places

IT’S NO secret that Brits love a cuppa – and what better way to enjoy your hot drink than with a view?

As autumn sets in, it’s time to pack up the flash and head off to some of the country’s most scenic spots.

According to new research from coffee roaster, Taylors of Harrogate, which is known for the UK’s best-selling coffee bags, more than half of Brits opt for a weekly coffee break with an outdoor view.

Nearly a quarter drink coffee with a scenic outdoor view at least every other day.

Win one of five incredible holidays to Turkey, the Norwegian fjords and Spain by voting in The Sun’s Travel Awards – enter here to win.

And it’s not just about taking a moment to yourself – the science says that a cup of coffee or tea actually tastes better if you drink it outdoors.

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Coffee flavour is influenced by aroma, so when you’re in fresh air then the coffee is competing with less additional smells and will taste more intense.

Your brain also links the hot drink to a reward if you enjoy it at the end of a long walk, which makes it taste better too.

If you’re feeling inspired to combine your flash of tea or coffee with an autumn hike soon, here are the best spots with a view to enjoy your tipple across the UK:

#10 Quiraing, Skye

Found on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, Quiraing comes in as the 10th best spot for enjoying a cuppa with a view.

It is a massive rocky area with dramatic, towering cliffs covered in vibrant green grass.

Head on a circular walk around the area or simply sit and admire the landscape.

Key spots to visit include The Prison which is a towering slab of rock that looks like a medieval fort and The Needle, which is a huge 37-metre rock.

#9 White Cliffs of Dover, Kent

The White Cliffs of Dover in Kent are famous for a reason – and come in as the ninth best spot.

These 110 to 150-metre tall natural chalk cliffs are the ideal spot to enjoy a walk with a cuppa.

On clear days you can see all the way to France.

While enjoying the view, look out for birdlife as well as Exmoor ponies grazing on the grass.

#8 Buachaille Etive Mòr viewpoint, Glencoe

Buachaille Etive Mòr Viewpoint in Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands is known for being one of the country’s most photographed spots.

With a cup of coffee in hand, admire the imposing mountains often topped with snow.

There is also a short walk from the main viewing areas to second spot that overlooks a river with a number of small waterfalls.

The area was also used as a filming spot in Skyfall.

#7 Surprise View Derwentwater, Lake District

Surprise View is exactly what it sounds like on the tin – a elevated clifftop viewpoint that has a surprisingly stunning view of Derwentwater and the surrounding mountain fells of the Lake District National Park.

Sit and enjoy the view or head on The Watendlath Loop to explore the hamlet of Watendlath.

If you forgot your Thermos, grab a hot drink at a traditional cash-only tearoom in the hamlet.

Alternatively, sit on the hillside and admire the calm, mirror-like water.

#6 Whitby Abbey, North Yorkshire

Sat on a hilltop on North Yorkshire, Whitby Abbey is a 13th-century Gothic abbey looked after by English Heritage.

The ruined abbey has inspired many famous writers over the years too including Bram Stoker who used key facts about the abbey including the windswept headland, bat populations and the 1999 steps leading up to the ruins as the backdrop for Dracula.

#5 Three Cliffs Bay, Gower

Three Cliffs Bay in Gower, Wales, is known for its pretty shoreline which is framed by three limestone cliffs.

The beach features a mix of sand dunes and salt marshes, and the Pennard Pill stream.

While not great for swimming, the beach is nice for taking in the salty, fresh breeze with a cuppa in hand – dogs are allowed on the beach all year round too.

Spot Pennard Castle at one end of the beach – the ruins date back to the medieval period.

#4 Llanddwyn Island, Anglesey

Also in Wales, Llanddwyn Island is a tidal island on the coast of Anglesey.

It features a sprawling beach, lighthouses and a hidden connection to the Welsh patron saint of lovers.

Sit with a warm cup of coffee and look out at the Tŵr Mawr lighthouse which was built in 1845 and is shaped like a windmill and the older Tŵr Bach tower.

Also catch a glimpse of Eryri National Park (Snowdonia).

#3 Old Man of Storr, Skye

Having featured in several films including The Wicker Man and Snow White and The Huntsman, the Old Man of Storr looks like something out of folklore.

The tower rock on the Isle of Skye towers 55-etres into the sky and is a basalt rock that dates back 2,800-mllion-yers.

Marvel at the rock with your cuppa or head on the Storr trail which takes about an hour and 15 minutes.

#2 Calton Hill, Edinburgh

In the Scottish capital, Calton Hill takes second place among the best spots to have a cuppa and a view.

The park has 360-degree views of the city skyline, including Arthur’s Seat and Edinburgh Castle.

