Latest news with #KingArthur
CNET
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CNET
Yes, You Can Still Get Games for Less Than $50. These Are the Best I've Played
A newcomer to "scrolls-like" games, Tainted Grail has all the right ingredients. It takes place in Arthurian legend. The fabled King Arthur has already died, long ago, but not before he established a new capital for humankind on the island of Avalon. However, a Wyrdness has since settled on the island, and it's your job to sort it out, with some unexpected help. Though it's a little rough around the edges -- my time with the game has included a number of bugs and crashes -- it has really solid bones, and the team behind it is actively working on patching things. The magic system, itemization and world building are all good. You can really tell Questline has a love for games like Oblivion. I happily paid the $45 to support the studio, and I'm excited to see how it continues to iterate and improve on the game as development continues. Genre: RPG, first- or third-person Number of players: Single player Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Tea in the microwave? Why gen Z are giving up on kettles to make a brew
Name: Kettles. Age: 132. First featured in a catalogue in 1893. Appearance: Increasingly obsolete. I already don't like where this is going. Get with the programme. Apparently young people in Britain are not using kettles to make cups of tea. They're boiling their water in a saucepan? Worse. You don't mean … I do. It pains me to say that they are now microwaving it. Hear that sound? It's King Arthur weeping. Or maybe they're doing it right. Maybe they're sick of making tea in an old, limescale-filled, single-use appliance. But that's traditional! It doesn't matter. A survey of just over 2,000 UK energy bill payers by Uswitch has found that 58% of under-30s have used a microwave to make a cuppa, and one in six say they do it every day. Why? Is it quicker? No. A mug's worth of water takes 48 seconds to boil in a kettle, and almost three minutes in a microwave. So, does it produce a better quality drink? Also, no. Dr Tim Bond from the Tea Advisory Panel says that microwaves heat water unevenly, which leads to uneven tea extraction, which leads to a stewed flavour. Then why microwave water at all? Well, the answer may be twofold. For one thing, student halls are increasingly prohibiting the use of kettles due to steam setting off alarms, so some young people at university are forced to nuke their water in a microwave … What's the other reason? The American influence. The what? Americans typically don't use electric kettles, so they are more likely to microwave their water. Perhaps people who grow up consuming US culture are starting to believe that it's the norm. Wow. First they elected Trump, and now this. It's OK. It just means that owning an electric kettle has become a sign of the resistance. The UK may not be a perfect country but we do at least know how to boil water properly. Yes! And our national rallying cry should be: 'Tea before milk!' Actually, about that … What now? A few years ago a scientist from Leeds University worked out that for many of us, tea actually tastes better if you put milk in before tea. This feels like an affront to everything I hold dear. Don't worry, you can add it to the list of things that Gen Z have berated for – their reluctance to use capital letters, their inability to change a lightbulb and, perhaps most worryingly, their dislike of democratic political systems. This is all making microwaved tea feel quite trivial. Well, quite. Do say: 'I'll put the kettle on …' Don't say: '… put it on eBay, I mean. Now, who's for a cup of refreshing microwaved tea?'
