holidays

ONE of the UK’s biggest cities will see trains cancelled for nearly a week during the busy Christmas period.

No trains will be running at Birmingham New Street from December 24 to 28 while the station undergoes a £13million upgrade.

Services will then resume on Tuesday, December 29.

Upgrades include work on the overhead power lines, which keep the trains moving.

The Christmas closure will mark the first phase of the overall three-year project to upgrade the station, with future phases taking place over Christmas 2027 and 2028.

Network Rail has said that it is working to minimise the impact but has warned travellers that journeys will take longer.

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During the engineering work, the station building will stay open, which means travellers can still head to the shops.

There will also be staff on hand to help out with queries.

Martin Colmey, route director for Network Rail Central route, said: “Birmingham New Street is at the heart of the rail network, supporting millions of local, regional and national journeys every year.

“Much of the overhead line equipment dates back to the 1960s and needs to be replaced. This £13m investment has been carefully planned to make the railway more reliable.

“There is never a good time for this type of work and we have done all we can to reduce its impact as much as possible.

“Christmas is a quieter time, but we know it will affect journeys at an important time of the year.

“We want to make people aware as early as possible so they can plan ahead.

“As soon as tickets are available to buy for Christmas travel, there will be clear, detailed information to help passengers plan their journeys and make informed decisions.”

THE UK is set to see the last of the summer sun this weekend, so where better to enjoy it than Cornwall’s Saint Tropez?

One charming coastal village has been compared to the French glamorous resort town thanks to its incredible beaches, high-end restaurants and royal visitors.

The village in question is called Rock which sits on the Camel Estuary and has incredible views across from the well-known town of Padstow.

The upscale hotspot has numerous celebrity homeowners and even Prince William and Prince Harry have enjoyed a holiday of two there.

The princes first visited Rock in the late 1990s as teenagers for family holidays and were spotted enjoying nearby beaches and surfing in Polzeath.

Other celebrities that have been known in the area include Gordon Ramsay who owns a multi-million-pound waterfront property there.

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He’s even been filmed arriving to the village by helicopter.

Chef Paul Ainsworth owns the local pub called The Mariners, where you can get some of the best fish and chips in the area.

Other top spots include Four Boys which is open seven days a week for breakfast and lunch.

Fee’s Food is a deli where you can pick up quiches, freshly baked loaves, pastries – they also specialise in pies and curries.

Of course, no visit to Cornwall is complete without a trip to the beach, and Rock has a great one.

Rock Beach has described as being called “world class” by previous visitors, and another called it the “best beach I’ve been to in a long time.”

The sandy beach stretches on for around half a mile with views across the estuary to Padstow.

If you fancy venturing a little further afield, Porthilly Cove which is a secluded sandy beach is just around the corner.

The St Enodoc Hotel in Rock recently underwent a multi-million-pound renovation – it was closed for 10 months but had a grand reopening in July.

Along with 21 rooms, there are two restaurants to choose from – the Estuary Grill which serves lots of local seafood or the Flour Garden which dishes up hand-made pizzas.

The hotel has beautiful gardens too with lawn games, deck chairs and Maurice, a charming vintage French truck, with a mix of drinks including Guinness on-tap.

When it comes to getting there, the easiest way is to catch the ferry from Padstow – single journeys cost £3 for adults and £1.50 for children.

The family holiday park has become the first holiday operator to begin rolling out sensory libraries across all of its villages, offering free-to-borrow sensory aids for families with neurodivergent children

Center Parcs has become the first holiday operator to begin the roll out of new sensory libraries across all of its villages, catering for families with neurodivergent children.

Working alongside specialist SEN consultancy SENNIES, the family resort has officially unveiled its sensory library at its Elveden Forest village, where families can borrow items free of charge during their stay. The short break provider intends to roll out the libraries across all of its villages by 2028.

Items such as noise-reducing ear defenders, wipe-clean boards, calming lights, fidget toys, feelings wheels, visual timers and pop tubes will be on offer for families to select from.

Georgia Sargeant, CEO and founder at SENNIES, speaking in partnership with Center Parcs, said: “No two neurodivergent children are the same, so there is no single adjustment that works for every family.

“What matters is choice, a considered range of options from sensory resources and communication aids through to support for self-regulation and co-regulation, so a family can pick what works for their child that day.

“This library turns families’ feedback into practical support and shows how holiday providers can respond meaningfully to changing needs.”

The decision to launch the library follows a survey of 500 parents and legal guardians of neurodivergent children and those with additional needs, which found that 44% believe many holiday providers fail to offer sufficient provisions for their children.

For 80%, busy or crowded environments can prove challenging for their child, while 75% sometimes avoid activities or facilities altogether because they are overwhelming.

Almost two thirds (68%) said that access to sensory and accessibility aids at their chosen destination would enhance the holiday experience for their child.

Similarly, 68% also indicated that if they could borrow sensory items for the duration of their break, it would help their family feel more supported. Currently, 72% of parents bring sensory equipment or comfort items from home on every or most trips.

Department for Education figures reveal that more than 1.8 million pupils in England now have special educational needs – an increase of 5.2% in a year. This has resulted in NHS assessment waiting lists reaching more than 240,000.

Meanwhile, the Children’s Commissioner’s latest annual briefing discovered that children’s referrals involving suspected autism rose 47% in a single year, while neurodevelopmental referrals increased by 24%.

Richie Williams, village director at Center Parcs Elveden Forest, said: “The number of families looking for more thoughtful, practical support is growing.

“This pilot is the beginning of a journey, and we will listen closely to families using it and learn from their feedback as we consider what comes next and a future rollout to other villages.”

TRAVELLERS heading to a popular European country next month could face flight delays and cancellations.

Pilots and cabin crew are set to walk out over five days in France next month.

A nationwide strike is set to take place between October 17 and October 21.

Action has been called by a number of unions regarding a disagreement over being allowed to receive their retirement pension while still working.

The strike notice applies to pilots and cabin crew working for all air transport and aviation companies, covered by French labour law – which means it might not just be French airlines affected.

Though airlines expected to be affected include French-based carriers such as Air France, Transavia France and Volotea.

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There may also be disruptions to easyJet and Ryanair flights.

Currently, it is not clear how many flights will be delayed or cancelled.

Travellers are being urged to check with their airline before travelling if they are due to travel in the five-day period.

Unions have stated that they remain open to discussions, so the situation may possibly change or be called off before October 17.

EasyJet is also planning to strike across six French airports on October 1 and 2.

The strikes were due to take place this week but have been postponed to the beginning of October and will involve pilots walking out at Paris Orly, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Nantes, Lyon, Nice and Bordeaux airports.

NEWBERRY SPRINGS, Calif.  — Four decades ago, the cult hit “Bagdad Cafe” was filmed at a ramshackle diner in the Mojave Desert.

The tale of two women in the lonely landscape — a hardworking, rifle-wielding cafe owner and a stranded German tourist with a suitcase full of lederhosen — captivated viewers, particularly in Europe and Japan.

Busloads of international tourists rolled up to the actual Bagdad Cafe on a cracked, sunbaked stretch of Route 66.

Real-life proprietor Andrea Pruett, a sweet but steely Southerner who kept her own gun behind the counter, greeted them in French and German, then fed them buffalo burgers and omelets.

A memorial announcement for owner Andrea Pruett is seen at the Bagdad Cafe on Route 66 in the Mojave Desert.

As Pruett aged, her grip on reality loosened. But she refused to leave.

Now, the Bagdad Cafe is in limbo. Though T-shirts and tchotchkes are still for sale, the kitchen is closed. And Pruett’s family is figuring out what comes next.

Buses full of Europeans still come. So, too, do the roadtrippers celebrating Route 66, which turns 100 this year.

“We don’t get any locals, and we don’t cook any food right now,” said Mark Bradley, the cafe’s gruff but genial manager. “But we’re definitely on the map to see … it’s magic that takes place here.”

The cafe is a cacophony of color in an expanse of desert brown. Flags from all over — France, Brazil, Japan, New Zealand, Canada — hang from low ceilings. The walls are covered floor to ceiling by visitors’ passport photos and dollar bills with Sharpie signatures. “We’ve been here three times!” an Italian visitor raved in a guest book.

Pruett is still there, too. An urn holding her ashes sits by the front door.

A drone image shows the remote Bagdad Cafe on Route 66 in Newberry Springs.

In 1995, eight years after the movie’s European premiere, Pruett and her husband, Harold, stopped for burgers at what was then called the Sidewinder Cafe in Newberry Springs, 20 miles east of Barstow. They had just bought 640 acres for an ostrich ranch, which ultimately didn’t work out, though they kept some of the birds as pets.

