Long winter hikes, cottages with roaring fires, lazy lunches in a cosy pub … the days might be shorter but that doesn’t need to dampen the holiday fun. We’d love to hear about your favourite places in the UK for a winter rural break. Perhaps it was a cabin stay in the Lakes, a west country hotel with walks on the doorstep, an off-season seaside weekend or a hiking holiday in Wales that’s great at this time of year.
The best tip of the week, chosen by Tom Hall of Lonely Planetwins a £200 voucher to stay at a Coolstays property – the company has more than 3,000 worldwide. The best tips will appear in the Guardian Travel section and website.
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Heather Colley and her two children moved four times over five years as they fled high rents in eastern Tennessee, which, like much of rural America, hasn’t been spared from soaring housing costs.
A family gift in 2021 of a small plot of land offered a shot at homeownership, but building a house was beyond reach for the 45-year-old single mother and manicurist making $18.50 an hour.
That changed when she qualified for a $272,000 grant from a nonprofit to build a three-bedroom home because of a program that has helped make affordable housing possible in rural areas for decades. She and her family moved in in June.
“Every time I pull into my garage, I pinch myself,” Colley said.
Now, President Trump wants to eliminate that grant, the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, and House Republicans overseeing federal budget negotiations did not include funding for it in their budget proposal. Experts and state housing agencies say that would set back tens of thousands of future affordable housing developments nationwide, particularly hurting Appalachian towns and rural counties where government aid is sparse and investors are few.
The program has helped build or repair more than 1.3 million affordable homes in the last three decades, of which at least 540,000 were in congressional districts that are rural or significantly rural, according to an Associated Press analysis of federal data.
“Maybe they don’t realize how far-reaching these programs are,” said Colley, who voted for Trump in 2024. Among those half a million homes that HOME helped build, 84% were in districts that voted for him last year, the AP analysis found.
“I understand we don’t want excessive spending and wasting taxpayer dollars,” Colley said, “but these proposed budget cuts across the board make me rethink the next time I go to the polls.”
The HOME program, started under President George H.W. Bush in the 1990s, survived years of budget battles but has been stretched thin by years of rising construction costs and stagnant funding. That’s meant fewer units, including in some rural areas where home prices have grown faster than in cities.
The program has spent more than $38 billion nationwide since it began filling in funding gaps and attracting more investment to acquire, build and repair affordable homes, federal Department of Housing and Urban Development data show. Additional funding has gone toward rental assistance and projects that have yet to be finished.
Political limbo
To account for the gap left by the proposed cuts, House Republicans want to draw on nearly $5 billion from a related pandemic-era fund that gave states until 2030 to spend on projects supporting people who are unhoused or facing homelessness.
That $5 billion, however, may be far less, since many projects haven’t yet been logged into HUD’s tracking system, according to state housing agencies and associations representing them.
A spokesperson for HUD, which administers the program, said HOME isn’t as effective as other programs where the money would be better spent.
In opposition to Trump, Senate Republicans have still included funding for HOME in their draft budget. In the coming negotiations, both chambers may compromise and reduce but not terminate HOME’s funding, or extend last year’s overall budget.
White House spokesperson Davis Ingle didn’t respond to specific questions from the AP. Instead, Ingle said that Trump’s commitment to cutting red tape is making housing more affordable.
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers is working to reduce HOME’s notorious red tape that even proponents say slows construction.
Some rural areas more dependent on HOME
In Owsley County — one of the nation’s poorest, in the rural Kentucky hills — residents struggle in an economy blighted by coal mine closures and declining tobacco crop revenues.
Affordable homes are needed there, but tough to build in a region that doesn’t attract larger-scale rental developments that federal dollars typically go toward.
That’s where HOME comes in, said Cassie Hudson, who runs Partnership Housing in Owsley, which has relied on the program to build the majority of its affordable homes for at least a dozen years.
A lack of additional funding for HOME has already made it hard to keep up with construction costs, Hudson said, and the organization builds a quarter of the single-family homes it used to.
