‘Is there anything worth seeing in Latvia?” asked a bemused friend when I explained my destination. “Other than Riga?” Latvia’s capital is certainly worth a visit: a wonderland of perfectly preserved art nouveau architecture with a medieval centre of narrow cobbled streets and enough quirky museums to satisfy the most curious of visitors – most of whom just come for a weekend.
But a short drive or bus ride east of Riga lies another, more expansive and completely empty, wonderland: a wild, post-Soviet landscape of untouched forests, ecologically renowned wetlands, windblown beaches and crumbling castles. Not to mention the newly restored baronial estates where you can stay for the price of an average British B&B. This region, known as Kurzeme, is almost the size of Yorkshire (population: 5.5 million) but with a mere 240,000 inhabitants.
Kurzeme (also known by its German name, Courland) has 180 miles of undeveloped coastline and a good proportion of Latvia’s 1,200 castles and mansions, as well as the ancient valley of the Abava River, listed by World Monuments Watch as one of “100 endangered unique cultural monuments”.
It also boasts Kuldīga, a Unesco world heritage town, and Liepāja an upcoming European capital of culture (2027) – full of languishing art nouveau architecture, and enough former Soviet collective farms, KGB watch towers and military barracks to remind us that history really is just a breath away.
Liepāja’ St Nicholas’s Orthodox Naval Cathedral in the shadow of ramshackle Soviet apartments. Photograph: Petr Maderic/Alamy
The Latvian bus system is excellent and extremely cheap but I rented a car for a few days to maximise my time. My tour began in Sabile, a town on the River Abava – whose crystalline, beaver-filled waters flow from Kandava to Kuldīga (Sabile is also home to several vineyards where Latvian wine can be tasted). Here, one misty cacophonous morning, I casually flipped open my Merlin birding app. Within minutes it had identified 25 birds including sedge warblers, golden orioles and spotted fly catchers and I had seen marsh harriers. Apparently such a wide variety is perfectly normal: Latvia’s bogs, wetlands, coastal lagoons and ancient forests (53% of the country is woodland while 5% is wetlands) make it one of northern Europe’s best birding sites.
Just a few minutes’ drive outside town is the Pedvāle Art Park, a 100-hectare nature reserve where storks pick their way through swathes of wild lupins and 195 contemporary sculptures from across the world. Founder Ojārs Feldbergs told me the Abava valley is home to 800 species of plant and animal, as well as crusader castles and Viking graves. “It was once a trading route for amber,” he tells me. “The Baltic Sea is the world’s richest source of Baltic gold, which was transported to St Petersburg and the east through this valley for centuries.”
Later, the bucolic beauty and clean waters of the Abava valley, along with its therapeutic sulphur springs, attracted hundreds of German aristocracy, giving the region a disproportionate number of baronial estates. Though these fell into disrepair during the Soviet era when they became collective farms, tractor houses and pig farms, in the past decade many have been painstakingly restored as boutique hotels.
Old wooden staircase leading dowm toJūrkalne beach and the Baltic Sea. Photograph: Regina Marcenkiene/Alamy
At Kukšu Manor (guided tour €5), I gawped at lavishly painted ceilings and jaw-dropping frescoes. Here, for €185 for a double room, anyone can live, fleetingly, as a Baltic baron. Just north of the valley, I strolled in the walled gardens, vineyards and frescoed state rooms of Nurmuiža Castle and Spa, an elegantly restored estate where you can dip in a wild swimming lake as cranes and storks fly overhead, and double rooms cost from €80. Alternatively, at Padure Manor near Kuldīga, a reconstruction-in-progress often used for film sets, €40 will buy you a bedroom and access to the musty Soviet library that came with the house.
Kuldīga itself, a charmingly dusty town, became Unesco-protected in 2023, thanks to its 17th-century wooden architecture and striking location above Europe’s widest waterfall, the Venta Rapid – crossed via Europe’s longest brick road bridge. The high street – not a single chain store in sight – includes a needle museum, a renovated merchant’s house, and craft shops where I splashed out on handknitted socks for my kids.