The owner told them the A-frame, wood-shingled diner was for sale. “My husband looked at me and I said, ‘Don’t even think about it,’ ” Pruett told The Times in 2003.

But their son, actor Harold P. Pruett II — who was 26 and starring that year in a campy erotic horror flick called “Embrace of the Vampire” — declared the cafe “cool,” and that was that.

The Pruetts promptly rechristened it Bagdad Cafe, following German filmmaker Percy Adlon’s lead.

The exterior of the Bagdad Cafe.

Nearby Bagdad was a railroad town named in the 1880s by Southern Pacific Railroad officials after the Middle Eastern metropolis — without the H — because of the desert terrain.

Bagdad became a stop for steam-powered trains whose engines needed more water every eight miles or so in the desert climate, said Scott Piotrowski, past president of the California Historic Route 66 Assn.

The bustling little town was also a hub for gold, silver and copper mining camps.

Mining eventually faded, but cars on Route 66 overheated easily and often limped into town for water. A restaurant named, naturally, Bagdad Cafe, owned by a woman named Alice Lawrence, was the only place for miles with a dance floor and jukebox.

When Interstate 40 opened in 1972 about 10 miles north — taking most traffic and tourists away from Route 66 — it was the death knell for Bagdad, where all that remains today is a single scruffy cedar tree.

Thierry Farion, left, from France, and Aziz Khechine, right, from Tunisia, look at memorabilia inside the Bagdad Cafe.

At Pruett’s Bagdad Cafe, she embraced the movie. The two female characters, initially wary of each other, are both on a hiatus from their husbands, and the German tourist eventually draws big crowds by performing magic tricks.

“When people came in, it was like a director saying, ‘Action!’ ” said Pruett’s grandson, Greg Landers, 47, of Glassell Park. “She would just go right into welcoming people and telling them to sit down, answering their questions.”

A petite bottle-blonde who spoke with the laid-back drawl of her native Arkansas, Pruett showed off memorabilia signed by the “Bagdad Cafe” director. She got a yellow thermos like the one in the film, which, miraculously, never seems to run out of java, even when the coffee pot is busted.

A guest book displays messages at the Bagdad Cafe.

She kept the jukebox on the movie’s Academy Award-nominated theme song, “Calling You,” recorded by R&B singer Jevetta Steele and covered by Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, George Michael and others.

The lyrics immortalized the Bagdad:

A desert road from Vegas to nowhere
Some place better than where you’ve been
A coffee machine that needs some fixing
In a little café just around the bend

Pruett’s place drew desert eccentrics, including a gravelly-voiced man dubbed General Bob who sniped at customers who doubted his claims that he designed the Pentagon, built the Golden Gate Bridge, was a brain surgeon and was 109. (“Actually, he’s 83 years old, and if he wants to be older, I let him,” Pruett told NPR in 2003.)

Monaco’s Prince Albert II stopped in once. So did actress Renée Zellweger, who told Jay Leno on “The Tonight Show” that there was a “little old guy, he’s been sitting there for, I think, maybe 45 years on the same barstool. We had chicken fried steak together.”

When Huell Howser popped in unannounced for a 2001 episode of his California road trip show, General Bob, perched at the bar with a fedora atop his long silver hair, proclaimed he was 98 years old and “a real general, not a f—up.”

Marian Box, left, works the counter and talks to visitor Jaelene Kleckner.

For all the joy, desert life brought plenty of hardship.

One night in the 1990s, not long after Pruett bought the place, she was closing out the cash register when a man walked in, slammed a wooden 2-by-4 on the counter and ordered her to put all the money in a bag.

“She actually had a shotgun under the counter, and she pulled it out and said, ‘Stop,’ and cocked it,” said Landers, her grandson.

The man threw his hands up and said his family was in the car. They had been traveling and ran out of money. Pruett ushered them inside, fed them and sent them away with some cash — after making them wash their own dishes.

Pruett, who gave birth to Landers’ father, Corky, at 15, had a tough and impoverished youth. But she was “kind almost to a fault,” said Landers, a contractor who lived with her for a spell in his 20s and worked in the cafe. People who just about everyone else had given up on — she’d give them a place to stay and work to do.

In February 2002, the younger of Pruett’s two sons, Harold the actor, died of an accidental drug overdose. Her husband died two months later.

Pruett’s love for her customers kept her going, said Bradley, who has been around the cafe for 26 years as a frequent visitor and employee.

“She would have them crying as they left, but happy crying,” he said. “She could do that to people by giving them a hug and in just the few minutes that they were here. She had a magic to her.”

In 2016, Sarah Jane Woodall — a former nude model who posts popular desert travelogues on YouTube under the moniker Wonderhussy — stopped for breakfast and shot a video.

The cafe was quiet and grimy. She loved it.

“It was just, like, a lovable hot mess,” said Woodall, an Army kid who lived for a time in Germany, where people were obsessed with the movie.

The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns devastated the Bagdad Cafe — and Pruett, who turned 80 in the summer of 2020.

The Europeans disappeared. Vandals busted the windows. Pruett let go of her waiters. Her kitchen closed and never reopened.

A sign for a former motel next to the Bagdad Cafe on Route 66 in Newberry Springs.

In 2021, her house burned down. She slept in the cafe, her thin frame curled up in a red vinyl booth.

That summer, Léa De Carmo, an aspiring actress, was driving back to Los Angeles from Las Vegas with a friend and, after a night of partying, craved a cup of coffee. They pulled into the Bagdad Cafe, where — as in the movie — the coffee pot was broken.

De Carmo, a native of Paris who had never seen the film, was stunned when she opened the door and “saw French flags and soccer team stuff everywhere.”

“It seems like all the French are led there for one reason or another,” said De Carmo, 29, who talked to Pruett that day for over two hours.

“She had essentially lost everything — her business, her house — but she just had this incredible energy and warmth and humor,” De Carmo said. “There was also this very deep loneliness.”

For the next four years, De Carmo drove from L.A. to Newberry Springs dozens of times, filming Pruett for a just-finished documentary called “The Keeper of Bagdad Cafe,” about her final years in the crumbling diner.

In the film, friends help Pruett move into an RV in the parking lot. As a woman gently washes her white hair with bottled water behind the cafe counter, Pruett says she can’t remember where she’s from.

“One thing she never forgot was the cafe,” De Carmo said. “She always knew where she was and that it was the place she wanted to be.”

Landers said his father, who died in 2022, asked her to move in with him in L.A., but she didn’t want to leave the Bagdad.

“It was just hard,” said Landers, who added that she might have fared better, physically, at least, in a dementia care facility. But she repeatedly said, “No, this is my place. This is where I want to be.”

Pruett’s friends in the desert stepped up. Bradley took care of her and the cafe, opening it each day for tourists to come in and take photos.

In 2023, Tropical Storm Hilary pummeled the diner’s old roof. Water poured in.

Woodall returned at the cafe’s request, filming the stained, decaying ceiling and the water-catching buckets and coffee pots on the floor. The YouTuber’s fans raised more than $25,000 — enough for a new roof.

In the video, Pruett stood by, smiling, quiet, a little confused.

For the next three years, she stayed at the Bagdad, even as her memory continued to fade. She died this January at 85.

On a Friday morning this summer, with the outside temperature already 115 degrees, Matt Parker stood behind the worn green Formica counter, setting a smart TV to the movie and preparing to make Nescafé instant coffee — a favorite of Europeans.

On a good day, they get three tour buses, he said.

Parker, 53, moved from L.A. County to Newberry Springs — where he used to camp with his dad and ride dirt bikes as a kid — a few years ago and fell in love with the cafe.

“You can’t recreate this,” he said. “We’re just caretakers of it. It’s a museum and church, in a sense, with all this stuff. Mrs. Pruett really focused on protecting it, protecting these people’s stuff — their mark.”

Andrea Pruett’s urn near the entrance of the Bagdad Cafe, which she ran for three decades.She died in January.

Landers said that, while the family figures out what to do with the cafe, he asked Bradley to keep it open like his grandma did.

Though her urn remains in the place she loved most, Landers hopes, someday, to bury her ashes in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery next to her youngest son.

Since her death, he can’t help but think of a scene from the movie. The German woman — forced to leave after her tourist visa expires — is gone and the bustling restaurant quiet again. A customer walks in and asks where the magic shows went.

A snoozing employee sits up and says: “The magic? It’s gone.”

In the end, the German returns to the Bagdad Cafe. And so do the crowds.

What happened to the future we were promised? The vision that grew out of the 1990s techno-utopianism, when the internet was still a place of freedom and experimentation. Where are the infinite possibilities the early years of the millennium afforded, when social media meant AOL Instant Messenger and GeoCities, when our cellphones were not yet smart, and when personal tech evoked whimsy and excitement rather than anxiety and dread?

