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I heard the ribbit of a Pacific chorus frog and couldn’t stop my feet as they veered me off the official trail and onto a foot path leading down to Wiley Creek.

I grew up with a pond in the pasture behind my house where I could listen to the riotous sound of amphibians any evening I wanted. The soundscape of freshwater habitats is such a comfort to me.

I sat down on a boulder near the water, trying to remain still. The frog had quieted after spotting me, and I hoped it would restart its song, understanding I was not a threat but instead just a big fan.

This was the first of many beautiful moments I experienced on my recent hike through Ed Davis Park in Towsley Canyon in Newhall. It features shady canyons with blooming wildflowers and wildlife that appear to be thriving. I would later learn that a walk through Towsley Canyon is also a journey through the history of environmental activism in the Santa Clarita Valley. This area was once slated to become a landfill.

Today, hikers can explore the area by visiting Ed Davis Park in Towsley Canyon, one of four recreation areas that make up the 4,000-acre Santa Clarita Woodlands Park. (The other three are East and Rice canyons, Pico Canyon and Mentryville, each of which are also worth exploring.)

And because I got confused by this, I will point out: The Rivendale Park and Open Space is also nearby, at the mouth of Towsley Canyon near the northeast corner of Ed Davis Park. So you could find yourself hiking along one of its trails as well.

Ed Davis Park offers access to multiple trails, including:

Clockwise, southern bush monkeyflower, blue dicks, phacelia, California poppy, a flower and purple nightshade that appears to be a collinsia heterophylla.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

I arrived at Ed Davis Park just after 9 a.m. last week with a plan to take a short hike, given the high temperatures forecast that day. I parked near the entrance in the large dirt free lot. Note: There were no restrooms or portable toilets that this outdoors reporter could find anywhere nearby, so plan accordingly.

From the parking lot, I headed west, quickly turning south onto Wiley Canyon Trail. I was immediately greeted by a lesser goldfinch, perched on a strand of wild rye like a feathered park ranger.

The trail was initially a bit rutted but quickly smoothed out. As I headed into Wiley Canyon, I found myself in a crisp cool landscape shaded by large oak and California black walnut trees. I quickly heard running water. When I checked the thermometer hanging on my backpack, it read 69 degrees.

Clockwise, lesser goldfinch, western whiptail, convergent lady beetle and a lizard.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Although I could hear nearby traffic and a Southwest plane passing overhead, it didn’t block out the dynamic soundtrack of the canyon’s avian residents: the oak titmouse, northern mockingbird, blue-gray gnatcatcher and Hutton’s vireo, which, according to my birding app, were all above and around me.

As you travel along the canyon, you’ll find purple sage bursting out of the ground, and blue dicks starting to bloom. I passed by several ceanothus with white and blue-violet blooms. I really took my time taking in the native plant landscape and was lucky to spot a convergent lady beetle sipping on dew on a blade of grass.

After my short visit to the creek to find frogs, I was looking up to observe a turkey vulture and red-tail hawk circling overhead, seemingly competing for airspace, when I noticed the California dodder nourishing itself atop several plants on the hillside. Although it is a parasitic vine, this orange otherworldly being does indeed serve an important ecological purpose.

California dodder in the Towsley Canyon area around Newhall.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

“Dodder will flower during the hot summer months, providing native insects with a valuable meal and drink during the months when many other California native plants are dormant,” Jorge Ochoa, an associate professor of horticulture at Long Beach City College, wrote for the Friends of Griffith Park regarding the plant’s purpose.

I continued south, passing a spotted towhee digging in the dirt for its breakfast. Then, just under half a mile in, I turned northwest onto the Don Mullally Trail. The trail is named after a naturalist who, according to park signage, “traversed every canyon, led countless hikes to unforgettable destinations, and shared the Woodlands’ unparalleled native tree associations and ecological majesty.” May we all be so lucky!

A shady portion of a trail in the Towsley Canyon area around Newhall.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

This is where you’ll start to gain some elevation — and sun exposure. But it’s also where you will find the most blooming wildflowers! I quickly spotted phacelia with bright purple blooms, and as I headed west, an increasing number of California poppies and southern bush monkeyflower.

Towsley Peak near Towsley Canyon in Newhall.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Ed Davis Park is home to a robust butterfly population. I found a kaleidoscope of pollinators among the wildflowers and weeds, including a checkered white butterfly who was eagerly drinking from invasive mustard. I chuckled to myself. It didn’t seem to mind feasting on one of the most hated plants in Southern California.

The trail does turn into a narrow single track with thick vegetation, so please take good care as you’re hiking. I was very aware of the likelihood that I would encounter a rattlesnake, and I made sure to stomp my feet and pause from gaping at the flowers to make sure I wasn’t about to step on anyone. Additionally, watch out for poison oak, which I found growing among California black walnut.

Purple sage grows thick along the trails in Towsley and Wiley canyons. You might also spot an outdoors journalist who doesn’t realize their shadow is in the photograph until they get home.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Just over a mile in, I paused to take in the view. Several peaks in the Sierra Pelona Mountains, including Liebre Mountain, Burnt Peak and Jupiter Mountain, were easy to see from the trail, even though they’re about 20 to 25 miles away. I didn’t spend too long there, though, as my thermometer informed me it was 93 degrees in the direct sun. Where did spring go?

I took the Don Mullally Trail down and then the paved Towsley Canyon Road back to where I parked. You’ll notice as you head back that there are at least two paid lots should the free lot be full. You’ll need $7 in cash or a check, which you can deposit in the iron ranger.

The Sierra Pelona Mountains are visible from Towsley Canyon.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

A turkey vulture flies low in Towsley Canyon.

(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)

Given its astounding beauty, it’s hard to comprehend how this parkland almost became a dump. But around 1989, an intense battle broke out between the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, which, at the time, managed wastewater and trash for 78 cities in L.A. County, and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

In early 1991, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy acquired 453 acres of Towsley Canyon, strategically buying a 180-acre parcel at the eastern entrance of the canyon and a 273-acre piece in the heart of it, according to The Times’ archive.

County officials mulled over whether they could still build a smaller dump in Towsley Canyon, but there was a major hiccup. The conservancy’s land was directly across the only two roads into the area, meaning the agency could hinder garbage trucks from using the roads.

“For all practical purposes, the coffin has been nailed on the proposal to turn Towsley Canyon into a landfill,” Joseph T. Edmiston, the conservancy’s executive director, said in a 1991 news article.

At the time, county officials were also considering building a dump at Elsmere Canyon — an effort also successfully fought off by local advocates.

Reflecting on my visit to Towsley and Wiley canyons, I thought about how our trash does indeed end up in someone’s neighborhood, whether that be a canyon wren, a jellyfish or your neighbor in another neighborhood (if we think about humanity and neighbors in a global sense). It’s a further incentive to practice the five Rs: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot.

I hope your journey through these canyons brings you a similar experience of joy, wonder and deep reflection!

3 things to do

An Egyptian goose in the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Refuge.

(Amanda Thompson)

1. Better your birding in Pasadena
The Sierra Club Angeles Chapter’s Pasadena group will host “Photographing the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve” from 7 to 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at Pacific Oaks College. Guests will hear from photographer and storyteller Amanda Thompson and visual communicator Joe Doherty about how to better navigate the Sepulveda Basin to observe the flora and fauna that lives there. RSVP at act.sierraclub.org.

2. Cycle on over to Cudahy
Nature for All, an L.A. climate justice nonprofit, will host an 8-mile bike ride from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday starting at Hollydale Regional Park in South Gate. Riders will peddle along the L.A. River before arriving at Cudahy River Park. Participants can reserve a bike by emailing Priscila Papias at priscila@lanatureforall.com. Register at cosechasoftware.com.

3. Frolic under a full moon in L.A.
We Explore Earth will host a free full-moon gathering from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at Elysian Park. Participants will come together for a guided group hike cleanup followed by a sound bath and live music, all under the rising full moon. Register at eventbrite.com.

The must-read

Manatees rest at Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, Fla.

