Escapism
In pine and cedar woods in the Pedras Salgadas natural park in northern Portugal, these new self-catering eco-houses are perfect for outdoorsy families. There’s a boating lake, outdoor pool, mountain bikes, a restaurant and a spa that uses thermal spring water. Two futuristic treehouses have just opened, too.
• From €200 a night for a house sleeping six, pedrassalgadaspark.com
What’s new?
Festival fun
bOing! a new family festival at Kent University, Canterbury, will be packed with the arts. Watch outdoor acrobats, explore a staged undersea world in Bleu!, sing in a choir with world-renowned cellist Matthew Sharp, experience life as a creepy-crawly in interactive extravaganza Grass or brush up on your baking skills with the Queen of Hearts. Tickets up to £5; some workshops and performances are free.
• 30-31 August, thegulbenkian.co.uk/boing
Travel money
Travellers can now withdraw euros from cashpoints at 70 London tube stations. The ATMs, which don’t charge commission, are a hassle-free way to collect currency on your way to the airport or station.
• Find euro ATMs at cashpointcompass.co.uk
Train service
Journey times between the Turkish capital, Ankara, and Istanbul were halved when a new high-speed train opened on 25 July. The trip now takes a manageable three-and-a-half hours. When in Istanbul, you could try super-stylish new hostel, Bunk in Taksim, which follows the first Bunk “poshtel” in Beyoglu.
• Train fares from about £20 one way. Dorm beds at Bunk cost from about £10 a night, doubles with shower from £55, bunkhostels.com
The UK’s best urban beaches
If you’re not jetting off on holiday this summer, don’t despair: the beach may be closer than you think. In Nottingham, the Old Market Square has been transformed into a beach resort with 250 tonnes of sand. There is a beach bar serving cocktails, live bands and outdoor theatre, a giant paddling pool with zorb-style balls and fairground rides (until 2 September, nottinghamriviera.co.uk).
London has several manmade beaches: Camden Beach at the Roundhouse features beach huts, a rooftop garden with a swimming pool, a pop-up fish restaurant and barbecue and a tiki bar and rum shack (until 23 August, roundhouse.org.uk); and the beach at Royal Victoria docks is hosting an eclectic range of events, with an outdoor opera festival, a scratch’n’sniff cinema and limbo dancing (until 21 September, londonsroyaldocks.com). The Southbank Centre’s beach is part of the Festival of Love, which is celebrating the Same Sex Couples Act (until 14 September, southbankcentre.co.uk).
At Bristol beach, there are sandcastle competitions, a “fun zone” for kids, and a mojito bar for the grown-ups (until 1 September, visitbristol.co.uk). In Oxford, a beach has been created in the Castle Quarter with palm trees, deckchairs, volleyball nets, tapas and cocktails (until 15 September, oxfordcastlequarter.com). The city beach in Leeds, at Millennium Square, has a traditional seaside funfair (until 31 August, facebook.com/LeedsBeach). At Cheshire Oaks shopping outlet in Manchester, the beach has a Brazilian vibe in a nod to the World Cup, with South American food and drink (until 31 August, visitmanchester.com).
Cardiff Bay beach hosts a Caribbean beach party on Mondays, sporting events on Tuesdays and DJs and live bands for the rest of the week. Rides, crazy golf and an ice-cream parlour add to the fun (until 31 August, cardiffbaybeach.co.uk). In Cwmbran, the beach at Gwent Square has free fitness classes on Wednesdays and kid’s entertainment – circus tricks, games workshops – on Saturdays (until 31 August, cwmbranshopping.co.uk). Who needs to go abroad?
Funny business
Virgin Atlantic is hosting a series of sky-high standup gigs on its Little Red flights between London and Edinburgh to celebrate the city’s Fringe festival. Russell Kane is kicking off the on-board performances, and Richard Herring, Tom Craine and Carl Donnelly will also join the mile-high comedy club. Bea1ts an inflight movie any day.
• virginatlantic.com/vaalive
Animal magic
Whipsnade Zoo in Dunstable, Bedfordshire, has four new Meet the Animal experiences this summer. You can offer treats to sloth bears or leaves to giraffes, or even have a go at feeding the lions. Perhaps most fun of all, you can give an elephant a bath. It isn’t cheap, but the money helps fund the zoo’s conservation programmes.
• From £45, suitable for children aged 10+, zsl.org
Culture watch
Praça Martim Moniz, a square in a multicultural part of central Lisbon, is holding free outdoor film screenings every Wednesday until late September. The square is also a street-food hub, with stalls open every day from 10am-10pm, weekly live music and dance events, and a bazaar-like “fusion market” every weekend.
• ncs.pt/mercadodefusao.php
Dram’n’breakfast
From a 300-year-old Highland inn to a literary tavern in Edinburgh, a new website brings together more than 100 Scottish pubs with interesting histories. Some of the “pubs with a story to tell” also offer accommodation, and the site has special offers and late deals on rooms each month.
• scotlandspubsandbars.co.uk
