Latest news with #villages
Entrepreneur
16-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Masters' Union Launches 'Bharat Innovators Scholarship' to Empower Village Entrepreneurs
Sanjay Modi, founder of NearBook and a recent winner on Shark Tank India – Campus Special, is the first recipient of this new scholarship. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. In a bold step towards promoting grassroots entrepreneurship, Masters' Union, a prominent business and technology school in India, has announced the launch of the Bharat Innovators Scholarship. This initiative is tailored to support startup founders emerging from India's villages and smaller towns, offering financial and institutional backing to help them scale their ventures while pursuing postgraduate education. The scholarship offers full tuition waivers ranging from INR 30 to INR 40 lakh per student and will be awarded to up to five entrepreneurs each year. The total financial outlay for the initiative is expected to be between INR 2 crore and INR 2.5 crore annually, positioning it among the most ambitious educational entrepreneurship scholarships in the country. Sanjay Modi, founder of NearBook and a recent winner on Shark Tank India – Campus Special, is the first recipient of this new scholarship. Modi has joined the Postgraduate Programme in Technology and Business Management under Masters' Union's Young Leaders Cohort. "There is no shortage of entrepreneurial spirit in India's smaller towns, but what is often missing is structured support, exposure, and capital," said Pratham Mittal, founder of Masters' Union. "The Bharat Innovators Scholarship is our way of giving back to the startup ecosystem by investing in those who do not always have access to traditional opportunities." The scholarship is open to Indian nationals aged 20 to 30 residing in non-metropolitan areas. Eligible candidates must have either launched a startup or developed a minimum viable product (MVP). Applicants can submit their pitch decks and founder profiles via email. A multi-stage evaluation process will determine the final selection. "Shark Tank and Anupam Mittal's early backing gave NearBook its first real push, but scaling a startup takes more than visibility. As a founder from a small town, access to mentorship, capital, and a structured ecosystem was always going to be the tougher part. The Bharat Innovators Scholarship at Masters' Union brings all of that together," stated Modi. Successful applicants will gain entry into Masters' Union's broader entrepreneurial ecosystem, including its Venture Initiation Programme (VIP). The VIP acts as a venture studio and accelerator, guiding students through the process of validating ideas, building products, and accessing early-stage capital. Over the last five years, VIP claims to have incubated more than 100 ventures, with student startups raising INR 22 crore in external funding and generating INR 35 crore in revenue in FY25. The scholarship also ensures access to mentorship from industry leaders, including Manoj Kohli, Chairman of Masters' Union and former CEO of Bharti Airtel, and Rajat Mathur, Managing Director at Morgan Stanley. Masters' Union continues to strengthen its position as a unique institution where academic excellence meets entrepreneurial execution. With the launch of the Bharat Innovators Scholarship, the school aims to open doors for young visionaries from India's heartlands and help shape the next wave of innovators and change-makers.