“Particularly for deeply rural places and persistent poverty counties, local housing developers are the only way homes and new rental housing gets built,” said Joshua Stewart of Fahe, a coalition of Appalachian nonprofits.
That’s in part because investment is scant and HOME steps in when construction costs exceed what a home can be sold for — a common barrier in poor areas of Appalachia. Some developers use the profits to build more affordable units. Its loss would erode those nonprofits’ ability to build affordable homes in years to come, Stewart said.
One of those nonprofits, Housing Development Alliance, helped Tiffany Mullins in Hazard, Ky., which was ravaged by floods. Mullins, a single mother of four who makes $14.30 an hour at Walmart, bought a house there thanks to HOME funding and moved in in August.
Mullins sees the program as preserving a rural way of life, recalling when folks owned homes and land with gardens — “we had chickens, cows. Now you don’t see much of that.”
A long-term effect
In congressional budget negotiations, HOME is an easier target than programs such as vouchers because most people would not immediately lose their housing, said Tess Hembree, executive director of the Council of State Community Development Agencies.
The effect of any reduction would instead be felt in a fizzling of new affordable housing supply. When HOME funding was temporarily reduced to $900 million in 2015, “10 to 15 years later, we’re seeing the ramifications,” Hembree said.
That includes affordable units built in cities. The biggest program that funds affordable rental housing nationwide, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, uses HOME grants for 12% of units, totaling 324,000 current individual units, according to soon-to-be-published Urban Institute research.
Trump’s spending bill that Republicans passed this summer increased that program, but experts say further reducing or cutting HOME would make those credits less usable.
“It’s LIHTC plus HOME, usually,” said Tim Thrasher, chief executive of Community Action Partnership of North Alabama, which builds affordable apartments for some of the nation’s poorest.
In the lush mountains of eastern West Virginia, Woodlands Development Group relies on HOME for its smaller rural projects. Because it helps people with a wider range of incomes, HOME is “one of the only programs available to us that allows us to develop true workforce housing,” said Executive Director Dave Clark.
It’s those workers — nurses, first responders, teachers — that nonprofits like east Tennessee’s Creative Compassion use HOME to build for. With the program in jeopardy, grant administrator Sarah Halcott said she fears for her clients battling rising housing costs.
“This is just another nail in the coffin for rural areas,” Halcott said.
Kramon, Bedayn, Herbst and Kessler write for the Associated Press. Kramon reported from Atlanta, Bedayn from Denver, Herbst from New York City and Kessler from Washington.
Manhunt under way for man accused of shooting dead two officers and wounding another in southeastern state of Victoria.
Police in Australia are searching for a gunman who shot dead two officers and wounded another at a rural property in the southeastern state of Victoria, authorities have said.
The shooting occurred shortly after 10:30am on Tuesday as 10 police officers were attending the property in Porepunkah, about 300km (186 miles) northeast of Melbourne, Victoria police said in a statement.
Police urged the public in and around Porepunkah to remain indoors until further notice, and asked people not to travel to the area.
“The exact circumstances surrounding the incident are still being determined and it remains an active and ongoing situation,” Victoria police said.
“It’s believed the offender has since left the property and at this time his whereabouts are unknown. A significant search is actively underway to locate the man.”
Local media, which named the suspect as Dezi Freeman, reported that the police officers had travelled to the property to execute a warrant relating to alleged historical sex offences.
Alex Caruana, president of the Australian Federal Police Association, expressed condolences to the families of the deceased officers.
“Policing is dangerous and unpredictable work, and what has happened in Porepunkah is a reminder of the risks officers face every day in keeping the community safe,” Caruana said in a statement.
Gun deaths are relatively rare in Australia, which introduced tough restrictions on firearms in response to the 1996 Port Arthur mass shooting, which killed 35 people and injured 23 others.
The last time an Australian police officer was shot dead in the line of duty was November 2023, when Brevet Sergeant Jason Doig was killed while responding to a call at a property in South Australia, according to the National Police Memorial.
