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Sitting atop a hill in the heart of one of the most popular areas in the UK is a charming market town that offers a step back in time along its narrow lanes and medieval backdrop

While it may be compact, this idyllic UK town is brimming with traditional tearooms and one of the best bookshops in the UK, as I discovered on a recent visit.

The Cotswolds are well-known for being home to quaint towns filled with honey-coloured cottages and meandering rivers against rolling countryside hills, so there’s a very good reason why it’s an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). One settlement that makes up this notoriously beautiful part of the world is Stow-on-the-Wold, the highest town in the Cotswolds.

Perched nearly 800ft above sea level in Gloucestershire, Stow-on-the-Wold is famed for its ancient market square, thriving independent scene, and for being regarded as the ‘antique capital of the Cotswolds’. Positioned just a 10-minute drive from Bourton-on-the-Water and 30 minutes from Cheltenham, it attracts visitors far and wide who come to marvel at its charms.

The renowned market square that characterises this town, dating back to 1107, is surrounded by an abundance of shops, from the gift store, The Honey Pot, sheepskin goods at Lambswold and the Cotswold Sweet Company. But if you wander further into the town, down sloping streets and past medieval stonework and climbing ivy, there’s so much more to discover.

I visited Stow-on-the-Wold for the first time this month and was left in awe of how many shops lined its narrow, honey-hued streets. There weren’t any empty stores in sight, but thriving independent businesses like Ella’s Emporium, Rhubarb Rhubarb Boutique, the florist Allium, kitchen store, The Crock Shop, beer cafe and bottleshop, Off the Square, and a local favourite at lunch, Cotswold Baguettes.

If you don’t take time strolling along its narrow lanes, off the main high street, it’s easy to miss a hidden gem, with some shops tucked a little out of the way. I could have easily missed Talbot Court, where green shopfronts and string lights adorn a courtyard, and the Borzoi Bookshop, which quickly became my favourite find.

Tucked down another courtyard decorated with flags, hanging lights and potted plants, just off Digbeth Street, the independent bookshop has been trading for more than 40 years. Packed with novels for all ages, Borzoi’s is a sanctuary for bibliophiles who are looking to find their next best read in a cosy, secluded store, or to join one of their book clubs, and I could have spent hours inside.

One visitor shared on TripAdvisor: “Lovely quaint book shop with a wide variety of books, cards and wrapping. They had a lovely children’s section with beanbags to sit on, which was inviting for our child. Staff were pleasant, and the shop was fairly busy with customers. They even had signed copies of books on sale. Would definitely recommend.”

Naturally, Stow-on-the-Wold is home to a variety of antique stores, including the White Cottage and Tare Antiques, where visitors are guaranteed to find a vintage treasure, with displays decorating entrances. But what truly makes this town stand out are the collection of traditional tearooms, which really felt as though I had stepped back in time.

Lucy’s tearoom was particularly noteworthy, with elegant seating outside and its curved window frames, while I also found the Old Bakery Tearoom, tucked inside the Fountain Court, offering classic cream tea. Huffkins also appeared to be a favourite among locals, as they sat in the summer sunshine savouring a slice of cake and a cuppa against the town’s medieval backdrop.

But a trip to Stow-on-the-Wold isn’t complete without stopping by The Porch House, which is claimed to be the oldest pub in England. I glimpsed inside the medieval pub, where its historic wooden beams and uneven floors, dating back to the 10th century, made it feel as though a pint should be served in a drinking tankard.

Meanwhile, residents were filling the streets around The Queen’s Head Inn, sipping drinks in the afternoon summer sun, with the pub adorned with hanging baskets. Others opted for a glass of wine outside at Massimo or a cocktail and bite at The Cotswolds Farm shop, before taking a stroll around the market town packed with charm.

The town is also celebrated for the ‘Tolkien Door’, located at the north entrance of St. Edward’s Church, surrounded by towering intertwined yew trees which are believed to have inspired the ‘Doors of Durin’ in J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. Twice annually, Stow-on-the-Wold also plays host to the traditional Gypsy horse fair, which stretches back over 500 years and originated as a sheep and wool fair, reflecting the town’s trading heritage.

Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

IF YOU are looking for your next hidden gem island to jet off to, then look no further.

Picture luscious green trees, pristine beaches and its currently 30C – well, you could experience this less than five hours from the UK.

Losinj is a small Croatian island that is connected to the mainland via a bridge from the neighbouring island of Cres.

The island is loved for its natural beauty, but historically, has also been loved for being a health resort.

By 1891, more than a million trees covered the island – a mix of Aleppo and Scot pines.

A year later, the island was declared a natural health resort thanks to the aromatic oils of the pine trees filling the air and producing a natural aerosol that when inhaled helped those with respiratory diseases.

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Known as the ‘Island of Vitality’, Losinj today is still loved for its natural state but has also become popular for its pretty beaches with clear water.

Littered across the island are a number of picturesque towns and villages to visit.

The main hub is Mali Losinj, which is home to 19th century Captain’s Houses, as well as a natural harbour and a Museum of Croatian Apoxyomenos.

There’s also Sveti Jakov – a small fishing village home to around 70 people – with ancient olive groves as well as a sandy cove ideal for swimming.

One spot that is ideal for history lovers is Veli Losinj, where you’ll find the oldest settlement on the island.

This used to be the spot where Austro-Hungarian royalty used to stay, as a health retreat on the island, with palm trees, villas and its very own small fishing port.

Most of the island remains covered in trees making it the ideal hiking destination.

If you do head on a trek, beeline for Televin – a scenic viewpoint that overlooks the island and surrounding ocean.

According to one recent review, a round-trip trek to the viewpoint takes about five-and-a-half hours, though it isn’t too strenuous.

The viewpoint can also be reached via car, along a road.

There are a number of places to stay across the island including Vitality Hotel Punda, which costs from £75 per night.

The hotel sits near the coast and boasts its own gardens as well as three restaurants, five bars, a rocky swimming area, outdoor pools, an indoor pool and a spa.

It is also only three miles from Mali Losinj ferry terminal, where you can hop on a ferry to Zadar (which is the easiest point to access the island from).

One-way flights to Zadar cost from £19 per person, in August.

The journey to Losinj then usually takes about two hours.

Picking the right plane seat can make all the difference to your journey – and one flight attendant says there’s a simple strategy that could leave you with a much more comfortable flight

Whether it’s a weekend break or a long-haul holiday, most travellers spend at least a little time trying to pick the best seat on the plane that they can find. Now, one flight attendant has shared the plane seats she always recommends booking in economy – along with the ones she avoids at all costs if you want a more relaxing flight.

Air hostess Sandra Jennie Kwon, who posts as @jeenie.weenie on TikTok, explained how she worked out her ideal seat after years of working onboard aircraft. In the video, she says: “The first elimination should be a no-brainer – the middle seats suck.

The back row of every section doesn’t recline. I’m not a tall person, so I don’t need the emergency exit rows. There’s also nowhere to store your personal belongings there. They also have those flimsy tray tables and seats, so let’s scrap them.”

The travel expert then revealed why she prefers sitting towards the back of the plane, explaining that airlines typically fill seats from the front first to help with weight distribution.

Because of this, she believes passengers at the back are more likely to end up with an empty seat next to them.

“For those odds, I prefer the back,” she said. “Seats near a toilet really stink, so I recommend a five-row buffer just to stay in the safe zone.”

She also ruled out window seats for one simple reason.

“I hate asking people to move so I can use the toilet,” she explained. “So I eliminate all the window seats.”

However, she admitted there’s one advantage to sitting closer to the front.

“Meals are typically served from front to back, so you have a higher chance of getting your first meal choice.”

After weighing up the pros and cons, Sandra revealed her ideal economy seats are 49 C, D, F or G.

Her advice quickly sparked debate online.

One person joked: “No! Now everyone will rush to these seats and they’ll become more expensive than business class.”

Another wrote: “I was listening right up until you scrapped the window seat.”

A third added: “The amount of people that’ll be fighting for seats 49 C/D/F/G after watching this… omg.”

While someone else commented: “Me taking notes even though I probably won’t be on a plane for another year.”

The EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) has sparked massive airport queues across Europe – with people complaining that they’ve had to wait hours to enter countries after landing

Brits looking forward to a European getaway this summer have been issued a major travel warning by an airport boss after the EU implemented its new border system.

Officials implemented the new passport control system, named the Entry/Exit System (EES), on October 12 last year, requiring British citizens travelling to the Schengen area to register biometric details – including fingerprints and a photo – on arrival. The arrangements have caused massive pileup queues in airports across the area, and the system itself is reportedly plagued with bugs.

A boss at one of the busiest airports in the EU, located in one of the most visited cities on the continent, has warned that the system has nearly tripled the amount of time it is taking Brits to travel through passport control.

Ivan Bassato, the Chief Aviation Officer at Rome’s Fiumicino airport, told the BBC that large numbers of passengers are using the €12 million (£10.2 million) self-service “kiosks”. While recent updates to the system have “improved things significantly” with the e-gates, issues remain for UK nationals, who are now taking much longer to get through the border.

He said the average time has extended from seven to 20 minutes, and the process is still taking much longer than it would have before the EES rollout.

Mr Bassato said: “We are not at the point where you have the same quality of the process [as] before the EES.” The official added that the airport was “absolutely not okay with” waits lasting between one to two hours, urging: “I think that we need to fix urgently certain aspects of the system.”

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has previously warned Brits travelling into the Schengen area that they should be “prepared to wait” as the EES is implemented, especially if it is their first visit.

The Government’s portal advises: “On your first visit to the Schengen area, you may be asked to create a digital record at the port or airport on arrival. You may be asked to submit your fingerprints and have your photo taken at dedicated booths. You don’t need to provide any information before travelling to a Schengen area country.

“The checks may take slightly longer than previously, so be prepared to wait during busy times.” Brits travelling into Rome have encountered lengthening wait times lasting hours.

Speaking to the BBC, Carl, who had travelled to the Italian capital with his family, said he was bowled over by the amount of time it took to enter the country. He said: “It was two hours queuing, from getting off the plane to getting through with children. I knew it was going to be bad, but not as bad as that.”

One traveller entering from outside the EU said in a post on Reddit that, on entry to Fiumicino, they encountered a non-EU immigration line that wrapped through duty free.

They wrote: “Flight was at 11:15 today. Arrived at FCO at 8:45. Checking in and security was a breeze. Immigration line was extremely long for non-EU passports. Wrapped through duty free into the domestic terminal. The line finally moved enough that was I was on gate side of duty free at 9:30. Made it through immigration around 9:55.

“Worth noting that we had fast pass in security and priority check in for bags. Much more time needed if we didn’t.” The European Commission has insisted that disruption in EU airports is limited, and that member states would receive continued EES support.

Families are being delayed at security and some items are being confiscated

Parents have warned holidaymakers about a viral toy as it is causing chaos at airport security this summer. Stress relief toys called NeeDohs and squishy shaped dumplings are popular among children, but they are causing problems at airport security.

