Britain’s original destination for a dirty weekend, Brighton has had a reputation for licentiousness since the Prince Regent (later King George IV) started bringing his mistress Maria Fitzherbert here in the late 18th century. The construction of his coastal party pad, Brighton Pavilion, sealed the deal — slowly transforming the sleepy fishing village of Brighthelmston into a fashionable destination for the Regency elite, as well as setting a deliriously high standard for subsequent society pleasure dens.
Cut to 2023 and the city has cleaned up its act. It claims the UK’s only Green Party MP and its highest density of vegan restaurants, according to 2022 research by chefspencil.com. To sanitise the city too thoroughly, however, would be to rob it of its charm. This is a place synonymous with Graham Greene’s underworld novel Brighton Rock and, latterly, best known for bonkers beachfront raves and outrageous drag acts. An exemplar of the counterculture, it prides itself on openness and inclusivity — its wordplay nickname ‘B-right-on’ infinitely more apt than the slightly sneering ‘London-on-Sea’.
Though a fraction of the capital’s size — only qualifying for its city status when bundled together with neighbouring Hove in 2001 — Brighton brims with big energy. “It’s the beating heart of the south coast,” says Michael Aurel, manager of one of its hottest bars, the Plotting Parlour. “And absolutely everyone is welcome here.”
Much of Brighton’s appeal is along its extensive coastline — walk any section of the promenade between Hove Lagoon and Brighton Marina and you’ll pass grand seafront hotels and kitsch candy floss stalls, rollerbladers with rainbow hair and hen parties wearing kiss-me-quick hats. Nearby is The Lanes and its labyrinth of alleyways, many made using a building material called bungaroosh. Here, flint, pebbles and sand are set within the walls, the influence of the sea seeping even into streets set far back from the water.
There are remnants of Brighton’s 19th-century heyday everywhere — like the fire-ravaged ghost pier, slowly being reclaimed by the water and the elegant arches of Madeira Terrace, soon to be restored. Wander along the beach and you’re equally likely to stumble upon a vintage carousel, a sandy volleyball court or pop-up sauna. An evening out might start with a sustainable dinner menu and end with a nightcap at a speakeasy — or dancing til dawn at one of the LGBTQ+ bars in Kemptown, traditionally Brighton’s gay quarter. Whichever path you take, you’ll soon discover that this is a city that takes having fun seriously.
The Lanes & North Laine: These adjacent areas are made for ambling. Traditionally the city’s jewellery district, the narrow and maze-like Lanes are still
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A major international hotel group, Lopesan, with over 17,000 hotel rooms across Europe, Asia and the Caribbean, called on Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett and his team yesterday (November 7) at the World Travel Market (WTM) in London, United Kingdom, to announce that they are urgently seeking to develop a 1,000-room luxury resort on the island.
A lone boatman watches Thailand's so-called "floating train" pass as selfie-seeking passengers soak up the water views, disembarking from carriages stopped on a narrow bridge.
At a recent press conference in Pigeon Forge, Tennesee, Dolly Parton joked that she's not a hotelier. But the irony of that comment was that the press conference was to celebrate the official grand opening of Dollywood's HeartSong Lodge & Resort, the second resort at Dollywood, the singer, actress, philanthropist and business mogul's East Tennesee theme park.
This two-hour train trip gets seriously scenic after Coleraine, when it partly follows the coast and Lough Foyle. As it runs along Downhill Beach, the sands and turbulent ocean are just outside the window, with the domed Mussenden temple perched on the cliffs above. On through farmland and past views of craggy Binevenagh – a towering cliff on the edge of the Antrim plateau – it will offer views of wintering geese, whooper swans and waders on the shores of the lough.
In the gloom caused by the loss of many rural bus services and Rishi Sunak’s shameful rollback of environmental pledges, there has been one gleam of (green) light. The bus fare cap, now set at £2.50 across England, will run until 30 November 2024. The cap doesn’t apply to buses in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but there are still some reasonable fares, so here are 10 great sightseeing routes across the UK.
Like clockwork, warm weather slips away and autumn begins its descent on the Northern Hemisphere, bringing with it rich amber and ochre hues that transform forests, woodlands and parks. Make the most of the changing seasons with a scenic walk at one of these spectacular sites across Britain.
In the 1790s, what had been the small fishing port of Hastings in East Sussex blossomed into a popular seaside resort and today it’s one of England’s favorite coastal towns. With its pebbly beach and black wooden fishing huts, the imposing castle on the cliffs and a charming cobblestoned old town, Hastings offers a mix of old-world allure and modern experiences and it’s a town of surprises. Hastings is the birthplace of television. TV’s inventor, John Logie Baird, conducted experiments in his lodgings on Queen Street, which resulted in the world’s first television in 1925. The shingle beach, the Stade, is home to Europe's largest fleet of beach-launched fishing boats with the freshest seafood on sale daily from small huts.
Destinations that can only be reached by sea are among the most world's most brag-worthy. There’s something alluring about the cachet associated with arriving at a destination the “old-fashioned way”—stepping onto the pier (or alighting off a tender) knowing that you’ve shifted from the microcosm of a ship to that of a remote destination. Your two community bubbles will mingle for a few hours and then part, much the way calls at remote ports have always been, dating back to the days of sail.
Many visitors come to Liverpool for its football or music heritage. But away from those obvious attractions, it has exciting food and drink, unique cultural institutions and a dynamic nightlife and live music scene that stays true to the city’s legacy.