Category: TRAVEL

San Francisco is the best city in the world right now, according to Time Out.

The guide’s 2021 World’s Best Cities Index says that its combination of progressiveness, acceptance and sustainability earned it the coveted top spot, with the top five in the ranking rounded out by Amsterdam in second place, Manchester in third, Copenhagen in fourth and New York in fifth place.

The ranking was drawn up via a survey of 27,000 global participants in hundreds of cities around the world and ‘the expertise of Time Out’s global network of local editors and city experts’. Scroll down to discover more about the top 15 in the Index and which other cities made it into the top 37. 

1. San Francisco

During the pandemic, San Franciscans showed their ‘unique and creative community spirit, from hanging sourdough starters from telephone poles to distributing $1million to small businesses via the SF New Deal so they could keep running’, remarks Time Out.

It adds: ‘No wonder they were voted the most progressive city in the world, with the recent movement to “redistrict” giving LGBTQ+ residents more political power.’

Time Out also notes that ‘hundreds of beautifully crafted parklets now make the city feel like one giant street party’.

2. Amsterdam

‘During the pandemic, Amsterdam has felt the absence of culture and social life more acutely than most,’ says Time Out. ‘Yet the city has used the time wisely, focusing inwards on its famous beauty, history and community spirit – while vowing to do away with the coffeeshops, brothels and drunken debauchery that so blighted its historic centre.’

One of the city’s highlights is Vondelpark, ‘an immense oasis right in the centre that plays host to everything from jam sessions to theatre to sports – truly, the city’s lungs’.

3. Manchester

‘According to the Index, Manchester is the easiest place to express who you are, make new friends, get to know your neighbours and meet people who are different from you,’ Time Out says. ‘So, it’s only right the city also came out as the friendliest and best for community spirit. The city’s nightlife was voted top too.’

Manchester’s mayor, Andy Burnham, believes that the city’s community spirit helps make it a great city. He says: ‘This place always comes together when times are hard. And it’s done that again. 

‘From my point of view – because we’ve obviously had some differences of opinion with the government through the pandemic – I can’t tell you what it means when I raise my voice and I look behind me and people are just there. The place comes together and it’s hard to put it into words how much it means: there’s just a sense of right and wrong here.’

4. Copenhagen

‘Looking for a break? Copenhagen is officially the easiest city to relax in according to locals, who say it’s the least stressful city too,’ says Time Out. 

‘The Danish capital also came top in the sustainability category and second in the world for being green.’

5. New York

According to the survey, this is the most exciting city in the world, Time Out reveals, with 85 per cent of New Yorkers saying it’s easy to discover new and surprising things. 

The guide adds: ‘It’s diverse, resilient and progressive – all qualities that have served the city well in the past 18 months and led to the success of its Open Restaurants initiative, transforming pavements into vibrant community hubs, and its new Key to NYC programme, which promotes vaccine uptake.’

6. Montreal

Montreal is famous for its non-conformist music and politics, and those differences have brought the city together more than ever recently, according to Time Out. 

It says that 73 per cent of locals would describe Montreal as diverse, and even more say it’s easy to express who you are.

7. Prague

Prague topped the table as the most beautiful city in the world, Time Out reveals. It says that 82 per cent of residents describe it as such. 

The guide adds: ‘With 89 per cent saying it’s easy to get around without a car, enjoying the Czech capital on foot must be why it also came out as the world’s second-most relaxing city.’

8. Tel Aviv

‘Tel Aviv has held on to its crown as the most fun city in the world for the second year in a row, with spaces like Dizengoff Square and Park HaMesila playing host to picnics, gigs, screenings and talks after the pandemic caused the “city that never stops” to take a well-needed pause,’ Time Out says. 

‘Tel Aviv also ranked as the second-best place in the world for eating and drinking, behind only Shanghai.’

9. Porto

Coming in second behind Manchester for friendliness and making new friends, Porto was also voted a great place to get to know your neighbours, reveals Time Out. 

It adds that 73 per cent of residents said their city was great for culture – inclusive arts space Maus Habitos was ‘an oasis of gigs, drag shows, poetry nights, comedy and more while most bars were closed’.

10. Tokyo

‘An overwhelming 82 per cent of Tokyoites said the city was great for discovering new things, even during the pandemic,’ reveals Time Out, ‘with many new venues and attractions cropping up across the city over the past 18 months.’ 

It adds: ‘Three-quarters of those polled also said the city is great for getting around without a car, with the city’s super-efficient public transport system ensuring everyone can easily enjoy all it has to offer.’

11. Los Angeles

Time Out says: ‘Angelenos survived the past 18 months by finding a new appreciation for the city’s best outdoor assets, with all-season farmers’ markets, beach weather in winter and exhilarating canyon trail hikes. 

The city came second for creativity, as entire city blocks turned into art installations, mutual aid networks sprouted on sidewalks and seemingly every parking lot became a drive-in.’

12. Chicago

Chicago came second in the ‘community spirit’, ‘fun’ and ‘beautiful’ categories, says Time Out, ‘with locals coming together for weekly street parties and the return of summer festivals after a difficult few months’. 

It adds: ‘Community spirit went into overdrive as Chicagoans shared supplies with those in need, protested injustice and supported out-of-work musicians.’

13. London

Time Out says of London’s showing in the Index: ‘The most diverse city in the world (according to a whopping 88 per cent of residents) and also the best place to discover new and surprising things, no wonder 63 per cent of residents say London is an exciting city to call home as well. 

Yoyo-ing in and out of lockdowns, Londoners still made the most of the food and drink scene when they could, with takeaways and DIY meal kits galore, with 86 per cent rating it highly for dining out.’

14. Barcelona

During the pandemic, Barcelona rallied behind the motto ‘La Cultura es Segura’ (‘Culture is Safe’), reveals Time Out, with cultural organisers finding savvy ways to put on live music, exhibitions, theatre and film screenings.

Little surprise, then, the guide adds, that 83 per cent of locals rated the city highly for culture – with some 85 per cent giving it top marks for food and drink too.’

15. Melbourne

‘As the city struggles through its sixth hard lockdown in 18 months, there is still a lot of love to be found in this fine Australian city,’ says Time Out. 

‘It’s clear Melbourne’s food and drink culture is the best in the country, with more than 94 per cent of locals ranking the city highly for its bars and restaurants.’ 