The squishy toys contain liquid which parents say is being detected on scanners at airport security and have caused travellers delays as they wait to get their bags checked. Emma Barnes was travelling to Barcelona from Birmingham airport on May 29 with her ten-year-old twins when their cases were pulled aside by security.

The part-time teacher, from Chester in Cheshire said: “I didn’t know it was a thing until it happened to us. We had five or six squishies in total spread across random pockets in our bags. I didn’t think twice, I thought it was just a squishy toy the kids had and especially on a short hall flight when they don’t have a television, they need something.

“It caused us so much stress. It is stressful anyway at airport security and when the first case got pulled and I thought ‘oh no what is it’.”

Emma explained security officials went through their bags until they found one of her children’s NeeDoh squishies. She said: “The first case got pulled and they took the squishy out and said we can’t tell what the component is inside of it and they had to drug test it.

“My daughter then said to me ‘I put two in the other cases as well’. The queue behind us was getting massive and I was dying inside. The security was really nice, they scanned and swabbed them and gave them back to us.

“I wanted to help warn other parents travelling this summer as everyone’s kids have squishy toys. We could see the airport staff thinking ‘this is going to be a bad summer ahead’.”

Emma said next time she will treat the squishies. Other parents said online “my son’s got taken off him” and that “Play-Doh has the same issue”.

Leanne, from Derbyshire, had a similar experience at East Midlands airport earlier this year. Her seven-year-old daughter put a NeeDoh in a bag without telling her mum. “Thankfully we were allowed to keep it,” she said. “I have heard that some airports dispose of them.

“My little girl is in the special educational needs (SEN) pathway so they help her regulate emotions when she’s stressed, so she was so worried it would be taken from her. The security lady said they flag up all the time. It was not a nice experience but I do understand why it happened when we knew what our daughter had done.

“It has never been flagged until now. It is becoming a bigger and bigger thing – the scanners aren’t liking them at all.”

A spokesperson for Manchester Airport said: “Things like squishy toys contain liquid – this includes NeeDohs which use malt syrup. Smaller versions of the toy are under 100mls but larger versions are not. The problem is that as they don’t have measurements printed on them security staff have to estimate their size.

“Our advice is that all but very small squishy toys should be placed in hold baggage.”

A Birmingham Airport spokesperson added: “These items are not a security prohibited item, but as with any item carried as cabin baggage, they are required to clear security screening”.

Gatwick Airport said the toys are not prohibited but like all items, are subject to security screening. Government officials have also issued concerns about the toys, including Aberdeen City Council in Scotland who put out a warning on July 13 about potentially dangerous versions of the popular squishy toys, with more than 1,000 being seized from local shops in a month.

Hillingdon Council trading standards officers seized 500,000 squishy dumpling toys in two months at Heathrow airport which were coming into the UK to potentially be sold. Officials fear businesses are selling dangerous counterfeit versions and urge people to check where they are buying the toys from.

Hillingdon Council said: “Heathrow Airport is a gateway for goods entering the UK, and we’re proud to play a leading role in protecting consumers. As part of this work, our Trading Standards officers have been carrying out targeted checks on “squishy” toys at Heathrow. In the past two months, the council has seized 500,000 squishy toys. Many are similar in design and lack proper labelling and traceability information.

“The main issue is the absence of clear details of a responsible UK-based business and the correct UKCA or CE safety markings, making it hard to verify compliance and take action.”

TV presenter and content creator Jordon Cox said the ‘secret’ could help holidaymakers save hundreds

Holidymakers could ‘save hundreds’ on their next hotel booking using a ‘secret’ booking trick. The advice was shared by Jordon Cox, an ITV presenter and content creator, known as the ‘Coupon King.’

Posting on YouTube and Facebook, the deals expert shared a tip for anyone making a hotel booking. He explained how people can save hundreds by taking advantage of the ‘free cancellation’ policy often found on bookings if they find the same booking at a lower price closer to the date.

While it won’t always apply, Jordon said he’s saved £400 in the past using the trick – and shared exactly when he would check back to look for offers. Jordon claimed: “Hotels don’t want you to know this hack.”

In his caption, he explained: “If you book a hotel stay which includes ‘Free Cancellation’ – you could use this as a trick to save you money. Even after you’ve booked, check back at the website you booked through to see if prices change.

“If the price drops, you can cancel your original booking, get your money back, and rebook at the cheaper price! It’s worth having a look at prices around two months, two weeks and five days before you travel (although check when your last day for free cancellation is. Most are up to about 48 hours before).

“I once got £400 off a week’s hotel stay by using this trick. So it could pay a lot to check! It won’t work every time, but set a reminder in your phone, and spend a few minutes to potentially save £100s!”

Sharing another tip in the comment section, Jordon added: “Works on Car Hire too! Always worth a look – set some reminders!” The post delighted social media users, gaining over 20k views and hundreds of likes.

Commenting under the video, a viewer said: “That’s a decent tip tbf.” A second comment claimed: “And that’s why hotels don’t offer cancellation for long.”

Someone else replied: “Recommend doing it the other way round. Make a new booking at the lower price, THEN cancel the original. Much safer in case someone else books.”

MoneySavingExpert also shares similar advice for holidaymakers. On a webpage sharing tips for cheap hotel bookings, the consumer website advises: “You can also save by cancelling if the price drops after you’ve booked. To do this, simply cancel the original booking, then rebook at the cheaper price. Often this can work with the site you booked with.

“Most booking sites and hotel websites give you a non-refundable and a free cancellation option for each room type. Non-refundable rooms tend to be cheaper, so you’ll need to weigh up if paying more for free cancellation is worth it.”

Trips to waterfalls, gardens, galleries, medieval forests and prehistoric caves will make the long school holidays a lot more fun. To help families explore affordably, throughout August buses in England will be free for kids and adult fares will be capped at £3 single. Or, if you arrive somewhere by train, you could buy a PlusBus ticket, which include unlimited local bus travel. Here are six ideas for family outings by bus around England.

Great North Museum, Newcastle

Painted mummy cases, fossilised dino teeth, a stuffed wombat, a fake merman … Newcastle’s Great North Museum: Hancock is full of things kids might love – and entrance is free. Some of the impressive Roman altars are lit with colourful projections and there’s a planetarium with shows (from £2.95). This summer’s exhibition Treasure: Hidden, Lost, Found (free, until 20 Sept) involves thoughtfully curated shiny stuff, from Roman coins to Viking silver unearthed across northern England. Lots of buses stop nearby, and a bus ticket gets you 10% off in the cafe.

This summer, there’s also a Tales on the Tyne trail across Newcastle of giant Peter Rabbit sculptures and other, smaller “fluffles” to raise funds for St Oswald’s hospice. The waterfront hotel INNSiDE Newcastle, near the station, hosts a Tynetastic Peter sculpture, plus art and reading events. Its riverside restaurant has a bambino menu and under-11s get free meals until 6 September. The hotel offers family-friendly rooms (from £119 for four in August, room-only), activity hampers and a free soft-drink minibar.

In stylish Ouseburn, a short bus ride away, the Biscuit Factory gallery hosts three further fluffles, free kids’ activities, rabbit-themed food and a roof terrace. Bus 306 runs regularly all the way out to Tynemouth for an afternoon on the beach under castle-topped cliffs. Back in the city, the art deco Tyneside cinema has selected films at £5 each week and kids’ classics over the summer.

Forest fun near Hatfield, Essex

Open every day and free to enter, the National Trust’s Hatfield Forest has 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of Frisbee-ready flowering fields and shady woodland. Incongruously close to Stansted airport, the forest was once a royal hunting ground and is still home to hundreds of deer, some descended from Henry I’s original 12th-century herds. You can follow a boardwalk through twisting hornbeams, ramble across buttercup-carpeted meadows, build a den and hear yaffling woodpeckers.

Bus 509 from Bishop’s Stortford stops outside The Green Man, a short walk from the forest’s edge. Briefly follow the road signed Hatfield Forest and turn right up the path just after the bridge to find a map and gateway.

The lakeside picnic tables and alfresco cafe are a delightful mile away, past cattle-grazed pastures busy with butterflies, and 1,000-year-old trees. With no car to get back to (parking costs £9), make this a linear walk. Loop through woods to Thremhall Priory or follow the Three Forests way for 4½ miles to the village of Hatfield Broad Oak and catch bus 305 (not Sundays).

In Bishop’s Stortford itself, there’s a riverside splash pool and playgrounds near the recently revamped castle mound. South Mill arts centre has kids’ crafts for £2 and Much Hadham Forge museum has a free event on 27 August, featuring a Tudor storyteller, to celebrate 450 years since their Elizabethan murals were painted. Half-timbered Much Hadham is 20 minutes from Stortford on hourly bus 35 (not Sundays).

Cave art in Nottinghamshire

The Welbeck Estate’s walking map includes an easy-going, sculpture-dotted trail to Creswell Crags, where a bus ticket gets you free entry to the museum and 10% off in the cafe. A stroll through the limestone gorge is spectacular, past ponds and caves where prehistoric humans lived and left rock art on the walls. Bus 209 from Worksop stops every couple of hours (not Sundays) near the Dukeries garden centre and Welbeck courtyard at the start of the trail.

Welbeck has a free museum and gallery in converted outbuildings. Highlights include the pearl earring Charles I was wearing when he was beheaded and a red chalk Madonna by Michelangelo. The award-winning Harley cafe next door serves local food (kids’ soup £5, cheese on toast £6).

Half-price Harewood, West Yorkshire

Like many big country houses, Harewood usually charges adults well over £20 for a day’s worth of paintings, porcelain and landscaped gardens. But arrive on the frequent bus 36 from Leeds or Harrogate, and you get 50% off walk-up ticket prices. This gives you access to the art-filled house, the Capability Brown parkland and gardens with scented borders, waterfalls and bridges in thickets of bamboo.

For kids, there’s a wooded adventure playground with zipwire and slides, a treehouse and a willow maze. They can also borrow a nature safari bag, complete with map and compass, torch, binoculars and magnifying glass. And the summer holidays are packed with extra offers, all free with a ticket: den-building, gardening, statue-cleaning, dressing up, circus skills, and mid-August workshops by Tibetan monks.

Inside, there’s an exhibition of glamorous photos by Cecil Beaton (until 4 October). Alternatively, a 5-mile circular walk from the bus stop takes in deer, buzzards, rolling parkland and the Muddy Boots cafe. Half an hour away on the 36 bus, Leeds has the free five-storey Royal Armouries museum overlooking the dock.

Word-class art indoors and out in Norwich

Elisabeth Frink’s ostrich-like structures stalk through waterside woods. Antony Gormley’s cast iron figures stand poised on rooftops and walkways across the brutalist University of East Anglia (UEA) campus. Henry Moore’s bronze forms recline on the lawns, and angular steel beasts by Lynn Chadwick crouch under a model of Vladimir Tatlin’s tower. The free sculpture park at the Sainsbury Centre is packed with iconic names from 20th-century art and architecture and set in 140 hectares of parkland that are yours to explore, with centuries-old oaks, wild rabbits, and free family-friendly tours and trails.