(Explore.org)

As I glided my kayak along the aptly named Crystal River in late March 2019, I couldn’t believe just how close the 1,000-pound manatees came to me and my friends. Nearby, my best friend Jenny squealed as a massive sea cow poked its whiskered snout out of the water next to her kayak. Whenever I’m stuck working indoors, I often turn on the live feed of the manatees at Explore.org. Apparently I’m very much not alone! Times staff writer Lila Seidman wrote that the number of nature-themed 24/7 livestreams created per year swelled by about 3,000% between 2019 and 2025. This genre of entertainment has been dubbed “Slow TV,” as it’s unedited and can be quite calming (although there are grisly moments that remind us of nature’s brutality too).

Regardless, during this heat wave, I’d highly recommend checking out some Slow TV, including local livestreams such as Big Bear’s celebrity eagle couple Jackie and Shadow.

Happy adventuring,

P.S.

For Wild readers who’ve felt like there’s been a real lack of turtle news featured as of late, this one’s for you: During a recent trip, a visitor at Joshua Tree National Park reported to rangers about multiple Mojave Desert tortoises stuck inside a historic dig site in the northern part of the park. Rangers and the visitor ventured into the park and located three trapped male tortoises. “It’s unknown how long the tortoises were stuck in the hole, so biologists immediately began assessing and rehydrating them,” a staffer wrote on Joshua Tree National Park’s Instagram page. As a quick aside, is anyone else rethinking their life’s choices and wondering why they didn’t consider rehydrating tortoises as a profession? Does it include carrying a tiny water bottle? I digress. The park workers built a ramp out of natural materials to ensure any tortoise who scrambled by the dig site didn’t find themselves stuck inside. After the tortoises experienced the world’s cutest rehydration experience, the biologists discerned they were healthy and strong enough to keep trundling along. Shout out to this thoughtful visitor and our hardworking and earnest park workers for being great stewards to our natural world!

For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.

A POPULAR flight subscription service has just slashed its membership to £5 for three months.

Jack’s Flight Club is a great way to bag the super-low prices that are often caused by rare glitches and error fares on airline websites.

Jack’s Flight Club Takeoff Membership: 3 months for £5

Lucky members have even snapped up return flights to Australia for less than £450.

Between airline cancellations and predicted price increases, booking holiday flights can feel like a losing battle right now.

With fares being hiked by ‘dynamic pricing’, it’s hard to know if you’ve actually found a bargain, or if you’re being ripped off.

That’s why Jack’s Flight Club has become the secret weapon for thousands of UK travellers who are fed up with paying over the odds.

The service’s Takeoff membership gives you first dibs on rare error fares and massive discounts, saving travellers an average of £400 per booking.

But you’ll need to move fast; this flash sale only runs until Saturday (March 28th, 2026).

How Jack’s Flight Club Works

While most travel sites rely on cold, heartless algorithms, JFC uses a team of “human navigators.”

They scan thousands of routes daily from every major UK and Ireland airport to find the deals airlines don’t want you to see.

These experts check every single deal by hand, filtering out the junk to ensure only the real gems hit your inbox.

Weekend escapes, bucket-list adventures, romantic getaways: you can get them all delivered to your inbox.

To give you an idea of the bargains up for grabs, here are some of the incredible return flights the team has unearthed recently:

• Italy: £29 return
• USA: £266 return
• Thailand: £300 return
• Australia: £449 return

“Wow!” one happy flyer has written on Jack’s website. “Our membership in Jack’s Flight Club paid off big-time today.

“Thanks to his fare alerts, we got a great fare on Virgin/Delta and saved nearly £1,000 on our annual flight to Phoenix.”

Right now, you can also pick up a £1 Premium trial for 30 days.

If you want to dodge unpredictable pricing and book a trip without stressing over the costs, don’t let this deal pass you by.

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THE UK’S biggest indoor waterpark has revealed what to expect from its revamp in time for the Easter holidays

Sandcastle Waterpark in Blackpool is getting a £500,000 renovation.

The main upgrades will include some basic improvements, such as a new changing room village.

Images show a much more modern look for the cubicles, with the waterpark now 40 years old.

The slides are also being repainted, while new sound systems are being installed.

The waterpark, which opened in 1986, will be ready to show off the new look by the Easter holidays.

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General manager Kyle Woodcock said: “This is a landmark year for us, and we wanted to mark our 40th birthday with improvements that our guests will really feel.”

In the mean time, there are 18 slides to choose from, as well as wave pools and river rapids.

One of the most popular slides is the Master Blaster which is also the longest indoor watercoaster in the UK.

Another record-breaker is Sidewinder, which is the first indoor half-pipe waterslide in the world.

Kids will love splashing their mates with the country’s biggest water cannon too.

It’s the perfect time to visit the waterpark too – the tropical climate means it is 30C all year round.

Splash out on a private Tiki Cabana, and you get unlimited alcohol and lunch for around £60 each.

The waterpark also has an adult only spa with saunas and steam rooms, which costs an extra £7 on top of a standard ticket.

There are two cafes for food and drink, as well as a shop for anything you’ve forgotten.

We’ve rounded up some other indoor waterparks you can find across the UK.

And there are plans for a new indoor water attraction as well in the UK- here’s everything you need to know.

THIS valley might look like your average spot in Switzerland with towering mountains and pretty chalet adorned villages – but it has a whopping 72 waterfalls.

It’s called Lauterbrunnen which literally translates to ‘loud springs’ after the crashing sound of falling water.

It’s known for its car-free mountain villages filled with pretty chalets and shops – but what draws visitors to it is the sheer amount of cascading waterfalls, of which there are over 70.

One of the largest and most well-known is the Staubbachfall Waterfall, which sits in the village of Lauterbrunnen – named after the valley.

It’s 297metres tall and is the highest free-falling waterfall in Switzerland.

In perspective, this is almost as high as London’s Shard, which stands at 309metres tall.

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There are lots of viewpoints to see the Staubbachfall Waterfall, and those who want to get up close and personal can take the small path to the foot of the falls.

During the summertime, the falls are illuminated in the evenings.

Another waterfall is called Mürrenbachfall, which is even taller, and the water falls from a height of 417 metres.

There’s also the Trümmelbach Falls which a series of 10 unique underground waterfalls – and the largest of their kind Europe.

These impressive waterfalls have made their way through a mountain valley over thousands of years.

Visitors can see them on man-made paths, which are ticketed and cost around £15.

Thanks to its position at the base of the Swiss Alps, Lauterbrunnen is also a sought out ski destination.

As part of the Jungfrau Ski Region, it’s a great place to hit the slopes with 275km of runs and 40 ski lifts.

The best time to visit depends on whether you want to see the waterfalls in all their spring glory, or explore the village in time for ski season.

For those who want to take advantage of hiking, visit between June and September.

Or for a winter wonderland experience, go between January and February.

Unsurprisingly, visitors have described it as “breathtaking” and like “stepping into a storybook”.

The valley has also been compared to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth.

And it could have been the inspiration for the author, who visited in 1911.

Not only can you explore the village of Lauterbrunnen by foot, you can also see it and its neighbouring villages by cableway.

Just opposite the main train station is a 100 person cableway that runs from Lauterbrunnen to Mürren.

In just four minutes it climbs 686 metres and has been said to have “breathtaking views.”

Other nearby mountain villages are Wengen, Mürren, Gimmelwald and Stechelberg.

For more on exploring Europe, one writer went on Europe’s ‘Route 66’ with 46 attractions and beautiful beaches along the way.

And another writer went hiking in Switzerland and found cheese, chocolate and a new set of muscles she never knew she had.

Delays are expected at check-in, baggage handling and other services affecting UK holidaymakers

Major UK tourist hotspots are set to face disruption within days due to widespread strike action. The Canary Islands in Spain is getting ready as unions prepare to go on strike this and next month.

Airports across the Canary Islands are bracing themselves for industrial action by ground handling staff over the Easter period. Trade unions representing workers at Menzies and Groundforce have announced walkouts.

More than 1,500 employees throughout the islands are expected to take part, according to Spanish website Canarias7. Aviation hubs in the Canary Islands are making preparations for the ground handling strike announced for Easter week, which forms part of a nationwide protest.