Farm-to-fork dining may be the latest buzzword on Britain’s foodie scene, but it’s something they’ve been doing brilliantly, and without fuss or fanfare, on the continent for decades. We’d love to hear about your favourite rural food experiences in Europe, whether it be a perfect Italian agriturismo, a fabulous farmer’s market in France, or joining the festivities as the locals celebrate their favourite delicacy coming into season.
The best tip of the week, chosen by Tom Hall of Lonely Planetwins a £200 voucher to stay at a Coolstays property – the company has more than 3,000 worldwide. The best tips will appear in the Guardian Travel section and website.
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Aug. 8 (UPI) — The suspect in a shooting that killed four people at a bar in rural western Montana was arrested Friday, seven days after a multiagency manhunt.
The shooting occurred on Aug.1 in Anaconda, which is 130 miles east of Idaho and 198 miles west of Bozeman, Mont.
He is in the custody of the Anaconda-Deer Lodge authorities.
“Incredible response from law enforcement officers across Montana,” Gov. Greg Gianforte posted on X. “May God continue to be with the families of the four victims still grieving their loss.”
During a news conference, he appeared with several involved in the search. “These brave men and women in uniform sacrificed their lives and time away from family to ensure this killer was brought to justice,” he said.
These brave men and women in uniform sacrificed their lives and time away from family to ensure this killer was brought to justice.
Gianfort said the search was lengthy because the search terrain was rugged as personnel spent hours climbing over these mountains looking for this criminal.”
Brown was on the run in what authorities describe as the “biggest shooting” in the state in a decade.
Surveillance video captured Brown fleeing Old Owl Bar where he lived next door. His white Ford F150 was found on the day of the shooting.
“We think that was directly correlated to flushing him out today — getting him down into an area that we know we had searched before,” Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen said. “It was not someplace he’d been hiding. He was flushed out.”
He was armed.
Authorities with 38 agencies — local, state and federal — were searching for him, including in the western Montana wilderness.
“I am proud of the unrelenting law enforcement effort this week to find and arrest Michael Paul Brown,” Knudsen said at the news conference. “The support we’ve seen for the community of Anaconda from across the state and the nation has also been remarkable.”
Killed were bartender Nancy Kelley, 64; and three patrons: Daniel Baillie, 59; Nancy Kelley, 64; David Leach, 70, and Tony Palm, 74.
“It just isn’t real. It’s totally overwhelming,” said Cassandra Dutra, a bartender at the Owl Bar who wasn’t working at the time, said in a CNN report.
He was a known regular at the bar.
Brown served in the Iraq war and the Montana National Guard.
A TEENAGER has died after a car she was travelling in crashed into a tree on a rural road in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The woman, 18, tragically passed away when the silver Renault Clio – which she was a passenger in – collided with a tree after veering off the road in Hartlepool at 4.18am on Thursday, Cleveland Police said.
A 26-year-old man, who was driving the vehicle, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving as well as other driving offences.
He remains in police custody at this time.
The tragic crash took place on a road known locally as Greatham Back Lane, which connects the A689 to Greatham village.
Police said the woman suffered fatal injuries in the collision and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her family have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers.
Cops are now looking to witnesses or anyone who may have CCTV or dashcam footage of the silver Clio in the village to come forward.
You can contact Cleveland Police on 101, quoting reference number 148268.
Alternatively, you can upload footage directly by following this link.
1
Police are appealing for any witnesses of the crash to come forwardCredit: Google Maps
Aminu Ishaku now earns a living as a commercial motorcyclist in Abuja.
His family has five hectares of land in Chadari, a farming village in Kano State’s Makoda Local Government Area, North West Nigeria, where they once planted maize, sorghum, and millet, crops that fed and earned them some money.
Until 2021, the land never failed them completely. Some years, it brought 10 bags of sorghum, seven of millet, and nine of maize.
