

Man Utd entered the competition thanks to their 2017 Europa League success under Jose Mourinho, only to lost to Sevilla in the Round of 16.

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While Chelsea did the same in 2019 and were kicked out by Bayern Munich in the last 16 too.

United and Chelsea are two of six teams that reached the last 16 after qualifying through the Europa League.

While Sevilla have twice failed to advance through the group stages and Atalanta were knocked out of this year’s competition in the qualifying knockout round.

Although it makes for bleak reading for Man Utd and Spurs fans, it’s worth noting that the lure – and cash injection – of playing in the Champions League has helped teams who qualified through the Europa League attract big players.

It was United’s entry to the 2017/18 competition that helped them sign Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelof in the following summer.

Chelsea were unable to purchase players following their success as they were hit with a transfer ban following academy player rule breaches.

Either way, the prize waiting for the winner of next week’s ‘Hell Clasico’ is something which cannot be underestimated and could have a huge impact on either club for years to come.

When vacationing in Los Angeles, you can truly choose your own adventure.

Those in search of luxury can stay in a five-star hotel, sleeping on a plush bed, soaking in a deep bath tub and lounging on a balcony with sweeping mountain views. But, among the mountains that surround L.A., a different kind of luxury is within reach. There you can sleep above the clouds, swim in deep river pools and watch the sun set over the same mountains seen from those nearby hotel balconies. And often, it’s free.

L.A.’s proximity to public lands offers the unique opportunity to slip away for a weekend backpacking trip with ease. In the same day, you could savor breakfast tacos in Grand Central Market and fall asleep under the stars at your campsite. In fact, in under an hour’s drive, you can start a hike to one of around 20 backpacking sites in Angeles National Forest or the Santa Monica Mountains.

But it can be hard to know where to start. Backpacking, unlike camping, requires you to be entirely self-reliant. If you forget your toothbrush, there’s no 7-Eleven or camp store nearby to save you. It also means leaving behind certain luxuries, like a campground host to sell you firewood or the ability to pack every possible Trader Joe’s snack in your car. Everything you need must fit in your pack.

Not to worry, I’ve put together a comprehensive guide to becoming a competent — perhaps even expert — backpacker. It includes both a list of how to plan ahead to ensure you’re safe and ready, a curated list of backpacking sites near L.A. organized by the difficulty of the hike to reach them and how much “roughing it” each site requires.

I chose these spots, in part, because you don’t have to drive too far, they’re all first come, first served, the roads to reach them are paved and trails to reach each site are generally well-maintained. They’re also delightful hikes on their own, featuring wildflowers, native trees and loads of local birds and other critters. Each spot is isolated enough to make you feel like you’re outside the city without being so devoid of human life that it feels like you’re auditioning for the next season of “Naked and Afraid.”

Before diving in, though, let’s go over how to set yourself up for success when seeking sanctuary in our local mountains.

What to bring | Getting there | Beginner backpacking campsites| Intermediate backpacking campsites | Advanced backpacking campsites

What to bring

Unlike car camping, where you can pack every sweater, blanket and spoon you could imagine needing into your trunk, backpacking requires you to be selective. That is, unless you plan to carry 100 pounds of gear through the forest. What you will need to be self-sufficient will vary, and there are many great lists to guide you in what gear to bring, but I’ll run through the absolute necessities.

First, plan to bring enough calories to get you through your stay in the woods. It is generally recommended to pack between 1.5 to 2.5 pounds of food (2,500 to 4,500 calories) per day. (There’s a handy calculator here to determine your body weight, level of activity and amount of calories you’ll need.)

For the majority of the sites listed below, you will either need to bring your water or treat your water, for which there are several options. When it comes to the amount of water to bring, it will depend on the weather, your body’s preferences and the difficulty of the hike you’re taking to reach your campground. Some suggest one liter of water for every two hours you’ll hike, while others say it’s one liter of water for every five miles you’re traveling.

Campfires are not allowed on federal land in the Santa Monica Mountains. In Angeles National Forest, the fire danger level dictates when and what types of fire and fuel sources are allowed. As of this spring, the risk is “very high,” down from “extreme,” which means burning campfires in established fire pits and using most backpacking stoves is allowed. Before heading out, make sure you register for a California campfire permit, print it and have it on your person. It is required, regardless of wildfire risk.

Lastly, assume you won’t have cell service in Angeles National Forest or the Santa Monica Mountains, where the below campgrounds are located. You should fill out this form and share it with a friend, spouse or family member to ensure someone knows where you’re going. Also be sure to leave a copy on your vehicle’s window in case a rescue team needs to look for you. It’s important that you know where the closest fire or law enforcement station is to your campground — Angeles National Forest has a handful.

You should consider bringing a satellite communicator. Some newer model iPhones and Android devices can connect to satellites to send text messages. It’s best to test this while on a hike before planning to use it on a backpacking trip.

Getting there

Before heading out, check the weather and for road closures. Download your driving and hiking routes on your navigation apps. For example, Google Maps allows you to download a section of a map to use offline.

You should also bring a paper map. You can buy one at an outdoors outfitter or print one from a mapping site like CalTopo. I’ve downloaded a map from CalTopo and then printed it on waterproof paper at a FedEx office store. Having a physical map of the area will also allow you to see and navigate nearby trails, should you want to explore beyond your campsite.

(Marie Doazan for The Times)

For the seasoned car camper who’s backpacking-curious (beginner)

At each of these beginner-level backpacking sites, you will generally find water, either from a nearby stream or, in one spot, piped in. Their campsites feature picnic tables and have restrooms (including, in one case, flushing toilets!). The hikes to reach these two trail camps are short and, as a bonus, quite pleasant. You’ll likely spot wildflowers, including lupines and goldenrod, and you’ll be near trails to explore more, should you choose to venture out of your haven in the woods.

Cooper Canyon Trail Camp

The Cooper Canyon Trail Camp in Angeles National Forest.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

The Cooper Canyon Trail Camp is a backcountry group campground shaded by towering old pine trees. It has five sites and features vault toilets, campfire rings, klamath stoves and large picnic tables. And unlike most of the spots on this list, bear-proof boxes are available to store food and scented items.

There is no piped water. Campers can pack in water, or filter water from the seasonal stream that flows next to the campground. Just over a mile east of the campground, this stream meets up with Little Rock Creek, which flows about 17 miles from the San Gabriel Mountains to the Mojave Desert. Cold plunges are optional but highly encouraged.

The trail camp can be reached three main ways:

• Starting at the Cloudburst Summit trailhead, taking the Pacific Crest Trail mostly downhill 2.5 miles northeast to the trail camp.
• Starting at the Cloudburst Summit trailhead, taking the fire road 1.5 miles down to the trail camp.
• Starting at the Burkhart trailhead from the day use parking lot on the eastern end of the Buckhorn Campground. You will hike 1.5 miles north on a downhill path and then turn west onto the Pacific Crest Trail (also a part of the Silver Moccasin Trail). You will travel one mile uphill, gaining about 540 feet in elevation, before reaching the trail camp. (This is the most challenging of the three routes.)

Because it sits along the Pacific Crest Trail, the campground is also used by thru-hikers, including those taking the entire trail from Mexico to Canada. Perhaps you’ll make a new friend!

While at the campground, you could take a side trip to Cooper Canyon falls, or continue exploring the Pacific Crest Trail. Or, simply hang up a hammock and sway to the sound of the stream, songbirds and the gentle swoosh of the wind through the trees. Cooper Canyon has long been a beloved place to spend nights outdoors.

“If there is a moon, the nights are like a sparkling fairyland, and if no moon, one may see a million stars which those in the cities never know,” outdoorsman Will Thrall wrote of the area in 1936 in his Times column, “Your Hike Today.”

L.A. and its surrounding area have substantially more light pollution almost 90 years later, but the skies above Cooper Canyon Trail Camp will still delight any overnight visitor.

Musch Trail Camp

Musch Trail Camp is a small but charming campground in Topanga State Park that recently reopened after being spared by the Palisades fire.

The 82-acre Trippet Ranch, as it is known today, was originally called “Rancho Las Lomas Celestiales” by its owner Cora Larimore Trippet, a founding member of the Hollywood Bowl and once a national officer in the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, according to her obituary and the Valley Relics Museum. She was married to judge Oscar A. Trippet.

