All Hallows Church in the village of Goodmanham is where the conversion of King Edwin of Northumbria’s kingdom to Christianity began in 627. Edwin had already embraced the new religion in nearby York, and to seal the deal the pagan temple that stood at Goodmanham was destroyed by his high priest, Coifi. This …
Read More »Cool for Catalans: 10 stylish places to stay in Barcelona
Casa Bonay There’s always a buzz at Casa Bonay: its chic bars, reasonably priced rooms and restaurants – just a stone’s throw from the city’s imposing Arc de Triomf – are a draw for both visitors and locals. With mosaic-tiled floors, statement sliding doors and floods of natural light, sleeping …
Read More »From hill walks and yoga to foraging and wild swimming: 12 of the best active UK retreats
Dip and chill, Mull and Iona Swimming coach Emma MacDonald set up Wild Hebridean Swimming in 2022 after moving back to Mull. The company offers holidays for open water swimmers, but also retreats for those who can only tread water or do a bit of doggy paddle. These involve short dips …
Read More »How I found joy and peace on a woodland retreat
It is November and I am on a train, halfway through my journey towards Danny Shmulevitch’s Walking Your Promise retreat in Gloucester, when I realise that I am having a panic attack. I had booked the retreat a few months earlier when I was struggling to recover from Covid, crawling through …
Read More »A local’s guide to Maastricht, Netherlands: the best bars, culture and hotels
Food Life in Maastricht and our province of Limburg is sweet: our local specialities are proof. Two dishes stand out: limburgse vlaai is a delicious pastry with a sweet filling. There are lots of flavours, but the best is rijstevlaai, made with a rich rice-pudding centre. You won’t find that …
Read More »London’s spice trail: the sights, tastes, smells and sounds of India – in Wembley
Statues of 41 deities in bright robes and garlands watch as we walk, silent and sock-footed, through endless intricate archways and air that smells of sandalwood and jasmine. A mirrored table under the elaborate central dome reflects rings of dancing figures. The Shri Sanatan Hindu temple, opened in 2010 on …
Read More »Baroque’s off: my mission to seek out Vienna’s modernist masterpieces
The 20th century was unkind to Vienna. The capital of the Habsburg empire until 1918, it was, by early 1989, a bleak and battered outpost within touching distance of the iron curtain. Now that the city has undeniably recaptured its glory of old (symbolically, its population grew to two million …
Read More »Picasso’s Barcelona: in the footsteps of the artist as a young man
Pablo Ruiz Picasso was born in Málaga and spent most of his life in France, but it was arguably in Barcelona that his evolution as the most celebrated artist of the 20th century began. The family moved to Barcelona in 1895 when Picasso was 13 and he lived and studied …
Read More »Tell us about a trip to an ancient site in the UK – you could win a holiday voucher
The UK is blessed with countless ancient sites, many of which are easily accessible to the public, and often free to enjoy. Some are still being excavated and can offer us valuable new insights into what life would have been like for our distant ancestors. Whether it’s an iron age …
Read More »Rome isn’t all ruins – check out its breathtaking contemporary art and design, too
It’s a controversial opinion, but Rome’s major sites are overrated. Crowded, costly and utterly devoid of charm, the city’s most visited landmarks have been cheapened in the age of mass tourism into little more than a box-ticking – or selfie-taking – exercise. Which isn’t to say you shouldn’t go. Everyone …
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