That year, Aminu borrowed ₦300,000 ($196) and walked into another season with faith.
“There was rain,” said the 22-year-old. “Everything germinated beautifully. We even added manure to help them grow faster. We were expecting more because of how well they sprouted.”
But the rains stopped. And for two long months, nothing fell from the sky. The young crops dried, devastating the family. No irrigation system, no borehole, no motorised pump. Just the soil and their hopes.
When the rains eventually returned, they planted again. But the second harvest was nothing close to what they needed.
“That was when I told my father I would go look for work,” Aminu said.
It was his first time leaving Kano. With only ₦2,000 ($1.31) to cover transport, Aminu, who had just finished secondary school, travelled 12 hours by road to Abuja, arriving on the outskirts of Apo, a district in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), where the city asphalt gives way to dust.
“That is where I settled,” he said.
Each year, he returns briefly during the planting season, hoping things will be different. But it has not been.
“In 2022, there was another drought,” he said. “Then, insects attacked the crops. They grew, but the insects destroyed them. The dry spell made them vulnerable.”
In late 2023, the problem worsened.
There was flooding, said Aminu. Water swallowed homes and farmlands, and crops that survived the dry spell perished under the flood.
“That caused food shortages,” he said. “Those whose crops did not drown had to harvest early.”
“We barely had enough to eat, let alone sell,” Aminu added. “That is why I stay in Abuja to work, to support the family.”
Aminu is one of the many young men fleeing the slow violence of environmental breakdown in Northern Nigeria. For some, like 30-year-old Abdulhamid Sulaiman, the journey began earlier. Abdulhamid left Danja, a farming town in Katsina State, in 2014, long before climate change became synonymous with rural poverty.
“Rain would disappear in the middle of the season,” he said. “The crops would grow weak. Then insects would come. Sometimes they ate the maize from inside.”
When he married, his father gave him four hectares of land, where he planted maize and tomatoes.
In good years, he harvested five to 10 bags of maize and earned up to ₦250,000 ($164) from tomatoes. But the rains changed.
“The harvest could not last us till the following season,” he said. “And I did not have another job.”
Groundwater began to seep from the earth during the rainy season, soaking parts of his farm and stalling growth.
He did not know why.
“It just kept coming up, slowly, like it was rising from underneath,” he told me.
So, like Aminu, he left.
Idris Sale’s story is no different. In 2015, he left Kano for Abuja after repeated seasons of dwindling millet and cassava harvests. As food dwindled, he began searching for alternative survival means for his family.
These are not isolated stories. They are early signals of a broader shift.
A 2021 study warned that climate-induced migration could surge in states like Sokoto, Zamfara, and Katsina by 2050 under worsening environmental conditions. Northern Nigeria is already losing up to 350,000 hectares of arable land each year to desertification, a crisis that the United Nations estimates costs the country $5 billion annually in lost livelihoods.
On-the-ground reporting confirms this trend. In July, HumAngle showed how desertification and the shrinking of migration corridors are intensifying farmer-herder conflicts across the region. A 2022 investigation highlighted similar tensions in Yobe, while a 2024 story detailed how desertification continues to consume livelihoods in the Northeast.
In the same month, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, the Minister of Environment, disclosed that 50 to 75 per cent of the land across Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe, and Zamfara States was now degraded, some of it permanently.
The ripple effects are devastating. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) ranks Nigeria as the country with the second-highest number of food-insecure people globally.
In the first six months of 2025, nearly 31 million people faced acute hunger, another WFP report states. The burden falls disproportionately on children. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), an international non-governmental organisation working in conflict zones, reported that in Katsina alone, 652 children died of severe malnutrition in just six months.
The structural vulnerability is clear. Roughly 80 per cent of northern farmers are smallholders who grow over 90 per cent of the country’s food. Yet, most lack irrigation, climate-resilient seeds, or access to state support. As environmental shocks multiply, subsistence agriculture is collapsing beneath them.