The Musch Trail Camp is a small but charming site in Topanga State Park.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

The property’s name translates to “Ranch of Heavenly Hills,” which still rings true today. You’ll hike the moderate Musch Trail from the Trippet Ranch parking lot of Topanga State Park, feasting your eyes on those aforementioned hills. In spring, the area will be dotted with wild blooms of sticky monkey flower, canyon sunflower and golden yarrow.

Unlike every other site on this list, Musch Trail Camp has flush toilets, sinks and potable water. What a luxury! The only caveat is, per a park staffer I spoke with, maintenance staff turns the water on when they know campers are coming. Before heading out, please call the Angeles District of California State Parks at (818) 880-0363 to ask them to have the water turned on.

On top of having potable water, it’s only a mile hike to reach this site. You’ll park in the Trippet Ranch lot in Topanga State Park and pay the parking fee ($10 per night). The trailhead is in the northeast corner of the lot near the small pond. Enjoy the lush flora along the way. Upon arrival, drop your camping fee ($7 per night) in the iron ranger.

While at the campground, I felt a bit like Snow White as I sat quietly observing quail, hummingbirds and moles, and heard something crunching on a leafy meal (probably a deer). Though this little nook in Topanga State Park is likely safe from evil queens.

(Marie Doazan for The Times)

Our intermediate sites are a bit farther to reach than the beginner options, and in one case, requires you to bring your own water. They both have picnic tables and tall shade trees where you can rest with a book or journal. They also both have vault toilets and, when I visited, were even stocked with toilet paper. Both allowed me alone time with nature that’s rare to find on L.A.’s more heavily trafficked urban trails. The surrounding hillsides and old trees were excellent company in themselves, and made me feel at peace. I hope you find a similar serenity on your travels!

Valley Forge Trail Camp

The Valley Forge Trail Camp is a refreshing refuge of mighty pines next to the pristine West Fork of the San Gabriel River. It has six group campsites with picnic tables and campfire rings, and has four well-maintained vault toilets. At night, it offers clear views of the starry sky.

One of a handful of sites at the Valley Forge Trail Camp in Angeles National Forest.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

It has all those things. But it does not have piped water. Campers will need to either bring their own or treat the water in the river (when flowing).

To reach the campground, you have the choice of two routes:

• Parking at the Red Box Picnic Area and taking the Gabrielino National Recreation Trail about 2.4 miles down. This moderate hike follows the West Fork of the San Gabriel River and features large oak trees and other gorgeous native foliage.
• Parking at Red Box Picnic Area and taking the Rincon Red Box Road, a fire road, about 3.2 miles down. On the way back, you’ll gain about 1,200 feet in elevation.
• And as a bonus, because both routes start near the Red Box Picnic Area, you can take one up and one down if you’d like a change of scenery on the way back.

The campsite’s name is a reference to the Valley Forge Lodge, which operated in the area in the early 1900s. It was advertised as “the camp with real old Western hospitality” and featured dinner dances, badminton and trout fishing. Its guest list included celebrities like actor Lon Chaney, “the man of a thousand faces,” who in the summer of 1927 was among those lucky enough to catch trout.

The sunset from the trail to reach the Valley Forge Trail Camp.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Even though the lodge is gone, its description in a 1937 advertisement holds true: “Cool and delightfully wooden location” with bubbling streams. These days the trout are few, but you’ll fall asleep listening to the nearby frogs and toads serenading the night from their river homes.

Sulphur Springs Trail Camp

Sulphur Springs Trail Camp sits at 5,300 feet in Angeles National Forest and features about six tent-camping sites. Just off the Pacific Crest Trail, its campsites are shaded by tall pine trees, ideal for hanging a hammock. It has vault toilets but no potable water or bear boxes.

Although the South Fork of Little Rock Creek runs through the campground, the water was, to use a scientific term, kind of gross. Portions of the creek appeared clear, but other parts were full of algae and made me question whether even filtering would make the water safe to drink.

There’s a faucet on the eastern end of the campground where water from the creek is piped, but upon my arrival, the trough where the water came out was covered in thick green algae. A sign next to it reads “Water not tested, Boil for 5 minutes before use.” Although there might be water available in late winter and early spring, I would not expect there to be much come summer. And even then, I will still plan to bring my own water.

The sites at Sulphur Springs Trail Camp in Angeles National Forest feature picnic tables and fire pits, along with tall pine and other native trees.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

To reach the campground, you’ll park at Three Points and cross the street to access the trailhead. There was a large tree blocking my view of the trailhead when I visited in early April, but upon squinting at my map, I found it. I hope it’s cleared when you go!

You’ll take the Pacific Crest Trail about 3.6 miles to reach the trail camp. There are several boulders in the first mile of the hike, including one area where you can scramble about just under half a mile in. Be mindful of rattlesnakes, as it looks like the perfect spot for them to nap.

The trail seems to transverse through an ecotone, a transitional zone between plant communities, switching between high desert and pine forest ecosystems. You’ll pass through patches of manzanita and yucca and then forested parts with Coulter pines, all the while with a view of the valley below.

When I left the trail camp late in the day, the golden sun blanketed the tree-lined mountainsides. I was reminded of just how many shades of green can be seen when one takes time to explore — to escape — into the forest. It was a five-star experience.

(Marie Doazan for The Times)

For those seeking self-sufficiency — and a break from noisy neighbors (advanced)

The campsites below are the farthest hikes on the list, but both of the hikes to reach them are spectacular. One provides tremendous ocean views while the other is a stunning paved path through the dense forest. As a bonus, you can bike to the second site if bikepacking is something you’re into.

The only amenity both offer is a picnic table. One site does have a single vault toilet.

That said, these two sites are a true escape, and you’ll likely see wildlife like mule deer and hear the howls of coyotes.

La Jolla Walk-In Campsite

The La Jolla Walk-In Campsite is a small campground in dense chaparral in Point Mugu State Park in the Santa Monica Mountains. It has three small sites featuring a picnic table with a metal box attached for food and scented items. There is a seasonal stream, but it’s often dry. Campers should plan to pack water in. There are no fires allowed and unfortunately dogs are not invited to join. It costs just $10 per night, a fee campers prepay at the La Jolla/Ray Miller parking area.

The campground is half a mile off the Backbone Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains, offering an overnight option for those wanting to tackle more of the iconic trail than can be accomplished in a day.

You can reach the campground by parking at the lot off Highway 1. Although it’s possible to leave your car outside the park for a day hike, parking isn’t allowed on the shoulder daily from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The campsites at La Jolla Walk-In Campsite are rustic but provide privacy and clear views of the night sky.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

You’ll start at the Ray Miller Trailhead, named after California State Park’s first official campground host, and take the route, also known as the Backbone Trail, about 4.6 miles before turning west onto the La Jolla Valley Fire Road, which will take you the half mile to the trail camp.

The scenery along the way is stunning and diverse. For the first 2.5 miles of the hike, you’ll be rewarded with better and better ocean views as you gain elevation, including two miles in when you can see a gorgeous stretch of coast line.

You will transition from the Ray Miller Trail to the Overlook Fire Road — all still the Backbone Trail — about 2.6 miles in. At this point, you’ll mostly lose the ocean view but be greeted by a diversity of local plants, including wildflowers like spreading phlox, and varieties of poppies, lupines and paintbrushes.

This trail camp is also reachable by starting at the Chumash Trail, but given that trail’s steepness, this reporter isn’t advising that as an option for backpackers. (Even if it is a shorter route to reach the campground.)

Glenn Camp Campground

The Glenn Camp Campground is a 10-site forested haven next to the West Fork of the San Gabriel River. It is open year round and features picnic tables, grills and fire pits.

There is no piped water. Campers will need to either bring their own or filter water from the nearby river.

The Glenn Camp Campground in the San Gabriel Mountains in Angeles National Forest.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

The restrooms are, unfortunately, closed until further notice. You’ll need to relieve yourself ideally 200 feet from the river, especially when you have to — hey, let’s just say it! — poop. You’ll want to bring a trowel, and have a plan for toilet paper. (This how-to video is worth watching before heading out) The best practice is to pack it out. If you plan to use natural elements for wiping, make sure you know what poison ivy and other unfriendly plants look like. Not something you want to explain to the doctor at urgent care!

A deer stands on the bank of the West Fork of the San Gabriel River near the Glenn Camp Campground.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

This campground was previously open only on the weekends because of nearby construction, but that restriction has ended.

