A FAMOUS UK castle is being turned into a ‘world-class tourist attraction’ with a major £10million development.
The Scottish palace with over 1,000 years of royal history is getting a dramatic facelift, and it’s set to become an exciting new tourist destination.
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The £10million makeover has been approvedCredit: Scone EstatesScone Palace is a Category A listed building
The spectacular Scone Palace is a listed historic house near the village of Scone in Scotland, which is close to the city of Perth in Perthshire.
The palace, where kings including Macbeth and Robert the Bruce were crowned, is set for a massive transformation after plans for a “world-class visitor attraction” were approved this week.
The stunning redevelopment will see the fomrer stables turned into a modern visitor centre complete with a restaurant, shop and ticket office, as well as a huge adventure play park and solar meadow with 2,000 panels.
There will also be new walking and cycling routes from Stormontfield Road.
The £10million project has been a decade in the making, with local councillors finally giving it the green light on Wednesday after years of debate.
The revamp comes just in time for the palace’s 60th anniversary of opening to the public next year, marking a new chapter in the site’s long royal story.
Although the plans were given the go-ahead, councillors insisted on a few tweaks.
Most notably, the proposal to finish the stables in shiny copper cladding was scrapped, with Perth and Kinross Council’s Conservation team saying this look was “not appropriate” for such a historic building.
Viscount William Stormont, whose family has owned Scone Palace for generations, said the upgrade would help the famous site “punch high” in Scotland’s increasingly competitive tourism scene.
He said: “We – and indeed Perth Museum – need to compete with the likes of the V&A and Stirling Castle to draw people to visit and stay in Perth.
“Visitor expectations have increased. Visitors demand special and memorable experiences. Our unique heritage in the stories we tell meet expectations.
Our interpretation and facilities do not. This is why the stables project is so important to Perth, Scone and the region.”
He added: “Next year is a special year, our 60th anniversary of opening to the public – a bold decision my great grandparents made and committed huge resource to.
“It is our hope that the stables project will allow Scone to prosper anew for the next 60 years.”
Convener Councillor Ian Massie said: “This proposal is not only ambitious in scope but deeply respectful of our heritage.
“The development at Scone Palace represents a rare opportunity to enhance one of Scotland’s most historically significant landmarks, while securing its future as a sustainable, inclusive and economically vibrant destination.”
Next year Scone Palace celebrates 60 years of being open to the publicMacbeth and Robert the Bruce were famously crowned at the castle
LIDOS are experiencing a resurgence of popularity across the UK and this one has been open since the 1800s.
For locals it’s been a peaceful spot for a morning swim, or a Full Moon dip, but now there’s talk of it becoming more like the busy resort town of Benidorm.
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Havre des Pas is a tidal pool on the edge of St Helier in JerseyCredit: Visit JerseyWith a change of operator, it could become a lot different in the coming yearsCredit: Alamy
The historic pool is tidal, meaning it fills with seawater at high tide and empties at low tide.
Currently, the lido also has a waterside beach kiosk and bar along with a rooftop bar, but it could all be about to change.
From 2026 First Point will take over as the lido’s operator, and one Constable Marcus Troy, senior partner at First Point, revealed he wants to make the bathing pool and surrounding area “a resort like Benidorm.”
Talking to the BBC, he said: “So, we are going to be talking to all the catering and hospitality businesses in the area and creating our own map as if it’s a destination in its own right, like West Park and St Brelades. A resort like you would call Benidorm, for example.
“We aren’t the size of Benidorm, but we want more activity in general – whatever it is – volleyball, swimming competitions, galas, night time events, family amusements; we might like to put bouncy castles in the pool.”
First Point will take on the lease for nine years.
Plans to open the lido in St Helier began in 1860s when The Jersey Swimming Club was established and the group sought a safe swimming space on the British Isle.
Years later and the lido at Havre De Pas opened in May 1895 with a large pool and a circular tower, which had the changing rooms and club room.
It was very popular, especially between the 1920s and 30s which is why it saw lots more improvements and additions in the years that followed.
Havre Des Pas also has a bar, Kiosk cafe and rooftop areaCredit: AlamyThe pretty lido is on the edge of Jersey’s capitalCredit: Alamy
29 new cabins were built on the tower, and there was an extension to the club built called the Blue Terrace.