Life on the fringes
Aminu now lives in Apo, Abuja. He came here chasing the stories he had heard from others back in Chadari, that the capital held promise for those willing to work. But like many climate migrants arriving from the north, he quickly realised that without formal education or connections, the only available work was in the city’s informal economy.
“When I first came, I worked at construction sites,” he recalled.
He moved from one project to another, saving steadily until he could add to the little money he had left behind at home.
Eventually, he bought a motorcycle and started working as a commercial rider (an okada man), shuttling passengers along the busy Galadimawa-Garki-Apo corridor.
“I was making about ₦15,000 [$9.80] daily,” he said.
Out of that, he regularly sent between ₦10,000 ($6.52) and ₦15,000 home weekly.
Aminu’s hands grip the throttle as he waits by the roadside in Abuja. Photo Credit: Al’amin Umar/HumAngle.
The outskirts of Abuja have become a magnet for climate migrating northern youths, who join the 93 per cent of employed Nigerians working in the informal sector.
But the city is not always welcoming.
“My first bike was seized by the VIO [Vehicle Inspection Officers],” Aminu alleged. “I had the papers, but I could not get it back.”
With no income, he returned to construction work and farming during the rainy season. After a year, he scraped together enough to buy another motorcycle, this time at a discount. That one would be stolen.
“Now I use a friend’s bike,” he said. “I ride during the day and pay him a return each evening.”
Despite better earnings, the stress wears on Aminu.
“I am making more money here,” he said, “but I have more peace of mind back home.”
His frustrations echo a broader pattern of tension between informal workers and city authorities. Multiple reports have documented how commercial motorcycle riders in Abuja face routine harassment, extortion, and crackdowns, sometimes sparking violent clashes. In April, the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS) crushed over 600 impounded motorcycles, enforcing a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) regulation that prohibits their operation in designated areas.
Abdulhamid’s story took a different turn. When he first left Danja in Katsina, he arrived in Zuba, another edge community in the FCT, where a few acquaintances from home had already settled.
“I spent five days looking for work,” he recalled. “When I couldn’t find anything, I returned home.”
But hardship forced him back. This time, he found work as a manual sand miner.
“We go from stream to stream, in different communities, digging sand by hand,” he said.
On a good day, he earns between ₦6,000 ($3.91) and ₦12,000 ($7.83). From that, about ₦2,100 ($1.37) goes into daily transport and meals.
“I send at least ₦10,000 [$6.52] every two days to my family,” he said.
Abdulhamid Sulaiman and fellow sand miners rest under a tree after a long day at work. Photo Credit: Al’amin Umar/HumAngle.
“The sand is heavy, and the places are hilly. It is dangerous climbing up and down with it,” Abdulhamid added.
Worse, he has no idea the work he does may be worsening the climate crisis he fled.
Their only point of contact with the authorities is the farmers who own land near the riverbanks.
“Nobody from the government has ever questioned us,” he said.
“We just pay them [the farmers] ₦1,000 per truck of sand.”
But unregulated sand mining is accelerating erosion, destabilising riverbanks, and contributing to downstream flooding, especially in flood-prone areas like the FCT. HumAngle has documented how unchecked mining in Kano destroyed farmland and made seasonal floods deadlier. A similar report shows the issue in Ogun State, South West Nigeria.
Abdulhamid shrugged. “The sand brings fast money, but we don’t know it’s part of why floods are worse.”
A 2022 UNEP study estimates that 50 billion tonnes of sand are extracted globally each year. In Nigeria, much of this is done illegally and manually, depleting aquifers, degrading river ecosystems, and displacing communities. Ironically, the work Abdulhamid now relies on contributes to the flooding and food shortages that pushed him out of Danja.
A mound of sand Abdulhamid and his colleagues have mined. Photo Credit: Al’amin Umar/HumAngle
Idris Sale’s path was steadier. Since arriving in Abuja from Kano in 2015, he has moved between carpentry and construction labour.
“On a good day, I make ₦10,000 [$6.52],” he said.