Telegraph
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
How Labour is destroying the British village
Duck pond, cricket pitch, a church and chocolate box cottages. The quintessential features of England's villages will, hopefully, endure for centuries. The endearing charm and blissful way of life, however, is edging closer to extinction. Labour's housebuilding drive threatens to 'bulldoze' Britain's villages to create mega-villages, loosening their sense of community and, perhaps, fracturing their soul. In her quest for 1.5 million new homes by 2029, Angela Rayner, the Housing Secretary, has cranked up the pressure on rural communities to build, while relaxing targets for major cities, including London. This could have a devastating effect on the unique nature of our villages. Blake Stephenson, Tory MP, recently told the Commons how villages in his Mid Bedfordshire constituency are at risk from the 'creeping spread of urban sprawl' that threatens to 'merge them into a conglomerate mass of development'. His fears come amid the Government's plan to strip back development protections in the green belt. Villages would no longer be designated as 'historic', which grants them extra safeguards, while a block on 'unrestricted sprawl' around rural settlements will also be removed. In fact, the Government's proposals stipulate the importance of preventing neighbouring towns from merging, but do not offer the same protection for villages. A bid to boost village protections was launched by opposition MPs last month, but the motion was voted down – paving the way for the identity and heritage of England's classic villages to be lost. 'Changing beyond recognition' Two weeks after Stephenson outlined his concerns for Bedfordshire in Parliament, we're standing in the village of Steppingley, a sleepy green belt settlement where you'd half expect to bump into Midsomer Murders' DCI Tom Barnaby. Dog walkers stop to chat with each other, the church bells chime on the hour and the pub will open at midday. The pub, church and village hall are clustered together, while an Indian restaurant lies on the periphery. The average house sold for £470,000 last year. Home to little more than 200 residents and comprised of just a few roads, it is usually far from the news agenda. But with the Government determined to build millions of homes, Steppingley is one of the potential 'conglomerate mass' victims Stephenson fears for. 'It's places like this which are in danger,' he says. 'England is changing beyond all recognition and most villages are getting a lot of housing.' In what was believed to be a record for public engagement, more than 5,000 objection letters were sent to Central Bedfordshire council over plans to build 170 homes on fields between the town of Flitwick and Steppingley. The proposals, which would have shrunk the gap between the town and village to less than half a mile, were refused by the council's planning committee last month. But there is little cause for celebration. 'It will go to the Planning Inspectorate and be overturned,' Stephenson concedes. 'That's another final decision which will be taken out of the hands of the local community. It feels like the strong arm of the Government is going to take over any form of control. 'Once one field becomes housing, it sets a precedent. One is developed, and then the next and the next again. Flitwick is getting closer to Steppingley.' Due to the Government's housebuilding narrative, villagers fear there is a 'sense of inevitability' that they will soon be swallowed up into one mega-village that has lost its identity. 'I feel like I could cry,' one declares. 'It feels wherever you go around here there is a threat of further development.' 'They've just built that monstrosity over there,' says 65-year-old Mark Gale, pointing to a care complex as he surveys the view across fields from Steppingley to Flitwick. 'Then there's a new ugly crematorium there, and they've just built a housing estate down the bottom there called Steppingley Gardens but it's nothing to do with Steppingley. 'I've been here 25 years and it's very nice living in a village, nice and peaceful. I don't want it to become like any other town. 'Without a doubt it would lose its identity. It's a tight-knit community and I don't think anyone here wants that to change.' 'Villages are losing their souls' It is that sense of village community which feels endangered in modern day Britain – one that is becoming critically endangered thanks to an ever-growing population and the continued struggle for rural businesses and services. The prospect of mass housebuilding in the village of Wolvey, Warwickshire, may spell the end for one of its local stores if a supermarket is built at one of three new estates proposed by Rugby Borough Council. 'We have worked hard to grow the shop at a time when many village stores are closing. Clearly we would not be able to compete with a multiple retailer outlet,' its manager Ian Nicholson posted on a village Facebook page. Opponents claim the green belt village will balloon in size by 80pc should it become victim to housebuilding 'desecration' of 710 new homes put forward by the council in its proposed Local Plan. Rugby Borough Council said it is 'following an evidence-based process of site selection... to bring forward a plan that can be sound and ensure development is properly planned'. A spokesman said: 'For years in Rugby borough, most new housing has been built in the town, and rural housing would provide more housing choice in areas that are popular places to live.' The concerns in Wolvey paint a picture for villages across the country. Councils are grappling with huge new housing targets imposed upon them by Westminster. Rural local authorities have been saddled with vast