To reach the campground, you can either hike or bike the seven-mile West Fork National Scenic Bikeway. You will gain just over 500 feet in elevation as you travel along this mostly paved path that runs parallel to the West Fork of the San Gabriel River. After a good rain, waterfalls run down the hillsides next to the path. Yes, it is as heavenly as it sounds.

The campground sits next to the river and is shaded by old-growth trees, including at least one you could climb into and read a book. Yeah, that’s freedom!

Remember

In a world where our phones can quickly provide us with anything we’re willing to pay a delivery fee for, backpacking can offer a necessary reset for our over-reliance on technology. Stepping away into the L.A. mountains, you’ll be greeted with a sound bath from crickets and birds as the smell of pine, sage and bay laurel fills your nostrils. It is an opportunity to be present with yourself and those around you, and worry yourself only with questions of whether someone should throw another log on the fire. Deep bathtub be damned, that sense of presence is the greatest luxury of all.

A MAN accused of beating a florist to death has been cleared in the UK’s longest-ever miscarriage of justice.

Peter Sullivan was jailed for life with a minimum of 16 years in 1987 for the murder of 21-year-old Diane Sindall in Bebington, Merseyside.

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The loner, who was 29 at the time, has spent the past 38 years maintaining his innocent and is now appealing his conviction for a third time.

It comes after new tests ordered by the Criminal Cases Review Commission revealed his DNA was not present on samples preserved at the time.

His lawyers said that if his conviction is quashed, he would be the longest-serving victim of a miscarriage of justice in the UK.

The Crown Prosecution Service today told the Court of Appeal the new evidence is enough to cast “sufficient” doubt on the conviction.

It also agreed the fresh clue was “reliable” and that the CPS “does not seek to argue that this evidence is not capable of undermining the safety of Mr Sullivan’s conviction”.

Duncan Atkinson KC, for the CPS, said: “The respondent considers that there is no credible basis on which the appeal can be opposed, solely by reference to the DNA evidence.

“On the contrary, the DNA evidence provides a clear and uncontroverted basis to suggest that another person was responsible for both the sexual assault and the murder.

“As such, it positively undermines the circumstantial case against Mr Sullivan as identified at the time both of his trial and his 2021 appeal.”

Diane had just left her shift as a part-time barmaid at a pub in Bebington when her small blue van ran out of petrol.

She was making her way to a garage when she was beaten to death and sexually assaulted in a “frenzied” attack.

Her body was discovered partially clothed close to a grass verge.

Sullivan, who is watching the appeal from HMP Wakefield, was said to have spent the day of the murder drinking heavily.

Following his arrest in September 1986, he was quizzed 22 times and denied legal advice in the first seven interviews – despite requesting it.

Sullivan later “confessed to the murder” in an unrecorded interview a day after his arrest.

He then made a formal confession but the court was told this was “inconsistent with the facts established by the investigation“.

It also went against his earlier interviews, with Sullivan retracting the admission later that day.

Since his conviction, questions have been raised about whether he had proper legal representation during his interviews.

Evidence related to bite marks on Diane’s body has also been called into question.

At the time of the case, DNA technology was not available and subsequent requests for new tests were refused.

Sullivan first went to the CCRC for help in 2008 but they did not refer the sentence to the Court of Appeal.

He then launched his own appeal bid in 2019, which judges dismissed after ruling the bite mark evidence was not central to the prosecution at trial.

In 2021, Sullivan went back to the CCRC and raised concerns over police interviews, the bite mark evidence and the murder weapon.

The independent body revealed Sullivan’s DNA was not present on samples preserved at the time.

This led Merseyside Police to confirm they were “carrying out an extensive investigation in a bid to identify who the new DNA profile belongs to”.

The force revealed they had no matches on the police database but were contacting people previously identified in the original probe to request new samples.

Sullivan’s barrister Jason Pitter KC today told the court that Diane’s murder was “a grotesque offence”.

But he argued that the evidence could not now pass “the threshold with which a prosecution could take place”.

While he accepted that improvements in science and the “passage of time” had “significantly assisted” Sullivan’s position, the new DNA evidence showed the killer “was not the defendant”.

He also explained the bite mark evidence, which the prosecution claimed matched Sullivan, was no longer viewed as reliable evidence of identification in criminal cases.

Mr Pitter told the court “significant admissions” and “incriminating statements” made by Sullivan at the time of the killing were “inherently unreliable” due to his “vulnerability”.

He added: “The appellant was extremely vulnerable in an interrogative situation, because of his limited intellectual functioning, combined with his problems with self-expression, his disposition to acquiesce, to yield, to be influenced, manipulated and controlled and his internal pressure to speak without reflection and his tendency to engage in make-believe to an extreme extent.

“What he was saying was nonsense, in plain terms.”

Jonathan Arthur, 34, and wife Xun Sun, 35, were flying from Shanghai Pudong Airport to London Heathrow for a family wedding when they were told they couldn’t board their British Airways flight

A family was barred from their flight due to suspicions over insect bites on their toddler’s leg.

Jonathan Arthur, 34, and his wife Xun Sun, 35, were travelling from Shanghai Pudong Airport to London Heathrow for a family wedding when they noticed some insect bites on their one-year-old son Joseph.

Upon clocking the bites, they asked British Airways staff at the desk where they could purchase some allergy medication as a precaution.

The couple alleges that the check-in desk assistant called a medical advice hotline who advised them not to board the flight, fearing that the rash around the bites might be a reaction to Joseph’s mild peanut allergy which could worsen during the flight.

The airline staff insisted that the child needed a ‘fit to fly’ letter from a doctor and escorted the family away from the boarding gate, making them feel like criminals.

Have you been blocked from a flight? Email [email protected]

READ MORE: Martin Lewis’ warning to Brit holidaymakers over common luggage item

After being turned away, they spent the entire day at the airport before re-booking flights with another airline, which didn’t require a letter, for that evening.

The bites, no larger than 1cm in diameter, vanished within 10-15 minutes of applying a bite cream and caused no further discomfort to the child, the parents claimed.

Jonathan, a marketing and sales professional from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, currently working in Hangzhou, said: “It was nothing more than swollen bites.”

He added: “At the desk they asked loads of questions after they saw the bites and so we told them about his mild peanut allergy.

“The medical staff at the airport said to apply some ointment and wait 10 minutes – which we were happy to do. But the BA staff said we needed to call their medical advice line.

“They thought his peanut allergy was the cause – so they didn’t want to take the risk. His bites were actually going down by this point, and my son was completely fine. But as we were speaking, staff were already unloading our suitcases. We were treated like we had done something wrong.”

The dual-nationality family had booked return flights at a cost of £3,000 two weeks prior, with the intention to fly back on May 1 for a family wedding on May 3.

Upon discovering four itchy welts surrounded by a pinkish rash and slight swelling on their son’s legs, back and arms during their holiday, parents sought online medical advice.

An e-doctor confirmed that the marks were indeed bites and suggested purchasing antihistamines to reduce the inflammation.

Before heading to the departure gate, the couple queried if they could purchase these medications at an airport pharmacy.

However, the sight of the marks and the mention of medicine linked to allergies prompted the boarding gate staff to summon the airport’s medical personnel and to consult BA’s medical hotline.

Jonathan explained: “The bites just came out red because of the heat, and because he had a nappy on rubbing against them.”

The family hypothesised that their son’s reaction might have been caused by bedbugs or mosquito bites at their accommodation and simply planned to acquire some allergy relief as a precaution.

Jonathan revealed that the airport’s on-site medical team, who were not BA employees, asked if they had any bite cream in their luggage – which they did – and instructed them to use it.

He stated that they informed him that if the bites began to subside within ten minutes, they would be cleared for flight – however, he alleges that a BA medical adviser over the phone vetoed this.

Despite arguing that the bites and rashes were unrelated to his mild peanut allergy, Jonathan and Xun were informed they could not board without a fit-to-fly certificate.

Jonathan said: “BA simply told us we couldn’t fly, gave us a case number and someone to contact about a fit-to-fly letter. We knew the rash had nothing to do with the peanut allergy – the bite was already subsiding after we applied the bite cream.”

They are now liaising with BA and their third-party booking agency to seek a refund. Jonathan expressed: “We felt like criminals – as if we had done something wrong.

“I find it odd that someone else in a different country can speak to an airport staff member who isn’t a medical professional, diagnose and refuse boarding, without seeing the rash.