Three major spots used by Brits are set to be affected, according to the website. Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura are all set for disruption.

The industrial action has been organised by staff at Menzies and Groundforce. Reports say the action will almost certainly lead to hold-ups in ground operations – including check-in, baggage processing and collection.

Menzies has a workforce over 600 and handles operations for carriers including Norwegian, British Airways, and EasyJet, among others. It operates at Gran Canaria, Tenerife North, and Tenerife South airports, as well as on the mainland at major airports such as Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Málaga and Alicante.

The UGT union-coordinated action will kick off this weekend (28th and 29th March), with further stoppages planned for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th April, during the peak travel period for Easter week. Groundforce is a Globalia group firm providing services to Air Europa. We reported earlier this week that the action is taking place over rights and working conditions for staff.

Unions say they are taking strike action over the implementation of pay scales among other things. Close to 900 employees across the Canary Islands – encompassing Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura – face disruption. The Groundforce industrial action is set to begin tomorrow, 27th March, with walkouts planned for Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays across staggered time slots: 5:00-7:00am; 11:00am-5:00pm; and 10:00pm-midnight.

On the Menzies action, Spanish media reports say that should no agreement be reached, the strikes will continue every Saturday and Sunday until 31 December, following the same timetable. That could lead to months of disruption.

The new Harry Potter series is being filmed in locations across the UK, including at a pretty market town that has been named ‘one of the happiest places to live’

The trailer for the new Harry Potter TV series has been released, prompting excitement among wizards and muggles. The HBO series is being filmed in locations across the UK, including in a picturesque market town that has been ranked as ‘one of the happiest places to live’ in Great Britain.

The highly anticipated Harry Potter series, based on the beloved books by J.K Rowling, will launch onto our screens in Christmas 2026, with the first trailer released this week. Ahead of its arrival, film crews have been spotted in various locations around the UK, as we get ready to welcome a new cast in the hugely popular Harry Potter franchise and watch the magic unfold all over again.

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Among the UK destinations set to be featured in the HBO series are London, Hertfordshire, Devon, and Cornwall. However, it came as a surprise to the residents of Skipton, in North Yorkshire, when Harry Potter film crews were spotted in the charming market town.

Skipton has often been dubbed the ‘Gateway to the Dales’, thanks to its position as the southern entrance to the Yorkshire Dales National Park, with its lush valleys and heather moorlands that stretch across more than 2,100 square kilometres. The market town is steeped in rich heritage, with a preserved 900-year-old medieval castle, so it’s no wonder it’s been used as a filming location for Harry Potter.

At the end of last year, Harry Potter film crews were spotted in Skipton, as an actor performed a spell with his wand on top of a rooftop along a terraced street. While various areas in Yorkshire have previously been used as filming locations, residents were thrilled that the Harry Potter production had arrived in the small town of Skipton.

One resident told the BBC: “We’ve had bits of filming before, but I was surprised that they’ve picked it for something as colossal as this, so I’ll be very excited to see the end result.”

The filming reportedly took place on Westmoreland Street in Skipton, but it’s unclear if any further filming was done in the area. Another local told the publication: “It’s always exciting to have film crews hanging around and maybe put Skipton a little bit more on the map than what it already is.”

While we’ll have to wait a little longer to see just how much of Skipton is featured in the series, with producers remaining tight-lipped about locations, the town is certainly worth a visit in its own right. The high street is packed with independent retailers and delightful cafés, while the town’s location along the Leeds and Liverpool canal provides picturesque walks for an idyllic day out.

The cobbled high street leads up to the historic Skipton Castle, and there are numerous eateries in the town, including Phoebe’s restaurant, The Cock & Bottle pub, and The Clubhouse café. But one of the town’s highlights is the award-winning Skipton Market, which is believed to be one of the oldest in the country.

The outdoor market has been running since medieval times and has earned considerable recognition as the ‘best small outdoor market’ in the national Great British Market Awards. Found on the High Street, Skipton Market takes place every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10am to 4pm, selling everything from food and produce to fashion and arts and crafts from local traders.

Yet it’s the residents who truly benefit from the charming town, as Skipton was named the ‘happiest place to live in Great Britain’ by Rightmove in their annual Happy at Home Index at the end of last year. Its convenient access to nature and green spaces was ranked as the top factor by Skipton residents, and there’s no shortage of landscapes to explore.

Beyond the nearby Yorkshire Dales National Park, there’s Aireville Park, a nature reserve, Castle Woods, and breathtaking Skipton Moor. With its undeniable charm and status as a film set, Skipton is well worth a visit, whether that’s for a weekend break or a day out, and is conveniently located just an hour’s drive from Leeds.

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

Providing extra comfort for their economy passengers, a major airline that flies from the UK to more than 340 destinations, is set to launch seats that turn into a ‘flat bed’

A major airline flying to popular holiday destinations from the UK is introducing economy seats that transform into a ‘flat bed’.

United Airlines, which flies from the UK to more than 340 destinations worldwide, will launch a new dedicated row of three economy seats that can transform into a “lie-flat mattress-like space”. It will give passengers more room on long-haul flights while flying in economy.

The new seats will be individually adjustable with leg rests that fold up to a 90-degree angle, so travellers can either stretch out while watching a movie or use it as a bed to catch a restful night’s sleep. Passengers will be treated to a “custom-fitted mattress pad, specially sized blankets, extra pillows” as the seats adjust into a flat bed after takeoff.

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Children in the dedicated row will also receive a plush toy and a family travel kit as part of the additional amenities. The airline noted that the launch of the ‘United Relax Row’ will be ideal for families with young children, couples and solo travellers who would like more space.

After United Airlines shared the news on X, formerly Twitter, it was met with enthusiasm from travellers. One commented: “This is brilliant and I bet everyone is going to copy it.”

“Much needed. United is innovating faster than anyone”, a second said. A third added: “This is a brilliant and thoughtful idea to make customers feel more comfortable. Well done!”

“Gamechanger for travelling with small kids”, another traveller noted. “Brilliant, you have hooked me for many years but with this may be I am now double hooked. This is super helpful especially on those night European routes,” one more said.

Once launched, the initiative will be a first for a North American airline offering this type of seat and comfort for economy passengers. United Airlines flies from the UK to popular holiday destinations such as New York, LA, Chicago and Orlando.

The United Relax Row is expected to launch in 2027, with plans to offer the extra space on more than 200 of its Boeing 787 and 777 widebody aircraft by 2030. There will be up to 12 United Relax Row sections on each plane, located between United Economy and United Premium Plus.

United’s Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Andrew Nocella, said: “As a leading premium airline, we’re committed to delivering new, industry-leading experiences for all of our customers – and the United Relax Row is the perfect example of that. Customers travelling in United Economy on long-haul flights deserve an option for more space and comfort, and this is one way we can deliver that for them.

“United is the only North American airline offering a product like the United Relax Row and is one of the many reasons why we’re continuing to win brand loyal customers.”

For more information or to check flights with United Airlines, you can visit their website.

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

A BEAUTIFUL resort on a lesser-visited Spanish island has been named the best in the country.

The luxury hotel, Paradisus Melia, which sits on the southern coast of Fuerteventura, has just named the ‘Best Resort in Spain for 2026′.

The luxury resort was awarded the title last week by Forbes just a few months after rebranding and reopening in October 2025.

While it’s on the luxe side of a holiday you can book it with the likes of Jet2, TUI and On the Beach from £136 per person per night.

In the summer months, Fuerteventura has average highs of 26C and at the Paradisus Melia, you can cool off in one of its four swimming pools.

Three are freshwater, one saltwater and there’s a children’s section with a slide too.

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There’s also a chance to upgrade to the ‘Reserve Pool‘ which is adult-only.

It comes with other perks too like use of the pretty cabanas, access to the exclusive lounge and concierge service along with premium drinks.

All the pools are surrounded by sunloungers, straw woven umbrellas and palm trees.

When it comes to eating and drinking, which you can take advantage of with an all-inclusive package, the hotel has multiple bars and restaurants.

Grab a drink at the cocktail bar, lounge bar or snack bar.

