thriving

The town offers a rich history, seaside attractions and world-famous treats – and even if it’s raining, it’s still pretty amazing.

Spring has sprung here in the UK, and we’ve been treated to some excellent weather in the past couple of weeks. With more of the same hopefully on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to start planning a beach trip or two.

Britain is home to so many amazing spots, and you don’t even need to let the unpredictable weather put you off. There’s one I have been visiting since childhood that’s bustling in summer without being too crowded, but even if it’s raining, it’s still pretty special.

Largs, a charming coastal town on Scotland’s west coast, is roughly an hour’s drive from Glasgow. Renowned for its Viking museum, classic amusement arcades, and ferry crossings to the Isle of Cumbrae, it’s a destination many Scots will have probably visited during warm summer spells.

But even when the heavens open, there’s still plenty to enjoy. During a family getaway, we loved our rainy seaside strolls, ate some superb food, and even saw a few Vikings – all without a hint of sunshine.

This lovely town located on the Firth of Clyde boasts everything you’d want from a coastal retreat, with a wide selection of hotels and accommodation options.

We stayed at the Old Rectory, a stunning holiday property accommodating up to 14 guests, complete with a hot tub and plenty of space for relaxing. One of Largs’ best aspects is how close you are to the waterfront wherever you happen to be.

The Victorian seafront is brimming with attractions, boasting an impressive array of restaurants serving everything from traditional fish suppers to mouth-watering Thai food.

Largs holds enormous historical significance as the site of a pivotal battle in 1263, which marked the end of Viking influence in Scotland.

The Vikingar museum gives a captivating window into this history, though for a more immersive experience, the annual Largs Viking Festival is highly recommended. As luck would have it, the festival was taking place during our August visit, featuring battle re-enactments, live entertainment, and some striking costumes.

Beyond its Norse heritage, Largs is just as famous for its art deco ice cream parlour, which has been drawing crowds for generations.

Nardini’s, affectionately known as Scotland’s most famous cafe, has earned its reputation thanks to its wonderfully inviting atmosphere, alongside its outstanding ice cream. Like Vikingar, it boasts a superb waterfront location, making it an ideal spot to enjoy a scoop or two of your preferred flavour.

In addition to their wide selection of cakes and light snacks, it’s a brilliant option for lunch or a quick bite while wandering along the seafront.

Walk into the town centre and you’ll discover delightful narrow streets packed with independent gift shops, eateries and even more ice cream parlours.

On one particular morning, we opted for brunch at Perk — a vibrant café full of plants and books, boasting an impressive menu to match. The vanilla matcha was a delight, and the feta and avocado waffles were simply too tempting to resist.

Still hungry after your meal? There’s a tempting cake display brimming with pastries and other sweet treats available to take away.

While Largs may not have the familiar high street names, it more than makes up for it with a fantastic range of independent traders stocking one-of-a-kind items.

A large market marquee is home to sellers offering everything from organic dog food to wooden lamps, jewellery, soaps and even tarot readings — you could quite easily spend hours wandering.

If you want to head further afield, jump aboard a short ferry crossing from the harbour to the Isle of Cumbrae, home to the charming town of Millport.

The island is small enough to cycle around in just a couple of hours, with a well-deserved pint awaiting you at the end before a swift 10-minute sail back to the mainland. Nearby, the magnificent Kelburn Castle stands proud — a stunning park and estate that hosts its very own summer music festival.

It’s brilliantly suited to families too, boasting several playgrounds, cascading waterfalls and plenty more to discover, all within a 10-minute drive from Largs. However, truthfully speaking, Largs alone offers more than enough attractions to keep you busy for a day trip or a full weekend getaway.

If you happen to visit on a sunny day, it’s just perfect. But even if it’s raining, don’t worry – it only makes those coastal strolls all the more invigorating and the cosy ice-cream parlours even harder to resist.

It’s 7:50 p.m. on a Tuesday as I enter the dimly lighted metaphysical supply store the Crooked Path. Even inside, it almost looks closed; I barely see the crystal-necklace-studded walls, the bowls of runes and bins of long, black candles around me. Half-filled glass jars (perhaps potions?) sit beyond the store’s elongated bar — the apothecary — where a silent man in black points me past Egyptian deity figurines and a large python named Drakina to … my yoga class.

