sense

I found the UK’s best autumn staycation spot used for new Sense & Sensibility film with award-winning pubs & £40pp hotel

JANE Austen knew what she was doing when she wrote her books in atmospheric locations.

And with a new movie based on her novel Sense & Sensibility coming out this weekend, the locations in the film are the perfect destination for a staycation.

The new Sense & Sensibility film used Dartmoor for several scenes – and having been hundreds of times I know the National Park very well Credit: Cyann Fielding
The new film featuring Daisy Edgar-Jones is believed to have filmed in Princetown and Tavistock Credit: YouTube
They even shot a scene at Ditsworthy Warren House – which was also used in War Horse Credit: YouTube
The National Park is around nine times the size of the City of Paris Credit: YouTube

I have visited Dartmoor National Park more times than I can count, including the spots used in the film – and I stand by that it is the best staycation spot in England.

The National Park spans 368 square miles and to put that into perspective, its around nine times the size of the City of Paris.

In fact, Dartmoor is so huge you could spend a whole week exploring it and you could still come back again and see new things.

But you won’t see skyscrapers and massive roads here – instead, rolling hills meet meandering rivers with winding country roads running alongside them.

Read more on travel inspo

CHEAP BREAKS

UK’s best 100 cheap stays – our pick of the top hotels, holiday parks and pubs


SO FLY

Our fave beach hols under 5 hours from UK with Caribbean dupes & £2 bottles of wine

The new Sense & Sensibility film starring Daisy Edgar-Jones as Elinor Dashwood and Esmé Creed-Miles as Marianne Dashwood, used the rugged and windswept landscapes of Dartmoor extensively to film scenes of the movie.

One location used was Gutter Tor – a large granite rock pile that makes for the ideal walk.

There is a small car park not too far away and after exploring the tor, head to Ditsworthy Warren House, just south of the tor, which was also used in film and it already featured in Steven Spielberg‘s film War Horse.

As a child and still now as an adult, I love searching for letterboxes on Dartmoor – a traditional hobby box with a rubber stamp inside and a visitor book.

Across the moors there are loads of places to explore, including Dartmeet where you can waddle through the river Credit: Alamy

Obviously some are harder to find than others and while I haven’t found one at Gutter Tor, there are three officials ones in the area.

It is a great activity for kids, like the ultimate hide and seek.

You will usually find them in the crevices of the granite rocks, or even under some that are light enough to move.

Another spot the new blockbuster used as a filming spot was Princetown, which is one of the National Park’s villages.

The small village is home to the famous Dartmoor Prison, made entirely out of granite.

Many myths and folklore about Dartmoor originate at this prison and are usually about escaped prisoners.

I’d really recommend heading to the Dartmoor Prison Museum to learn more about the 200-year-old building.

And if you want to hear more about the folklore, book onto a Heart of Dartmoor Guided Walk, based in Princetown.

Gutter Tor is another spot used for filming – if heading on a walk to the Tor, make sure to look out for a letterbox Credit: Alamy
They aren’t regular letterboxes, but instead ones with a stamp in to say you were herein the guestbook. Credit: Alamy

For half a day (£40pp) or a full-day (£70pp) visitors head off on walks across open moorland and tracks with a guide who will share local folklore, history and hidden features.

Pop into Dartmoor Brewery’s shop as well and pick up some of their famous Jail Ales which have won numerous awards over the past few years.

The ales all come from the brewery next door, which is England‘s highest brewery at 446.5 metres above sea level.

If you want to sit and enjoy a pint in a pub, then pop into the Plume of Feathers or the Prince of Wales.

The final Dartmoor filming spot was Tavistock – a historic market town on the edge of the National Park.

Known as the original home of the cream tea, it is well worth spending a day exploring.

The World Heritage status town is home to loads of independent shops, a famous pannier market and an award-winning farmers market.