He saves about ₦7,000 ($4.57) and sends up to ₦20,000 ($13.6) home weekly.
“There are more job opportunities here,” he said. “I do not get that kind of money in Makoda.”
His main challenge is not the police or permits, but broken promises.
“Sometimes, they don’t pay me at all,” he said. “Or they give less than we agreed. They just keep postponing it.”
Still, Idris believes the move has been worthwhile.
“My life has changed,” he said. “Back home, farming was failing. There was no other way to earn.”
Despite the setbacks, he sees his situation improving. But his shelter is now under threat. Since late 2023, Abuja’s city administration, under FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, has launched a sweeping demolition campaign, targeting informal settlements in what it calls a clean-up and security initiative. Dozens of communities have been levelled.
These demolished neighbourhoods used to shelter many climate immigrants.
According to UN-Habitat, a significant portion of Abuja’s population lives in informal settlements. They are not criminals or squatters, but part of the shadow workforce that keeps the city running. They dig its foundations, ferry its passengers, and haul its waste.
Idris Sale rests under a shade after installing a wooden door frame. Photo Credit: Al’amin Umar/HumAngle
What policies ignore
Aminu has lived through the shifting seasons. He has felt the searing heat, watched the rains falter, and struggled through the floods. But he cannot explain them.
“Maybe it is the cultivation that drives the rain,” he said. “Before you plant, there will be rain. But after you plant, it will seize.”
Abdulhamid, too, notices the changes. The dry spells have become harsher. But when asked what causes them, he admits, “I have no idea.”
His family, like others in his community, now relies on a hand-dug well to water crops during dry periods. “An exhausting process with limited results,” he said.
Neither has access to irrigation tools or drought-resistant seeds. Climate change may not be in their vocabulary, but erratic rainfall, failed harvests, livelihood losses, and migration define their lives.
While Aminu and Abdulhamid have quietly adapted by digging wells or leaving home, Nigeria’s climate strategies have not. The country’s policy documents, from the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the National Adaptation Plan, emphasise mitigation: solar energy, reforestation, and emission cuts. But they say little about rural youths like Aminu and Abdulhamid, those forced to migrate not by armed conflict, but by empty fields and dead crops.
The National Adaptation Plan warns of climate risks to agriculture. But it says little about the migration of young people, or the pressure that climate displacement places on informal urban economies.
Meanwhile, data paints a clearer picture. Climate-related displacements across Africa have surged sixfold since 2009, reaching 6.3 million people in 2023. While floods remain the main driver, drought-related migration is accelerating. Nigeria alone recorded over 6 million people displaced by climate events between 2008 and 2021. Yet adaptation funds rarely follow them to the cities where they resettle.
In Abuja, planning documents acknowledge flood threats, but not the steady influx of rural migrants building lives on the fringes. There is no policy for them. No targeted relief. No plan to absorb or empower.
“We are mostly farmers in Chidari,” Aminu said. “And it is rainfed farming. We cannot afford to dig boreholes in our farms, and our politicians did not construct any for us.”
He is not bitter, just resigned. “During the dry season, we are jobless. Some youths join politics as thugs. Others, like me, leave for the city.”
Aminu chats with fellow riders by the roadside. Photo Credit: Al’amin Umar/HumAngle
Aminu says he would return to farming in Chidari if he had access to irrigation tools, fertilisers, and pesticides. Otherwise, he sees himself remaining in Abuja’s informal economy or joining the military. “I have applied several times,” he said, “but ha’ve never been selected.”
Abdulhamid, too, says he would stay in his village if empowered with climate-smart farming tools.
“I love my village,” he said. “But the hardship and responsibilities were what made me leave.”
He wishes those in government would come and see what their policies overlook.
“If I could talk to them, I would ask them to visit the villages during the rainy season. Let them see what we go through,” he said.