‘Lavishly painted ceilings and jaw-dropping frescoes’ at At Kukšu Manor
At Pagrabiņš, which locals assured me served some of the best Latvian food in Kurzeme, I slurped delicious salty sour soup known as solyanka with a slice of Latvia’s famously dense, chewy rye bread. Afterwards, a30-minute drive – including a stop-off at the pink, fairytale Ēdole Castle–took me to Jūrkalne, a pretty and utterly deserted beach of bluffs, dunes and pine trees. Pāvilosta, the latest hotspot beloved of Rigan hipsters, lies to the south: an old fishing village where you can grab a flat white (try Cafe Laiva) and watch the rolling Baltic surf or cycle the EuroVelo 13 coastal track to Liepāja.
It’s here, in Latvia’s third largest city that I end my trip. With its lush parks, sandy white beaches and strollable streets of gently decaying baroque and art nouveau buildings, Liepāja makes a great base for exploring the south-west corner of Kurzeme. I stayed in the historic Art Hotel Roma (doubles from €80 a night which includes access to the hotel’s art collection) and ate as often as I could at an exquisitely restored lodgings once frequented by Peter the Great: Madame Hoyer’s Guest House. Although it’s now a museum, the dining room operates much as it did in 1697.
Exhibits and the former Soviet-era naval prison of Karosta. Photograph: Mauritius Images /Alamy
But Liepāja’s greatest attraction must surely be Karosta, once one of the USSR’s largest submarine bases, and a closed military zone for nearly 50 years. Today, it’s a ghostly swill of pristine coastline, brutalist architecture and graffitied Soviet watch towers, with the gold-encrusted domes of the Russian Orthodox St Nicholas Naval Cathedral gleaming, surreally and extravagantly, from its midst.
To fully grasp Latvia’s extraordinary, violent history, I took a guided tour of Karosta prison, one of only a few former military jails in Europe open to visitors. Here, windowless cells once housed revolutionaries, miscreant soldiers and officers of the tsarist army, the Soviet army, the Latvian army, as well as deserters of the German Wehrmacht and “enemies” of Stalin – many of whom had used their metal buttons to scratch their initials into the concrete walls. A little unusually, Karosta prison offers all-night stays (ranging from €15-60 a night) for anyone not averse to paranormal activities – it’s been voted the most haunted place in the world by Ghost Hunters International. I opted, instead, for a recuperative beer from one of Liepāja’s burgeoning microbreweries, mulling over an intriguing part of the world, far from the usual tourist haunts.
The writer travelled independently using the extensive network of Kurzeme’s tourist information offices and with help from latvia.travel. For information on castle and manor house stays visit latvia.travel
From the port of Stari Grad, one of the oldest towns in Europe, we slip into the water and begin swimming out of the harbour, past the church of Saint Jerome and around a pine-clad headland to a nearby bay on Hvar’s northern coast. We emerge like an amphibious invasion force – about 160 swimmers, making our way to the hotel pool bar where drinks await. So far, so civilised. But this is only a warm-up …
On 24 August 1875, Captain Matthew Webb became the first person to swim the Channel, slathered in animal fat to fend off the cold. At the time, it was heralded as a feat of near-superhuman endurance. One hundred and fifty years later, I signed up for a modern take on the 33.3km (21-mile) swim (the shortest distance across the Channel, although Webb was blown off course and ended up swimming something like 63km). This Croatian adaptation involves swimming between islands off the Dalmatian coast, is split across four days and includes a welcoming hotel (the three-star Places Hvar by Valamar) to recuperate in at the end of each day. And thankfully, neoprene has replaced tallow.
The trip is run by UltraSwim 33.3, a new company named after the Channel stretch, offering multiday swim challenges in spectacular locations – Croatia, Montenegro, Greece and Switzerland – with an emphasis on comfort and support.
“The Channel is the Everest of swims,” says Mark Turner, UltraSwim 33.3’s co-founder. “But the window to do it is short, it’s expensive, and – let’s be honest – not a particularly appetising stretch of water. With us, you get the same distance in beautiful surroundings, without having to rough it.”
