“The return of the railway to Levenmouth – the home of Robinson Crusoe – after half a century opens up this forgotten corner of Fife again,” smiles Andy Duff. Leven used to be one of Scotland’s most popular resorts. Now the railway is breathing new life into this land of big skies, sweeping waters and...
Tag: Europe
Post
Post
How Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons changed British hotels
I spent the night at L’Orangerie, an accomplished blend of limed oak, stone and marble with a French chateau feel. Although the majority of rooms were designed more than 20 years ago, they are in pristine condition. Even so, they will soon be undergoing a facelift; the costs are no longer Blanc’s responsibility since selling...
Post
UK’s Sunak pledges tax cuts for pensioners as Tories face election wipeout
Opposition Labour Party slams election pledge as latest ‘desperate move’ by governing party. United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to cut taxes for millions of pensioners as he seeks to turn around his Conservative Party’s dismal poll numbers ahead of general elections in July. Under the plans announced on Monday, the tax-free allowance...
Post
Is Britain the world’s biggest holiday rip-off?
Getting around The high cost of train travel within the UK is another thorny issue. Say you want to reach your Cornish holiday apartment by train, taking a leaf out of Greta Thunberg’s book and doing your bit for the planet. The cheapest off-peak return from London to Penzance on Aug 5 currently costs £143...
Post
‘Living here is like going back 50 years – you can even go out for walks after dark’
Look out for Conwy mussels, which come from deep down in the seabed of the Conwy Estuary. I didn’t find any laverbread (“Welsh caviar”), which seems a pity – though it’s more properly associated with the south coast and the Gower Peninsula. A short drive inland, Bodnant Welsh Food has a good locally focused shop...
Post
UK’s Sunak promises mandatory national service for 18-year-olds if elected
Ruling Conservative Party says it will bring back national service if it wins the July 4 general election. Eighteen-year-olds will have to perform a mandatory national service if the Conservative Party is voted back to power in the United Kingdom’s July 4 election, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced. The UK has “generations of young...
Post
Jeremy Corbyn to run as an independent in UK general election
The 74-year-old ex-party leader will stand in his constituency of Islington North after being dropped from Labour candidate shortlist. Former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn will stand as an independent candidate in the United Kingdom’s general election on July 4, a move that could lead to a potential upset for Labour in his north London...
Post
The best cities for book lovers in the British Isles
Home to the UK’s National Centre of Writing, Norwich is renowned as a city of firsts. Revelations of Divine Love, written by Julian of Norwich in 1395, was the first book written by a woman in English. The first poem in blank verse was written here by Henry Howard in the 16th century. The first...
Post
Britain’s best white-sand beaches
Aquamarine waters, bone-white sands, bleached driftwood… the stuff of holiday brochures and Instagram posts, and designed to lure us to foreign and exotic idylls. But, hang on; why go abroad? Look closer to home. Britain’s coastline may not offer the bath-warm temperatures and languid palm trees of, say, the Caribbean, but it has some startling...
Post
Fashion brand Esprit files for bankruptcy in Europe
The Hong Kong-listed group says seven of its businesses in Germany cannot pay their bills and it is “unviable financially to continue the business as it is currently structured in Germany”. ADVERTISEMENT Esprit has filed for insolvency “under self-administration” for seven of its subsidiaries in Düsseldorf, Germany. Esprit Holdings is present in more than 40 countries and...
Post
Once utterly miserable, Margate is now a magnet for Hollywood actors
But cheap package holidays abroad and a lack of investment at home kickstarted the town’s demise. Great storms damaged the lido, jetty and bathing pavilions, hotels were sold off and shops boarded up. I grew up in the area in the 1980s and 1990s and Margate – particularly its old town – was utterly miserable....
Post
Russia to expel UK defence attache in a tit-for-tat move
Moscow declares A. T. Coghill persona non grata in response to London expelling Russian defence attache over espionage allegations. Russia has declared The United Kingdom’s defence attache persona non grata and gave the diplomat a week to leave the country in response to London expelling the Russian defence attache earlier this month over spying allegations....