increases to their delivery numbers, while targets for major cities have retreated. Kevin Hollinrake, the shadow housing secretary, told Parliament that 'raising targets by up to 400pc in rural areas while simultaneously reducing them by over 11pc in London, 30pc in Birmingham and Newcastle, and over 50pc in Coventry is unfair and wrong-headed.' It is that added pressure on rural areas which will do little to safeguard the dwindling community feel. Village amenities are sparse and have been in a continual decline for decades. Only a third of the rural population now live within three miles of a bank, while closed shops are being taken 'away from public service provision' and transferred to private use, according to a recent Parliamentary research paper. In his latest season of Clarkson's Farm, new publican Jeremy Clarkson bemoans how 'villages are losing their soul'. 'You don't have a village doctor any more. He's in a health centre 30 miles away and you can't get an appointment. There's no village bobby on the beat. There's no village vicar, there's no village shop, there's no village school. 'If we end up at a point where there's no village pub then what is a village? It's just some houses. Pubs are the hub and it should always be that way.' While Clarkson has breathed new life into his pub in Asthall, others around the country are falling by the wayside. A recent victim is The Crown in the Bedfordshire village of Shillington, a former local for Stephenson. '[Chancellor] Rachel Reeves's Budget didn't help at all, with National Insurance increasing. The cost of doing business just goes through the roof. Just look behind us, the evidence is there.' In what would have been peak lunchtime hours a few weeks ago, the only noise now is the swinging pub sign squeaking in the wind. 'Footfall is a challenge for village pubs, you've now got to be a destination pub. They are the centres of community, so it's such a shame they're closing.' Six pubs closed every week in 2024, according to the British Beer and Pub Association. 'We've got a gun to our heads over housing delivery' In the Kent village of Littlebourne, three miles east of Canterbury, residents are fearful of the future. Housebuilder Gladman had a 115-home project rejected by the previous Tory administration at Canterbury City Council in 2021 amid concerns over the 'urbanisation of the countryside'. Fast-forward to today and the proposed scheme has almost trebled in size, swelling to 300 homes. The council, now led by Labour, conceded that the new homes would 'harm' the village aesthetic, yet an officer's recommendation of approval for the significantly larger scheme was sent to the planning committee in May. At the meeting, one Tory councillor complained that the committee had 'a gun to our head to allow more of these houses' as a result of the nationwide push to build. The council is in a 'state of presumption in favour of development' because of its failure to hit government housing targets in recent years. This means the authority has to look more favourably on housing applications they would otherwise refuse. A decision on the scheme was deferred until a later date as councillors await more mitigation details from the developers. Peter Farrow, of Littlebourne Parish Council, said: 'The village has had a lot of extra housing in recent years and this would be a huge increase. There isn't a reasonable excuse for bearing down on us. 'There is a lot of pressure coming from the people in Westminster who are really pushing. So I suspect this Labour council probably feels under more pressure than the previous council did.' And it's not just the pressure of housebuilding which is worrying England's villages. The ever-increasing spread of solar farms risks surrounding rural settlements. Residents in 23 villages between Long Stratton and Diss in Norfolk are believed to have been sent letters, telling them their land may be 'required' for what would be the country's biggest solar farm. As the plans are deemed a nationally significant infrastructure project the developer, Island Green Power, could have the power to compulsorily purchase land. Carpets of solar panels are poised to be installed across almost 500 square miles of Britain between now and 2035, as Labour ramps up its net zero plans. Figures released by the Government show that central England will be hit hardest by the solar blitz, with the greatest concentration stretching from Lincolnshire to South Wales. 'Labour is going toe-to-toe with communities' Pick almost any village in the country, and you'll likely hear tales of housebuilding woe and how it looks almost unrecognisable from years ago. Concerns over expansion aren't anything new. Yet Stephenson believes the rhetoric from the Government is putting tails up. Law changes proposed in the Planning and Infrastructure Billinclude the introduction of a national scheme of delegation. This will determine which planning applications should be decided by local officers, and which should go to a public committee. The changes are expected to lead to fewer applications being discussed in public to speed up the planning system and the housebuilding process. Meanwhile, ecology surveys to mitigate the impact on Britain's dwindling wildlife will no longer be mandatory. Earlier this year, Reeves told developers that they need not worry about 'bats and newts' in a bid to cut red tape. 'You don't solve issues by having a fight with village communities, but that's exactly what Labour is doing,' Stephenson says. 'They are going toe-to-toe with communities, telling them 'we don't care what you think, we're going to build anyway'. 'They've decided they have the power, they have the majority, they can fight who they want.' And our villages may be the ultimate casualties.