The writer, ‘trying not to think about how far I am from dry land’
I’ve been on swimming holidays before with companies such as SwimTrek and Strel Swimming Adventures, and I’ve swum up to 5km a day, but with breaks for drinks, lunch and soaking up the sun. UltraSwim takes a more structured, challenge-oriented approach. Each day begins early – we are in the water by 8am, before boat traffic picks up – and swimmers go up to 12km without pausing for more than a quick pit stop.
A detailed training plan landed in my inbox after I’d signed up and I quickly realised I wasn’t fit enough, or perhaps was mentally unprepared, for the full 33.3km swim. Thankfully, there were two shorter options available: the 11.1km “Discovery” and the 22.2km “Build” packages, both nodding to the Channel challenge.
On the first day, we set off from a jetty close to the hotel and, within minutes, I spot an octopus waving lazily from its underwater garden. I’d love to linger, but time and tide wait for no swimmer. Several kilometres later, I stumble out of the water on to the beach at Uvala Veli Dolac, exhausted but elated. We are greeted by a spread of high-energy snacks and a lot of talk about carb loading – a far cry from Webb’s fuelling strategy of beer, brandy and beef tea.
According to the Channel Swimming and Piloting Federation, Webb’s swim has now been repeated 3,250 times. The endurance trend is visible in other areas, too, from ultramarathons and multiday cycling tours to open-water relays. Increasingly, it seems, people want to return from holiday not rested but with a sense of accomplishment.
On days two and three, we tackle some proper “Channel” swims across 2-3km stretches of open water, from the Kabal headland to Stiniva beach, and Cape Pelegrin to Palmižana. On the map these are marked as ferry routes, but the views I enjoyed from the deck when I arrived in Hvar – all pine-studded islands and turquoise waters – feel very different when in the water: a distant headland to aim for, choppy seas and the occasional jellyfish.
I’ve never attempted anything quite like this before, and it’s not a challenge I relish. But I put my head down and try not to think about how far I am from dry land. There’s a GPS tracker in my tow float, kayakers on either side, and a clear course to follow – thankfully more straightforward than the one Webb swam, where strong tides dragged him way off course, turning a 21-mile crossing into a 39-mile slog.
Stari Grad on Hvar, one of the oldest towns in Europe. Photograph: Nathaniel Noir/Alamy
As I swim for just over two hours, I find it hard to fathom how he kept going for nearly 22. I distract myself by recalling snapshots from the trip: the 16th-century Tvrdalj Castle in Stari Grad, where the poet Petar Hektorović once lived; and the Diocletian’s Palace in Split, where I spent a relaxed day exploring its golden alleyways and multiple layers of history, from the Roman and Venetian empires to Yugoslavia and the past 30 years of an independent Croatia.
Once we complete the open-water channels, we circle back into gentler waters around the Pakleni archipelago, covered with the pine, wild rosemary and lavender that flavours the local honey. The name “Pakleni” comes from paklina, a pine resin once used for boat building.
Our 160-strong group is made up of swimmers from across the globe, from as far and wide as Brazil, Dubai and Australia. There are almost equal numbers of men and women, with ages ranging from 20 to 73. Some are training for an actual Channel crossing, others just want a challenge.
“It’s type-two fun,” Joe from Dublin tells me. “The kind that’s only fun after it’s over.” I think I’m more of a type-one (enjoying things at the time) person, but I do enjoy swimming across the sun-dappled kelp forests, the calm rhythm of stroke after stroke, and the quiet pride of finishing each day’s swim.
The Pakleni archipelago, off the southwest coast of Hvar island. Photograph: Ivan Coric/Alamy
“We find that people surprise themselves,” says Turner. “The way we structure it with pacing and support, swimmers who’ve never gone beyond a few kilometres leave feeling they’ve done something extraordinary.”
