UK holidays
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Good Hotel, Royal Victoria Dock, London: hotel reviewThis floating hotel has river views and a communal spirit, giving work to unemployed locals and inviting guests to relax in ‘living room’ spaces
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Top 10 group walks for winter in the UKEmbracing the great outdoors in the dead of winter is a lot easier in a group and with a knowledgeable leader for motivation. We pick the best guided walks around Britain -
10 more of the UK’s best small towns: readers’ travel tipsReaders had so much to say about our 10 of the best small UK towns for winter breaks article, we’ve put together a new list based on their recommendations -
The Elm Tree, Spilsby, Lincolnshire: hotel reviewA new five-star B&B on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds offers bags of comfort and a chance to explore one of the country’s underappreciated rural areas
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A foodie’s tour of Aberdeenshire: it’s fit for a princeLocal holidaymaker Prince Charles has opened a restaurant near Balmoral, eastern Scotland, one of many showcasing the area’s superb fresh ingredients
accommodation
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The Victoria Inn, Peckham Rye, London: hotel reviewGentrified Peckham Rye now has a pub with rooms to match. And the food’s pretty high-end, too
top 10s
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Top 10 festive pubs in the UKFrom pubs famous for Christmas parties to cosy hideaways where you can escape the crowds, here are 10 city-centre boozers serving great beers for a festively good time
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10 of the best Christmas light festivals in the UKFrom dancing lasers to magical gardens, imaginative light shows are being switched on throughout the land. We preview 10 Christmas spectaculars
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10 of the best London pubs for the Christmas seasonA Christmas drink, be it mulled, pulled or poured, comes with an extra splash of seasonal cheer at these classic London pubs, where the festive season is celebrated in style
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10 of the best small UK towns for winter breaksThe historic buildings, modern restaurants, cosy pubs and independent shops of these towns banish any notions of a backwater. And they sparkle in the Christmas season – perfect for a weekend break or day trip
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Take the kids to … Wonderlab at the Science Museum, LondonThis new gallery inside the (otherwise free) museum invites children to become scientists through 50 interactive displays and regular live shows
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‘Grandfather rented the rock for £1 a year…’ Why sailor Alex Thomson loves JerseyThe round-the-world yachtsman’s fondest childhood memories are of holiday trips to a tiny islet off Jersey – and grabbing live lobsters with his bare hands
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Fossil fever: exploring Dorset's Jurassic Coast with Steve EtchesRetired plumber Steve Etches has spent years combing the coast for ammonites and dinosaur bones. He has collected so many a £5m, world-class museum, in the village of Kimmeridge, has been built to house them all
budget holidays
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Celebrating 50 years of mountain bothiesIn more than 100 wild corners of the UK are free shelters – bothies – for use by walkers. As the charity that runs them turns 50, Phoebe Smith, author of Book of Bothy, picks eight favourites
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Igloo Hybrid ho[s]tel, Nottingham: hotel reviewOur reviewer usually shuns youth hostels, but he finds this new Nottingham pad a much better budget option than many big hotel chains
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Let’s go to … Ramsbottom, Greater ManchesterThis pretty market town in lovely West Pennines countryside has several Christmas events, adding to the appeal of its quality shops, pubs and bistros
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Let’s go to … Beverley for the Christmas festivalThe East Yorkshire market town hosts one of the most colourful festive events in the UK, with a market, street entertainers, rides and a Christmas parade
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Let’s go to … the National Memorial Arboretum, StaffordshireIts new Remembrance Centre has just opened, in time for Armistice Day. But also take time to explore nearby lovely Lichfield and its medieval cathedral
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Let’s go to ... spooky south-west WalesGet spooked for Halloween on a tombstone trail that covers five graves of interesting or scary characters in four area of south Wales
sport holidays
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Walking to West Sussex: on a modern English pilgrimagePilgrimages were once common in the UK. Now, a new trust aims to revive the tradition, in secular form. Alan Franks joins a walk from London to West Sussex to celebrate the song Jerusalem’s centenary
restaurants
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Alt city guide to LiverpoolLeft-field Liverpool is thriving with a strong DIY culture and an art world bubbling with grassroots projects. Here’s our pick of the most exciting music and culture venues, and the best places to eat and drink
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Top 10 vegetarian and vegan restaurants and cafes in ManchesterTo celebrate World Vegetarian Day, we choose the best places to eat for veggies and vegans in the city where the UK Vegetarian Society was established, 169 years ago
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countries
coast & country
The alternative city guide to Newcastle