On a recent night in L.A., that digital optimism still existed. Here, at a clothing store on La Brea Avenue in the Fairfax District, something that felt lost was rediscovered. People were huddling around to play 1999’s “Crazy Taxi” on a Sega Dreamcast, or 2005’s “Tekken 5” on a PlayStation 2. They were surfing a perfectly re-created Y2K-era internet, and navigating an early version of Apple’s Photo Booth to snap selfies with a first-generation iSight webcam.

Paizley Lee created Dead Internet Theory to bring guests back to an era when tech evoked excitement rather than dread.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Yes, almost everyone was staring at screens, but almost no one was looking at their phone. Instead, the room felt alive and buzzing with energy. Technology was creating human connection rather than isolation.

Welcome to Dead Internet Theory, an event hosted by game designer Paizley Lee that’s both a celebration of vintage tech and a place to build community. The name is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the theory that the internet today is mostly bots, AI slop and corporate algorithms, while the human element is quickly disappearing from the web.

Lee started the event earlier this year after seeing how her friends reveled in hacking old hardware but had nowhere to show off their reimagined contraptions. She said Dead Internet Theory is a space to highlight “artists who don’t see the light of day,” a cyberpunk show-and-tell of sorts. “There’s a world of knowledge that comes from that person that can share and collaborate with another artist, and that’s really the future that we were promised, right then and there,” Lee said. “It’s the ‘Hey, look at what I made, look at what I’m interested in, and let’s share that.’ ”

Benjamin Palmer shows his project called Pan and Scan.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

One of those artists sharing his work was Dan Ruth. Atop a low credenza, he displayed a black, leather suitcase that housed inside of it an old laptop attached to an external zip drive. On the laptop’s screen was a menu of various banned books — the Unabomber’s manifesto and “The Anarchist Cookbook” among them. Ruth had recently bought the trademark rights to the digital storage systems iOmega, Zip and Jaz. “They were what we all used in the ‘90s to transfer larger files,” he explained of the era before online storage and transfer infrastructure like Google Drive.

With his setup at the event, participants could choose whatever banned book they wanted and write it to a physical Zip disk (about the size of a saltine cracker) to keep forever. If Ruth’s installation is a bit provocative, his message is less controversial. At a time when servers are being shut down, physical media is being digitized out of existence, and the subscription model is supplanting personal ownership, Ruth believes this is a way to have data autonomy.

Guests play retro video games.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Lee’s own contribution to the evening is the full rainbow of Apple’s iMac G3 computers — those bubbly, teardrop-shaped desktops that debuted in 1998 to the famous “iCandy” ads displaying their colorful shells, and TV commercials scored to the Rolling Stones’ “She’s Like a Rainbow.” Over several months and multiple trips, Lee drove across the country collecting the G3s in their core five colors. And it wasn’t easy. She recalled sleeping in her car in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel for a few nights because she had spent all her money on acquiring the computers.

It was the people Lee met in the months of gathering the G3s, however, that made it worth it: a single dad who collected vintage iMacs to bond with his son, an elementary school teacher who held onto the old computers because the school was going to destroy them.

“I met these really witchy, cool, queer programmers from MIT in Medford, Massachusetts, who invited me back for MIT Swap Fest, where I found Indigo,” said Lee, referring to another G3 color not part of the core five. “I met a guy who used to work in broadcast, and his wife just died of cancer. His mom moved in, and she has been trying to support him in getting rid of old things and not holding on to them too much.” Human moments made possible almost by the accident of holding onto a computer longer than most.

Lee’s pursuit of old tech hardware has always been, at its root, a means to meeting new people, hearing their stories and creating a relationship with them. “I care about people a lot,” she said. “I think every single person that touches any of my projects knows that I really care about people feeling good.”

Paizley Lee spent months collecting the full rainbow of iMac G3s.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

With a mouse, Jaimie Wan clicks into the past.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

When Lee finally acquired all five original colors (blueberry, strawberry, lime, tangerine and grape), plus all the additional colors (ruby, indigo, snow, graphite, sage and three limited edition colors), she began booting up the G3s computers to make sure they still worked. In the process, she discovered the forgotten digital detritus left on their hard drives: old resumes, photo albums, Word documents.

“It’s somebody’s life,” she said. “It feels weird to do anything with it, but it also feels weird to alter it.” In the end, she kept the old files and built a replica of the early ‘00s internet to live beside them on the computers. At Dead Internet Theory events, participants are given free reign to the G3s and slowly find clues Lee has left on their desktops that lead into a mystery game she created.

Back at the event, people flocked to the bank of iMac G3 computers. They clicked around, laughing, their eyes lighted up. “It’s really a trip seeing the old MacBooks,” said Shannon Stack after navigating one of the relics. “I remember having those in my elementary school classroom. Now, these are archival pieces. It’s freaky!”

Lee herself hovered around the computer bank, watching people interact with them and discovering the random documents left behind or playing one of Apple’s preset games. She asked a couple who had been tinkering around for over half-an-hour if they wanted a hint to her mystery. “No!” they respond excitedly.

While Dead Internet Theory has only been held in Los Angeles, Lee’s dream is to take it on the road. “I’ve got kids in Seattle, in Nashville, in Dallas that are emailing me and going, please bring it here,” she explained. The only thing stopping her was money, but that changed recently. A few weeks after the event on La Brea, she was approached by a sponsor. Now she’s making a tour happen, first with a pop-up event in New York City on Wednesday.

The event has become a place to gather and build community.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Recently, as Lee began driving across the country to set up, she stopped at a bed and breakfast near Red Lodge, Mont. When she learned the innkeeper had an old blueberry iMac G3 in her basement, she asked to take a look.

“I spent an hour getting her back on,” Lee said of rebooting the machine to give the innkeeper access. “And the face she made when it came back to life — literally priceless.”

The woman browsed through old photos of her daughters, their old school projects and other files forgotten over time. Afterward, the innkeeper gave Lee the computer, telling her it deserves a second life.

A UK holiday park operator has entered administration.

The company behind Medmerry Holiday Park in West Sussex – Cove Communities Venture 2 Medmerry OpCo Limited – has been appointed administrators.

Medmerry Holiday Park, known for its nature-focused 100-acre holiday village, was forced to close back in 2024 following flooding and now will not reopen.

The park sits by the Medmerry Nature Reserve and Bracklesham Bay Beach and was home to 308 self-catering chalets, a large outdoor swimming pool and central pub and restaurant.

The park was loved by visitors, with one guest stating: “Having just returned from a four day break and was blown away with this park, the friendly and well informed staff and quality and price of the food in the restaurant was second to none.”

According to The Herald, the company is also connected to parent company Cove Communities Holiday Park UK Holdco Limited.

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A number of this company’s subsidiaries have been forced into administration this year as well.

These include the eight-park Argyll Holidays portfolio in Scotland, including holiday parks Drimsynie Estate and Hunters Quay Holiday Village.

In Cornwall, Gwel an Mor Resort also entered administration, as did Solway Holiday Park in the Lake District.

However, most of these continued to operate.

There are still some Cove sites that are not impacted including the group’s largest flagship holiday park – Seal Bay Resort in West Sussex.

Administrators are now attempting to sell the group’s sites in Scotland, Cornwall and Northern England.

WHEN the unpredictable British weather strikes, a tropical indoor waterpark is the ideal escape for families.

We’ve hunted down the UK’s absolute best indoor waterparks, packed with terrifying near-vertical drops for adrenaline junkies and giant interactive pirate ships to entertain the little ones.

Parents haven’t been forgotten either, as plenty of these indoor resorts have luxurious adults-only spas, bubbling spa pools, and peaceful lazy rivers to help you escape the chaos.

Best of all, these waterparks won’t break the bank, with tickets from £5.31 for adults and £2.50 for kids.

Sandcastle Waterpark, Blackpool

As the UK’s largest waterpark, it’s safe to say there’s absolutely loads of indoor fun to be had at Sandcastle Waterpark in Blackpool.

The attraction boasts 18 slides, ranging from the toddler-friendly treetops water chutes to a climbing frame where a giant coconut dumps 600 gallons of water onto unsuspecting swimmers.

Older thrill-seekers can tackle five record-breaking white-knuckle rides, including the Sidewinder, the world-first indoor half-pipe, and the Masterblaster, the UK’s longest indoor water rollercoaster.

While the kids run wild, adults can escape to the Sea Breeze Spa for an extra £7 to unwind in the sauna, steam room, and aromatherapy lounge.

For the ultimate VIP day out, the £60 Tiki Cabana package gets you park entry, lunch and unlimited drinks, spa access, and a private retreat complete with a TV and hot tub.

