Sawday’s new overtourism caps In a move designed to help counter overtourism, accommodation provider Sawday’s has announced that it will cap the number of places to stay it represents in some of the worst-affected areas. The B Corp-certified company, which includes the brands Sawday’s, Canopy & Stars and Paws & …
Read More »Aquatic bliss: 10 of Europe’s best holiday sites with natural pools
There’s nothing like lounging around a pool on holiday – especially if it’s one of a growing number of eco-friendly “natural pools”. While designs vary, the basic premise is that beyond the swimming area there’s a “regeneration zone”, where aquatic plants and sand act as a natural filter for oxygenising …
Read More »Tell us about great family cycles in the UK – you could win a £200 holiday voucher
Whether your children are still wobbling precariously or now overtaking you, we would like to hear about your favourite routes with kids. The UK has plenty of flat terrain – such as towpaths, and old railway lines – but there are also more adventurous cycleways – from forest tracks to …
Read More »Venice pushes ahead with €10 entry fee plan as tourists flock back
Authorities in Venice are pushing ahead with a plan to charge day-trippers up to €10 (£8.30) to enter the lagoon city as they scramble to gain control of tourism after visitor numbers hit pre-pandemic levels over the Easter weekend. The booking system will begin in June with a six-month pilot …
Read More »Beyond the Biennale: Venice’s ‘secret’ Sant’Elena island
Venice welcomes back its prestigious Biennale, the art world’s oldest and biggest gathering, from 23 April, after a three-year absence. From that day, vaporetto no 1 water bus, which chugs up the Grand Canal and past Piazza San Marco, will be packed with art lovers, who will stream off at …
Read More »A local’s guide to Rennes, France: Brittany’s medieval but vibrant capital
Food Rennes is a great place for foodies. The speciality is a galette-saucisse – Breton street food. It’s a sausage wrapped in a buckwheat galette, maybe with onions, but strictly no sauce (if you’re Breton). It’s sold in the main market in Place des Lices, in smaller Les Halles market, …
Read More »10 of the best places in Britain to see bluebells in bloom
Blickling Estate, Norfolk The woodlands at Blickling are carefully managed through the winter months to ensure plenty of sunlight reaches the ground, producing a glorious show of bluebells in late April and early May across the Great Wood, under the towering plane trees and along Temple Walk. The estate stretches …
Read More »Can I cycle 200 miles around Puglia in six days? I can on an e-bike
It was only as I wiped a hunk of bread around my plate that it dawned on me that the lunch we’d just eaten was entirely vegan. A plate of beans slowly stewed in a ceramic pot with onions, herbs, tomato and a whack of peperoncino (chilli) came with a …
Read More »Where the magic happens: 10 of Britain’s most mystical sites
Mother goddess, Tigh Nam Bodach, Perthshire In a remote location beyond Loch Lyon (seven miles west of Cashlie in Glen Lyon), a twice-yearly seasonal ritual has taken place at the shrine of Tigh Nam Bodach since time immemorial. A low, turf-roofed stone structure houses a number of river-worn stones of …
Read More »A great walk to a great pub – The Old Post Office, Ingleton, Yorkshire Dales
People are always saying how such-and-such-a-village used to have a dozen pubs, and now has only a Spar. Well, Ingleton, which has a population of about 2,000, has three pubs, an ex-servicemen’s club and a “microbar” called the Old Post Office, which is doing what canny little boozers all over …
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