Times
16-07-2025
- Times
24 of the best things to do in Cornwall
On a cliff overlooking a surging sea, a bronze knight with wind-tattered robes rests his huge hands on his sword and gazes south. The Gallos statue, inspired by the legend of King Arthur, is at Tintagel Castle, a key attraction in what has long been one of the top UK holiday destinations. The statue stands on the northeast end of a spectacular coastline that sweeps west towards Land's End before doubling back along the more sheltered southern shore. Along its 422 miles are jagged headlands, placid creeks, immaculate beaches and dozens of cove-sheltered fishing villages, connected by dramatic stretches of coastal path. These shores mesmerise most visitors, but Cornwall has inland attractions too, from megalithic burial chambers to Victorian manor houses with subtropical walled gardens. The air here is as crisp as champagne, the light is of a brilliance that has inspired generations of artists and the land and the sea are providers of unique food and drink. It's no surprise that Arthur liked it so much. Here are the best things to do in Cornwall. This article contains affiliate links, which may earn us revenue The King Arthur legend is woven into all our childhoods, and Tintagel Castle up on the north coast of Cornwall, is ready to fire your imagination. The ruin is on a bridge-connected headland — known as Tintagel Island — that fits the bill perfectly for Arthur and his support team of Lancelot, Percival, Merlin, Guinevere and the rest. It's well worth heading up to the highest point, where the bronze Gallos statue by Rubin Eynon has been placed, suitably insubstantial and unlabelled, given that Arthur may never have existed. Nevertheless, this wind-battered place attracts a whimsical cross-section of enthusiasts hungry for witches' brews, plastic swords and powerful crystals, if the village shops are anything to go by. From afar, those huge glass domes (aka 'biomes') in a former quarry just outside St Austell look like some kind of alien settlement, and in a way they are. The Eden Project takes you on a journey to other worlds, but without the flight or environmental costs: to the Rainforest, with birdlife and waterfalls, and to the Mediterranean, fragrant with herbs and olive trees. The project has also been developed as a hub for gigs, courses, gastronomy celebrations and various cycling and running competitions — and there's also a zip wire for a bird's-eye view of this exotic paradise. • Discover our full guide to Cornwall The Roseland peninsula, on the south coast, across the creek from Falmouth, is Cornwall at its best. Sumptuous rolling countryside, fishing villages, superlative stretches of coast path, tangles of woodland grizzled with lichen and estate manor houses with walled gardens, many of which are open to the public. It knows its value, however, so hotels such as the upmarket Tresanton in St Mawes and the Nare along the coast, presiding over Carne beach, are some of the priciest in Cornwall. Alternatively, stay at Roseland Porth Farm House, a National Trust property that is a five-minute walk from pretty Sandy Towan beach. Read our full review of Hotel Tresanton The southwest coast has played a big role in defending the UK against invaders, and one of its most historic fortresses guards the entrance to the first safe haven, Carrick Roads in Falmouth. Pendennis Castle was built by King Henry VIII, and Tudor, Napoleonic, Victorian and 20th-century guns have all been placed here. During the Second World War the battery had a staff of 99 and the observation post provided a round-the-clock watch. Climb the spiral staircase to the roof to enjoy unparalleled views out to sea. Cornwall's rich artistic heritage can be attributed to its picturesque seascapes and old fishermen's and miners' cottages. The centre of the artistic community is St Ives, where narrow lanes behind the harbour brim with galleries. Overlooking Porthmeor beach, Tate St Ives — despite resembling a municipal swimming pool from the outside — reveals an interior architectural design that complements its seaside setting. The gallery houses works by artists including Matisse and Picasso alongside local luminaries such as Ben Nicholson and Barbara Hepworth, who put St Ives on the map. In the days before tourism, mining of tin and copper was the mainstay of the Cornish economy, and it was back-breaking work. Ruined chimneys and engine houses from old mines are a feature of the northern coastline, and to get a snapshot of what life was like head for St Agnes, which is surrounded by ruins and has a small museum. Miners would walk from here to Wheal Coates, its 19th-century chimney and now a gesture of single-fingered defiance amid the heather and gorse of the wind-seared shore. The more exposed northern shores of Cornwall may be windier than the sheltered south, but that also means waves, rolling in from the Atlantic. Accordingly, the cheerful resort town of Newquay has cut its cloth to match the conditions, with surf hire and lessons on Towan and Fistral beaches and accompanying inexpensive accommodation. It's a slightly different story just up the coast at Watergate Bay, where the smarter surfing dudes hang out, do their yoga and watch for the waves from the