BreakingNews.ie
06-07-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Quiz: Can you guess these Irish towns from above?
Ireland has beautifully distinctive towns, villages, and cities. From the coastal towns with beaches and water parks, to the landlocked history-rich towns of the midlands, there is a lot to marvel at. Advertisement But Irish towns are a lot harder to identify when one is presented with an aerial view. So, why not test your ability to spot well-known Irish towns by taking our quiz? Some identifiable names of rivers or establishments have been blurred out, but others have been left as hints!
Times
03-07-2025
- Times
25 of the prettiest village mini breaks in the UK
Nearly a millennium since the Domesday Book, Britain's villages have maintained their ageless appeal and also moved with the times. The best ones cocoon both those who live there and visitors with a sense of community — just as they have for centuries. They may — like Evershot in Dorset — have adorable thatched cottages, or a babbling brook running through it like Cartmel in Cumbria, but it's the cherished churches and red telephone boxes that make them so important to the British psyche. And villages have a special appeal in the summer months. This is when, in the best villages, you can spill out from the pub, pint in hand, to watch a leisurely game of cricket on the green. People organise fetes and set out honesty stalls with their surplus eggs, fruit and vegetables. Even if we live in cities, we can still buy into the joy of a village. Forget a cricket pavilion on the green, the best accessory a village can have these days is a good hotel. They are perfect portals for locals and visitors to mingle, just as they might in a village hall but accessorised with great food and a top-notch bar. Sometimes, like Eckington in the Cotswolds, a manor house next to the village opens up to paying guests. Venerable coaching inns, some dating from the 16th century, have also been given a new purpose in the 21st century in some villages. The best, like the Talbot Inn in the Somerset village of Mells, regularly hosts concerts. Some even put on operas or — taking a leaf from the WI — have book talks and cooking classes. And then there are the village pubs that have been rescued from the threat of closure by adding bedrooms. Whether your ideal village is veering towards a hamlet or one with a rom-com-worthy collection of trendy shops, we've got you covered in this list of the UK's 25 prettiest — all with a gorgeous place to stay. This article contains affiliate links that can earn us revenue This New Forest village is a place of pilgrimage for posh petrolheads, thanks to its National Motor Museum, but there are plenty of other things to see. On one side of the River Beaulieu are the 13th-century ruins of its abbey plus Palace House, where the car-minded Montagu family have lived since 1538 (£30; Beaulieu village is on the other side and with its melange of half-timbered and Georgian buildings, is regularly voted one of Britain's most beautiful villages. Travellers have been arriving at the Montagu Arms since the 17th century. There are now 33 rooms and suites, a posh restaurant and a pub, Monty's Inn (and, handily, plenty of car parking). Details B&B doubles from £176 ( • 18 of the best hotels in the New Forest Tucked between Ilkley and Otley moors on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, Askwith has a clutch of stone buildings and a Victorian village school surrounded by superb walks. However, for all its aged furrows, this is a village looking to the future. One example is the Penny Bun restaurant with rooms, which opened in 2024. Named after a local mushroom, it's part of the Denton Reserve, which is working towards a more sustainable method of farming. All five bedrooms are filled with furniture made by local makers, the food is hyper-local and if the weather is clement, best enjoyed on a raised terrace that maximises the staggering views. Details B&B doubles from £200 ( With its priory ruins and the River Eea trickling past its 18th-century homes, Cartmel has serious good looks. Pep comes from the racecourse just outside the village, sustenance from its two Michelin-starred restaurants and a shop that has industrial quantities of its sticky toffee pudding as well as local cheeses. There are plenty of places