And for food, you can take your pick from one of the eight restaurants.

These include one which is buffet-style, two that are adults-only, and all have dishes that are traditionally Spanish, local, Italian and international.

When it comes to activities, guests can take advantage of the air-conditioned gym.

Or have a go at aqua aerobics, Pilates, table tennis and yoga.

There’s entertainment too and during the evening there’s live music and professional shows.

Throughout the year there are family-based activities too like arts and crafts.

Here’s another hotel in Fuerteventura – and it’s set out like a small village…

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Hotel Club Jandia Princess, Fuerteventura
This resort is set up like a small village, with low-rise buildings set among palm trees and six different swimming pools. Entertainment spans from DJ nights to bingo and live sports screenings, plus sports on offer include water polo, rifle shooting and shuffleboard.

BOOK HERE

When it comes to rooms, each has been newly made over and kept in a minimalist style with relaxing neutral colours and balconies for enjoying the evening sun.

The only board package guests can book is ‘All Inclusive Plus’ which includes buffet-style breakfast and dinner as well as lunch, snacks and drinks.

One holidaymaker said: “We had such a fabulous holiday at this resort. It has definitely raised our bar for all-inclusive holidays.”

With Jet2, two adults can head to Paradisus Melia on May 13, 2026 for a seven-night all inclusive break with transfers and return flights to London Gatwick from £953 per person.

The hotel is fairly isolated, but is minutes from incredible island beaches.

It has beautiful views across Plaża Sotavento and it takes just a minute to get onto the golden sands.

Sotavento Beach was voted one of the best beaches according to Tripadvisor a few years ago.

Also nearby is Playa de Sotavento de Jandía which one visitor said is
“undoubtedly one of the most beautiful beaches on the island.”

For those who want to head further afield, the nearest town is Costa Calma – you’ll need to take a transfer or taxi here which will take around six-minutes.

While it’s not as vibrant as other Spanish towns, it does have shopping centres, restaurants and beach bars.

For more beach holidays, this tiny Spanish island is yet to have mass tourism with incredibly quiet beaches.

And one man who has visited 100 countries confesses why he always go back to these Spanish islands that love Brits & have the best food & beaches.

These locations are perfect for anyone looking for an affordable getaway

After arriving at your holiday destination, many travellers fancy unwinding with a simple glass of vino. While the price of wine might not be top of your list when arranging a getaway, you could find yourself gobsmacked by the costs once you land.

To help avoid this, Holiday Pirates have shared on Instagram the most budget-friendly wine destinations across Europe, where you can grab a glass for well below £5. Leading their rankings were Hungary and Portugal, where a typical glass will set you back between £1.70 and £3.40.

Plus, Portugal is only a two-to-three-hour flight away from the UK. And timing it right, Skyscanner shows return flights to Portugal starting at £26, and to Hungary from £35. This means you’ll savour some quality wine without having to empty your wallet just getting there.

It’s not only individual glasses that work out cheaper overseas, with Drink Merchants having previously disclosed that in Portugal, a bottle averages merely £3.91.

Both Portugal and Hungary boast their own wine-producing regions, and with numerous vineyards scattered throughout, you can sample the nation’s wines at bargain prices during your stay.

Alternative choices for those seeking somewhere to purchase a glass of wine for less than £4 included Bulgaria and Spain, where you’ll be spending between £2 and £3.80.

These destinations can prove economical in other respects too, with Skyscanner showing return flights to Bulgaria from £32 and to Spain from only £24.

Europe’s cheapest wine destinations

Hungary and Portugal (£1.70 – £3.40 a glass)

Bulgaria (£2.10 – £3.40)

Mainland Spain (£2.10 – £3.80)

Poland (£2.10 – £4.25)

Czechia (£2.50 – £4.25)

Spain – The Balearic Islands (£2.50 – £4.50)

Greece, Italy, and Germany (£2.50 – £5)

A YouTuber who visited Riga, Latvia, was stunned by the four-star hotel prices in the city voted one of Europe’s cheapest by Post Office Travel

A YouTuber who toured Europe‘s most affordable city was taken aback by the cost of one item he purchased during his journey.

Ed Chapman, who shares his adventures on his eponymous YouTube channel, visited Riga, the capital of Latvia, and filmed a video about his experiences in the city after it was named one of Europe’s cheapest in a survey by Post Office Travel.

His primary reason for visiting Riga was to compare it with one of the priciest cities in Europe, Oslo, Norway. According to Skyscanner, flights to Riga can be purchased for as little as £28 from Leeds Bradford Airport.

One of the most striking differences between the two, Ed pointed out, was the disparity in hotel prices.

In Oslo, he stayed at a three-star hotel for one night, while in Riga, he lodged at a four-star hotel, but the price difference was significant, reports the Express.

After exploring and commenting on his hotel room, he remarked: “We’re in the heart of the city centre, literally one street away from the main stuff. Four-star hotel. £62 a night. Now that’s tasty. For a capital city, for the middle of the city centre that’s a bit mad isn’t it?

“Bearing in mind in Oslo I stayed in a three-star hotel, also bang in the city centre and that was £140 for a night there. Less than half price that’s crazy.”

Ed isn’t alone in highlighting Riga’s charm. The city, home to approximately 600,000 residents, is located at the centre of the Gulf of Riga where the Daugava River flows into the Baltic Sea.

Additionally, the city’s historic centre has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its Jugendstil and Art Nouveau architecture standing out as two of its main attractions.

Among Riga’s most distinctive landmarks is the Riga Central Market. Built using repurposed German Zeppelin hangars, these structures rank amongst the city’s most recognisable buildings, spanning 778,000 square feet and housing approximately 3,000 trading stalls.

Furthermore, Riga offers convenient access to nearby coastal areas such as Jurmala. The Mirror previously reported that one visitor was impressed not just by the affordability, but by the amenities available.

They commented in a review: “Changing pods are available on the beach and the sand is soft and flat. We paid €5 each for a sun lounger for the day, although in the afternoon people could help themselves to ones that were left or that people had finished with.

“Well worth the journey from Riga which is about 25 mins by train from central Riga and very cheap. We booked the day before online and it cost us about €6 return for both of us – amazing value.”

INSTEAD of spending loads on heading to the French Riviera, Brits could venture to a dupe for a fraction of the cost.

The French Riviera is known for its glamour but often comes with eye-watering prices.

Though, heading to Hammamet on the ‘Tunisian Riviera’ is just 35 per cent of the cost of a holiday to the French Riviera.

And bookings have also increased by 50 per cent following Brits ditching holidays to Turkey and Egypt following the Iran crisis.

With First Choice, Brits could pay just £516 for a week’s all-inclusive holiday to Hammamet, whereas the same holiday in St Tropez would be likely to set you back almost three times that – £1,500.

Hammamet – which is also affectionately known as the Tunisian St Tropez – is often associated with artists and actors as well as a vibrant beach-club culture.

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Visitors can head to the Yasmine district, where they will find a palm-lined promenade, waterfront cafés and Tunisia’s largest marina with many superyachts.

Beach lovers can enjoy the long stretch of golden sand, with water sports and the Carthage Land theme park.

A spokesperson for First Choice said: “[The theme park] offers kids and adult-sized rollercoasters, large-scale water slides, museum-style educational exhibits and a 5D cinema.”

Tickets cost between £6 and £8 for the day.

Or for something more active, have a go at the quad bike tours, which take you on and around the hills surrounding Hammamet.

Local recommendations from the First Choice team also include heading to Bel Canto restaurant, which is Italian-Mediterranean.

Inside, the interiors are modern, and the restaurant serves a vast array of dishes including pizza and seafood, with prices ranging from around £5 to £15 per dish.

Another option is Yuman which serves a more European range of dishes and is open from breakfast to dinner.

The cafe also has great views of the beach and the city walls.

Breakfast ranges between £4 and £8, dinner ranges between £10 and £18 and cocktails don’t cost more than £9.

If you are looking for a bar, then head to the Beer Garden Brasserie in Yasmine.

The beach-view bar is open until 4am on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and there are always live music events and karaoke nights.

