Champagne, carpaccio and some football: my day in Fulham's posh stand
And so it continues until my belly hurts so that walking the 20ft to my seat to watch Fulham take on Everton on Saturday feels a blessed relief. You cannot take your champagne with you to watch the football, thank goodness, or I might have toppled down the tiers of the new
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The Guardian
6 hours ago
- The Guardian
20 family nature holidays in the UK – from kayaking to stargazing and whale watching
There's no escaping sea and sky on Tiree, as the Inner Hebridean island is only 12 miles long and 3 miles wide. Shallow seas provide rich feeding grounds for marine life, and it is one of the UK's best spots for whale watching. Tiree Sea Tours – a member of the WiSe national training scheme for minimising disturbance to marine wildlife – offers half-day and full-day sea-faris (from £75). Visitors can also try to spot basking sharks circling the island in the plankton-rich waters at viewing spots in Hynish Bay or Caoles, or from the deck of the CalMac ferry over to nearby Coll. Sunset Pods' two cabins (from £700 a week, one week minimum stay in July-August) sleep four and offer views over Balevullin beach, a Dark Sky discovery site and home to Blackhouse Watersports. Dipping its toes in the Thames Estuary, the Isle of Sheppey is visited by thousands of migrating shore birds every year. Visitors of all ages can get twitching by staying at Elmley nature reserve in pop-up summer bell tents for four (from £170 a night, two nights minimum), and joining a Wildlife Wander Walk (£25) to spot species such as egrets, lapwings, avocets and marsh harriers. You can also jump in a Land Rover for an off-road adventure with an ecologist (from £20). To view it all from the water, Jet Stream Tours offers a four-hour around-the-island trip (£90 per family) that passes by Elmley and the cliffs of Eastchurch. On the Llŷn Peninsula, Bert's Kitchen Garden campsite (from £44 a pitch) always has something new to offer. Last year, the husband-and-wife team who run it opened Beachside, a cafe on wheels offering local produce, including Heartland Coffee Roasters, and supper clubs with chefs from the area. A new sauna provides warmth after bracing sea swims. The site's private beach is ideal for families who love to be on the water, with paddleboards and kayaks for hire. Further inland, in the heart of Eryri national park, Llyn Gwynant campsite (from £16pp; day visitors welcome from £5pp plus £5 per car) offers access to a river, mountain and lake, with boat hire on the doorstep. Glanllyn Lakeside caravan and camping park (from £27 a pitch) has a pebbled beach, ideal for launching kayaks and paddleboards, on the shore of Bala lake. Coombeshead is a 162-hectare (400-acre) rewilding site just north of the Tamar Valley, owned and run by Derek Gow, an author and campaigner specialising in species reintroduction and nature recovery. This summer, families who book a stay in a shepherd's hut will receive a complimentary animal encounter to learn more about the reintroduction of white storks, water voles, wild cats, and Coombeshead's newest arrival, the European lynx. The off-grid shepherd's hut and campsite (from £12 a night) share the kitchen, shower and toilet block, and a rewilding garden. You can also book a two-hour wild walk or dusk beaver-watching experience (from £28 a person). Once derelict, Northwich Woodlands is now home to more than 2,000 plant and animal species, offering families ample opportunity for nature immersion. Across more than 323 hectares, nine distinct habitats include wildflower meadows, wetlands and two canals: the Weaver Navigation and the Trent and Mersey. This summer, kids can get stuck in on guided pond-dipping and bug-hunting days throughout July and August. Two- to five-berth canal boats are available to hire from nearby Anderton Marina through ABC Boat Hire (from £431 a night, two nights minimum) and feature several overnight itineraries, including along the recently refurbished Huddersfield Narrow canal across the Pennines. Outdoor specialist Millets recently ranked Epping Forest as the third most family-friendly forest in the UK, after the New Forest and the Forest of Dean. Maps of more than 30 child-friendly trails, including the Willow and Holly trails, are available at the Epping Forest visitor centre at High Beach. You can also find 20 walks for all abilities on the Epping Forest Walks app. Events over the summer include crafting at the Toot Hill Country Show, as well as a 90-minute obstacle course for kids of all ages at Wild Forest (from £22). The Lee Valley Almost Wild campsite (from £30 a pitch), a short walk from Broxbourne station, has 20 basic pitches for those aged over 12. Heggs Farm, a 55-hectare rewilding project just north of the Yorkshire Dales national park, prides itself on being wild. Members of the CampWild platform, which helps landowners and farmers open sections of land to campers, can book a stay at Heggs in two camping spots (from £15), or a camping bothy (from £45) for up to four people. Families are invited to participate in several conservation activities during their stay, including caring for