Inside the Norman Foster-designed gallery (pay what you can), relaunched in 2023, the works are eclectic. You can wander from ancient Chinese tomb figures to a dynamic new installation via a work by Picasso. Kids might like the glass box you can stand in to “become a work of art” near John Davies’ hyper-realistic Bucket Man. The ambitious summer exhibitions look at the meaning of life and aspects of play. Show your bus ticket in the cafe for a 10% discount.

Bus 25 from the station or city centre runs frequently to UEA and stops close to the Sainsbury Centre. It passes the huge square keep of Norwich Castle, which reopened last year after a £27.5m renovation project. There are sound-and-light shows on the old stone walls of the Great Hall and a £2.50 twilight ticket if you visit an hour before closing time.

Wildlife watching in the Lakes

The mossy, fern-fringed waterfalls at Aira Force are 45 minutes on bus 508 from Penrith station. The route runs beside Ullswater with views across the lake to bracken-cloaked Hallin Fell. It’s one of the trips in a new book on Where to Watch Wildlife in Britain By Low-Carbon Transport, along with 100 other car-free trips to nature-rich sites across the UK.

Look out for dippers, dragonflies and red squirrels. The area offers varied and spectacular walks, such as a pushchair- and mobility scooter-friendly stroll through the woods at Pooley Bridge or a hike up Gowbarrow Fell.

Research shows language barriers on holiday are among the biggest obstacles when falling ill abroad — but a new service aims to help Brits in need.

Just one in three holidaymakers feel confident they could adequately describe a medical problem to a doctor while overseas. A survey of 2,000 adults revealed that language remains one of the most significant obstacles when falling ill on holiday.

A mere 28% are confident they could comprehend medical advice given to them, and 13% have delayed seeking help for a medical issue while abroad because of issues with the language, or a lack of knowledge on how to get help in a different country.

Two thirds of travellers couldn’t request a new prescription if they urgently needed one, and wouldn’t know how to communicate that they were suffering an allergic reaction or had been bitten or stung.

Despite most holidaymakers being perfectly capable of ordering a drink or locating the nearest loo, a mere 5% bother to learn essential medical phrases before jetting off.

The research was commissioned by the Staysure, to launch its free 24/7 Travel Doctor service.

The service will enable travellers to speak to an English-speaking doctor or dentist in many worldwide locations via video call, arrange prescriptions, or make an in-person appointment at a clinic or at their hotel when they need medical assistance abroad.

Spokesperson Simon McCulloch said: “I’m not surprised to see, in true British style, most of us would be able to order a beer in another language when we’re on holiday.

“But while we hope we never need to deal with a health issue while we’re away, the research shows a third of people have had to seek medical advice and come up against language barriers.

“While it’s good to be able to order a drink or ask for the bill in other languages, it’s arguably more important that travellers feel confident they can get the right medical assistance quickly if they’re ill or injured.

“We can’t be prepared for every single eventuality but knowing a few key phrases can help especially if you require fast care, have a medical condition or take medication.

“But the thought of speaking with a pharmacist or doctor abroad can be a worrying and daunting experience especially with language barriers.

“In fact, we’ve already seen 50% of those who use the service opt for a video consultation with an English-speaking doctor taking that stress away.”

Can you tell the difference between ordering a coffee and a cry for medical help? Take the quiz now to find out.

The study found when it comes to communicating abroad, 59% assume they’ll be able to get by in English when travelling to a non-English speaking country. While 37% simply rely on translation tools, and 12% would ask AI to understand.

Others admit they would turn to alternative ways to communicate, including using hand signals or gestures (70%), speaking English slowly (10%) or asking someone else to translate (nine%). With 39% even admitting to putting on a foreign accent to try and communicate better.

But these tactics don’t always pay off, with 39% ending up in an embarrassing or difficult situation due to language mix-ups.

Simon McCulloch, from Staysure, added: “When we travel, we don’t ever imagine we are going to end up needing medical help, but there are many occasions where we do.

“That’s why we launched the free 24/7 service, providing travellers with that extra layer of confidence. Our research also found that 79% of respondents said they would be inclined to use the service”.

THE kids will really dig fossil hunting, seal spotting and making a splash in this off-grid Dorset farm, says Art Director Laura Cunningham.

Here’s how a safari tent adventure will turn into the ultimate family staycation triumph.

THE PAD

When I break the news to my workaholic husband Barney and our kids Ellis, 10, Nate, eight, and six-year-old Violet, that we’ll be without electricity and Wi-Fi for four days, I’m met with horrified faces.

But Feather Down’s East Shilvinghampton Farm offers a wholesome family escape that means screens are fast forgotten.

The spacious safari tents have proper beds, a wood-burning stove and a well-equipped kitchen, and the kids spend hours feeding the goats and climbing trees – even walking the alpacas with farmer’s son Henry, £20 per animal.

Toasting marshmallows on the campfire and cooking pizzas, £12 each, in the communal pizza oven also creates magical memories.

WAIL OF A TIME

I drove Irish Route 66 with deserted golden beaches and pirate-like islands

TEMPTED?

Tiny ‘Bali of Europe’ town with stunning beaches, €3 cocktails and £20 flights

EXPLORE

Worth the 45-minute drive is Dorset Adventure Park and its giant 200m inflatable water course.

Adults will have just as much fun as kids, who won’t tire of launching you off the flipbag!

Tickets cost £22 each (Dorsetadventurepark.com).

We love feeding monkey nuts to the cute otters and watching penguins waddle around at nearby Sea Life Weymouth, before a round of pirate mini golf.

Combo tickets cost £27 for adults, £24 for kids (Visitsealife.com/weymouth).

And be sure to follow Weymouth’s Fossil Trail, from Alexandra Gardens to Hope Square, to hunt down fossil sculptures and learn more about the prehistoric creatures this coastline is famous for.

It easily fills an hour for us (Weareweymouth.co.uk).

At the beach itself you may be as lucky as us and spot a seal basking on the shoreline.

And if you fancy hanging out with 250 rescued primates, from gibbons to orangutans, in 65 acres of parkland, hit Monkey World.

Adult tickets cost £18, over-threes £12 (Monkeyworld.org).

REFUEL

Follow the queue of people along Weymouth’s waterfront to Rossi’s Ices.

They’re freshly made throughout the day, and we devour the hazelnut ripple and cherry flavours, £2.50 per scoop (Rossisweymouth.com).

Meanwhile, at Watch House Cafe in Bridport, we tuck into delicious crab focaccia with fennel salad and aioli, £14.50, while overlooking picturesque West Bay, AKA the cliffs made famous by Broadchurch (Watchhousecafe.co.uk).

And when hitting the golden sands of Hive beach, don’t miss the crispy chilli and lime squid, £19.50, at Hive Beach Cafe (Hivebeachcafe.co.uk).

Closer to the campsite, The Sunray pub in Osmington has a great outdoor play area and dishes including duroc pork loin served with bubble and squeak cake, scrumpy apple compote and garden sage jus, £23.75, while the kids’ sticky toffee pudding, £4, doesn’t disappoint either (Sunrayosmington.com).

BOOK IT

Safari tent stays for six at East Shilvinghampton Farm cost from £399 for four nights (Featherdown.co.uk).

A beach has been praised for its golden sands and tranquil blue waters that are reminiscent of Mediterranean destinations and holidays abroad – only it’s right here in the UK

A stunning British beach is turning heads for its golden sands and crystal-clear blue waters that wouldn’t look out of place on the Mediterranean coastline – but the best part is, it’s here in the UK.

It’s not always a case of flocking to Europe or the Caribbean for a lavish holiday, because Britain has plenty to offer. From charming towns to villages, locals and tourists can enjoy a diverse array of attractions here. Now if you’re in need of inspiration when it comes to booking your next staycation or day trip, we have you covered. According to Beach Guide UK, a whopping 1,500 beaches can be found across the country.

While the UK is hardly renowned for its reliable sunshine, Cornwall’s spectacular coastline more than compensates. There truly is something for everyone – from stunning stretches of powdery golden sand and unique shingle beaches, to hidden coves, world-class surf spots, and brooding atmospheric shores that could easily double as a backdrop for a BBC crime thriller.

Yet one particular beach is causing quite a stir thanks to its breathtaking Mediterranean-esque charm. Step forward Carbis Bay.

Discover Carbis Bay: Cornwall’s Mediterranean-Style Hidden Gem

This much-loved seaside village and resort sits approximately one mile southeast of the iconic St Ives, nestled on the western shores of St Ives Bay along the Atlantic coast.

Nature enthusiasts and walkers will find themselves equally captivated by Carbis Bay, as the South West Coast Path – England’s renowned 630-mile long-distance trail winding around the south west peninsula’s coastline – runs above the shore.

TikTok user Suzanne posted footage of Carbis Bay on the popular social media site.

Overlaid on the video, which sweeps across the golden sand and brilliant blue waters, she penned: “Okay… this might be the prettiest beach in the UK.”

Alongside the clip, Suzanne added the caption: “Carbis Bay, Cornwall, looking like the Mediterranean.”

Best Things to Do at Carbis Bay Beach: Swimming and Water Sports

The spot has also received recognition from Visit Cornwall, which notes: “Just a mile out of St Ives, Carbis Bay Beach is the perfect destination for a relaxing day at the beach. The bay’s lush cliffsides and position on the Atlantic Coast assure tranquil waters, making it the ideal spot for swimming.

“Tucked away into its own corner of St Ives Bay, Carbis Bay enjoys a perfect, natural shelter from the worst of the Atlantic swell, making its waters a tranquil paradise ideal for swimmers of all ages.”

Visit Cornwall continues: “The golden beach itself is perfect for soaking up the sun on warm summer days, or constructing elegant castles in the sand.

“While surfers might wish to look elsewhere for a swell, any with an interest in stand up paddle boarding or kayaking may just find that Carbis Bay ticks every box.”

Planning Your Visit: Travel Times and Carbis Bay Hotels

The travel to Carbis Bay can vary but if you’re coming from London, a car journey will roughly take 5 hours. Alternatively, a train journey is about 4 hours and 41 minutes. From Bristol, this is slightly closer and about 3 hours in the car.

Meanwhile it’s around 4 hours if you’re leaving from the Midlands.

It’s best advised that if you are visiting St Ives, booking yourself accommodation might be the less exhausting option. Hotels in Carbis Bay average about £350 to £470 per night during summer.

However rates can vary drastically and drop around £100 at any other time of the year. Meanwhile, luxury 5-star estates (like the Carbis Bay Estate) can range from £475 to £1,000+ per night depending on seasonal demand.

HEADING abroad can be stressful, from packing all the essentials to leaving for the airport at the crack of dawn.

To make it as easy as possible, take a look at all of the new rules for a smooth-sailing holiday this summer.

EES

The Entry/Exit System (EES) is a new system that has been implemented across 29 European countries in the Schengen Area.

These include holiday hotspots like Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Portugal and Germany.

