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Trail of the unexpected: Surfers set for Dorset

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Looking out over the gunmetal waters of the English Channel, it is not hard to work out where the UK, Europe and indeed the northern hemisphere's first artificial surfing reef is located. About a mile east of Boscombe Pier, near Bournemouth, 10 coloured buoys bob up and down in the swells to mark out an area the size of a football field.

Trail of the unexpected: Surfers set for Dorset

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Scotland: Take a hike through Neverland

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 GMT

As the chill hand of autumn tightens its grip, at least in Scotland, the Cairngorms become a mournfully magnificent location.

Take a hike through Neverland

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:01 GMT

As the chill hand of autumn tightens its grip, at least in Scotland, the Cairngorms become a mournfully magnificent location.

On The Road: A truly knockout experience in a retro campervan on the Isle of Wight

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:00:01 GMT

The kids are excited. Very excited. They've been trying to cajole me into buying an original VW campervan for months, so this seems like the perfect compromise. Let's hire one for a week and see if we like it. Correction: see if I like it.

Win tickets to LEGOLAND Windsor

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 14:45:42 GMT

With half term approaching it's time to think about fun activities to keep the kids entertained in a safe and fun way. Many people have cut down on their spending this year, so a family trip abroad might not be on the cards... but we could have you visiting the Orient and even rubbing shoulders with the pharaohs in no time at all.

Look back at history, or get ahead for Christmas in the heart of England

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:00:47 GMT

What’s on

Fill your Christmas stockings with handmade crafts on sale until 20 October at The Bounteous Mid Winter Bazaar (78derngate.org.uk) at 78 Derngate in Northampton, aka The Charles Rennie Mackintosh House & Galleries, a house that was remodelled by the designer and architect in his his iconic Modernist style.

Travel by Numbers: Belfast

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Northern Ireland: In the Armada's wake

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Today, the jagged finger of rock that jabs north from the coast of County Antrim constitutes part of Ireland's most spectacular shoreline. Lacada Point stands barely a mile east of Northern Ireland's geological icon, the Giant's Causeway. Beyond that familiar, naturally hexagonal masonry lie dangerous waters that sailors accustomed to Ulster's coast have long known about. Four centuries ago, though, they claimed a Spanish warship and 1,300 lives.

The Big Six: Cosy cottages in Britain

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 23:00:01 GMT

Candlewick Cottage, Cotswolds

The northern county with the magic touch

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 23:00:01 GMT

What's on?

Haltwhistle – the geographical centre of Britain – is holding its 14th Walking Festival (halt whistle.org) until 18 October.

24-Hour Room Service: Feversham Arms, Yorkshire

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 23:00:01 GMT

No one would want to go back to the dark days before the country hotel had a makeover. It was a twilight world of frilly valances, Nescafé sachets by the bed, and spooky china doll collections in your room. However, plenty of establishments are so keen to demonstrate that they are now chic, metropolitan and not chintzy, that they have lost sight of the fact that hip doesn't necessarily equal relaxing.

They're all fired up for tourism in the Potteries

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:00:46 GMT

Heard the one about the northern soul boy in a china shop? No. Neither have I. But I look forward to hearing it next spring, when a new film comes out. It's called Soulboy. It takes as its subject that most seethingly parochial of all our old pop subcultures, the northern soul scene of the early 1970s.

Pull on your boots for the grand tor

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:00:01 GMT

We head this month to the Kingsbridge Estuary, which divides the South Hams of Devon as it tumbles towards the sea. This walk follows some of the footpaths by the sea, offering superb coastal views, and passes two enigmatic hill forts.

Enjoy autumn in the garden of England

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 23:00:01 GMT

What's on

Floral arrangements inspired by Tudor paintings, tapestries and flower books will be on show at Leeds Castle (leeds- castle.com) during the Tudor Flower Festival, from 7 to 11 October. Designers, florists, flower societies and clubs will all be competing.