For more on the 37 cities in the ranking visit www.timeout.com/things-to-do/best-cities-in-the-world. 

I am a flying medical doctor, who helps deliver unwell and wounded Britons home following disasters abroad. I have been flying as a result of the pandemic, and as most planes have been 50 percent-empty I have had a good deal of time to chat to some of the world’s most fascinating persons: cabin crew.

As nicely as all the common gossip in the galley, I have been capable to ask flight attendants to explain some of the mysterious phrases they use. Here’s what I have learned.

‘Is Tom Cruise on board?’ 

If you listen to flight attendants inquire this at the start off of the food support, it really is obtained nothing to do with the Hollywood star.

It truly is cabin crew code to do the job out which of the equivalent pots on the trolley is made up of coffee and which is made up of tea. If ‘Tom Cruise is on board’ then crew are pursuing T&C positions that working day. Tea, Tom, is in the pot on the remaining of the cart. Espresso, Cruise, is in the identical pot on the right. Simples.

‘Do you want to sing or dance?’ 

No, crew usually are not beginning cabaret. This a person is all about the protection demonstration at the start out of a flight.

Some crew like to have the microphone and browse out the text of the PA. Others desire to stand in the cabin carrying out the steps with the seat belt and daily life jacket. Pick the PA job and you sing. Do the demo and you dance.

‘Have you identified Bob yet?’ 

You’re far more very likely to listen to this on a long flight, when crew may have a minimal a lot more time for pleasurable.

Who’s Bob? 

He, or she, is the Greatest on Board the airplane. Each cabin crew member appears for theirs: the most attractive girl or hottest person they extravagant the most. ‘Mine’s at the window in 12A,’ you could hear a flight attendant say. Or: ‘Check mine out in 33D.’ If you might be blessed, Bob could be you.

‘That’s my ABP’

To be honest, you in all probability really don’t want to hear this a person.

ABP is cabin crew code for an Equipped-Bodied Individual. If a airplane has to make an emergency landing, crew earmark a robust, In a position-Bodied Particular person to support. An ABP may perhaps be asked to maintain other passengers back again for a couple of moments though the doorway opens and the emergency slide inflates. Or they may be needed to assist open the doorway if, for some motive, it jams.

It will never happen, crew inform me. But they’re educated to be completely ready for anything and ABPs can help.

I’m off to the coffins

Crew are often becoming questioned if planes have coffins in scenario anybody dies on a flight (there aren’t, however as a traveling health practitioner I can attest that unfortunately people today do at times die at 35,000 ft). But there is a dim place comprehensive of shadowy, coffin-formed bunks in which the crew can try out to get some rest on lengthy flights. Subsequent a ‘crew rest rota’, flight attendants punch a key code into a magic formula door, climb the ladder and discover half a dozen bunks created into the ceiling earlier mentioned the overall economy cabin.

‘Have we fulfilled?’ 

It really is an odd matter to hear two crew request just about every other at the conclusion of a long flight, when they’ve been working alongside one another happily for hours.

But it is really nothing to do with generating new mates. Crew inquire the concern when they are checking passengers have their seat belts on for landing. If just one flight attendant is checking the cabin from entrance to back again and the other is likely from again to entrance, they have to say out loud that they’ve ‘met’ in the middle.

That way they know everybody is belted up and the cabin is secure for landing.

Time for a brush and flush

No crew member will be smiling when they say this. It usually means it’s their flip to clean up the bathrooms. Fail to remember the glamour of becoming a flight attendant. On a 12-hour flight there is no-just one else to do the cleansing, so all people usually takes turns performing the soiled job. I’m explained to it is ideal carried out at pace, although keeping your breath, squeezing your eyes half shut and thinking of the swimming pool at the layover lodge. 

I skip crew juice

Mostly mentioned by aged-timers. In the earlier, crew poured unused wine and spirits into empty mineral drinking water bottles at the finish of a flight – and handed it all over the bus on the way to the layover lodge. Today it is banned and, astonishingly, protection policies necessarily mean undrunk wine and even Champagne has to be flushed down the nearest rest room at the conclude of flights.

I’m having a Champagne handwash

This a single is really a lot what it seems – and it’s a person way to put undrunk fizz to use. Some crew swear by opening a sachet of sugar in their hands, incorporating Champagne and rubbing away. They say the sugar and bubbles make the fantastic exfoliator. Rinse with some excess fizz, then h2o, so you really do not smell like an alcoholic, and you get the softest palms in the sky.

Sorry it was turbulence

Which is what crew say if they spill coffee or wine on a passenger. But is it real? I was informed to glimpse carefully if I hear those text. That is for the reason that crew say they never ever spill just about anything on well mannered previous women or any of the sizzling passengers they extravagant. But they do ‘accidentally’ spill items on the rude travellers who start off moaning at boarding and never allow up. The genuine fact? It was never turbulence.

Master extra about lifetime at 35,000 feet in Vacation SOS: The Lifesaving Adventures of a Travelling Physician by Ben MacFarlane, out there on Amazon.  

Never slumber bare, Really do not chew gum and Constantly set a black shoelace in your hand luggage: Flying doctor Ben MacFarlane’s best vacation tips 

1: Extreme gasoline is never ever entertaining on a plane, in particular for the folks sitting future to you. So why get extra bloated and place further oxygen into your technique? Reducing out fizzy drinking water (and saying no to Champagne, if you’re blessed ample to be available it) can make all people much more comfortable.

2: Fail to remember about chewing gum to stop your ears hurting at take-off or landing. Chewing can make us swallow much more air – just like fizzy h2o. It is also a choke-threat in turbulence or bumpy landings. Wiggling your lower jaw and undertaking some huge pretend yawns sorts your ears out additional safely and securely.

3: Want an added cup of tea or G&T on a aircraft? Do not inquire for it until an hour right after the food trays have been cleared away. Which is the magic hour when cabin crew get to eat their individual foods. They’ll response simply call bells or provide you in the galley. But their smiles won’t be serious. And you may possibly not want to know exactly where the slice of lemon was just just before it hit your drink.

4: The minute you get into your lodge area unplug the cellphone (or at least flip the ringer off). Which is what cabin crew close friends do. Mainly because no-a single wishes a completely wrong range at 3am.