And what makes it even better is that you don’t have to hike there as it is only a five to 10-minute walk from Edinburgh Waverley Train Station.

In the park you will find the Nelson Monument, which is a telescope-shaped tower with a public viewing gallery at the top.

There’s also the Dugald Stewart Monument – a circular neoclassical temple that is one of the city’s most photographed landmarks.

Make sure to visit at sunset as well to capture orange-yellow skies above the city.

#1 Giant’s Causeway, Belfast

Coming out as the best place to enjoy a cuppa with a view is Giant’s Causeway in Belfast.

The natural phenomena boasts 40,000 hexagonal basalt columns and was caused by violent volcanic activity.

The UNESCO World Heritage site managed by the National Trust genuinely looks like something out of a fairytale.

Head along one of the trails, where you can see views of Scotland on clear days.

A visitor centre features exhibitions on local geological history and folklore.

Strictly Come Dancing’s new hosts were summoned to a shock zoom call at short notice which meant Emma Willis was sat on the loo when she was told she was told she had a new job.

Comedian Josh Widdecombe was in grave danger of giving away the news he was a new Strictly Come Dancing host whilst it was top secret – after finding out the news whilst walking around a cemetery.

Stand up star Josh, 43, revealed the bizarre moment as he and co-hosts Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe were quizzed in a new podcast. And he wasn’t the only one being given the life changing news in a weird place, with Emma flushed with the success of a new job whilst in the toilet at her hairdressers.

The trio said after their final audition they had to wait around two weeks before they were summoned to a zoom call at short notice by BBC execs.

Emma said: “We were all in very random places. But we also didn’t know the call was happening did we? It was a very weird situation.

“The reason it kept getting put back was because I was at the hairdressers.

“I was like this could be an either way Zoom so I’m not going to get excited. And I said ‘I can’ [go on a call] but literally I’m just I’m having my hair washed. And she said okay okay.

“And then they took ages washing my hair. And they’re like ‘do you want a massage?’ I’m like ‘no no just crack on’.

“She[show boss] said can you go somewhere private? And I said the only place I can go is outside in the street or in the loo.

“So I was sat on a toilet at the hairdressers.”

Johannes was at his home when he was on the same call waiting to head out to do a stage show, and then there was also Josh who was desperately trying to find a quiet spot.

Josh explained: “I was in Birmingham because I was on tour. So I was sat in a graveyard in Birmingham because I wanted somewhere quiet.”

Looking back on the moment he knew he had the job, he added: “I didn’t like stand up and go ‘yes’ because obviously it wasn’t public then either.

“Not that anyone would have gone ‘wait a minute, he got the Strictly gig – that guy punching the air by the grave’.”

Speaking on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, the trio also explained the role of Johannes on the show, and denied previous reports he would act as a ‘roving reporter’ with the other two as main hosts.

The trio, who start fronting the show later this month, are replacing Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman who previously hosted the BBC hit series together for 11 years.

Emma said: “There’s no like for like, so no one’s kind of replacing anybody and at the minute it’s all very kind of open. We’re having lots of production days where we go in and we play around and we’re kind of feeling each other out – well, they’re feeling us out really.”

Josh Widdicombe: “It’s going to be like total football. We’re going to be moving everywhere.”

And Emma added: “There’s definitely no backstage roving reporter, which is what has been reported quite a bit. That’s not a thing.”

* The full interview is on The Rest Is Entertainment Podcast out today.

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As it was recently revealed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are planning to move back to England, Social News Reporter Alice Sjoberg shared her top recommendations for places to visit in the Cotswolds

As news on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s return to to the UK dropped, the question of where quickly led to discussions and predictions. The Cotswolds is believed to be top of the list – and having just moved here myself, I can understand why.

While it would offer them the privacy they’ve been longing for, it’s still an easy commute to London. It’s also ideal for visit to several other members of the royal family’s homes, and good private schools for their little ones, Archie and Lilibet. But it also offers many places I think they should consider visiting.

While I’m no expert on the area just yet, I spent a lot of time in and around the Cotswolds for several years before I moved, as it’s where most of my friends and my partner’s family live. And not to mention, I just love it here. So here are the places I’ve visited that I think Harry and Meghan would love.

Cirencester Park

Cirencester is the capital of the Cotswolds and offers lots to do – from exploring the independent shops and cafes to the various historic grounds and Roman ruins. However, the one thing that really stood out for me was Cirencester Park.

While a park might not seem like the most exciting place to be, Cirencester Park, a Grade I-listed historic parkland, consists of 3,000 acres of gorgeous nature to explore. I’m not joking when I say the first time I visited, our ‘short morning walk’ ended up taking over four and a half hours, and we could have easily continued for longer.