Best of the stones: The ancient structures at Stonehenge are truly rocks of ages

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:00:01 GMT

You know Stonehenge, of course: a haunting silhouette from the past that stands gaunt and defiant on the chalky grassland of Wiltshire, just where the busy A303 and A344 meet. This inspirational stone circle, a triumph of the human spirit, was bequeathed millennia ago. It is now protected by English Heritage and forms part of a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Track down a beaver, or sample a 14-year-old malt

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 23:00:01 GMT

What's On

Prehistoric cooking, clay modelling and an art competition are among the activities at the Campbeltown Museum Family Day on 3 October in the town of the same name (museumgalleries scotland.org.uk).

It's easy to be green in this pleasant town

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 23:00:01 GMT

It was the cattle that first caught my attention. Great, milky beasts with brutal-looking horns and distinctive black ears, they stood in their daffodil-specked surroundings like something from a fairytale.

The Isle of Wight: a family affair

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:00:59 GMT

Over the next few weeks, anyone on the Isle of Wight with time to spare is likely to be pressed into service picking grapes at Adgestone Vineyard. Adgestone produces around 22,000 bottles of wine each year, which will be sold all over the island, and elsewhere by mail order. They include a delicious sparkling rosé, an aromatic white, and a red table wine. The vines are planted on an attractive south-facing slope; from the top is a panoramic view of Brading, whose origins were in Roman times, and of Sandown Bay beyond. A vineyard trail lets visitors walk through the rows of vines, heavy with bunches of grapes ripening in the early autumn sun.

Highlights of the Thames Path

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:00:53 GMT

Right now, the Thames Path is looking glorious, with autumn colours reflected in the water beside the 184-mile trail. Stretching from the Cotswolds to the Thames Barrier, the path not only follows the course of Britain's most celebrated waterway, it offers a great choice of old pubs en route. It takes about two weeks to stroll the entire length, but there are plenty of options for shorter stints. What's more, you can leave the car at home: the National Trail website presents a number of walks accessible from railway stations.

Portsmouth: a city of great expectations

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:00:53 GMT

In the early morning, the rays of the autumn sun throw a dappled light across the water. A smell of fish hangs in the air. Seagulls swoop and cry; the only other sound is the quiet chatter of the fishmongers as they unload the morning's catch – bass, Dover sole, mackerel, lobster – and lay it out ready for the opening of the market. Six days a week, this is the scene on the quayside of the Point, a spit of land that juts out into Portsmouth harbour.

HIghlights of the Thames Path

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:00:53 GMT

Right now, the Thames Path is looking glorious, with autumn colours reflected in the water beside the 184-mile trail. Stretching from the Cotswolds to the Thames Barrier, the path not only follows the course of Britain's most celebrated waterway, it offers a great choice of old pubs en route. It takes about two weeks to stroll the entire length, but there are plenty of options for shorter stints. What's more, you can leave the car at home: the National Trail website (see below) presents a number of walks accessible from railway stations.

What's on in London: capital attractions

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:00:46 GMT

Diwali in the Square,Trafalgar Square, 4 October

diwaliinlondon.com

Admission: free

Last year, 25,000 spectators came to celebrate the festival of lights in Trafalgar Square. Celebrating "the triumphant victory of good over evil", Diwali boasts live music, light shows and the opportunity to learn traditional Indian dances. Shama and Friends will open the day with a live set, followed by performances from acts including Screendolz and the Banjeree Kathak Group.

A riverside loop from Westminster to Waterloo reveals the rich dimensions of London

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:00:42 GMT

London has the best taxi drivers of any capital city. The typical cabbie has an astonishingly detailed "mental map" of the biggest conurbation in western Europe. Yet if you asked to be taken to the junction of the A302 and the A3211, you might get a blank look.

The exceptional countryside paths of the South East

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:00:39 GMT

Walkers in South East England are spoilt for choice, whether you want a few days serious hiking, or a few hours strolling followed by a few hours easy lunching. For starters, here's a selection of favourites; long and short, hard and easy.