newly planted trees, plugging dams to create new wetland areas, and recording wildlife sightings. Near Skipton, on the southern edge of the Dales, Broughton Sanctuary also offers conservation activities for families. Weekly tree-planting events with ranger Joel Batchelor are free to attend, and kids can enjoy its Wild Explorers forest school (£35 a day). Scotland's first marine protected area visitor centre, the Coast discovery centre in Lamlash, has been thrown into the spotlight after appearing in David Attenborough's hard-hitting new documentary, Ocean. With a summer of events lined up, there's no better place for kids to learn about our fragile marine environments. Activities include gentle shore scrambles with wildlife experts; snorkel taster sessions (from £40); and a two-hour boat ride on Coast's research vessel involving everything from habitat mapping to plankton sampling (from £30). Some of the UK's best surfing spots, including Rest Bay and Woolacombe, are less than three hours' drive from Bristol, so it's no surprise that many campervan hire companies are setting up shop in the city. Roadsurfer's vans include the Surfer Suite, which sleeps four with an outdoor shower and pop-up roof (from £65). Alternatively, Shaka, from Camplify is a thoughtfully converted baker's van kitted out with luxuries including a composting toilet and hot shower, as well as quirkier additions such as stained-glass windows and a record collection. It's available to rent for up to five people (from £110) and can be delivered within a 100-mile radius of Bristol. When it comes to pitching up, Porthcawl Surf School, between Swansea and Cardiff, recommends Sandy Bay campsite near Rest Bay, while back in north Devon, Little Roadway Farm offers electric hook‑ups for campervans (from £30) and pitches (from £15pp) just moments from Woolacombe's sweeping sands. Three Cliffs Bay's constantly shifting landscape - the tide sweeps in and out across soft sand to dunes, a salt marsh and the Pennard Pill stream - provides never-ending fun for kids of all ages. Rising out of the bay are the famous three limestone cliffs, one of Wales's most accessible climbing spots. Gower Adventures offers the best way to give it a try; families can join full-day climbing adventures with expert tuition from local guides (£210 for a family of four). Spend the night pitched up at Nicholaston Farm (from £29 a pitch) – a sheltered campsite with big sea views, good washrooms, and a farm shop. Aberdeenshire has more hours of sunshine a year than a lot of places in Scotland, which also means more clear nights for stargazing. On the eastern edge of the Cairngorms national park in an area with particularly low light pollution, Cairngorm Bothies is an ideal base to view celestial events such as the Perseid meteor shower in August. Its 12 self-catering bothies sleep either two or four (from £125 a night, two nights minimum), and several are fully accessible. Thanks to a partnership with hiking guides Hillgoers, families staying here can book stargazing excursions with a certified 'star ranger' this summer. Alternatively, head to the Glen Tanar visitor centre, a designated Dark Sky discovery site some 15 minutes down the road by car. The North York Moors national park's Sutton Bank centre, which sits on an escarpment over the Vale of York, has launched three new gravel biking routes this summer. Part-created by cycling journalist Guy Kesteven, the routes are accessible from the Sutton Bank Bikes hire station (from £40 a day). The 15-mile (25km) Moorland Meander has an 'easy' rating, taking in the open plateaus of the moors with only 200 metres of climbing. Also new this year is an Edge of Empire accessible trail at archaeological site Cawthorn Roman Camps. On a working farm, a shepherd's hut on Stonebeck Gate Farm (from £110 a night) sleeps four. Sign up to The Traveller Get travel inspiration, featured trips and local tips for your next break, as well as the latest deals from Guardian Holidays after newsletter promotion The River Ouse has become the first river in the UK to gain legal rights — a big step forward in the campaign for cleaner waterways. The Kayak Coach runs trips here to suit all abilities and ages, including a two and a half hour adventure for beginners, which paddles along the Ouse from the middle of Lewes (£60). Further east, the River Rother meanders through The Original Hut Company's campsite (shepherd's hut for five, from £150) near Bodiam Castle. The company's partnership with adventure provider Epic Life makes it easy to rent kayaks or paddleboards (from £6) directly from the campsite, or you can join a session on giant paddleboards for up to eight people (from £95.40). Nearby, the Pop-Up campsite on regenerative Hop and Hare farm (from £15 a night per person, two nights minimum) will keep kids busy with egg collecting, a nature trail, den building and paddleboards. Follow in the footsteps of Chris Packham and Anita Rani to spot wildlife on the former site of BBC Springwatch, Pensthorpe nature reserve. Activities include a Poo Trail for younger children and evening activities such as badger watching (£20.95) and a Creatures of the Night (£16.95) bat and owl-watching