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WHEN it comes to enjoying Halloween, the team at Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens don’t cut corners.

Spiders, cobwebs, witches’ hats, scarecrows, hay bales and thousands of pumpkins of all shapes, sizes and colours surrounded the stalls, rides and attractions.

But I could not help thinking that when it’s all over, someone’s got a mammoth clear-up job.

The Danish capital city’s famous amusement park, which is right in the centre, closes for two weeks while a team of more than 50 gardeners, designers, decorators, stagehands, crane operators, electricians and carpenters transform it into a spooky wonderland.

And as you would expect from the Danes, it’s all done very tastefully — and sustainably.

The 22,000 pumpkins are grown in Denmark, on the island of Samso, where the climate is spot on.

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The larger ones are entries for the annual Danish Giant Pumpkin Championship, hosted by the park.

Afterwards, the prize pumpkins are given to Copenhagen Zoo, where apparently the elephants are particularly fond of them.

This year is the 20th anniversary of Tivoli’s Halloween festivities and around half a million people are expected to walk through the gates before the season ends on November 2.

To avoid the queues, I would suggest going earlier in the day to do the most popular rides, but make sure you stay until dusk to get the full effects of the flickering jack-o’-lanterns.

Little ones will love the treasure hunt and pumpkin-carving workshops, while older kids will enjoy being scared — but not too much — in Villa Vendetta, where actors jump out from the shadows.

The Haunted House wasn’t quite frightening enough for my teenage son, but the gravity-defying loops of The Demon rollercoaster took his breath away.

‘Getting cosy’

A day at Tivoli was part of the compromise when we told him he’d be missing the usual trick-or-treating with mates to join his parents on an October city break.

Autumn is the perfect time to visit Copenhagen. It’s when the leaves turn, the nights draw in and the “hygge” levels rise.

If you haven’t heard of hygge (pronounced hoo-ga), it is the Danish concept of “getting cosy” — and we’d come to the capital to get a dose of it.

Flights generally cost less after the summer too, and once you are here, getting around is cheap and easy.

The Metro system only has four lines and there are also hop-on, hop-off buses and water buses (small ferries).

We purchased Copenhagen Cards, which give you free public transport plus entry to 87 attractions.

They even cover the metro or train from the airport, which only takes about 15 minutes to the city centre.

As well as getting free entrance into Tivoli (rides and attractions cost extra) we used our Copenhagen Card to take a sightseeing cruise up the river, past the famous Little Mermaid statue (it really is tiny), the royal palace, funky house boats and more.

Cardamom buns

Cruises start from Nyhavn, the city’s pretty harbour with brightly-coloured houses, where we warmed up afterwards with a cup of Glogg, a sweet mulled wine.

We took the water bus to Contemporary Copenhagen to enjoy the art installations and we joined the locals cycling around the three city lakes at Soerne.

The bikes were hired from our hotel, Charlottehaven, which also happens to be a short walk from one of the city’s best bakeries, Juno. The delicious cardamom buns were well worth queuing for.

Eating out in Copenhagen isn’t cheap but there’s a growing number of communal dining venues, a concept known as faellesspisning, which are really good value.

In just a few days we’d packed a lot in and had fallen in love with Copenhagen, a compact and friendly city where everything is within easy access, even a 20-acre theme park

We went to Kanalhuset (the Canal House) in Christianshavn and joined a table full of locals for a simple but very tasty meal for around £16 each.

There’s only one choice each night (you can check what’s on the menu on the website) but they will always do a vegetarian option on request.

Everyone turns up at 6.30pm for drinks in the bar and then joins one of the large tables in the restaurant for dinner at 7pm.

We made friends with a lovely Danish family celebrating their mum’s birthday. Pretty much all the locals here speak excellent English, so it was easy to chat.

In just a few days we’d packed a lot in and had fallen in love with Copenhagen, a compact and friendly city where everything is within easy access, even a 20-acre theme park.

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Once the Halloween festivities are over, Tivoli closes again for two weeks so that all the pumpkins can be replaced with fairy lights, an ice-skating rink and hundreds of Christmas trees.

Now we need to go back and experience Christmas hygge-style.

Leila Dean, from Manchester, urged people to visit the small village after saying it was one of the best places she ever visited. The traveller posted her advice in a TikTok video

As temperatures begin to drop, the thought of spending time at a seaside town or beach might seem less appealing, even though the UK boasts several stunning coastal destinations worth discovering and exploring.

For several people, the arrival of September equals the beginning of autumn, meaning sunny ice cream treats could give way to cosy cups of tea beside crackling fires while listening to rainfall pattering against windows. The autumn season also presents an excellent chance to discover various British towns and villages, as shifting weather conditions can make them feel even more enchanting – sometimes in quite literal ways.

Manchester local Leila Dean turned to social media to chronicle her visit to Burley, a charming village nestled in Hampshire’s New Forest. Through her video, she documented highlights from her trip, describing it as the ‘perfect’ English village.