Non-swimming partners aren’t left out. They can follow by boat, cheer from the shore or explore Stari Grad and Hvar. One non-swimmer told me he’d racked up a fair few kilometres on an ebike, visiting lavender farms, vineyards and sleepy fishing villages. “Other than a brief dip, swimming’s not really my thing,” he shrugged. “But my girlfriend loves it, so we’re both happy.”
On the final day, we aim for the bell tower of St Stephen’s Cathedral and swim the last few kilometres into Hvar’s harbour, emerging beside the Venetian arsenal to a glass of champagne, handed to us after we pass the finishing posts, to bemused stares from regular tourists.
A few hours later, after a soothing massage in a spa hotel, I’m wandering Hvar’s labyrinthine streets, stopping to enjoy fresh fish and Croatian wine, with no more talk of carb loading. I didn’t win anything. I didn’t swim the full 33.3km. But I completed the 11.1km course and tasted something akin to what Captain Webb must have felt: the slow, steady triumph of body over distance, albeit without the freezing water of the Channel, or the beef tea. And, instead of the pale grey cliffs of Cap Gris-Nez to signal the end, the golden limestone of Hvar.
The trip was provided by UltraSwim 33.3. Packages from €1,800pp for four nights (in a group of four, the fourth swimmer goes half-price), including hotel accommodation, breakfasts, post-swim lunches and guided swims. The next Croatia dates are in 2026 but places are available this year on trips to Montenegro, Greece and Switzerland
I wasn’t expecting the welcoming chorus of “woofs” that greet me when I arrive at FitCamp Montenegro. Then again, the name, suggestive of a 1970s-style fat farm, is misleading. Based in a rustic farmhouse in the hills north-east of Nikšić, the country’s second largest city, the Yoga getaway I’m here to sample may focus on wellness and plant-based food – the antithesis of traditional Montenegrin fare – but its friendly dogs and cats would de-stress many a frazzled urbanite.
“We especially want to take care of solo travellers, tailor stays to their needs, and help them reconnect with themselves and nature,” says co-owner Andjela Djokic, as amiable Sivi, part hunting dog, part sheepdog, trots out for a sniff.
The retreat is my first stop on a whirlwind trip exploring Central Montenegro. Unlike the overcrowded Adriatic coast (in 2024, 94% of overnight stays in the Balkans country were in coastal areas), the interior of Montenegro is virgin territory for nature lovers. Historically a battleground – the Romans and Ottomans lorded over the region – for me it’s love at first sight, a landscape brimming with pristine karst mountains, forests, lakes and rivers.
Getting here involved an 80-minute drive from Podgorica, the capital, on a panoramic road, one that on a clear day (alas, it’s gloomy when I arrive) takes you within view of Ostrog Monastery, cut high into a rock face in the Dinaric Alps. (These, I learn, stretch the length of the Balkans.) Still, as the wispy clouds trail across the peaks and ridges, I feel I’m entering a delicious hinterland.
At the farm, which Andjela runs with her husband, Matija, I settle into my en suite apartment, one of two available to guests. Once a stone barn, it has a balcony from which to soak up the rippling birdsong and mountain scenery. Over in the shared community space, a homely kitchen-cum-lounge area, I tuck into scrambled eggs and thick Montenegrin coffee. “Every day is a mission to find the eggs,” chuckles my host.
Jini Reddy hiking up to Durkovo Brdo viewpoint. Photograph: Dušan Stupar
Later, I’ll visit the chicken coop and permaculture garden, and hear about plans to transition to solar power, but right now I’m itching to unfurl my limbs.
It’s too wet for yoga, offered on a wooden platform in a meadow on the farm’s 19 acres of land. Instead, sockless, I tread gingerly on the adjacent barefoot walk, an array of beach pebbles, pine cones, moss and sharp stones. The sensory stimulus (nature’s reflexology) awakens me from my post-travel stupor. There’s just time for a snack and a glorious toast with rakija, the local spirit, before Tamara Miljanic, the serene yoga and meditation teacher, offers a pranayama (yogic breathwork) session. As the flute-like call of a cuckoo haunts the skies, I feel the tension seep out of my body. After a salad supper, made by a holistic nutritionist who joins us for the meal, I sleep like a log.