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“When you pay for a service you expect to be treated like a customer, not like a nuisance.It felt like they thought ‘they’re not flying, just get rid of them’.”

A spokesperson for BA commented: “We take the safety and well-being of our customers very seriously and do everything we can to support them when issues like this arise.

“This includes accessing specialist medical advice to assess an individual’s suitability to travel, which is what happened in this case. Whilst we appreciate our customer was disappointed with this decision, we never compromise passenger safety.”

Some advice: If you love something, set it free — even the Miu Miu heels.

This was the notion that two friends, Quinn Shephard and Francesca Goncalves, were discussing in a sun-kissed setting (a “pool somewhere,” Shephard recalls). They wanted to barter their old clothing, but that was a sticky prospect in Los Angeles — the scene is riddled with suspicious stares from thrift store employees and digital cold wars with teenagers on Depop. There’s pomp and circumstance at every turn.

Kristen Vaganos and Kate Mansi help a shopper try on some shoes.

(Yasara Gunawardena / For The Times)

“So many people are like: I go to Wasteland or Crossroads and I get $3,” Shephard explains. “They’re not nice to me.”

Shephard and Goncalves wanted to start a closet sale that felt more like a fun hangout with friends. So one day last summer, Shephard and Goncalves hit the streets of Silver Lake, asking small businesses if they’d host an event that they were calling Outfit Repeater L.A. Shephard jokes that Goncalves is the “mayor of Silver Lake” — the kind of Gatsby-like woman who makes Los Angeles feel like a small town, chatting with strangers with an endearing openness. Finally, they arrived at Constellation Coffee, a contemporary, sleek coffee shop. To their surprise, the manager agreed to host Outfit Repeater L.A. that upcoming Sunday.

“She’s used to indie filmmaking, where you have to go up and ask people for things, and there’s power in that,” Goncalves says of Shephard, the director of TV shows including the Hulu drama “Under the Bridge.” Goncalves works in Stanford Medicine’s genetics department.

With their event fast approaching, Shephard and Goncalves created a blitzkrieg of advertisements across social media and posted fliers on lampposts throughout the neighborhood to drum up excitement. “We literally put up fliers until 2 am. It’s so funny because Quinn doesn’t do anything unless it’s 100%, and I’m like that too,” says Goncalves.

Clockwise from left: A shopper looks at a skirt. Seller Samantha Rose and Liv Hoffner. Outfit Repeater L.A. co-founder Francesca Goncalves talks with seller Mitch deQuilettes. (Yasara Gunawardena / For The Times)

The first Outfit Repeater L.A. event was a success, drawing a crowd of fashion enthusiasts and women who wanted to sell their beloved wardrobes directly to buyers, bypassing the intermediary of a thrift store. Women attendees eagerly inquired about selling their own clothes at the next event, offering up locations and contacts. “New coffee shops wanted to host us, and new girls wanted to sell,” Goncalves says. “It snowballed into this thing where it’s just getting bigger and bigger, completely by accident.”

Since then, Outfit Repeater L.A. has garnered a reputation as the Eastside’s hippest trading post for “it” girls, creatives and fashion trendsetters. Sellers have included independent film darlings like Geraldine Viswanathan and Francesca Reale, as well as fashion influencers with enviable style, such as Macy Eleni.

Despite its newfound fame, at its core, the closet sale is inclusive and accessible to people of all income levels. “I wanted to keep it very accessible. I charge a seller fee that’s so low, just to cover expenses. It’s not just vintage resellers or influencers that can afford to sell,” says Goncalves.

Outfit Repeater L.A. co-founder Francesca Goncalves.

(Yasara Gunawardena / For The Times)

Goncalves attributes the success of the event to a hunger for social events that offer an alternative to the monotony of bar hangs. “People are tired of the bar scene,” she says.

Shephard explains that the appeal is simple: “It’s like going to a party with your friends for the day, plus you make money.”

At a recent Outfit Repeater L.A. event at Lamill Coffee in Silver Lake, actor Kate Mansi was selling her wardrobe after discovering the event through a friend’s recommendation. “I’m always selling stuff on Instagram,” Mansi says. “It’s nice to do it face to face. Clothes have a story. It’s nice to hear the story of the piece you’re inheriting.”

Kate Mansi in front of her closet rack.

(Yasara Gunawardena / For The Times)

Mansi adds, “I have a very Virgo system with my closet where I turn the hanger backwards if it’s something I haven’t worn, and if in a year, I still haven’t worn it, it must go.” On this Sunday, one of those items was a well-loved blue polka-dot romper with puff sleeves, which Mansi found at a vintage store years earlier, and she sold it for $20. Another was an All Saints trenchcoat, priced at $40, and a gray A.L.C. blouse, for $30. A classic denim Levi’s jacket found a new home for $30.

Mansi parted ways with a black dress by Jonathan Simkhai, one of her favorite designers. To the woman who bought it, Mansi wisely prescribed that she wear the dress casually with flats or boots.

At a time when fashion retail has shifted online due to the pandemic, an in-person thrifting event has been warmly received by the community. “I’m focused on each sale being a unique thing that people walk away from, having gotten a cool piece and making a few new friends and maybe a lover or boyfriend,” says Goncalves.

Alena Nemitz, who has been creating social media content for Outfit Repeater L.A., met her partner of five months at one of the events. “I was selling, and they were walking through and introduced themselves to me,” she says. “Now we’re dating, which is so cute.”

Eleni, who wrote a book on thrifting called “Second Chances,” was one of Outfit Repeater’s earliest sellers and champions. Growing up with a single mother in Dayton, Ohio, Eleni explains that she was bullied for thrifting during her childhood and is overjoyed to see a new generation embrace it. She believes some of the newfound eagerness for thrifting comes from an increased awareness of the devastating impact of fast fashion. “When I was a teenager, I wasn’t seeing videos on my phone of the inside of a Shein factory,” she says. “The curtains have been lifted, and there’s no way to claim ignorance as to where things are coming from anymore.”

Outfit Repeater L.A. has built a community of shoppers excited about clothing, Eleni explains. “Everyone is gassing each other up about how fabulous they look,” she says. “I love seeing people’s faces light up over other people’s things that they’re ready to be done with. It’s less [about] people trying to flip a profit and more people just trying to swap their clothes, share their clothes with each other.”

Goncalves describes the endearing experience of spotting items she sold from her closet on other women around Silver Lake. The world suddenly feels smaller and warmer. “I think clothes are so personal, but they are fleeting in a way,” she says. You love something and you want to pass it on, but it’s still your life and your ecosystem, even if it’s not right for you anymore.”

A furry friend passes through the event.

(Yasara Gunawardena / For The Times)

There’s an oft-repeated Disneyland creation myth: Artist and animation art director Herb Ryman was given 48 hours to draw an early, heavily detailed and romanticized map of the theme park, which would be used to help sell the project to investors. Although that’s all true, Ryman’s work — one of the most famous and important Disneyland drawings — was far from the first map of Disneyland, as it is often colloquially referred to.

Ryman’s work was in fact an iteration of sorts, based upon years of master planning from Walt Disney and early collaborator Marvin Davis, a cinematic art director responsible for much of Disneyland’s early designs. Some never-before-seen work of Davis and other Disneyland designers will be unearthed in the new book “The Happiest Place On Earth,” from animation producer Don Hahn and theme park designer Christopher Merritt. Both Hahn and Merritt have over the years morphed into theme-park historians, and the book is being released July 15 to coincide with Disneyland’s 70th anniversary.

“Marvin Davis claimed that, as he sat there, probably in a room by himself at the studio with Walt standing over him poking him in the shoulder, he did 133 revisions of these maps to get to the Disneyland layout by 1955,” Merritt says. “A few of these maps have been shown before but a lot of these have not been seen before.”

The archives at Walt Disney Imagineering, the secretive division of the company responsible for theme-park experiences. Found in the archives were multiple maps from Marvin Davis that explore Disneyland’s roots.

(Walt Disney Co.)

The book will trace the development of Disneyland, starting in the early ’50s when Disney flirted with the idea of placing the park next to the studio in Burbank — concepts drawn by Harper Goff — to many of Davis’ gradual advancements of the theme-park form. Study them, and they reveal how many of Disneyland’s core ideas were in place by the early 1950s, although they morphed. Alice in Wonderland, for instance, was once envisioned as a walk-through attraction, to be placed across the way from an archery in Fantasyland.