5: Examine the bedside alarm clock is displaying the correct time, due to the fact if you’ve received a plane to catch then 7am is not a fantastic time to come across out it is in fact 9am – as I located out to my cost decades ago.

6: Never ever go to sleep without examining the very last person who stayed in your place hasn’t left the alarm set to go off at dawn. Undesired wake-up phone calls can ruin the very best of vacations.

7: By no means slumber naked, since only one factor is worse than being woken up at 2am by a lodge fire alarm and obtaining to stumble down the stairs to the car or truck park. And which is accomplishing it naked simply because you’re panicking much too substantially to find your outfits. Top rated journey suggestion? Sleep in shorts and a T-shirt and you slumber additional soundly.

8: Make pickpockets perform for their funds. Tie the two metallic zip tags of your backpack or purse collectively with a discreet black shoelace. It will not quit a established thief, but it can purchase you a break up next to see what they are hoping to do. It also stops more than-stuffed baggage slipping open in crowded airports and chaotic streets.

9: The paper wallet that’s bought your hotel room quantity published on it and the essential card inside? Leave it behind when you go out. Have that lifted from your pocket and the thief is aware 3 issues – where by you’re keeping, what area you are in and that you are out. So really don’t be expecting your valuables to be there on your return.

10: Never ever be far too ashamed to dress in a seat belt in a auto, taxi or mentor. Just one straightforward health-related reality is really worth remembering. The people who endure crashes are the kinds who wore their seatbelts. So buckle up. Really don’t possibility dying of shame.

Thornbury is a current market town with its roots in agriculture and cider producing (Riddle’s has been built on a wood apple push by the Riddles spouse and children for much more than a century).

Farms and fruit orchards dot bordering Severn Valley — once Henry’s VIII’s deer park — with views across the h2o to the Welsh hills.

The town was initial mentioned as ‘Thornbyrig’ in the Domesday E book in the 11th century, whilst it is most possible more mature as a whopping 11,460 Roman cash, dating from Advert 260-348, were discovered in 2004 while a pond was remaining dug.

In the Privy Backyard garden of Thornbury Castle hotel, I find out woven bee skeps (hives) in nooks sitting down in the historic stone walls, exactly as they would have finished when Henry strolled these grounds with Anne Boleyn, in 1535.

‘Henry had a sweet tooth and preferred his honey,’ a passing gardener tells me, as if chatting about anyone we the two realized. And it is not challenging to conjure up an impression of the Tudor king in these kinds of surroundings, probably making the most of a glass of mead.

Edward Stafford (the only person to rival the king’s prosperity) started construction of the castle in 1511. It was a display of ambition that obtained Henry’s again up.

Uncovered responsible of treason, Stafford was beheaded and Henry seized the castle. And no wonder. Although little, it is a magnificence.

Arrowslits slash the 4ft-thick stone partitions an octagonal tower residences Henry’s extensive bedchamber it has ornate oriel windows, gurning gargoyles, and soaring red-brick chimneys that predate individuals at Hampton Court.

It has a short while ago reopened right after a restoration overseen by English Heritage, on the other hand it is not the oldest of Thornbury’s buildings. You are going to find that subsequent doorway. The attractive Quality I-detailed church of St Mary’s was developed in 1340, on the web site of a Norman church.

By way of a graveyard of tumbling tombstones, I tiptoe to read inscriptions courting from the 15th century and over and above.

Additional historical engravings have both worn absent or are carpeted in thick green moss, and in a single of these lies the entrails of Henry VII’s beloved uncle and mentor, Jasper Tudor (the rest of him is buried in Keynsham Abbey). 

Fans of TV’s Open up All Hrs, should head to L. E. Riddiford — a provisions shop set up in 1928 that was author Roy Clarke’s inspiration for Arkwright’s shop.

At The Simple (exactly where in the 1900s a livestock market was held), you are going to find a flower-festooned reproduction of the pump mounted in 1857 by bankers Messrs Harwood, Hatcher and Sams.

I wander alongside Castle Street, lined with amazing interval attributes such as medieval Porch Dwelling, and The Chantry (dated by English Heritage as 16th century), exactly where priests once prayed (for a cost) for the souls of Thornbury’s deceased.

Information exhibit it was bought in 1699 by a farmer with grand types — as the substantial wooden door is believed to have appear from the castle repurposed during the years that the castle lay derelict.

Back at the castle, I sit on a throne-like chair lined in pink brocade in the hotel’s regal cafe and purchase the hearty saddle of lamb that proves to be a feast healthy for a king.  

Our staycation summer time has witnessed tent-filled campsites up and down the land as several people have turned to vacations in the great outdoor to stay clear of extortionate cottage rental selling prices and hotel fees.

Yet another adjust has been getting put, far too, amongst all those who want something a little bit much more cozy, without the hassle of hooking up and towing a caravan. Motorhome holidays have boomed, with Volkswagen by yourself reporting a 621 per cent yr-on-yr boost in product sales of its very popular VW California vans (from £52,000).

Dealers in second-hand automobiles are just about marketed out — and motorhome sales as a whole are mentioned to be up by about 40 for each cent each year, with rentals leaping by a comparable percentage. But who would like a simple shoebox on wheels? Why not go for a person of the a little bit additional eccentric motorhome choices on the market? As our guidebook exhibits, they occur in all designs and measurements . . .

COLT Pursuing

Hoof it off on getaway by climbing aboard and driving a wood horsebox named Juniper, which has been transformed into a rustic cottage on wheels, entire with log burner, sofas and aged wooden floorboards. Trot up the ramp to find beds for six.

There is also a kitchen area with an oven, hob and fridge (all cutlery, crockery and pans are furnished) — additionally a little toilet with a bathroom and a basin, but no shower.

Juniper was a personalized-designed horse lorry built by George Smith, renowned horsebox builders of 30 years’ standing, based in Wiltshire. It was initially utilised to transport Shetland ponies and was transformed into a property in 2017, soon after which it was lived in by a family members for three many years.

All yours: From £129 a night time (quirkycampers.com).

A Environmentally friendly ESCAPE

Acquire an emission-absolutely free tenting tour with the most current green holiday equipment. It promises to be ‘the nation’s only all-electric campervan obtainable to rent’. The transformed Nissan — called Spoot — drives silently among campsites devoid of upsetting your eco-conscience and has a plug-in variety of 120 miles. It sleeps two.

