town

ISLAND destinations are often whimsical, but one spot in particular is a crowd-free gem.

Vis Island in Croatia is just over an hour on the ferry from Split.

And it was recently named among Intrepid’s annual ‘Not Hot’ list for 10 overlooked destinations you should visit this year.

Though if you want to head to a seaside town without the crowds, the Croatian Tourism Board recommends visiting Komiza on the island, which according to the board is where fishing on the eastern coast of the Adriatic was born.

The town dates back to the 12th century and is surrounded by pretty villages to discover as well.

Stiniva Beach is just an 18 minute drive from the town and is the number one thing to do on the island of Vis, according to TripAdvisor.

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The cove has crystal clear waters and pebbles, like many other beaches across the island.

From the road, it is about a 20 minute hike down to the beach, though many visitors note it isn’t easy, so sturdy shoes are recommended.

Boat tours go to the beach too, though, which is probably a better option for the more elderly.

One recent visitor said: “Stiniva Beach is hands down the most beautiful beach I’ve ever seen in my life.

“Tucked away in a secluded cove with crystal-clear water and beautiful high cliffs surrounding you, it feels like stepping into a hidden paradise.

“The atmosphere is peaceful and almost surreal, especially in the early morning when the light is soft and the crowds haven’t arrived yet.”

If you want to head to a more accessible beach, opt for Gusarica Beach which is right by the town centre.

The beach features small pebbles and it is a great spot to go paddleboarding.

The island and Komiža more specifically, was also used as a filming destination for Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

In the second film, Harry and Bill have dinner in a Greek tavern.

In reality, the tavern is a restaurant called Jastožera and does have the amazing view that you see in the film.

The restaurant is located by a 15th century fortress that connects two cliffs and created an open air sea pool used for lobster breeding.

Since 1883, the restaurant has been owned by the Komizan family Marinkovic-Mestrezane and today you can visit to try fresh lobster dishes.

Komiža is a great base for visiting the Blue Cave on Bisevo island as well, which is an even smaller island.

The “island of peace and purity”, according to BlueCave-Bisevo.com, is known for its Blue Cave, which was revealed by Viennese painter Eugen Baron Ransonnet in 1884.

Since, tourists flock to the cave which has since become protected as a geomorphological natural monument.

What makes the cave so special is that it captures an unusual light phenomenon which gives everything in the cave a blue glow.

In 2019, research revealed that the blue glow is created by morning light hitting the yellow sandy bottom and illuminating the interior of the cave.

Visitors can only head to the cave on an organised trip, which are available between April 1 and November 1.

Tickets to the cove can be purchased in the gift shop in Mezuporat Cove, near the cave entrance.

They cost 75 Croatian kuna (£8.67) per adult and 35 kuna (£4.05) for children, but in the peak season rise to 100 kuna (£11.56) per adult and 50 kuna (£5.78) per child.

If you book a Blue Cave tour from Split, your entrance will be included in your ticket.

The best way to get to Komiža is by flying to Split, with flights usually costing from £24 one-way.

Once in Split, hop on the ferry to Vis which usually costs between €6.50 (£5.66) and €26 (£22.63) per person.

For more inspiration on holidays to Croatia, there’s a tiny island which bans cars that tourists say ‘feels like being in a fairytale’.

Plus, the little-known Mediterranean hotspot Brits are moving to for super-low taxes, 97p beer and 31C summers.

In this picturesque North Yorkshire town, famed for its seafood and imposing abbey, I indulged in fish and chips, admired the views, and enjoyed a walk up a particularly famous set of steps

A seaside town with award-winning fish and chips, friendly locals, and a literary claim to fame can be summed up in one word. In an enviable assignment last weekend, I paid a visit to the picturesque North Yorkshire harbour town of Whitby, famed for its imposing Gothic abbey ruins, prominent links to Dracula and Captain Cook, and, of course, its nationally renowned fish and chips.

As I drove into town on a bright Saturday morning in March—one of the first truly sunny days of the year—I couldn’t help but notice a sign proclaiming Whitby as the “Home of Scampi” (or words to that effect), which immediately raised my expectations for the day’s task.

Whitby’s reputation for seafood is well known, with an abundance of chippies to choose from. Among them is Trenchers on New Quay Road – the proud winner of this year’s Best Restaurant at the prestigious National Fish and Chip Awards.

In what was perhaps a testament to Trenchers‘ recent culinary acclaim, I was surprised to find a long queue already forming outside the restaurant when I arrived at around 10.30am.

Accompanied by my excitable cocker spaniel, Luna, I opted for Trenchers’ takeaway next door, where I found myself in the company of just one other patron, who was quick to praise the quality of Whitby’s seafood.

Opting for cod, chips, mushy peas and a side of curry sauce for £16 in total, I sat on a bench opposite the eatery and took in the seaside scene, where market traders catered to the busy foot traffic at pop-up stalls.

Quickly polishing off my chippy lunch, a delicious serving of fish with light, crispy (albeit slightly pale) batter and golden chips, I found myself hard-pressed to find anything to criticise, mentally awarding the meal a comfortable 8.5 out of 10.

Having disposed of the rubbish, I decided to take a stroll into the harbour area towards Whitby Swing Bridge over the River Esk, so I could access the other side of the town and the looming abbey on the hillside.

As I breathed in the sea air and admired the views across the water, my attention was drawn to an impressive ship, which I later discovered was The Whitby Endeavour restaurant.

Luna and I set off on a walk to the bridge, only to discover that it was temporarily closed. It meant that I had to walk some distance around to reach the other side, according to some friendly locals, but I was keen to walk off my meal, so we set off.

As I crossed a larger bridge, I was offered spectacular views over the entire town, the river flowing beneath me and many boats resting on the bank next to the train tracks awaiting their next outing.

I eventually worked my way around to the other side and passed the Tolkien-themed Middle Earth Tavern as I entered the narrow, shop-filled Church Street. There, I found myself ogling the many books, trinkets and baked goods on display.

Next, I made my way to the famous 199 Steps on Whitby’s East Cliff, which lead up to St Mary’s Church and the breathtaking 7th-century Whitby Abbey beyond.

In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the titular vampire takes the form of a dog and bounds up the steps to the church. In similarly exuberant fashion, Luna hauled me up all 199; though, in my case, it was likely a blessing for my fitness.

Stopping for several photos along the way, I couldn’t help but be left awestruck by how beautiful Whitby is; it’s something that you really notice as you ascend the steps, each level revealing a different angle of the town.

Once you arrive at the church, its distinctive Gothic atmosphere is palpable – dozens of gravestones overlook the town below, while a sharp sea breeze envelops you as you admire the coastal vistas.

Whitby Abbey is also a sight to behold, a majestic ruin that’s sure to inflame the imagination of any visiting history buffs, and to top it all off, there was a dog-friendly café nearby.

After a quick latte and a Twix – while Luna enjoyed some water and a few meaty dog treats – we made our way back down the steps, just as the crowds began to gather in the early afternoon.

In a surprising but touching twist that may offer some insight into the beauty of the town, I even spotted a man going down on one knee and proposing to his girlfriend outside the church.

Once we were safely back in the car, I ultimately found myself wishing that I could have stayed longer. Whitby has found itself a lifelong fan, one who will most definitely be returning.

And, if I had to sum it up in one word, although this is a hard task with a place I like so much, it would probably have to be stunning.

DID YOU know that the word ‘spa’ comes from a European town by the same name that actually is responsible for wellness traditions?

Spa in Belgium is a small town sat in a valley of the Ardennes Mountains and is often known as the Pearl of the Ardennes.

It’s one of Belgium‘s most popular tourist destinations and with good reason, because the town is full of natural mineral springs.

Perhaps you also know the name of the town due to the racing Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, which hosts the annual Formula One Belgian Grand Prix.

But Spa’s spa history dates back a lot longer than the noise of a motor engine…

Way back in the 16th and 17th centuries, the town became known for its iron-rich mineral springs that people used to think could heal them of injuries and illnesses.

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The original experience in the town was ‘drinking therapy’, where people would drink a large amount of the iron-rich water, rather than bathe in it.

Then in 1717, Peter the Great of Russia visited and drank the water for a month and miraculously, was ‘cured’ of his severe health issues including liver and digestive problems.

This was the start of mass tourism heading to the town, with international visitors flocking to Spa for its healing waters.

This trend continued into the 18th century when Spa became a fashionable resort town known as the ‘Cafe of Europe’.

Many elite members of society would travel to Spa to treat health conditions but also participate a number of other activities including gambling.

Then in the 19th century, there was more of a focus on bathing as the town opened new thermal baths.

It’s because of the town’s long history and fame, that the word ‘spa’ was adopted into the English language and used widely as a term for a resort with therapeutic water.

Finally, in 2021, Spa was recognised as part of UNESCO World Heritage Site’s the Great Spa Towns of Europe.

Today, visitors can still relish in the benefits of Spa’s water.

One of the top spots for visitors today is Thermes de Spa – a resort which overlooks the town with peat baths, traditional copper baths, outdoor pools and relaxation experiences.

The spa experience includes a 70C sauna and a 40C to 45C hammam.

For those who want to embrace naturism, there is an area for this with a panoramic sauna, a hammam, a 36C hot tub, a 38C bath, a 20C cold bath and three foot baths.

There are a number of relaxation areas too including a red light therapy area and a blue light room, which if you spend 20 to 30 minutes in, it is equivalent of a day high in the mountains.

And of course, there are a number of baths as well.

The water for all of the spa comes from the Marie-Henriette Spring, which is the oldest of Spa’s waters dating back over 400 years.

If you fancy learning more about the history of the town, head to the Museum of the City of Water.

Inside, visitors can learn about four centuries of history in the town.

You can also venture into one of the first casinos in the world, which opened in 1763.

Many European royals used to visit Casino de Spa and visitors can still head there today.

For those who love being in the outdoors, there’s RAVeL trails, which are converted railway lines and a great way of seeing the Ardennes and its historic villages including Stavelot and Francorchamps.

Or if you prefer a bit of adrenaline, make sure to check out SpaForest, which is an adventure park with tree-climbing courses, ziplines and rope bridges.