Because of how big the park is, it offers plenty of opportunities for the family to enjoy the British countryside privately, as it’s easy to wander beyond where most of the crowds go.

The park is privately owned by the Bathurst Estate, which is located close to the entrance gates of the park. The Bathurst Estate also owns the Cirencester Park Polo Club, where the Royal Family sometimes have been spotted playing polo – including King Charles, Prince William, and Prince Harry himself.

And who knows, maybe Archie or Lillibet will become the next polo players of the royal family.

The Slaughters

For many people when thinking about the Cotswolds, villages like Burton-on-the-Water and Bibury will most likely spring to mind. These villages are often described to be like the ‘idyllic English villages’, with old cottages made of stone, scenic riverside settings. But due to their popularity, there are often large crowds of tourists.

But there are some equally gorgeous villages around that aren’t as popular among tourists, meaning there are less crowds and the possibility of exploring on your own – and this includes the Slaughters.

The Slaughters consists of two villages, Upper Slaughter and Lower Slaughter, and is easily connected with a scenic walking trail. The villages offer a quintessentially Cotswolds experience with unspoiled honey-coloured stone architecture, peaceful riverside settings, and a rich history, despite their ominous-sounding name.

Cotswolds Wildlife Park

When they first started dating, Prince Harry famously invited Meghan on trip to a £1,000-a-night campsite in Botswana, where they enjoyed a safari in the African wilderness. And while it may sound like a lot of hassle to bring their two young children on a safari when they’re still so young, they could head to the Cotswolds Wildlife Park.

Cotswold Wildlife Park & Gardens is home to more than 1,500 animals from 250 different species, making it one of the largest zoological collections in the United Kingdom. So while it’s not Africa, it still has a lot to offer.

Soho Farmhouse

Okay, so while I don’t personally have a membership at Soho Farmhouse, I’m sure this is something that would interest Harry and Meghan – especially as the former actress even had her hen do here in 2018.

Located in the Oxfordshire countryside, Soho Farmhouse is a private members’ club and luxury rural retreat set across 100 acres. It offers guests a sense of blissful rural isolation in a bucolic setting. It’s part of the exclusive Soho House members’ clubs that have over 28 houses across the world, and is a popular destination for celebs and professionals with a focus on the media, arts and fashion industries.

Cotswolds Lavender Fields

Throughout the years, Meghan has made it known that she has an interest in good quality food and resources, as well as the natural world, I think a visit to the Cotswolds Lavender Fields during the summer is something she, and the rest of her family, would love.

While it offers plenty of photo opportunities for adorable family photos, it also allows visitors to fully emerge themselves in the lavender, with the scent hitting you quickly. They also sell several products that are made from their own lavender.

WHETHER you’re looking forward to cooler days or you’re going to miss the summer heatwave, autumn is on the horizon, quite literally.

Next Thursday, the sun will go down at 8pm for the last time until 2027 -so where should you go to make the most of it?

Photo printing company CEWE and travel photographer Bella Falk have revealed the best UK spots to see a sunset and it turns out we’ve been to a lot of them.

In top spot is Arthur‘s Seat, an ancient volcano in Edinburgh which is a popular hiking destination.

It’s in Holyrood Park at the end of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile but you will have to put in effort to see the sunset.

The circular hike is around 2.9miles and can take up to two hours.

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Travel Reporter Cyann Fielding who made the journey to Edinburgh and saw the sun setting from Arthur‘s Seat gave us an insight into what it’s like.

She explained: “Edinburgh is a pretty city already, add in Arthur’s Seat and you get the best of both worlds – a city and the countryside.

“Arthur’s Seat is actually an ancient volcano that did erupt around 340 to 350 million years ago and if you head to the top you will find the main peak, which was formed from a lava flow.

“The hike takes between an hour and a half and two hours and is a circular route. You’ll see many people as it is a popular spot, but never feels too crowded.

“Once at the top, the views are endless of the green park below, the historic city centre and out to sea as well. Make the hike even better by going at sunset when I did.

“Despite being a cloudy day, the glow of the sun behind the clouds gently dimmed with undisturbed views all around. It was a spectacle to see, before enjoying the walk back down the volcano to a cosy coffee shop.”

In second position is seeing the sunset from Southwold Pier.

The town in Suffolk has unobstructed skies across the coast where visitors can see pink and orange hues across the North Sea.

Travel Reporter Alice Penwill spent many weekends on the Suffolk coast.

She said: “Southwold holds a special place in my heart because of the sheer amount of weekends I’ve had there with my family over the years and I always make sure to stay for the sunset.