Hahn makes the case that many of the early seeds for Disneyland were planted during a 1948 trip that Disney and animator Ward Kimball took to Chicago. There, the two attended the Chicago Railroad Fair, which had, among its attractions, Abraham Lincoln reenactments and a re-creation of a frontier town.

“His first memo he did when he got home from the Chicago Railroad Fair was all about trying to create these certain regions,” Hahn says. “If you look at the early Burbank parks, there was a western village, there was a stagecoach, there was a railroad station, there was a Tom Sawyer-ish island. A lot of those things came from the Railroad Fair.”

And there was a lot of early experimentation and many a discarded idea. One of Merritt’s favorite rejected concepts was a Tomorrowland exhibition dedicated to hunting for uranium. The attraction has been referenced by Disney and others over the years as a “lost” attraction, but “The Happiest Place on Earth” will feature some never-before-seen concept art from Imagineer Claude Coats.

“Uranium Hunt was an attraction strangely enough to be placed in Tomorrowland, although Claude designed it with Southwestern rock work,” Merritt says. “It was kind of outside rock maze, and the idea was they would hand you Geiger counters, and there was going to be real radioactive uranium embedded in the rock work that you would measure. In the end, they would give you a souvenir uranium to take home with you, which is just crazy-pants.”

Not all of the early Disneyland ideas are as outlandish. What follows are a few of the maps — and some early designs — that led to what would become Disneyland as we know it today.

Early sketches reveal an opera house, general store and more

A Harper Goff-drawn concept for a Disney theme park in Burbank. This is believed to have been drawn in 1951.

(Walt Disney Co.)

An early 1950s sketch layout of Disneyland, focusing on merchandising outlets.

(Walt Disney Co.)

Disney first considered a theme park across from its studios in Burbank, land that is today occupied by Walt Disney Animation Studios and the West Coast headquarters of ABC. The idea, in its early conceptions, included much of what would later make its way to Disneyland — a train, a steamboat and less detailed versions of Main Street and a Frontierland.

Of particular note here is the second photo, unearthed in “The Happiest Place on Earth” for the first time. The focus is on merchandising locations, but those who study the image will spy an opera house and a general store, believed to be the first time such concepts appear. There’s also a spaceport, a haunted house and a re-creation of London’s Tower Bridge. Shops are said to be themed to properties such as “Cinderella” and “Pinocchio.”

“It shows the holistic thinking, too, of not just the attractions but commerce,” Hahn says. “Where the stores would be, where the cafes would be, and kind of a guest-experience mentality. That was a real theme-park innovation, where you’re transported in time to Frontierland but the food and the costumes add up to Frontierland as well. You see the beginnings of that in a map like this.”

The beginnings of Frontierland and the Storybook Land Canal Boats

An early Disneyland map drawn by Marvin Davis. This map was likely drawn around 1953.

(Walt Disney Co.)

These early Disneyland schematics from Davis begin to capture Disneyland’s “hub” idea, that is, a central area that leads to and from its themed spaces. There’s a large theater space, believed to be designed in the hopes of Disneyland becoming a television production locale, and a significant plot dedicated to a river with surrounding attractions — the map calls for a space for otters, as well as a swamp area.

The Frontierland concept is still present, complete with a pony ranch and a stagecoach, as is a haunted house and a land themed to miniatures, a concept that would ultimately become the Storybook Land Canal Boats. Merritt notes that this design is location-agnostic, as Anaheim had not yet been decided upon for Disneyland.

Of particular note here is an introductory land like a Main Street, U.S.A., leading to a central hub. “These maps are revelatory when you look at them all in sequence,” Merritt says.

Davis’ early maps also highlight a residential street with large Victorian homes. The second image, in particular, mentions a town hall and a church. Hahn and Merritt believe this land was heavily influenced by the look and tone of “Lady and the Tramp.”

Main Street starts to materialize

An early Harper Goff design that influenced the look of Frontierland.

(Walt Disney Co.)

Some early Harper Goff designs for what would become Disneyland.

(Walt Disney Co.)

Early Disneyland concept art from Harper Goff

(Walt Disney Co.)

These, says Merritt, are a selection 1951 drawings from Harper Goff. The work is exploratory, in that it could have been envisioned for multiple parts of the park. While Goff’s impact on Frontierland is well documented — and Hahn notes, perhaps, an influence from Knott’s Berry Farm’s Ghost Town in these images — it’s also believed some of these designs were kicked around as a potential Main Street, U.S.A., concept.

Main Street, says Hahn, is often noted as being largely influenced by Disney’s time as a child in Marceline, Mo. While that isn’t really doubted these days among Disney’s fan base, Hahn says that theory wasn’t arrived upon immediately. He notes that some of Goff’s early concept work has a slight Victorian bent, which Goff drew from both “Lady and the Tramp” and his own childhood.

“It’s really the childhood of nobody,” Hahn says of Main Street. “It’s an idealized America. Goff grew up in Colorado, and a lot of these are his Victorian memories of his Colorado hometown. These are set designers who were bringing their movie chops to Disneyland.”

Welcome to the park’s destination: Anaheim

A pivotal early Disneyland map drawn by Marvin Davis.

(Walt Disney Co. )

Merritt and Hahn believe this third early schematic of Disneyland from Davis — the drawing is undated — is perhaps the first to envision Anaheim as the park’s destination. The image needs only to be rotated and one can see many of the pieces that would comprise the park — a Main Street, a central hub and, for the first time since Goff’s drawings of the Burbank park, a train that encircles the grounds.

Zoom in, and one will see there’s a large “emporium” to greet guests — and shoppers — on Main Street, U.S.A., as well as a castle-like moat to mark the entrance to Fantasyland. Still present are TV production spaces at the front of the park, and the map lists a host of attractions, including a horse-drawn carriage, train rides and boat rides.

Maps begin to show the Disneyland attractions we know today

A fall 1953 map of Disneyland from Marvin Davis.

(Walt Disney Co.)

A September 1953 map of Disneyland from Marvin Davis.

(Walt Disney Co.)

A September 1953 map of Disneyland from Marvin Davis.

(Walt Disney Co.)

These three Davis maps are from September 1953, made just days apart. The bottom drawing is a bit more simplified, as it was designed to be shown to TV networks and financiers. One can see a ride inspired by Disney’s “True-Life Adventures” on the right side of the park. This would ultimately become the Jungle Cruise and be flipped to the left side of the park.

All three maps, however, were instrumental in the final design of Disneyland, envisioning Anaheim as the ultimate destination. Of note in the middle image is a Recreation Land, home to a ball field, a mini-golf course and a bandstand. At this time, Disneyland was still envisioned as housing a circus, a concept that was explored in the actual park after opening but soon discarded. Yet Fantasyland, a Land of Tomorrow, Frontierland and what would become Adventureland are all present.

Fantasyland is home in these drawings to attractions themed to “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Peter Pan,” “Alice in Wonderland,” Pinocchio” (denoted as Pleasure Island) and “Fantasia.” Also present is what would become Autopia, signifying that Disneyland in late 1953 had many of its early attractions solidified. Still, many, such as a Mother Goose area, would pop-up and then disappear from the maps.

Says Merritt, “You’re going to want to get your magnifying glass to look at some of this stuff.”

Travelling solo can be an incredibly rewarding experience, but it can also be lonely. Travel expert Will Sarson has shared his top tips for beating loneliness while travelling alone.

If you’ve ever ventured on a solo journey, you’ll know it’s an extraordinary adventure. Solo travel lets you set your own rhythm, immerse yourself in new cultures, and bond with the locals.

Yet, it can also pose its own set of challenges. Travelling on your own might sometimes lead to feelings of loneliness.

Will Sarson, Travel Expert at Riviera Travel, has shared his six essential tips for overcoming loneliness and maximising the enjoyment of your solo travel escapades. He advised: “Whether it’s friends or family you’re missing, it’s important to know what to do to navigate these feelings to get the most out of your trip.”

His primary advice is to have a plan full of activities – whether that’s a beach day or a guided excursion, reports the Express.

Will explained: “When enjoying a solo holiday, it’s important to plan ahead and arrange enjoyable activities to keep yourself engaged and avoid feelings of loneliness.”

“Smaller tour groups are often a better choice for solo travellers. Many holiday packages are designed with this in mind, ensuring those travelling alone don’t feel overwhelmed or lost in a crowd.”

