7 natural wonders around Britain

A quartet of caravans are in a wildflower meadow and copse in the grounds of an old rectory near Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire. They are Gertie, a rare 1930s model; Sybil, a handmade 1940s van; Monty, a second world war military wagon; and Elsie, a 1950s van. All have original features and outdoor seating; three have wood burners and Monty has a private deck. There are communal showers, toilets, a summer kitchen and campfire, and an honesty shop selling farm produce, ice-cream and cider. Guests can hire individual vans or the site, and pitch a tent next to their van at no extra cost.From £200 for two nights for four people, vans sleep two to five, maddogsandvintagevans.co.uk

India serves up travel on a massive scale. The journey from northern Ladakh to the tip of Tamil Nadu covers 3214km (2000 miles), and it’s a 2933km (1822-mile) trip from the western edge of Gujarat to the eastern border of Manipur in the Northeast States.

Heading for the seafront from Blackpool North station, I passed gleaming new tramlines. Blackpool’s famous trams – confined to the promenade since the early 1960s – will soon be running inland again, and nearby hoardings boasted: “The renaissance of Blackpool is gathering pace.”

Enter the WGBH “Downton Abbey” sweepstakes by March 15, 2016, for a chance to win the grand prize: a six-day trip for two to Great Britain, including air, hotel, some meals, rail passes, and tours of Downton Abbey filming sites.

In a big win for Britain’s consumers, the British Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has told big online travel agencies that they must include any mandatory charges like hotel “resort” fees (which are often applied by non-resort hotels in big cities, as well) in the up-front listed price. It’s ok, says CMA, for hotels to break the full price into a base charge plus a mandatory fee, but all mandatory fees must be included in the initially displayed cost.

In this time of isolation, businesses and individuals around the world are sending out messages of hope. Discover, in photos, how we’re keeping our spirits up during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grupo Xcaret is excited to introduce the inaugural Xcaret Culinary Festival, a first-of-its-kind event in Riviera Maya. In a groundbreaking culinary festival, distinguished chefs from around the world, including internationally renowned and Michelin-starred chefs, will join forces with the finest Mexican culinary experts to celebrate the art of Mexican cuisine. The event will showcase a captivating array of dinners, tastings, pairings, and presentations, blending innovation with the rich traditions of Mexican gastronomy.

It takes about 20 million steps to walk around the world, not to mention several years of commitment as well as determination, stamina, trekking gear, and a state of mind that few of us can imagine.

I’m settled in the shade of a hawthorn bush at the edge of the trail. Banked cow parsley waves in the breeze, elderflowers are breaking bud and the white chalk line of the footpath draws the eye on through the landscape. As I sit, a hare hops out of the hedge just metres away and pauses on the path. For a long moment it is still and calm, eyes shining golden. I hold my breath. Then it notices me and bursts into action, launching off the track and through the undergrowth to the field beyond, quicker than my eyes can follow. I exhale. Walks are made for moments like these.

As gulls rise above the valley they drift into the colours of the sun that is setting over the north Atlantic, a mile or so downriver from where I am standing. Their whiteness turns to pale red as they merge upward into a zone of sky where the colours are most intense. Then, with the smallest of wingbeats, they fly westwards towards the coast.

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For five days of the year each summer, the somewhat soulless exhibition centre in Earls Court is transformed into a giant pub (pictured above). Or at least that’s what it feels like. Gone are the trade stalls and suited delegates, replaced by an army of (mostly bearded) volunteers manning hundreds of kegs, dispensing beers few people have ever heard of to thousands of squiffy punters – a lot of whom are wearing traffic-cone hats or sombreros for no apparent reason.