The next morning the sun is out and I try the property’s heart trail – another cue to be mindful. Wandering along the kilometre-long wooded path, I step over soft, moss-covered stones and flit from wildflower to wildflower like a butterfly. I spot carmine-hued thistle, elegant mauve lupins, ox-eye daisies and dog roses. The dogs, who have come along, plonk themselves next to me like forest sentinels when I sit quietly for a bit.
It’s hard to leave, but Vučje calls. A mountain lodge and tourist centre within the wider Nikšić region, 18 miles to the east, Vučje is a ski resort in winter and the perfect spot for hiking, horse-riding and cycling in the warmer months. Nestled in a valley, it lies south of the vaunted alpine jewel that is Durmitor national park.
FitCamp Montenegro is based in a rustic farmhouse in the hills
A slow-food culture is embraced here. After a stroll in the woods, in the company of the Vučje dogs (owner Andjahas a soft spot for strays) it’s time for a feast. “We cure our own meat,” she says, waving towards the meat-drying room. I do my best with a pork steak steeped in cream and mushrooms, kačamak (a rich, tasty concoction made of wheat and cornflour, potatoes, cheese and cream) and local wine – and silently apologise to my arteries. (Vučje caters to vegetarians too.)
The room I’m staying in is a little worn but comfortable. In the morning, after priganice (moreish fritters with rosehip jam), more cured meat and pljevaljski (a local cheese), I hike to Durkovo Brdo, a popular viewpoint and, at 1,546 metres, an easy-to-climb peak. Two charming guides, Enisa Djokovic and Dušan Stupar, lead the way. Enisa points out the wild garlic, beloved of the local ursine population, as we emerge from the forest canopy to open pastures ringed by mountains.
“We call them ‘bear onions’,” she says. “But don’t worry, we carry pepper spray.”
Later, the pair drive me eastward to Lukavica, a mountain plateau. A winding road leads us through the beautiful terrain, carpeted with meadows, and dotted with peaks and katuns, hobbity holiday homes (some still used by sheep herders).
Astonishingly, ours is the only vehicle. When I step outside, the silence feels potent. A deer bobs away in the distance, and a lone church, St Ilija, stands framed by the mountains. “There is a 2,000-year-old gravestone here,” says Dušan, before pointing to the looming peak, Mali Žurim (1,962 metres). It looks impossibly steep. “Next time you come we can hike it. It’s easier than it looks,” he says.
Jini on a bike ride to Lake Skadar
After a coffee stop at Lake Kapetanovo Jezero, where I spot wild horses, we drive back and the heavens open. Enisa tells me she is Muslim, “from a small village near Podgorica”, and that she celebrates Ramadan and Eid. Dušan, who is also her partner, is Bosnian and Orthodox Christian. “During the war, my family fled across the mountains,” he says, quietly. “I was a child and my mother was pregnant at the time.” I wonder if, for him, the mountains represent refuge, a place of sanctuary.
For my last day, I head south to Jablan Winery, in the village of Rvaši, south of Podgorica. Wine tastings are popular here, and you can rent an apartment amid the vines. I’ve spied the e-bikes and I’m off, down euphoria-inducing hairpin bends to Lake Skadar, the largest in southern Europe and a national park. Framed by forest-green slopes, the views of the serpentine Rijeka Crnojevića river and canyon, within the lake system, are ethereal, like a fairytale.
At a small resort named after the river, I park the bike and board a small boat for a ride on the lake, through narrow channels teeming with birdlife. “This is our Amazon,” says Captain Dusko, at the helm, before telling us the giant Dalmatian pelican is Skadar’s symbol. As we drift past a carpet of water lilies, I spy a jet-black pygmy cormorant diving for fish, and grey herons in flight. Back on shore, the captain whips up a meal of smoked carp, carp paté, fish soup and grilled trout at his lakeside restaurant. Then it’s back on the bike to the vineyard, where a glass of natural wine lulls me into a contented sleep, nursing a yen to return to this enchanted land.