EES tracks when you enter and leave European countries by using biometrics and eventually it will replace passport stamping.

Essentially Brits will have to register at a machine and scan their passport – the good news is that you then you don’t have to do it again for another three years.

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If you want to find out more on the step-by-step process – head here.

Something else to be aware of about EES is that it has resulted in long queues, so it’s wise to leave extra time when heading abroad.

There have been reports of up to six- hour delays outside of peak travel time at border control at multiple airports.

During the summer, you might experience queues in the arrivals hall, but there have also been travellers who have missed flights on their way home too.

eGates

There are new rules at UK airports for children which is actually good news for families.

Now, children aged eight and over can now use eGates when accompanied by an adult – they also need to be at least 120cm tall.

The height restriction is in place as kids need to be able to see and be captured by the biometric screens at the eGates.

The rule change impacts 13 airports across the UK that currently use eGates, including:

• London Heathrow
• London Gatwick
• London City
• London Luton
• London Stansted
• Manchester
• Birmingham
• Bristol
• East Midlands
• Newcastle
• Cardiff
• Edinburgh
• Glasgow

Passports

Brits heading on holiday are STILL being caught out by passport rules, so it’s worth reminding yourself beforehand.

Passports must be only be valid for 10 years, with any months rolled over from previous passports no longer allowed.

Figures have shown up to 100,000 holidaymakers a year face being turned away at airports if their passport is more than a decade old.

Before you travel, check the start date, not the expiry.

For example, if a passport has June 2016 start date but a November 2026 expiry, it has technically expired.

Alongside the requirement to have between three to six months left on it, enforced by a number of countries, it is still causing confusion for travellers.

Most places in Europe only want three months left on a passport, but places like the UAE, Egypt, and Chile require six months in total.

Another passport rule to be aware of only affects those with dual nationality.

A rule that came into effect at the beginning of 2026 means that you can no longer use your foreign passport to enter the UK.

Instead, you have to use a valid British passport.

If you don’t have this, you can apply for a certificate of entitlement, which costs £589.

Visas and travel requirements

Luckily for Brits, citizens can visit more than 170 countries in the world without a visa.

When heading on holiday, families can enter with just their passport to the Schengen Area and most European countries.

In most destinations, you can travel for up to 90 days within any 180-day period – so if you’re going to the likes of Spain for a two-week break, you’re covered.

But there are certain countries where an additional entry requirement is needed.

Be sure to check the entry requirements in advance as some take a few weeks to come through – although most holiday visas are approved quicker.

For example, if you’re headed to Florida for a theme park getaway to Orlando, then you’ll need to apply for an ESTA.

It costs around £30 per application and can be approved in as little as 72 hours.

Countries where you’ll need a visa or other travel requirement include India, Australia and parts of Egypt.

Until December 31, 2026, UK passport holders can visit China for up to 30 days without a visa.

This year, Sri Lanka has scrapped visa fees – but you will need to still apply for an ETA in advance.

ETIAS is a new system being brought in for Brits, but it won’t be in use until 2027 – so you won’t need one to travel this summer.

Power banks

While power banks are handy for travellers, they have caused several issues across a number of flights.

As the school summer holidays approach, holidaymakers must remember to adhere to strict rule.

When an incident regarding a lithium battery occurs in the cabin, cabin crew can handle it more easily.

However, if the issue is in the hold, then it’s a trickier problem to solve quickly and can cause delays or even the cancellation of flights.

The rules on carrying power banks vary from airline to airline.

Most airlines allow two power banks onboard per passenger as long as they are in hand luggage and cannot be used during the flight – these include:

• Asiana Airlime
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• China Airlines
• easyJet
• EVA Air
• Jet2
• Lufthansa
• Korean Air
• Loganair
• Qantas
• Ryanair
• Singapore Airlines
• Starlux Airlines
• TUI Airways
• United
• Vietnam Airlines
• Wizz Air

Emirates allows passengers to carry just one power bank onboard and it cannot be used during the flight.

However, Virgin Atlantic allows up to five power banks or spare batteries per passenger depending on their watt-hour rating.

Again, these cannot be used inflight and must be in hand luggage.

If you want to read more on power bank rules by the individual airline, head here.

BEARS? Check. Bald eagles? Check. Humpback whales? Check. Sea lions? Check. And world’s scariest ziprider? Ch . . . erm, not quite.

It wasn’t for want of trying. For the benefit of Sun readers I was yet again ready to face my deep-rooted fear of heights and hurtle 5,500ft down a mountain at 65mph. On a flimsy wire.

But, alas, the weather conspired against us.

I was on a tour of Alaska with Celebrity Cruises and the terrifying ziprider was one of the main attractions at our first port of call, Icy Strait Point.

Nestled next to the tiny fishing town of Hoonah (population 900), Icy Strait Point is now a fixture on the cruise circuit in this part of the world.

It boasts wildlife, scenery, a VERY steep cable car ride up the mountain, before an even steeper ride down on the aforementioned ziprider.

WAIL OF A TIME

I drove Irish Route 66 with deserted golden beaches and pirate-like islands

TEMPTED?

Tiny ‘Bali of Europe’ town with stunning beaches, €3 cocktails and £20 flights

Luckily, the wildlife did not let us down even if the weather did.

Heading out into the bay with enthusiastic marine mammal expert Lauryn, it wasn’t long before we were trailing alongside a pod of orcas, including an adorable calf.

Soon, a majestic humpback whale joined in the fun off the port side, repeatedly spouting and giving us a show of its giant tail.

Then, over on the shore, Lauryn spotted movement . . .  bears!

We watched in amazement as a mama bear and her two cubs plodded through their natural habitat, foraging on the shore.

Attenborough documentaries won’t cut it after this.

My one regret in that moment was not having invested in a better phone or camera before the trip so that I could bring home pictures to do the experience justice. Don’t make my mistake, explorers!

Back on land, and with the ziprider still closed, we refuelled at Lil Gen’s Mini Donuts.

This Salvation Army-run hut raises funds to help the tiny Alaskan community survive the winter months, when it’s too cold for cruise tourists to stop by and spend their money in the assortment of gift shops.

Check out the killer whale sculpture by American artist Wyland in the town’s harbour, by the way — apparently the seals find it so realistic that they’re now too scared to come to the shore!

Whales, seals and sea lions were regular sights from the deck of Celebrity’ Cruises’ newly refurbished Solstice, which took me on my week-long round trip from Vancouver.

The ship has seen improvements from bow to stern, including refreshed cabins and the creation of bougie new panoramic staterooms, if you have cash to splash.

A buzzy new sports and games bar, The Parlor, acts as a focal point for meeting before and after dinner at any of the vessel’s 11 restaurants.

I challenge you to name a board game they don’t have in that bar.

It’s also worth mentioning the flawless wi-fi passengers enjoy throughout the cruise, thanks to its use of Starlink.

I’ve been on cruises where connecting to the internet or video-calling home can be a painful experience, but not on here.

Staff were unfailingly friendly and helpful, as you’d expect, and were quick to find alternative excursions on shore when the weather interfered with plans.

As well as a multitude of wildlife-watching tours, there was everything from husky sledding atop a glacier and seaplane rides to wild fishing and, in Ketchikan, a live lumberjack show.

On another of our stops, Alaska’s state capital Juneau, a main street packed with gift shops, treats, stuffed animals and beer ended with a taste of the freshest, tastiest crab I’ve ever encountered at Tracy’s King Crab Shack, right on the dockside. And as you might imagine, the salmon in Alaska is a different class.

Which is why all the bears and sea lions look so darn healthy.

On one of the cruise’s sea days, the Solstice went for a breathtaking pass by the Hubbard Glacier.

The captain kindly swung the boat slowly through 360 degrees so everyone could get a good look at the mind-blowing scene from either the warmth of their cabin or out on the sleet-lashed deck.

With a face six miles wide and 400ft tall, the tidewater glacier is actively advancing rather than shrinking, and the cruise ships that pass by have to keep a safe distance due to the regular “calving” of building-size chunks of ice into the ocean.

All along the journey up from Vancouver and back again, the mist-shrouded and snow-topped mountains were awe-inspiring — but again sold horribly short by my everyday iPhone.

Which makes me think, I need to start planning what I need to buy for my return trip.

Mobile phone with MUCH better zoom? Check.

Big-boy pants for the big-boy ziprider? Erm . . .  let’s see nearer the time.

AS the Sun’s Deputy Travel Editor, I’ve certainly racked up the countries, hitting 60 this year.

This has included some insanely beautiful islands along the way, some of which you might not have heard of.

When it comes to island holidays, there is a strict criteria I always look for.

Stunning beaches and beautiful blue waters are obviously a must.

However, I also want a mix of relaxation and adventure, not just one or the other – after all, I want my hiking offset with a sunlounger cocktail.

So here are my top 11 picks I think everyone should visit, ranging from established Spanish islands to barely-known ones further afield.

Holbox

While Tulum and Cancun are great holiday destinations in Mexico, let me pitch you Isla Holbox. It’s a two-hour bus from the airport, followed by a quick ferry ride – but it is worth the trip.

Expect no cars, only golf buggies, people playing live music and dancing into the night and brightly graffitied coffee shops and taco stands.

White sandy beaches, palm trees and slightly dodgy electricity… but it truly makes you feel like you’re a million miles away from the world.

You can get some insanely beautiful hotels to stay in for really cheap as well – try Alcobas Del Mar which is from £30 a night, with an indoor pool. Flights to Cancun start from £507 return.

Tenerife

Sometimes, all you want is a beautiful fly and flop hotel resort – enter Tenerife.

Of course, the Spanish island has its iconic Siam waterpark, named the best in the world for years, its volcanic beaches and crazy Santa Cruz de Tenerife Carnival every year.

But I went there to celebrate in style for my 30th, and was sold by the pink Ritz Carlton Abama hotel (complete with a hidden beach you can only get to by land train).

I never left thanks to its Villa Ambassadors who are on call for your every need, from better pillows to booking massages.

If you’re looking for that hallowed 1 euro holiday pint you’ll be searching for a while as most of the cheap bars have put their prices up to a minimum of 1.50 (£1.30) euros a pint now – to find these deals, head to the strip in Los Cristianos, Playa De Las Americas and Costa Adeje.

Not every holiday has to be an adventure, and I came away being so relaxed I almost missed my flight back. Deals can be found for £839 each for a seven-night and flight package, via loveholidays.

Mauritius

If you asked me where the best sunsets are found in the world, I’d say Mauritius, an African island which had gorgeous bright pink skies every night.

Yet I was transported to Dubai thanks to the hotel rooftop infinity pools, Bora Bora from the thatched lobbies and Maldives for its overwater restaurants. That’s before exploring the beautiful history via L’Aventure du Sucre, and some rum cocktails at the beach bars….

It’s the kind of island where you never want to leave your resort, with friendly locals always cracking jokes as you laze by the pool.

You can fly directly there with Air Mauritius from £536 return, while you can easily find seven-night package holidays for under £1,000pp.