A ‘scenic’ village just 10 minutes away from the popular city of Durham is the perfect getaway place for those looking to get a break from the hustle and bustle of the crowded streets
Hett is only a few miles from the city of Durham [pictured](Image: Getty Images)
One of the things that’s brilliant about Britain – despite the weather – is the many unique villages that are well-known for their picturesque scenery and rural charm. A small but gorgeous village called Hetton-Le-Hole, also known as Hett, is described as ‘scenic’, and is just five miles away from the city of Durham. Interestingly, its name comes from the Old English word haet, which means ‘hat’.
Located at the top of a small hill that resembles a hat, hence its name, is surrounded by nature – making it the perfect place for history and outdoor lovers, especially those who love hiking. Its tranquillity is also a bonus point for those who are seeking a break from the bustle and hustle of city life.
Hett is only a 10-minute car ride away from the city of Durham(Image: Getty Images)
As reported by the Northern Echo, Hett has a concentrated population, and the village’s history is tied to traditional English farming life due to its agricultural settlements. Many of its houses were initially built as farms.
Despite the village’s rural character, there’s a lot of history with medieval mining. Other reports by the same publication explained that in the 13th and 14th centuries, sea coal was mined at Hett under the jurisdiction of the Priors of Durham Cathedral. Hett is now only of the few places in County Durham with evidence about these events.
Fast forward to the present day, Hett is a beautiful place that’s worth visiting. It offers a touch of rural and peaceful village life, and despite its few amenities, it’s still a great place to spend time. It’s close to the City of Durham, which gives a completely different vibe.
Hett’s name comes from the Old English word haet, which means ‘hat’.(Image: Google Maps)
Things to see and do in Hett
Village Green (with a Duck Pond)
Just at the centre of Hett, there’s a massive open space that has a duck pond. It’s a go-to place for locals and visitors, and one of the most lively places in the village. It’s also a good area for those wishing to take a walk overlooking the traditional houses, and even to have a picnic.
Historic Church (St Michael’s)
St Michael’s was the former church, once a chapel of ease dedicated to St Michael. After many years of service, it closed in the 20th century and turned into a private residence. Nonetheless, it remains part of its history.
Hett Moor and countryside walks
One of the best things to do in Hett is to walk. There are a lot of extensive paths from the village to the countryside, offering stunning and relaxing views through fields and hills. During the spring and summer months, the local flora and fauna are in full bloom, making the area so picturesque.
Visit Croxdale and Sunderland Bridge
Despite its proximity to Durham city, the nearby villages of Croxdale and Sunderland Bridge are also worth visiting. Not only is there more history to be learnt, but some of the key features include the stone bridges crossing the River Wear.
If you’re looking for a peaceful retreat with barely tourists and without having to hop on a plane, Hett is the destination for you. The easiest, fastest and most convenient way to reach Hett is by train, with prices varying depending on the route and the time of year.
From London to Durham, visitors can take the LNER train, taking less than three hours. Alternatively, there are direct buses from London Victoria Station to Durham University, the Palatine Centre. Then, you can take the Line 65 bus to Hetton-Le-Hole, which takes 21 minutes and costs £2 for the ride, or a 10-minute taxi ride.
Bulls are yoked together by thick wooden frames in a sun-scorched field in rural Pakistan. Behind them, clutching nothing more than ropes – and his pride – stands a man perched on a plank.
Hundreds of spectators whoop and cheer as the animals thunder down a track, kicking up clouds of dust and a tangible sense of danger.
This is bull racing, Punjabi style.
The traditional sport encapsulates the raw vibrancy of village life and stands in stark contrast to the floodlit cricket and hockey stadiums of Pakistan’s cities.
In the Attock district of the eastern province of Punjab, bull racing runs deep. Here, it is more than a pastime. It forms part of the region’s living heritage.
In the village of Malal, a key hub for the sport, crowds gather annually to witness the spectacle. Jockeys crouch low behind the bulls on their wooden planks, gripping the reins and relying upon experience and instinct to claim victory.
Yet chaos is never far away. It is not uncommon for bulls to unseat the jockeys, sending them tumbling through the dust.