When it comes to choosing somewhere to stay in the town, obviously a lot of the options include wellness facilities.

You could stay at the four-star Van der Valk Hotel Spa with direct access to Les Thermes de Spa thermal Baths.

A room costs from £80 per night.

Or you could decide to stay at the Radisson Blu Balmoral Hotel, costing from £97 per night.

It is surrounded by dense forest, features suites with separate living areas and has an indoor pool, sauna and a Turkish bath.

The easiest way to get to Spa from the UK is by flying to Brussels, which costs from £28 return.

From there, you can jump on a train which takes less than two hours to reach Spa, costing from £13.64 a-way.

Alternatively, you could get the Eurostar to Brussels and switch trains to reach Spa.

For more inspiration on destinations to explore in Europe, there’s one city with 3,000 hours of sunshine a year and it has been named the best destination to visit in 2026.

Plus, these are the 39 best European city break destinations – and the number one spot is very cheap.

You can’t help rooting for Colleen Hoover heroines, bless their bruised hearts. The bestselling novelist specializes in women who have been kicked around by life. She’s the new name brand of tragic romance, picking up where Nicholas Sparks’ terminal diseases left off.

“Reminders of Him,” directed by Vanessa Caswill, is the third film based on a Hoover book in three years and the first that the author herself has adapted alongside co-screenwriter Lauren Levine. Like the others, its lead suffers heartily before falling in love with a hunk. The previous two, “It Ends With Us” and “Regretting You,” were about, respectively, domestic abuse and adultery. “Reminders” adds more tarnish to the poor dear: She’s an ex-convict who served six years for killing her boyfriend in a DUI.

Finally freed from prison, Kenna (Maika Monroe) has returned to Laramie, Wyo., the hometown of her dead lover, Scotty (Rudy Pankow). From what we see of Scotty in flashbacks, he was a buoyant blond goofball — exactly the kind of guy that the apparently friendless and family-less Kenna would have clung to like a life preserver. But she’s not here to lay flowers at his grave. In a salty touch, the first thing Kenna does is remove his roadside cross, claiming he hated memorial shrines.

But Kenna is desperate to meet their 5-year-old daughter, Diem (Zoe Kosovic), who was born months into her incarceration. The girl’s name comes from carpe diem, as in Kenna’s vow to seize the child she never got to hold, but the script has the restraint not to make a big standing-on-a-desk speech about that. Nevertheless, the kid’s grandparents, Grace and Patrick (Lauren Graham and Bradley Whitford), who never liked Kenna to begin with, consider a restraining order in fear that Kenna might actually kidnap Diem.

The stakes are plain: Can Kenna prove herself worthy to be Diem’s mother? Her only tentative ally is Scotty’s childhood friend, Ledger (Tyriq Withers), who thinks she’s hot and intriguing until he realizes who she is. Then he wants Kenna gone too.

Caswill sets the mood with a shot of a snow-capped mountain range, fitting for a movie that proceeds at a glacial pace. (The book moves faster, with Kenna and Ledger hooking up immediately and then discovering their unfortunate connection.)

The first stretch of the movie is strong, with Kenna, who is too broke for a car or even a phone, hoofing it around town in search of any job willing to hire a broke girl with a criminal record. A grocery store manager sends her away coldly after nattering on in corporate-speak about the importance of treating people with respect — an exchange that feels so real it gives you the shivers — but his beleaguered assistant, Amy (country singer Lainey Wilson in her promising, but brief, film debut), steps in and treats Kenna like a person. “What’s your trauma?” Amy asks her and somehow Wilson delivers that line with a lilt that keeps it from sounding corny.

These female strangers share a moment of such sincere human connection that I would have happily watched a dozen more scenes of the two women leaning on each other while they endure their hard-luck lives. Alas, these nice detours don’t last long; the movie has a preordained higher parental purpose that’s bigger than anything else onscreen, from the Wyoming skies to the bond between Kenna and Ledger that’s the main reason an audience has bothered to come.

Where this is all going is as unavoidable as the fact that Scotty died on what seems to be only road in and out of town. As the title declares, there are traces of him everywhere, including Diem’s giggle.

To get anywhere with the film, you have to settle into the idea that Kenna and Ledger must slowly build trust in each other while spending most of the baggy running time talking about a little girl who is rarely around. (When Kosovic is, she’s charming.) Cinematographer Tim Ives snatches his rare opportunities to shoot the beautiful scenery, but most of the pair’s encounters take place in or near Ledger’s orange pickup truck, a totem from the book. Visually, these car chats get stagnant. At least Monroe and Withers generate decent chemistry, eyes shiny and gleaming as they try their hardest to put gas in this love story’s tank.

Ledger calls Kenna “the saddest girl in the world.” True, but the glumness of said world is central to Hoover’s zeitgeisty appeal — a point she underlines a few beats later, Kenna insisting that the radio only ever plays depressing songs. To prove her wrong, Ledger flips it on anyway and to his dismay, it plays one bummer after another, station after station, until finally, the two of them share a much-needed laugh. (Meanwhile, Tom Howe’s acoustic country score is adamantly winsome, even intercut with Coldplay covers.)

Hoover is a strong world-builder. When she writes about small towns with shuttered bookstores or dive bars with fetid pots of coffee, you feel that she truly knows these places and has made a principled choice to set her hard-earned happy endings there. Caswill gets it, keying into credible, lived-in details, like Kenna’s tiny glance at the price tag on a stuffed animal that she’s considering for Diem.

Monroe’s Kenna couldn’t be farther from the cliché romantic diva, usually a high-heeled glamazon who runs a cupcake boutique. Even her hair really does look like she fixed it in the squalid bathroom of the only apartment she can afford. The complex is called Paradise, an on-the-nose irony. The owner (Jennifer Robertson) cuts Kenna a deal if she promises to take a free kitten. (I never saw Kenna get a litter box, but the kitten’s pretty cute.)

Ledger is the fantasy: a former NFL player whose hobbies include babysitting Diem, wearing tight shirts and building himself a hilltop dream cabin that will someday belong in Architectural Digest. (He owns that dive bar but the cast stays Mormon-sober.) Withers, a former wide receiver at Florida State University, also played a football jock in the gorgeously made but narratively screwy horror film “Him,” and it’s a treat to see an actor who moves like a genuine athlete and has that “Yes, coach” politeness that comes from being humbled in a locker room. You don’t totally buy his character exists in reality, but Withers believes in it enough to get the job done.

Another Paradise tenant, Lady Diana (Monika Myers), a headstrong teenager with Down syndrome, is the closest thing the film has to comic relief. Bursting into Kenna’s quarters seemingly at will, she raids her near-empty fridge while bluntly shouldering much of the exposition. “Why are you so poor?” Lady Diana asks, following that up by wondering, “Why are you so sad?”

“Reminders of Him” could use a little more swooning, a little less of the endless middle stretch of driving and talking, interrupted by wet sprints through thunderstorms. The rain pours down so often that you can’t help but snort when the film cuts to Whitford’s granddad angrily watering his lawn.

Eventually, even the film itself seems over all of the dilly-dallying. It takes a narrative shortcut to wrap things up, leaving behind not much other than a few worthwhile scenes: Kenna and Scotty’s meet-cute at a dollar store, her and Ledger pushing through their morning-after guilt, and a powerful moment shortly after Diem’s birth when a fellow inmate gives her a friendly but stern pep talk that sums up everything this film takes nearly two hours to say.

A SEAFRONT attraction has taken a major step closer to being restored to its former glory.

The seaside town of Worthing is looking to save its lido – but it could come at a cost of £4.5million.

Worthing Lido sits right on the front of the town’s beach minutes from its popular art deco pier.

It was once a popular seawater swimming pool between 1957 and 1988.

And it might be making a comeback as the local council has said it will commit £1.29million towards the first step of its redevelopment.

Councillor Sophie Cox, leader of the council, said: “The community has made it clear how much the lido means to them and that they want us to invest in it for the decades to come.

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“We’re determined to make that a reality.

“Using more than £1m from the Community Infrastructure Levy shows our commitment to turning plans into action, but we know that more is needed to cover even the least expensive substructure solution.”

The funding marks the first time ever that a cash sum has been set aside for the former lido.

While the £1.29million will cover initial works, there are predictions that the work will cost at least £4.5 million.

The lido on Worthing Beach was originally built as a bandstand in 1925 and was used as a performing space for 30 years.

In 1957, the space was converted into an unheated swimming pool.

It was a popular spot for swimmers up through into the 1980s.

In 1988, Worthing Lido was even used as a temporary home to dolphins from Brighton Sealife Centre.

The dolphins were relocated to the lido while their permanent enclosure at the Sealife Centre was undergoing renovations.

In 1989 the pool was covered over and the site transformed into an entertainment centre.

It’s now home to a cafe, arcade, and is occasionally used as an event space.

For more on lidos, here are all of the new ones set to open across the UK from seafront pools to city swimming spots.

And here’s one English seaside town’s beachfront lido which will reopen this summer despite fears of closure.

For years, Magaluf has been a go-to party resort for Brits seeking fun in the sun. But a darker side to the tourist spot has emerged, with reports of spiked drinks, sexual assaults, and rape

With the promise of sun, sand, booze, and parties, Magaluf is a major party resort – but beneath it hides a dark underbelly. Popular amongst a younger demographic, it’s been seen to epitomise a typical ‘lads holiday’ or girls’ trip abroad, with tens of thousands of British 18 to 30-year-olds flocking there each summer.

Dubbed ‘Shagaluf’, alcohol-sodden tourists descend on the ‘strip’ in their droves, lured through the promise of cheap accommodation, cheap booze, and no-strings sex. However, it hides a seedier scene where vulnerable young girls are being exploited – duped into drinking too much and pressured into sex acts.

In 2014, viral mobile phone footage showed a British 18-year-old giving oral sex to 24 men on a Carnage Magaluf pub crawl, egged on by a DJ who called her a ‘slag’. The ‘prize’ was a free drink. In the horrifying video obtained by our newspaper, the vile music host is seen shouting: “This is Carnage and this is what we do” as a no-holds-barred sex act takes place in the middle of a bar. When the girl appears to stop, the DJ – who has a Geordie accent – bellows: “You little sl*g, stop f****** about. This is Carnage and this is what we do. We need to see someone get b*nged here don’t we? Who wants to see someone get sh**ged?”