Compared to the French Riviera, Hammamet has more all-inclusive accommodation, with daily costs working out at around £73.

But on the French Riviera you will have to fork out cash for meals out.

For example, a mid-range dinner is likely to set you back up to £80 per person. Local beers cost between £4.50 and £7 and a glass of rosé can even be as much as £20.

And if you wanted to soak up the sunshine, even this will set you back as much as £130 in the peak season.

As a result, a daily spend is over £200 more for the French Riviera compared to Hammamet.

If you want to travel to Hammamet you could book seven-nights all-inclusive at the Sentido Marillia Resort & Spa with flights from Newcastle Airport on May 11 (hand luggage only) for £516 per person.

The resort sits right by the beach and features 10 bars and restaurants including a wood-fired pizzeria.

Inside the hotel, families will find 352 rooms, including family options, twin rooms, and suites.

The hotel even has its own nightclub, and a cocktail party once a week, although there is also a kids’ club too, which is open until midnight.

Outside, there are two pools, including one that is Olympic-sized, and there is also an additional kids’ pool.

Kevin Nelson, Managing Director for First Choice, said: “Brits are tired of saving destinations for ‘someday’.

“They want experiences that feel bucket-list-worthy but actually fit into their budgets and availability.

“Hammamet is a great example of a budget friendly luxury swap, all the French‑Riviera perks, without the French‑Riviera price tag.”

Flights to Hammamet cost from £83 return in April, with the flight taking just over three hours.

For more inspiration on holiday dupes, here are five holiday destination dupes to swap for overcrowded tourist spots.

Plus, here’s where The Sun’s travel experts are holidaying this year and how we found the best deals from Ibiza dupes to UK parks.

THE must-visit destinations across the UK have been revealed and North Yorkshire has made the list.

With sweeping beaches, beautiful towns and movie backdrops – it’s no wonder Condé Nast Traveller as one of the ‘Best Places to Go in the UK in 2026’ – and here are some of our favourite spots to go in the county.

Knaresborough

Along the River Nidd is this beautiful town which is often described as being ‘postcard perfect’, or looking like a ‘fairytale’.

It’s a few miles away from Harrogate and is known for having a huge viaduct as well as pretty riverside restaurants and cafes.

Sun Writer Katrina Turrill grew up in Knaresborough, and here’s what she suggests visitors do during their visit like popping into its many pubs.

“There are a lot of pubs in Knaresborough – so many, I always lose count. I found 15 online, but I’m sure there’s more.  There are traditional pubs with rich history, such as Blind Jack’s in the market square. 

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“One of my favourite pubs is Carriages, with its cosy atmosphere and tasty food.  The outdoor area is great in summer, with views of pretty Knaresborough train station.”

Some of her other favourite things to do is heading up to Knaresborough Castle which is where you’ll get the best view of the viaduct.

Get onto the river itself in a row boat and get a bite to eat from Marigolds and an ice cream.

One popular attraction is Mother Shipton’s Cave which is named after the Yorkshire prophetess.

Whitby

The charming seaside town of Whitby has red-roofed houses, winding streets as well as huge cliffs.

Of course the nearby Gothic Whitby Abbey was Bram Stoker’s inspiration for his book, Dracula.

If you want to feel like you’re in the novel, walk up the 199 steps from the Old Town to St Mary’s Church and the Abbey ruins.

Travel Reporter Jenna Stevens who visited Whitby said: “In my trip to the North Yorkshire town, I ticked off all the staple activities. A Mr Whippy enjoyed by the harbour, spare change spent in Funland’s Amusements, and fish and chips for tea.

“Plus my stroll along the sands, backed by spectacular moss-green cliffs, was an ideal way to soak up those breath-taking views of the rugged Yorkshire coast.

One of the things that makes Whitby stand out amongst other seaside spots is its connection to a famous explorer, Captain Cook and the ‘House on the Harbour’ museum is a must-visit.”

Another must-visit in Whitby is Trenchers – which is the best fish and chip shop in the UK.

Trenchers of Whitby secured the Restaurant of the Year title at the National Fish and Chips Awards 2026 – which is considered the ‘Oscars‘ of the fish and chip industry.

A takeaway cod and chips will set you back £13.50.

Robin Hood’s Bay

This tiny fishing village sits on a clifftop overlooking the bay and it’s considered one of the most beautiful seaside spots in the country.

It has winding roads, hilly streets and pokey little shops selling the likes of books and souvenirs.

Assistant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski described the village as “something from a fiction tale or a North Yorkshire postcard.”

She continued: “In summer, you’ll find dogs sprinting along the sands, while owners tuck into fresh crab sandwiches from the beachside hut and little ones fish for treasures in the rock pools.

“I prefer the village in winter, though, when visitors can stroll the rows of higgledy-piggledy boutiques and cafes dishing up wedges of homemade cakes piled high with buttercream.

“What’s more, there’s a restriction on visitor vehicles and cars are even banned from the harbour area, making it a great place for a car-free

Scarborough

Scarborough, which is known as England‘s first seaside resort, is split into two bays – the South and North Bay.

Each is worth exploring with the South Bay having most of the shops, restaurants and amusement arcades.

Meanwhile, the North Bay is much quieter and is a great place to simply enjoy the beach or go for a surf.

Senior Feature Writer for Fab Daily, Alex Lloyd went on a family staycation to Scarborough in summer last year.

She described it as the “perfect family day out” where you spend “hardly any money.”

You can rent out a beach chalet from £50 a day and have a go on the cliff-railway for £2.50.

If you’re lucky enough, and bring a pair of binoculars you might spot bottlenose dolphins, porpoises and minke whales.

There is plenty of entertainment too and Alex explored the South Cliff Gardens, a hillside adventure playground and the arcades at Olympia Leisure.

Yorkshire Dales National Park

The Dales are known for glorious views and dramatic scenery and it is seeing a boom in popularity thanks to its appearance in Wuthering Heights.

The new film starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi certainly had Brits talking when it came to cinemas last month.

Travel Writer Tracey Davies explored the gothic region and said: “Heathcliff is not the only mysterious, brooding beast in Yorkshire. The scenery provides just as much drama as the Wuthering Heights character.”

She added: “Largely shot on location in the Yorkshire Dales National Park — amid the landcapes of Swaledale and Arkengarthdale valleys and the peaceful village of Low Row — the movie shines a well-deserved spotlight on this glorious corner of England.

“With its scarred limestone hills, scattered with rocks, and rolling green pastures, criss-crossed with drystone walls and peppered with honeyed-stone villages, this region is the picture of a period drama.”

For more on Yorkshire – here’s a ‘world famous ice cream and a hidden beach that’s paradise‘.

And here’s one quaint English village that everyone should visit – says one man who walked 10,000 miles through British countryside.

L.A.’s only dedicated cinnamon roll shop was born during the pandemic, when stay-at-home orders prevented Lindsay Sears-McDonald from going to her family’s favorite bakery to satisfy her craving for sticky sweet buns.

Instead, she attempted the dessert at home. When her first try yielded delicious results, she set out to perfect the recipe. Soon, she and her husband Lawrence were popping up at events across Los Angeles, and in 2023 they nabbed a vendor spot at Smorgasburg L.A.

They named their outfit All About the Cinnamon, a play on the hit song “All About the Benjamins” that features Lil’ Kim and Notorious B.I.G. The menu follows a similar theme, with plush cinnamon rolls named after the rap and R&B artists that Lindsay and Lawrence grew up listening to, such as the Em dotted with milk-chocolate M&M’s or the Busta topped with warm Nutella. Last summer the couple opened a small storefront in Sherman Oaks, complete with a mural of hip-hop greats.

In pastry cases across the city, you’ll see a diverse range of sweet buns inspired by the comforting flavors of childhood. That translates to vegan cinnamon rolls with ube halaya and pandan at a Filipino bake shop in Long Beach and miso-honey milkbread buns sprinkled with sesame seeds at a Korean-inspired bakery in Highland Park. Here are 11 of our favorite cinnamon rolls in L.A.