Standard tickets start at £24.95 for those aged 12 and over, £15.95 for kids aged three to seven, and under-threes get to splash around for free.

Waterworld, Stoke-on-Trent

This waterpark with tropical temperatures packs in over 30 different rides and attractions under one roof.

Test your nerves on the lightning-themed Hurricane ride that descends at 17mph, or brave the Thunderbolt – the UK’s first trap-door flume that plummets you downwards at a terrifying 25mph.

If you want something a bit gentler, toddlers will love the gentle twists of the newly refurbished Python slide, while the whole family can enjoy the swirling rapids and wave pool.

When you need a breather, you can chill in the calming bubble pools and fuel up on pizza, bubble waffles, and milkshakes at the on-site restaurant.

Outside of the waterpark, the wider leisure resort contains the M Club Spa and fitness centre as well as a tiki-themed adventure mini-golf course.

General admission tickets start at £24pp.

Blue Lagoon Water Park, Wales

Beneath its giant, curved glass dome, the Blue Lagoon Water Park hides a massive wave pool, four high-speed flumes, a lazy river, bubbling spa pools and more.

Here the kids can make a splash on mini slides and water cannons at Nippers Cove, or even join in on magical mermaid schools and pirate-themed events.

While the pool complex is normally reserved for holiday park guests, you can still visit without booking an overnight stay by grabbing tickets to a public open day.

The next public open day takes place on October 28 between 6.30pm and 9pm, with entry costing a budget-friendly £11.55 per person.

The complex is completely free however for guests staying on-site at Bluestone National Park Resort, making it the perfect excuse to book in a staycation.

You can bag a three-night break in a stylish wooden lodge sleeping four from £420, working out to £35pp per night.

Alton Towers Waterpark, Staffordshire

You don’t need to brave the theme park’s giant rollercoasters for an action-packed day out at Alton Towers.

The attraction boasts its own massive tropical waterpark with toasty temperatures right in the Staffordshire countryside.

Adrenaline junkies can tackle the epic Master Blaster water rollercoaster, twist down the indoor Rush ‘N’ Rampage slides, or brave the outdoor Flash Floods flume before splashing into the giant pool.

Meanwhile, little ones can run wild in the Wacky Waterworks Treehouse, a sprawling play zone packed with over 70 interactive features including water cannons and tipping buckets.

If you prefer a more relaxing pace, you can drift peacefully along the lazy river or simply kick back on a lounger with a drink while the kids wear themselves out.

When hunger strikes, you can grab burgers and chicken strips at the Calypso Cave, or treat the family to ice cream sundaes and floats from the Ice Cream Shack.

Standard tickets start at £18 when booked online, with kids under 90cm going completely free.

There are also parent-and-toddler passes available from £23.

Coral Reef Waterworld, Bracknell

Bracknell’s Coral Reef Waterworld is one of England’s largest indoor water parks. With 30C temperatures and a giant pirate ship to play in, it makes for the ideal rainy-day family escape.

Little ones can run wild in the pirate ship and battle against each other with water cannons, or even dodge the ‘eruptions’ of the giant water volcano.

Older kids can tackle five high-tech waterslides, including the 67-metre high-speed Cannon chute and Poseidon’s Peril, a neon-lit, colour-changing raft ride built for two.

If you need to catch your breath, the main swimming pool has plenty of calmer spots to float around, featuring a swirling rapid river and relaxing bubble pools.

There’s even an adults-only Coral Spa where you can completely unwind on heated sun loungers, chill in a Japanese steam room, or sweat it out across three saunas.

Tickets from £18.60 for adults and £13.20 for kids.

Alpamare, Scarborough

Scarborough‘s Alpamare is a totally unique waterpark that truly lives up to its claim of being “unlike any waterpark you’ve seen before”.

Here you’ll find four massive, ski-themed waterslides: the Cresta Run, Olympic Run, Black Run, and Snowstorm.

Each will send you flying through high-speed twists, turns, and giant spinning funnel bowls.

There’s also a huge main indoor pool, which ripples with waves every 30 minutes. You can also brave the outdoor chill and take a dip in a heated outdoor infinity pool.

Alpamare also has its own spa, which might just be the most unique of the bunch.

The spa offers a hammam, LED ice showers, foot baths and even a Sauna World complex with plenty of room for sitting down and heating up.

Plus there’s a totally bizarre Hay Bath aromatherapy experience, where you relax on a lounger surrounded by fresh local Yorkshire hay – where the natural scent is designed to soothe the senses.

Tickets start at £10 for adults, £7.50 for kids, and £2.50 for toddlers when you book ahead online.

The Wave, Coventry

The Wave is a giant indoor waterworld containing the UK’s largest wave pool, which churns over 20 million litres of water every single day.

Zip down your choice of six high-octane flumes, including the stomach-churning Riptide – a massive half-pipe slide that blasts rubber ring riders down a terrifying near-90-degree drop.

You can also take on the dizzying Cyclone ride that spins swimmers around a giant open bowl, while younger children can safely splash away from the big drops in The Reef, a vibrant play area packed with mini slides and fountains.

If the parents need some well-deserved peace and quiet, they can escape the chaos and head over to the luxurious on-site Mana Spa.

Here you can swim gentle lengths in a quieter pool, sweat it out in the sauna and steam room, or switch off in the soothing aromatherapy suite.

Adult tickets cost £15, kids aged 11 and under £13, and babies under one go for free.

Time Capsule Water Park, Scotland

Time Capsule Water Park in Coatbridge, Scotland is a brilliant budget-friendly option that even comes attached to an indoor ice rink for the ultimate action-packed day out.

Inside the massive water complex, you’ll find a lazy river, twisting waterslides, and kids splash zones lined with water cannons.

Thrill-seekers will want to make a beeline for Tornado Tantrum, a tall flume packed with twisting drops alongside dramatic thunder and lightning effects.

Younger kids can safely splash around the toddler-friendly Cove Island, or dry off and run wild in the Tiny Tots indoor soft play area.

When it’s time to refuel the family, grab a cold drink and a poolside burger at the on-site Tsunami Cafe.

This waterpark is one of the cheapest on our list, with adult tickets costing £6.50 and kids £4.50, plus the bonus of completely free parking.

LC Swansea Waterpark, Wales

Taking the crown as Wales‘ biggest waterpark, LC Swansea goes way beyond your standard indoor pool and slide.

Here you can learn to surf on the Boardrider simulator, or hop on a rubber ring ride that blasts you uphill before gravity sends you plummeting back into the pool.

The Volcano Bay zone is the perfect place for the kids to burn off energy with interactive fountains, toys and tipping buckets.

But you can always escape the madness by floating down the peaceful lazy river or sinking into the bubbling whirlpool.

The fun doesn’t stop once you dry off, thanks to a massive underwater-themed indoor play area spanning four storeys of obstacles just next door, as well as a 30ft climbing wall.

Plus there’s a Costa Coffee for well-deserved snacks and drinks and a handy shop for forgotten swim gear.

You won’t have to empty your wallet to enjoy it all either, with tickets starting at £5.31 for adults and older kids.

Toddler tickets (ages one to three) cost £2.97, and babies go free.

EASYJET is set to be disrupted by staff walkouts next month – with flights to and from the UK expected to be cancelled.

The airline’s cabin crew in Portugal have voted to strike on two separate occasions across October and December.

Members of the SNPVAC union have announced walkouts from October 2–6 and again in December on 19–23.

The strike will affect flights from busy airports including Lisbon, Porto and Faro.

From the UK, easyJet operates flights to Portugal from the likes of Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Liverpool, Gatwick, Luton, Southend, Manchester and Newcastle.

The union has estimated that the strike in October alone could ground around 500 scheduled flights overall.

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This is likely to include 35 return flights to and from the UK.

A spokesperson from the airline added: “We are extremely disappointed that SNPVAC is planning strike actions despite our willingness to continue a constructive dialogue.

“We had just started a conciliation process through the mediation of DGERT with the aim to reach an agreement to meet our employees’ requests and protect the sustainability of easyJet business in Portugal.

“The current union demands are unworkable especially given that our crew are already paid significantly above the Portuguese national average.

Flight compensation rules

A look at your rights if a flight is delayed or cancelled, when your entitled to compensation and if your travel insurance can cover the costs.

What are my rights if my flight is cancelled or delayed?

Under UK law, airlines have to provide compensation if your flight arrives at its destination more than three hours late.

If you’re flying to or from the UK, your airline must let you choose a refund or an alternative flight.

You will be able to get your money back for the part of your ticket that you haven’t used yet.

So if you booked a return flight and the outbound leg is cancelled, you can get the full cost of the return ticket refunded.