And this week, eight men were jailed after a British teenager was filmed being gang-raped at a hotel in Magaluf. The accused, seven French nationals and one man from Sweden, subjected the 18-year-old to a sickening attack in at the BH Mallorca Resort on August 14, 2023.

The men agreed to plead guilty in exchange for reduced sentences. The five rapists accepted jail terms of nine to 11 years for sexual assault, with three receiving higher prison sentences because they repeated their crimes. The three men who didn’t take part in the sex attack but filmed it were handed prison sentences of two years and three months.

Reports at the time said three of the suspects had met the girl hours earlier while partying in Magaluf. After sexually attacking her, one went out into the hotel corridor to encourage strangers returning from their own night out to have ‘free sex’ with her.

“There, the accused men, during approximately half an hour, aware of the semi-conscious state the young woman was in and at one point seeing she had fallen in a state of unconsciousness, and taking advantage of the closed room she had been taken into, stripped her naked leaving her with only her bra on,” a 14-page indictment laying out the public prosecution case read.

“They then carried out different sexual acts on her, acting by common consent and without her consent.” The indictment further detailed how the woman had been raped, spat on, and “hit and smacked”.

“The accused men, each one with a mobile phone, throughout the actions previously described, recorded several videos focusing on the young woman’s private parts in which they appeared forcing her to to carry out sexual acts,” it added. One of the suspects was accused of filming 14 videos lasting 170 seconds, and another of filming five videos lasting 142 seconds.

Sadly, it’s not an unusual story. The dark underbelly of Magaluf was explored in the 2024 Channel 4 documentary Magaluf Undercover: Predators and Parties. It followed journalists Ellie Flynn and Emily Birtley as they went undercover for three nights, posing as drunk or vulnerable tourists to expose the predatory behaviour on the strip, in clubs, and on the beach.

In one instance, footage saw Ellie pretend to be drunk and slump on a sun lounger before being approached by two men. One asks: “Are you good? Do you want to talk for a little bit?” When she replies, “I’m good”, he continues to bombard her, saying: “You are my last chance, do you want to kiss a little bit?”

Ellie tells him “No”, and secret cameras, hidden around the lounger, show the man walking away. But instead of leaving, he goes to recruit another man. “She’s completely wasted,” he tells him in Spanish, before calling out “Let’s go for it.” A third man then moves in beside Ellie on the sun lounger saying: “If you want, I can keep you company.”

Reflecting on the encounter, Ellie said: “The arrival of the third male ­startled and genuinely scared me. I had seen the first two together, but the sudden appearance of another – and having no idea at the time if they were together – was enough for me to signal security to get me out.

“I leave the beach upset and frightened, feeling like I’ve experienced an orchestrated attempt to target drunk women alone on a night out in Magaluf. Shockingly, this was not an ­isolated incident, but a pattern that emerged across my three nights in the resort town.”

Another young woman, meanwhile, said she ended up alone on the beach after her drink was spiked. “I just started to feel worse and worse. I could barely speak, I could barely walk,” she said.

We spoke to Ellie about the latest arrest of the eight men – and the dangers that women can face abroad. She told the Mirror: “It’s just so horrifying, isn’t it? I guess first impressions are just, I’m so, so sorry for that girl, what she’s been through.

“I think having been on these holidays when I was younger myself – I went to Magaluf when I was younger – and similar places, I think I really understand some of the problematic culture there.

“I think that these holidays, unfortunately, can create a breeding ground for this kind of behaviour, because you have young people who are particularly vulnerable, perhaps away from home for the first time, with their friends, trying to have a good time, drinking, trying to party.

“And unfortunately, there are predatory people there who are looking to take advantage of those vulnerabilities. I think what’s so shocking about this case [is that] it’s not even the first or the only one of these kind of horrific group rapes. It says so much, I think, about this toxic culture that eight people got involved with that.”

Dr Charlotte Proudman, a barrister and academic who specialises in women’s rights, echoes these concerns, and believes the problem has been fuelled by the so-called ‘manosphere’ – an online space that often champions masculinity to the extreme. The online space includes content creators with huge followings, such as HS Tikky Tokky, who promote the ideals of masculinity – and even misogyny – via YouTube videos and podcasts.

“What we are seeing in places like Magaluf is the collision of toxic online misogyny with a holiday culture of excess, where alcohol, group dynamics and anonymity embolden some men to act with shocking entitlement towards women’s bodies,” she tells The Mirror.

“The influence of the ‘manosphere’ has normalised the dehumanisation of women and the idea that sexual aggression is a form of male bonding or status,” Dr Proudman explains. “The fact that some perpetrators even film these attacks is profoundly disturbing; it shows that for some men, sexual violence is not only committed but performed for an audience for entertainment.

“This is not about lowered inhibitions on holiday, it is about a culture that still allows misogyny and sexual violence to be trivialised, excused and, in some cases, celebrated.”

Indeed, an independent survey undertaken as part of the documentary exposed disturbing levels of predatory behaviour and sexual abuse – primarily toward women – on party holidays. The survey, which asked over 500 men and women aged 18 to 35 about their experience on party holidays, revealed:

• Almost of quarter of those surveyed said they’d experienced sexual assault with almost 1 in 10 women reporting experience of a sex act – including rape – without consent
• Nearly 35 percent of women reported unwanted sexual touching whilst on a party holiday
• 1 in 5 of the men surveyed admitting to touching a stranger in an intimate area without their consent
• More than 30 percent of the men surveyed admitted they had kissed someone without their consent during a night out on holiday
• Nearly a quarter of men believed that someone dancing or standing alone indicated they were looking for a sexual partner
• 33 percent of the women reported they had been followed whilst on holiday
• Nearly 40 percent of women surveyed felt that they had been taken advantage of whilst being alone on a party holiday
• More than 1 in 4 of the men believed that someone chatting to them on a night out meant that person wanted to be sexually intimate with them

In an effort to take control back on the streets of Magaluf, the government passed a new law in January 2020 to target “tourism of excesses and for the improvement of quality in tourist zones”.

At the time of the approval of the decree, Balearic tourism minister Iago Negueruela stated that it represented “one more commitment to a sustainable tourism of quality” and that it was part of “the fight against anti-social behaviour caused by excessive consumption of alcohol”.

Key rules include a six-drink limit per day for all-inclusive guests, a ban on shop alcohol sales between 9:30 PM and 8 AM, and prohibitions on pub crawls. There are also fines for being topless and naked in public, and the police presence has increased.

Ellie added that “it’s really hard to imagine and it’s horrifying” that one of the men went into the corridor and offered ‘free sex’ with the teenager, saying: “It’s almost difficult to um comprehend that anybody would respond to that in any way other than calling the police.

“I think it’s really symptomatic of how dangerous these holidays or these kind of environments can be, not just for women but you know mostly for young women.

“What I find the most shocking about it is the fact that they were, it’s such a bleak fact that this group of men who did not know each other, thought that this was something they would get involved in and I think that it shows how pervasive this kind of this culture of abuse of women is because you know in that environment people were willing to get involved in the most horrific crime.

“There’s something about these holidays, I think, where hedonism and abuse, the lines become so blurred and I think that people kind of go in with these attitudes of wanting to have sex, wanting to meet people, and unfortunately what we see in a society where, like, women are systematically abused and often used for kind of male gratification is this blurring of lines between sort of hedonism and trying to have fun and then really really serious abuse.”

When making her own documentary and surveying holidaymakers, Ellie noted, “a huge percentage of the men that we surveyed thought that someone standing near you was an indication that they might be interested in sex”. She added, “it was so shocking and I think there is this assumption that if you are on these holidays, if you’re out with your friends having a good time, having a drink that somehow that that makes you you know constantly available for sex – you know even if you’re unconscious”. Een if someone is “showing no signs at all that is what you want, there are people out there who will take advantage of the fact that you that you were just there”.

She added, “That was what really shocked me about the documentary,” pointing out that some people responded to the documentary in bizarre ways, “there were people who were replying to me on Instagram who were like, ‘Well you know, why would you go somewhere like Magaluf if you weren’t prepared to experience something like that?’ And I think it shows that we have such a long way to go in terms of actually stopping Violence against women and girls.”

Discussing the algorithmic silos that see totally different conversations about gender, sexual violence, and abuse taking place at once, Ellie said: “We’ve never seen a further divide between young men and young women and their views and their experiences.

“And there was a period in time where I think it felt like things were moving in the right direction. You know, we were taking women seriously, and we were listening to their stories and we were, saying all the right things to try and combat violence against women and girls and stop this kind of insidious abuse, but you know at the same time you have the rise of, you know, certain influencers and the manosphere and this kind of narrative that young boys are isolated and don’t know how to treat girls and are scared of kind of making any approaches, and and we have these kind of two conversations happening simultaneously and taking people down in completely different directions and I think that is where things are now particularly concerning.”

She added that “on one side you have young men,” hearing one message and “almost being justified in some cases in the abuse of women and in this mistreatment of women and in degrading women, because there are people, there are high profile figures, who have made them feel like it’s okay to do that.”

Ellie continued, “It’s clear that we need to be having conversations that include both sides of this argument.” She adds, “I have two sons and I don’t want them to grow up feeling like they are inherently bad because they are male, that’s not true, and I think that somewhere along the way that’s a narrative that some young boys have learned to believe, and so things have gone wrong in a sense that things have gone that way, but also ignoring the very real epidemic of violence against women and girls and highlighting those issues isn’t the answer. We should be able to do both at the same time.”

PLANS have been revealed to turn an abandoned attraction into a new leisure spot in a popular seaside town.

The Kursaal in Southend-on-Sea has stood empty for six years and during that time has fallen into disrepair.

But now, the once thriving attraction that had a circus, arcades, a ballroom, a dining hall and even a zoo, will be transformed into a new leisure destination.

