Our tipsters go beyond the expected names to hail the charms, cultural and culinary delights of places from Pas-de-Calais to ProvenceI really loved the peacefulness of Saint-Nectaire. The local cheese is enough to put it on any list but it also has woo…
Britain’s 10 most glorious autumn gardens, as chosen by readers
Ancient oaks, faerie trails, abbey parks and deer feature in our readers’ favourite places to watch the vivid autumn coloursFor a feast of autumn colour visit Calderstones Park, in south Liverpool. This large park boasts a collection of native and exot…
Warriors, cathedrals and carnivals: Spain’s best smaller cities, chosen by readers
Medieval plazas, fortresses like film sets and seafood straight out of the net feature in your pick of these lesser-known destinationsI stopped in Salamanca for lunch when driving from Madrid to Lisbon and ended up staying there for a week, caught up i…
‘The path was alive with army ants!’ – readers’ holiday encounters with nature
A manta ray in the Maldives, wolf tracks in Portugal and mischievous seals in the Scilly Isles are just a few of your spectacular sightings Continue reading…
Volcanoes, gelato and canals: Italy’s great small cities chosen by readers
Baroque architecture, clifftop views and culture without the crowds feature in your pick of Italy’s lesser-known treasures A little piece of my soul was left in Polignano a Mare, a beautiful slice of real Italian life in Puglia. Pretty houses perchin…
‘Our campsite was an apocalyptic disaster scene’: readers’ summer camping stories
Sleeping on cliffs, close encounters with deer and climate meltdown – this year’s holiday rush to get closer to nature was never less than invigoratingCliff camping seemed like a great idea during the pandemic, when we were craving adventure. After a c…
Hidden idylls and stunning sunsets: late summer breaks in Europe, chosen by readers
Beautiful beaches in the soft light figure strongly in our tipsters’ picks of sunny late summer and autumn getawaysThe north of the island of Lanzarote is a hidden idyll where sunsets burn golden orange and surf pounds the wild shores. Famara Beach is …
Ready meals, new clothes, fairy lights: the products you stopped buying (or wish you had) in the pandemic
For some of us, this has been a time to cut back and live more sustainably. Others have found it harder to rein in their spending. Nine readers reveal how they have saved – or splurgedI bought my own proper coffee machine during the first lockdown and …
Readers’ picks: 10 delicious blackberry recipes, from chilli chutney to jelly and wine
Everywhere you look, brambles are groaning with dark, succulent fruit. Here are some surefire ways to make the most of themI’ve been making blackberry vodka for the past few years and found that you need a mix of small and large brambles to get a gorge…
‘It spoke of humanity and hope’: our readers’ favourite Olympics moments
Our readers pick their standout memories from an emotional, inspiring and all-consuming Olympic Games in TokyoWhat I love about the Olympics is getting invested in sports I would never watch otherwise. This time, I was absorbed by the taekwondo. The ru…