to stay in Cartmel, but my pick would be L'Enclume, not least because rooms come with a guaranteed reservation at Simon Rogan's justly famous restaurant. Rather than a traditional hotel building, the 16 rooms are dotted around this absurdly pretty village. Details B&B doubles from £280 ( • 33 of the best hotels in the Lake District Surrounded by the vineyard-studded South Downs, Cuckfield's high-functioning village has chemists and cafés mixed in with posh antique shops and boutiques. Cuckfield's more well-heeled residents tend to be members of Ockenden Manor's spa. It's a short walk along the lane from the hotel and the high street and has an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, fed by a natural spring. They also treat the hotel as a handy place to socialise, including in the restaurant, where tables spill out into the garden in good weather. The rest of us can buy in by staying in one of the 27 bedrooms, with low beams and mullioned windows. Details B&B doubles from £247 ( • 13 of the best luxury hotels in Sussex Thomas Hardy — in his day job as an architect — extended Summer Lodge in 1893. This late Victorian villa now delivers five-star West Country luxury, with extensive afternoon teas, an elegant restaurant, a beautifully tended garden, a spa and 25 antique-stuffed rooms. Just outside the gates is an old-fashioned bakery, post office and the 16th-century Acorn Inn. Also owned by the hotel, the inn was namechecked by Hardy in Tess of the D'Urbervilles as the Sow & Acorn but now serves pan-seared duck breast alongside Jurassic Coast-sourced haddock with chips. Details B&B doubles from £275 ( • 14 of the best hotels in Dorset Over the past 600 years Blakeney, just inland from the North Norfolk coast, has gone from being a medieval metropolis to a clear contender for Norfolk's cutest village. Surrounded by salt marshes, it has plenty of holiday desirability with boat trips to see seals, easy coastal walks, cafés and flint cottages. On the quayside, the Victorian Blakeney Hotel has 60 rooms, an indoor swimming pool and a restaurant and terrace bar, and steers a course between catering for posh holidaymakers and urbane locals. Details B&B doubles £176 ( • 29 of the best hotels in Norfolk The ancient Romans loved this corner of Somerset near Frome, as does, well, pretty much anyone who comes here now. Surrounded by honey-coloured stone houses is the Walled Garden, a community-run shop, café and aesthetically perfect nursery that brings Mells into the 21st century with pizza amid the plants ( The Talbot Inn, at the cobblestoned heart of the village, is a perfect posh paint-job matched with glammed-up pub-grub affair, with regular quizzes and music events alongside eight bedrooms with roll top baths, Egyptian cotton sheets and high levels of indulgence. Details B&B doubles from £117 ( • 13 of the best luxury hotels in Somerset Much of this village near Lewes is still owned by the Gage family, leading to a feudal but aesthetic vibe. The village cricket team has been playing on the same pitch since 1758, while the lack of street markings and lights adds to Firle's slightly 1930s arty aspic feel (several of the Bloomsbury set lived here). You won't find many holiday lets in Firle — the estate prefers to rent to people with young families who help to keep village life and the shop going — but the 500-year-old Ram Inn has a handful of very nice bedrooms, all tastefully decorated, and serves top-notch food. Details B&B doubles from £193 ( • 19 of the best hotels in East Sussex The artist Stanley Spencer was born in Cookham in 1891 and rarely left before his death in 1959. The Thames-side village appears in many of his most famous works, which are on show at the museum (£7; the focal point of this decidedly posh village, which also has restaurants, shops and delis. Bel & the Dragon, opposite the Stanley Spencer Gallery, is a gastropub with ten very comfortable bedrooms, a working kitchen garden and its own commitment to culture; opera and Shakespeare will be performed in its garden over the summer. Details B&B doubles from £125 ( A featured location in the 1995 film Jude and the ITV drama Vera, this village near the River Derwent was built from the stones of a 12th-century abbey. The austere grey stone buildings, tucked into the middle of the Northern Pennines here, are softened by the 