I am blindfolded and seated in a vintage armchair set in the center of a darkened, red-lit room with Gothic accents. An actor is performing nearby. I hear their voice, but cannot, of course, see them. I suddenly spring upward in my seat, alarmed at the touch of some sort of cloth — or perhaps a feather? — across my ankles.

I’ll never be entirely sure. For wearing the small veil across my eyes was a requirement to participate in “Poe: Pulse & Pendulum,” the debut offering from new troupe Theatre Obscura L.A. The company’s initial performance contains two one-act plays, modern interpretations of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.”

While the stories are familiar to many, Theatre Obscura increases the levels of discomfort. In this room, I am at times unsettled, at once tracking the movements of the actors while attempting to remain hyper aware of any sudden touch or scent. “The Pit and the Pendulum,” the first half of the program, translates especially well to this setting, its dark sense of demented confinement keeping my nerves on high alert.

Conjuring such a state of anxiety was the point.

“If you take the visual away, it’s going to make you feel uneasy,” says Paul Millet, who devised the concept.

There are jump scares. Downtown event space the Count’s Den has been outfitted with about 50 speakers for the Obscura shows, which run through April 12. Some are visible before one puts on the blindfold. Many, though, are hidden under seats or couches, as the audio will trail the actors around the room, or perhaps a sudden crash or door opening will have me jolting my attention elsewhere.

“The Pit and the Pendulum” is a story of torture, and as the narrator, here played by Melissa Lugo, desperately speaks of a blade swinging above, actors will fan us, timing their waves with each swoosh of the audio. I was prepared for that one, as a fellow theatergoer nearby let out a soft yelp when the unseen gestures first arrived above their head.

For many, sight is the most coveted sense. “If you take that away, you’re already naturally uncomfortable,” Millet says. “So we lean into that. We know you’re going to be uncomfortable. We know this is not the norm. But get on that ride with us. Be willing to be uncomfortable. Discomfort, I think, helps to heighten the experience, and ideally allow it to trigger the emotional reactions that the story does.”

“Poe: Pulse & Pendulum” is two one-act, audio-focused performances of Edgar Allan Poe stories.

(Joe Camareno / Theatre Obscura)

Still, touch is limited in the show. Occasionally a rattling of a chair, but little more. The fluttering I felt near my ankles was to mimic the sensation of a running critter. The troupe will ask for audience consent, and participants can opt out. While I went in wondering if “Poe: Pulse & Pendulum” would seek to recall more extreme haunt experiences with lengthy waivers, Millet wanted to keep it light — an audio play, primarily, with just a few in-the-flesh signals.

“We want people to feel unease, but I don’t want anyone taken out of the story because a boundary or line was crossed,” Millet says.

Scent, too, is used with restraint. There are moments when guests will get a whiff of a fragrance that pairs with the storyline. Millet considers the first run of Theatre Obscure to be an experiment in how much touch and scent audiences may want to endure. Smell, he says, is tricky, as the aroma may linger and become a distraction.

Millet has been honing the concept since 2023. Previously, he was part of the team behind Wicked Lit, which ended in 2019 after running for a number of years at unique locations such as Altadena’s Mountain View Mausoleum. Those immersive performances would feature casts and guests walking the venue. Theatre Obscura, however, is fully seated.

“Poe: Pulse & Pendulum” focuses on the fear that something may happen to us when stripped of sight.

(Joe Camareno / Theatre Obscura)

And while the stories of Poe lend themselves to the Halloween season, spooky events increasingly occur year round. Long-running production “The Willows” is set to wrap in early April, and “Monster Party,” a period piece that takes guests to a devilishly extravagant cocktail party, is re-launching in mid-April. Millet, a longtime theater producer who has a day job in television editing, is hoping to stand out by avoiding “the glut” of horror events that occur each September and October.

Theatre Obscura may face challenges, namely persuading potential guests that “The Pit and the Pendulum” is more than simply a live reading with audio effects.

“You can feel the movement of the characters around you,” Millet says. “You’re in the environment with the story as it unfolds. You can experience it on a more visceral level.”

Blindfolded, I felt Theatre Obscura was mostly playing off our fears rather than giving in to them, largely keying in on our anticipation that something may happen to us when stripped of sight. Lugo in much of “The Pit and the Pendulum” circles guests, who are seated sporadically around the room, allowing each of us to imagine how close or far we may be from the hole we are told is at its center. Each show deals with claustrophobia in some way, either of a space, or of a mind.

“The Tell-Tale Heart” is louder, more crowded. The sounds of crashing glass and creaky floorboards had my head working overtime to draw a floorplan, only to then have it distorted when actors would unexpectedly whisper in both of my ears to bring forth the protagonist’s nightmares. While I expected Theatre Obscura to be slightly more aggressive in its uses of touch and scent, it’s a show that asks us to live in our heads, and to sit in our own feeling of trepidation.

“I was intrigued,” Millet says, “with really trying to engage the audience’s imagination.”

Imagine waking up early, eager to peep dazzling carpets of brilliant orange flowers at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve. Instagram posts promised a spectacle.

You drive to the reserve north of Los Angeles, but the rolling hills aren’t alive with color.

Bummer. The bloom is over.

Thanks to AI, and a local scientist, such disappointment may soon be a thing of the past.

This year, Steve Klosterman, a biologist who works on natural climate solutions, launched a “wildflower forecast,” powered by a deep-learning model, satellite imagery and weather data.

In a sense, Klosterman, of Santa Monica, developed the tool to meet his own need.

Last spring, the Midwest transplant was hankering to see some wildflowers. He assumed there was some online resource that offered predictions or leveraged satellite images.

“Surely, there must be something,” he recalled thinking. “But there was nothing.”

There are tools. The state reserve operates a live cam trained on one swath of land. Theodore Payne, a California native plant nursery and education center, runs a wildflower hotline, where people can call in and hear weekly recorded reports on hot spots.

“These are all essential resources,” Klosterman said. “At the same time, they’re limited.”

Klosterman isn’t green when it comes to plants. His PhD, at Harvard, focused on the timing of new leaves on trees in the spring and color change in the fall.

For a class project, a team he was part of built a website that predicted those leaf changes in the Boston area. It was a hit.

California poppies bloom in Lancaster, near the state natural reserve, in mid-March.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

To create the poppy bloom predictor, Klosterman turned to AI initially developed for medical imaging. He has harnessed it to instead analyze satellite images of the Antelope Valley.

The model scans 10-by-10-meter squares of land to determine whether poppies are present by their telltale orange color. (It also identifies tiny yellow flowers called goldfields.)

The model is trained on satellite images — which go back nine years — along with past weather data.

It then uses the current forecast, and recent flower status, to peer into the future.

If the mercury is going to hit 100 degrees and wind is picking up — and in previous years that led to withering flowers — that will guide the prediction.

Right now, the model can forecast five days out and is, as Klosterman puts it, “very much a work in progress.” It would be better, more powerful, if it had 100 years to learn from.

As more data are collected, it might someday be able to forecast a week or two out.

Right now, poppies are popping at the reserve in the western Mojave Desert.

It rained throughout the fall and into winter, and poppies need at least seven inches of rain to make a good showing, said Lori Wear, an interpreter at the reserve.

Snowfall in January seems to push them to another level, but that didn’t happen this season. So it’s a good bloom, but not extraordinary, she said.

Still, poppies — California’s state flower — blanket swaths of the protected land.

“It almost looks like Cheeto dust,” she said, “like somebody had Cheetos on their fingers and just smeared it on the landscape.”

Poppies here have typically peaked around mid-April, but variable weather in recent years has made it hard to predict, she said. Klosterman believes right now is likely the zenith.

Also blooming now: goldfields, purple grape soda lupine and owl’s clover. Wear described the latter, also purple, as looking like a “short owl with little eyes looking at you and a little beak.”

An SUV drives through blooms near the reserve. “It almost looks like … somebody had Cheetos on their fingers and just smeared it on the landscape,” said Lori Wear, an interpreter at the reserve.

(Kayla Bartkowski / Los Angeles Times)

On Sunday, Klosterman experienced the blooms for himself, using his technology as a guide.