Now, inside the tower is a bar with an open kitchen, dance floor and stage as well as a balcony that overlooks the pool.
There’s a dining area too which has indoor tables or the choice to eat al fresco, plus there’s the rooftop which has live music and is an ideal location for a cocktail.
The venue at the lido can stay open until 1AM and has dubbed itself the ‘ultimate Private Party Island’.
Through the summer months, the Kiosk is open with lots of light bites, as well as pizzas, burgers, tacos, fish and chips and full English breakfast offerings.
The lido is just on the coast outside of the island’s capital of St Helier – and it’s a popular spot for locals and visitors too.
One visitor wrote in Tripadvisor: “What a fabulous place The Lido Havre de Pas is! Beautiful views over the bay and to watch the people swimming in the gorgeous Lido.
“Will definitely return when I go back on holiday there next year. Can’t recommend enough.”
Another simply branded it as a “good old fashioned historic Lido”.
Not everyone is happy after the announcement of the new operator.
After the news, LidoJersey took to social media to voice concerns about it and stated that the pool could and end up being a ‘bare shell‘
It said: “Unless this new entity wishes to negotiate with us, which hasn’t been done to date, the site will revert to a bare shell, just as it was when we took it over in 2015.”
It added that this would mean there would be no licence for alcohol, entertainment, marriage of infrastructure like the kiosk, commercial kitchen and bar area.
Cleveland Pools in Bath, which was built in 1815 and is the country’s oldest, may never reopen to the public again.
It was open for just four months in 2023 after receiving £9.3 million for a revamp. But it hasn’t reopened since, and it might never do so.
The trustees of the restored lido revealed in a report that it “might not be possible” to reopen the pool, according to the BBC.
The report stated: “The risk that the cost to repair the pools and the plantroom will be substantial and beyond the resources available to the trust.
“There is therefore a risk that the pools cannot be repaired and reopened.
“To mitigate against this risk the trust is exploring all potential avenues that would allow the pools to be repaired and reopened, including but not limited to legal recourse and external funding.”
Cleveland Pools is a Grade II listed lido, and is considered the oldest outdoor swimming pool in the UK.
It opened in the early 1800s and closed in 1984. It then took a huge campaign by the public, and almost £10million to reopen the lido in September 2023.
Havre Des Pas Lido first opened in the 1800sCredit: Alamy
A SEASIDE train station dating back nearly 180 years has been returned to its former glory.
The train station in North Yorkshire has undergone a massive £3.6 million restoration project – and it’s just minutes away from the traditional seaside towns of Scarborough and Bridlington.
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The station at Filey dates back to 1846 and was built by renowned North-Eastern railway architect GT AndrewsCredit: Network Rail
Sitting on the North Yorkshire coast, the town has been one of the most popular seaside destinations in England for decades.
In the 60s and 70s, it welcomed thousands of tourists every year to Billy Butlin’s campsite, one of the earliest holiday camps in the UK.
Nestled between Scarborough and Bridlington, in its heyday Filey pulled in more than 150,000 guests every year.
Holidaymakers at the hugely popular resort enjoyed swimming, sunbathing, dancing and amusement arcades.
In the evening, if they hadn’t retired to their chalets, they were treated to entertainment from the famous Red Coats.
The Butlin’s campsite was so popular that it had its own branch and station on the north east railway.
Despite its popularity, it was no match for the boom in affordable trips to the Spanish Costas in the 1970s.
It was shut in 1983 and by 2001 it resembled a ghost town with the shells of abandoned cabins and drained swimming pools filled with rubbish.
Billy Butlin’s Holiday Camp was once one of the most popular holiday destinations in EnglandCredit: Newcastle Chronicle and Journal
While the once-thriving Butlin’s resort has now been transformed into a £25 million coastal holiday village with pools, saunas, an arcade, and spa, there are still signs of nostalgia in the town for the casual visitor – none more so than at the recently revamped train station.
Main features such as the lantern roof at the station have been reinstated to what they would have looked like when it first opened in 1846.
This includes extensive glazing and tile work and adding safe walkways for easier maintenance.