All yours: From £120 a evening (camplify.co.uk).

THE MEGA MOTORHOME

It is the size of a National Express coach and stuffed with hand-crafted wood-and-glass suites, mimicking a luxury yacht. The world’s swankiest motorhome introduced at a European caravan display this month.

The German-created monster RV (limited for recreational car or truck) consists of a huge six-and-a-50 percent-foot-square mattress and a cellular garage created to home a Ferrari (if you take place to have one particular).

All yours: On sale for £1.3 million (dembell.com).

Small IS Attractive

A little transformed van could be the UK’s smallest motorhome. The Wheelhome is the sizing of a ordinary spouse and children hatchback but cleverly squeezes in a compact kitchen and two beds.

It could possibly not match more substantial-boned campers incredibly well, but the micro-motorhome could be just what you are on the lookout for.

All yours: On sale for £23,995 (somersetmotorhomecentre.co.uk).

Fast GETAWAY

A 141mph tremendous-campervan is the world’s quickest motorhome, according to Guinness Environment Records. There’s a double mattress, bathroom and kitchen, making it ideal for an exceptionally brief journey away. Orders can be put for identical tremendous-vans. The a person that broke the record was a souped-up, cherry-crimson Fiat Doblo.

All yours: Rates differ (creationcampers.co.british isles).

Wood YOU DARE?

Intended for the eccentric camper, the ‘chalet on wheels’ was previously an art classroom for a special faculty.

It is now a head-turning dwelling that sleeps two and contains a table, stove, shower and Heidi-model appears that will definitely be the chat of the campsite.

The 2008 Fiat Ducato was turned into a ‘chaletvan’ by designer and artist Barry Stimson as a ‘one-off functional piece of art’ and has by now been taken on a six-7 days adventure across Europe by its existing owner.

All yours: From £65 a day (camplify.co.united kingdom).  

Heading WILD!

Get off the crushed track in a rugged converted Land Rover 4×4 Defender referred to as Blue Belle.

The tenting variation of the Queen’s favourite off-roader sleeps 4 and has a fridge, shower, outdoor home furnishings and an awning, moreover it’s pet-pleasant. It is just the matter to choose the entire spouse and children considerably from the madding group.

All yours: From £100 a evening (camplify.co.uk).

• For further info, see the Caravan and Motorhome Club (caravanclub.co.british isles) and National Caravan Council (thencc.org.united kingdom).

Has Portugal changed its rules? The Holiday Guru tackles readers’ Covid and Brexit-related travel issues

By Daily Mail Reporter

Published: 08:19 EDT, 4 September 2021 | Updated: 08:19 EDT, 4 September 2021

Ropes whizz through pulleys as each sail unfurls and catches the wind, the engine noise stops and the ship gathers speed, dashing through the waves.

There is nothing at sea so romantic as a voyage under sail on a tall ship, and when it is the largest square-rig sailing vessel in the world it is even more uplifting.

This is the inaugural cruise aboard Golden Horizon and thanks to a week of glorious July weather, sailing along the South Coast of England with scorching sun and light sea breezes, when out of sight of land it felt as if we could be in the Caribbean.

With five soaring masts and 35 sails that would cover a whole football pitch, the ship is certainly a head-turner, with dog-walkers waving from cliff paths, and sightseeing boats coming alongside for a closer look.

At early-morning yoga on deck before it got too hot, looking up from my mat the view was gorgeous: clotted-cream-coloured triangles and oblongs and shiny yellow masts against a perfectly blue sky.

Golden Horizon is one of a handful of cruise ships with traditional, hard-working sails and is a larger replica of another largest-ever sailing ship of its day, France II, built in 1913, for cargo. And, remarkably, this new ship can go faster under sail – 17 knots – than its top speed of 16 knots by engine power alone.

A new Suffolk-based cruise line, Tradewind Voyages (tradewindvoyages.com), has plans for four more ships like Golden Horizon, and is plotting its voyages to make the most of prevailing winds and currents, following the sun and historic trading routes from Indonesia and the Indian Ocean to the Caribbean and South Pacific.

On sea days, when Golden Horizon is well away from shipping traffic, passengers can channel their inner James Onedin at the ship’s wheel on the Compass Deck, and have the exhilarating experience of helming in full sail.

A number of guests on this voyage – in peaked caps and with grey beards, long shorts and deck shoes – came from sailing rather than cruise holiday backgrounds, having skippered their own yachts in their salad days, and were keen to observe the workings of the sails and quiz the crew.

One passenger spoke for many of us when she looked up from her book and remarked: ‘When you read the brochures you think you would love to get hands-on, helping sail the ship, but actually it’s much nicer not having to.’

But nervous sailors beware: when the weather gets frisky, tall ships really let you know you are at sea, so bring Dramamine – a medicine to help you cope with motion-sickness – and ginger boiled sweets (a more traditional treatment), and hope you won’t need them.

Magnificent Golden Horizon, with four guest decks, has 140 cabins and suites. A handful have discreet balconies that do not interrupt its elegant profile, but most have two portholes that do not open. Plenty of stairs and no lifts mean your calves will get a workout, unless you stay put on a sunbed.

The two-deck-high dining room and piano bar wrapped around the atrium have natural light flooding in through the glass-bottom swimming pool that also has windows in its sides. Shy swimmers soon learn to avoid taking a dip at meal times – though watching those who do stay in can be quite a diversion if small-talk dries up during the afternoon tea hour.

Apart from room service, the only other place to eat is the open-air Horizon Grill, where a variety of burgers is served. 

On deck there is also a plunge pool (reassuringly, lined in opaque material) at one end, and a round, 14ft-deep pool for one-to-one scuba-diving lessons at the other. This is like a large glass vase set into the back of the lecture hall on the deck below, with curtains that can be drawn round it to prevent distracting the audience’s attention should a talk on nautical history be held at the same time.

The focus is very much on deck during the day, with traditional games such as quoits and deck curling, and a jovial buzz around the Pool Bar. But down below there is a cosy library, whisky bar, small gym, hair salon, and spa with treatment rooms, sauna and a Turkish bath.

When the ship is at anchor and sea conditions are right, the water-sports marina folds down at the back of the ship. Borrow a paddle board or snorkel, hire a sea bob or go for a swim. Or just go down to the marina and connect with the ocean. There is something magical about standing on the platform a couple of feet above the water, watching for marine life.