hotel pool. With one of the largest natural harbours in the country, it's not surprising that Falmouth has a long history of naval engagements. These days its shipyard is busy with luxury yachts, but there is still a good chance of catching a glimpse of naval hulls, especially if you jump on the ferry that saunters across the Carrick Roads to St Mawes. Alternatively, climb up to where Pendennis Castle lords it over the comings and goings in the harbour. The town has a surprisingly good beach and some classic Victorian seaside hotels. Mining has a long history in Cornwall and local miners were once much in demand overseas, but the only excavations in the county these days are the giant pits created for the extraction of China clay around St Austell. Some of these are defunct (including the one that hosts the biomes of the Eden Project) and are viewable from walking trails. But occasionally the industry intersects with the holiday world, as when the clay freighters nose their way up the creek at Fowey, dwarfing all the waterside houses and striking fear into the hearts of any small boat owners in their path. Ask a dozen people which is their favourite Cornish beach and you'll get a dozen answers. Broadly, the north coast beaches are more golden, bigger and wilder, so better for dog-walking (Perranporth ) and surfing (Watergate Bay), while the southern shores are intimate, sheltered and great for families who need access to shops and facilities (Looe) or those who don't mind a steep descent from the coast path (Lantic Bay). Fistral is a headline attraction, but the great thing about Cornwall is that there'll always be a beach around the corner that is just right for you. • Best beaches in Cornwall• Cornwall v Devon: which is better? The humble Cornish pasty is at the heart of a £300 million industry. Fleets of lorries leave Cornwall at dawn to distribute them nationwide, and you can't legally call a pasty 'Cornish' unless it was made west of the Devon border. Within the county, nearly every high street boasts a pasty shop, each proud of its offerings. Noteworthy shops include Portreath Bakery in Portreath, Chough Bakery by the quay in Padstow and Sarah's Pasty Shop in Looe. The most southwesterly points on the UK mainland have very different profiles despite being just 30 miles apart. Land's End has family attractions such as 4D pirate films and a Wallace and Gromit experience, and its visitor crowds are sprinkled with excited or dazed end-to-end cyclists either setting out for or arriving from John o' Groats. Lizard Point, the most southerly landfall, is basically a lonely lighthouse backed by a small settlement, where you should seek out the bright yellow Ann's Pasties bakery shop. The South West Coast Path throws a spectacular lasso around Cornwall, with every other step producing a new outlook over gorse-topped headlands and into clearwater coves. If you like it wild there is lots of choice, but for a meander through fern-filled woodland and across creeks that mixes still green waters, a couple of ferry glides and striking views of a typical Cornish fishing village, try the National Trust's circular (and signposted) Fowey Hall Walk. Less well known than its mirror image, Mont St Michel in Normandy, but nevertheless spiritually, topographically and historically fascinating, this island sits in Mount's Bay, at the end of a tidal causeway leading out from the small, salty town of Marazion. Unlike Mont St Michel, its harbour village still has a year-round population (of around 30), while the fortified priory above has been home to the St Aubyn family since the mid-1600s. Access to the island is strictly by ticket only from April to September, with boat crossings at high tide; visitors can walk across the causeway at low tide. National Trust members are required to pay boat fares when booking, but not island admission fees. In winter access to the island is free for trust members. • Best affordable hotels in Cornwall• Best spa hotels in Cornwall Until 1975 the best of Cornish cuisine was nothing to write home about. But then Rick Stein settled into the pretty estuarine port of Padstow and made it a personal crusade to show the nation the wonderful things that can be done with fish. His seafood restaurant serves showpiece dishes such as lobster thermidor and turbot hollandaise, but he also has a variety of other outlets, including a delicatessen, a bistro, a café, various forms of accommodation and a chippie. His cookery school, on the quay along from the National Lobster Hatchery (which his enterprises support), attracts foodies of all sizes. Eden Project apart, there's a choice of tourist attractions worth a full day when you need a break from the beach. In Falmouth, the National Maritime Museum Cornwall does a good job of telling stories about seafaring adventures, with five floors of boats, including one below the waterline. For youngsters, the RNLI Rescue Zone has ride-on rescue vehicles, a dressing-up area and information about sea safety. Alongside its permanent collection, the museum hosts exhibitions and events that dive deep into watery goings-on from surfing to smuggling. Overshadowed by neighbouring Dartmoor, Cornwall has its own rugged moorland, with rock stacks, or tors, bronze age burial