Annie McNamee

For all of the stick we give the UK – the grey skies, the pigeons, the Greggs sausage roll packets littering the pavements – it’s actually a pretty gorgeous country. In London alone, you can be goggling over the Barbican’s brutalist beauty one moment, the next, you might be basking in the tranquility of Hampstead Ponds. Add the turquoise coasts of Cornwall, the rugged mountains of Snowdonia and the fairytale wonder of Scotland’s highlands and islands to the mix, and you’ve got a country which is as good looking as they come.  When we set about curating this list of the most beautiful places in the UK, we called on our network of expert travel writers. These guys have have personally experienced the pinch-me moment of seeing every place on this list IRL – so we can guarantee you there is no catfishing going on here. Of course, you’ll find the usual suspects – you can’t argue with the magic of the Isle of Skye, after all – but you’ll also find some more surprising beauty spots to add to your travel bucket list.  Chiara Wilkinson is Time Out’s UK features editor, based in London. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines and check out our latest travel guides written by local experts.RECOMMENDED:🚂 The UK’s 12 most beautiful train stations🇬🇧 The 35 best things to do in the UK🏝 The 30 most beautiful places in the world

Television used to be considered one of the lowest forms of entertainment. It was derided as ‘the idiot box’ and ‘the boob tube’. Edward R Murrow referred to it as ‘the opiate of the masses’, and the phrase ‘I don’t even own a TV’ was considered a major bragging right. And for a long time, it was hard to say that television’s poor reputation was undeserved.  A lot has changed. Television is now the dominant medium in basically all of entertainment, to the degree that the only thing separating movies and TV is the screen you’re watching on. Now, if you don’t own a television – or a laptop or a tablet or a phone – you’re basically left out of the cultural conversation completely. The shift in perception is widely credited to the arrival of The Sopranos, which completely reinvented the notion of what a TV show could do. But that doesn’t mean everything that came before is primordial slurry. While this list of the greatest TV shows ever is dominated by 21st century programs, there are many shows that deserve credit for laying the groundwork for this current golden age. Chiseling them down to a neat top 100 is difficult, so we elected to leave off talk shows, variety shows and sketch comedy, focusing on scripted, episodic dramas, comedies and miniseries.  So don’t touch that dial – these are the greatest TV shows of all-time. Recommended: 📺 The best TV and streaming shows of 2023 (so far)🔥The 100 greatest movies of all-time🎬The most bingeable series on Netflix

What makes a city great? Some would say it’s all about buzzing neighbourhoods, affordable food and drink and a mighty selection of things to do, from art galleries and museums to live music and theatre. Others might highlight things like the happiness of its locals, access to green space and strong community vibes. We factor in all that and more in our annual survey, which asks city-dwellers around the world to tell us what it’s like to live, work and play in their hometowns right now. Thanks to the opinions and insights of locals on the ground and our global network of city experts, we’re able to create a global ranking of the world’s best cities – and the 2024 results are in. As in previous years, the basis of the ranking remains our global survey of the people who know their city best: the locals. Working with research company Potentia Insight, we surveyed thousands of city-dwellers about the quality and affordability of food, culture and nightlife in their city. We also asked locals how their city makes them feel: are they happy there? Is it a beautiful place? Is it easy to make social connections? Their thousands of responses gave us a unique insight into the reality of living in the world’s greatest cities right now. Now that international travel is forecast to bounce back to the highest levels since 2019, many travellers will be planning a city break this year – so in 2024, we added a little extra weight to a city’s global appeal. Each survey respondent was asked which

