Sea

Cheshire’s mini Matterhorn

Who needs the Swiss Alps when you have Macclesfield Forest on your doorstep? Walking from Trentabank car park, the 506-metre peak of Shutlingsloe is the gift that keeps on giving. The panoramic views from its summit, dubbed Cheshire’s mini Matterhorn, are breathtaking at any time of year. But it’s on the crispest of winter days you get the best views: the Staffordshire Roaches, Manchester’s skyline, the Cheshire Plain, the wonder that is Jodrell Bank, and even as far as the Great Orme in Llandudno. Head back to Trentabank where there is a food truck selling local specialities, including Staffordshire oatcakes.
Jeremy Barnett

Trip the light fantastic on Norfolk’s coast

No matter how many people you see on arrival at Holkham nature reserve, the vast beach, marshes and miles of pinewoods disperse them. Southerly winds here can bring balmy winter days but winds off the North Sea are quite brutal. The light is fantastic and the variety of walking routes huge, with a boardwalk and visitor centre enriching the experience. This north-facing coastline is a magnet for exhausted migrant birds making landfall, and the pinewoods offer welcome shelter in bitter conditions. Bird hides along the woods’ southern edge look over marshland – fantastic for winter wildfowl spectacles and birds of prey.
Jo Sinclair

Blow away the cobwebs on a Derry cliff walk

It’s officially called the Portstewart Cliff Walk but people call it the Nuns’ Walk because it snakes around the perimeter of the Dominican college. The walk starts overlooking Portstewart Strand and finishes in the town centre. It’s exposed to the Atlantic, so it’s always gusty and perfect for clearing the head after working too hard or overindulging. The sunsets here are to be savoured, so try to time it for dusk, and a post-walk pint by the fire in the Anchor Bar feels heavenly.
Ciaran

A perfect hike for a frosty day in the Chilterns

If it’s frosty, this is a cracker. From the Chilterns village of Ewelme (the famous watercress beds can wait) head east uphill through fields and beech woodland to Ewelme park, turn left and skirt Swyncombe House, which has excellent views of the Vale of Oxford, keeping north and right of the church as you go up. Cross the only main road, down and up into more classic Chilterns woodland complete with deer, pheasant and dappled sunlight before descending gently through ancient earthworks back to Ewelme as the sun sets. It’s 5 miles, 2.5 hours, and there’s no pub – but you won’t care because the countryside is perfect.
Rik Hallewell

A North Yorkshire amble for a foggy morning

Skipton Moor is wonderfully quiet despite having spectacular views, perhaps because it’s just outside the Yorkshire Dales national park. Only a mile up the hill from the edge of town, its high points offers panoramic views of Airedale and Pendle, and it is home to hares and curlew. Sparkling frost outlines all the spider webs in the gorse bushes. Go on a cold, foggy morning after a clear, calm night and you may well find yourself emerging from the misty woods above a sea of clouds.
Hannah Price

Follow the Skyline loop around Bath

Just outside Bath is the Skyline walk, a continuous 6-mile loop of the rolling hills surrounding the city. Mists rising over sandstone rooftops is a spectacular sight on a frosty morning. En route are panoramic views, ancient woodland, a sham castle, a cemetery clinging to the hills and the National Trust’s Prior Park, a magical 18th-century landscape garden designed for Ralph Allen, a key moderniser of the nationwide postal service. At the end, descend the footpath into Bath where you can cosy up by a pub fire – I recommend the Pig and Fiddle or The Crystal Palace.
Susanna

A short Lake District hike

Sale Fell near Cockermouth is my favourite short winter walk. Its grassy hillside feels safe to walk even when frosty. Climbed easily from St Margaret’s church, it offers amazing views over Bassenthwaite Lake towards Skiddaw. I love the descent via the quiet path through the woods towards the Wythop valley, passing the ruins of an old church where deer can be spotted. Finish the walk with a pint in the lovely Pheasant Inn or coffee and cake in the award-winning Bassenthwaite Lake Station cafe, both at the bottom of the fell.
Arthur