But if travelling is essential, then your airline has to find you an alternative flight. This could even be with another airline.

When am I not entitled to compensation?

The airline doesn’t have to give you a refund if the flight was cancelled due to reasons beyond their control, such as extreme weather.

Disruptions caused by things like extreme weather, airport or air traffic control employee strikes or other ‘extraordinary circumstances’ are not eligible for compensation.

Some airlines may stretch the definition of “extraordinary circumstances” but you can challenge them through the aviation regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

Will my insurance cover me if my flight is cancelled?

If you can’t claim compensation directly through the airline, your travel insurance may refund you.

Policies vary so you should check the small print, but a delay of eight to 12 hours will normally mean you qualify for some money from your insurer.

Remember to get written confirmation of your delay from the airport as your insurer will need proof.

If your flight is cancelled entirely, you’re unlikely to be covered by your insurance.

“We are doing everything we can to minimize the impact of the strike on our customers including actioning some cancellations in advance to allow our customers to rearrange their travel plans.”

Cabin crew workers for the airline in France previously held strikes between August 15 and 16.

Last month, easyJet pilots, again in France, staged a walkout across two days in September.

Members of the SNPL pilots’ union staged the strike over a pay dispute between September 13-14.

At 69, I had never hiked with a backpack and I had no idea what land art was. Nonetheless, when my friend Jackie, a nature documentary film-maker, invited me to join her and her friends Wendy and Sasha on a hiking trip to Refuges d’Art in the mountainous countryside of Haute-Provence, I said a resounding “yes”. We would be sleeping alongside sculptures by the renowned land artist Andy Goldsworthy.

First, I watch Rivers and Tides, a documentary on Goldsworthy’s work, and discover he has built exquisite ice sculptures and stone cairns in my own country, Canada. His work seems to speak to an older part of the soul. Then, I start walking up hills, gradually adding weights to my backpack until I can comfortably carry 9kg (20lb).

We meet in Digne-les-Bains, a bustling mountain town in the centre of the Unesco geopark of Haute-Provence, and the starting point for a 10-day, 150km (93-mile) hiking route that includes the possibility of staying overnight at seven reservable but free off-grid sleeping cabins. Goldsworthy worked alongside local teams to restore the abandoned shepherd huts, farmhouses, chapel and stone shelters, and created a site-specific artwork for each one. Over four days, we will visit three of these refuges and hike about 45km (28 miles).

Our first stop in Digne-les-Bains is Maison Alexandra David-Neél, a museum dedicated to the adventurous, peripatetic life of a woman who, in 1924, disguised herself as a beggar to become the first western woman to enter the Forbidden City of Lhasa in Tibet. The keys to the refuges are kept here, no doubt, to inspire hikers for the adventures that lie ahead.

On the first day, we encounter one of three sentinels that sit like giant mysterious eggs watching over the route. These 2 to 3-metre tall cairns were made by Goldsworthy without mortar or cement and rely on fitting the right shapes and weights of the stones.

Jackie has told us the trail is mostly flat and indeed, we start on even gravel, chatting and laughing, getting used to the weight of our packs. After 5km, she says we should look for a path leading up the hill on our right. She checks her satnav and points to a goat path going straight up the rocks. I panic. My backpack suddenly feels extremely heavy. In desperation, I check further down the road and, to everyone’s relief, find a path marked with white and red horizontal lines signifying a grande randonnée, a trail certified by the French government.

We begin our ascent, pausing to photograph curlicued and wispy plants right out of Dr Seuss, yellow, scarlet and blue wildflowers, an orange moth sitting on purple brush. Spanish broom perfumes the air. We lift our gaze and see multiple valleys and unique geological formations. It’s easy to imagine our ice-age ancestors walking these trails 15,000 years ago and it’s gratifying to be travelling under our own steam, as they did.

We arrive at the first refuge, La Forest, as the sun is setting. The key unlocks the door. Inside, the air is cold. Our eyes adjust to the dark. A table and benches stand in front of us. To the left, a stairway leads to sleeping platforms. To the right, a doorway into a dark, empty room. From its depths glows a cylindrical obelisk, light falling on one large stone where someone could sit. It’s concave, constructed of light grey stone ending in a porthole to the sky. It’s illuminated by natural light and changes with the time, the weather, the season. This art is living and feels sacred.

That evening, we eat freeze-dried mushroom risotto in the flickering candlelight, play cards, eat chocolate, laugh and share stories. Sasha, who works in film in Germany, teaches us two words: der salzlose – someone who is bland and without flavour; and extrawurst – someone who always demands more. Neither apply to our group. The camaraderie and conviviality bring pure pleasure.

We climb the stairs to the sleeping platforms. Wendy and Sasha have brought sturdy sleeping mats on Jackie’s recommendation. We lay them out and say goodnight. The quiet is complete. Then, a tidal wave of sound erupts. Wendy and Sasha have rolled over. The friction on the technical fabric of their sleeping mats is deafening. The price of comfort has been revealed; they must lie like mummies.

The next day, we descend, picnic by a river on crackers, avocados and cheese, then start climbing again. Sasha and I subversively agree that it’s psychologically better to be told something is going to be hard and then it turns out easier. I console myself that climbing with a backpack is good for bone density and way less boring than lifting weights.

The next refuge, Le Vieil Esclangon, is in a mountain-top meadow. A majestic fan of lifted rock shines across the wide valley. Everywhere we turn there are more mountains and valleys. The first floor of the refuge is a large dark room split in two by a massive fireplace. Upstairs, the sleeping platforms look out on to a sunlit verge. Across from the fireplace, a tall serpentine shape made of dried mud loops back and forth like a meandering river, ending at the top in the source.

The wind picks up and the temperature drops. We gather wood and light a fire. In the flickering orange light, the sculpture comes to life, looking like one of Plato’s eternal forms. We eat our freeze-dried pad thai, the art and the hikers transient and temporary but together in this warm and cosy moment.

Later, we sleep to the sound of wind and rain, woken only by a mouse rave in the middle of the night.

We arrive at the third refuge, La Ferme Belon, in time for a late lunch. In the basement, huge interlinked semicircular stone arches look like a dragon’s body swimming through earth. Upstairs, the sleeping platforms are lovely except for one small detail. A colony of bats hang above. I can feign nonchalance because I know Wendy, who is quietly uber-capable, will find us a delightful B&B for the night. Over pizza and cold rosé, Sasha and I confess to Jackie that we would have rather known how challenging the hikes were going to be. “But you wouldn’t have come if I’d told you,” she answers with a twinkle in her eye.

Andy Goldsworthy said: “To me there is a tremendous difference between works of art that we observe in a museum just for a few minutes and works of art in which we live for a short while, in which we sleep. To sleep in a sculpture is a wonderful idea.”

In Digne-les-Bains we return the keys and soak our stronger bodies in the town’s hot springs. We’ve already said yes to Jackie’s next adventure, sight unseen.

Claudia Casper’s novel The Mercy Journals won the Philip K Dick award for distinguished science fiction in 2017 (Arsenal Pulp Press)

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, which includes some of the most dramatic sandstone sea cliffs and oceanfront trails in Southern California, closed Monday for utility upgrades. Reopening is scheduled for March 2027.

The closure covers cars, cyclists and walkers. The 1,750-acre Torrey Pines reserve, located north of La Jolla and south of Del Mar in San Diego County, attracts an estimated 4 million visitors yearly. Its population of Torrey pine trees is one of just two spots in the U. S. where that species is found. (The other is Channel Islands National Park’s Santa Rosa Island, where a fire in May killed much of the Torrey pine population.)

Meanwhile, next door to the natural reserve, Torrey Pines State Beach remains open. Visitors can still park at the North Beach and South Beach parking lots and walk to that 4.5-mile stretch of sand, much of it at the foot of 300-feet cliffs.

State parks officials said in a release that the improvement project includes installation of new gas, water, wastewater and communication lines, along with accessibility upgrades.

WHEN it comes to the best foodie spots in the UK, it’s safe to say Michelin-star chef Tom Kerridge knows his stuff.

Talking to Sun Travel, Tom revealed that he doesn’t always go for fine food – with a popular high street chain being one of his favourites.

“Seriously, I love a Nando’s,” he admitted.

“It’s one of those chain, fast food places that isn’t actually bad for you, and ideal for a pre-cinema meal.

“There’s still plenty of protein and if you want to make it healthy, salad options, broccoli and peas.”

Tom continued: “The food isn’t always fried either, it can be grilled and you can swap chips for rice.

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“As far as chain restaurants go, it’s good value for money, and you can make it healthy – then cover it in hot sauce, as I like to.