The marina will come into its own in the warm, sheltered waters of the Caribbean, where Golden Horizon will be heading in mid-November for its first winter season, with one-week cruises from £1,799pp.

Golden Horizon is sure to be in demand, given the popularity of cruises under canvas offered by other operators…

STARS OF THE OCEAN 

Golden Horizon was commissioned by Star Clippers, a favourite with lovers of luxury holidays at sea for 30 years, but the company decided not to expand its fleet of three sailing cruisers after all.

Its flagship is majestic Royal Clipper, the line’s five-masted square-rigger which carries 227 passengers under 42 billowing white sails. Twin sister ships Star Clipper and Star Flyer are smaller – yet taller – with four masts and capacity for 166 guests each.

On all three ships you can lie back on a sunbed and watch the crew at work, or have a go at heave-ho yourself, hauling ropes to help set the sails. If you have a head for heights, race up the rigging like a cabin boy sent to look out for land and see the view from a platform 50ft up the main mast. For a close encounter with the sea, you can sprawl in a net spread below the bowsprit, and taste the tang of salty spray, watching flying fish and leaping dolphins.

Royal Clipper and Star Flyer will be sailing in the Caribbean this winter, and Star Clipper will be in South-East Asia with prices from £1,165pp for six nights. More details at starclippers.co.uk.

DO IT HEIRESS-STYLE 

Three more tall ships for an authentic sailing experience, with all the comforts of a luxury cruise, are vintage Sea Cloud and two smaller, specially-built, three-mast barques, Sea Cloud II and Sea Cloud Spirit for the German-owned line (seacloud.com).

Sea Cloud is a grande dame of 90, built for an American heiress in 1931 as her private yacht, and now has 32 opulent cabins, adorned with marble fireplaces and bathrooms with golden swan taps.

The ship is popular with German-speaking passengers, but the daily programme and menus are in English too.

On Sea Cloud II, whose sails are all set by hand, there are 65 crew to a maximum of 94 passengers. There is quite a contrast between the very nautical atmosphere on deck and the country-house-style suites below, with canopied beds, sofas and reproduction antique furniture. The ship is chartered privately much of the time, so the best way to get on board is to book a cruise with Noble Caledonia (noble-caledonia.co.uk), which organises cultural tours led by experts.

Two-week cruises next February in the Caribbean visit islands untouched by mass tourism, and included excursions investigate piracy and naval activities in the West Indies in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Next June, eight-night cruises explore the ancient history of the Mediterranean, from £5,395pp.

NO ROPES REQUIRED  

Not all ships with sails pride themselves on using old-fashioned ropes. When the captains of Wind Surf, Wind Star and Wind Spirit wish to unfurl the sails, as they aim to do whenever the ships leave port, all they have to do is turn a few knobs on the bridge. Even the most seasoned cruisers are moved to tears as each sail opens in time to the rousing music of Vangelis’s 1492: Conquest Of Paradise.

Choose a cabin on Deck 1 to feel a closer connection to the ocean aboard Wind Star or Wind Spirit. There is nothing like watching the waves slapping against the portholes with one eye while watching a video of Finding Nemo with the other in a Force 7 near-gale.

Wind Surf, for 342 passengers, will be in the Caribbean this winter, while 148-passenger Wind Spirit and Wind Star will sail through South-East Asia and along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica respectively (windstarcruises.com), with one-week cruises starting at US$2,299pp.

A SHIP FOR THE CHIC 

For another hands-off experience that still gives a delicious frisson of life under sail, choose sleek Le Ponant (uk.ponant.com), which has computer-operated sails. 

Pack stripy Breton tops and espadrilles (think Coco Chanel and Pablo Picasso on their hols) and you’ll blend in with your Gallic shipmates on this swish French ship.

A prow-to-stern revamp is halving the number and almost doubling the size of the cabins, so 34 crew look after just 32 guests. Suites are spacious and saloons chicly decorated in warm wood and cream leather with dashes of navy. The ship blends in perfectly with the super-yachts plying the French and Italian Rivieras and dropping anchor in Corsica’s hidden coves. Fares will start at €10,000pp.

Nestled in the Swiss Alps in an upmarket ski resort popular with royalty is the £87-a-night hotel where Matt Hancock has whisked lover Gina Coladangelo for a romantic getaway.

The ex-Health Secretary, 42, and his former aide, Miss Coladangelo, 44, have been spotted in the posh ski resort of Villars just months after being caught in a steamy Covid-rule breaching clinch in his office.

The pair, who have continued dating since their affair was exposed, have been staying at The Villars Mountain Lodge, described on the hotel’s website as ‘resolutely modern and at the same time delightfully authentic’.

Boasting hot showers, a bar and diner, ‘cozy beds, ultra-soft pillows and soundproof rooms’, the hotel is located in Villars-sur-Ollon.

The village is a short drive from the popular resort town of Montreux and around a 90 minute drive from the city of Geneva.

With views of the famous Mont Blanc, the village, known for skiing and its eye-wateringly expensive boarding schools, is part of the wider resort of Villars – a favourite with royalty and celebrities.

In 2015 Princesses Marie and Athena of Denmark joined other members of the Danish Royal family on their annual ski holiday in Col-de-Bretaye near Villars-sur-Ollon.

It is also a favourite of former England rugby star Mike Tindall, the husband of the Queen’s granddaughter Zara Tindall. He once told the Telegraph: ‘Villars is very quiet so you get the slopes to yourself and there are no lift queues.’

Earlier this year the village, situated at the foot of the 7,000ft high Le Chamossaire mountain, also welcomed Swiss President Guy Parmelin, who visited for a holiday, while pioneering British chef Heston Blumenthal also lists it among his favourite ski resorts.

With a cable car station to the top of Le Chamossaire at situated the top of the village and another nearby to the peak of the 6,500ft Chaux Ronde, the area is a hotspot for ski-enthusiasts.

In February the village was the launch point for a new mass-testing scheme for Covid-19, which encouraged skiers to take part in voluntary testing.  More than 400 tests were taken in the first day, of which four came back positive. 

Alongside skiing, Villars is known to host some of the most expensive private international boarding schools in the world.