“I ended up in a village called Burley and it has to be one of the best places I’ve ever visited in the UK,” she declared at the beginning of her footage.

“It’s situated in the New Forest, and it’s known to have horses everywhere,” she explained while showing horses roaming freely through the streets.

She continued by revealing glimpses of her selected lodgings, having chosen to reserve a room at a local manor house surrounded by expansive natural grounds for exploration.

“And in the town, it is full of horses, lovely people, and witchcraft,” she revealed.

During the 1950s, a Scottish woman called Sybil Leek made Burley her new home. She quickly earned the title ‘the witch of Burley’ after declaring herself as a white witch. Following the decriminalisation of witchcraft in 1951, she rose to become Britain’s most famous witch.

She established her own mystical shop in the village, named A Coven of Witches, which continues trading today and stocks witchcraft-related merchandise.

Though Sybil eventually relocated to America due to not wanting to be the centre of attention anymore, Burley has preserved its witchcraft connections, with shops and attractions celebrating this eccentric past and attracting visitors fascinated by its supernatural legacy, according to the New Forest’s website. Surely it sounds like the ideal destination for a Halloween getaway?

Leila was subsequently spotted stroking a horse, explaining all the horses were gentle as they simply wandered around the village, searching for the finest grass for their next meal.

She continued by describing the activities she’d enjoyed, which included browsing the local shops, including the renowned fudge shop, before hiring bicycles to discover the surrounding countryside.

“And honestly, it was such a wholesome day,” she remarked.

She added in the video’s caption: “Burley you have my heart. The best place for couples, besties or children! Bike rides, horse rides and so much more.”

Leila then posted a second clip documenting their adventure from day two in the village, which featured a stroll alongside a herd of alpacas, followed by a visit to a farm where visitors can harvest their own flowers and berries.

“I literally cannot recommend this place enough,” she said at the end of the video.

SHOPPERS are raving about this uni-friendly tech deal, and it’s well worth a look.

The top-rated Jumper S7 15.6-inch laptop is now just £230 on Amazon, down from the usual £450.

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Jumper S7 15.6-inch Laptop, £449.99 £229.99
(Includes 1-year Office-365 Subscription)

That’s a hefty 49% discount on a laptop that packs some serious everyday power.

Granted, Jumper might not be a household name, which explains the handful of reviews.

But, with a perfect 5-star rating, it’s clear it’s something of a hidden gem.

You get 4GB of high-speed RAM, 128GB storage and a 512GB TF card expansion.

That’s plenty of room to run multiple programmes without your laptop sounding like it’s about to take off.

For students, that means jumping between research tabs, lecture slides and last-minute essays without the dreaded lag.

Better still, it comes with a one-year pre-installed Office 365 subscription (worth £89.99).

That’s Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook all included, so you can get stuck into coursework from day one, with no faffing over extra downloads or hidden costs.

The 15.6-inch screen is a decent size at this price point; big enough for comfortable working and perfect for streaming your favourite shows after class.

One reviewer raves: “I was a bit sceptical about buying a laptop from a brand I wasn’t familiar with, but I’m so glad I took the chance

The same shopper continued, “This is a powerhouse for everyday use and an incredible value.”

Another parent wrote: “Gave it to my son for university activities. Speedy and reliable.”

At just 3.6 lbs, it’s light enough to slip into your tote or backpack without putting your back out.

And you won’t be tethered to a wall socket either. The 5,000mAh battery typically lasts six to eight hours, so you can work through lectures and still have juice left for Netflix.

One shopper summed it up perfectly: “It is light enough to carry around all day and the battery easily lasts for hours.”

It’s also kitted out with multi-functional ports, including Type-C, USB 3.0, Mini HDMI, and a headphone jack.

If you’re heading off to uni, pair it with one of the best extension leads I’ve tested to give your dorm a few extra ports.

You might also want to check out the best Bluetooth speakers we’ve tested for your next flat party.

And once you’re settled in, why not explore my pick of the top smart home devices to kit out your digs? You’ll find everything from smart lighting to robot vacs.

Jumper S7 15.6-inch Laptop, £449.99 £229.99
(Includes 1-year Office-365 Subscription)

Rally legend Carlos Sainz has decided not to run for the presidency of motorsport’s governing body the FIA in December’s election.

The 63-year-old, who said in May he was considering the idea, explained that “the present circumstances are not ideal to set the grounds for my candidacy”.

Sainz said in a statement on social media, external that he believed the FIA “still needs important changes, which I remain genuinely hopeful will be tackled in the upcoming years”.

He added that a campaign would interfere with his preparations for next year’s Dakar Rally.

Sainz won the Dakar for the fourth time in 2024 and will compete in the desert event in Saudi Arabia next January with Ford.

His son – also named Carlos Sainz – drives for Williams in Formula 1.

Sainz Snr said: “I have realised that properly running for president would notably compromise my preparation for the Dakar and I do not wish to weaken my commitment to Ford and my team.

“These concerns have therefore inclined me to be realistic and desist from my FIA endeavour for now.”