124 residents who sustain a village shop and other businesses. Housing pilgrims before turning to hotel guests, the Lord Crewe Arms has 26 rooms divided into Cosy, Canny and Champion categories and furnished with flair, while the hotel adds to Blanchland's buzz with regular concerts, wine tastings and cookery demos. Details B&B doubles from £219 ( • The Lord Crewe Arms hotel review: a cosy hideaway on the Northumberland moors With a handful of whitewashed cottages wedged above a small cove, this tiny village on the Roseland peninsula has plenty of superb optics. It was once a thriving harbour, and a few boats still drop off crabs and lobsters while foot traffic comes from walkers on the South West Coast Path, which travels through the village. The Lugger hotel has been part of the Portloe landscape since the 18th century, when it allowed villagers to absorb smuggled goods, especially French brandy. These days, with 22 rooms and three cottages, it delivers a beautifully curated Cornwall land and seascape. Details Room-only doubles from £134 ( • 37 of the best hotels in Cornwall If you like your villages to have almost all the reality edited out — leaving plenty of perfection — head to the Cotswolds idyll of Southrop. Caryn and Jerry Hibbert moved into the 17th-century manor house in 2002 and have since restored both it and the surrounding cottages. The courses it runs will nudge you into improved cooking and wellbeing tweaks, or you can have a treatment at the Meadow Spa before dining on food sourced from the estate and nearby at the Ox Barn. Want something simpler? Southrop's village pub is part of this organically grown, very tasteful vision. Lucky locals. Details B&B doubles from £440 ( • Thyme spa review: modern country luxury in the Cotswolds Painted buttercup yellow, the Sun Inn lies at the very heart of Essex's prettiest village. Close to the border with Suffolk in the middle of supremely walkable Constable country, this former coaching inn has welcomed travellers since the 17th century. The high street is also home to Little Merchant Dedham, purveyor of tasteful gifts, cafés, a proper butcher and a grand 15th-century church. Owned by Piers Baker since 2002, the Sun Inn rises above local competition with its food — including local Mersea oysters and Italian-accented dishes — while the seven bedrooms mix antique furniture, modern art and decent prices. Details B&B doubles from £185 ( Near the course of the Avon at the borders of the Cotswolds, Eckington has flower festivals, community films and walks and a thriving WI alongside its quintessentially pretty 12th-century church and village cross. Eckington Manor, at the western edge of the village, is a 16-room hotel in a 14th-century building with its own 60-acre farm with cattle, sheep and Gloucester Old Spot pigs for the restaurant and cookery B&B doubles from £149 ( Encompassing a harbour, a nature reserve and a village green, Walberswick has rural and coastal kudos. And there's a posh homeware shop on the Green, the award-winning Black Dog deli and a high celebrity count — Emma Freud and Richard Curtis have a home here, as does the film director Paul Greengrass. Imaginative names are not Walberswick's strong point but on the Street is the Anchor, a bunting-strewn pub with ten rooms that will embed you into the village, predictably posh pub grub and beer from Adnams brewed across the Blyth River in neighbouring Southwold. Details B&B doubles from £150 ( For peak village perfection in the Peak District head to Ashford, which lies on the banks of the River Wye. Envy-inducing aspects include the medieval Sheepwash bridge, a church that dates from the 12th century and a thriving cricket club that plays on the village green, as well as a collection of very charming limestone cottages with carefully tended gardens. Along with the posh restaurant with rooms, Riverside House Hotel (B&B doubles from £300; the Ashford Arms recently opened with nine funked-up rooms and cheery food aimed at hikers and other hearty, healthy types. Details B&B doubles from £185 ( • 21 of the best hotels in the Peak District Lucky are the 200 inhabitants of this tiny village in England's smallest county. Not only were their thatched cottages and half-timbered houses preserved when Rutland Water was created by flooding the surrounding areas in 1976, but they have Hambleton