Black Mountains beauty

My favourite winter walk is in the Black Mountains of south-east Wales, in the Bannau Brycheiniog (formerly Brecon Beacons) national park. Park at Capel y ffin and follow the path along the valley of the Nant Bwch, with its waterfalls and steep-sided valley. Up to Rhiw y fan for spectacular views into Wales, returning along the Rhos Dirion ridge above the beautiful Vale of Eywas via a stone called the Blacksmith’s Anvil back to the start. Stop for an atmospheric pint in the cellar bar at Llanthony Priory.
Martin

Beaches, castles and pubs in Northumberland

A coastal stroll with a cosy pub that brews its own beer … Is there anything better? Starting at Embleton, head down the hill to the beach. Turn north, away from the cracking view of Dunstanburgh castle, and walk along the beach for about an hour to Low Newton, a National Trust-preserved square of fisher’s cottages and the Ship Inn, a dog-friendly, cosy pub with a strong food offering. Return either via the beach or head to the dunes and the coastal path. Recover from the walk up the hill into Embleton with a pint at the Greys Inn, a proper pub with decent real ale. Bliss.
Hannah

Winning tip: a Cut above west of Glasgow

Greenock Cut is near Glasgow yet transports you far away. It starts in mundane fashion, a walk through the edge of a town. But within a few minutes it opens out into majestic views across the River Clyde to the hills in Argyll and continues to wow for miles. The Cut’s visitor centre and cafe offer a warming break and good-quality paths keep it passable even on wet or icy days. Walkers can continue onwards along the hill to return via the spectacular Wemyss Bay railway station (11 miles), or loop back on a shorter route passing the calm Loch Thom (8 miles). Both are stunning. Nic

The U.S. Navy has recovered an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter and an F/A-18F Super Hornet from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz that crashed within half an hour of each other in the South China Sea on Oct. 26. They were located and retrieved at a depth of about 400 feet on Dec. 5. You can read about the effort to find the jet and helicopter in our initial story here.

“Both aircraft were recovered intact,” a Navy official told TWZ on Tuesday morning.

“All recovered aircraft components are being transported to a designated U.S. military installation in the Indo-Pacific region for detailed analysis,” the Navy’s 7th Fleet also said in a press release. Officials have not released details about exactly where in the South China Sea the aircraft went down and were subsequently retrieved.

The retrieval effort was conducted by Commander, Task Force 73 (CTF 73); Task Force 75; the Naval Sea Systems Command’s Supervisor of Salvage and Diving (SUPSALV); and CTG 73.6’s Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit, according to the Navy’s release. Task Force 73 is responsible for logistics activities within the 7th Fleet’s area of responsibility, while Task Force 75 oversees diving and salvage units and other expeditionary capabilities.

In addition, the Navy says it employed a “contracted Vessel of Opportunity, equipped with a government-owned, contractor-operated unmanned system, to lift and recover the aircraft.” The 7th Fleet release did not name that ship, and we have reached out for additional details. Contracted vessels have assisted in the recovery of U.S. military aircraft in the past, including in the South China Sea.

On Nov. 20, the Navy had told TWZ that the USNS Salvor (T-ARS 52), a Safeguard class salvage ship operated by Military Sealift Command, was “on-scene conducting operations in support of the recovery efforts.” It is unclear at the moment what role that ship might ultimately have played in retrieving the lost aircraft. It was seen docked in Singapore on Dec. 7, according to the MarineTraffic ship tracking website.

“This recovery was a true Navy team effort across CTF 73, SUPSALV, Task Force 75, HSM 73 [Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73], VFA 22 [Strike Fighter Squadron 22], and our Mobile Diving and Salvage Unit,” Navy Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Andersen, the CTF 73 officer who led the salvage mission, said in a statement. “Everyone involved brought critical expertise ensuring we could safely and successfully bring these aircraft back under U.S. custody. This operation highlights the importance of naval integration, readiness, and the unmatched capability of our salvage and diving teams.”

As we have previously noted, the tense and contested nature of the South China Sea and its proximity to China would have put additional emphasis on ensuring the aircraft, or components from them, were not recovered by the Chinese. Like the United States, China has foreign materiel exploitation, or FME, programs aimed at recovering weaponry for intelligence analysis and developmental purposes. Both crashed Navy aircraft have a number of sensitive components that would be of particular interest to a major global competitor like China. You can read more about that here.

The aircraft from Nimitz that went down in the South China Sea were recovered a day after the Navy released results of investigations into the separate losses of three F/A-18s from the aircraft carrier USS Truman. Those incidents included one in which a Super Hornet was shot down by the Ticonderoga class guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg. Unlike the case of the Nimitz aircraft, those jets were never recovered, a Navy official previously confirmed to us.

