Along for the Ride with David O’Doherty, review: middle-aged men, Lycra and chitchat
During the pandemic, my husband became a cyclist. It started small: bike rides to the park with the kids. Then, the purchase of a more expensive bike….
Travel to Germany: latest Covid rules and holiday advice
As numbers continue to rise sharply in Germany, particularly among the unvaccinated, the country is looking for ways to urgently slow the pace and boost its vaccination…
Why Europe’s fourth wave could boost the holiday appeal of rule-free England
For families, the UK is more relaxed than many countries when it comes to entry requirements for children. Canada imposes quarantine on unvaccinated children aged 12 to…
Travel to Australia: when the border could reopen, and latest Covid rules
Australia’s borders are to open a little further from December 1 – permitting certain visa holders and holidaymakers. Since November 1, immediate family members – including parents…
Can I travel to the Netherlands? Latest Covid rules and holiday advice
Holidays to the Netherlands are currently impacted by tightened Covid-19 restrictions in the country. From November 13, for at least three weeks, bars, restaurants and non-essential stores…
Will Europe’s ski resorts remain open this winter – and should I cancel my holiday?
As Europe continues to experience a fourth wave of Covid-19 infections, and Austria today goes into a 20-day “firebreak” lockdown, British skiers are being urged to keep…
Black Friday travel deals: The best bargain holidays for 2021 and 2022
Southern charms Nearly 20 months after shuttering its borders to UK travellers, the US is firmly back on our holiday menu. So why not not celebrate with…
Meet the conservation hero loved by royalty and rhinos
“We were walking for so long in the rocks and the heat,” sighs Simson, “but we only saw the animal for two seconds.” Although fleeting, the sighting…
Emma and AJ Get to Work, review: fixing ailing businesses with nothing but a smile
Had you heard of AJ Odudu before she appeared on Strictly Come Dancing? I confess that I hadn’t, even though she’s got more than a decade of…
America’s saddest clown: the outrageous life of Rodney Dangerfield
One of the main reasons he invested $250,000 in his own Dangerfield’s comedy club in New York was because it meant he would not have to travel…
Eight of the finest country house stays for a great British minibreak
It has been almost 75 years since Francis Coulson bought a small Victorian manor on the shore of Ullswater and converted it into what is now widely…
Plotting a Sound of Music-style escape after being snared by Austria’s lockdown
This joyful holiday in the mountains, marvelling at cute chalets, and enjoying the smell of autumn firesmoke, is ruined on day one. I want to scream, but…
The true story of the world’s most famous ski run and why it’s at risk of disappearing
Both routes involve a killing skis-on-shoulder climb in ski boots – up 580 metal steps to the cable-car base station or 40-minute trudge up a steep snowy…
Dartmoor’s lost railway returns after 50 years
Simmons Park is lovely though, with its ornamental tree collection, contemporaneous to a Victorian shopping arcade with an arched glass roof from 1906. The Museum of Dartmoor…
19 tricks to becoming more organised
I know I’ve already doled out advice on how to be organised: before going to bed, lay out your clothes for the next day to alleviate early-morning…
The best wedding dress trends to inspire brides in 2022
In the bridal world, trends tend to be few and far between, with traditional styles being the overarching theme. But with Covid restrictions and delays an increasingly…
What to wear with grey hair: ideas for an ageless, flattering wardrobe
Many women nowadays are deciding to embrace the grey. To ditch the blonde dye and let your natural hair colour shine through. The transition process might take…
How to declutter your home and keep it permanently tidy
When life feels like it’s spinning out of control, one way to impose order is to organise your home. ‘Decluttering is my therapy,’ says Vicky Silverthorn, a…
Four magnificent UK hotels for a Christmas shopping minibreak
Christmas shopping can so easily turn into a chore, but it doesn’t have to be that way. By combining gift-buying duties with a couple of days away,…
How to achieve Dawn French’s new ‘gronde’ hair colour
So how do you achieve it? Harriet Muldoon, senior colourist at the Larry King salon in London offers her advice. “Sometimes when we go back to our…
How Princess Caroline is stepping up to become Monaco’s ageless royal style star
As the eldest daughter of Grace Kelly, Princess Caroline of Monaco knows a thing or two about maintaining an elegantly cool demeanour at all times, a talent…
My husband doesn’t make enough effort on my birthday and it really upsets me
Every year around the beginning of November my husband and I fall out. It’s not down to the darker evenings or the nights drawing in, or even…
The lives changed by meeting the real Duke of Edinburgh
When Simpson’s name was called, she walked into the ballroom where an orchestra was playing on the balcony. She curtseyed for the Duke and shook his hand….
Want a truly heavenly home? Why church conversions are all the rage
Why are so many churches for sale? Rachel Morley is the director of Friends of Friendless Churches, a charity which campaigns for and rescues redundant historic places…
The party’s not over at 50: why midlifers are refusing to give up on fun
When did you last go out-out? Not just out to the pub, but home-at-2-am, clear-your-diary-for the-next-day out? Ask around your friends and you’ll find it’s not just…