Ria Formosa

Don’t overlook Faro as a holiday destination, despite it being the gateway to the Algarve – it is home to some tiny, crowd-free islands in Ria Formosa, that only locals know about.

Ilha Deserta is just a few euros and 20 minutes by boat, where its golden sands are compared to the Caribbean of Portugal. The only thing on it? The fabulous Estamine restaurant, serving fresh fish and local wine.

Or there is Isla Armona, with a few more local houses and cafes, and is just as quiet to visit, along with islands Cabanas, Culatra and Tavira.

You’ll have to stay back on the mainland, with Faro hotels from around £80 a night. Flights to Faro start from £30 return with Ryanair.

Naifaru

At this point, the Maldives is on everyone’s bucket list, but there is a way to see the real side of the country, outside of the resorts.

I went on a day trip to Naifaru, where I met rehabilitated turtles at Atoll Marine Center that were injured from boats, as well as learned more about the local way of life from the people themselves.

Of course, if you want luxury you have a lot of options on nearby islands – if you want a larger, more established resort, opt for Atmosphere Kanifushi, while a smaller and more intimate resort is something like VARU by Atmosphere.

Deals for the Maldives are insanely cheap right now – loveholidays has some for as little as £1,179pp for a seven-night and return flight package.

Crete

Trying to name the best Greek island when there are hundreds to choose from seems like an impossible task. But the largest of them all sold itself as the perfect places for both couples and families.

I explored two sides of Crete, with Numo Ierapetra going up there as one of my favourite hotels. Adults-only, live DJ pool sessions, quiet beach and fantastic breakfast buffet – all boxes ticked.

Or head to the other side of the island and swap Chania for the Venetian city of Rethimno, where I hopped between cafes and trendy shops, as well as the tiny village of Margarites known for its ceramics.

Flights to Crete with easyJet are around £56 return, while stays at Numo Ierapetra start from £137 a night.

Sri Lanka

Mix palm-tree lined beaches with the best cup of tea in the world, and you’ll find Sri Lanka. It’s the size of Ireland, so it’s easy to get around, but with an insane amount of things to do.

Catch some waves at Weligama Beach, followed by an elephant safari in Yala, ending on some of the best – albeit spicy – curries of your life. Make sure to spark up a conversation with the locals, where it won’t take long to get onto the topic of cricket.

Hotels are crazy cheap – as little as £25 a night – but it has some of the world’s best hotels for a relatively reasonable price given the quality, like Jetwing Vil Uyana (from £271) or Cape Weligama (from £364).

Or keep it simple with a package deal with On The Beach from £870pp.

St Kitts

If you like hiking volcanos, paragliding in bright blue waters and ziplines through the jungle – St Kitts is the island for you.

Adventure tourism is a huge thing here. Think horse riding, jet skis, snorkelling and buggy rentals, which are the tip of the iceberg of what you can do there.

Although it still has its beautiful beach bars serving cheap cocktails and tasty lobster, alongside live reggae music.

Even better? You can fly there directly with British Airways, with return flights from £420pp. Hotels start from £68 a night, although most tend to sit around £100-£140.

Iceland

Sometimes you don’t want a sweaty, overly-hot holiday – which is where Iceland comes in. Even as a hot-weather girly, I was left in awe of the island’s natural landscape.

I spent my mornings in the famous Blue Lagoon, before getting cosy with a hot chocolate in front of my hotel fire.

Crazy geysers, rocky road trips, Northern Lights – it felt like I was going back in time to a more basic, rural way of living.

You can do it on a budget if you know where to look. Icelandair have a “Just the Basics” package trip from £421 which is return flights and two nights at a hotel.

Puerto Rico

If there is one island that surprised me in how much I loved it, it was Puerto Rico. While it’s popular with Americans, Brits often overlook it as a holiday destination, most likely because it requires a stopover flight.

It was a fascinating mix of American and Caribbean culture, where Medalla Light Beers were just £2.50 chased by great-value pork sandwiches to soak it all up. A tour of the Casa Barcardi distillery includes a lot of cocktails along the way too…

Definitely get a boat trip to Flamenco Beach, frequently classed as one of the best in the world, with the unique feature of a WW2 US army tank stranded on the shoreline, as well as a visit to El Yunque National Forest to see the glowing bioluminescent waters.

Don’t expect super cheap hotels, but you can find some guesthouses for under £100 a night. Return flights start from £610.

Turks & Caicos

Turks & Caicos is no longer as easy to get to, after Virgin Atlantic scrapped flights there – but it is 100 per cent worth the trip.

It’s a place for lazy days spent at resorts. All I did was explore sunrises on Grace Bay (another world’s best beach), kayak in glass-bottomed boats alongside chilled turtles, and drink alcohol on floating pontoons.

Don’t even try to compare it to its nearby neighbours of Jamaica and Barbados – it feels worlds away when it comes to the paradisical island.

Seven-night holidays start from £1,159pp with loveholidays.

SCHOOL’S out for summer. And if you’re one of the many strapped-for-cash Brits who has yet to book their family getaway, listen up.

The Algarve is the cheapest holiday destination for families in 2026 offering bargain food and drinks among other holiday essentials.

The Portuguese resort was crowned the most budget-friendly of 22 European holiday destinations in The Post Office Travel Money’s annual Family Holiday Costs Barometer.

Conducted in partnership with TUI, the research looked into the average price of ten typical getaway items for a family of four in some of the most popular short-haul holiday destinations.

These items included a cup of coffee, a bottle of beer/lager, a can of cola, a glass of wine, a large bottle of water, sun cream, insect repellent, children’s pizza or pasta, a two-course lunch for two adults and a three-course family meal with wine and soft drinks.

Overall, the Algarve was shown to be the least damaging to wallets with a total cost of £139.65 for all the above items.

WAIL OF A TIME

I drove Irish Route 66 with deserted golden beaches and pirate-like islands

TEMPTED?

Tiny ‘Bali of Europe’ town with stunning beaches, €3 cocktails and £20 flights

This is a 2.7 per cent dip in overall costs from the previous year, pushing the sun-soaked region ahead of Bulgaria’s notoriously affordable Sunny Beach on the budget scale.

Sunny Beach still came in second place overall, however, despite a staggering 9.3 per cent hike in costs since 2025, with all ten holiday items coming in at a total of £142.16 — just a few quid more than the Algarve.

It is still the most affordable place for a meal out, though.

According to the research, dinner for a family of four will set the average holidaymaker back around £73, compared with £78 in the Algarve.

In general, the report looks promising for Brits who love Spain’s gorgeous costas and islands, too.

On the whole, the country was shown to be widely affordable with six destinations making it into the top ten most budget-friendly regions for 2026.

The Canary isle of Lanzarote came in third place with overall costs of £147.42.

It was shown to be the cheapest spot for both a bottle of beer (£2.18) and adult lunch (£15.73), although some items like sun cream were found to be a bit more pricey.

Menorca, the Costa Brava and Tenerife came in fourth, fifth and sixth place on the list, with overall holiday item costs of £151.28, £155.02 and £158.31 respectively.

Each of these Spanish hot spots is new to the barometer for 2026, with TUI reporting increased demand for these destinations and Western Europe on a whole this year.

In all three holiday regions, a glass of wine was shown to be under £4 on average, with tipples in the Costa Brava and Tenerife costing less than they would in the Algarve.

On the other hand, if you’re a family with multiple hungry mouths to feed, you may want to set your sights on Marmaris, which came in seventh place overall.

According to the report, this Turkish destination has the most affordable kids meals of all 22 spots, setting holidaymakers back £10.24 on average for pizza or pasta for two kids.

That’s over £3 cheaper than in the winning budget destination, the Algarve, and could make a huge difference on a week-long getaway.

Completing the top ten chart are Spain’s Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca, plus Paphos in Cyprus, coming in eighth, ninth and tenth place respectively with barometer costs of £163.17, £173.41 and £177.18.

Laura Plunkett, head of Post Office Travel Money, said: “It is more important than ever to do some research before heading off on your holiday to inform how much holiday cash you’ll need for meals, drinks and other tourist staples.

“For those families who haven’t already booked and are looking for a late deal, the low resort prices in Portugal and Spain make these countries great value for money, while Bulgaria’s Black Sea resorts are strong contenders, too.”

At the opposite end of the scale, Italy’s Sorrento appeared to be the most expensive of all 22 destinations, with all ten of the holiday essentials costing £268.23 in total — almost double the price of the same items in the Algarve.

Holidaymakers visiting this Italian gem would be shelling out around £5.68 for a bottle of beer, £4.37 for a cup of coffee and a staggering £150.28 for a three-course family meal. Mamma Mia!

A woman has been arrested by Spanish police as she attempted to board a flight out of the country, having allegedly left a £2,000 hotel bill unpaid

Restaurant owners have complained that “dine and dash” offences are on the increase, with some customers ducking out on bills of hundreds of pounds. But as shocking as those losses are, they are dwarfed by a massive £2,000 bill left unpaid after one family’s 11-night holiday at an all-inclusive resort in the Canary Islands.

Officers of Spain’s National Police have arrested a foreign tourist on suspicion of fraud after she allegedly left a hotel in San Bartolomé de Tirajana (Gran Canaria) without paying for her stay, which was valued at 2,483 euros (£2,125).

In a press release, the National Police explained that hotel managers had reported that a family of two adults and a child had left the premises after an 11-night all-inclusive stay without settling the bill.

The stay had been booked through the resort’s website, and the customers had provided a credit card number as a security deposit. However, when hotel staff attempted to process the bill at the end of the guests’ stay, they were unable to complete the transaction.

Despite making several attempts to contact the customers, no payment was received and police officers were mobilised to intercept the guest as she attempted to leave the country.

Video footage provided by the National Police shows the as-yet-unnamed suspect being arrested at Gran Canaria Airport. After her arrest, the woman was taken to the Maspalomas police station for processing and was subsequently placed at the disposal of the judicial authorities.

The National Police emphasised its commitment to protecting the Canary Islands’ tourism sector and reminded visitors that any attempt to avoid payment for goods or services will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Here in the UK, a 2018 survey found that one in 20 people had walked out without paying for a meal.

Donna Jones, the Conservative police and crime commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, told The Daily Mail that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of “dine and dash” offences in recent years.

While some have blamed the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, Ms Jones dismissed that suggestion, saying, “They’re driving away in their own cars.” She urged any businesses affected by crimes of this kind to “share images online … and to name and shame those individuals”.

Kate Nicholls, the CEO of the industry organisation UKHospitality, told the Guardian that while only a minority of customers behaved in this way, incidents of people avoiding paying for meals could be “a serious matter” for the bars and restaurants involved.

“These businesses operate on very tight net-profit margins – less than 4% – and often it can be quite big-spend items that people are going for,” she explained.

Adding that referring to the offences as “dine and dash” escapades trivialised what could be a very serious problem for hospitality businesses: “Let’s call it what it is,” she said. “This is theft and fraud and it should be prosecuted as such. It’s not a victimless crime. It is money that is being taken from a business for goods and services consumed – it’s exactly the same as shoplifting.”