The trip was provided by FitCamp Montenegro; its five-night yoga getaway is available May-November for €900, including breakfast, activities and a day trip. Accommodation at Vučje from €37pp a night, with hiking tours from €100 for two. At Winery Jablan the two-bedroom stonehouse costs €55a night (sleeps five) and the studio from €50a night (sleeps two); both self-catering, minimum two-night stay, 90-minute food and wine tastings from €35 per person
Our writer lived like royalty on a mini-break to this European capital city, where you’ll find impressive architecture, cultural delights and world-class cuisine
Lowestoft is a popular UK seaside town that is further east than anywhere else in England – it boasts sandy beaches, a pier, sand dunes and a zoo on it’s doorstep
Lowestoft beach lined with colourful beach huts(Image: Getty)
Labelled ‘the most unsung location in Suffolk’, the coastal gem of Lowestoft boasts the easternmost point in England. Not only does it feature a classic pier, sand dunes and even a zoo nearby, it’s an unmissable spot.
Frequently gracing rankings for top seaside destinations, Lowestoft’s breathtaking sunrises might just be one of its standout lures. The award-winning South Beach, also known as Victoria Beach, has repeatedly earned the Blue Flag for its outstanding environmental quality and pristine waters.
Railway enthusiasts can delve into history at the East Anglia Transport Museum or broaden their maritime knowledge at the Lowestoft & East Suffolk Maritime Museum.
With a plethora of sights and activities, Lowestoft is a family favourite – whether you tire of the stunning seafront views and venture to Pleasurewood Hills theme park or enjoy an evening with the esteemed Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the local theatre.
Why not savor a pint of the region’s Adnams beer at the highly regarded Jolly Sailors or Spring Tide pubs? The accolades are abundant, with both pubs amassing approximately 2,000 reviews celebrating their hearty fare and vibrant vibes, reports the Express.
Sunrise over Lowestoft’s Claremont Pier(Image: David Powley / 500px via Getty Images)
Tourists often express their fondness for the town, enjoying strolls along the pier, observing the boats, and exploring the promenade.
Nonetheless, not every visitor has been equally enthralled. One disappointed tourist described their experience as “Shocking. Dirty. Grim”, highlighting the prevalence of youngsters on the streets and inebriated individuals occupying doorways.
Alas, it seems that Lowestoft isn’t immune to the less favourable stereotypes typically associated with port towns. Like numerous town centres, Lowestoft has seen better days, with shop closures and a dip in social buzz leaving it feeling somewhat neglected.
The term “ghost town” has been bandied about by some, yet they still commend its stunning beachfront.
There’s a consensus that the area holds promise as an attractive spot, and fingers are crossed that ongoing refurbishments will breathe new life into it.
This sandy, sun-trapped beach surrounded by stunning coastline and spectacular views looks like it could be anywhere in Europe but it’s actually one of the UK’s best tourist destinations
Tenby in south-east Wales is blessed with beautiful blue waters and three glorious beaches(Image: Getty Images)
It’s recently been voted one of the UK’s top 2025 destinations and when the sun is shining there’s no better place to chill than this gorgeous seaside resort with its colourful houses, cobbled streets and cafe culture.
You don’t have to travel far to one of the UK’s most stunning seaside resorts, Tenby in south-east Wales, which is blessed with beautiful blue waters and three glorious beaches: Castle Beach, North Beach, and South Beach.
Castle Beach has a blue flag and is perfect for paddling with an easy access slipway, while North Beach is a sheltered, sandy beach with Goskar rock sticking out of the sand and a picturesque harbour.
The largest of the three beaches, South Beach, is just a stone’s throw away with plenty of space to run around and play games.
And there’s plenty to do – for something a bit different you can catch a boat to the neighbouring island of Caldey where a community of Cistercian monks live. It’s just a 20-minute boat ride away, has a history extending over 1500 years and is one of Britain’s oldest holiest sites.
