The battle for Hastings: a seaside town on the up

Beyond Epoka’s grand, neo-Renaissance facade, a theatre-inspired interior welcomes diners. And the show begins swiftly. Within minutes of entering the landmark restaurant that overlooks Warsaw’s elegant Ogród Saski (Saxon Garden), I’m enjoying the pleasant bitterness of a cynar negroni and admiring plush velvet booths in shades of blue and green. Chef Marcin Przybysz approaches my cosy seating, accompanied by a giant bowl overflowing with fresh produce. He shows me some garden-fresh lettuce, a piece of wasabi root and honey so local it comes from beehives on the roof of the building. 

The ultimate tropical getaway, the Caribbean conjures images of palm-fringed beaches, rum-fueled dancing and lush jungle excursions. Pick any of the 700-odd islands that form an arc between Florida and Venezuela and you’ll get all these things and more.

Nowhere is perfect, but let’s face it, Switzerland gets pretty darned close. 

Tbilisi is a city of contradictions, where Soviet-era feats of concrete, Silk Road caravanserais and decadent European-style mansions sit cheek by jowl. Moulded by invaders for much of its history, Tbilisi’s skyline can be read like a book, each city block a catalogue of its trials and triumphs.

Crowned with an impressive royal castle and dotted with church spires and world-class museums, Kraków combines the historic with the cosmopolitan.

Some of the best places to visit in Scotland will be instantly familiar to anyone who’s ever gazed at a whisky label or shortbread tin. Think dramatic peaks, lonely glens, lochs, tartan and haggis!

I hadn’t planned my walk along the Sankey Canal to coincide with the axing of HS2 but it happened like that. It was a sunny day. I had been promising myself a hike along the towpath for ages. I grew up in the area and it holds a special place in my affections. As I wandered it struck me that this under-explored waterway was arguably the UK’s first significant development in infrastructure since the Romans built roads. It was built in two years.

The holiday season is almost upon us. Soon, the TV screen will be swamped with festive ads, the radio will be jingling with holiday tunes and presents will be wrapped.

Eurostar could face fresh rivalry on its cross-Channel train route.

This is the view from the peak of Mount Srđ at dusk, looking out across the Old Town and harbour of Dubrovnik. The city’s historical core has remained virtually untouched since it was completed in the 13th century, and I was keen to convey its distinctly ethereal atmosphere. Looking to capture the magic of the walled city, I chose to shoot the view as the streetlamps in the Old Town were flickering into life.

Tallinn is a stunning metropolis set beside the Gulf of Finland. Its Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site containing medieval facades and fortifications that have remained largely unchanged since the 13th century. Its modern bonafides are almost equally as impressive. Beginning with the birth of Skype here back in 2005, the area has built up a reputation as the “Silicon Valley of Europe.” All the delicious hallmarks of hip contemporary society have crept in alongside it: a craft brewing boom, Michelin-caliber gastronomy, cocktail bars.

The tiny town of Hochatown, on the shores of Broken Bow Lake in the southeast corner of Oklahoma, was created exactly one year ago. And it’s almost entirely thanks to Airbnb.