ACROSS the globe are lots of beautiful islands with incredible beaches, jungles, even mountains – and I’ve been lucky enough to visit the world’s best.

Off the coast of Thailand, Koh Samui is a tropical paradise with inexpensive luxury hotels along with cheap restaurants and cocktails for a few quid.

It was recently crowned the ‘Best Island in the World’ by Travel + Leisure.

Hundreds of thousands of readers voted for their top island destination to form the list of the 25 best.

Koh Samui took the crown and was praised for its “array of elevated accommodations, luscious jungles, and roaring waterfalls—has become a leading destination for self-care.”

While I can’t say I went to Koh Samui for self-care per se, I did feel incredibly relaxed when checking into one of its many gorgeous resorts.

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During my stay last August, I checked into the beautiful the Anantara Lawana on the northeastern side of the island.

It did give serious White Lotus vibes, and with good reason as the cast of series three actually filmed bar scenes in its Singing Bird Lounge.

The five-star hotel is reasonably priced as well considering just how beautiful it is.

A seven-night stay for two at the Anantara Lawana Koh Samui Resort with Expedia starts from £1,131.24 or £95pppn.

This is in a Deluxe Lawana room with breakfast included, a garden view and a beautiful outdoor balcony.

However, you can actually book an Anantara Pool Suite – which has its own private plunge pool and an outdoor rain shower for an extra £160.

The resort itself has its own beach which, while it’s not private, was incredibly quiet with sunloungers dotted about.

I found it to be perfect for a paddle after a long day in the sun as the sandbank made it incredibly shallow.

The hotel also has a spa and daily activities like sunrise yoga – there’s plenty to choose from at the buffet breakfast too which comes with an impressive ocean view.

When it comes to dinner, the on-site restaurants have lots of tasty meals like pineapple fried rice – which is served in an actual pineapple and Mai Tai cocktails.

While Koh Samui does have elements of luxury, I would say that venturing outside of these hotels is a whole other adventure.

It’s not the peaceful retreat you see in The White Lotus – instead, it’s scruffy and a tad chaotic with locals darting along the road in mopeds, hectic food markets and late night beach parties.

But having the best of both worlds is what makes it so brilliant.

Tucked away along the bustling streets are tiny restaurants with sticky tables and handmade menus serving up Pad Thai and spicy tom yum soup, with cocktails for £2.

Bars are constantly advertising happy hour too – so quite often I could even bag two drinks for this price.

One of the restaurants I popped into was a five-minute walk from the hotel, and while it didn’t look like much – in fact it still had Christmas decorations up in August, the food was delicious.

Mango sticky rice is a Thai staple and could be picked up all over the island for as little as £1.65.

Food wasn’t the only cheap thing I found on the island – for anyone wanting an authentic Thai massage, these were as little as £6 for an hour.

The island is known for having some of the most beautiful beaches too with either golden or powdery white sand and bright blue waters.

Chaweng is one of the most popular — but there are many pockets of coast where you’ll find secret sandy spots and likely be the only people around.

Other popular spots include Lamai Beach, Choeng Mon Beach and Thongtakian Beach.

From Koh Samui, it’s easy to visit other beautiful spots too like Koh Nangyuan, Koh Tao and the Instagram-worthy Mu Ko Ang Thong National Marine Park.

Here’s the full list of the ‘best islands in the world’…

Here are Travel + Leisure’s best islands in the world – and their scores out of 100…

1. Koh Samui – 95.64
2. Maldives – 95.38
3. Galapagos Islands – 94.99
4. Bali – 93.20
5. Phuket – 93.18
6. Seychelles – 92.95
7. Fiji – 92.71
8. Sri Lanka – 92.67
9. Dominica – 91.87
10. Zanzibar – 91.83
11. Golden Isles – 91.59
12. Sardinia – 91.57
13. Skye and the Hebrides – 91.17
14. Malta – 91.00
15. Grenada – 90.36
16. Madeira – 90.33
17. Azores – 90.18
18. Maui – 89.70
19. Sicily – 89.53
20. Milos – 89.50
21. Virgin Gorda – 89.43
22. Crete – 89.39
23. Vieques – 89.38
24. Paros – 89.33
25. Kauai – 89.16

A BRAND new aquapark is coming to a UK town just in time for the summer holidays.

The attraction spans 150 acres and will be open until the autumn.

The massive new attraction features everything from slides and climbing walls to balance beams and splash zones.

Opening from today (Saturday, July 18), the inflatable waterpark will be running until autumn.

It is located at Hinchingbrooke Country Park in Cambridgeshire and is set to open daily for the rest of the summer.

Visitors aged six and over can pre-book online, with tickets costing £19 per person.

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This price includes entry, as well as a buoyancy aid, helmet, and wetsuit hire.

Helmets and wetsuits are optional, however, participants must wear a buoyancy aid regardless of swimming ability.

Ticket-holders can visit the park anytime 10am to 5pm, with each session lasting an hour.

The new inflatable is part of a larger ongoing investment into Hinchingbrooke Country Park, improving its leisure activities and encouraging more visitors to the park’s large natural surroundings.

Executive member for Parks and Countryside, Waste and Street Scene, Cllr Julie Kerr, said: “We’re thrilled to be bringing this exciting new attraction to Hinchingbrooke Country Park.

“It’s a fantastic addition for residents and visitors alike, and part of our ongoing commitment to improving and evolving the park to enhance leisure and outdoor opportunities for users now and in the future.”

Social News Assistant Editor Samantha Bartlett visited a picturesque lavender farm. However, although it may look like it could be Provence in France it’s actually based right here in the UK

Provence, in the south-east of France, is globally famous for its expansive lavender fields, which blanket the region in vibrant shades of purple and violet every summer. Known locally as “blue gold,” lavender farming is a cornerstone of Provence‘s agricultural economy and cultural identity, historically fuelled by the perfume industry in nearby Grasse.

So you would be forgiven for thinking that the stunning lavender field I visited recently is based there. However, instead of being in France, it’s situated right here in the UK. Lordington Lavender Farm is a family-operated, working farm situated in the South Downs National Park near Chichester, West Sussex.

Founded in 2002 by local farmer Andrew Elms following his shift away from dairy farming, it covers 10 acres of stunning French Maillette lavender – a variety exceptionally valued for its superior essential oil quality.

The farm, which is perfect for a sunny day out, stands out particularly because it functions with a rigorous commitment to conservation, employing no chemical fertilisers or pesticides, rendering it an environmentally-friendly sanctuary for bees, butterflies, and more than 12 red-listed bird species.

As it remains a working commercial farm, it welcomes visitors for just a short window in July annually when the flowers achieve their peak purple display.

This weekend (Sat July 18-Sun July 19) marks the final Open Days, so if you fancy experiencing this magnificent attraction, you’ll need to get there sharpish.

Visitors will find countless chances to wander amongst the lavender rows while capturing plenty of photographs and observing local wildlife such as bees and butterflies.

I visited recently with my family and my young son, who adored racing up and down the rows and discovering the butterflies amongst the lavender. There are also plenty of opportunities for snapping photos, including an egg chair, toy tractor and a table and chairs set to pose alongside.

Beyond the lavender fields themselves, visitors can opt to take a tractor ride down to the farm from the car park, which naturally my little one adored.

Educational talks about lavender are available too, alongside a ‘Hay Play’ zone for children, featuring some small slides, bowling and tin cans for entertainment.

In addition to this, there’s a new maize maze. The weekend of my visit featured alpacas, lambs and Pygmy goats as well, though sadly they won’t be present this coming weekend.

Despite being outdoors in the sun, there’s ample shade and numerous refreshments to sustain you, ranging from cakes to lavender-flavoured ice cream, fresh strawberries and Pimm’s.

Visitors can even browse the shop and purchase their pure, steam-distilled essential oils, natural soaps and potted lavender plants to bring back home.

All in all, we enjoyed a wonderful day out in a distinctive setting that I’m confident my little one will cherish for years ahead, so I’d strongly suggest heading down for a visit if you’re available this weekend.

Lots of people travel with easyJet, but there’s a certain rule passengers need to follow. If they don’t stick to it, they could end up having to pay more money

Lots of people jet off abroad at this time of year, but there’s important information you need to be aware of if you travel with easyJet. After all, travellers need to be clued up on everything there is to know as the summer holiday season gets going, with countless people dreaming of some time in the sun.

If you’re set to travel soon, and you’re flying with easyJet, there are some crucial travel tips you need to come to terms with before you depart. This is information you don’t want to ignore, as failing to follow the guidelines could see you having to cough up extra cash during your journey.

This isn’t the only occasion travel advice has been highlighted either. Not too long ago, tips were also given to people to help them bag the best plane seats to avoid germs.

What can cost you extra?

Everyone wants to squeeze as much value as possible out of their holiday budget, so it pays to know exactly what baggage is included before you book. Many travellers tend to focus on the headline ticket price, but baggage fees can swiftly add a considerable sum to the total cost of a trip.

According to Ricky Durrance, travel expert at package holiday specialists Teletext Holidays, getting to grips with easyJet’s baggage rules can save you a tidy sum and help you make the most of your baggage allowance. The good news is that every easyJet passenger is allowed to bring one small bag on board without any extra charge.

However, that’s where things get complicated as, if your bag won’t fit beneath the seat in front of you, you’ll probably need to pay an additional fee.

Overhead locker space is restricted and frequently comes at a price, so it’s worth weighing up whether a checked bag represents better value. The easyJet website states: “Our low fares include one small cabin bag free of charge.

“Your bag can weigh up to 15kg, but we do ask that you’re able to lift and carry it yourself. You can purchase additional bags online when you make your booking or any time before you travel, via Manage bookings on our website or mobile app.

“Buying online is always cheaper than at the airport. Fees vary depending on the route selected, flight and time of booking.”

However, it’s crucial to remember that, if you wish to pay for a large cabin bag, charges can be steeper during busy travel periods. For couples and mates travelling together, it’s worth crunching the numbers to determine whether sharing a checked suitcase makes more financial sense before you book.

Things you may be overlooking

Managing your baggage allowance can be a right faff, and it becomes even trickier when your suitcase eats up a substantial chunk of the weight limit. easyJet’s large cabin bag allowance permits up to 15kg.

However, many hard-shell cabin cases tip the scales at between 3.5kg and 4.5kg when empty, meaning the usable space for clothes and other belongings can end up being considerably less than anticipated.

You may find yourself with as little as 10.5kg available for packing, which can disappear remarkably quickly. In contrast, a shared 23kg checked bag using a similarly weighted case still leaves upwards of 18.5kg free for packing, which can make a world of difference.

Ricky added: “It’s also worth knowing that booking your baggage allowance sooner rather than later can help save you money.”

easyJet’s baggage fees tend to be cheaper when added at the point of booking rather than closer to the departure date. For those booking a package holiday rather than directly through the airline, it’s worth checking this as early as possible, ideally at the time of booking.