Though the details of what the attraction will be have not been announced yet, Daniel Cowan, Council leader at Southend-on-Sea City Council, said: “The Kursaal is woven into the story of Southend and for too long the Kursaal’s future has been uncertain.

“Today we can say it has a credible local operator, a leisure vision for the building and a clear path to reopening,” reports the BBC.

The Kursaal – which translates to ‘cure hall’ and usually refers to the main hall of a spa town – opened back in 1901 and hosted famous musicians such as Queen, Black Sabbath, Rod Stewart and AC/DC.

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Former attractions included bumper cars, a ski jump, a ghost train and a figure-of-eight rollercoaster.

Under the plans to reopen the historic venue that currently sits on the list of neglected sites, essential repairs will be carried out first.

Currently managed by the property group AEW, the Grade-II listed venue’s lease will be handed over to Star Amusements by the end of this summer.

Star Amusements already runs a number of attractions along the seafront, including an arcades venue close to Southend Pier.

Bayo Alaba, the Labour MP for Southend East and Rochford, said that the Kursaal is “a building of historical significance and architecture“.

He added: “Great-grandparents met in the ballroom, children have grown up laughing in its arcades and bowling alleys, and countless memories made here connect generations across our city.”

Nick Singer, the operations director at Star Amusements also shared that the new attraction would be “high quality” and that whilst there is a lot of work to do, they are “ready to move forward”.

When the venue opened over 100 years ago, it was one of the world’s first purpose-built amusement parks.

And to date, several distinctive features remain such as a dome which was even featured on a Royal Mail stamp in 2011.

Between 1919 and 1934, the Kursaal was also home to Southend United F.C.

Most of the building was then closed down in 1973, before it fully closed in 1986.

It reopened in 1998 but closed again in 2020, with just a small Tesco Express remaining open on the ground floor.

The Kursaal is about a two-minute walk from Southend-on-Sea’s Golden Mile beach and promenade, where you will find amusement arcades, cafes, and entertainment venues.

Taking to social media, many people have expressed their excitement about the news with one person commenting: “Please have ballroom facilities there to host dance competitions!”

Another added: “So glad that this iconic, Grade-II listed building has been saved.

“I was worried that it was going to be torn down and flats built there.

“They say, it is to be entertainment-themed, so lets hope it may be a multi use venue – concerts, exhibitions, even perhaps an ice or roller rink.”

A third person said: “Fantastic news!! Such a Southend icon!”

In other attraction news, here are 15 attractions in the UK that have £1 per person tickets from huge castles to kid-friendly museums.

Plus, London’s biggest rooftop attraction is set to open this summer with live DJs and food festivals.

Northampton Town have sacked boss Kevin Nolan following a run of only one win in their past 16 league matches.

The Cobblers are 23rd in League One, three points from safety, having scored only 31 goals in 36 matches, the second lowest total in the league.

They drew a blank in what proved to be Nolan’s final game in charge, losing 1-0 at AFC Wimbledon on Sunday.

Technical director Colin Calderwood has been put in charge on an interim basis, assisted by Ian Sampson, both ex-Northampton managers.

“We will always be grateful to Kevin for his hard work here, he helped keep us up last season and we enjoyed a strong first half of this season,” chairman Kelvin Thomas said in a statement., external

“But since Christmas the sequence of performances and results have led us to believe a change is in the best interests of all concerned.

“We are fortunate to have someone of Colin’s experience, supported by Ian Sampson and the rest of the staff to look after matters on an interim basis.”

Nolan’s departure came on the 129th anniversary of Northampton’s formation and they are the 10th League One club out of 24 to part company with their boss this season.

Kidlington in Oxfordshire was declared a town last month after almost 40 years, and boasts scenic walks, cosy pubs and is the perfect base for visiting Blenheim Palace and Harry Potter locations

Britain has officially gained a new town, boasting welcoming pubs, a delightful tearoom, picturesque riverside strolls and a vibrant community spirit.

Located to the north of Oxford, Kidlington features a busy high street and an expanding population. However, until recently, it held the distinction of being one of Britain’s largest villages.

The Oxfordshire settlement is home to nearly 14,000 people and exceeds the size of several of England’s more established towns. Kidlington previously sought to upgrade its designation from village to town status back in 1988, though the bid was unsuccessful at that time, with locals continuing to embrace their preferred classification.

Yet after nearly four decades, Kidlington was officially granted town status last month, after Parish Council members backed the move unanimously. The council highlighted that it possesses the “population, services, and infrastructure of a town”, with the reclassification bringing certain advantages.

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Under the government’s revised National Planning Policy Framework and National Policing Guarantee introduced last year, towns benefit from enhanced safeguards, especially concerning planning and policing matters. The settlement has ambitions to construct additional housing and increase its population beyond 30,000, reports the Express.

Yet, some locals remain unconvinced about its elevated status as a town, with one resident telling the Metro: “I would prefer it to be a village – it just got more of a community feel to it. A town to me seems something that it’s not. I don’t know what it represents, being a town.”

They continued: “I can’t see by being a town it’s going to improve.” Meanwhile, others feel disappointed about losing its claim as one of Europe’s largest villages.

However, politics aside, Kidlington boasts a stunning location, close to the beautiful Cotswolds, nestled between the River Cherwell and the Oxford Canal. The town offers numerous picturesque walks, and sits conveniently less than half an hour’s drive from Oxford city centre.

It serves as a perfect base for Oxford commuters, with the neighbouring Parkway railway station providing access to the city in less than 10 minutes. For those exploring the town itself, there’s the 13th-century church featuring an impressive 220-foot spire, and the high street, brimming with shops and welcoming pubs, including The King’s Arms and The Boat Inn, positioned along the river.

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Making the most of its setting, visitors can find the Thrupp Canoe and Kayak Hire Centre for leisurely river trips, followed by a visit to the delightful Annie’s Tea Rooms. There’s also the Thrupp Community Forest providing woodland walks, and close by sits Willowbrook Farm for days of adventure.

The town is also in close proximity to the market town of Bicester, renowned for its popular outlet village, offering discounted brands. Meanwhile, less than 10 minutes away lies Blenheim Palace, the distinguished birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill and home to acres of tranquil grounds to explore.

Nearby is also the iconic Harry Potter tree, featured in the franchise films, which is definitely worth a visit after a wander around Kidlington.

YouTuber Danny from the Honest Places channel visited different boozers in Rhyl in North Wales — a former tourist hotspot now dubbed one of Britain’s worst seaside resorts

A YouTuber who travelled to one of the so-called worst seaside resorts in Britain claimed he felt completely at ease there, where traditional boozers brimming with character were packed with locals enjoying affordable pints.

Danny, who operates the Honest Places channel, was visiting Llandudno and Rhyl in North Wales, with the latter having earned the nickname “Costa Del Dole”.

The resort is littered with abandoned buildings and establishments which have closed down permanently. Despite once being a magnet for holidaymakers, the pier, funfair and shopping centre have long since faded into memory.

The Telegraph listed it amongst the worst seaside resorts in Britain three years ago and described it as “Blackpool after a neutron bomb”. Danny, however, labelled it “Britain’s saddest seaside town” in his YouTube headline before speaking about it affectionately upon arrival.

He commented: “We have come to Rhyl because I felt a bit too out of place (in Llandudno). I feel actually at home in Rhyl.

“This is the front — it is such a contrast to Llandudno. I know people say British seaside towns have gone to s***. But they have been s*** for ages. This is a real British seaside town. Most of them are s*** and that is a real seaside town.

“So Whitby is a seaside town but it’s not a real British seaside town because the real ones are the ones that are like this, like Blackpool.

“But the main reason I came here, I didn’t want to go to another pub in Llandudno because it is just a bit tepid really.”

He continued: “There are some proper tasty pubs I went into last time where the barman and bar staff were just shouting at the customers and stuff like that.”

The first establishment he and a friend visited was Victory Club on Queen Street which has been welcoming drinkers for more than 70 years.

He wasn’t particularly taken with his pint of Caffrey’s Stout but remarked: “The gaff is alright though isn’t it?” His companion responded: “Yeah, tidy and reasonably cheap.”

Yet, if they considered paying £4 a pint reasonable value, they were in for a pleasant shock at their next destination.

They were drawn to The Bodfor and after hearing the booming music from within, Danny chuckled: “It does look good in there, doesn’t it? It reminds me a bit like Benidorm!”

He continued: “People will watch this back and say you should have went in but I’ve got a better boozer for you.”

Danny then headed towards the Imperial Hotel pub and described it as being like stepping into somebody’s front room.

Whilst at the bar, he announced that he had never sampled a pint of Fosters in his life, before deciding to try one.

And staring at his drink, he commented: “That head is beautiful! I don’t think I’ve had better head.”

After taking a gulp, he then remarked it was “fitting” to have a Fosters in Rhyl, before his friend responded: “Absolutely, for what it is, it’s a good pint. You want a fizzy, cold, tasteless pint. That’s what you get.”

Danny then admitted he was enjoying it more than anticipated before he enquired how cheap it was. After discovering the pint was just £2.70, he enthused: “Granted, it’s Fosters. But at that price, you can’t kick off. That’s got to be a 10/10.”

His friend then suggested that one could have a smashing night out in Rhyl with just a tenner and some loose change.

Stepping outside post-pints, Danny remarked: “We got some nice little tasty pubs, we saw Rhyl, it hasn’t changed. I don’t think it will change.”

Last year, reports suggested that Rhyl, which boasts four beaches, would undergo transformation thanks to £200million invested over the past decade, as per Denbighshire County Council.

The town also benefited from a £20million injection from the government’s Levelling Up fund three years ago.

WITH a mile-long golden beach and an annual film festival bringing in A-list movie stars – you might think this spot was on the French Riviera.

But actually, this destination is miles away on the northern coast of France – and it’s a place called Deauville.

The seaside town is a classic Norman resort with a huge beach, seaside casino and pulls in celebrity visitors every year.

Most of the famous faces will visit during September when it hosts the American Film Festival.

Over the years, tars like Clint Eastwood, George Clooney, Sharon Stone, and Johnny Depp have all been there.