The huge restoration project, which was backed by the Railway Heritage Trust, also includes improvements to the café, toilets, drainage, and in the train shed – including two ornate cast iron windows.
Network Rail has worked with partners on the refurbishment of the Grade II-listed building.
With its sandy beaches and clifftop hotels, Filey remains a popular destinationCredit: Vasile Jechiu
Jake Walton, Network Rail senior asset engineer, said: “Seaside stations like Filey hold a special place in the hearts of people from much further afield than their towns – being closely linked to generations of memories of days out.
“We’re delighted to have completed a wide-ranging suite of improvements here at Filey which protect the building as a piece of railway heritage while making the station fit for modern passenger use, and for generations to come.”
David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, said it was “great to see a building with such heritage be looked after to make sure that families and friends can come together on our beautiful coastline for another 180 years”.
The traditional seaside town of Scarborough is less than eight miles from FileyCredit: Alamy
The Railway Heritage Trust backed the project with contributions totalling £53,000 for restoration of the train shed windows and roofs of the ancillary buildings.
Tim Hedley-Jones, Railway Heritage Trust executive director, said the station, built by renowned North-Eastern railway architect GT Andrews, “is still fulfilling the role for which it was built”.
He added: “It retains its original character as a railway station from the first half of the 19th century.”
In 2028, Parc Astérix is opening a new British-themed land called Londinium.
It will feature a major immersive roller coaster, an interactive family dark ride, a vertical playground, a pub and shops.
Some concept art has even revealed it to have a Helter Skelter and a queue themed to the UK’s own Camden Market.
Another themed area which will change is the Egypt area, its Oxygénarium attraction, which will become The Descent of the Nile.
The park will open its fourth hotel called The Odyssée Hotel, a new 300-room hotel that is set to open in 2027.
The addition will mean that the total number of hotels at Parc Astérix will reach 750.
Inside will be lots of rides, a pub and even Camden MarketCredit: Parc AstérixInside will be a pub so Brits will feel right at homeCredit: Parc Astérix
The park’s Les Chaises Volantes attraction will become the Flight of Ibis, and the Le Cirque Restaurant will be redesigned as Le Comptoir d’Epidemaïs.
In 2027, Parc Astérix will open a renovated Greek zone with a two new family attractions, a playground and a restaurant.
The park also revealed that the new development will create 20 per cent more capacity, and two thirds of it will be indoors so it won’t have to rely on good weather.
The theme park is 21 miles north of Paris, and in fact is just an hour’s drive away from Disneyland Paris.
Parc Astérix is significantly smaller than Disneyland Paris. Disneyland Paris is approximately 140 acres, while Parc Astérix is about 83 acres.
The outside of Londinium will look like a fortCredit: UnknownThe Egypt themed space and has a pyramid-style frontCredit: Parc Astérix
In terms of numbers, Parc Astérix welcomed a record 2.9million visitors in 2024, whereas Disneyland Paris averages 12million – so the French theme park will be much quieter.
It’s award-winning too, earlier this year, it’s attraction Cétautomatix won the ‘Top European New Attraction’ prize at the Parksmania Awards 2025.
Cétautomatix is Europe’s first spinning family roller coaster.
Tickets to Parc Astérix cost €49 (£42.89) per person.
One Sun Writer visited the theme park with her family, and here’s what she thought…
When EuroDisney — now Disneyland — arrived to take on France’s beloved Asterix theme park back in 1992, they had a huge battle on their hands. And, in all honesty, I couldn’t see how the French would win.
But unlike in many other countries, Parc Asterix might just have pipped Mickey Mouse to the post in France.
Disney certainly has the monopoly on world-renowned characters and a blow-out budget to create that real wow factor, all of which seems impossible to compete with — yet somehow Parc Asterix does.
he tickets are cheaper, the food is better, the shows are spectacular and the rides are a total revelation.
Add in a sprawling protected countryside backdrop just 30km outside Paris, with three separate hotels within the grounds at very reasonable prices, and you’ve got yourself a winner.
It’s pure escapism, based all around the cherished world of Asterix — the man who, in famous French comics, protected France from the Romans.
And what better way to embrace your inner Gaul than by screaming your head off on a super-fast ride?