The only declared candidate for the election is the current president, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, whose time in office has been beset by controversies.

These involve changes to the FIA statutes that appear to extend his control, along with a series of sackings of senior figures within the FIA, and for his involvement in a series of situations that have angered many in Formula 1, from commercial rights holder Liberty Media to the drivers.

The FIA is currently the subject of a lawsuit from Susie Wolff, the head of the F1 Academy for aspiring female drivers and wife of Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff.

The supermarket has delighted many coffee lovers with the lightweight product designed to be used on the go

Aldi has impressed coffee drinkers with a £22.99 item that enables you to “make exceptional espresso wherever you are.” The supermarket is stocking an Adventuridge Portable Coffee Maker that’s said to be “perfect for travel, camping, or on-the-go use.”

The travel item is one of the retailer’s SpecialBuy items, meaning it is only available while stock lasts. Based on social media reactions, the portable coffee maker could prove popular. The item received lots of attention when it was showcased in a Facebook post shared by Aldi UK.

The caption said: “No coffee shop, no problem. This is the perfect solution for those caffeine hits NEEDED after a sleepless night in a tent. Pick yours up in store now – perfect for everything from camping trips to office days.”

While some commenters had mixed views about the item, lots of viewers praised the idea. Someone replied: “These are amazing. Ideal for hotels too when you only get instant coffee and a kettle. I use one with a little pot of espresso on my travels.”

A coffee fan said: “I’ve got one of the Nanopresso (same design) and if you know how to use it, they make excellent coffees (from Espressos, Americanos and every other coffee type).” Another viewer wrote: “Be good for some footy.”

Another response read: “I’ll need this when we go camping.” Someone else told their colleague: “We should get this for work.” Meanwhile, another excited shopper said: “Bother, now I have to go to Aldi and I just got comfy.”

However, not everyone was blown away, with one social media user saying: “Just have a simple flask!!!!” Someone else wrote: “What’s wrong with a kettle, a small stove, a cafetiere and a mug when camping?

“Similar to being in an office and you get much more bang for your buck.” A commenter added: “My travel mug keeps my coffee hot for hours. I don’t need one of these.”

For those who are interested in the portable coffee maker, a full product description is available on Aldi’s website. It states: “Enjoy your favourite espresso without the need for batteries or cords with our easy-to-use manual espresso maker. It’s perfect for travel, camping, or on-the-go use – giving you the freedom to make exceptional espresso wherever you are.”

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The description says that the “lightweight” coffee maker “works with any type of ground coffee, so you can customise your espresso to your liking” and that it “does not require compressed air or electricity.”

It’s also said that its “compact size makes it a great travel companion, fitting easily into your bag or backpack.” The coffee maker has a 1.5L capacity, and it comes with a one-year warranty. Product images are available to view on the website.

Shoppers can locate their nearest Aldi store here.

The Spanish capital is a vibrant city with plenty to see and do, and it’s also one of the ‘most budget-friendly’ city break destinations in Europe, according to travel insurance experts

Madrid, Spain’s capital and a hive of activity, has been crowned as one of the “best budget city break” locations for those looking to escape during the summer. Characterized by its energetic streets, Madrid is also celebrated by Spain’s tourist board for its “welcoming and diverse” atmosphere, affirming it as an ideal spot for every type of traveller.

Research by travel insurance gurus at Quotezone pinpoints Madrid as offering one of the most wallet-friendly getaways on the continent, standing out as the sole Spanish metropolis in the line-up and trumping other European hotspots like Athens, Vienna, Rome and Paris when it comes to saving those pennies.

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The selection was made by weighing up elements critical to frugal globetrotters – think tourist levies, snooze spots prices, cost for nosh and a pint, public transit fares, and how far you’ll need to trek from the tarmac.

As visitor taxes hike up elsewhere, Madrid’s lack of this surcharge is a notable highlight. The city also scores points for its reasonable food scene.

Despite having its share of swanky eateries, the capital doesn’t disappoint when it comes to more modestly priced meal choices, reports the Express.

You won’t have to splash out much in Madrid, with an average spend of about €14 (circa £12) for dining delights, the study reveals.

And, for those desiring a bevvy to sip in the sun, the typical price tag for a brew sits at around €3.50, which equates to near £3, albeit a tad steeper than the likes of Zagreb, where a local ale will set you back just about £2.50.

However, in contrast to the average pint price of £5.90 found in London, Madrid’s beer comes across as a significant money-saver.

As noted by Quotezone, a single public transport ticket in Madrid costs just €1.50 (around £1.30), representing a budget-friendly way to traverse the bustling cityscape.

Madrid offers a wealth of activities regardless of your holiday preferences; from its vibrant streets lined with a myriad of shops and global cuisine restaurants to bars and a pulsating nightlife.

History buffs will revel in the numerous museums and the plethora of historic buildings that can be found throughout the city.

“Madrid’s authenticity is hard to beat,” remarked the Spanish tourism board. “It is welcoming and diverse. Madrid is, without a doubt, one of Europe’s most interesting cities.”