It offers predictions in two forms. The first is the amount of the valley — shown in a satellite image — covered in poppies and goldfields, expressed as a percentage. The other is an overlay of orange and yellow splotches on the land.

The map showed a fairly high concentration of poppies near a stretch of Highway 138. He went there and, lo and behold, vibrant flowers awaited him. He sent proof: a smiling selfie in front of a sea of blossoms.

Klosterman’s tool may help answer arguably more complex questions than poppy or no poppy, such as a more precise understanding of the conditions the flowers need to thrive.

Experts know rain is key, but it’s more complicated than that.

Steve Klosterman takes a selfie in a field of California poppies.

(Steve Klosterman)

Heavy rain can supercharge invasive grasses, crowding out the blooms. Natives actually tend to do better after several years of drought, once invasives not adapted to the arid climate die out. That’s what led to an epic superbloom in 2017, Joan Dudney, an assistant professor of forest ecology at UC Santa Barbara, told The Times in 2024.

Klosterman wondered if the recent heatwave would desiccate them. But his model didn’t show that, and neither did his trip. So it’s possible other factors play a significant role in their persistence, such as length of day.

The model could also shed light on what could happen to the flowers as the climate warms. Will they migrate to the north? Will there be fewer blooms?

To game that out, Klosterman said you could invent and plug in a weather forecast with higher temperatures.

For now, Klosterman’s forecast is limited to the Antelope Valley. But if it expands to other areas, and other flower types, it could help people like Karina Silva.

Silva woke up at 5 a.m. last Wednesday to travel from her Las Vegas home to Death Valley National Park, hoping to beat the heat and the crowds to the superbloom.

But several hours later, she and her husband, David, were still trying to find it.

The hillside behind her was sprinkled with desert golds, but the display fell short of the riotous eruption of flowers posted on social media. The superbloom ended in early March, according to park officials.

“I was just thinking it was going to be this explosion of different colors,” Silva said by the side of the road overlooking Badwater Basin.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been driving all over Los Angeles doing something I haven’t done in a long time: playing pretend.

I pretended I was in a medieval castle at a French cafe in Miracle Mile and that I was looking for trolls on a fern-filled hike in Griffith Park. I imagined that Tolkien’s elves built the creekside restaurant where I met a friend for brunch in Topanga and that I was eating alongside real witches in a forest-themed dining room in North Hollywood.

In a Whittier tea room, I poured a glittering potion that said “Drink Me” into a glass of Champagne and in Beverly Hills, I stared awestruck at the platonic ideal of a witch’s house, half expecting a bent old lady with a wart on her nose to come out and turn me into a toad.

It’s been a rough start to 2026 and these brief moments of make-believe have served as a joyful balm in sad and scary times. I’m not looking to bypass reality, but taking a break from it every once in a while can be a welcome reprieve. Fortunately, Los Angeles is especially good at creating transporting experiences that drip with fairy-tale ambience. This is the home of Hollywood after all, the land of artifice, the spot where Walt Disney dreamed up the Happiest Place on Earth. Seeking and finding moments of happily ever after, even if they last just a few minutes, is part of the city’s collective DNA.

So grab your broom and make sure to leave a trail of bread crumbs behind you. L.A. has plenty of magic to share. All you need to do is open your mind and explore.

WETHERSPOONS has confirmed that more pubs are opening in Spain, after the success of their first in mainland Europe.

Last month, the famous pub chain opened its first pub outside of the UK at Alicante Airport.

Following this, two more pubs will now open at Barcelona-El Prat Airport in the capital city.

The first one will be at Terminal 1, set to open by September 2026.

This will be followed by a second at Terminal 2 by January 2027.

Passengers will have to go through security to drink at them as they are both airside rather than landside.

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Little else is known about the pubs, including what they will be called, but they will have space for almost 600 passengers.

You can get an early drink too – they’ll be open every day from 5am to 11pm, including real ale.

The menu is likely to be similar to the Alicante menu, which is mainly the British classics with a few Spanish dishes as well.

Drink prices haven’t been confirmed, although the also similar to the Spanish pub, beers are around £3.50.

Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin said: ” We are delighted to have secured two fantastic sites at Barcelona airport.

“In the short time since opening our pub at Alicante airport has proven popular with travellers and we are confident we can replicate that at our two new pubs in Barcelona.”

He added that they aim to open more pubs in mainland Europe in the next few years, particularly at airports.

The Sun’s Assistant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski was one of the first to try the new Wetherspoons in Alicante, called Castell de Santa Barbara.

She explained: “The pub has pitched close to the gates for UK flights to draw in the near 650,000 Brits that pass through this airport monthly.

“Floor-to-ceiling windows flood the small space with light, while candy floss, glossy tiles give it a warm atmosphere.

“There’s a tea and coffee station in the corner, while behind the bar there’s not a whiff of scampi fries or Walkers in sight but instead European holiday favourite, Lays.

“This one boasts something that all other airport Wetherspoons do not, however – an outdoor terrace, where you can catch those last glimpses of Spanish sunshine before jetting off home to drizzly England.”

In the mean time, Spain is home to a dupe pub called Weatherspains, as well as 100 Montaditos which is dubbed the Spanish Wetherspoons.

Staying in the UK? Wetherspoons is also rolling out more pubs at a number of Haven holiday parks across the country.

Imagine cutting the cost of accommodation on your next holiday to about £5 a day. You can have a whole house, rather than just a bedroom. And you can go almost anywhere in the world and stay as long as you like, within reason. Welcome to house swapping.

You’re sceptical, I know. I was, too. Our terrace house was too small. Too overflowing with stuff. The 1980s kitchen was too old (and battered). We aren’t in a nice enough neighbourhood. Who would want to stay here? Lots of people, it turned out.

Our first swap was with a pair of retired Australian judges who had lived in the UK decades before. They came to our house first and, over a cup of tea and cake in our living room, we talked about where to find a good pint and the best fish and chips locally, as well as mastering the idiosyncrasies of how to run our dishwasher. They told us about their favourite local parks (warned us about snakes) and when to put out the bins, before we headed for our month-long stay at their house in Perth. It’s these conversations and connections that really make house swapping special.

Yes, we have stayed in some truly extraordinary homes. There was a house in Florida where we watched rocket launches while lounging in the pool; a clapboard cottage with a hot tub in the Stockholm suburbs; and a swanky five-bedroom villa in the south of France that we shared with friends. We couldn’t have afforded any of these if it were not for house swapping. In fact, the swaps themselves are free, but I pay $235 (£177) a year to use Home Exchange, a house swap booking platform, which works out at about £5 a night for the 35 or so nights I used it last year.

The greatest pleasure, however, is in the genuine relationships forged. Through the messages exchanged before and during the swap, friendships are created. You become, however briefly, part of each other’s lives. We have swapped pets and cars, and watered plants along the way. For a week, we became passionately involved in helping pick a summer school for our Basque guests’ kids. Warm welcomes are universal. We’ve had olive oil from the garden grove of a house in Greece and marmalade from Seville. In return, guests at our house can expect to find sparkling wine from Kent, Essex jam and a pile of Cadbury chocolate bars to try – French guests are big fans of the Crunchie.

Even in challenging moments we found friendship, such as when our shower sprang a leak and rained all over the dining table. We had to arrange an emergency repair via video call with our Spanish guests, an Albanian plumber and a UK insurer, all while frantically looking for a reliable phone signal in the countryside. The babel of languages resulted in a tube of silicone being applied and both parties leaving five-star reviews.

I won’t go back to hotels. I have saved tens of thousands of pounds over the past five years, but what has really hooked me is the interactions with hosts and guests that make my holidays more fulfilling. It’s like having a friend everywhere you go.

Q&A – Everything you need to know

Will I be comfortable house swapping?
If you’re precious about the things in your home or anxious about someone sleeping in your bed, a swap is not for you. Likewise, if spending the last day of your holiday cleaning is a deal-breaker.

How do I house swap?
For some sites, you pay a flat annual membership fee (£100-£200) to use a booking platform with thousands of homes. I use Home Exchange because it verifies member identities and offers some guarantees such as damage, theft and cancellation protection. Kindred is a smaller and generally more expensive rival, focused on upmarket homes. Instead of locking you into membership, it charges variable service and cleaning fees.