adventure. There's a pop-up campsite now too, with grass pitches from £30 a night, or bell tents for four from £130 a night (both two nights minimum). If you'd rather do it yourself, pick up a four-mile section of the Norfolk coast path from Morston Quay through Blakeney national nature reserve to pretty Cley-next-the-Sea and catch the Coasthopper bus service back. If you can time the tides right, a ferry service from Morston Quay heads out to Blakeney Point, which is home to England's largest grey seal colony. Families looking to try mountain biking will love Old Bob's, the newest trail at the Forest of Dean Cycle Centre, named after a pumping engine from a nearby former coal mine. Weaving just over a mile through the forest, the trail features three areas designed for practising off-road riding skills. It's also one of the UK's most accessible mountain bike trails, suitable for bikes with up to four wheels as well as adaptive bikes. More gentle activities nearby include woodland fun in Puzzlewood's rare temperate rainforest, where you can stay in a cottage sleeping four plus an infant (from £240 a night, minimum three nights), and the Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail just across the road from the cycle centre. In the middle of the Causeway Coast, Portrush's sheltered harbour and sweeping beach is an excellent spot to try paddleboarding and surfing. Portrush Surf School, run by pro surfer Martin 'TK' Kelly, has availability on a four-day VIP Surf Camp for nine- to 16-year-olds (£140) throughout the summer holidays, or you can book a three-hour family surf or paddleboard lesson (£160 for four; over-nines only). Visitors can get a little further off-the-beaten-track with Free Dive Northern Ireland, which takes groups from Portrush to coastal locations on half-day paddleboard and cave-snorkelling adventures (from £50pp) throughout July and August. As water temperatures creep above 20C, it's a great time to take older kids to try more serious wild swimming. In Godstone, Surrey, a sand-extraction site has been converted into a natural swimming lake known as Divers Cove. Circuits of up to 650 metres are marked out around the lake, and all sessions are overseen by lifeguards (£10.99; over-sevens only). Younger kids might prefer the nearby green flag-awarded Frensham Great Pond, which has a roped-off swimming area and gentle shelving beach. And at Box Hill, visitors can experience one of Nature Calling's six new art projects. Dawn After Night, Spring After Winter is a free digital adventure game designed to help more people connect with their local landscapes. The Supreme Court recently upheld the legal right to wild camp on Dartmoor, providing an excellent opportunity to educate the next generation about the joys and responsibilities of wild camping. Before embarking on an adventure, read up on the code of conduct – which includes rules on travelling light, leaving no trace and staying out of sight – and find out where you're allowed to camp using the national park's backpack camping map. The Dartmoor Preservation Association has also created a handy guide to the 3Ps (pees, poos and periods) when wild camping. If the idea of pitching up alone is too much, try booking a spot at Beardown Farm, which has two wild campsites on a 450-hectare working farm on the high moor. Pitches (from £5 per adult; £2.50 per child) include communal tap and fire pits, plus a composting toilet in summer. In just two years, brothers Giacomo and Matteo have transformed Higher Farm near Castle Cary from a traditional dairy farm into a biodynamic hub. In May this year, the 20-hectare site – with 2,000 newly planted trees, a swimming lake, orchards, and two friendly pigs named Clover and Pumpkin – opened for the summer season. Day visitors can join in 'farmtivities' throughout the summer, including self-guided farm tours, pick-your-own and feeding the animals. A pizza van is open on Saturdays, and there's a play area for kids. Guests can also spend the night in a secluded spot, tucked into two heated yurt cabins, each sleeping three people (£130 a night, two nights minimum). The Horse and Pony Protection Association (Happa) is offering children the chance to own a pony for a day (£35) at its site overlooking Thursden Valley near Burnley this summer, helping six to 16-year-olds understand what it takes to look after a horse, including mucking out, grooming, walking with the ponies and riding. There's also a cafe, education trail and outdoor park. Meanwhile, near Preston, Alpaca Fold is running an alpaca walking experience (£20 per adult; £15 for 16s and under) on its 14-hectare site close to Samlesbury village, this summer. Sandwiched between the two on the edge of the Forest of Bowland, Little Oakhurst Boutique Glamping has shepherd's huts and yurts (from £130 a night for four). Prices are correct at the time of going to press, based on July stays and per person unless otherwise specified
Daily Mail
14 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE There's only one Gareth Southgate? Don't you believe it, writes KATIE HIND... As Joseph Fiennes is the spitting image of ex-England coach in TV remake of stage hit, do the other lookalikes match up?