chambers and stone circles. Even in peak season it feels as though there is practically nobody here. Bodmin Moor rises to 420m (1,378ft) above sea level at a peak called Brown Willy (possibly derived from Cornish words meaning 'highest hill'). Traditionally a place of tin and copper mines, of which many ruins remain, this was also a smugglers' hideout, as celebrated in Daphne du Maurier's Jamaica Inn — the building immortalised in the book title is still a landmark of hospitality in the centre of the moor. Most of the Cornish road network is too hilly and busy for bikes, but this traffic-free trail follows the route of an old railway line for 18 miles from Bodmin via Wadebridge to Padstow, ending up alongside the picturesque Camel estuary. Inland there's a chance of spotting otters and kingfishers, while the sandbanked estuary can look like a slice of the Caribbean when the sun shines. On the far bank is the village of Rock, which hit the headlines in the late 1990s when sixth-formers came here to party, in the footsteps of two blokes called William and Harry. The Gulf Stream-warmed air of Cornwall means that spring comes early to these shores. Some of the region's aristocratic gardens, such as Caerhays, open in February, while the likes of Trebah and the Lost Gardens of Heligan are open year-round. The Lost Gardens of Heligan is the subject of a heartwarming story: rediscovered in the 1990s, it is effectively an open-air museum of 19th-century horticulture that spent the interim slumbering undisturbed in the woods — like its Mud Maid plant and rock sculpture. Frenchman's Creek, on the Helford River, is one of those placid, serene blades of water lined with ancient oaks and the bones of old boats that lends itself to storytelling. At its mouth, a little foot ferry scampers back and forth between two characterful pubs; in its narrows, at the village of Gweek, a traditional boatyard recreates old wooden sailing boats. Voyage upriver by kayak or paddleboard, watched by hungry herons, with the jolly operator Koru Kayaking. The creeks and bays of the south Cornish coast are ideal for sailing boats, with plenty of anchorages and shelter when it cuts up rough. And there's a long tradition of handsome classic wooden yachts in the region, particularly pilot cutters, often seen anchored in elegant St Mawes or historic Charlestown, with its film-set good looks, or up the creek in Fowey. Several of these beauties, such as Twister, Tallulah and Moosk, do multiday mooching along the shore and across to the Isles of Scilly, with great camaraderie and food. The village of Looe, on the south coast, not far from the Devon border, used to be overlooked in the holiday stampede westwards. But this beach resort and fishing port that lines the banks of the Looe River is now reaching a new audience thanks to Beyond Paradise, a supposedly Devon-based spinoff of the long-running Caribbean-based Death in Paradise that is actually filmed in Cornwall. Its storylines are based around a wide range of whimsical, larger-than-life characters, and as a result Looe's web of narrow lanes housing pasty bakeries and fudge pantries is getting ever busier. Cornwall's relatively mild winters mean that the flower we most associate with the arrival of spring, the daffodil, blooms here as early as Christmas. Commercially grown daffodils colour the Cornish hills in screaming stripes, although if there's too much yellow that suggests that it's been too warm and the flowers have outrun the pickers. This means that winter visitors to the county can return upcountry bearing bunches of daffs as beacons of hope. Farms such as Fentongollan, near Truro, are happy to receive visitors and sell you a bunch or two. It must be one of the most extraordinary settings in the world — the open-air Minack Theatre carved into the granite cliffs above Porthcurno beach, near Land's End. Here the challenge for those on stage is getting the audience to concentrate on their performance, rather than on passing dolphins. This creation of the eccentric, theatre-loving Rowena Cade, who started to build it with her gardener and others in 1929, hosts everything from comedy to string quartets, and some Shakespeare too. • Best places to visit in Cornwall and where to stay• Best hotels in Cornwall What is your favourite activity when you visit Cornwall? Please share your thoughts in the comments below
Scottish Sun
13-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
New twist in mystery of ‘UNICORN' skull found near King Arthur's castle as officials warn it was removed ILLEGALLY