It’s equally crucial not to shy away from engaging with locals or fellow travellers. Even though it may seem daunting, initiating a conversation is worthwhile – you never know what insights you might gain.

Will remarked: “Taking that first step can increase the chances of establishing strong connections and making lifelong friends.”

Chatting with individuals from diverse countries, backgrounds and cultures can widen your horizons. Solo travel is supposed to be enlightening, and striking up conversations with new people plays a key role in this experience.

Opting for a cruise or group tour tailored for solo voyagers ensures you’ll be among other lone adventurers, offering company when desired or the option to relish solitude.

The evening often poses the greatest challenge to evade feelings of loneliness – spending the day exploring might keep it at bay. To combat feeling down as dusk falls, carving out some quality relaxation time is crucial.

Getting engrossed in an absorbing book or podcast, or taking an evening stroll through the local neighbourhood can be perfect remedies.

Will emphasises: “I believe it’s extremely important to plan for the downtime in the evenings, to avoid long nights with nothing to do – which naturally increases boredom and loneliness.”

For those about to embark on a maiden solo journey and who may harbour some apprehension, Will suggests joining a dedicated tour for solo travellers. He advises: “These trips often include thoughtfully planned itineraries designed to keep solo travellers engaged and connected with others. For example, a welcome dinner on the first night gives travellers a chance to meet fellow solo travellers.”

Gone are the days when solo travellers had to make do with substandard lodgings, with many travel companies now offering spacious rooms or for those on cruises, double cabins that boast all the comforts one would expect on a group or family getaway.

If you find yourself still trying to stave off homesickness after booking a packed itinerary, taking some alone time, joining a tour, or attempting to forge new friendships, there’s no shame in reaching out back home. Will advises: “Checking in while abroad can give people a sense of comfort. Social media can be a great way of keeping in touch while on a solo trip while also allowing friends and family to know you’re safe.”

“It’s not often you get to enjoy a holiday on your own, so my best advice is to embrace it, learn from the experience and do your best to enjoy it! Solo travelling is a fulfilling experience that forces people to cultivate independence and enjoy their own space.”

A BELOVED department chain is preparing to shut its final store this month as it launches a “Rachel Reeves closing down sale.”

The famous shop will be shuttering forever after serving customers on the high street for 140 years.

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Beales in the Dolphin Centre in Poole will close on May 31 and is slashing the price of stock by 80 per cent in the meantime.

The historic chain was founded in Bournemouth in 1881 and offers a range of iconic products, including clothing, home goods, and more.

This particular Poole Beales branch was the last one standing when the company collapsed into administration in January 2020, leading to the closure of its 22 other stores.

Despite the stores resilience, the brutal budget introduced last year saw the hike of National Insurance which has forced countless shops to close.

To mark the occasions, the store’s Facebook page is advertising a “Rachel Reeves‘ Closing Down Sale,” featuring discounts of up to 80% and a caption cheekily thanking the Chancellor for “the help.”

It wrote in the caption: “Our closing sale is almost over (cheers for the help, Chancellor) – and we’ve just dropped hundreds of lines to 80% OFF or more!

“Grab a bargain before we vanish into the budget black hole. #FinalSale #80Off #LastChance #WhenItsGoneItsGone.”

Despite weathering the storm for the past five years, it seems the Chancellor’s latest Budget changes have delivered the final blow to the struggling chain.

Beales chief executive Tony Brown previously told The Telegraph the business had become “unviable” following the Chancellor’s announcement of increases to the minimum wage and national insurance contributions in the October Budget.

Announcing the closure, Mr Brown said: “This, combined with the risks and uncertainty of further tax increases in the coming years, has left us with no alternative.

“We have been working with the Dolphin Centre, who have been supportive, along with our investors to ensure an orderly exit.

“Our team has been informed, as have our suppliers.

“We will ensure the exit is managed and no one will be left with a financial loss.”

Shoppers were left heartbroken by the news of the store’s impending closure, with one commenting on the latest post: “I’ve loved shopping here over the years.”

Another wrote: “Sadly this is happening to many shops.”

Like many businesses, Beales now faces higher employer national insurance contributions, which have risen from 13.8% to 15%.

Additionally, the threshold at which these contributions must be paid has been lowered from £9,100 to £5,000.

These changes to the tax system were confirmed by the Chancellor in the Autumn Budget last October and came into effect on 1 April.

At the same time, the national minimum wage saw a notable increase, rising to £12.21 per hour. For workers aged 18-20, the minimum wage increased by £1.40 to £10 per hour.

Founded in 1881, Beales once boasted a proud portfolio of 41 department stores in market towns across the UK, offering everything from furniture and fashion to toys and cosmetics.

The retailer’s decline has been gradual but unrelenting.

Its Southport store was shuttered last September, just three years after the site had reopened.

With the closure of the Poole branch, the last remaining link to the Beales name, a once-iconic fixture of the British high street, will vanish forever.

DEATH OF THE HIGH STREET

Retailers have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.

High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.

However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector.

The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.

At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.

Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes.

Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.

“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”

A TOP British jockey has been tipped for a spot on Strictly Come Dancing.

The female sports star, 35, retired just this week – and speculation is mounting that BBC bosses will “make a move.”

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Now Rachael Blackmore has been tipped with odds of 4/1 by bookies Ladbrokes to compete for the Glitterball Trophy.

On Monday, the Grand National-winning rider announced on her social media that she was bringing her glittering 16-year career to an end.

She became the first female jockey to win the Grand National in 2021 when riding Minella Times home at Aintree for long-time boss Henry De Bromhead.

The Irish sports star became the first female to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup on A Plus Tard in 2022, one of 18 winners at the Cheltenham Festival.

Now Alex Apati of Ladbrokes has told us: “She’s used to silks, but not with sequins…

“We’d be amazed if Strictly chiefs didn’t make a move for one of racing’s greatest later this year.”

Rachael became the first female to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup on A Plus Tard in 2022, one of 18 winners at the Cheltenham Festival.

On Monday, she released an emotional statement on her retirement.

In it, she said: “My days of being a jockey have come to an end.

“I feel the time is right. I’m sad but I’m also incredibly grateful for what my life has been for the past 16 years.

“I just feel so lucky, to have been legged up on the horses I have, and to have experienced success I never even dreamt could be possible.

“It is daunting, not being able to say that I am a jockey anymore… who even am I now! But I feel so incredibly lucky to have had the career I’ve had.

“To have been in the right place at the right time with the right people, and to have gotten on the right horses – because it doesn’t matter how good you are without them.

“They have given me the best days of my life and to them I am most grateful.”

All your Strictly Come Dancing winners

Strictly first kicked off back in 2004, and over the years has crowned 21 winners.

Rachael would follow in the footsteps of fellow jockey Richard Dunwoody if she scooped the Strictly gig, after his stint in sequins in 2009.

He previously told how he earned £9K in nine minutes when winning the Grand National – yet bagged a bigger pay cheque on the BBC One series.

Recently, The Sun reported how the Queen Camilla Parker Bowles’ son, Tom, is said to be in talks to compete on the BBC dancing competition.

Tom, 50, is a food writer and restaurant critic and has made regular appearances on MasterChef as a judge.

A source said: “Top of their wishlist is MasterChef star Tom. His name was also sounded-out last year but never materialised. Bosses hope they’ll have better luck this year.

“It would be a coup to sign someone with such a strong royal link. Maybe we could see Camilla and Charles in the audience?”

Made In Chelsea star and I’m A Celebrity winner Georgia ‘Toff’ Toffolo is also on the dance show’s radar.

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The parallel rise in run clubs and active holidays has sparked a new travel trend: mara-cations. Budget-friendly and fitting for both group and solo trips, marathon tourism is quickly gaining ground

The competition to secure a spot in the London Marathon has become more heated than the race itself, prompting runners to expand their horizons. Less than a week after the 2025 London Marathon wrapped up, event organisers received a record-breaking 1.1 million applications for next year’s race.

But with over 1 million applicants and typically 17,000 to 20,000 runners successfully securing a spot through the ballot system, the chance of getting a spot can fall under 2%. That’s why many would-be runners are looking abroad to get their fix. In fact, they’re making a trip of it.

Britons’ newfound passion for running has shaped every facet of life, from dating to fashion to travel. Given the high rejection rate of the London Marathon and the increasing appeal of run clubs and active holidays, mara-cations have been rising in popularity.

