UK holidays
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The Vicarage, Holmes Chapel, Cheshire: hotel reviewThis new pub with rooms is a welcome addition to conservative Cheshire’s food and accommodation scene – even though it’s not quite as offbeat and designery as it tries to make out
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Walking with dinosaurs: fossil hunting on the North Yorkshire coastThis dramatic coastline is fertile ground for fossil hunters, with 160-million-year-old ammonites (and dinosaur footprints) common on the seashore. Kevin Rushby takes a tour through pre-history -
'It sounded like Fabric was upstairs' – Airbnb rental used for all-night partyAirbnb upsets the neighbours again in the week it launches ‘intimate’ music experiences project -
'Crane treehouse' rises above Bristol docksBookings open for listed crane offering visitors a room with a harbourside view
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Take the kids to … High Sports climbing centre, BrightonWith indoor climbing set to be part of the next Olympics, interest in the sport is on the ascent. This place offers a fun but professional introduction for kids
accommodation
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Five of Scotland’s best bothiesA stay in a historic building with amazing views and convivial company sounds enticing – and even better when it comes free of charge. The author of the new Bothy Bible shares his favourites
top 10s
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10 top tips from our London correspondentDitching the usual tourist suspects, Guardian Travel’s reporter takes us on a tour of his favourite clubs, bars, venues and restaurants around London
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10 of the best children’s festivals for February half-termAttractions around the UK are hosting themed half-term activities, including Vikings in York, storytelling in Cornwall and the science of light in Winchester
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10 of the best new family attractions in the UKWaterparks, cycle trails and zipwires through the forest are among the attractions springing up across the UK this year. We’ve included affordable places to stay nearby, too
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Top 10 group walks for winter in the UKEmbracing the great outdoors in the dead of winter is a lot easier in a group and with a knowledgeable leader for motivation. We pick the best guided walks around Britain
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An 'Arctic' safari in the Scottish HighlandsWinter in the Cairngorms national park can turn positively Arctic – perfect for Kari Herbert to give her small daughter a taste of the polar conditions, and creatures, she enjoyed as a child in Greenland
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20 of the best places to stargaze in the UKThe National Parks Dark Skies Festival (18-26 February) is an ideal opportunity to try stargazing in some of the UK’s wildest areas. But here, we’ve also selected stellar sites that are good throughout the year
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Take the kids to … Tintagel, CornwallWizards, kings and castle ruins combine with beach, caves and rock pools to make a magical day out – even in February
budget holidays
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City breaks with kids: LondonLondon offers a dazzling parade of attractions and treats for children – but it can empty your pockets faster than Fagin. Here are our tips for making the most of the city on a budget
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Celebrating 50 years of mountain bothiesIn more than 100 wild corners of the UK are free shelters – bothies – for use by walkers. As the charity that runs them turns 50, Phoebe Smith, author of Book of Bothy, picks eight favourites
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Let’s go to … Ramsbottom, Greater ManchesterThis pretty market town in lovely West Pennines countryside has several Christmas events, adding to the appeal of its quality shops, pubs and bistros
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Let’s go to … Beverley for the Christmas festivalThe East Yorkshire market town hosts one of the most colourful festive events in the UK, with a market, street entertainers, rides and a Christmas parade
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Let’s go to … the National Memorial Arboretum, StaffordshireIts new Remembrance Centre has just opened, in time for Armistice Day. But also take time to explore nearby lovely Lichfield and its medieval cathedral
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Let’s go to ... spooky south-west WalesGet spooked for Halloween on a tombstone trail that covers five graves of interesting or scary characters in four area of south Wales
sport holidays
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Loch Lomond’s wild camping ban is a backwards and short-sighted stepNew restrictions are unfair and could encourage landowners to restrict access to the full glory of the Scottish wilderness
restaurants
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A foodie’s tour of Aberdeenshire: it’s fit for a princeLocal holidaymaker Prince Charles has opened a restaurant near Balmoral, eastern Scotland, one of many showcasing the area’s superb fresh ingredients
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Alt city guide to LiverpoolLeft-field Liverpool is thriving with a strong DIY culture and an art world bubbling with grassroots projects. Here’s our pick of the most exciting music and culture venues, and the best places to eat and drink
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countries
coast & country
Bright sparks: why Jersey's dazzling glowworms are a secret worth searching out