And even when they leave, a piece of them remains as their names are adorned on beach huts called Les Planches – which have become an attraction in themselves.

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Other names you’ll see on the promenade include Gene Kelly, Cate Blanchett and Keanu Reeves.

This year, it will be held between September 4-16.

The town is also known for fashion as designer Coco Chanel opened up her very first boutique there in 1913.

The shop closed in 1939 after the outbreak of World War II but you can still see where it once was at 13 Rue Lucien Barrière.

Another pull to the seaside town is to see its horse racing events.

Deauville has a long history of horse breeding and racing, as it’s home to the Deauville-La Touques Racecourse.

The race track is extremely famous and is considered a world-class venue for horse racing, especially in the summer.

The biggest event which is a held throughout August is the Barrière Deauville Meeting which has Group 1 races.

On the beachfront is the town’s huge Casino Barrière Deauville which has 300 slot machines as well as classic roulette and blackjack tables.

Inside, there’s also a cinema, theatre and a night club.

When the sun shines, a must-do in Deauville is to head to the beach.

Plage de Deauville is around 1.2miles long and is scattered with around 450 multicoloured umbrellas.

While they might look like you’re classic beach parasol, you won’t find these anywhere else as they are actually made in Deauville workshops.

It’s a popular spot amongst tourists and locals with some calling it ‘one of the best beaches in France‘, another called it ‘sensational’.

The beach is also open to horse riders before 10am in the morning and after 7pm in the evening.

There are also 22 beach-front shops and bars, a seawater Olympic swimming pool, riding school and tennis club all within walking distance.

Dotted around Deauville are the tall Norman villas with half-timbered frames and pitched roofs.

And Villa Strassburger is one of the most beautiful properties in the town and was designed by local Caen architect, Georges Pichereau.

It was built for horse racing enthusiast Baron Henri de Rothschild in 1907, later on in 1975, it was declared a national historic monument.

You can go inside the house in the summer months, but only as part of a guided tour.

You can get to Deauville on the train if you take the Eurostar to Paris – tickets start from £39.

Then take a direct train from Paris Saint Lazare (10 minutes by Metro from Gare du Nord) to Trouville-Deauville which station takes just over two hours.

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Head of Sun Travel (Digital) Caroline McGuire visited the nearby Trouville-Sur-Mer…

“Trouville-sur-Mer is a quaint seaside town popular with holidaymakers since the 1800s thanks to its huge sandy beach and fabulous cuisine.

“But it has resolutely kept its quaint charm. Yes, there’s a kids’ arcade but it’s tucked into the basement of the glamorous casino.

“Yes, there’s crazy golf but it’s petite, just off the old-fashioned wooden boardwalk surrounded by grand 19th-century mansions.

“As with all parts of France, food and drink are kings.

This particular area is famous for its crepes, so we made it our mission to sample as many as possible — with chocolate, ice cream and seafood.

“The humble lemon-and-sugar will no longer get a look-in at my house on Shrove Tuesday. Given its Channel-front location, the town is also very big on moules — we even spotted a pizza piled high with them.

“Keen to assimilate with the locals, or possibly just excited about using shells as cutlery, even my son tucked into a bowl at one of the town’s best restaurants, Le Central, opposite the fish market.

“I’m also keen to live like a local, so sampled as much of the local wine and Calvados brandy as possible, for shockingly low prices.”

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Travel expert Simon Calder has shared one of his favourite destinations for an autumn escape and it’s perfect for pensioners

Travel expert Simon Calder revealed one of his top picks for an autumn getaway: the picturesque seaside town of Cassis, located in the south of France. Simon highlighted that there are numerous budget-friendly flights from UK airports and mild temperatures in spring and autumn.

Cassis is also an extremely walkable town, making it ideal for pensioners seeking an inexpensive destination that’s also straightforward to explore.

The travel expert stated: “I just came back from Côte d’Azur on Friday, and it was absolutely magical, particularly the lovely town of Cassis. Beautiful port, very close to St Tropez. It’s just a gorgeous place, the food is great!”

“You can even take a bus from Marseille that costs £3 and takes you around one of the greatest drives in the world.”

Travel expert Sam wrote on her blog theblondescout that Cassis was “one of the nicest surprises” during her time living in France.

“This small fishing town is colourful, quaint and next to one of the most extraordinary landscapes I have ever witnessed: the dramatic limestone inlets that make up the Calanques between Cassis and Marseille.”

She noted that Cassis is a compact town, so it is “very walkable and easy to get around”.

“All of the streets are picture-perfect and have that colourful French Riviera vibe! Our favourite little square was at the bougainvillaea-filled Place Baragnon.”

Other locations suggested by travel expert Simon Calder include the Algarve, in southern Portugal, a stunning and “very affordable” coastal destination that’s not overly busy at this time of year.

IT’S been a month since Alan Carr lied his way to victory on The Traitors – and now, he’s bought his own Scottish castle.

He’s set to renovate it in his own TV show and right next door is a charming seaside town with its own holiday park.

On the Scottish border is Alan Carr‘s new £3.25million home – Ayton Castle.

He has signed a deal with Disney+ where he plans to transform his castle into a luxury hotel and spa.

The castle itself dates back to the 19th century and it is set across two floors – but also has a huge five-story tower.

Just four-minutes away from the castle is the seaside town of Eyemouth.

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The small town sits on the coast, it has a harbour filled with boats and visitors have mentioned seeing seals bobbing up and down too.

It also has a sandy beach that’s a popular spot for swimmers year-round.

With its proximity to the sea, expect some top-tier fish and chips.

Some of the top-rated chippies include The Heathers Restaurant, The Contented Sole and The Ship restaurant.

In Eyemouth, there’s also a Parkdean holiday park which has sweeping views across the coastline.

The site has an amusements and games room, outdoor play area, sports courts, kids’ club and live entertainment at Killies Lounge.

There’s also a newly furnished Boathouse Bar & Restaurant.

There are plenty of caravans and lodges to choose from which vary from two to three bedrooms – the largest can sleep up to eight guests.

All accommodation has a TV, kitchen and lots have incredible beach views.

At Parkdean Eyemouth, lodge holidays start from £254, caravan holidays start from £103, and touring starts from £12.

Just up the road from Eyemouth is a pretty fishing village called St Abbs.

It has a beautiful harbour and visitors should pop into the tiny cafe that sits just above the water.

The family-run Ebbcarrs Cafe serves up fresh local seafood, homemade bakes and local ales – which can all be enjoyed whilst watching the boats bob up and down.

One visitor wrote on Tripadvisor: “The café itself is a delight. Think crusty baguettes overflowing with fresh seafood, a glass case brimming with homemade cakes, and prices that make you grin instead of wince.”

Another simply added: “Lovely cafe, in an equally lovely village.”

For those who want to head into the city, Edinburgh is an hour’s drive north of Eyemouth.

15-minutes south of Eyemouth and across the border is the small town of Berwick-upon-Tweed which is the happiest place to live in the UK.

The Guardian, who conducted the study, called Berwick an “overlooked jewel” and added “yet people who know it, adore it – it is a great place to live with community spirit in bundles.“

Berwick is at the top end of the Northumberland coastal path so it’s easy to explore the pretty coastline and see castles at Bamburgh, Dunstanburgh and Warkworth.

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And one comedian found the UK’s friendliest town – ‘I didn’t meet a single person that wasn’t nice’.

The market town is one that has had a run of bad luck, but has plenty to be excited about, including cheap houses, an excellent art gallery and a local fish and chip delicacy

There’s a market town in England lined with grand terraced houses that regularly sell for £100,000. In fact, many go for just £50,000.

Head to Rightmove or a local estate agent and you’ll find two and even three-bedroom homes selling for half or even a third of the nation’s average. But it’s a place that’s got a lot more than just cheap houses.

It’s home to one of the UK’s most recognisably-named football clubs, one of the country’s greatest living authors, and one of the world’s finest collections of Tiffany glass.

The dazzling glassware, worth tens of millions, was sent from the US in 1933 by local lad-done-good Joseph Briggs. They then sat gathering dust for four decades before their brilliance was finally recognised.

Accrington — where the collection now shines in the Haworth Art Gallery atop the town’s hill — is much the same: a hidden gem, long overlooked beyond Lancashire, but, I’d argue, ready to dazzle.

It’s about time, because Accrington has had its share of misfortune.

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The town is probably best recognised (at least by those Fifa fans who have needed a willing team to drub) for its amusingly named football club, Accrington Stanley. Back in 1888, the club was one of an elite 12 that helped found the Football League, only to tumble out mid-season 88 years later, bankrupt and in chaos. As miserable fans drifted off to Blackburn and Burnley, the 15,000-seat stadium was binned and replaced with one a third of the size.

Far more tragic is the story of the Accrington Pals. In 1914, 5,000 striking mill workers were locked out by machinists Howard & Bullough amid a big industry downturn. Desperate for wages, many enlisted, making Accrington the smallest town in England to raise a battalion. On the first day of the Somme, 580 of the 720 Accrington Pals were mown down within half an hour.

There’s a cruel irony, too, in the town’s legacy as a brickmaking powerhouse — its super-strong ‘Noris’ bricks underpinning the Empire State Building and Blackpool Tower — and the relative cheapness of its homes. With an average house price of £148,714, and terraces £110,381, Accrington is officially the cheapest place in England or Wales to buy property.

But as advertising whizz and Amazing Accrington chair Murray Dawson tells me on a tour of the town: “Accrington needs to focus on the future, not the past.”

Certainly, the people I met are determined to do just that. Happily, there’s a lot to focus on.

Take Accrington Stanley. A decade ago, the Owd Reds were £1.2 million in debt, playing in a cowshed stadium with a pitch so waterlogged that six consecutive matches were postponed. Then along came Jack Holt, a Burnley lad who grew up on “the Shameless estate”. Since taking over in 2015, he has invested around £9 million of his plastics fortune into the club.

When I turned up, chief executive Warren Eastham paused his work on the club’s merchandise website to show me the gleaming corporate lounge running alongside the new artificial, puddle-free pitch — a set-up befitting a mid-table League Two side now punching above its weight, after years in the doldrums of football’s seventh tier.