“If I’m with my son, we’ll do a whole chicken and share one of those, then for sides, we love the Peri-Peri salt chips, and the Macho peas.”

You can even get meals for under £10 in Nando’s – the grilled chicken burger served in a soft roll with tomato relish, mayo, lettuce and tomato comes in at £8.75.

A variety of the salads come in at £9.50, or if you fancy some sides, get a quarter of a chicken and add two sides for just £12.45.

Another British staple is of course fish and chips, and Tom reveals exactly where he likes to go for the seaside favourite.

He said: “The north coast of Kent is just brilliant, and there are a couple of great chippies in Whitstable.

“The town actually ahs an incredible fish scene in general – it’s still a fishing port and you can see the boats coming in and out everyday.

“One of my favourites spots is actually Whitstable Oyster Company, and there’s Wheelers which is fantastic for shellfish – especially if you like a crab sandwich.”

He added: “And the best part is that it’s all along the seafront – I’m a believer in flavour being wrapped up in a setting.

“You’ve got to go and eat on the sea wall with seagulls flying overhead. It’s magic, and that’s what makes things taste great – especially along the north Kent coast.”

When it comes to the Great British pub, there’s one spot that sticks out in Tom’s mind, and you’ll find it in Yorkshire.

He explained : “One of the best in the UK is in a sweet little village called Harome.

“The Star Inn is run by Andrew Pern and it’s an amazing, brilliant pub with Michelin-star food.

“It’s homely, hearty and everything you’d expect from a Yorkshire pub like an open fireplace, Wellington boots. It’s a lovely, lovely place.”

A few years ago, The Star Inn was named one of the best pubs in the country – it’s inside a 14th century thatched cottage with exposed wooden beams.

Lots of visitors have praised it for being “charming” and having “incredible food for a fair price”.

They cook up a storm too from plum-glazed duck to roast lamb, pan-roasted halibut and for dessert baked-apricot soufflé to savoury frangipane.

And while Tom raves about the major cities as a place to eat fantastic food – praising Manchester for its street food and bars, along with Bristol for its vegetarian restaurant – there is a much smaller island he said is amazing as well.

He said: “When I was a child, I used to go on holiday to the Isle of Wight all the time.

“It was to a Butlin’s-style caravan park, and now I’m at the point where my son is 10 and he loves the idea of camping and doing adventure stuff – so I’m looking forward to getting back into it.

“I actually went back to the Isle of Wight earlier this year to film something, and I love going back.

“It’s so small that you can go all over – the coast is very special.

“The Isle of Wight has quite an old-school feel, it’s like going back to the 50s or childlike England. It would be cool to take my son there and go camping.”

Tom is based in Marlow, where he has lived for 21 years, and it’s where he’s set up his three pubs; The Coach, The Hand & Flowers and The Butcher’s Tap.

ONE of my fondest childhood holidays was going to Legoland Windsor, feeling like a real pirate as I sifted for gold while struggling to remember my left and rights in the driving school.

But as an adult, I recently visited the new Legoland theme park which has become the world’s biggest – and was blown away by the sheer scale of it.

Legoland Shanghai recently celebrated its first birthday, having opened just outside of the city in July 2025 and celebrating two million visitors already.

But how does it compare to Legoland Windsor?

It has 75 attractions, compared to the the UK’s 55.

Not only that, but it has already broken some world records outside of its size.

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It is home to the world’s largest Mini Figure, nicknamed Dada and measuring 85ft.

It also has the world’s only land dedicated to Monkie Kid, with rides including the park’s log flume.

And I was so surprised about how great it was for adults as well.

The Miniland is the central attraction and well-worth a visit, not just for Lego-enthusiasts.

It’s made up of an insane 20million bricks, with fantastic displays including the Shanghai skyline, Beijing and water villages Suzhou.

Kids will have fun though, where they can build their own cars to race or spaceships to shoot rockets.

But there are definitely enough rides to keep adults busy.

It has the Big Lego rollercoaster, the longest coaster at any Lego park at 1,379ft.

Created by Bolliger & Mabillard (behind Nemesis and Oblivion at Alton Tower), it was a thrilling ride that threw me around the tracks, having amazing views of the park until hitting speeds of 53mph.

It’s safe to say I went on this ride a few times…

Otherwise it also has the Dragon Coaster, which is bigger and faster than the UK version.

It even has a unique boat ride which goes through Chinese water villages, and is a welcome break from the heat.

Of course, kids will love the eight themed lands – there is the world-exclusive Lego Monkie Kid land, with the main water flume ride (don’t worry if you get wet – there is a full-sized dryer right next to it).

LEGO City is where they can get their driving license, as well as go on rides based on firefighters, pilots and police officers, and the NINJAGO land has fantastic live performances.

Come with an empty stomach – you can enjoy brick-shaped sandwiches, burgers and even ice cream.

Ticket prices are usually similar to Legoland Windsor, which is around £31.

However, tickets are currently 50 per cent off due to it being Shanghai Tourism Week, meaning £16 tickets until September 27.

Even if you aren’t planning a trip to Shanghai, you can visit Legoland if you are travelling through on a stopover.

The theme park is around one hour from Pudong International Airport, or 25 minutes from Hongqiao International Airport.

Or you can stay longer and stay at the on-site Legoland Hotel.

If you love a pint after a long day of sightseeing then this city break is a must-visit for autumn. Its self-serve beer fountain means you can try beers from across the region for just a few Euros

After a long day of exploring a new destination, the highlight of a city break for many of us is sitting in the town square, enjoying a nice cold pint of local, reasonably-priced beer.

And if you visit a small, but charming Slovenian town, you can not only order a pint, but pour your own from a ‘beer fountain’ that offers a variety of local brews to sample.

Žalec in the Lower Savinja Valley is a town that’s beer-obsessed. Even its coat of arms features a beer hop. The region is known as the Valley of Green Gold, named for the color of hops as they ripen in the sun, and it has 150 years of beer-making experience.

Next to Žalec’s marketplace lies the Green Gold Fountain, a unique attraction composed of a variety of shiny silver beer taps. Visitors buy a small glass for €12, just over £10, which pays for the souvenir glass plus six 100ml tastings of various local beers. The cups come with a chip, which is scanned by the fountain, so you can serve yourself.

The fountain opened in March and is set to run through October, so visitors can make the most of the crisp autumn weather while they sample local beers. The 150-year anniversary means there will be a larger variety of ales this year, with 34 craft beers from 25 Slovenian breweries expected to be on tap.

Alex Dyer, a managing director at Ski Famille, highlighted the unusual spot. He said: “The fountain is memorable enough to be one part of the day without making beer the whole purpose of a family visit. I think parents will enjoy the stop more when younger travellers have something of their own to look forward to nearby, because that keeps the day balanced rather than leaving anyone waiting around.”

The town’s visitors can also follow an official tourist route called the Path from Hops to Beer, which is just over 3-miles long, taking in a Roman necropolis and caves along the way. Once you’re back in town, the Eco-Museum of Hop-Growing and Brewing Industry is an interactive way to learn about the town’s proud heritage.

Visitors from the UK can fly from London, Manchester, or Edinburgh to Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, which takes just two hours and 20 minutes, making it perfect for a short weekend break. EasyJet has flights in October to Ljubljana from £45.99 one-way.

Žalec is less than an hour from the capital by car, taking you down some seriously steep mountain roads and through the untouched Slovenian countryside. But a more relaxed alternative is the 90-minute train ride, which runs along the River Sava in parts, taking you past charming traditional villages as you head to beer country.

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

A wellness break doesn’t always have to mean checking into a fancy spa hotel. There are countless more affordable ways of stepping off the treadmill and taking a moment to recharge the batteries. We’d love to hear about your favourite wellness experiences in the UK and Europe, whether it’s a beach sauna followed by a bracing dip in the sea, a mindful walk or meditation in a forest, or a memorable visit to a hammam or traditional thermal baths.

The best tip of the week, chosen by Tom Hall of Lonely Planet wins a £200 voucher to stay at a Coolstays property – the company has more than 3,000 worldwide. The best tips will appear in the Guardian Travel section and website.

Keep your tip to about 100 words

If you have a relevant photo, do send it in – but it’s your words we will be judging for the competition.

We’re sorry, but for legal reasons you must be a UK resident to enter this competition.

The competition closes on Monday 28 September at 10am BST

Have a look at our past winners and other tips

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AS WE enter autumn, what better way to treat yourself than a spa trip?

There are a whole bunch of great offers out there at the moment for spa days, breaks and getaways, both in the UK or abroad.

And so you don’t have to do all that searching, we have found the very top offers for you.

Day spa pass

Brooklands Hotel spa and dining experience

The Brooklands Hotel in Weybridge offers three hours of spa access from £27pp, or upgrade to three hours of spa access, a spa treatment and a meal, from £76.69pp.