He was widely praised for his 'almost AI-grade exactness' in playing Sir Gareth Southgate on stage. And as these pictures show, Joseph Fiennes, with his neat beard and focused expression, has lost none of his uncanny resemblance to the former England manager. The actor is reprising his role for the BBC adaptation of Dear England. Fiennes, 53, was seen on set for the first time as filming got under way this week for the highly-anticipated four-part series, which will air next year. The Shakespeare in Love star was spotted wearing an England training kit while recording scenes at top public school Harrow, which is being used for the squad's Staffordshire training ground, St George's Park. He was joined by former Doctor Who star, Jodie Whittaker, who is playing the team's psychologist Pippa Grange, and was seen wearing an official navy polo shirt. He was joined by former Doctor Who star, Jodie Whittaker (left), who is playing the team's psychologist Pippa Grange (right), and was seen wearing an official navy polo shirt The series, which is being made by Leftbank, the production company behind The Crown, will feature an all-star cast including Bafta winner Jason Watkins, 62, as FA chairman Greg Dyke. A cast of actors has also been hired to play various members of the England team, including Will Antenbring as Harry Kane, Edem-Ita Duke as Marcus Rashford, Francis Lovehall as Raheem Sterling, and Jacob Greenway as Jude Bellingham. Wayne Rooney will be played by Bobby Schofield, who most recently appeared in Liverpool-based drug mafia drama, This City Is Ours. Dear England has been adapted for television by James Graham, who also wrote the play, and tells the story of Sir Gareth's efforts to transform the team's performance and address the nation's long history of footballing disappointments – particularly penalty shootouts. The show begins with a flashback to 1996 when Sir Gareth missed a penalty in the Euro 96 semi-final defeat by Germany at Wembley. The plot charts the successes and failures of the men's team under Sir Gareth: the 2018 World Cup in Russia, when England reached the semi-finals, the 2020 European Championships which led to defeat in the final, and the team's quarter-final exit from the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Mr Graham has confirmed that the TV show will also include Euro 2024, where the team made the final, only to be beaten by Spain, Southgate's last act as England manager before resigning. Much of the action will take place in the grounds of £75,000-a-year Harrow. Josh Barrow will feature as goalkeeping star Jordan Pickford Adam Hugill will feature as centre-back Harry Maguire Lewis Shepherd will star as Como player Dele Alli Hamish Frew will play Monaco's Eric Dier Brentford midfielder Jordan Henderson will be played by David Shields Newcastle United right-back Kieran Trippier will be played by Michael Watson Further scenes were filmed at Wolverhampton Wanderers' ground Molineux last week, which is believed to be standing in for Wembley. The play premiered at the National Theatre in 2023 to five-star reviews, winning an Olivier award for Best New Play and enjoying a sell-out run. Joseph Fiennes was nominated for an Olivier award. It returned to the National Theatre earlier this year before embarking on a national tour. James Graham said bringing football to the stage had been 'one of the most rewarding moments of my writing life'.