After admiring the near-complete Stanley mural made by the paint-splattered Paul Curtis, Murray and I headed to the Haworth Art Gallery to meet curator Gillian Berry, who looks after the town’s Tiffany treasures.

The buzzing gallery looks out across the valley to Pendle Hill, recently climbed by a group of wig-wearing Jeanette Winterson superfans retracing the steps of the Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit author.

In 1960, Winterson was brought to the town by her adoptive, evangelical Christian parents, who only allowed her to read six books and burned her secret literature stash when they discovered it. The town’s cathedral-like public library, funded by Andrew Carneiege and bathed in sunlight filtered through great stained glass windows, provided a refuge and supply of illicit literature for Winterston.

The Whitbread Prize winner is not the town’s only notable daughter. There is also Lydia Becker, the pioneering suffragist who led the movement in the North West. Having spent years overshadowed by the likes of her protege Emmeline Pankhurst, she is now being celebrated at the new Accrington Dome, part of an ambitious town-centre regeneration stretching across several floors and shopfronts.

Soon, traders such as Steve Hatt will move his 150-year-old family fishmongers into the renovated Victorian Market Hall, and temporary market stalls that block off the grand town centre will be cleared away, as part of a £20 town centre revamp.

In an Amazon-dominated world, this seems as good a way as any to breathe life into a dying high street, hollowed out by online shopping and two huge supermarkets on the edge of town.

Another project that has successfully done just that is the Oswaldtwistle Mills. Having clung on as a working mill until the early 1990s, the two-century-old weaving centre was then transformed into a vast and hugely successful shopping complex, packed with everything from plants and dresses to children’s toys and butter pies. It is independently owned by Peter Hargreaves, whose relative, James (somewhat ironically) invented the Spinning Jenny, which mechanised milling and became a symbol of industrialisation for the homespinners it rendered obsolete.

Competing with Ozzie Mills in the size and shiny newsness stakes is the Raza Jamia Masjid Mosque. It is a vast building that regularly attracts 4,500 worshippers from across Lancashire.

It is the £9.5million passion project of Jawid Hussain, another local lad, who made his £110million fortune as the founder of toilet paper giant Accrol Papers. Today, he lives across from the mosque in a sprawling house with a Lamborghini-studded driveway.

I had discovered by that point in the day that the warmth of the welcome I received there, and the enthusiasm of the mosque’s caretaker-turned-impromptu-tour guide Manzoor Hussain, is typical of Accrington. It’s the kind of place where chippy owner Dianne wanders around the square after dealing with the lunch rush, armed with salt and vinegar, to make sure her regulars don’t need an extra shake.

The kind of place where so many random people kept chatting to Murray and me, our half-day tour ran over by hours. It’s also the kind of place that made national headlines back in 2024 when anti-racism protesters marched into the town centre in response to the Southport Riots.

As the woman behind the Heritage Dome, Hannah Saxton, tells it: “People were coming out of the pubs to shake their hands and hug them.”

Accrington’s challenges are undoubtedly real. It’s a town where its main industry has been hollowed out and has suffered years of underinvestment. But what is also real is its resolve. In its bricks, its glass, its football club and its faith, the town feels less like a relic of industrial Britain and more like a place quietly rewriting its future.

Enchanting little town with friendly locals, colourful buildings and thriving independent shops is like stepping back in time

A charming and picturesque town nestled on the fringes of untamed moorland lies just a stone’s throw from where I’m based, yet I’d only recently ventured there for the first time. There’s nothing quite like discovering somewhere new – and I’m fortunate to have an abundance of options, given the wealth of distinctive towns dotted around Plymouth in Devon.

Ashburton isn’t far from my Plymouth home, so a friend and I recently made our way towards Dartmoor to discover what this town had to offer. The appealing destination is celebrated for its independent retailers and quintessentially Devonian charm – both of which thoroughly impressed me during our visit.

We caught the bus from Plymouth (the number 38) and the trip was smooth and enjoyable, weaving through stunning countryside, towns and delightful villages en route.

In an era when we’re constantly bombarded with news of shop closures and struggling town centres, stumbling upon Ashburton, with its collection of independent businesses to browse, felt genuinely uplifting.

The streets here remain untouched by modernity – you could easily picture bygone eras as you stroll through the town – and every local we encountered was incredibly welcoming, reports the Express.

There are numerous pubs, tearooms and cafes alongside distinctive establishments, including antique dealers, plus a bakery with customers spilling out onto the pavement – and what really caught my eye was how, despite the drizzle, Ashburton radiated colour thanks to its vibrantly painted properties. The atmosphere feels wonderfully crisp in this town, encircled by rolling countryside and the stunning vastness of Dartmoor National Park, lending the area a peaceful, almost timeless quality.

Browsing through one vibrant independent gift shop called PAD proved delightful – and I ended up purchasing a few quirky bits and bobs that you simply won’t find elsewhere.

There’s also the attractively laid-out Ashburton Fish Deli along one of the principal streets, offering delicious locally-sourced seafood, Mediterranean-inspired products and various other intriguing finds.

All told, I reckon you could probably track down everything you’d require in this town, from top-notch clothing available in various independent boutiques to bargain-hunting opportunities in the small selection of charity shops.

We paused for a late breakfast at Diablo’s Diner, which had a welcoming neighbourhood feel and delicious grub. I’m particularly picky when it comes to bacon, but this little cafe delivered the finest – superb quality, crispy (as I’d requested) – and the prices were extremely fair.

As a Devonian myself, I’m astonished that I’d not discovered this gorgeous town until now, but I’ll definitely be returning soon – in fact, there’s a fascinating festival happening in Ashburton from late April through early May.

The Dartmoor Tors Festival is “bringing together walkers, thinkers, creatives who are interested in natural landscapes and how we relate to them”, the festival website explains. This festival is set to be “a celebration of the power and beauty of places seen as wild and ancient around Britain, and an exploration of why and how they provoke a response”.

THE quiet town of Burnham-on-Crouch in Essex is set to be a TV star.

ITV presenter Josie Gibson was seen filming at the pretty destination on the Dengie Peninsula last week known for its top-tier sailing scene and fresh seafood.

Josie, along with a film crew, were seen at various different spots in Burnham-on-Crouch, which sits on the River Crouch.

The town that is just an hour outside of London was called “wonderfully understated” by The Telegraph and it even questioned whether it’s “the most peaceful town in England.”

While it might be quiet on land, Burnham-on-Crouch has a busy harbour, as well as a quayside, boat-building yards, listed buildings and sailing clubs.

Thanks to its location and popularity within the sailing circle, Burnham-on-Crouch is nicknamed ‘Cowes of the East Coast’.

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This is after the world-renowned Cowes on the Isle of Wight which is the “Yachting Capital of the World”.

Throughout the year are sailing events, but what Burnham-on-Crouch is most famous for is Burnham Week.

The major sailing regatta is held every year at the end of August with plenty of competitive racing for various yacht and dinghy classes.

This year it will kick off on August 29 until September 5, 2026 – and it is a major week in the sailing calendar.

Last week though, the TV crew were spotted on dry land filming outside The Cabin Dairy on the High Street.

The cafe has been in operation since the 1990s, serving up breakfast, brunch, sandwiches, toasties, tea, coffee and ice cream.

Another spot that was seen in front of the camera was The Quarterdeck restaurant.

The seafood restaurant and bistro bar sits on the waterfront, serving dishes like the seafood board with Maldon cured smoked salmon, crevettes, pickled roll mops and anchovies.

Of course you can pick up fish and chips too, as well as a Sailor Sandwich with fish goujons, and oysters.

For oyster fans, check out Burnham Seafood and Oyster Bar which is a fish stall open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Here, locals can pick up top quality seafood from lobsters to crab, and of course, oysters.

Seafood is a big part of the town’s history as it used to be a thriving oyster port.

In the 19th century, the River Crouch was filled with oyster beds, which were then harvested and traded into London and across Europe.

Next door to The Quarterdeck is Harbour Delights, an American retro diner that serves up tasty drinks and desserts.

You can choose from ice cream sundaes, Belgian waffles, bubble tea, milkshakes, and enjoy a coke float.

One place the crew weren’t seen filming at, but is a Burnham hotspot is the Jolly Fryer.

The fish and chip shop in previous years was voted as the Best Chippy in Essex.

You can pick up a medium cod for two with large chips and either curry sauce or mushy peas for £21.99.

As for what’s nearby, from certain points in the town you can see across the river to Wallasea Island which has been turned into a nature reserve.

Visitors can visit by ferry, which will cost around £5 each way, to see wading birds as well as rare butterflies.

For wine fans, head to family-run Clayhill Vineyard which makes Bacchus (often referred to as England’s answer to Sauvignon Blanc) and chardonnay.

One Sun Writer who visited said: “I particularly loved the English sparkling wine and at £19 per bottle it’s much cheaper — and in my opinion nicer — than champagne.“

The vineyard has views of the River Crouch, and has a small cafe for lunch, tea and cake – and you can taste its wine here too.

For train enthusiasts, head to nearby Mangapps Railway & Museum which is a working railway and museum on a farm in Burnham-on-Crouch.

It has a three-quarter mile passenger line with restored stations, signal boxes, and visitors can go on as many train rides as they like with their ticket.

One visitor on Tripadvisor wrote: “Nice little museum. Lots of different trains and even a well-kept, older station where you can enjoy a small ride on an old train.”

It’s open on weekends between 11.30AM to 5PM. Ticket prices are £15 per adult, £8 per child and under three’s go free.

For anyone who is a fan of The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, then you might want to head up to Tillingham.

Fans of the book will know that village is where the narrator’s younger brother escapes to when London is invaded by Martians.

Burnham-on-Crouch is served by the Crouch Valley branch line.

From London Liverpool Street, it can be reached in just over an hour with one transfer at Wickford.

This Essex town has been called a ‘Cotswolds alternative’…

Senior Consumer Reporter Adele Cooke visited Saffron Walden…

She said: “Its Saturday market is often a place to spot TV chef Jamie Oliver. We admired the great artisan stands, but sadly didn’t spot Jamie.

