This town has gorgeous coastal walks as well as plenty to explore
15:06, 12 Oct 2026Updated 15:07, 12 Oct 2026
This gorgeous coastal town is perfect for a weekend away(Image: Getty)
Summer has drawn to a close and autumn has arrived. While summer is a wonderful season for getting away, there’s no reason the enjoyment has to end when temperatures drop.
Indeed, autumn ranks among the most spectacular times of year across the UK.
The foliage transforms into golden hues, tourist numbers dwindle and settling into a welcoming pub following a lengthy ramble epitomises the perfect autumn pursuit.
If you’re seeking a UK destination that truly comes alive during autumn, there’s a delightful seaside town in Cornwall that might tick all the boxes.
According to research conducted by credit card firm Zable, Fowey in Cornwall emerges as the best value location for an autumn staycation. It’s not merely affordable though – it’s also a charming harbour town brimming with things to discover.
The town sits proudly on the banks of the river Fowey and traces its roots back to medieval times.
Its naturally deep water harbour established it as a significant historical port and commercial hub throughout the centuries, while the streets showcase magnificent Victorian and Edwardian architecture.
The region surrounding Fowey also holds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty status.
If you fancy exploring the town’s surrounding landscape, then the creeks and coves walk is absolutely essential. This four-mile circular route incorporates two ferry crossings and highlights the magnificent woodlands and coastal pathways that cradle the town.
The walk requires two to three hours including ferry journeys and looks absolutely stunning at this time of year. However, if you’d prefer to remain in the town itself then you certainly won’t be short of things to do.
Fowey boasts a thriving high street brimming with independent shops and boutiques that are ideal for an afternoon of browsing.
Fore Street serves as the town’s main high street and its twisting alleyways offer a wonderful way to while away an afternoon.
Make sure to pop into Jo Downes Handmade Glass for locally blown glass artworks, or Heather Jane and Co., which features art from 180 local makers.
Round off your day at a quintessential Cornish pub, the Ship Inn on Trafalgar Square. This historic establishment was built in 1570 and features a huge open fire ideal for a relaxing autumn pint.
The beautiful spot is perfect for pensioners seeking a relaxed lifestyle
14:27, 12 Oct 2026Updated 14:35, 12 Oct 2026
Best town to retire in Spain as expats praise ‘affordable living’
New analysis from World Atlas has named the best Spanish towns to relocate to. They are all stunning, overlooked locations, ideal for retirees seeking a peaceful and authentic way of life away from well-known resorts such as Benidorm or the Costa del Sol.
The research highlighted seven picturesque towns with fewer than 50,000 inhabitants across Spain that feature “walkable, historic centres with accessible recreation, including coastal paths, mountain trails, canoeing rivers, and reservoirs a short drive from the front door”. On Reddit, expats praised the “affordable living” and the “amazing regional food” of some of these picture-perfect locations.
Trujillo, in Extremadura, was named the best small town to retire in, with the lowest housing prices of around €717 (£605) per month. Locals praised the town’s authenticity on social media, with one saying that “life is more or less affordable, with no uncontrolled tourism problems, and food is amazing”.
Trujillo was followed by Arcos de la Frontera, in Cádiz, which has an estimated population of 31,046. Experts at World Atlas noted: “For retirees who want a classic Spanish white town with water sports on the doorstep rather than just mountain views, Arcos is a rare combination.”
Baiona, in Galicia, was also named one of the best places to relocate to. The charming town in northern Spain has a population of 12,380. World Atlas stated: “Baiona offers a version of coastal Galicia that pairs history with a genuine beach-town feel, at a price most Mediterranean resort towns can’t match.”
Other places included the picturesque town of Sitges, just half an hour down the coast from Barcelona, and Cangas de Onís, best known as the historic gateway to the Picos de Europa National Park.
Hebron, occupied West Bank – Badr al-Tamimi, 60, lives in Hebron’s Old City, where Israeli checkpoints, iron gates and road closures turn the simplest tasks into a dispiriting daily ordeal for Palestinian residents.
The situation goes beyond mere restrictions on movement. Israel has created a ghost town in parts of Hebron, where residents feel they are being driven out. This is most pronounced in an area known as H2, where Israel has complete control and Palestinians are subject to the dictates of the military.
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A few days ago, Israeli authorities installed three iron gates across a 200-metre (656-foot) stretch of Hebron’s Old City – amounting to just 0.2 dunams (200 square metres) – as part of Israel’s apparent attempts to restrict Palestinians’ freedom to move around the city.
Hebron Mayor Yousef al-Jabari told Al Jazeera that one gate was erected on al-Zahid Road, the only route accessible to vehicles reaching the Old City entrance. A second was placed at the start of al-Shalala Street, which leads to shops connecting to the Bab al-Zawiya area in the city centre. A third towers over another section of al-Shalala Street, a thoroughfare used by pedestrians to access the shopping area.
They are part of a wider web of travel restrictions across the occupied West Bank, but Hebron, which has a strong settler presence, has suffered more than most Palestinian cities.
Approximately 40 percent of the 89 checkpoints in the West Bank and 11 percent of all 925 movement obstacles are located in the H2 area of Hebron, which is under tight Israeli control, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
About 7,000 Palestinians in an area of Hebron where hundreds of settlers live are affected by the latest travel restrictions. Since October 2023, when the genocidal war on Gaza began, only Palestinians with specific identification numbers could enter this area. Checkpoints at the entrance to this zone are generally only open from 7am to 8pm.