Daily Mail
19 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Michelin-starred chef 'shuts down restaurant' in 'the finest dining room in London' after just six months
A Michelin-starred chef has shut down his restaurant in the finest dining room in London after just six months. Victor Garvey at the Midland Grand, based out of the St Pancras London hotel near the famous train station of the same name, only opened in February. But it now appears to have served its last diners, after stopping taking bookings and staff telling The Caterer it closed its doors on July 15. The eponymous American chef had only just replaced Irish cook Patrick Powell's The Midland Grand Dining Room in the five-star hotel's 65-seater dining room. It came after he won his Michelin star, the highest culinary gong, in 2021, for his Californian restaurant SOLA in the capital's Soho area, which opened in 2019. It is as yet unclear why the restaurant appears to have closed without warning, with the website down and guests unable to make bookings. Mr Garvey, working out of what is widely considered one of London's most opulent dining spaces, charged an eye-watering £139 for a seven-course tasting menu. There was also an even more lavish 14-course tasting experience, alongside the normal a la carte menu, The Standard reports. Dishes included red tuna, with white peach, roasted leek and a green almond sorbet - as well as a lobster served out of its shell with its own roe, along with spiced carrot. The two businesses that have most recently occupied the restaurant space were called after the building's original name - The Midland Grand Hotel. The Grade I-listed Gothic revival building in central London is one of the most iconic sights in the capital - with a restaurant space equally as impressive. Upon taking over the historic dining room earlier this year, Mr Garvey said: 'A dining room of this stature deserves a menu that matches its grandeur.' Calling the space 'one of the best dining rooms in the world', he described the menu as 'honouring the foundations of classical French cuisine while embracing modernity'. When the restaurant launched, he told The Caterer: 'A chef only gets an opportunity like this, where they are offered a big dining room, once or twice in their life. 'It happened to Joël Robuchon, to Alain Ducasse, all the big guys, and I'm very excited.' He had explained the menu as a reinvention of traditional French dishes: 'We're making it sexier, we're making it lighter.' Mr Garvey described being approached by St Pancras London hotelier Harry Handlesman to take over the space. 'He wanted to have a Michelin star here and for it to be one of the best restaurants in the world and one of the best dining rooms in the world', he explained. 'I thought - I'm pretty sure I can do that.' The restaurant's adjoining Gothic Bar currently remains open. The apparent closure of Victor Garvey at the Midland Grand will be a shock to food lovers across the capital, after it received glowing reviews from the country's top critics. Giles Coren said: 'Victor is doing fancy French now, and quite brilliantly, of course.' The chef's predecessor Mr Powell was behind the room's relaunch in April 2023 but he left just over a year later, in July 2024. He said at the time: 'The time has come for me to move on and I am hugely excited for the future and my next chapter.' Mr Powell also left his restaurant Allegra, in London's Stratford area, at the same time, which he also worked on with St Pancras London hotelier Harry Handlesman. The Irish chef is currently working as culinary director at French and New York-inspired restaurant One Club Row in the capital's Shoreditch area. The building is more than 150 years old, with several hotels having been run out of it over the years. The Midland Grand Hotel was designed by English architect Sir Gilbert Scott - also behind the Albert Memorial in London's Kensington area - and built in 1873. But it shut down in 1935 and was nearly demolished in the sixties - before it was reopened as The Renaissance in 2011, after being used as railway offices. The restaurant was relaunched as The Gilbert Scott and run by British celebrity chef and MasterChef: The Professionals judge Marcus Wareing until the pandemic. The building is now known as the St Pancras London Autograph Collection hotel and managed by Marriott International. But the name change came only last month, when Marriott transferred the hotel from its Renaissance brand to its Autograph Collection. The dining space appears to have closed only just over a month after this rebrand. Renaissance hotels aim to give guests 'curious, unique and local experiences', according to the brand's website - while Autograph ones offer a distinctive interior. As part of the rebrand, the hotel's 254 rooms and suites have been undergoing extensive renovation since January. Marriott boss Sandra Schulze-Potgieter explained at the time: 'St Pancras London is exactly the kind of property Autograph Collection was created to celebrate - rich in character, rooted in place, and full of story. 'This new chapter brings that story to life in a way that feels both intentional and unforgettable.' Mr Garvey was born in New York to an American father and French-Spanish mother, moving to Barcelona aged six. He has worked in restaurants across Spain and in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Tokyo and Copenhagen before arriving in London.