READ MORE: Running is taking over the UK but do marathon runners know they don’t have to

The travel trend is a holiday hybrid, combining fitness with local and natural exploration. Avid runners in the UK are opting to take on the challenge of marathons in Germany, France and further abroad as a way to enjoy the UK’s new favourite pastime.

A study by Travel Republic found that the demand for “fitness holidays” increased by 84% in April, while Google searches for “European marathons” spiked by 403%. Travel companies are even sponsoring marathons around the world. TUI, for instance, is a major sponsor of marathons in Rhodes and Palma, and recently announced it will be the title sponsor for the March 8, 2026 Cyprus Marathon in Paphos.

The shift from party holidays to active adventures – especially for millennials and Gen Z – has also influenced the classic group trip. Marathon tourism lends itself well to group holidays, an opportunity not to just train and travel together but complete a shared goal.

The World Marathon’s 3 Country race in October offers friends the chance to relay across international borders. Starting in Lindau in Germany, passing through Switzerland and finishing in Austria, runners will get to enjoy scenic views and will be cheered the whole way through.

It can be a financially savvy move for marathoners as well, considering UK races can be pricey. While it’s free to enter the London Marathon ballot, if you are successful you need to pay an entry fee of £79.99 (£49.99 if you choose to donate your fee to the London Marathon Foundation at the point of entry).

List of 2026 marathons to register for now

While less cut-throat than London Marathon entry, aspiring mara-cationers will still need to plan ahead as registration for big 2026 races have already opened. Here is our list of some marathons that should be on your radar for next year.

Italy, Rome Marathon – March 22, 2026: The Rome Marathon (aka Run Rome) brings more than 25,000 participants to run in the City of Seven Hills. Some of the race options include a 4-person relay and a 5km “Fun Race” if you’re looking for something to do with friends.

France, Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris, April 12, 2026: Early bird entries for the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris have already opened. One of the largest marathon’s in the world, this is a great alternative for London Marathon regulars that want a change of scenery.

Germany, Generali Berlin Half Marathon, March 20, 2026: Next year will mark the 45th anniversary of the Berlin half marathon, making it the perfect time to participate in the fun. The organisers’ lottery system means that all interested athletes have an equal chance of getting a race entry during the registration period, which is open until May 22, 2025.

Spain, Seville Marathon, February 15, 2026: The Seville Marathon is the third largest in Spain and is the perfect setting for a post-race wind-down. The coolness of Andalusia in February means you will be able to recover comfortably and, best of all, it’s for a charitable cause.

Sweden, Ekerumsloppet, October 4, 2025: There’s still time to register for this 10km autumn race which takes you through scenic off-road trails in the stunning landscapes of Ekerum and Rällaskogen. Tickets are between €14-27 (£12-23).

This seaside town in Suffolk has one of the UK’s most impressive beaches, dotted with traditional fishing huts selling freshly-caught seafood and iconic art installations

For all the galleries, parks and restaurants London has to offer, there is one thing locals still yearn for: the sea. While the UK has no shortage of charming seaside villages and coastal towns, only one has earned the moniker “London-on-Sea”.

Aldeburgh in Suffolk has claimed the impressive title. The picturesque seaside town has everything you could want from a classic UK staycation, including a sandy beach and some of the best fish and chips this side of Britain.

Less than a two-hour train ride from London Liverpool Street, it’s no surprise it has become a frequent favourite for Londoners. As reported by MyLondon, Aldeburgh’s title of ‘London-on-Sea’ isn’t just a colloquial nickname, the village was featured in a guidebook with that exact title.

Situated between the River Alde and a stretch of English coastline overlooking the North Sea, this Suffolk town offers a distinct vantage point. The main attraction for travellers will certainly be the pebble beach, home to colourful 19th-century holiday villas and a historic watchtower.

READ MORE: ‘I ditched London to live in underrated UK seaside town just one hour away’

Aldeburgh Beach is a shingle and sand beach and consistently ranks among the top spots in Suffolk and East Anglia. It has been recognised as one of the top five shingle beaches in the country, winning several national awards including a prestigious Blue Flag.

In addition to the fine shore and surf, Aldeburgh Beach is home to many historic and artistic treasures. One such feature is the Quatrefoil Martello Tower, a relic from the Napoleonic Wars era. There’s also a Norman church and a converted windmill known as Green Fort nearby.

But the most well-known fixture of the beach is the Aldeburgh Scallop. This four-meter high steel shell sculpture was installed on the beach to honour Benjamin Britten, the esteemed 20th-century composer who enjoyed regular walks between Aldeburgh and Thorpeness.

There are no kiosks on the beach, but there are traditional fisherman’s huts dotted across the sand where visitors can buy some freshly-caught seafood directly from the locals. Barring that, visitors can head into town for some battered fish.

The Aldeburgh Fish and Chip Shop has previously been honoured with the title of Britain’s best fish and chip spot, and Tripadvisor reviews attest to its quality. One visitor commented: “I love fish and chips, and this was the best I’ve ever had from a takeaway. The fish had beautiful light batter, and was translucent, flaky and delicious. Great chips too. Excellent.”

From grand hotels to cosy rental properties, Aldeburgh offers plenty of accommodation options for travellers. The Wentworth Hotel is one of the most luxurious in the seaside town – just 20 yards from the beach and home to an award-winning restaurant.

Those looking for a more laid-back option can stay at The Cross Keys. This beachfront inn exudes old-world charm and the rooms and in-house restaurant have modern, clean furnishings.

Again, the train from London to Aldeburgh is quick and frequent, but you can also get there easily by car. The drive from the capital to Aldeburgh via the A12 takes less than three hours.

Europe is home to some fantastic cities and one has been voted the best for value – with a pint costing around £2.41. Here is why you should visit it this year

City breaks are a dream for those looking to quickly escape and hit the reset button. And if a European jaunt is what gets your travel juices flowing, then you’ve struck gold, as the experts at Flight Hacks have dished out a summer bargain travel list. They’ve crunched the numbers, factoring in daily averages for flights from any London airport, food and digs per night, to pinpoint the top bang-for-your-buck holiday spots.

Topping the charts as Europe’s most economical holiday spot is Bucharest, Romania. You can revel in all its delights for a neat £215.52 a day, with hotel stays hitting the jackpot as the continent’s cheapest averaging a mere £86.72 a night.

READ MORE: Adolescence star Ashley Walters on ‘finding peace’ riding electric motorbike

So if you’re tempted by the cheapest place let’s take a look at Bucharest more closely.

What is there to do in Bucharest?

Nestled in Southern Romania, this historical gem not only served as the stomping grounds for Vlad The Impaler but also snagged the moniker “Little Paris” for its elegant early 20th-century architecture. It boasts a population of about 1.83 million (circa 2019) and promises a cultural feast.

Tripadvisor’s crowned jewel for the city is the Stavropoleos Monastery, scoring an impressive 4.5 rating. Dating back to 1724, it stands proudly among the capital’s oldest structures.

Culture vultures can either discover its charms solo or opt for a guided tour around the monastery, reports the Express. One visitor raved about a church on Tripadvisor, calling it “beautiful” among numerous five-star reviews.

A user remarked: “What I loved most was the quiet and cosy atmosphere of the place, even if this architectural beauty is located in the middle of Bucharest, in the most crowded place.”

Another shared: “One of my favourite places in Bucharest! Amazing monastery is full of peace and harmony. I recommend visiting it Saturday and Sunday at 6pm and to listen to the prayers.”

And a fourth enthused: “Standing inside this monastery, takes your breath away. The walls and high ceilings adorned with beautiful religious artwork, it hard to put to words just how beautiful it really Is.”

Other must-see spots in the Romanian capital include the world’s second-largest building, the Palace of Parliament, and of course, the Old Town is a must-visit spot.

Expect to discover a host of bars and eateries offering traditional Romanian cuisine there.

Bucharest is also a magnet for those seeking vibrant nightlife, with a pint going for as little as £2.41 according to Numbeo statistics. There are plenty of top-tier venues to enjoy, including Player Club, Shoteria, and Club Revenge.

How to get to Bucharest

Getting to Romania is straightforward with many airlines offering flights. Direct services are available from London, Birmingham, and Glasgow with carriers such as Ryanair, BA, easyJet and Wizz Air flying to the destination.

Kayak reveals that one-way flights to Bucharest kick off from the capital, with the journey clocking in just over three hours from London.