“Coffee in hand, we took a stroll to St Mary’s Church, which dates to Norman times and is still the tallest building in Essex with its spire topping out at 193ft. Then it was on to Bridge End Gardens and its maze –  before a pint at the Cross Keys Hotel, also known for its great food.

“The fun continued with a visit to one of Essex’s Tiptree tea rooms. I knew Tiptree as the makers of tasty jams, often served in little jars at posh hotels.

“We got the day off to the best of starts at Tiptree’s Courtyard tea room in Saffron Walden with their traditional breakfast, a Full English complete with tasty local sausages, bacon, egg and even some traditional Tiptree brown sauce.”

For more on Essex, Britain’s smallest town named one of the coolest spots in the country with cosy pubs and coastal walks.

And this pretty village is regularly named ‘UK’s most beautiful’ is a perfect weekend break.

This seaside spot has been crowned the best fish and chip restaurant in the UK at the 2026 National Fish and Chip Awards, beating over 10,500 chippy operators nationwide

Fish and chips remain a beloved staple in British homes as the ultimate dining-out indulgence, and Yorkshire has now been confirmed as home to the finest establishment serving this classic dish across the entire nation.

This highly-rated Whitby restaurant has just been crowned the best fish and chip restaurant in the UK at the 2026 National Fish and Chip Awards, and based on customer feedback, the accolade is thoroughly deserved.

Competing against more than 10,500 chippy operators eligible for the competition, Trenchers of Whitby’s triumph in the ‘restaurant of the year’ category represents a remarkable accomplishment.

Shortlisted establishments must demonstrate ‘extensive product knowledge, sustainable business practices, employer integrity, first-rate customer service’ alongside exceptional skill in preparing the most delicious fish and chips.

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The Trenchers on New Quay Road uses the “traditional method of beef dripping” for frying to guarantee they’re delivering the “best possible product”, according to its website.

These deliberate cooking techniques have propelled the establishment above its fierce rivals. Yet the offerings for genuine food enthusiasts extend far beyond your standard fish and chips, though that naturally remains the restaurant’s cornerstone.

Menu choices feature seafood salads, crab, lobster, fresh fish alongside homemade pies and lasagnes, Whitby scampi, plus numerous vegetarian alternatives.

A recent guest shared their thoughts on TripAdvisor, stating: “Friendly service, nice atmosphere, incredible food and prices. Eaten here many times over the past few visits to Whitby and have never been disappointed. Absolutely recommend.”

Another diner described the “gravy is out of this world”. They added: “We travelled to Whitby for a weekend away. We popped into Trenchers Friday night, we were seated in a booth, and the drinks arrived promptly once ordered… The butcher’s gravy was absolutely delicious, and we would return just for the gravy.”

Located within walking distance of Whitby Beach, merely a 12-minute walk away, the eatery is positioned in the town centre, attracting visitors throughout the year. However, this doesn’t diminish their dedication to the art of preparing fish, as they continue to expand their modest empire.

Trenchers has established a sister venue, Tide by Trenchers, on Bridge Street in Whitby, which is scheduled to reopen in March 2026. It promises to “bring over four decades of award-winning tradition to Bridge Street”, offering seafood and additional meat options.

A somewhat newer and more upmarket alternative to the traditional fish and chip shop, one patron described Tide’s cuisine as “heaven on a plate”.

They added: “Wonderful. We had the special lobster dinner last Thursday of the month – would highly recommend, absolutely lush! Great wine selection, loved the Sauvignon Blanc.”

Claiming the top spot at the National Fish and Chip Awards 2026 was The Scrap Box in York, which scooped the coveted first place prize.

The shop’s two co-owners and brothers, Aman and Gavin Dhesi, are absolutely thrilled with their remarkable achievement. Following their victory, Gavin said: “There are so many outstanding fish and chip shops across the UK and countless awards, but this is the one every chippy dreams of, the ‘Oscars’ of our industry!”.

“With the most rigorous judging and the highest calibre of past winners, it’s a true honour to be recognised at this level. To represent the very best of fish and chips for the year ahead is both humbling and hugely meaningful to our team and a testament to the craft, care, and consistency we put into every portion of fish and chips.”

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WHITBY – with a fascinating history spanning sailors to vampires, a dramatic coastal path, and the very best in pints and scampi… it takes a lot to beat this coastal gem.

And now, the pretty seaside destination has also been announced as the home of the best fish and chips in the UK.

Trenchers of Whitby secured the Restaurant of the Year title at the National Fish and Chips Awards 2026.

The awards are known as the ‘Oscars‘ of the fish and chip industry and recognise excellence, sustainability, quality and outstanding customer service, across the UK.

The restaurant can be found in the centre of Whitby, and you can either sit down or take away.

If you were heading to the restaurant you can opt for plaice with chipped potatoes, lemon and homemade tartare sauce for £20.95.

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If you fancy something more classic, there is cod with chipped potatoes, lemon and homemade tartare sauce in three sizes: small for £15.95; medium for £19.95 and large for £21.95.

Then for takeaway, you could grab cod and chips, haddock and chips or scampi and chips all for £13.50 each.

There’s a children’s menu as well.

A visit to Whitby ticks off all the British seaside classics, although there is so much more to the historic fishing town than you’d find in a traditional day out.

In my trip to the North Yorkshire town, I ticked off all the staple activities. A Mr Whippy enjoyed by the harbour, spare change spent in Funland’s Amusements, and fish and chips for tea.

Plus my stroll along the sands, backed by spectacular moss-green cliffs, was an ideal way to soak up those breath-taking views of the rugged Yorkshire coast.

One of the things that makes Whitby stand out amongst other seaside spots is its connection to a famous explorer.

The Captain Cook Museum ‘House on the Harbour’ is a must-visit – it was where a young James Cook was an apprentice to Captain John Walker, aged 17, in 1746.

This is where I spent the afternoon, having a nosy inside the 17th century rooms where the explorer used to live.

There’s also a Captain Cook boat tour on offer at the harbour, telling you all about the life of the famous explorer – with plenty of breaks for sea shanties to stomp and sing along to.

But once I’d had my fill of cosy boltholes, battered foods and beach walks, what intrigued me the most about the town was its connection to Dracula.

You can see the Gothic Whitby Abbey from across the harbour, keeping watch over the town from its clifftop perch.

I could feel the eeriness just laying eyes on the ruins – it was as if for a moment I could picture Count Dracula lurking somewhere within.

Dracula writer Bram Stoker visited Whitby in 1890, where he was immediately struck by the dramatic Gothic ruins that loom over the pretty coastal town.

Stoker then read up on folklore in the town’s public library, and was filled with inspiration to write the classic text – and the rest is history.

Today the town celebrates its Dracula connection, with themed walking tours, a Dracula Experience centre and there’s even been theatre productions held in the abbey ruins.

In fact, to celebrate 125 years since the novel’s publication, English Heritage broke a Guinness World Record back in 2022 for the largest gathering of people dressed as vampires (1,369, to be exact!).

You can even walk the famous Whitby 199 steps – the very same which a sinister black dog dashes up to announce Dracula’s arrival in Whitby in the famous book.

Walking them in the daytime felt much more scenic than spooky, with views of red-roofed cottages and blooming Red Valerian flowers peeking out with each step.

The steps lead you to the 12th century St Mary’s Church, which is well worth a visit for its panoramic views over the bay – particularly at sunset.

If you like a coastal walk, there’s a portion of the Cleveland Way coastal path with spectacular views that passes through the town.

And if you walk far south enough along the Cleveland Way coastal path from Whitby (or take a 15-minute drive), you’ll wind up in Robin Hood’s Bay.

Exploring the fairytale streets that back the bay is an absolute must as well.

Here, narrow cobbled alleys are dotted with charming gift shops and tiny pubs which wind down the steep hillside, leading you down to the sea.

Sat with a pint at the Bay Hotel, I watched a fisherman play fetch with his Border Collie at the water’s edge – and realised that this pretty coastline truly is something straight out of a storybook.

To make matters even more magical, the following day was spent exploring the nearby waterfalls of Goathland and the Mallyan Spout – just a 20-minute drive from Whitby.

So if you’re after a seaside escape that feels both traditionally British yet has a touch of fairytale magic – set off on a trip to Whitby.

If you are wanting to explore more places with top fish and chip spots, here’s a map of Britain’s top 10 fish and chip shops – did your local make the list?

Plus, last summer, travel reporter Cyann Fielding, visited the seaside town with the UK’s best fish and chips.

The lovely, funny “American Classic,” premiering Sunday on MGM+, is a love letter to theater, community and community theater. Kevin Kline plays Richard Bean, a narcissistic stage actor. He’s famous enough to be opening on Broadway in “King Lear,” but he has to be pushed onstage and is forgetting lines. After he drunkenly assails a hostile New York Times critic — caught on video, of course — he’s suspended from the play, and his agent (Tony Shalhoub) advises him to get out of town and lay low until the heat’s off, as they used to say in the gangster movies.

Learning that his mother (Jane Alexander, acting royalty, in film clips) has died, Richard heads back to his small Pennsylvania hometown, where his family — all actors, like the Barrymores, but no longer acting — owns a once-celebrated theater. To Richard’s horror, it has, for want of income, become a dinner theater, hosting touring productions of “Nunsense” and “Forever Plaid” instead of the great stage works on which he cut his teeth.

Brother Jon (Jon Tenney), running the kitchen at the theater, is married to Kristen (Laura Linney), Richard’s onetime acting partner, who dated him before her marriage; now she’s the mayor. Their teenage daughter, Miranda (Nell Verlaque) — a name from Shakespeare — does want to act and move to New York, as her mother had before her, but is afraid to tell her parents. Richard’s father, Linus (Len Cariou), is suffering from dementia, though not to the point he won’t actively contribute to the action; every day he comes out again as gay.