Once on Caldey’s sandy shores, you can walk around the entire island in just over two hours but the Caldey Abbey, home to roughly 40 Cisestercian monks, is a must-see.
Back on the mainland visitors can take part in the Tenby Ghost Walk and learn about all things paranormal from ghostly pirates to witches and UFOs with storyteller Marion Davies.
History lovers can step inside the famous Tudor Merchant’s House which is known for its stone facade and wonky windows and dates all the way back to the fifteenth century. Inside, the quaint stone-floored rooms are filled with period furniture, ceramics and wall-hangings.
Pastel coloured town houses overlooking the harbour in Tenby, Wales.(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Tenby Castle and the Tenby Museum and Art Gallery are also worth a visit – and for the more adventurous there’s paddleboarding, kayaking and surfing.
There are plenty of places to relax but one of its top-rate pubs is the Harbwr Tap & Brewery, with a delicious range of seasonally brewed beers and ales – with visitors recommending its steak and sea bass.
For family fun check out the Dinosaur Park or Manor Wildlife Park. Discover over 90 lifelike dinosaurs, 40+ rides and attractions, including go-karts, Dino-golf, and a Dinosaur Trail with prices starting from £17:50 for children up to 15.
The Manor Wildlife Park in St Florence is Wales’ only walking safari where you can meet the lemurs and wander with the wallabies and feed them leaves.
You could stay at a campsite for less than £20 per night or if budget allows you could stay at the Tenby Golf Club which opened in late-2023 and offers a calm respite from central Tenby 15 minutes’ walk away.
Meanwhile, Penally Abbey hotel in Tenby was rated highly at the 2024 AA Hotel and Hospitality Services. Situated beside a twelfth century church, the charming hotel offers visitors the perfect starting point for exploration.
Chinese state media says the mission aims ‘to shed light on the formation and evolution of asteroids’ and the Earth.
China has successfully launched a spacecraft as part of its first-ever mission to retrieve pristine asteroid samples, in what researchers have described as a “significant step” in Beijing’s ambitions for interplanetary exploration.
China’s Long March 3B rocket lifted off at about 1.31am local time (18:30 GMT) on Thursday from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwest China’s Sichuan province. It was carrying the Tianwen-2 spacecraft, a robotic probe that could make China the third nation to fetch pristine asteroid rocks.
Announcing the launch, Chinese state-run news outlets said the “spacecraft unfolded its solar panels smoothly”, and that the China National Space Administration (CNSA) had “declared the launch a success”.
Over the next year, Tianwen-2 will approach a small near-Earth asteroid some 10 million miles (16 million km) away, named “469219 Kamoʻoalewa”, also known as 2016HO3.
The spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at the asteroid, which researchers believe is potentially a fragment of the Moon, in July 2026. It will then shoot the capsule with rock samples back to Earth for a landing in November 2027.
If successful, China would become only the third country to carry out such a mission after Japan first fetched samples from a small asteroid in 2010, followed by the United States in 2020.
The People’s Daily state-run newspaper described the mission’s purpose as an “endeavour to shed light on the formation and evolution of asteroids and the early solar system”.
The newspaper quoted Shan Zhongde, the head of the CNSA, as saying that the mission represented a “significant step in China’s new journey of interplanetary exploration”. He added that the mission was expected to yield “groundbreaking discoveries and expanding humanity’s knowledge of the cosmos”.
The mission has multiple goals over the “decade-long expedition”, according to Chinese state media, including “collecting samples from near-Earth asteroid 2016HO3” and “exploring the main-belt comet 311P”.
It will also aim to measure the “physical parameters of the two celestial targets”, including their “orbital dynamics, rotation, size, shape and thermal properties”.
The samples will be used to determine the “physical properties, chemical and mineral composition and structural characteristics” of asteroids, according to researchers working on the project.
As a quasi-satellite of Earth that has orbited the Sun in a synchronised path with the Earth for nearly a century, 2016HO3 has a diameter of between 120 feet (40 metres) and 300 feet (100 metres).