It’s that time again. Every year, we ask thousands of city-dwellers to tell us the coolest spots in their cities. What are the places locals love and visitors flock to? Where are the exciting new openings across food, drink and culture? Where are people going out, hanging out and having fun? For the sixth year running, the results are in. Over 12,000 people had their say in this year’s shortlist, naming the neighbourhoods in their hometowns where everyone wants to be right now. Then, we narrowed down the selection with the insight and expertise of city editors and local experts who know their cities better than anyone else. To create and rank the final list, we considered factors including community and social ventures, access to open and green space, and thriving street life. In 2023, our neighbourhoods are more global than ever before. The rise and rise in post-pandemic digital nomadism has led to an explosion of brand-new community spaces, multi-purpose culture centres and more cafés than we can count on two hands. But while most of these neighbourhoods have experienced a transformation over recent years, they remain resolutely local at heart. Slick new developments and cool cafés might bring in new crowds, but neighbourhood stalwarts – from old pubs to family greengrocers – keep it real.  The world’s coolest neighbourhoods this year are, therefore, places with big personalities. Each area’s diversity is reflected in its food, culture and festivals. Community is key: local

Ever wanted to know what life as student is really like in 2023? We asked 20-year-old student-turned-amateur-anthropologist Annie to tell us her observations about the people, parties and juiciest secrets of the UK’s unis. Here’s her verdict. Universities. National institutions. Places of learning and research, incubators of intellect. Unfortunately, also the land of the ‘student’. Student is a varied species which feeds mainly on pasta and rice. British students can often be found at the nearest Wetherspoons, getting drunk on vanilla flavoured vodka because the regular one is 30p more expensive. They tend to be slightly nocturnal and the males are known for going to extraordinary lengths to attract mates that they will subsequently ‘leave on read’.   Subtypes of ‘student’ vary based on location and each British uni comes with its own set of defining characteristics. So, buckle up: this is an entirely imaginary but 100 percent accurate investigation into the private lives of students in the wild, in their most natural habitat – on what they like to call, ‘a night out’.  Newcastle Image: Genie Espinosa We start in Newcastle and encounter Georgia moments after arriving at Market Shaker, an underground bar. She promptly begins chatting about the time she almost jumped into the Tyne ‘just for laughs’, which seems common for the ‘Geordie’ student species. Other notable characteristics appear to include: studying Geography, being obsessed with the North/South divide, Nike Air Max

Enjoy an evening of modern classical music composed by Black artists whose work did not get the spotlight that it deserved in its time at this Southbank Centre concert. The night will involve three different pieces from three different composers, performed by up and coming American violinist Randall Goosby, who made his debut with the Jacksonville Symphony orchestra at just nine, and award-winning Chinese pianist Zhu Wang. 

Captain Tom Moore’s was a story of resilience. A tale of charity and giving. A piece of positive news in a miserable time. Tom spent the last year or so of his life raising money from his home in Bedfordshire – and that home is now available to buy.  That’s right, for only £2.25 million, you can own a slice of British history. The stately abode, which is Grade II-listed and in the village of Marston Moretaine, went on the market recently, and it gives an insight into the life of the late captain and his family.  The property comes complete with seven bedrooms, four bathrooms, and ‘3.5 acres of semi-moated gardens’. If only you were able to add some kind of spa to the grounds, you’d have yourself a proper luxurious haven. Looking through the pictures, it's clear that the owners of the house, Captain Tom’s daughter Hannah and her husband, are proud of his legacy. There’s a small bronze statue of him in the hallway, and he’s even mentioned in the brochure available under the listing. There’s also generally British memorabilia throughout the house, including a chair made from ex-army uniforms and at least six Union Jack themed ornaments.  Here’s a glimpse of what could be yours, if you’ve got two-and-a-bit mil to spare.  Photograph: Rightmove/Fine and Country Photograph: Rightmove/Fine and Country Photograph: Rightmove/Fine and Country Photograph: Rightmove/Fine and Country Photograph: Rightmove/Fine and Country Photograph: Rightmove/Fine and Country Fancy more of a n