The spa features a Finnish sauna, infrared sauna, steam room, Himalayan salt room, rooftop hot tub, sunlight therapy room, experience shower, ice fountain and a relaxation area.

As well as three hours of spa access, bookings include a 25-minute or 50-minute treatment, depending on what you choose.

These include a cranial massage; back, neck and shoulder massage; express facial; body brush; manicure or a pedicure.

The package also features a meal – breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner – depending on what time of day your three-hour spa visit is booked for.

Imagine Spa Orton Hall

Orton Hall Hotel offers a half-day spa visit and treatment from £29.95pp or £59 for two people.

Orton Hall’s Imagine Spa features a heated pool, sauna, steam room and a small gym.

Guests also then receive a 45-minute Serail mud chamber treatment as part of the package.

Macdonald Houston House Hotel & Spa

In West Lothian, you can visit Macdonald Houston House Hotel & Spa, for a spa day with 25-minute treatment and two course meal for £36.19pp.

Alternatively, if there are two of you it will cost £85.

In the hotel, you can head to the pool, as well as a sauna and steam room.

Bannatyne Health Clubs

One of the most popular options for a spa day is Bannatyne Health Club, with locations across the country.

With Virgin Experience Days, book a spa day with a 30-minute treatment for two people, for £69 in total.

Treatment options include a Swedish back, neck & shoulders massage; express facial or full body seasonal scrub.

Alternatively, also with Virgin Experience Days, there is a spa day with three treatments from £55 per person.

The three treatments last 35-minutes in total and include a welcome touch facial with a scalp massage; hand and arm massage and a mini back massage.

Guests also receive a Divine Eye Mask as well.

Montcalm Royal London House

If you are in the capital, the five-star Montcalm Royal London House offers a two-hour spa experience from £34.95.

This includes the pool, sauna and steam room – though the offer is only available Monday to Thursday.

Holmer Park Spa and Health Club

Homer Park Spa in Hereford has two spa packages on offer.

The Twilight Spa costs £39, with guests allowed to access the spa between 6pm and 9pm, available Monday to Thursday.

Or for £55, there is the Thermal Relaxation Experience – a half-day (four hours) experience of the spa.

The spa includes a pool, sauna and steam rooms.

Riverhills Spa, Suffolk

Riverhills Spa in Suffolk offers a Fire and Ice Experience for £55.

It includes access to the spa facilities for four hours, such as a snow shower, volcano sauna and aroma steam room.

There is also a pool, relaxation area, fitness studio and gardens.

A robe, towel and flip-flops are included.

Wowcher mystery spa trip

Don’t want to spend anything more than a tenner? Well, with Wowcher there is an offer for a mystery spa trip.

For £9.99, you can purchase a Wowcher mystery spa trip with the opportunity to win a spa break to Paris, France.

However, most of the prizes are a £15 voucher to use towards a spa in the UK.

Might be worth the gamble though?

Overnight stays

Twilight Spa Escape at the Moor Hall Hotel & Spa

Moor Hall Hotel and Spa in Birmingham offers a Twilight Spa Escape package which includes an overnight stay, access to the spa from 4pm and a 25-minute treatment from £214.35 if you’re staying alone, and £291.90 for two people sharing a room – which works out at £146pp.

The spa features a pool, spa bath, sauna, steam room, relaxation room and gym.

And the treatment included is a Templespa Skin Smoothie Facial.

Also included is a homemade pizza in the evening and a full-English breakfast in the morning.

Doubletree by Hilton Bristol South – Cadbury House

Cadbury House in Congresbury, Somerset, which dates back to 1790, offers an overnight spa stay from £198 for two people, which works out at £99pp.

Included in the package you’ll get a standard double room for two people, with dinner and breakfast.

In the spa, there is a thermal suite with heated floors, hanging pods and an outdoor hot tub.

Spa Break for two at Trenython Manor, Cornwall

Down in Cornwall, Trenython Manor has a spa break for two from £99.

The hotel sits on a private 24-acre estate and has a leisure club as well as spa.

Also included in the package is a full-English breakfast and a bottle of prosecco.

What makes it even better is the late 12pm check-out for a good lie in.

Sunday Slowdown Spa Break at the Ringwood Hall Hotel & Spa

Ringwood Hall, in Chesterfield offers a Sunday Slowdown Spa Break for a Sunday night stay with spa access, a two-course dinner and breakfast from £198.

The two-course dinner will be in the Coach House Restaurant with meals using local produce.

In the Garden Secret Spa there are steam rooms, saunas, a vitality pool and relaxation lounges.

Overnight spa break with dinner at Bournemouth West Cliff Hotel

Via Red Letter Days, Bournemouth West Cliff Hotel offers an overnight spa break for two with dinner included from £159.99 – just £80 per person.

You purchase the voucher, which can then be used within 12 months at the hotel between September and May, Sunday to Friday.

The hotel’s spa features an indoor pool, two spa pools, a sauna, a steam room, a hot tub and an “aromatherapy cave”.

A three-course dinner at the hotel’s brasserie restaurant is also included, and so is a full-English breakfast in the morning.

Park Hall Hotel Lancashire spa break for two with breakfast and spa access

Park Hall Hotel in Lancashire offers a spa break for two, with breakfast included from just £89 – £44.50 per person.

The four-star hotel, which is surrounded by lakes and woodlands, boasts a spa with a hydrotherapy lagoon, hot tub, sauna, steam room, pool, relaxation areas and a gym.

While the package doesn’t include any spa treatments, you do get 20 per cent off treatments booked during your stay.

And you can upgrade your package to add a two-course meal at the restaurant onsite.

The package is available on select dates until April 20, 2027.

Weekend stay

Budapest, Hungary

Why stay in the UK when you could head abroad?

Fly to Budapest, Hungary, and stay at the Central Hotel 21 in the city historic Palace District for just £99pp.

Included in the package is a standard room with an en-suite bathroom, bike rental, a shuttle service, return flights, and an entry ticket to the Széchenyi Thermal Spa.

Fly from either Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh, London Gatwick, London Luton, London Stansted, London Southend, or London City airports.

The hotel is also ideally located close to a lot of the top sights in the city including the Danube just a five-minute walk away.

Ona Lomas Village Manga Club

In Spain, Ona Lomas Village Manga Club offers a spa break via On The Beach for just £100pp.

The spa at the hotel features an indoor pool, saunas, a steam room, a solarium and a gym.

There are a further two outdoor pools as well.

Fly from London Luton to Murcia International on October 11 and stay for two nights.

Two night European city break for two

Not sure where you want to go? Via BuyAGift you could head on a European city spa break for two people from £183.20.

The voucher can be redeemed against a wide selection of European destinations and is for two nights.

You could head to the Spanish coast for example, or visit France.

The voucher is valid for 12 months and you must make your selection before the expiry date printed on your voucher.

FROM brand-new swimming pools to restaurants, bars and adventure activities – some holiday parks are undergoing major upgrades.

What’s even better is that they’re still as cheap as ever to book with some costing as little as £7pppn.

Unity Holidays Skirlington Coast, Yorkshire

Back in July, Unity Holidays‘ Skirlington Coast in Yorkshire was given the green light for a major £20million glow up.

There will be upgraded dining spots and leisure facilities, as well as a new entertainment zone and outdoor pool surrounded by sunloungers.

Kids aren’t left out either, with a new splash pad including a children’s pool.

Other additions will be new pavilion home to restaurants, along with fairground attractions and cabanas.

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Accommodation at the park will be expanded as well, with 92 new caravans planned for the site – currently it has 680 caravans and 400 pitches for tents.

A spokesman for Unity Holidays said: “We thank the council’s planning committee for approving our application to redevelop the land on our park currently occupied by Skirlington Market, as well as the buildings on that land used by the market.

“We look forward to commencing work on that project as soon as possible, which will see us add indoor and outdoor sport and leisure facilities as well as re-landscaping the entire area.”

There’s plenty open already at Skirlington Coast holiday park if you fancy booking a break sooner rather than later.

A family of four can book a four-night stay the holiday park from £119 in a Bronze 2 Bed Caravan this October.

If you want to wait it out, the price is the same for a stay in May 2027.

Parkdean Resorts, UK

If you’re looking for a holiday park break next year, then two Parkdean Resorts are getting major makeovers for spring 2027.

It’s part of a £10million upgrade across multiple sites – those which have already undergone transformations include Highfield Grange Holiday Park in Essex and Vauxhall Holiday Park in Great Yarmouth.

Next on the list is Thorness Bay on the north-west coast of the Isle of Wight.