The cause of the crashes of the Nimitz aircraft in October remains unknown. President Donald Trump previously suggested that the mishaps could have been caused by “bad fuel,” and you can read more about potential fuel issues in our initial coverage here. Navy officials have also previously confirmed to us that they believe there are no “nefarious” circumstances behind the crashes.

With the F/A-18F and MH-60R now recovered, the investigations into their crashes are continuing, the Navy said on Tuesday.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com

The Philippines has accused Chinese coastguard ships of firing water cannon at Filipino fishermen near a disputed South China Sea shoal, injuring three people and causing “significant damage” to two fishing vessels.

On Saturday, the Philippine coastguard (PCG) said that nearly two dozen Filipino fishing boats were attacked a day earlier, near an atoll called the Sabina Shoal that falls within the country’s 200km (124-mile) Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

The fishermen faced high-pressure spray from Chinese water cannon, and Chinese vessels attempted aggressive blocking manoeuvres, according to Manila.

It was the latest in a series of confrontations between Chinese and Philippine ships in the contested waters of the South China Sea, which Beijing claims nearly in its entirety despite an international ruling against the claim.

Friday’s incident took place in a fish-rich area about 150km (93 miles) from the Philippine island of Palawan.

“As a result of these aggressive actions, three Filipino fishermen sustained physical injuries, including bruises and open wounds,” Commodore Jay Tarriela, a spokesman for the Philippine coastguard, said in a statement posted on Facebook.

“Two [Filipino fishing boats] also suffered significant damage from high-pressure water cannon blasts.”

During the incident, a Chinese boat also cut the anchor lines of several Filipino vessels, endangering their crews, according to the Philippine coastguard.

“The PCG calls on the Chinese coastguard to adhere to internationally recognised standards of conduct, prioritising the preservation of life at sea over pretensions of law enforcement that jeopardise the lives of innocent fishermen,” it said in a separate statement.

PCG Successfully Renders Assistance to Harassed Filipino Fishermen at Escoda Shoal Amid Aggressive Actions by Chinese Vessels

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) today announced the successful deployment of its multi-role response vessels, MRRV-4403 and MRRV-4411, to the vicinity… https://t.co/DW4eXgtjG3 pic.twitter.com/P2QOwRDjbB

— Jay Tarriela (@jaytaryela) December 13, 2025

China, however, defended its actions on Friday as necessary to maintain its “territorial sovereignty” over the Sabina Shoal, which it referred to by the Chinese name Xianbin Jiao.

In a statement, Chinese coastguard spokesperson Liu Dejun said the military’s vessels had taken “necessary control measures, including issuing verbal warnings and expelling by external means, in accordance with laws and regulations”.

Dejun accused the Philippine vessels of having “deliberately intruded” on the shoal “under the pretext of fishing”.

Tarriela told the Reuters news agency that the Chinese coastguard’s statement amounted to an admission of wrongdoing.

In Saturday’s statement, the Philippine coastguard added that the vessels it deployed to aid the injured fishermen were repeatedly blocked from reaching the Sabina Shoal.

“Despite these unprofessional and unlawful interferences, the PCG successfully reached the fishermen this morning and provided immediate medical attention to the injured, along with essential supplies,” the statement said.

There has been a history of clashes between Chinese and Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, as each side seeks to assert its territorial claims.

A separate incident on Friday took place at the Beijing-controlled Scarborough Shoal, known in China as Huangyan Dao.

There, the Chinese military said that it had also “warned and expelled” several small aircraft from the Philippines that flew through what it considers its airspace.

In October, the Philippines also accused a Chinese ship of deliberately ramming one of its government vessels in the Spratly Islands, where Beijing has sought to assert its sovereignty claims for years. Beijing blamed Manila for the incident.

A month earlier, one person was injured when a water cannon from a Chinese coastguard vessel shattered a window on the bridge of a fisheries bureau vessel near the Scarborough Shoal.

China claims an area in the South China Sea that cuts into the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, which all have competing claims.

In 2016, an international tribunal sided with the Philippines, finding that China’s claims exceeded lawful limits under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

But China denounced the ruling and has refused to abide by it.