How does it work?
Classic swaps are simultaneous; you exchange houses on the same dates. But non-direct swaps are also allowed via a points system: you are awarded credits for stays at your house, which you can then spend to stay somewhere else.

What about scams and safety?
Everyone on Home Exchange is a host and a guest, so there is a high degree of trust. Most swaps don’t involve money, so scams are rare. The only exception is a cleaning fee, payable when the stay is at an end. If you’re asked for money in advance, it’s a scam.

How do I pick my accommodation?
This is time-consuming. The website looks similar to Airbnb, where you filter by availability, destination and the type of property you want, but you need to match with a host, too. Hosts and guests both have ratings from previous stays, but some people still like to phone or video call before agreeing to an exchange. Then once the exchange is agreed, there are messages to organise the swap and answer questions such as how to use the cooker or where the bedding is. Many hosts prepare a house manual. Cancellations are rare but do happen, usually due to illness in our experience. The one time it happened to us, Home Exchange helped us find a new host in the same city, and it will pay for a hotel in a true last-minute emergency.

Do I need to own a luxury house?
No. If you have a pool, hot tub or luxurious mansion, you will certainly get more offers, but flats and smaller houses near popular UK destinations (whether that’s Edinburgh, or the Dorset coast) do just as well. Most houses, like ours, are completely ordinary.

Do I need to put my stuff in storage?
Clear a few drawers, perhaps a wardrobe, for guests, and that’s it. Most of the houses on Home Exchange are family homes.

What about cleaning?
You do need to scrub that oven and clean that grout. Cleanliness expectations are high (and should be agreed upfront). We usually spend much of the last day of our holiday cleaning, and return to find our own house absolutely sparkling. Some hosts give you the option of paying a cleaner.

And DIY?
One of the fringe benefits of house swapping is that it has made us look after our house a little better. Sticky door handles and dripping taps need to be dealt with.

What if I break something?
We have broken small things, as have our guests; usually this is simply forgiven. Put more precious items away. For more expensive items, such as a TV or screen door, house swap platforms usually offer a level of cover, but you should make sure you have home insurance.

Will my home insurance cover my house swap?
Ask. Some insurers offer no cover, others offer it for a certain number of exchanges, or you may need to buy a bolt-on. House swapping is still relatively unusual, so persevere to get a clear answer. Insurers that cover holiday lets, such as Pikl, are also useful.

Are there legal restrictions?
Because no money is exchanged, house swapping is not restricted in the same way as Airbnb and similar services – except in Amsterdam, where only reciprocal swaps are allowed (so no paying with points). You do need to check visa rules if looking after someone’s pet – some countries (such as the US) may view this as providing a service and in breach of a visitor visa.

Other house swap sites
Keybento, Kindred, HomeLink

Rory Boland is the editor of Which? Travel

The cost of a family summer staycation can vary significantly

With the UK experiencing some milder weather this week, and with April just around the corner, many parents are likely thinking ahead to the summer holidays. As children are off school for, usually, around six weeks, the summer is an ideal time to take a family trip.

However, as anyone who has looked at going abroad over the summer will know, prices jump up significantly while the schools are closed. Going on a break in the UK, then, can be a more affordable option. But how much it will cost you depends on where you go – and prices can differ hugely.

We have compared the price of a week-long break at some of the UK’s best loved holiday parks. Prices are based on the cheapest accommodation available for seven nights, from August 7, for a family of four.

Starting with Center Parcs, a week’s stay in a Woodland Lodge at the Whinfell Forest resort will set you back from £2138. The lodge has two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and an extra toilet, and comes with a dishwasher, brick-built barbecue stand, furnished private patio, safe, a cot and a highchair, a fully-equipped kitchen, a 40″ flat screen TV, and more.

Over at Butlin’s in Skegness, a family of four can book a Comfort Room for the same dates from £962. There are two bedrooms – one with a double bed, the other with two single beds – as well as a bathroom. However there is no kitchen, and no other facilities are mentioned on the booking site – and towels and housekeeping are not included.

And at Haven’s Marton Mere site, a family of four can book a break from £639 – although this jumps to £809 if you want access to swimming pools, activities, and entertainment venues. The cheapest accommodation is the Saver Caravan which is described online as having two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen.

Other facilities mentioned on the Haven website include a heater or gas fire in the lounge, a 32″ TV, an under-counter fridge, and beds being made up ahead of your arrival.

All of the above prices were correct at the time of publication. Across all three holiday parks there are a range of accommodation available, with these varying in price. The types of accommodation mentioned in this article were the cheapest available at the time of publication.

MANY hotels claim to be big on wellness, but the recently-opened Cotswolds escape Hyll has mastered it.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Where is Hyll?

Buried deep in the Cotswolds countryside, near Chipping Campden and fancy members clubs like Soho Farmhouse, Hyll is undoubtedly as stylish as its plush neighbours – only you won’t need to sell out for an extortionate members fee.

Named after the old English word hill, meaning elevated piece of ground, rural views are pretty spectacular from this retreat’s high perch.

There’s a car park on site or the hotel can arrange transfers from the train station.

What’s it like?

Not just a hotel, Hyll is more of a sanctuary where guests are gently encouraged to switch off – whether that’s with a board game in front of a freshly-stoked fire or with a scenic stroll around the 60 acres of manicured grounds.

SUITE DEAL

The luxury Chelsea hotel with affordable suites overlooking the London Eye

ALL WENT SWIMMINGLY

The Swan at Lavenham, Suffolk

Views are just as gorgeous from within the Grade-II listed 14th century manor house thanks to its original stone frame, timber beams and framed artwork that wouldn’t look out of place in a French farmhouse.

What are the rooms like?

The 26 unique bedrooms (some in the main house and some in the courtyard) feel homely yet luxurious with plump feathered cushions, freestanding bathtubs and chic coffee table books.

If the strict colour palette of neutral browns and sandy tones doesn’t soothe you, a guided yoga nidra (a type of specific relaxation yoga) session sure will.

A series of wellness videos have been designed exclusively for hotel guests and are text to your phone ahead of bedtime.

What is there to eat and drink?

Eat in the dining room, living room, outside or wherever you please, thanks to the laid back “mi casa, su casa” ethos.

Dinner relies on local ingredients sourced from nearby farms, mills and distilleries.

Star dishes include Briar Hill Farm hogget served with salsa verde and baklava tart soaked in the hotel’s own honey.

Post dinner, retire to the marshmallow-like sofas next door with a book and signature cocktail – I liked the yuzu and plum sour, both tart and sweet.

Non-drinkers are catered for, too, with a decent selection of no and low cocktails including a sharp No-groni.

Breakfast is a farm-style mix of homemade granola and hot options like full English and scotch woodcock (scrambled eggs on toast, topped with salty anchovies) both on the menu.

Breakfast hampers can also be delivered straight to your bed.

What else is there to do?

Small books labelled ‘Do Nothing’ and ‘Do something’ are left on bedside tables with suggestions on how to fully embrace and unwind in the Cotswolds nature.

In-room massages can be booked on request and dogs are welcome in certain bedrooms and throughout living rooms and restaurants in the main house.

The essence of the place, in general, is to do very little.

I’d recommend just kicking back with a book – each of the three lounge areas are kitted out with bookshelves and artsy side tables covered in fiction and non-fictions reads that you can borrow for the duration of your stay.

Thanks to a partnership with Borzoi Books, these are refreshed on a monthly basis.

You can even arrange to take a book home with you, for a fee.

How much are rooms at Hyll?

Rooms cost from £210 per night including breakfast.

Is Hyll family friendly?

Kids are welcome but it’s not the most child-friendly of places.

Cost and additional child beds are available on request, however.

Is there access for guests with disabilities?

Although, staff are always on hand to help, Hyll is not the ideal place for wheelchair users.

Given the historic property is Grade II listed, a lift cannot be installed and therefore bedrooms are accessed via stairs.

Looking for a place to stay? For more hotel inspiration click here.