At the last count, there were nine hardcore rides, as well as all the more child-friendly ones.
And with a guarantee that they will launch something new pretty much every year, you can return in the knowledge you will never be bored.
Our favourite rollercoaster here, reaching speeds of 110km per hour, is the fastest in France and apparently holds the record for the most “air time” — the amount of time your bum leaves the seat (a whopping 23 times apparently!).
Parc Astérix will have new themed worlds from Greece to London
CITY boy David Beckham has spent the best part of a decade becoming a country gent — and is now proudly sharing his new lifestyle in an iconic magazine.
He has turned a Cotswolds farmhouse into the perfect family home and is pictured wandering its idyllic sprawling grounds with his working Cocker Spaniels Sage and Olive.
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David Beckham has spent the best part of a decade becoming a country gentCredit: Millie Pilkington/Country LifeBecks with Cocker Spaniels Sage and OliveCredit: Millie Pilkington/Country LifeDavid with wife Victoria on their sprawling estateCredit: Millie Pilkington/Country Life
The father of four, nicknamed Goldenballs in his playing days, has planted hundreds of trees, put up 27 bee hives and created a lake with duck house and wooden jetty.
In a special edition of Country Life, he tells how he keeps chickens and has a vegetable plot, where he tends onions, radishes, carrots and kale.
East London-born David tells how he counts fellow converts Vinnie Jones and Guy Ritchie among his country friends.
But he recalls: “My earliest memories of doing anything in the countryside are when I was a Cub, then a Scout, and we used to go camping in Epping Forest.”
His kitchen fitter dad Ted and hairdresser mum Sandra did not have much time for gardening — though grandad Joe would tend to the roses, often damaged by the young David kicking a ball about.
The 50-year-old former Manchester United and Real Madrid star’s interest in country pursuits grew after meeting Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels director Guy, 57.
The ex-England skipper even made a cameo appearance in Ritchie’s 2017 flop King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword.
David says about Guy: “He’s a modern-day caveman, who has made me fall far deeper in love with the countryside and helped me to understand it even more than I did before.
“Sometimes, we sit for hours around a fire, just the two of us, and talk late into the night.”
Ritchie’s sweeping 1,100-acre estate Ashcombe House in Wiltshire is the inspiration for what David is trying to achieve.
And it was during late nights at the homely Georgian property that Becks got to know footballer-turned-actor Vinnie, who has appeared in a number of the director’s projects.
Guest editing 128-year-old Country Life, David admits: “When I was playing, he was one of those footballers you did not want to go near on the pitch.
“He would either grab you, throw you or kick you!
Sometimes, we sit for hours around a fire, just the two of us, and talk late into the night
David Beckham
“Back then, that was his thing and he made a successful career before becoming a pundit, when he did criticise me.
“I didn’t think he liked me. But when I met him later at Guy’s place, we didn’t stop talking.”
‘Solace in the country’
Former Wimbledon hardman Vinnie, 60, has a 147-acre farm in Petworth, West Sussex.
David adds: “He bought me a walking stick he’d made for me and he’s now a great friend, who, like me, has found solace in the country later in life.”
The three stars are now happiest in tweeds and welly boots, a world away from the glamorous lifestyles which made them famous.
Vinnie used to booze too much but tells how he prefers a teetotal life.
He comments: “You’ve got to commit. Do it on a Monday.
“Everyone who has done it says, ‘I wish I’d done it before’.
“You never hear anyone regret giving up booze.”
David perches by the lake with his two dogsCredit: Millie Pilkington/Country LifeDavid gives the Queen’s son, Tom Parker Bowles, a taste of his culinary skillsCredit: Millie Pilkington/Country Life
For the main article in the magazine — marking its 1,000th edition with a 288-page gold embossed issue — David, his tattooed hands poking from his cuffs, gives TV gardening expert Alan Titchmarsh a tour of the family estate
He and fashion designer wife Victoria, 51, bought the farm near Great Tew, in Oxfordshire, for £6million in 2016. It is now estimated to be worth twice that sum.
They have turned a 26-acre plot with one maple tree and a few derelict barns into a landscape of wildflower meadows, native trees and shrubland that form a home for insects and birds.