The £75,100-a-year Collège Alpin International Beau Soleil – whose alumni include ex-F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve and the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg – as well as the La Garenne School, Préfleuri, and the £83,868-a-year Aiglon College, once home to House of Cards actor Michal Gill, are all situated in the town.

The hotel in which Mr Hancock and his lover, Miss Coladangelo, are staying in is located at the centre of the village.

It is near to a row of swanky restaurants, including the Michelin Guide recommend Le Jardin des Alpes.

Dating back to 1870, but recently modernised, the hotel boasts high-pressure showers, ‘cozy beds’ and ‘ultra soft pillows’ as well as unlimited free Wi-Fi and a late checkout option. It also has ‘soundproof rooms’, a bar and diner, and ski hire facilities.

On its website, the hotel is described as ‘a place to live and experience a new art of living just a few steps from the mountains, but thousands of miles from traditional hotels’. 

And it has earned rave reviews on Trip Advisor, with one recent visitor saying: ‘Perfect, amazing energy, made with love and care. Beautiful setting with a big garden, beautiful design. 

‘You can see that somebody thought about every detail to be welcoming, friendly and beautiful. It feels like home in a big mansion.’ 

Others described the hotel hosting the Mr Hancock, who was earning around £145,000-a-year as Health Secretary, a job he resigned from after his affair with Ms Coladangelo was exposed, as ‘great value for money’. 

‘The staff are super friendly and breakfast for an addition is an excellent deal. We will go back for a longer break and hopefully stay there for weekends regularly,’ one wrote on TripAdvisor. 

Rooms are currently around the £87 to £120-a-night mark, depending on size, due to it being out of season for skiing in Switzerland, where the ski season runs from around November to April time. 

Last night pictures emerged in the Daily Express which appeared to show Mr Hancock and Ms Coladangelo heading out for dinner with friends while in Villars.

Mr Hancock wore a baseball cap, sunglasses and a face mask while Miss Coladangelo dressed casually in denim. 

The couple drove to the resort from the UK for what is thought to be their first holiday abroad together since their relationship was revealed in June. 

It was Mr Hancock’s second holiday in as many weeks after he was spotted hitting the surf in Cornwall with his children last month. 

The sighting comes just months after Mr Hancock was forced to quit the Cabinet when CCTV from his Whitehall office was leaked of him kissing his married aide Miss Coladangelo in breach of Covid social-distancing guidance. 

Mr Hancock’s kiss with Miss Coladangelo, a mother-of-three whose husband Oliver Tress is the founder of clothing shop Oliver Bonas, is alleged to have taken place on May 6 this year. 

After the footage emerged, Mr Hancock confirmed his resignation and said he wanted to ‘reiterate his apology for breaking the guidance’.

He said: ‘The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis.

‘I want to reiterate my apology for breaking the guidance, and apologise to my family and loved ones for putting them through this. I also need (to) be with my children at this time.’

And a letter issued to the public read: ‘I am writing to resign as Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

‘We have worked so hard as a country to fight the pandemic. The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis.’  

Following his resignation, the Prime Minister said he was ‘sorry’ to receive Mr Hancock’s resignation as Health Secretary.

He said Mr Hancock ‘should leave office very proud of what you have achieved – not just in tackling the pandemic, but even before Covid-19 struck us’.

Boris Johnson added: ‘I am grateful for your support and believe that your contribution to public service is far from over.’

In the wake of the scandal, Mr Hancock reportedly told his wife Martha, who he married in 2006, that their marriage was over and announced he would be spending time away from the spotlight to focus on his three children. 

And earlier in the summer, he was seen moving boxes, suitcases and clothes out of his marital home in London.     

Mystery surrounds the recruitment of Miss Coladangelo, who met Mr Hancock while volunteering at the student radio station at Oxford University in the 1990s. 

She worked on Mr Hancock’s failed Tory leadership campaign in 2019 and was secretly taken on as an unpaid adviser at the Department of Health last year before being made a non-executive director on a £15,000 contract. 

This year a Tory source said the pair had become inseparable, adding: ‘They always appeared to be incredibly close. Her status was always slightly mysterious but she went everywhere with him. She was in every meeting.’  

Friends insisted the extramarital affair only began in May, the same month that Mr Hancock and Miss Coladangelo were caught in the incriminating footage.

But others said the pair, who have known each other since university days when they met at Oxford, have raised eyebrows for some time. 

Miss Coladangelo was allegedly confronted as long ago as 2019 by ministerial aides who asked outright if there was any romance between the pair, something the twice-married mother-of-three flatly denied. 

Appointed Health Secretary in 2018 after spending 18 months in the culture brief, Matt Hancock has been a prominent figure for the Government during its handling of the coronavirus pandemic until his resignation on Saturday. 

Mr Hancock, who in 2018 became the only MP in British politics to launch his own app, took only eight years to rise from West Suffolk MP to Health Secretary. 

The Oxford and Cambridge educated father-of-three previously worked as an economist at the Bank of England and as chief of staff to George Osborne when he was shadow chancellor of the Exchequer, before becoming an MP.

Mr Hancock, who is said to have met Miss Coladangelo at university, had been married to his wife Martha for 15 years and they have three children together.

Miss Coladangelo told a BBC Radio 4 profile on the politician that the pair met at the Oxford University student radio station, Oxygen FM, where she was a news reader and he a sports reporter.

The marketing and communications director at Oliver Bonas, a British retailer founded by her husband Oliver Tress, told the BBC about how Mr Hancock had ‘told a white lie’ to his radio news desk after failing to make it to cover an international rugby match.  

She said: ‘He actually overslept and hot-footed it to the train but didn’t make it to Twickenham in time from Oxford, so had to get off the train at Reading, find a pub, watch the first half in a pub and then go to a phone box outside and report in.

‘So he told a white lie, pretended he was at Twickenham watching the rugby when in fact he was in a pub in Reading.’ 

The Cheshire-raised politician first attended cabinet after being appointed Minister for the Cabinet Office in 2015 by then prime minister David Cameron.

Mr Cameron’s successor Theresa May later promoted him to the role of culture secretary. 

He initially threw his hat into the ring to replace Mrs May in No 10 during the 2019 Conservative Party leadership contest, but withdrew from the leadership race part way through and was quick to throw his weight behind Mr Johnson.