Festival season is almost upon us. Soon, thousands will flock to dozens of muddy fields across the country, set up flimsy tents, and enjoy some good old fashioned live music. BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend, which will be in Luton this year, announced its lineup back in March, but its less appreciated and more chill older sibling has finally given key details about its 2024 instalment.  BBC Radio 2 in the Park is the station’s annual celebration of music, spanning two days and multiple stages. Having spent the first nine years of its life stuck in London’s Hyde Park, the festival spread its wings and flew north last year, taking place in Leicester instead (well, after three years of cancellations due to issues related to the pandemic and royal family).  This year BBC Radio 2 in the Park back with a bang, once again in the north. Here’s everything you need to know about this year’s fest.  RECOMMENDED: BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2024: tickets, price, dates and lineup. When and where is Radio 2 in the Park this year? It was announced this morning (April 24) on the Radio 2 breakfast show that Moor Park in Preston will host the event, which will take place on Saturday this September 7 and Sunday this September 8.  The chief executive of the city’s local council voiced excitement for the opportunity, saying: ‘This is a brilliant coup for Preston and will be a huge boost for the city. We can’t wait to hear who the line-up is for this year and to welcome thousands of Radio 2 listeners to pr

First, the digital age killed the high-street. Then it came for our pubs, clubs, and cinemas. Now, it’s robbing us of tourist visitor centres in Scotland. VisitScotland has announced that it plans to phase out all its remaining physical tourist information centres, known as iCentres. This follows the organisation already downsizing its number of iCentres from 65 to 25 between 2017 and 2019. The tourism board says no changes will be made until September, but from then gradual plans will be put in motion with the goal of having all the iCentres shut by 2026. Visit Scotland said the move reflects a change in the ways people get their information, after a 42 percent decline in visitorship to the iCentres since the pre-Covid era. The board says that more and more people are doing the bulk of their research before they travel, and therefore minimising the usefulness of having in-person information points. Lord Thurso, the chair of VisitScotland, said: ‘Prioritising a digital-first model of information provision allows us to reach potential visitors at those early planning stages when we can shape their future travel decisions.’ ‘In order to continue building demand and growing the value of tourism and events, it is vitally important that we target channels we know visitors use to influence them to visit Scotland.’ But not everyone supports the move. It has been criticised by some, including MP John Lamont, for lacking accessibility for those who are not digitally fluent. Lamont lam

It’s hard to admit that you’re wrong. It’s even harder when admitting you messed up means redoing an entire country’s worth of traffic signs and repealing a law. But sometimes these things must be done, as the Welsh government has learned the hard way. Last September a law was passed in Wales which ruled that all restricted roads, which are mostly roads in built up urban areas, would have a default speed limit of 20mph instead of the previous standard, which was 30mph. According to the Senedd, this measure was implemented in an effort to ‘reduce the number of collisions and severe injuries… encourage more people to walk and cycle in our communities, [and to] make our streets safer.’ All sounds pretty reasonable, right? Wrong! According to the near 470,000 people who signed a petition calling to rescind the 'the disastrous 20mph law', there is little evidence that the new limits will actually help prevent harm. The appeal, which was the biggest petition in the parliament's history, reminds the Welsh government that it ‘was put there BY THE PEOPLE OF WALES, We are your boss!’ It states plainly its goal: ‘We demand that this foolish idea be stopped.’ Some also voiced concerns that the policy would simply mean more people going over the limit, thus making these roads less safe for law-abiding drivers. All that petitioning took place a little while ago, but on Tuesday (April 23), Ken Skates, cabinet secretary for the Welsh government, addressed the Senedd and announced: ‘We’ve sta