Proud David reveals: “I can still remember the morning when Victoria and the children were all due to arrive to see the refurbished barns for the first time.
The moment she walked in, she burst out crying
David Beckham
“It was still a complete mess. One of the guys, who was helping with the building work, and I were literally running around laying the rugs, sweeping up and getting all the dust out.
“Then I waited at the front door with a glass of wine for Victoria to arrive.
“And, the moment she walked in, she burst out crying because she couldn’t believe how perfect it was.”
Now the couple often serve their home-grown ingredients in meals served for friends and family.
And in the magazine, David gives the Queen’s son, Tom Parker Bowles, a taste of his culinary skills.
David, originally from Leytonstone, tells Tom: “There’s something so nostalgic about mashed potato, liver, bacon and lots of gravy.
Former football star David’s favourite garden viewCredit: Millie Pilkington/Country LifeDavid guest-edited 128-year-old Country Life magazineCredit: Millie Pilkington/Country Life
“It’s one of those British comfort classics that my mum used to make for me and was also my grandad’s favourite dish.
“My gran was also a great cook, and it was always a treat going down to the pie and mash shop in Chapel Market.
“If I had to choose my last meal, it would be pie, mash, liquor and jellied eels.”
Previous guest editors of the Country Life have included King Charles, and the most featured face on the cover in the past was the late Queen Mother.
In his cover shot, David looks every bit the rural gent, leaning on a ram’s horn cane and dressed in a tweed jacket.
The Disneyland Resort will in 2026 be getting a little more patriotic.
Soarin’ Around the World at Disney California Adventure will in 2026 be converted to Soarin’ Across America, a move timed to the 250th anniversary of the United States of America. The makeover is planned for next summer at both California Adventure in Anaheim and in Florida at Walt Disney World’s Epcot.
Disney unveiled the news via a social media post with actor Patrick Warburton, who plays the chief flight attendant of Soarin’. In the clip, Warburton, as the fan favorite character of Patrick, promises “amber waves of grain” and “purple mountain majesties” while showcasing red, white and blue mouse ears fit for the Fourth of July. A post on the Disney Parks Blog hints that the new film will also capture various American cityscapes.
The Soarin’ makeover will coincide with a number of Disney initiatives designed to honor America’s 250th birthday. “Disney Celebrating America” will launch on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, and continue through July 4, 2026. Various Disney networks, from ABC to ESPN, will engage in America-themed programming. Disneyland and Walt Disney World will host a special, one-off fireworks show on the Fourth of July.
An attraction poster for Soarin’ Across America released via the Walt Disney Co.’s corporate media site.
(The Walt Disney Co.)
The celebration arrives at a divisive time in American history. A poster for the attraction showcases the Statue of Liberty juxtaposed with the American flag and bald eagle. It’s art that conveys a sense of nationalistic pride, and it’s perhaps representative of shifting an outward-facing, global ride with one that may suddenly be more inward-looking.
It coincides with a time when U.S. politics are pushing a so-called America First agenda (see President Trump’s tariffs) while the Walt Disney Co. itself has faced criticism for its handling of recent controversy surrounding late night comedian Jimmy Kimmel and pro-administration ICE-recruitment ads running on its various streaming services. Disney’s own social media posts announcing the move are filled with rampant debate as to whether this is an instance of propaganda as it runs the risk of feeling jingoistic.
That being said, it is not unprecedented for the Disney theme parks to lean into American exceptionalism, although in recent years the parks have been shifting away from some of its America-centric viewpoints to showcase a more global and diverse vision. In 2022 when the park resurrected the Electrical Parade it struck its giant American eagle and flag float from the procession, replacing it instead with a showcase of scenes from more recent Disney and Pixar animated films, including “Encanto,” “Coco” and “Frozen.”
Yet Disneyland, of course, is a place of tradition, and even today the park houses a robotic Abe Lincoln (temporarily displaced for a show honoring Walt Disney), stages flag retreats and tells the story of the first Christmas each December.
Soarin’ debuted with California Adventure in 2001 as Soarin’ Over California. The latter typically returns each spring as part of the park’s popular Food & Wine Festival.
A Disney representative described Soarin’ Across America as a “limited time” offering.