He was among the handful of ministers to retain his brief when Mr Johnson took power in July 2019, making him one of the most prominent ministers when coronavirus rocked Britain eight months later.

The latest scenes come after Mr Hancock announced this week that he would be running the London Marathon next month to raise funds for a hospice. 

This is photography at its most eagle-eyed.

The winning flock of images from The Bird Photographer of the Year 2021 has been revealed.

Out of 22,000 international entries, Mexican photographer Alejandro Prieto is this year’s grand champion, claiming the £5,000 prize for his arresting photograph of a greater roadrunner staring up at the barbed-wire-clad border wall between the USA and Mexico. ‘Prieto’s image immediately caught the attention of the judges. It is not your typical bird photo, and the story behind the image is so strong,’ says Will Nicholls, Director of Bird Photographer of the Year.

Other astonishing entries include a picture of a crimson sunbird bathing in a banana flower, a mesmerising picture of imperial shags with entwined beaks and a striking image of a heron with its hapless prey in its beak.

The competition, showcasing the beauty and idiosyncrasies of our feathered friends, has been running since 2016. There are eight different categories – Best Portrait, Birds in the Environment, Attention to Detail, Bird Behaviour, Birds in Flight, Black and White, Urban Birds, and Creative Imagery.  There is also a Portfolio Award and a Conservation Award.

Conservation is at the heart of the contest, which this year donated over £8,000 to Birds on the Brink – a charity supporting global bird conservation projects. Each of the winning photographs is compiled in a coffee-table book by Harper Collins. Scroll down to see 20 of the victorious images…

There are occasions — rare and unforgettable — when the universe dances for you. Moments when it seems that the whole of the wild world has but one purpose in mind, and that is to bring you joy.

The ballet of nature is not something you witness every day, yet it came to me twice in a single week in the Bay of Fundy in Canada, bordered by New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

In one of the ballets, the dancers are very small indeed: birds the size of a sparrow or less, each one weighing no more than three pound coins: three quidsworth of beauty that creates something which might dazzle the richest person in the world.

I see 35,000 of these birds all dancing at the same time, which almost makes me dance for joy myself.

The second troupe of dancers consists of more substantial individuals: nine humpback whales, huddled together in a great raft of sociability, the biggest more than 50 ft long and weighing up to 45 tons. That’s more than five million pound coins.

These ballets take place because the Bay of Fundy is unique. It has the highest tidal range in the world. Numbers won’t really help you to get it, so let’s say you were able to build a four-storey house at low-water mark. Six hours and 13 minutes later, the entire structure would be underwater.

I am shown a video of three rangers from the Hopewell Rocks Provincial Park; this is a place with a series of beaches apparently designed by Salvador Dali. The feet of the rangers are anchored to the floor and they stand there dry-shod as the tide comes in.

Just 27 minutes later, the water is up to the chin of the woman in the middle. My guide, Alain Chavette, once miscalculated time and tide, distracted by his delight in the wonderful seabirds of the bay. The memory still chills him; he was lucky to escape with his life.

The Bay of Fundy is on the part of Canada that is nearest Britain, sticking out into the Atlantic from the eastern edge of the continent. I devote myself to the farther shore of the bay in the province of New Brunswick.

And Lord, they do space in New Brunswick: 700,000 people share 28,000 square miles and the nearest large town, Saint John, has a population of around 58,000.

A city-dweller must change pace. You have to say hello to people, for a start.

The bay itself is 94 miles long and 32 miles wide at the mouth. Colossal, incomprehensible masses of water wash in and out to the rhythm of the tides: up to 70 ft vertically, temporarily exposing areas of up to three miles. 

That’s three miles of seabed you can walk on — at least if you happen to be a bird.

Now I have an ambition in this piece, and that is to get you excited about semipalmated sandpipers. 

I accept that this is a challenge: to tell the truth, I wasn’t overexcited about semipalmated sandpipers before setting out, and I am a birder; perhaps my greatest joy in life is wildlife. 

Semipalmated sandpipers nest in the Arctic and winter in Suriname and French Guiana. All the same, the Bay of Fundy is essential to them.

They spend two or three weeks here every year and for them, the bay is life and death. 

It is the place that makes their extravagant, far-ranging lifestyle possible.

It’s about mud. Now I accept that I may have a still harder job getting you excited about mud, but for semipalmated sandpipers — for any shore bird — it is the most exciting stuff in the world. 

That’s because it is full — absolutely jam-packed — with small worms and other tiny creatures: things that sandpipers call food.

So when the low tide uncovers the vast areas of mud that march three miles out across the bay, it’s feeding time. 

And they feed all right and all night: in the short time they spend in the bay they will double and treble their weight.

And when they are ready, crammed full of the great reserves of energy they got from beneath the mud, they fly.

They fly across the sea, down to South America — and because of the route they have chosen, they must do it all in one go or perish. 

It takes at least 72 hours of non-stop flying. They make it because of the immense, mud-covered riches of the Bay of Fundy.

It follows that while they are still on the bay, they are eager, even desperate, to feed. When the tide is high and they are pushed off the mud, they get tense and restless, waiting for the chance to start loading up again. 

And so, as the mud starts to uncover, they dance. Sometimes the dances are set off by a visiting bird of prey that alarms them, sometimes there seems no reason at all other than their own impatience. But they dance: flying this way and that, all together and never once colliding.

They are darkish on top and pale underneath, and as they change direction — all in gorgeous synchronicity — they are first a white flock, then a black flock, so it’s like stroking velvet. They make shapes and then different shapes as you stand entranced by the shrill sound of their piping, the whirr of their wings. It’s a poor person who doesn’t want to cheer at each spectacular new formation.

On my last day I take a boat from Grand Manan, an island towards the mouth of the bay, looking to see what marvels the sea might show us. That’s when we find those humpbacks. I see them and hear their mighty, sky-filling breath, a reminder that we are all mammals together.

When they turn to go, it’s heads down, tails up: one after another, as if in a dance long rehearsed and years ago perfected as they dive deep to feed on the bay’s riches.

This is an easy, undemanding place. I stay mostly at little family-run hotels, where amid the echoes of ancient traditions hospitality can still be found: wooden-built houses of a certain age, rooms with the emphasis on comfort rather than grandeur. Wherever you go, you find yourself having conversations, as if your British reserve has been confiscated on entry.