Until fairly recently, seaside towns ruled the tourism-in-Britain game. In a time before £13 Ryanair flights to Spain, the best people could do on a sunny day was head to their nearest coastline and enjoy the moderate heat and freezing cold waters of the Atlantic/Channel/Irish Sea. As brilliant as going abroad is, there’s something strangely comforting about returning to your roots and appreciating the Great British seaside. But you want to make sure you’re going to the right places. Thankfully, the good people at the Telegraph have painstakingly created a guide to Britain’s most gorgeous seaside towns so you don’t have do too much of your own research. Coming in strong at number one is a tiny village you’ve probably never heard of, nestled in deep Devon, Beer. Located on the Jurassic Coast, Beer was crowned ‘best for nostalgia’ by the newspaper and is sadly not actually named after the alcoholic drink. According to the Telegraph, the town is ‘pleasingly old-fashioned’.  In second place was Runswick Bay in east Yorkshire, which was crowned ‘best for beach combing’, and Portsoy, Aberdeenshire, which was simply ‘best for boats’. Good to have somewhere for everyone, including those who are aquatic vessels. Wondering whether your local coastal village made the cut? Here are the Telegraph’s 20 most beautiful British seaside villages Beer, Devon Runswick Bay, Yorkshire Portsoy, Aberdeenshire Llangrannog, Ceredigion Cadgwith, Cornwall Walberswick, Suffolk St Abbs, Berwickshire Ki

What legacy do you want to leave behind when your time is up? Perhaps you want to be remembered by your achievements, or the hobby you’ve sunk ungodly amounts of time and money into.  Being a king or queen means you’re born with a de facto built-in legacy, but a new statue in Rutland has immortalised the late queen Elizabeth II in the way she would’ve actually wanted – surrounded by her corgis.  It was well known during Liz’s life that she loved her dogs. She had upwards of thirty different corgis throughout her life, and kept them as faithful companions right up to the day she died, so it’s only right they be involved in keeping her memory alive. The 7ft tall bronze statue was unveiled last Sunday (April 22) in Rutland on what would’ve been the late Queen’s 98th birthday. It was a pretty historical moment, as the statue is thought to be the first posthumous memorial to the Queen in the entire country. Due to illness and other duties no royals were in attendance for the big reveal, but a hoard of corgis from the Welsh Corgi League did manage to find their way to Rutland to celebrate. The engraving on the side of the monument reads ‘Queen Elizabeth II, 1926 – 2022. Erected as a tribute to her late Majesty through public subscription by Rutland people.’ It depicts Lizzie in her most stately of robes surrounded by three little pups, two of whom are on a lower plinth that was designed to be sat on for the perfect photo-op with the sculpture.  RIP Liz, you would’ve absolutely love

The people of Belfast are finally getting what we’ve all been dreaming of – investment into their railways. The city’s brand new Grand Central Station, which will become the biggest transport hub on the island of Ireland when it opens, is in its final stages of being built. It’s expected that it could see as many as 20 million passengers pass through it annually, and it will act as ‘the main transport gateway to Belfast’, according to developers. As well as connecting Belfast to the rest of Northern Ireland, the station will offer cross-border services into the Republic of Ireland, including a train to Dublin.  As if creating a huge railway/bus hub wasn’t enough, plans are also being realised to create a ‘new exciting public realm space’ right outside Grand Central’s doors. This area will have ‘a strong emphasis on arts and culture for everyone to enjoy’ and open up around 1.3 million square feet of property available to be turned into offices, homes, or public leisure space.  The bulk of the station is set to open for operation this autumn, with final construction works on the surrounding areas, including adding bike lanes and improving accessibility, being ready sometime next year. Here’s what Belfast Grand Central station could look like when it’s completed: Image: Translink Image: Translink John McAslan + Partners Pretty swish, eh? Enjoy your brand-new fancy rail station, Belfast! Public transport in the UK Love it or hate it, we all use public transport pretty much

