Barbecues in the UK: From Heatwaves to Grilled Feasts The other day someone I know was talking about the weather and he said: “I’ll tell you how hot it is… We rolled out the barbecue for the first time this week and we’ve been grilling sausages and steaks and goodness knows what else.” This simple statement reminded me that not every UK household likes the idea of cooking over a live flame. It took this chap and his family a UK record of four officially designated heatwaves b

Beat the Heat: 4 Refreshing West Country Hikes for Summer Days Devon's South East Coast During the two decades I spent writing a weekly walks column, the most common question from readers was: “What’s your favourite hike?” It is a question impossible to answer. This region boasts some of the finest walking routes in Europe; picking just one would be like naming a single favourite piece of music. There is simply an embarrassment of riches. The second most frequent query concer

Heatwaves in the UK and the West Country’s Cool Escape Heatwaves are hitting us thick and fast – indeed the UK is enjoying or enduring one this very day. Which is why I went out early this morning for the daily dog-walk. However, here in the West Country we do have a secret weapon in our armoury which helps us when the heat gets too hot. I am talking about the West Country’s most extensive icon – the myriad deep sunken lanes that wend and weave their way from one end of the r

Hidden beneath the towering cliffs near Hartland Quay, Speke's Mill Mouth is one of Devon's most spectacular secret beaches. Follow the South West Coast Path to discover a waterfall plunging onto a wild Atlantic shore.

Just minutes from Plymouth lies a stretch of coast so secluded it is often called Cornwall’s "forgotten peninsula." From the iconic cliffside chalets of Treninnow to the lonely sheep-grazed slopes of Eglarooze, Whitsand Bay offers a wild maritime escape that feels worlds away from the city.

Discovering the Best Sand in Britain: St Martin’s, Isles of Scilly Sand is a very important topic when it comes to seasides – secret or otherwise – people often ask which beaches have the best sand, partly because the stuff comes in so many forms… The answer is simple – but you’re going to have to travel 28 miles west of Land’s End to walk barefoot in it. The beaches of St Martin’s in the Isles of Scilly have amazing white sand. It is the Rolls Royce of granular geology – the

Hidden behind a famous smugglers' tunnel, Ness Cove is one of Devon's most enchanting secret beaches. Discover how to find it, where to park, nearby coastal walks and why this secluded cove is one of South Devon's finest hidden gems.

I once climbed down to this Secret Seaside and saw a fat naked man wobbling along in a single sandal." From bizarre flotsam to the rare Mediterranean ants that hold the key to a butterfly's survival, Strangles Beach is a wild, wonderful, and lonely masterpiece of the Cornish littoral.

Crow Point is one of North Devon's least-known beaches, where huge skies, golden sand and sweeping views across the Taw Estuary create one of Devon's finest hidden coastal escapes.

What happens when artificial intelligence tries to describe a vintage cider? We put AI to the test alongside some of the West Country's finest cider makers and discovered the difference experience makes.

Mediterranean Voyage: Sailing from Naples on the Sea Cloud Spirit Embarking from the Historic Bay of Naples If you’re going on a voyage, then the Bay of Naples makes for a pretty classic embarkation point . A great many historical figures have departed the shores beneath smoky old Vesuvius - way back in time the mythical Odysseus had his encounter with the Sirens somewhere on this coast; Roman Emperors such as Claudius and Tiberius spent time in the bay area; Admiral Nelson

Discover the timeless elegance of the Sea Cloud Spirit on a luxury sailing cruise around Sicily. From Palermo and Taormina to Malta and Syracuse, experience fine dining, exceptional service and the romance of travelling beneath towering white sails on one of the world's most beautiful sailing ships.

Discovering the Danish Happiness Factor Year after year, Denmark ranks near the top of the World Happiness Report, a global survey examining wellbeing across 140+ countries. In the most recent rankings, Denmark came second only to Finland, while the UK landed a less cheerful 23rd. But why? What makes this cool, windy, northern European nation so content? As mentioned in last week's feature on Skagen’s artist colony, I decided to explore the question of Danish happiness furthe

Discover what it's really like to sail aboard the magnificent Sea Cloud Spirit on an eight-day luxury voyage from Naples to Valletta. From glamorous Capri and historic Palermo to beautiful Taormina, Syracuse and Malta, this first-hand review explores elegant sailing, outstanding cuisine, fascinating excursions and one of the Mediterranean's finest small-ship cruise experiences.

Discovering Skagen: Denmark’s Light-Filled Land's End with Artistic and Culinary Surprises Sometimes you find yourself enjoying a journey that you’ve decided to take for the most obscure of reasons. Such was the case with me last week as I strolled around a rather extraordinary seaside town, being almost blinded by the unusually bright natural light for which the place is famous. Which, in itself, provides a clue as to why I was visiting the very northern tip of Denmark. It a

Budock Vean Hotel and the Helford River Area Every region has special corners where geography and landscape combine to make things just a little bit more lovely than elsewhere, and this article is all about one such place. The area around the Helford River really is one of the jewels in Cornwall’s crown. What Is a Ria? Cornwall’s Unique River Valleys All Cornwall’s rias are scenic—a ria, as you’ll know, being a flooded river valley rather than a tidal estuary in the normal

Northern Denmark, particularly around Skagen, offers a straightforward approach to food. It's a region where the proximity to the sea heavily influences what's on the plate, with fresh catches forming the backbone of many meals. The Skagen harbour area itself is a hub for seafood. Restaurants here often occupy the old, red-painted fish warehouses, maintaining a connection to the town's fishing heritage. You can expect to find establishments where the daily catch is the star,

Learning the Art of Fish Cookery with Annie Seabourne How many of us home-cooks think we know our way around a fish? Really know it, I mean, so that we can clean, gut and fillet any kind of swimming creature that is about to bless our dinner tables? My guess is there’ll be a smallish number who’ll feel confident when confronted with any kind of raw seafood, but also a majority who will look at different kinds of fish and wish they were at the chip shop buying something deep f

Dimos Balopoulos is a chef based in eastern Crete, and I remember him telling me how each winter his bosses send him around the world to work for short spells in top kitchens so that he could expand his kitchen’s repertoire. And if it’s good enough for a leading light like Dimos, it’s good enough for an amateur like me. Indeed, one reason I was in Crete was to learn a bit more about how the Greeks in general — and the Cretans in particular — centre all their culinary practice

An overview of an excellent hike at Lansallos on the south Cornish coast