Alain, my guide, is of Acadian extraction: the French people who first cultivated the land here, then were driven off by the British under General Robert Monckton in the 18th century. The small city of Moncton in New Brunswick still bears his (misspelled) name.

At the top end of the bay, the Acadian stronghold, you will see many flags: the French tricolour bearing a gold star. Alain, though deeply aware of his heritage, showed no inclination to blame me for history.

In fact, we have a blast: talking birds, talking wildlife, even finding time for the occasional beer, looking out over the waters of the bay and wondering what lay beneath — and what we might see the following day.

You come away from a good trip and when asked what was good, you tend to say, well, everything. But when you are pressed to give an example of what was special, you remember what went especially deep.

And I’ll not forget the Bay of the Two Ballets: tiny birds facing an enormous journey and enormous whales with breath that filled the sky.

A holiday in a hostel may sound like a contradiction in terms — once you reach a certain age. The look that my husband gave me on hearing we would be spending time in three this year was priceless. But with holiday cottage prices so high, needs must. And when you start to look into it, you soon realise there are some rather snazzy hostels about these days.

For those travelling with children (in our case, our 13-year-old son), they are also a great way to inject some adventure that does not involve a computer or television screen, Cycling, hiking and generally exploring in a rural setting are what you ‘do’. The YHA (Youth Hostels Association), with more than 150 hostels in England and Wales, is a great starting point (yha.org.uk). Here’s our guide to some of the best… 

PEAK PERFECTION – YHA HARTINGTON HALL 

In the Peak District, YHA Hartington Hall is a 17th-century mansion with oak panelling, beams, large fireplaces and stone flagged flooring. You can book rooms with en suite shower — traditional dorms are closed for social-distancing reasons.

Good to know: The full English breakfasts are brilliant.

How much? From £49 for a private room that sleeps two (or from £79 for a private room with en suite).

SLEEP LIKE A CENTURION – YHA THE SILL  

YHA The Sill at Hadrian’s Wall is a new 26-bed hostel hidden away in the hills of Northumberland National Park. It looks like a fancy Scandi-hotel, with its simple beech and white aesthetic, gleaming wood floors and a double-height, glass-roofed atrium. From the rooftop vantage point, there are great views of the wall.

Good to know: This hostel is in Europe’s largest Dark Sky park, so bring a torch.

How much? From £59 for a private en suite room sleeping two.

WELSH MOUNTAIN VIEWS – YHA SNOWDON PEN-Y-PASS   

An 1850 former coaching inn, YHA Snowdon Pen-y-Pass in North Wales is a 13-bedroom hostel at the foot of Mount Snowdon. Mountaineer George Mallory stayed here when it was a hotel before his ill-fated Everest expedition. There is a bar and areas to relax in after a hard day’s climb.

Good to know: There is no internet access, so bring a book.

How much? From £59 for a private room sleeping two (or from £79 for an en suite private room for two).

TO THE MANOR BORN – YHA ILAM HALL 

If you have Downton Abbey fantasies, YHA Ilam Hall in Derbyshire is for you. This is a 25-bedroomed, 17th-century Gothic manor house in 84 acres of National Trust parkland. There’s even an old-fashioned dining room seating up to 80.

Good to know: Visit the excellent Manifold Tea Room next door (perfect for sustenance after a hike).

How much? From £59 for a private room sleeping two (or from £69 for an en suite private room).

YORKSHIRE DREAM – YHA BOGGLE HOLE    

Set in an 18 39 former water corn mill in a tiny cove at the end of a wooded valley, YHA Boggle Hole in North Yorkshire has 88 beds. It is a perfect base for fossil-hunting and rock-pooling on the private beach nearby. Some rooms have sea views. It also has cosy wood fires and a pleasant cafe.  

 Good to know: Visit the charming village of Robin’s Hood Bay.

How much? From £39 for a private room sleeping two (or from £119 for a private en suite room for three).

CLIFFTOP SPLENDOUR – YHA WHITBY   

YHA Whitby is a 26-bedroom Grade 1-listed historic mansion, which is perched on a cliff beside the ruins of Whitby Abbey, overlooking the North Yorkshire town. It is surrounded by magnificent gardens including an award-winning ‘physic garden’ — plus its own Abbey House tea rooms.

Good to know: You’ll need to climb 199 steps from Whitby town centre to get home after a night out.

How much? From £29 a night for a private room sleeping two (or from £59 for an en suite private room for two).

DEEP IN THE LAKES – YHA WASDALE HALL

In a splendid, 20-bedroom National Trust-owned house dating from 1829, YHA Wasdale Hall in the Lake District is surrounded by mountains and beautiful gardens that extend to the shores of Wastwater. Expect log fires (in winter months), oak panelling and Chesterfield sofas.

Good to know: There are excellent walks all around and expert climbers can tackle the famous Napes Needle.

How much? From £119 for a private room sleeping up to four.

SURFERS’ DELIGHT – YHA TREYARNON BAY 

Just 50 yards from the sea and offering great coastal views, YHA Treyarnon Bay in Cornwall has 71 beds and is a great base for surfers — or hanging out in the cafe watching the waves. Padstow is four miles away.

Good to know: It’s so close to the sea, you fall asleep to the sound of the waves.

How much? From £69 for a private en suite room sleeping up to three.

HIKERS AND BIKERS – YHA SOUTH DOWNS 

YHA South Downs in Sussex is a 17-bedroomed farmhouse conversion in the South Downs National Park. Parts of the building date back to the 13th century, but the rooms are modern and bright. Enjoy a coffee at its buzzy Courtyard Cafe. It is a three-minute walk from Southease train station.

Good to know: Take a ride on the Bluebell steam railway (bluebell-railway.com).

How much? From £59 a night for a private room sleeping two (or from £69 for a private room en suite sleeping up to three people).

A STATELY AFFAIR – YHA WILDERHOPE MANOR  

Set in the rolling Shropshire Hills, YHA Wilderhope Manor is one of the UK’s grandest hostels. Multi-bedded rooms with beamed ceilings and mullioned windows are available alongside plush private rooms with four- poster beds and roll top bath tubs. There’s also a field for tents and a BBQ terrace.

Good to know: Bring wellies — the grounds get muddy in wet weather. There’s no phone signal (but wifi is available).

How much? From £29 for a private room sleeping two.