Across the eight-episode series, things move from the ridiculous to the sublime. Richard’s attempt to stage his mother’s funeral, with her coffin being lowered from the ceiling, while “Also sprach Zarathustra” plays and smoke billows toward the audience, fortunately comes to naught; but he announces at the ceremony that he’ll direct a production of Thornton Wilder’s 1938 play “Our Town” at the theater, to “restore the soul of this town.” (His big idea is to ignore Wilder’s stage directions, which ask for no curtain, no set and few props, with a “realistic version,” featuring a working soda fountain, rain effects and a horse.) Fate will have other plans for this, and not to give away what in any case should be obvious, the title of the play will also become its ethos, with a cast of amateurs, including Miranda’s jealous boyfriend, Randall (Ajay Friese), and ordinary people standing in for the ordinary people of Wilder’s Grover’s Corners.

The series has a comfortable, cushiony feeling; it’s the sort of show that could have been made as a film in the 1990s, and in which Kline could have starred as easily in his 40s as in his 70s; it has the same relation to reality as “Dave,” in which he played a good-hearted ordinary Joe who takes the place of a lookalike U.S. president. The town is essentially a sunny place, full of mostly sunny people, to all appearances, a typical comedy hamlet. But we’re told it’s distressed, and Mayor Kristen is in transactional cahoots with developer Connor Boyle (Billy Carter), who wants clearance to build a casino on the site of a landmark hotel. (Much of the plot is driven by money — needing it, trading for it, leaving it, losing it.) He also wants his heavily accented, bombshell Russian girlfriend, Nadia (Elise Kibler), to have a part in “Our Town.”

As in the great Canadian comedy “Slings & Arrows,” set at a Shakespeare Festival outside of Toronto, themes and moments and speeches from the play being performed are echoed in the lives of the performers, while the viewer experiences the double magic of watching a fine actor playing an actor playing a part. Kline, of course, is himself an American classic, with a long stage and screen career that encompasses classical drama, romantic and musical comedy and cartoon voiceovers; the series makes room for Richard to perform soliloquies from “Hamlet” and “Henry V,” parts Klein has played onstage. He brings out the sweetness latent in Richard. Linney, who played against her sweetheart image in “Ozark,” is happily back on less deadly ground (though she’s tense and drinks a little). Tenney, who was sweet and funny on “The Closer,” and who we don’t see enough of these days, is sweeter and funnier here, and gets to sing. (All the Beans will sing, except for Linus.)

As a comedy, it is often predicable — you know that things will work out, and some major plot points are as good as inevitable — but it’s the good sort of predictability, where you get what you came for, where you hear the words you want to hear, ones you could never have written yourself. “American Classic” is not out to challenge your world view in any way but wants only to confirm your feelings and in doing so amplify them. Shock effects are fine in their place — and to be sure there are major twists in the plot — but there is a certain release when the thing you’re ready to have happen, happens, whether it brings laughter or tears. Either is welcome.

I MIGHT be biased when I say my seaside town is the best in the UK – but this year is set to be an exciting one for it.

From restored funiculars to new beach saunas, there are lots of new openings to be excited about.

Named one of the UK’s best places to live in 2024, and the top place to visit in the UK last year by Time Out, Folkestone has been on the up in recent years.

Folkestone West train station is also one of the fastest growing in the South East, welcoming more than 970,000 passengers from 2024/2025 – compared to 678,000 the previous year.

And one of the biggest transformations to the town will be the creation of the Bouverie Square park, set to become the town’s ‘green heart’.

Converting the current bus station, the new landscaping and seating are part of the mega £20million renovation of Folkestone.

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Fountains, bike stands and a small playground are also part of the plans.

Councillor Clive Goddard (Con) said: “To me, this is the up-and-coming part of Folkestone.

“Yards to the left, you’ve got Guildhall Street, with all the fine development happening down there. This seems to give the businesses a new lease of life.”

Folkestone’s Lower Leas Coastal Park is also getting a huge renovation after 25 years.

One of the largest free playparks in the region, the £750,000 project will see a huge new wooden climbing structure.

More seating, bike and buggy parking and landscaping are part of the plans, while the original pirate ship and sand diggers will remain.

It hopes to be complete in time for the summer holidays this year.

Cllr Connor McConville, Cabinet Member for Assets and Local Government Reorganisation, said: “We wanted something that would make people sit back and go ‘wow’ – this incredibly impressive design with fun equipment certainly does that.”

And opening next month is the Sea Scrub sauna – the largest beach sauna in the country.

Opening from March 14, guests will be able to book sauna sessions in the seaside pods.

It joins their current beach saunas in Margate, Faversham and Whitstable.

Guests can book an hour session for £20 at either the Scandinavian Sauna or Shepherds Hut Sauna.

And finally, after years of delays, the Leas Lift funicular is set to reopen.

Forced to close back in 2017, the restoration of the lift will connect the clifftop to the beach.

A new upgraded cafe is also part of the plans with a waiting room and outdoor terrace.

Estimated to cost up to £6million, the 138-year-old lift is one of only three water-balanced funiculars remaining in the UK.

So if you are planning a trip to a seaside town this summer? Folkestone is looking better than ever.

Trains from London take 52 minutes from St Pancras train station to Folkestone.

Need to know where to stay in Folkestone? Here is what to expect from the Rocksalt Rooms.

And here are some other top tips on where to eat and drink in Folkestone, according to the locals.

A small hilltop town in Italy is home to stunning panoramic views and a wealth of history – but many tourists are flocking to it for something quite different

For those who want a challenge, there’s an alleyway is a gorgeous town in Italy that stands at just 43 centimetres wide – but amazingly that’s not the world’s narrowest.

The incredibly slender street is in Ripatransone, a small village in the province of Ascoli Piceno in the Marche region in central Italy, known for its breathtaking views and medieval, renaissance and baroque style buildings.

And, of course, famous for the incredibly narrow alleyway at Via Francesco Lunerti, 14 which has gained significant notoriety as a result of social media and has people flock from far and wide to see it. The narrowest part is only 38 centimetres wide before it widens, funnel-like, to 43 centimetres.

The alleyway received official certification from the local Tourism Office and has a dedicated tourism sign so visitors can find it easily, near Piazza XX Settembre and Via Margherita.

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Originally a service passage between two medieval houses, over time planning modernisation meant the space between the properties was reduced as a result of building expansion – paving the way for it to become Ripatransone’s main attraction.

However, the beautiful village is more than just a small walkway. A hilltop village situated between the valleys of the Menocchia torrent and the Tesino rover, Ripatransone has a stunning panoramic view of its surrounding landscape and boasts a rich historical and artistic heritage.

As one of the oldest and most important centres in the province of Ascoli Piceno, the historic centre is medieval in its layout with buildings from 19th Century and noble palaces which run lengthwise from north to south for about one kilometre.

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The neighbourhoods sport a myriad of narrow streets and alleys which open out onto small squares with characteristic nooks and crannies.

Of course, none of the alleys are quite as narrow as the 43 centimetres-wide space which actually took the title as Italy’s narrowest from Via Baciadonne in Citta della Pieve in the province of Perugia in central Italy which stands at 53 centimetres. It was given the title in 1968 which Professor Antonion Giannetti surveyed all the alleyways in the historic centre.

However, despite its incredibly slight size, the alley in Ripatransone does not hold the world record for the narrowest. That belongs to an alleyway in the hilltop town of Gassin in the heart of the Saint-Tropez peninsula in southeastern France.

At its narrowest point, that alleyway is only 29 centimetres wide and National Geographic has dubbed it the narrowest alley in the world. As for streets officially registered in the land registry, the narrowest in the world is Spreuerhofstraße in Germany which sits at 31 centimetres wide.

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Petworth in Sussex features cobbled streets, 40+ antique dealers, and a 700-acre park with a 17th-century stately home housing an internationally significant art collection

At this time of year, there’s nothing quite like strolling through a picturesque UK town before settling into a welcoming pub. There’s one particular spot that’s absolutely worth the journey.

The unspoilt English town of Petworth in Sussex feels like a step back in time, boasting charming cobbled lanes brimming with antique emporiums. Independent shops nestle amongst the streets, alongside cafes, delis and inviting pubs that create the perfect setting for an idyllic day out.

Petworth Antiques Market alone houses over 40 dealers, where you can uncover everything from exquisite furniture pieces to ornaments and an array of home accessories.

When hunger strikes, drop into The Hungry Guest delicatessen on Middle Street before heading out to explore the expansive 700-acre Petworth Park, which sits beneath the magnificent 17th-century Petworth House.

Inside, guests can wander through the 17th-century stately home and discover a treasure trove featuring an internationally significant collection of art and sculpture. You might even recognise it from films such as Napoleon, Rebecca, and Maleficent, as well as its appearance on Netflix’s Bridgerton.

One Tripadvisor reviewer remarked: “Pretty Petsworth. Petsworth House is a beautiful period home with an amazing Mural up the staircase. The artist who painted the mural can be found hiding behind one of the pillars in the painted mural. A favourite of Turner – the famous artist who used to stay here and paint. The grounds and lake are really pretty.

“The Town nearby has some beautiful medieval houses, which are antique shops, as well as a great antique market. A great place to walk around and have afternoon tea. One of my favourite historical towns.”

Another visitor said: “Our first visit to Petworth and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Although the house isn’t particularly impressive from the outside, the artwork within certainly is worth viewing. We did a guided tour with an extremely knowledgeable gentleman, which was greatly enjoyable and informative.”

They added: “I’m not even a great art fan, but he brought everything to life. Afterwards, we enjoyed a coffee in the cafe and a lovely walk around the estate in the sunshine. I would say it is more suited to adults than children, but we really enjoyed our visit.”

Petworth lies just over half an hour’s drive from Chichester and roughly 50 minutes from Portsmouth. If you appreciate nature and wildlife, keep your eyes peeled for the hundreds of deer roaming freely throughout the grounds.

The grounds represent one of the finest surviving examples of English landscape design by celebrated architect Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown. From this location, visitors can take in breathtaking views across the South Downs, with the estate providing an ideal viewpoint.

It’s also an ideal destination to leave behind the chaos of everyday life for an invigorating stroll. Worth noting too that Petworth received such acclaim, it was recognised as one of Britain’s most scenic towns by Condé Nast Traveller earlier this year.

So if you’re considering a day trip within the UK, Petworth makes for a charming and peaceful excursion this winter.