China has swiftly expanded its space programmes and embarked on several landmark missions in recent years, including landing robots on the far side of the Moon and collecting humankind’s first-ever samples from the area in June last year.
China is also running its own Tiangong space station in orbit – the only operational space station other than the International Space Station (ISS) – after the US barred it from participating in the ISS.
In April, three crew members landed back in the country’s north after spending six months on board Tiangong in what was the longest-ever mission in space by Chinese astronauts.
Beijing has also invested heavily in planned crewed missions to the Moon that would see Chinese astronauts on the lunar surface by 2030.
The US has also stated its aim to put astronauts back on the Moon for the first time since 1972, with NASA planning to launch its Artemis 3 mission in 2026 at the earliest.
Located on the north coast of Norfolk, this town is perfect for a traditional seaside holiday, home to a bustling pier, award-winning beach and a wealth of family-friendly events and festivals
This Norfolk town is home to an architecturally significant pier with an active theatre(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Golf enthusiasts may already know about this reputable seaside town, but it has so much more to offer than what first meets the eye. Breathtaking coastal views, beaches and a historic pier can be explored by those looking for a traditional UK seaside holiday or a perfect day trip destination.
Cromer is located on the north coast of Norfolk, about 23 miles from the medieval city of Norwich. The coastal town became a resort in the early 1800s and built its reputation welcoming rich local families, including the future King Edward VII who was known to enjoy a game of golf in the area.
In fact, the seaside town is still a world-class hub for avid golfers as it is home to one of the top 100 golf courses in England: the Royal Cromer Golf Club. The Club was founded in 1888 and is one of only 66 ‘royal’ clubs in the world and has 18 holes that stretch alongside the Cromer and Overstrand cliffs.
There are many coastal walking paths where travellers can enjoy the town’s impressive sea views(Image: Getty Images)
The clifftop course ensures golfers and all visitors enjoy fantastic and unique coastal views. Even the famous Oscar Wilde couldn’t deny the appeal of the greens, having said: “I find Cromer excellent for writing, but the golf even better.” But again, there is much more to this seaside resort than its golf attractions.
Travellers interested in a more traditional seaside holiday will want to make a beeline for the town’s historic pier. Cromer Pier is one of only five seaside piers in the UK with an active theatre and the only one that puts on a traditional end-of-the-pier variety show each summer and winter.
A model of classic Victorian architecture, the 495-foot pier won ‘Pier of the Year’ in 2024. Open all year round, it reportedly has the best crab fishing anywhere in Norfolk and is a memorable and relaxing place to spend a day and sample local treats.
In 2025, the summer variety show at the Cromer Pier Pavilion Theatre will run from June 28 to September 20. If you plan a summer visit, you may want to time your travel to coincide with another town celebration: Carnival Week.
Cromer celebrates its Carnival Week in August and the festival includes the crowning of a Carnival Queen and street parade. The family-friendly event is one of the largest Carnivals in the country and the highlight of the season. This year it will run from August 16 to August 22.
There are several impressive beaches in Cromer, including its beloved namesake beach(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
If you’re in the mood to learn about some local history as well, head to the Cromer Museum. It is located in a row of late 19th Century Victorian fisherman’s cottages and features displays on the lifeboatmen over the years, the growth of tourism and what happened to the town during wartime. There are also fascinating exhibits on the geology and archaeology of the area.
If you want to learn more about the coastline specifically, you can visit the Deep History Coast Discovery Point. Here, you can learn about what the area was like thousands of years ago. There’s even an app you can download to take a guided tour along the coast to uncover its history and see how it used to look.
There are also ample opportunities to enjoy the local landscape up close. Travellers can walk along stretches of coastal cliffs – some as high as 230-feet. And no mention of Cromer would be complete without a description of its incredible beaches.
The town is home to several impressive sands, including the award-winning West Runton Beach and Cromer Beach. Beachgoers can partake in watersports by hiring surfboards or SUPs, laze in the pristine sands.
There is also a weekly market and plenty of independent shops to browse for those wanting to take home some souvenirs.