“The clear views across the coast mean you can see for miles out to sea and when the sun goes down, the sky transforms and it’s just beautiful.

“Next time I’m going to bag myself a spot at the very end of the pier rather than from the sands.”

Assistant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski said: “There’s a reason Durdle Door is plastered on so many pretty postcards and Dorset holiday adverts.

“The striking structure, jutting out from a small beach, is a brilliant example of what makes Britain’s coastal countryside so spectacular – and it’s best enjoyed at sun down.

“Instead of clambering down the wonky steps to the shore, I’d recommend taking a pew at the top of the cliff where you’ll have a prime view of the rocky door and the sun setting just beyond it.

“From up here, you can watch the waves slowly roll in and the stream of orange light spreading across the sands until it dips beyond the horizon.”

If you’re more of a hiker, Contours Walking Holidays has listed some of the UK’s Best Sunset Walks.

Mam Tor in the Peak District, otherwise known as the Shivering Mountain, is one of their top picks for watching the sunset.

In the south of England, you’re likely to catch a glimpse of the sunset along the South West Coast Path which stretches on for 630 miles.

Check out the views along the High Cliffs of Exmoor or tucked away at Kynance Cove.

Here’s the full top 10 list of where to see the UK sunsets…

CREWE revealed its top 10 places to see the sunset in the UK…

1. Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh
2. Southwold Pier, Suffolk
3. Durdle Door, Lulworth, Dorset
4. Golden Jubilee Bridges, London
5. Catbells, Keswick, Lake District
6. Mam Tor, Castleton, Peak District
7. Richmond Park, London
8. Giant’s Causeway, County Antrim
9. Fishguard Lower Town Harbour, Pembrokeshire
10. Sandbanks, Poole, Dorset

It’s summer in the city, the pubs are crowded, and the coast beckons. In a year that has so far brought five significant heatwaves, it is a fair description of the current holiday season.

But the same was true, too, of the much less frequent hot, dry summers of the past, including 186 years ago when Charles Dickens put pen to paper in anticipation of escaping London for the sea breeze in Broadstairs, Kent.

“There is no news in London – everybody is hurrying out of town – the two great theatres are shut up – and all the watering places are crammed with hot people,” he writes to his brother Alfred on 12 August 1840.

His letter, which is to go on public display for the first time, is one of several items of correspondence shedding light on Dickens and his holiday pursuits, from picnics on the Thames, beach showering on the Isle of Wight, and being ravaged by mosquitoes, bugs and other insects

“While Dickens rarely slowed down, he made sure to find time for holidays and days off, packing up plenty of his belongings and heading to the Kent coast or the West Country with his family,” said Emma Harper, deputy director at London’s Charles Dickens Museum, where the letters will go on display in the study where he wrote Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby and The Pickwick Papers.

“While Dickens loved London, he was very happy to escape its crowded hot pubs for the cooler climes of the coast, or if he decided to break his routine by taking a spur of the moment day off, he would consider this a holiday. He would take his work on holiday with him and sometimes even brought his favourite pieces of furniture along so he could write from the chair and desk that suited him best.”

He positively gloated about his successful mission to construct an outdoor shower cubicle near his “very pretty” holiday cottage in Bonchurch on the Isle of Wight in 1849, expressing no qualms about spoiling the view for others. He writes to the printer William Bradbury: “We have made all visitors in search of the picturesque, mad, by putting up an immense wooden caravan on the beach, to shut in a noble waterfall and convert it into a shower bath! With some five hundred feet of fall. Which we take, every morning, to the unbounded astonishment of the aboriginal inhabitants.”

Of an 1851 trip on the Thames with his son Charley “and three other young Eton Shavers”, he promises that if his friend Thomas Beard joins them, he will be “armed with a hamper from Fortnum & Mason’s”. They can dine on a bank, “and if you can come, you and I will console ourselves for our antiquity, after dinner, with a trifle of tobacco and champagne”.

Dickens “relaxed energetically”, said Harper, and he loved to travel. To his biographer John Forster he writes of a 1842 trip to Italy: “I see myself in a striped shirt, moustache, blouse, red sash, straw hat, and white trousers, sitting astride a mule, and not caring for the clock, the day of the month, or the day of the week.”

Reflecting on one long excursion, he tells Beard in 1845 of “the gentlemanly vagabond I have been, for the last six or eight months – the extraordinary beds I have slept in – and the bewildering amount of fleas, mosquitoes, bugs, and other insects I have unwillingly bepastured – these things have hardly left me any leisure in my holiday, until within the last four or five weeks. During the whole of which time I have been employed, chiefly, in lying on my back on sofas, and leaning out of windows and over balconies, in a sort of mild intoxication.”