Hall as a very pleasing, if somewhat pricey, village amenity. Housed in a Victorian mansion where Noël Coward was a regular visitor, it has been owned by Tim and Stefa Hart since 1979. There are 17 suites and bedrooms alongside a Michelin-starred restaurant and grounds with a spectacular view onto the surrounding nature reserve that nurtures ospreys. Details B&B doubles from £425 ( • Hambleton Hall hotel review: a lakeside manor with a Michelin-starred restaurant Nowhere does quiet villages quite like the Cotswolds and Oxfordshire has some particularly choice ones from which to choose. Ascott-under-Wychwood has the requisite slightly ridiculous name and also heaves slightly less than Kingham or Burford. It has all the honey-stone buildings you want, there's a community-run village shop and a train station so you don't have to fire up the Range Rover to reach it. Best of all, now part of Sam and Georgie Pearman's three-strong Lionhearth group, the Swan clearly knows how to make a 16th-century pub sing and its 11 rooms B&B doubles from £144 ( The whitewashed houses of Plockton line up against Loch Carron on Scotland's west coast. Quiet and contemplative, the gardens stretch to the water's edge and a sprinkling of palm trees gives credence to Gulf Stream claims. People return year after year to the Plockton Hotel. Once a private home, it has 11 bedrooms, all simply decorated. Each May it runs a gin and whisky festival, while summer regattas mean plenty of yachties drop in for meals Details B&B doubles from £170 ( • 19 of the best hotels in the Scottish Highlands Straddling the River Tay with its wrought iron bridge, Ballintaggart is one of Perth and Kinross's stealth-wealth villages and when brothers Chris and Andrew Rowley turned a backpacker hostel back into the Grandtully Hotel, it got the focal point it deserved. Now its eight bedrooms, decorated with mid-century calm and rich colours, as well as a restaurant and the Tully bar cater for locals and visitors alike. The brothers also run a cookery school and have converted a collection of cottages while the Tay has rafting and canyoning from just outside the hotel. Details B&B doubles from £215 ( On the northern coast of Aberdeenshire, this village faces Pennan Bay, where dolphins often come to frolic while seals bask on the rocks to the east. Pennan village is just a single — and highly beautiful — line of whitewashed houses facing the bay all built in the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1983, the release of the film Local Hero brought Pennan's beauty and its red telephone box to an international audience. Staying at the Pennan Inn puts you at the centre of things. There are just three rooms but they look out at the same elemental landscape and there's a nice restaurant. Details B&B doubles from £121 ( This pastel-coloured homage to Portofino is unlike anywhere else in the UK. Portmeirion may be a thoroughly 20th-century concoction but it's also totally enchanting. Started in 1925 by the architect Clough Williams-Ellis, it's a melange of eccentric buildings in Pokemon colours, exuberant gardens and pale blue benches. More than 200,000 people pay to visit each year but you can also stay overnight, as many of the buildings are holiday lets and there are also two hotels. The Hotel Portmeirion has the best position with heart-melting sunsets by the edge of the Dwyryd Estuary. Williams-Ellis adapted a Victorian building to create 14 bedrooms, while Terence Conran updated the dining room in 2005. Details B&B doubles from £214 ( Just inside Wales on the River Wye, Tintern inspired Wordsworth with the ruins of its 11th-century Cistercian Abbey and now has film nights and fêtes. Spread out amid this natural landscape is its 1,000-strong village, which spreads into the hills and includes shops, cafés and the Parva vineyard ( This month, the 20-room Royal George will be taking guests again and offering them significantly more comfort than Wordsworth would have found, including two restaurants and a café.Details B&B doubles from £165 ( Often described as Cheshire-by-Sea, come summer Abersoch becomes Wales's trendiest village, with regattas, golf and a surfy sense of cool. An easy stroll up the hill, the very foodie — but relaxed and friendly — Porth Tocyn hotel is now in the fourth generation of family ownership. In summer, it reaps the