“This isn’t just entertainment. It’s tradition,” said Sardar Haseeb, whose family has organised races for generations. “We take pride in our animals. Farmers and landowners raise their bulls year-round just for this moment. People are willing to pay high prices for a winning bull. It becomes a symbol of pride.”
The event has a festive air with dancing and showers of banknotes tossed into the sky – a celebratory gesture more usually associated with weddings.
The aroma of freshly fried sweets wafts from sizzling pans, enticing the crowds. Stallholders serve roasted chickpeas and other delicacies. The bustling scene generates income for local vendors, who benefit from the celebration of culture.
At the most recent event put on by Haseeb, more than 100 bulls competed, and participants came from across Pakistan to take part.
Among the competitors was farmer Muhammad Ramzan.
“My bull came in fifth place, and I’m thrilled,” he said. “It left 95 others behind.”
Center Parcs has released the first glimpse of what its latest UK resort – predicted to cost at least £350 million – will look like, after submitting a formal planning application
The new site will become Center Parcs’ seventh UK location(Image: Center Parcs Scotland/ Float Digital)
Brits have been given the first-ever glimpse of what could soon become the UK’s newest Center Parcs. The holiday brand, which came to Britain back in 1987, submitted a formal planning application to open a huge resort near the tiny rural town of Hawick, Scotland.
Center Parcs has its heart set on building around 700 lodges and tourist facilities – such as its iconic Subtropical Swimming Paradise, and Aqua Sana Spa – conveniently located just off the A7. This area, which is south of Selkirk, boasts diverse wildlife including ospreys, golden eagles, red squirrels, and deer – and is near a slew of historic houses, castles, and abbeys.
The mega project, predicted to cost between £350 million and £400 million, will create around 1,200 jobs and become the seventh UK Center Parcs location. This week, the travel giant held a two-day community consultation (from May 20-21) in Hawick to discuss details with locals.
The village aims to be complete by 2029(Image: Center Parcs Scotland/ Float Digital)
According to the BBC, concern has been raised over the loss of usable farmland. Some residents are also worried tourists will visit the Center Parcs complex and then leave the area – which won’t support local businesses.
However, the company, which is accepting comments on the proposed site until Friday, June 6, says most of its guests who stay for the weekend end up ‘exploring’ the local area too. It also released a fly-through video and 3D model to show locals exactly what the holiday village would look like.
The complex will feature a huge lake, as well as other classic Center Parcs facilities (Image: Center Parcs Scotland/ Float Digital)
The computer-generated images reveal the epic site will feature the classic Center Parcs central hub which homes its Subtropical Swimming Paradise, a huge lake where guests can hire boats, as well as restaurants and a spa – all set amongst lush woodlands. “The flythrough video and 3D model really help bring the plans to life and add to the real sense of anticipation that has been evident at recent consultation events,” the company’s chief executive, Colin McKinlay, said.
The resort is expected to cost at least £350 million(Image: Center Parcs Scotland/ Float Digital)
The Center Parcs boss added that the company is working hard to ensure its proposals reflect feedback it has received from the community. “It’s one thing to describe what we’re hoping to build, but seeing it laid out visually captures the ambition of what we’re planning,” he explained.
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Center Parcs breaks during the May half-term start from £749(Image: Center Parcs Scotland/ Float Digital)
Scotland’s first-ever Center Parcs aims to open its doors by 2029. In the meantime, Brits can holiday in any of the six sites currently operating in the UK. These are Sherwood Forest, Nottinghamshire; Woburn Forest, Bedfordshire; Elveden Forest, Suffolk; Whinfell Forest, Cumbria, or Longleat Forest, Wiltshire.
Guests can choose to stay for three, four, or seven nights – with all breaks starting on either a Friday or Monday. Prices will vary depending on what type of accommodation you choose, as well as if you’re visiting during peak breaks. Half-term visits start from £749*.
*Prices based on Center Parcs’ website at the time of writing.
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