When is the best time to visit Bucharest?

The milder months of April, May, June, September and October are ideal to dodge the sweltering summer climes, as it can get quite toasty in those parts.

Conversely, winter might charm with snow, but be wary as it can throw public transport into chaos. Also, tourist hotspots sometimes shut their doors owing to harsh weather, and expect the nights to start nipping at 4pm.

Top 10 budget-friendly European destinations to visit (average cost per day):

Immanuel Debeer, CEO at Flight Hacks, said: “Going on holiday in Europe doesn’t need to cost an eye-watering amount of money. This study demonstrates that by exploring various travel sites and researching the cost of living in certain cities, you can visit some of the most beautiful and culturally rich areas Europe has to offer without breaking the bank.”

OVER 150,000 on benefits will see their payments cut under Personal Independence Payments (PIP) changes, the DWP has confirmed.

The Government is shaking up the way PIP is assessed meaning hundreds of thousands will miss out from November 2026.

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It comes as ministers look to cut the increasing welfare bill by clawing back billions of pounds of benefits.

But the changes will also have a knock-on effect on carers who qualify for benefits because they look after someone on PIP.

From late next year, new and existing PIP claimants being reassessed will have to score a minimum of four points in at least one activity to receive the Daily Living Component.

The higher rate of the Daily Living Component is currently worth £110.40 a week.

Claimants will also have to score at least eight points when being assessed.

The Government estimates this means by 2029/30 around 800,000 won’t receive the Daily Living Component of PIP.

But it has also confirmed 150,000 will be missing out on Carer’s Allowance or the Universal Credit Carer’s Element by 2029/30 too.

This is because to receive either of these carer’s benefits you have to be caring for someone who receives the Daily Living part of PIP.

It means new and existing PIP claimants finding they are no longer eligible will disqualify their carer’s from next November when the changes kick in.

What are Carer’s Allowance and the carer’s element of Universal Credit?

Carer’s Allowance is paid to those caring for someone else (who is on benefits) for at least 35 hours a week and is worth £83.30 a week.

You don’t have to be related to the person you care for, or live with them, to qualify.

If you are on Carer’s Allowance you also receive National Insurance credits which contribute to your NI record.

What classes as someone needing “care” is based on them qualifying for a number of benefits. These are:

• Personal Independence Payment – Daily Living Component
• Disability Living Allowance – the middle or highest care rate
• Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance – the middle or highest care rate
• Attendance Allowance
• Pension Age Disability Payment
• Constant Attendance Allowance at or above the normal maximum rate with an Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
• Constant Attendance Allowance at the basic (full day) rate with a War Disablement Pension
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Child Disability Payment – the middle or highest care rate
• Adult Disability Payment – daily living component at the standard or enhanced rate

The person you are caring for must also need help with certain tasks including: washing and cooking, being taken to the doctors and household tasks like managing bills or going food shopping.

Carer’s Allowance is issued to those living in England, Wales or Scotland aged 16 or over.

It’s worth noting, receiving Carer’s Allowance can impact the benefits the person you are caring for gets.

For example, they will usually stop receiving a severe disability premium or an extra amount for severe disability premium if they are on Pension Credit.

You can apply for Carer’s Allowance and find out more about the exact eligibility criteria via www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/how-to-claim.

The carer’s element of Universal Credit is added to your Universal Credit standard allowance if you care for someone and they receive a number of qualifying benefits. These are:

• Adult Disability Payment – standard or enhanced award
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Attendance Allowance
• Child Disability Payment – middle or highest care award
• Constant Attendance Allowance – full day rate, intermediate rate or exceptional rate with Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
• Constant Attendance Allowance – full day rate with a War Disablement Pension
• Disability Living Allowance – middle or highest care rate
• Personal Independence Payment – either rate of the Daily Living Part

To get the carer’s element you’ll also need to be providing 35 hours a week of care to the person receiving the qualifying benefit.

You get an extra monthly amount worth £201.68.

If you are receiving an extra amount because you have a limited capability for work and work related activity (LCWRA), you won’t qualify for the extra carer’s element part.

Meanwhile, if the person you care for gets the severe disability premium, it will stop when you claim the carer’s element of Universal Credit.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

Bold plans to transform the railway system as part of a £1 billion upgrade has garnered heavy criticism as bosses confirm new electrified trains will be missing one specific amenity

Railway plans to transform connectivity in south Wales have sparked heavy backlash amongst locals. Touted as the ‘Welsh Tube‘, the £1 billion mega project – which was first proposed back in 2013 – offers a ground-breaking solution to long waits and traditional timetables stagnating travel in the region.

But upon completion, a 105-mile long network will see 36 brand new tram-trains carry tourists and commuters across the core Valley Lines, linking areas such as Cardiff with Coryton, Rhymney, Aberdare, and Treherbet – with certain journeys running every five minutes in the day. As previously reported, the South Wales Metro project will operate on a colour-coded map and allow passengers to ‘tap in and out’ with contactless payment barriers.

Those living in or around Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, and Treherbert will have access to four trains per hour (every 15 minutes) while those around Caerphilly will get six trains per hour and Pontypridd will see 12 trains per hour (every five minutes) running to the Welsh capital. With new electric tram-trains already starting test runs in the Valleys – the project is nearing its first phase.

READ MORE: UK seaside town abandoned by Butlin’s with posh holiday village now in its place

However, locals weren’t too happy when they discovered the state-of-the-art vehicles did not feature any onboard toilets. According to Wales Online, one person described the lack of loos as ‘absolute madness’, adding: “We certainly are going backward in Wales.”

Another commented: “This is shocking, I have a funny feeling there’s going to be lots of urine on the floor on a Friday and Saturday night,” while a third penned: “People need toilets, what’s with the Welsh government?”

Others were quick to defend the decision, arguing that Tube trains, buses, and cars do not have toilets either. “Some people would whinge about winning the lottery!” one reader fumed. “How many buses have toilets on board?”

Another argued: “If you put toilets in they have to be accessible to all and as a result the area lost to seating and standing is huge. You also have to take the trains out of service to empty the tanks because you can’t just dump it on the tracks anymore. It’s much better to do away with them and have them in fixed locations so they have the space to do it properly and they have proper access to electricity, water and sewerage.”

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When asked about the backlash, a Transport for Wales (TfW) spokesperson told the Mirror that it is currently ‘testing’ a brand-new modern Class 398 tram-trains that will run on electric and battery as part of the South Wales Metro. These will have the ability to run on-street as well as on the rail network, but ‘global rolling stock market’ for this type of train-train with onboard toilets is ‘limited’.

“They are built to quickly move as many people as possible and adding toilets on board would significantly reduce the capacity of the trains,” the spokesperson added. “This type of train is used successfully in other cities within the UK and no other Metro system in the UK runs this type of tram with toilets onboard.

“We want to ensure our passengers still have access to toilet facilities when using our network. To do this, we’re installing 10 new*, fully accessible toilets at key locations across these lines and upgrading our existing station facilities, so that passengers can be confident a toilet will always be available within a 20-minute journey on our network.”

*In addition to the existing toilet facilities across the South Wales Metro area, 10 stations getting new toilets are Abercynon, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, Tonypandy, Treherbert, Cwmbach, Llwynypia, Merthyr Vale, Penrhiwceiber and Treorchy.

Do you have a story to share? Email us at [email protected] for a chance to be featured.

THIS pair of diehard Crystal Palace fans have spent £20,000 to get home from a US holiday for the FA Cup final before flying back out. 

The side’s Wembley clash against Manchester City on May 17 falls three days into Mark and Anna Newlands’ ten-day trip to New York. 

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The couple booked it months ago for a cousin’s birthday before the Eagles got to the final.

So they have bought flights to get back the day before and will return to the US the day after. 

Mark said they would miss the big birthday but their relatives understood. 

The retired risk manager, 61, from Newbury, Berks, said: “The club is in my DNA.

“We have to be there.

“I’m not bothered if this is sensible or not. It’ll be worth every penny.” 

Anna, 62, is just as devoted to the South London club and did not hesitate when Mark suggested the plan. 

The pair, pictured at the semi-final win over Aston Villa, hope it will be third time lucky after Palace lost their two previous finals. 

The couple’s son James, also a Palace season ticket holder, is attending the final although he is not on the New York trip — while their daughter Alice will stay in the Big Apple. 

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