When airlines levy extra charges for every kilogram and each bag, careful planning of your luggage before you travel is absolutely crucial, according to Ricky.

The Greek capital of Athens is, perhaps, the liveliest, most energy-filled and funnest city I have ever visited. But it is also one where locals are struggling to see a future

“100% I will leave. I think of leaving every day.”

The words of Stella, a renters’ union member who is slowly but surely being ground down by one of Europe’s great cities.

When I visited Athens in the spring, I fell hard for it. The city is an energy-filled network of roads and alleyways, taken up with pedestrians, moped drivers and cars jostling for space. The sprawl stretches to the Parnitha, Hymettus, Penteli and Egaleo mountains on three sides, and the sea on the other. All four corners can be seen from the top of Mount Lycabettus, which rises 277m above Athens, letting climbers come up for air and a respite from the intensity down at street level.

It is home to some of the world’s best collections, not least at the National Archeological Museum. I snuck in to see treasures including the Mask of Agamemnon before it shuts, potentially for years, while David Chipperfield gets busy expanding and upgrading.

Outside museum opening hours, recommended activities include filling your pockets with Dreamies to befriend the impressive cat population, and watching a film at one of Athens’ 60-or-so open-air cinemas. The Thision not only serves ice-cold sour cherry drinks, it allows guests to light up and gaze at the Acropolis framed perfectly above the cinema screen.

From this tourist’s perspective, it is a dream to visit. Fun, hot, cheap and friendly.

But for many living in Athens, the city is quickly becoming a place they don’t recognise and no longer love.

The disquiet is obvious as soon as you arrive. ‘F**k Airbnb’ graffiti is everywhere, as are anti-Israel tags that more than border on the anti-semitic. On the random weekend I visited in June, the streets were taken over by tens of thousands of protesters – a very common occurrence.

As seen through the eyes of a Londoner, where political action is minimal, everything is increasingly clean and consumerism dominates every inch aside from the parks, Athens feels much more real. On Saturday mornings, markets fill streets virtually free from major chains. On Saturday nights, way past midnight, you can walk into a taverna to have a five-piece band serenade you and a waiter apologise that they ‘only have home-cooked food’.

But this perspective is a tourist’s one. It is not shared by Athenians.

“Athens is becoming more and more unfriendly. The places we used to hang out, they’re being destroyed, one by one. Soon I won’t be able to recognise it,” Stella tells me.

A local friend agrees. “It’s not like it used to be,” he says as we walk by a shiny coffee shop, a queue of tourists waiting for an iced freddo.

In the years following the Greek debt crisis, anarchists ruled much of the city. Their stronghold was Exarcheia. Chains were hounded out. Buildings converted into squats. Police rarely dared to tread there, particularly not on the anniversary of Alexandros Grigoropoulos’s death: the teenager murdered by police at the leafy intersection of Mesolongiou and Tzavella Streets.

Things began to change, and quickly, when Kostas Bakoyannis was elected mayor in 2019. He vowed to transform Exarcheia into a ‘model’ neighbourhood. Police went in, flushing out drug dealers and asylum seekers who had long received shelter in squats run by passionate locals.

This feeling of things changing has deeper roots. After winning independence from the Ottomans in 1833 and becoming Greece’s new capital the year after, what had been a ruined village of 4,000, where locals sheltered in tents beneath the Acropolis, took off. Its population had grown tenfold by 1870, tripling again over the following 25 years.

A century and a bit on, and it’s nearing four million. Many live in five or six-story polykatoikia apartment blocks that shot up in the 1930s, when the government encouraged locals to exchange their land for a stake in new builds. Today, these ‘antiparochi’ families remain major landlords.

This, according to Stella, is where the real battle for the soul of Athens is being fought. “Xarchia, where I work, used to be the most leftist area. It is famous for anarchy, but now it is a tourist area. It is a ghost of itself,” she said.

Looser property laws have allowed many home-owning Athenians to get in on the action, renting out their places on platforms such as Airbnb. Now, in the small central Athens area alone, there are thousands of holiday properties of this nature. Encouraging so many normal Athenians to become holiday let landlords means they’re much less likely to “bite the hand that feeds”, according to Stella. Or in other words, vote for parties and policies that stop the spread of holiday rentals.

And if they don’t, then Athens will become more unaffordable. According to the OECD, house prices in Greece increased by 69% between 2017 and 2024. A much faster growth rate than incomes. As a percentage of their total disposable income, Greeks now face the highest housing costs in Europe, north of 35%. In just 12 months from 2022, rent rocketed 11% across the country.

If those who make Athens the city that it is can no longer afford to live there, as many already can’t, then it loses what makes it so great.

Walk through sunflowers in Gower

At the westernmost tip of the Gower peninsula, Rhossili Bay is a gloriously wide sweep of sand, backed by dunes and licked with waves perfect for bodyboarding and surfing. Wild ponies graze on the southern headland, while walkers time their trip across to the serpent-like Worm’s Head promontory to not get cut off by the tide.

In summer there’s an added draw: 100,000 sunflowers. A 20-minute walk from the Worm’s Head National Trust car park, the flowers hit their peak from late July into August. Across the site there are pick-your-own fields, a trail to follow between wooden animal structures and giant swings (for the photo ops as much as the fun).
Entry to the sunflowers £4 weekdays, £4.50 weekends, rhossilisunflowers.co.uk

Fabulous forest play in Dorset

Deep in the woods at Moors Valley country park are giant ant nests and snake pits, huge hawks and spiders, all stars of Forestry England’s play trail. It wiggles for a mile through the trees with tunnels to crawl through, slides to whiz down and crocodile-shaped balancing beams. There’s also the inclusive beehive with double-width slide and quiet areas for those requiring less stimulation.

New for this year is Woodland Rhapsody, a musical play structure with gravel-filled rain makers and drums to bang, and the Timber area, which tells the story of a forester’s job, with pulleys to sort seeds, timber tangles to climb and a big wooden harvester with steering wheel and levers to operate.
Free (car parking charges apply), moors-valley.co.uk

A wine (and wildlife) hike in the Surrey Hills

Wine hikes, with scenic trails linking vineyards, are often associated with mainland Europe, but here’s a great English alternative, using the North Downs Way.

Start at Albury Vineyard (take the 32 bus from Guildford train station), where the self-guided wildlife walk through the vines passes bat and barn owl boxes, bug hotels, beehives, wildflower meadows and a pond. It’s then a seven-mile stomp to Denbies Wine Estate to board the vineyard “train”, the carriages hooked up to the back of a Land Rover. Other shorter walking loops start and end at Denbies Estate, passing artist James Tunnard’s wavy wooden seat, Radius, and up Denbies Hillside, which is alive with butterflies and wild orchids – the perfect picnic spot.
Albury Vineyard wildlife walk: free (suggested donation £10 a group to Surrey Wildlife Trust), alburyvineyard.com. Denbies vineyard train tour: £12.50 adults, £6.95 children, denbies.co.uk

Spot dolphins in the Moray Firth

About 200 bottlenose dolphins live in the waters north of Inverness, the most northerly colony in the world. They are a hardy bunch, hunting and swimming around the Moray Firth and beyond all year, but sightings of them throwing fish and leaping from the water are more frequent in the summer months.

The Scottish Dolphin Centre at Spey Bay is not only a good place to get the binoculars out (there are plenty to borrow – keep an eye out for ospreys, seals and otters, too), but also a hub of marine learning. Housed in a former 18th-century fishing station, there are tours of the old ice house, an interactive dolphin exhibition with live wildlife cameras, plus river rambles and nature-themed holiday clubs during the Scottish school summer holidays.
Free, holiday clubs £1.50-£3 per child, dolphincentre.whales.org

Celebrate David Hockney in West Yorkshire

The late David Hockney’s oil painting Salts Mill depicted the building’s Victorian facade glowing orange and the Yorkshire hillsides glinting emerald green. It was a present for Jonathan Silver, Hockney’s friend, who transformed this former textile mill into a cultural hub, and it hangs in the entrance to the building.

Upstairs there are more of Hockney’s works in the 20 Flowers for 2025 and Some Bigger Pictures exhibition, which runs until January 2027. It’s a free, inspiring space – perhaps pick up a sketch book and paints in the shop afterwards. Plus there are burgers and pizzas at Salts Diner for lunch, the Peace Museum (also inside the mill) to potter around, and a lovely walk along the canal to Bingley.
Free, saltsmill.org.uk

Visit the Quentin Blake centre in London

Revered illustrator Quentin Blake has been championing a museum of his craft for 20 years, and in June, aged 93, he opened the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration, a permanent home for the art form in an 18th-century waterworks in Clerkenwell. Blake is most famous for his scribbly style, as seen in his illustrations for Roald Dahl’s stories, but all kinds of work is celebrated here, from comics to graphic murals. Plenty is free to wander: a library in the former Engine House, a cafe in the Boiler House, as well as the gardens.

Paid exhibitions delve into Blake’s extensive archive and spotlight contemporary illustrators. Budding artists can try out fabric painting and printmaking at the Creative Studio during the summer holidays (Wednesdays, 10.30am-12.30pm).
Exhibition: £15 adults, £6 children, under-5s free, family tickets from £23 (1 adult + 3 children), qbcentre.org.uk

Count butterflies on the Hampshire Downs

The wildlife charity Butterfly Conservation predicts it’s going to be a bumper summer, thanks in part to a massive migration of painted lady butterflies from Africa. Its Big Butterfly Count runs until 9 August – the world’s largest butterfly survey – and last year 125,000 citizen scientists each spent 15 minutes outside noting numbers of butterflies and moths.

The organisation’s Magdalen Hill Down nature reserve on a chalk hillside just outside Winchester would be a good place to count – 46 hectares of chalk grassland, wildflower meadows and woodland, which are home to butterflies such as the adonis blue, chalk hill blue and brown argus.
Free, butterfly-conservation.org

Monastic life on a Pembrokeshire island

The first monks arrived on Caldey Island off Pembrokeshire’s south coast in the sixth century. Today, the Cistercian order are as well known for their chocolate and lavender perfume-making as for their vow of nightly silence (with no unnecessary speech during the day). It’s 20 minutes by boat from Tenby to this peaceful escape, where paths wind through woodland and along cliffs to the working lighthouse, soft sands of Priory Beach and a chocolate and fudge kitchen.

This summer, there’s a new natural play area and the Monastic Story Hall, which charts the island’s history and explores monastic life, as well as highlighting the unique wildlife here, which includes red squirrels, hedgehogs, seals and Manx shearwaters.
Adults £24.95, children £12.95 (under-4s free), family (2 adults + 2 children) £64.95, caldeyislandwales.com

Watch history come to life in County Durham

Each summer, on Saturday evenings in Bishop Auckland, Boudicca battles against the Romans. Vikings invade, knights joust and a full-size steam locomotive chugs across a 7.5-acre stage as part of Kynren – An Epic Tale of England. With a 1,000-strong cast, the outdoor show whips through 2,000 years of history, and now has an equally dramatic daytime counterpart, Kynren – The Storied Lands.