rewards of its outdoor swimming pool while the terrace means that the restaurant spills outdoors with views onto the bucolic Llyn peninsula. There are 17 rooms, a shepherd's hut and a cottage with a double and single room. Details B&B doubles from £195 ( On the banks of Strangford Lough is this village of just 200 people. An hour from Belfast, it has a series of pastel-coloured fishermen's cottages leading to the quayside with its tiny ferry that regularly heads off to Portaferry. Opposite the village green, a two-minute walk away, the Cuan takes its role as a community hub seriously by regularly hosting local bands and also serving acclaimed dishes featuring fish from the Lough. Details B&B doubles from £139 ( • The Cuan hotel review: one of Northern Ireland's best-kept secrets Which other villages should have made our shortlist? Let us know in the comments below
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Yahoo
5 charming villages in the Lake District visitors must visit
As the summer holidays are just round the corner, families flock to the Lake District to enjoy scenic views, beautiful lakes and idyllic towns and villages. Whether you're seeking serene lakeside views, rich cultural heritage, or outdoor adventures, charming villages can be the perfect tranquil escape, even better with a pub. We have collated five villages Lake District visitors must visit. Allan Bank in Grasmere Famous for being the home of poet William Wordsworth, Grasmere is a must-visit for literary enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Stroll around the serene Grasmere Lake or visit Dove Cottage, Wordsworth's former residence, now a museum. For those literary lovers, they can visit Sam Read bookshop, which has been standing since 1895. For the foodies in the group, there is scope to try the legendary Grasmere Gingerbread, a unique treat beloved by visitors. Coniston has a wide range of activities Nestled beside Coniston Water, this relaxing village is a haven for outdoor activities and history. Coniston is closely linked to the writer and artist John Ruskin, whose former home, Brantwood, is now a museum. Visitors also can enjoy a relaxing boat trip on the lake, explore nearby Tarn Hows, or hike up the Old Man of Coniston for stunning panoramic views of the area. You could also visit Bluebird K7, in the Ruskin museum, Donald Campbell's jet-powered hydroplane. Campbell broke seven world water speed records, four of them on Coniston Water. Hawkshead is steeped in history, especially literary Set in the Vale of Esthwaite in the heart of the Lake District, Hawkshead is a truly historic and wonderfully picturesque village just waiting to be explored. Hawkshead is an ideal gateway to the breathtaking scenery of the Lakes, providing a peaceful base for those looking to connect with nature. The surrounding countryside promises many walks for all skill levels, from gentle strolls to Wainwrights and hill climbing. A Peter Rabbit fan? Hawkshead has you covered, the Beatrix Potter Gallery offers a glimpse into the beloved author's illustrations, while the Old Grammar School, attended by William Wordsworth, adds historical charm. Caldbeck is a hidden gem within the Lakes The traditional fell village of Caldbeck is situated under the Northern Fells of the Lake District. The village is characterised by its quaint stone cottages, charming lanes, and the gentle flow of the River Caldbeck, which meanders through the landscape, creating a picturesque setting that feels like stepping back in time. The Muddy Duck Café Bar is a must visit after a stroll through the village. Another notable attraction includes the Priests Mill, which is an old watermill built by a rector of Caldbeck on the riverbank just below the Church where John Peel and the Beauty of Buttermere lie buried. Threlkeld has a Quarry and Mining Museum celebrating the village's heritage (Image: Threlkeld Quarry and Mining Museum) The village of Threlkeld is situated at the foot of the mighty Blencathra looking towards St John's in the Vale. Threlkeld is an ideal base for exploring the Lake District and the Eden Valley. It is a thriving village with a church, school, two pubs, a golf course and a cricket club. Situated on the famous Coast to Coast (C2C) cycling route from Workington to Sunderland, the village can act as a perfect pit stop for cyclists.