One of its new additions will be the Hat-Tricks Sports Bar which is a family-friendly spot which will have pool and darts.

Joe’s American Grill is its new dining spot and there will be Minigolf & Adventure Activities which include high ropes, low ropes and climbing wall.

The second resort undergoing an upgrade is Skipsea Sands in East Riding of Yorkshire.

On its Facebook account, Skipsea Sands Holiday Park revealed: “Skipsea Sands Holiday Park is getting a multi-million pound makeover, bringing even more to see, do, eat and enjoy from Spring 2027!

“Here’s a little taste of what’s coming… Exciting new activities and adventures, More ways to splash, play and have fun, New and improved family experiences, Even more indoor and outdoor fun, whatever the weather.”

It will be getting a Clip & Climb wall, Bear Grylls Escape Rooms and Fairground Golf.

You can book for 2027 already if you want to get ahead of the game.

A family of four can book to stay in a Bronze 2 Bedroom Caravan at Skipsea Sands (which sleeps up to six) from £128 in May 2027.

Lyons Robin Hood, Wales

Lyons has announced new planned investment at one of its biggest sites which is Lyons Robin Hood in Rhyl.

The firm has invested more than £1million at its Rhyl site this year and opened a brand-new Altitude Adventure Hub in May.

New activities included Altitude Aerial Adventure, Nitro Go Kart Track, Mini Aerial Adventure, a climbing wall, bungee trampolines and bouncy pillows.

A new adventure-playground also opened earlier this year too – and there are still more upgrades to come.

A spokesperson said: “We’re excited to announce further investment coming to Lyons Robin Hood for the 2027 season.

“As part of our continued commitment to investing in the park and enhancing the experience for our owners and their families, we’re investing in our gym facilities for 2027.

“It’s another exciting addition to a growing list of investments designed to make your time at Lyons Robin Hood even better.”

For more on new openings, here are all the destinations set to be big in 2027 with the opening of new theme park lands and luxe holiday parks.

A family of four can getaway this October across four-nights in a Silver 3 Bedroom Caravan from £123.

Or book a getaway for April next year from £99 in a Bronze 3 Bedroom Caravan – which works out as £6.19pppn.

THE world’s best airlines have been revealed – including the best budget carries in Europe.

Often dubbed the ‘Oscars of the aviation industry’, each year The Skytrax World Airline Awards awards the best airlines in each region and the world.

Around 300 airlines are included in the awards, which are voted on by millions of travellers from over 100 nationalities each year.

Coming out on top of the European list was Turkish Airlines.

The airline operates direct routes from six UK airports including London Heathrow, London Gatwick, London Stansted, Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh.

Flights head to destinations including Istanbul and Lagos, costing from £177 return.

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Coming in second place was Air France, which connects the UK to Paris, while Lufthansa came in third, who has flights from the UK to Germany from eight airports.

When it comes to budget airlines, Vueling was named the best in Europe with Wizz Air taking the top spot for the best low-cost airline in Central Europe.

As for UK airlines, they didn’t fair as well sadly.

Virgin Atlantic was named fifth in Europe and 18th in the world whereas British Airways was named seventh in Europe and 23rd overall.

Ryanair was then named the best low-cost airline in the UK while TUI Airways was named the best leisure airline in the UK.

The airline that came out on top across the whole globe was Singapore Airlines.

Singapore Airlines operates from London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Manchester airports.

The airline flies direct to Singapore Changi Airport, which is a major hub for connections to a number of destinations including Australia.

Stone cottages, a cobbled square and independent shops make this small town a charming option for a weekend escape – and fans of a much-loved TV series may recognise it.

The Cotswolds may well be one of Britain’s most beloved countryside retreats, but its sheer popularity can make a visit feel worlds apart from the tranquil rural getaway many tourists imagine.

The area is renowned for its picturesque villages, cobbled lanes and distinctive stone cottages – but that fame comes at a price.

For anyone hoping to enjoy a more laid-back weekend break, navigating through the crowds can quickly dampen the experience.

Fortunately, you needn’t abandon that quintessentially British charm altogether. One Yorkshire destination combines stone cottages and flower-adorned window boxes with independent shops and countryside walks.

Travel experts at Parkdean Resorts have tipped the North Yorkshire town as a ‘Cotswolds alternative’ for those looking to escape the crowds, as previously reported by the Mirror.

Nestled within the Yorkshire Dales, it boasts a traditional cobbled centre surrounded by stunning countryside. Its square serves as an ideal starting point, with independent shops and eateries clustered along the historic streets.

Alongside its stone cottages, flower boxes and historic pubs, there’s another reason the setting may look familiar. It serves as the primary filming location for the fictional village of Darrowby in All Creatures Great and Small.

The high street is brimming with independent shops where you can browse handmade art and jewellery, indulge in sweet treats and pick up a good book.

Grassington holds particular appeal for visitors who want their break to blend sightseeing with walking. Visitors can spend time exploring the town before venturing out into the surrounding Dales.

If Yorkshire isn’t quite to your taste, the experts at Parkdean Resorts have another destination in mind that they believe offers Cotswolds charm without the overwhelming crowds.

Rye in East Sussex is another option for visitors willing to look beyond the usual summer hotspots.

The town is filled with historic streets and striking old buildings, while independent shops and eateries make it easy to while away a leisurely day exploring without a packed itinerary.

Its location adds to the appeal. Rye offers easy access to the Sussex coastline, meaning a short break can take in both a characterful old town and a day at the beach.

Visitors can wander through the historic centre in the morning before heading to the nearby coast – a compelling choice for anyone torn between a countryside break and a seaside getaway.

ONE airline has announced it is axing all flights from three UK airports next year.

It cited “high fuel costs” and “changing consumer demand” for the cancellations.

Turkish carrier Corendon Airlines will reduce its schedule for next summer which includes cutting the UK airports it serves from six to three.

It will stop flying to Antalya from Gatwick, Birmingham and Newcastle in 2027.

The airline increased its offerings with additional flights from the UK just last year.

Despite the reduction, Corendon Airlines will still fly to Antalya twice-weekly from Glasgow with three flights a week from both Manchester and London Stansted.

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The airline confirmed it will take a “disciplined approach to capacity for 2027 following a year shaped by geopolitical uncertainty, high fuel costs and changing consumer demand”.

UK country manager Matthew Carpenter said: “In response to a difficult trading year owing to the impact of the Iran conflict, we’ve therefore decided to reduce the number of UK airports we serve. 

“We have also decided to end some aircraft agreements, with a consequent reduction in the overall fleet, which has a natural impact on our UK schedule and capacity.

“This is a short-term reaction and we plan to review the trading conditions again in January and hope to re-introduce flights to Birmingham, Newcastle and Gatwick as soon as oil prices stabilise and trading conditions improve.”  

Corendon Airlines will continue flying to Crete from both London Gatwick and Manchester Airport.

The airline was first formed in 2004, and launched its first flight one year later.

In 2025, Corendon Airlines reportedly carried 10 million passengers a year across Europe.

A GROWING number of UK airports are facing delays and cancellations following another air traffic control failure.

This comes just a fortnight after a major outage left thousands of passengers stranded at airports across the UK.

London Gatwick, Glasgow Airport and Belfast International Airport are amongst airports currently seeing disruptions.

Earlier this morning, it was reported that an issue with National Air Traffic Services (NATS) was affecting airspace in the north of England and Scotland.

NATS has stressed that the issue is unrelated to the major air traffic control outage that saw over 500,000 passengers stranded.

Belfast International Airport has confirmed on its website that it is experiencing NATS-related delays, saying: “We are currently experiencing some delays to flights due to a NATS air traffic control issue.”

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Passengers who do not have a confirmed flight have been instructed to not travel to the airport.

Glasgow Airport has also issued a statement on its website about the delays, saying: “A technical issue affecting NATS air traffic control services at the Prestwick Centre is causing disruption to some flight departures and arrivals.

“As a result, some services operating to and from our airports are experiencing delays, primarily at Glasgow Airport, and further disruption is expected due to the knock-on impact across the network.”

London City Airport said on X: “We are experiencing some disruption due to an issue at @NATS Prestwick.

“We are monitoring the situation closely and working with NATS as they resolve the issue.“

It also told passengers to check with their airline to find out the latest flight information.

Both London Gatwick and Stansted are “operating as normal”, the airports have confirmed, but a handful of departing flights may be delayed.

After over an hour of fixing delays, NATS has now confirmed the issue at its Prestwick centre in Scotland is now fixed.

The air traffic control firm has apologised for today’s flight disruption and said it is working with airports and airlines to “minimise any further disruption”.

Transport Secretary also commented on the incident, calling the disruptions “deeply frustrating” and warning passengers of “some delays”.