The five daily shows offer a journey through time and legend, with immersive re-enactments and live-action storytelling, featuring swooping birds of prey, charging horses, ancient monsters from the deep, a Viking village and a maze-like Victorian imaginarium.
From £30 adults, £20 children, 18 July-12 September, kynren.com

A bat safari by punt in Cambridge

Bats might have their big moment at Halloween, but the best time to see them fluttering around is the height of summer, just after sunset. One of the most atmospheric ways is on a Bat Safari Punting tour along the River Cam. The trips take place every Friday and Saturday evening in summer – departure times vary depending on dusk. Run by the local wildlife trust (with 50% of ticket sales going towards its work), guides use bat detectors to listen for the clicks and squeaks from pipistrelle and Daubenton’s bats along the riverbanks of Grantchester Meadows. In late July and early August there’s a chance to see the mothers and pups in tandem flight in the night sky.
Family row for two £63, three £73, scudamores.com

Take a dip along the Thames

There has been talk of floating lidos and river swimming in London for years, and this summer a spot at Ham, in the west, became the capital’s first designated bathing water area on the Thames.

Elsewhere in London, Sea Lanes Canary Wharf opened a 50-metre six-lane pool in June, bobbing in Eden Dock and designed for swimming lengths, though over-8s who are strong swimmers are welcome. Plus, there’s a summer programme of free open-air cinema, mini golf and other fun around Canary Wharf for afterwards. For younger children, the free Royal Docks Summer Splash at Royal Victoria Dock has a paddling pool, deckchairs and sandpits.
Sea Lanes: pay-per swim £10, sealanescanarywharf.co.uk. Summer Splash: free, 24 July–16 August, royaldocks.london

Waterworld in Staffordshire

North-east of Birmingham, Cliff Lakes is part of a series of human-made lakes along the River Tame, formed from former gravel pits and sand quarries. Today, the tranquil waters are home to a host of activities: open water swimming lanes (popular with training triathletes), boating and wakeboarding, a paddleboarding school and the UK’s largest aqua park with floating assault courses. The newest challenge this summer is the X Tower, a 12-metre-tall inflatable with six slides – four with kickers to send thrill-seekers high into the air before splashdown (age 12 and over). There’s a dedicated kids park for younger water babies, while Aqua Chimp is a high ropes course suspended above the water.
£25pp (over-6s) including parking, wetsuit, aqua socks and buoyancy aid, clifflakes.co.uk

Henry Moore in London and Hertfordshire

Henry Moore and his wife, Irina, moved to rural Hertfordshire from London in 1940 after their home was damaged in the Blitz. For the next 46 years the sculptor worked at Hoglands, creating some of his best-known works. The farmhouse and outbuilding studios have been preserved as the Henry Moore Studio & Gardens, his huge works sitting, as he envisioned them, among the lawns, orchards and woodlands. This year, the Sheep Field Barn reopened as a gallery with hands-on spaces for messy monoprinting sessions and collaborative sculpture workshops.

Kew Gardens in London is having its own Moore moment, displaying 30 of his sculptures for Henry Moore: Monumental Nature (until 31 January 2027), with a family trail including prompts for sketching and games.
Henry Moore Studio & Gardens: £23 adults, £11 children, under-5s free, family tickets from £38, henry-moore.org. Kew Gardens: £24 adults, £2 children, under-4s free, kew.org

See osprey fledglings in Mid Wales

Ospreys disappeared from the UK in 1916, the victims of persecution and egg-collecting, but populations have been slowly recovering since the 1950s. In Wales there are now five breeding pairs that return each year to lay their eggs after wintering in west Africa. Telyn and Idris, one of these pairs, are now raising three chicks, which hatched at the end of May, at the Dyfi Osprey Project outside Machynlleth.

The centre’s YouTube channel has more than 20,000 subscribers following their progress. At the Cors Dyfi nature reserve, visitors get a front-row seat – the observatory tower less than 200 metres from the nest, and this summer those chicks will begin to fly, then learn to hunt for themselves.
Adults £8, children £4, dyfiospreyproject.com

Biking in Robin Hood country

Forestry England’s Sherwood Pines is an activity-filled corner of Sherwood Forest, north Nottinghamshire, more popular these days with mountain bikers than merry men. The 1,336-hectare (3,300-acre) woods has a network of trails for all abilities: advanced dirt jumps, single track downhills filled with berms and rollers, and the four-mile Maid Marion family loop for gentle off-road cycling (bike hire available). The new Pedal and Play trail allows the next generation of freeriders to learn on three loops of increasing skill, including one wide enough for adaptive bike users. King John’s Castle with its wobbly bridge, climbing tree and dungeon, is opposite for a post-pedal play.
Free (parking charges apply), forestryengland.uk/sherwood-pines

A tidal swimming pool tour on the Fife coast

In the early 20th century, tidal pools were all the rage as bathers discovered the health benefits of salt water. Up and down the coast rugged lidos were created, which fill with seawater at high tide, offering a sheltered swim away from waves and currents. The pools at St Monans, Pittenweem and Cellardyke sit on the Fife coast and have been revamped in recent years by community-driven projects. Start at boulder-edged St Monans; then at Pittenweem add a round of mini golf which funds the pool’s upkeep; and after finishing at Cellardyke have wood-fired pizza and coffee. This stretch of East Neuk is strung with pretty fishing villages (each with top-notch fish and chips) linked by the beautiful Fife Coastal Path.
Free, cellardyketidalpool.com, thewestbraes.co.uk, St Monans

Cosmic land art in Dumfries and Galloway

A 400m-long path lined with giant standing stones cuts north to south across the gently rolling hillsides of southern Scotland. This isn’t the mysterious work of Neolithic man, but of American visionary land artist Charles Jencks.

The pathway splits his Crawick Multiverse down the middle: on one side are the spiralling mounds of the Milky Way and Andromeda; on the other, a semicircle of trees, boulders and rusted scrap collide in jagged formations, representing the birth of a billion new stars as galaxies slam into each other. The 22-hectare site was an abandoned opencast mine, and Jencks turned tonnes of excavated earth and rock into an otherworldly sculptural installation.
Adults £8.50, children £5, crawickmultiverse.co.uk

Surf on a Blue Flag beach in North Shields

Each year the Blue Flag awards (or equivalent Scotland Beach awards) recognise the cleanest, safest, most environmentally well-managed stretches of coast in the UK. In 2026, 144 made the cut, from the gorgeous curve of Gyllyngvase Beach near Falmouth to the remote Sands of Breckon in Shetland.

Among them is the dune-backed, mile-long Tynemouth Longsands, the north-east’s year-round surf hub, 50 minutes from Newcastle on the metro. Both Longsands Surf School and Tynemouth Surf Co offer board hire and lessons for all ages, and in summer the swell is also dotted with kayakers and paddleboarders. Head to Longsands Fish Kitchen for fish and chips after.
Tynemouth Surf Co, kids’ lessons from £15 for 1.5 hours. Longsands Surf School, kids’ lessons from £22.50 for two hours.

Springwatch in County Fermanagh

BBC’s Springwatch had a new home this year with Chris Packham and Michaela Strachan broadcasting live for the first time in Northern Ireland at the National Trust’s Crom Estate. Set along the shores of Upper Lough Erne, this is one of Ireland’s most important nature conservation areas, with a tapestry of habitats: ancient oak-tangled woodlands, reed-fringed wetlands and flower-filled meadows.

The programme followed the estate’s red squirrels, pine martens, otters and birds of prey across its 810 hectares, and throughout the summer young wildlife watchers can borrow a tracker pack to find some of the animals themselves. For older children there are guided canoeing sessions on the lough (over-12s), or hire a rowing boat for all the family to mess about on the water.
Adults £9.50, children £4.75 (under-5s free), nationaltrust.org.uk

Thrills and red squirrels in the Cairngorms

The Cairngorms national park is great for outdoor adventures of all kinds. Head to the Landmark Forest Adventure Park near Carrbridge for action-packed attractions from a high-ropes course to a bouncy aerial net challenge, treetop trails, a water raft ride and a 10-metre climbing wall. Away from the high-tempo thrills, spot red squirrels among the Scots pines and climb the 105 steps of the forest tower to survey the Highland scenery through the telescope at the top.
Adults from £31, children from £29 (under-3s free), landmarkpark.co.uk

Research highlights the vast difference between the same holiday items – from a cup of coffee to a meal out – between summer destinations popular with UK families

Families after a bargain break this summer should head to the Algarve, research found.

Portugal’s ever popular hotspot emerged as cheapest once holidaymakers get to their destination.

The research by Post Office Travel Money looked at 10 things tourist typically shell out on, including a three course family meal, lunch for two, through to suncream, a cup of coffee, and insect repellent. The results revealed a near £130 difference between the cheapest and the most expensive amount 22 destinations included, which could really stack up for a typical family over the course of a week or longer.

The Algarve came out top, with the 10 items costing £139.65, and 2.7% less than a year ago.

Next cheapest was Sunny Beach, Bulgaria, where the same came to £142.16, with the Canary Islands, Menorca and Spain’s Costa Brava making up the remainder of the top five where travellers’ money will go the furthest.

At the other of the scale, the most expensive among the 22 destinations included was Sorrento in Italy, with the 10 purchases costing £268. Families should expect to shell out a whopping £150 for a meal, compared with £88 on the Algarve.

The Post Office Travel Money Family Holiday Report was published in the week that many schools in England break up for the summer holiday

Echoing past years, prices varied by as much as 92% across the 22 destinations surveyed. There are also big differences between resorts in the same country.

In Greece, for example, the barometer totals ranged from £181 in Kos to £222 in Crete.

And while a cup of coffee in Sorrento can typically set tourists back £4.37, four hours across the country in Puglia it is £1.14, according to the report.

Laura Plunkett, head of Post Office Travel Money, which accounts for one-in-four UK currency

transactions, said: “We found big variations in costs between the European resorts surveyed, which means it is more important than ever to do some research before heading off on your holiday to inform how much holiday cash you’ll need for meals, drinks and other tourist staples. For those families who haven’t already booked and are looking for a late deal, the low resort prices in Portugal and Spain make these countries great value for money, while Bulgaria’s Black Sea resorts are strong contenders too.”

1. Algarve, Portugal £139.65

2. Sunny Beach, Bulgaria £142.16

3. Canary Islands £147.42

4. Menorca £151.28

5. Costa Brava, Spain £155.02

6. Canary Islands £158.31

7. Marmaris, Turkey £158.33

8. Costa del Sol, Spain £163.17

9. Costa Blanca £173.41

10. Paphos, Cyprus £177.18

11. Sliema, Malta £181.21

12. Kos, Greece £181.38

13. Rhodes, Greece £186.10

14. Porec, Croatia £199.68

15. Puglia, Italy £203.05

16. Corfu, Greece £204.34

17. Zadar, Croatia £211.90

18. Ibiza £211.90

19. Majorca £219.65

20. Crete, Greece £211.57

21. Funchal, Madeira £260

22. Sorrento, Italy £268.23