The town has a heap of restaurants, pubs and cafes as well and if you want to extend your stay then book into the Cornish Arms for a night, costing from £124 per night.

Across the moors there are loads of award-winning pubs too Credit: Alamy
And you might see the famous Dartmoor ponies Credit: Alamy

Dartmoor has more to explore than just these filming spots though…

One of the most popular spots to visit – with good reason – is Haytor.

The towering tor at the edge of the moors provides the ideal walk for those who enjoy being outside but don’t want anything too rigorous.

By Haytor is also The Moorland Hotel, with stunning gardens and a large restaurant serving delicious comfort food.

Staying here is the perfect base to explore the National Park and what makes it even better is that it costs from just £80 per night – so £40 per person per night, with breakfast included.

And across the moors you will find more than 70 pubs in total, many of which have won awards for either their drinks or food.

For example, head to The Chagford Inn, which is recognised as a leading West Country gastropub and focuses on farm-to-table menus.

Tavistock was also used for filming Credit: Alamy
The bustling town has lots of coffee shops as well as top restaurants Credit: Alamy

Also in Chagford, drop into the Three Crowns which is the Gold Winner for Pub of the Year at the Visit Devon Tourism Awards and a Devon Life Food and Drink Awards finalist.

Another fun family spot – that is free to visit – is Dartmeet.

Here you can go for a dip in the river, head over a traditional clapper bridge and venture across giant stepping stones that span the river.

If all of this wasn’t enough, Dartmoor is actually the only place in England you can wild camp for free.

So, get your tent out and you’ll have free accommodation too.



Source link

Daisy Edgar-Jones stuns in plunging silk gown with thigh-high split for star-studded Sense and Sensibility premiere

DAISY Edgar-Jones has stunned in a plunging silk gown with a thigh-high split at premiere for Sense and Sensibility.

Daisy is set to lead the remake of Kate Winslet‘s 31-year-old classic Sense & Sensibility, and before wowing fans on the big screen, she’s wowed them on the red carpet.

Daisy Edgar-Jones posed as she arrived for the premiere of Sense and Sensibility Credit: AP
She looked fresh-faced as she posed on the red carpet, which was in fact green Credit: AP

Leading the glamour at the glitzy event, Daisy wore a silky cream gown which had a plunging neckline and thigh-high split.

Wearing her brunette locks in a tousled style, Daisy kept her makeup minimal and inkeeping with the era of the film.

Daisy takes on the role of Kate Winslet’s Elinor Dashwood in the new Austen adaptation.

As well as Daisy, there were a whole host of other famous faces at the star-studded premiere.

GOOD EVENING, ANGELS

Charlie’s Angels stars look ageless at Emmys 50 years after show


LEGEND GONE

Oscar-winning producer of The Last Emperor dies aged 77 – days before premiere

Made in Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh attended the premiere Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
She looked stunning in the strapless number Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
Chloe Pirrie wore a frock with a see-through skirt Credit: Getty
Esme Creed-Miles looked beautiful in the voluminous gown Credit: Shutterstock Editorial

Made In Chelsea’s Millie Mackintosh attended in a slinky floor-length gown, which had a strapless bodice.

Scottish actress Chloe Pirrie looked sensational in a corset-style dress with a completely see-through chiffon skirt.

Esme Creed-Miles, who acts opposite Daisy in Sense and Sensibility, looked beautiful in a cropped black jacket-style top with a huge voluminous white skirt.

Esme plays the role of Marianne Dashwood in the coming of age flick.

The classic by Jane Austen is about two sisters, Elinor played by Daisy and Marianne played by Esme, who navigate love, heartbreak, and financial ruin in 19th-century England.

Austen’s 1811 novel has been adapted for the screen multiple times over the years.

The most notable adaptation was the 1995 film with Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant, Kate Winslet, and Alan Rickman.

Source link

Dodgers match Braves’ record for consecutive MLB playoff berths

The Dodgers celebrated clinching a postseason berth with a champagne toast. Simple. Restrained. Leaving room for larger celebrations to come.