The skull was traded for beer at a pub UNICRIME New twist in mystery of 'UNICORN' skull found near King Arthur's castle as officials warn it was removed ILLEGALLY Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A 'UNICORN' skull found near King Arthur's castle was removed illegally, officials warned. The Sun told how the mysterious fake object was spotted by Canadian tourist John Goodwin, 46, in Cornwall last weekend. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 A 'UNICORN' skull found near King Arthur's castle was removed illegally, officials warned Credit: ANDREW LLOYD But now it has emerged the skull was taken from a Site of Specific Scientific Interest — at St Nectan's Glen in Tintagel. Anyone removing items from an SSSI can be fined or imprisoned. Zooarchaeologists from Historic England last night said the skull belonged to a horse — but it had a cow's horn attached. It said: 'It does look very well made.' John traded it for beer at a pub and is now on holiday in Greece before flying home. A barman at the Stonehenge Inn, Wilts, is looking after the skull. The manager said: 'He took it home, it was freaking me out here. 'I'm sure he'll happily to return it." Mysterious 'UNICORN' skull found near King Arthur's castle 2 Zooarchaeologists from Historic England said the skull belonged to a horse — but it had a cow's horn attached Credit: ANDREW LLOYD Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
Scottish Sun
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Locals who live near overgrown & derelict theme park inspired by King Arthur say it's better than the council's new plan
Only one local expressed support for the planning application TAKEN FOR A RIDE Locals who live near overgrown & derelict theme park inspired by King Arthur say it's better than the council's new plan Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A DERELICT theme park inspired by Arthurian legend is set to be demolished - but locals aren't happy. Residents living near Camelot theme park in Chorley have expressed their frustration with the proposed plans. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 8 Chorley's Camelot theme park has been abandoned since 2012 Credit: Donna Clifford/ Magnus News 8 The derelict site has become popular with urban explorers Credit: Donna Clifford/ Magnus News 8 Plans for an £80 million, 350-home development were filed in June Credit: 8 Locals are concerned about the impact the development could have on greenbelt land Credit: Having closed down over a decade ago, the derelict site has become overgrown and littered with graffiti. It has turned the once-popular theme park into a hot spot for urban explorers and rebellious locals. Despite the 140-acre land laying unused since 2012, locals have protested against new planning proposals that could see the site repurposed. The plan centres on an £80 development that would see 350 homes built on the site. Plans were put forward by Developers Story Homes to Chorley Borough Council on June 20. However, similar plans have twice been rejected - once in 2014, and again in 2017 - since the developers bought the site in 2009. In planning documents they claim it is "well positioned" to support wider regional growth and a "prime location" for a residential development like this. They plan to keep half of the new homes as "affordable" housing after the estimated seven-year project. The developers also hope it will lead to more wide-ranging benefits for the area, bringing in jobs and higher household expenditure. Despite the optimistic proposals, residents in nearby Heskin have argued against the project, with 25 objections to the proposals and just one supporting. Abandoned Camelot theme park near the village of Charnock Richard in Chorley, Lancashire has been left to rot away They are primarily concerned about the destruction of wildlife on greenbelt land. Others were worried about increased noise and traffic, with the village's population of 1,000 people having "insufficient infrastructure" to cope with new residents. One resident commenting on the proposals said: "There are not enough amenities to cope. How will the schools, GPs, roads cope? They added: "Please leave our greenery and woodland and nature alone." Other residents expressed similar concerns, with one writing: "The development lacks clear provision for new schools, healthcare or transport links - failing to meet the needs of the existing population, let alone new residents." Another resident raised concerns about existing drainage problems in the area. While the report does consider flood risks to the site, they feel it has not adequately considered risk to the existing properties. They wrote: "We have issues with drainage already and with the aforementioned sites we have no idea how this is going to impact the communities with flooding and future issues." Residents generally would rather the site be used to enhance the existing community, for example with a leisure centre, or dedicated woodland trails. Out of the 27 comments on the planning proposal, only one local expressed support for the development. They wrote: "There are some who say there isn't the infrastructure to make this development viable. I would say, there are numerous engineers whose job it is to ensure that there will be enough electricity/drainage etc to ensure the development will be ok. "As long as the development is sympathetic to the local nature, I think it is an ideal use of a brown field site." The planning application does contain reference to a 186.9 square metre community hub "with associated habitat creation, landscaping, open space, parking, footpaths / cycleways, drainage and other infrastructure." 8 The theme park was once a popular tourist spot Credit: Publicity Picture 8 It has since become overgrown and littered with graffiti Credit: Donna Clifford/ Magnus News 8 Two other planning proposals were rejected by the council in 2014 and 2017 Credit: Donna Clifford/ Magnus News