The backroom that Goth Yoga LA calls home is all black paint, purple lights and sage-y smells; music growls ominously from the speaker system above. Devotees gather for the intimate, pay-what-you-can classes, held at 6:30 and 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday nights. It feels like an open mic night in the Upside Down — and yes, everyone is wearing all black. Everyone but Goth Yoga LA’s leader, Brynna Beatnix. Tonight, Beatnix is giving more Y2K occult-glam. She chats with one heavily-tattooed man stretching in the corner, and welcomes in an older woman in heavy eyeliner who tentatively peeks inside. Is she in the right place? Of course she is.

Students take part in a Goth Yoga LA class, complete with burning incense.

Goth Yoga LA’s masterminds are Beatnix and her partner, James David (who DJs each class). The couple has been active in L.A.’s goth/alternative music and event scene for years, co-creating the popular outdoor roller disco event Skate Oddity during the pandemic. This “goth club on wheels,” brought an inspiring blend of physicality, niche goth music and connection to alt-Angelenos at their most isolated.

As Skate Oddity (and athletically-forward goth events like it) became more popular, so did some pretty gnarly injuries. As a response, Beatnix began hosting communal stretching sessions before the event, complete with vibey dark ‘80s, goth and post-punk soundtrack. “It started as a gathering,” Beatnix said. “And with James and my background in nightlife and music, it gained momentum and grew.”

Soon, Beatnix got her yoga certification and a couple of her goth friends, Sal Santoro and Popi Mavros, offered the backroom of their Burbank-based occult store, the Crooked Path. And from the shadowy, crystal-studded darkness Goth Yoga LA was born.

Brynna Beatnix’s classes are defined by deep stretches and dark sounds.

DJ James David provides the music for Goth Yoga LA classes.

Beatnix and David created and practice Goth Yoga LA much like yoga itself — slowly, with intentionality. It took them years to fuse music and movement to “get the space right,” and they hope that the result helps participants’ mental health. “The music and the alternative world can already be a coping mechanism. Well, yoga is also a great coping mechanism. So let’s combine the two.”

What resulted is an intimate, therapeutic yoga class shrouded in darkness (literally), where goths, alts, punks — anyone feeling outside of the norm — can work through “heavy feelings” via moody vinyasas. “It just feels really nice to be in a room of people who are kinda literally leaning into the discomfort of being in the chaos of the world right now,” says Heather Hanford, a regular at Goth Yoga LA.

For many, it’s not just about mental health but simply a more welcoming alternative to the Lululemon-coded homogeny of L.A.’s wellness culture. “Some people feel scared of going to traditional yoga studios. One, the prices are really high. Or they don’t really feel accepted there,” Beatnix says. “I’ve even had guys be like, I’m scared to go, because people are going to look at my tattoos and think that I’m a satanist and stare at me.”

The intimate Goth Yoga LA classes are distinctive because they are mostly shrouded in darkness.

And, of course, it’s not just for goths. Class participant Hanford, who identifies as a neurodivergent non-goth, experiences Goth Yoga LA as much more regulating than a mainstream yoga class. “The lighting and mood music makes it easier to focus on the internal experience than other classes I’ve taken,” she said. “Either intentionally or not, really helps minimize sensory overload.”

As we cat-cow to the Cure, the irony that goth yoga is more approachable, more calming and far less expensive than most traditional classes isn’t lost on me. With its donation-based entry, alternative clientele and bespoke DJ experience, Goth Yoga LA is like the anti-yoga of L.A’.s yoga scene. “I didn’t particularly want to rebel against the yoga studios, I just … am,” Beatnix tells me later. “We just saw something that didn’t exist, and wanted to create it.”

I know the class is coming to an end as ambient noiserock leads us into corpse pose. I inhale, letting new smells — something minty and palo santo-y, maybe? — waft over me. Now back into our original sitting positions, I’m not expecting a namaste. No, I have been warned this class concludes … differently than most.

Class participants Ellie Albertson and Jenn Rivera recline in corpse pose.

In Sanskrit, namaste translates to mean “I bow to you,” or, ”the light in me honors the light in you.” It is meant to be an invitation: a means of being deeply and profoundly seen.

“But that’s just ignoring the dark,” Beatnix says. In her opinion, to truly be seen we must acknowledge our alternative natures, our shadow sides, the otherness of our beings. “My ending is — and it ranges class to class — but generally I say, ‘the darkness in me honors and acknowledges the darkness in each and every one of you.’ We have both light and dark. We are both.”