“The message was, ‘We haven’t come close to playing our best baseball yet,’” manager Dave Roberts said after the Dodgers’ 4-1 win over the Reds on Monday. “And here we are with 12 games left, getting a ticket to the postseason. And that says a lot about this entire organization. And just to finish strong.”

It marked the Dodgers’ 14th straight playoff berth, tying a record set by the Atlanta Braves from 1991 to 2005.

“It’s different than anything I’ve experienced, for sure,” Tarik Skubal said of the understated celebration. “But I think it just speaks to the people in this room and what they expect out of this team. That was cool. A little toast and move on. Forget it happened. We’ve got more to accomplish.”

Most teams don ski goggles to celebrate with champagne and beer showers. The Dodgers will save the messier celebration for clinching the division. Their win over the Reds (70-80) trimmed that magic number to three.

It was fitting that Skubal, the Dodgers’ big trade-deadline acquisition, was on the mound for the clincher. He’s progressively improved in his eight starts with the Dodgers. And on Monday, he breezed through seven shutout innings, allowing just four baserunners (three singles and a walk).

“I think a lot of the struggles have been me versus me,” Skubal said. “Thinking too much out there, not competing the way I know how to compete. Just thinking too much about pitch selection at times and trying to be too fine and not challenging guys.”

He has grown more comfortable with the pitching coaches and his catchers, and it has brought out a better version of him. Skubal seems to be peaking at the right time — just as Roberts hoped for the team as a whole.

Even after clinching the division likely this week, the Dodgers (91-59) will be playing for seeding, aiming for at least a first-round bye.

“It’s always helpful in the sense of giving your guys a break to reset,” Roberts said. “But given all the tax and where our guys are health-wise, to get that week would be huge. So we’ve still got to play well to finish out the season to get to that point.”

The position-player group has been hit the hardest down the stretch.

Designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (right biceps and left knee), center fielder Andy Pages (left hand fracture) and backup catcher Dalton Rushing (sprained right elbow) are on the IL. First baseman Freddie Freeman was out of the lineup Monday managing right knee soreness, and second baseman Miguel Rojas was playing through shoulder soreness after aggravating a longstanding partial tear in a labrum.

“You’ve got to give credit to the front office,” said Teoscar Hernández, who hit a two-run homer Monday. “They put together a really good team, [a] deep team that has a little bit of too much of everything. A lot of pitchers, a lot of position players here, players that can play all over the field. We’re one of the oldest teams. We know [injuries] are going to happen throughout the season. So, we’ve just gotta be ready, and the team has to be ready, and everybody else.”

Here are more specific injury updates provided by Roberts:

— Ohtani is set to hit off a tee Tuesday. Up until this point, he’s been working out, lifting and undergoing treatment.

— Pages hit softer balls Monday and will advance to hitting baseballs in the cage Tuesday. “He’s trending really well,” Roberts said.

— Freeman is expected to return to the lineup Tuesday, but Roberts will continue to keep a close eye on him. “Where we’re at in the season, an IL is not an option in the sense of — I personally don’t think we have a better option,” Roberts said. “So I don’t think it needs to be 10 days. But could it be more than one? That’s a fair question. And I’ve got to talk to the training staff, Freddie, and ultimately make that decision. But I don’t think IL would make sense at all.”

— Rojas did not receive a cortisone injection as he had initially predicted when he hurt his shoulder Sunday. But he said it’s still a possibility as he manages pain in his shoulder. The Reds have left-handed starters scheduled for two of the four games, making Rojas’ right-handed bat valuable.

“Right now it’s front of mind, it’s not great,” Roberts said of the Dodgers’ injury situation. “But I will say this: Once you get to October, athletes have a magical way of feeling better. It happens every single year, where there’s that extra adrenaline that athletes get when you get to the postseason.”

Source link