Badr al-Tamimi is forced to move between iron gates to reach other parts of the Old City where he lived his whole life [Sari Jaradat/Al Jazeera]
Al-Tamimi, who lives in the al-Sheikh neighbourhood adjacent to the city’s famed Ibrahimi Mosque, owns a shop in the Old City.
Palestinians can be kept waiting for hours at the checkpoints, and the mood of a soldier manning one can decide the commute time of a Palestinian. Worshippers attempting to enter the Ibrahimi Mosque can be held up for hours by soldiers.
“They might allow a limited number of people to enter while others are forced to wait, whereas resident movement comes to a halt during incursions, Jewish holidays, and the associated security measures,” he added.
Repeated closures have paralysed economic activity in Hebron, making it increasingly difficult for shops and companies to do business.
“Our presence in the Old City is a matter of steadfastness, not the availability of the elements needed for economic life,” al-Tamimi said.
Even after Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967, Hebron was once a bustling city with lively shops and markets. Residents could move more freely between neighbourhoods, which helped with economic life in the city.
From that point, the Old City’s geography changed, becoming isolated from its surroundings, al-Tamimi said.
He points to Shuhada Street, once a vital artery for transport and commerce in the city before road closures and restrictions transformed the area’s reality.
“They committed the crime, yet they continue to punish us for it,” he said.
In 1997, the Hebron Protocol was signed between the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel, dividing the city into two zones: H1, which was under relative Palestinian jurisdiction, and H2 – an area which includes the Old City, the Ibrahimi Mosque, and illegal settlements – remained under Israeli security control.
Issa Amro, coordinator of the Youth Against Settlements group, said Israeli prohibitions intensified with the outbreak of the second Intifada in 2000 when Hebron became a centre of the uprising.
During this period, vast areas of the city were sealed off, shops were forced to close, and residents often remained confined to their homes or neighbourhoods.
Since Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began on October 7, 2023, the number of checkpoints has risen to 32, while other obstacles impeding Palestinian movement now exceed 130.
Israel installed new iron gates in Hebron’s Old City to restrict the movement of Palestinians [Sari Jaradat/Al Jazeera]
The “closed zones”, designated by Israeli authorities as areas of military activity with restricted access to Palestinians, have expanded around the Ibrahimi Mosque and the illegal settlements that lie in the heart of the city.
“The movement restrictions are effectively holding residents as hostages,” Amro said.
Mayor al-Jabari said approximately 10,000 Palestinians in the Old City and the surrounding closed zones are affected by these measures.
Some parts of Hebron are inaccessible to vehicles, and Palestinian residents are subject to curfews two or three days a week, usually over the weekend.
He believes these restrictions are aimed at hindering Palestinians’ ability to return home and stifle life in parts of Hebron.
Meanwhile, Israeli authorities have helped settlers expand in the area, imposing a new suffocating reality for Palestinians in the city.
Al-Jabari said Israel’s current government could be doing this to curry favour with settlers ahead of this month’s election.
Control of Hebron, its Old City, and the Ibrahimi Mosque is a key issue for settlers, and politicians in this group occupy key posts in the Israeli government.
This has coincided with a concerted effort by Israeli authorities to cement the settler presence in and around the city.
“The seizure of buildings and land, along with the installation of gates, is a continuation of Israeli policies that have been in place for decades,” al-Jabari said.
“These include the closure of Shuhada Street and the shutting down of over 500 shops, as well as the establishment of settlement outposts and military positions within the Old City.”
He has seen more restrictions on Palestinians’ freedom of movement over the past month, measures that will undoubtedly appease settlers.
Hebron municipality has responded to this by filing lawsuits in Israeli courts, despite its scepticism about the impartiality of the judiciary.
With these measures continuing, life for Palestinians is getting worse, making work, life and education a daily struggle.
Israel cites the security situation as a pretext for erecting more checkpoints and iron gates in Hebron, but there are no such restrictions on settlers.
Since 2015, Israel has limited the number of Palestinian residents of closed zones who can pass through these checkpoints. Students and teachers frequently have their bags searched by Israeli soldiers or are detained.
Ayat al-Jabari, a 40-year-old science teacher, worked for a year at Qurtuba School, located near the closed Shuhada Street, before transferring to her current position at Al-Fayha School, near the Ibrahimi Mosque.
Although reaching Qurtuba School from her home should have been a five-minute journey, it often took an hour.
On her unsettling morning route through a nearby cemetery, often in darkness during the winter months, settlers and soldiers often appear in the graveyard to block the path of Palestinians or abuse them.
“Every day, I was forced to take a long route and walk through a cemetery to avoid passing the checkpoint, as I don’t hold a [special identification card] number. Even those who do hold numbers are sometimes forced to take this path to escape the soldiers’ moods,” she said.
After moving to Al-Fayha School, al-Jabari hoped her commute would improve, but the situation is no better than before.
“Whenever Jewish holidays arrive, these schools are closed because all the students live in areas subjected to a total lockdown, to the point where residents are even forbidden from opening their front doors,” she said.