Striking transport workers are now as much a part of British culture as complaining about the weather or grabbing a cup of tea to kill time at work. So, it won’t surprise you to find out that several more strikes at Heathrow airport have been announced. Following the train strikes that were announced the other day and the news last week that Heathrow’s border force workers will strike, now more of the airport’s employees are walking out. Refuelling staff will now also strike over the May Bank Holiday weekend. Here’s everything you need to know about all the strikes.  When are the Heathrow border strikes? Heathrow border force workers will walk out for four days between April 29 and May 2.  When are Heathrow’s refuelling workers striking? Refuelling staff will strike for 72 hours from May 4-6.  Which airlines will be affected by the Heathrow strikes? According to Sky News, this is the full list of airlines which will be impacted by the refuelling staff walk-out.  Air Canada American Airlines United Airlines Delta Virgin Atlantic Japan Airlines Emirates Qantas Elal Singapore Airlines Korean Airlines Air France KLM Ethiopian Airlines Jet Blue Lot (Polish) Royal Air Maroc Middle East Airlines Sas (Scandinavian) Tap Air Portugal Malta Airlines DHL Aero Mexico Latam Airlines Air India Logan Air Bulgarian Air Uzbekistan China Airlines Air Mauritius Turkmenistan Avianca Asiana Saudi Tianjin Airlines Beijing Capital Rwanda Air Why are Heathrow workers striking? Border force workers

It’s been six months since the government announced that the second leg of HS2 was to be scrapped, and the money used to fund a series of smaller rail projects in the region. One such project was a high speed rail connecting Liverpool and Manchester – and that project has now received official backing from both Steve Rotherham and Andy Burnham, mayors of the respective cities. If both mayors are re-elected in May, they have promised to oversee the creation of a Liverpool-Manchester railway board which would be part public and part private. This would allow for increased capacity of intercity travel between the regions. In a statement to the press, Rotherham said that ‘For too long, passengers across the North have been forced to put up with a second class rail service. ‘Our two regions were railway pioneers and we've already shown in the Liverpool City Region how publicly-run transport delivers a much better service for passengers and taxpayers alike. We’ll continue that proud tradition by working to establish a new publicly operated Liverpool-Manchester link.’ According to him, previous plans were insufficient at solving the transport problems in Liverpool, and would have resulted in an already full Liverpool Lime Street being forced to end certain services to make space for trains to Manchester. Rotherham says he believes the best solution would be a brand new station somewhere in the city.   The pair’s aim is to turn the plans into reality within the next five years. Burnh

It’s not a great time to be an indie venue. Everything from rent to booze is getting more expensive and smaller places simply can’t keep up. In recent weeks alone, big-name venues like Leeds’ Wire and Edinburgh’s Jazz Bar have been forced to close.  But now we’ve got some happier news. The Crown, the legendary Birmingham pub where Black Sabbath played their first ever gig, has officially been given Grade II-listed status by Historic England. Over 15,000 signed a petition arguing that the Crown’s past means it holds cultural significance, and therefore should be maintained.  Having sat empty for the last decade, developers had begun early-stage discussions about turning the Crown into flats. Achieving listed status will prevent this from happening.  The pub was known colloquially as the ‘birthplace of heavy metal’, due to its role in the early careers of Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest and more. According to Tony Iommi, Black Sabbath’s guitarist: ‘The Crown has huge significance to us and many other successful acts. It was one of very few venues that supported the emerging rock scene with a blues club and was home to our first ever gig.’ Iommi highlighted the importance of celebrating Birmingham’s cultural history, after the city’s arts funding was slashed to zero earlier this year, saying: ‘Cities all over the UK are protecting their musical heritage, Birmingham shouldn’t be left behind.’ Jez Collins, who founded the Birmingham Music Archive, said he was pleased to h

The UK gets a bit of a bad rap, particularly from people who live here. We like to complain about how rubbish things are and head off on holidays to literally anywhere else, but it’s not all that bad this side of the Channel.  Europe’s Best Destinations (EBD), a website whose raison d’être is about as clear as its name can make it, recently released its list of Europe’s most beautiful hidden gems. The small Spanish town of Villajoyosa came in first place and you can find out more about the entire list here.  Admittedly, Britain doesn’t feature heavily in the lineup – but we did manage to sneak our way into the top 20. Staithes, a small fishing village on the east Yorkshire coast, was named Europe’s 18th most beautiful hidden destination, which isn’t half bad at all. According to EBD, Staithes is ‘a perfect destination if you’re a geologist or want to go fossil hunting with your kids or just want a foodie getaway in England’.  If you’re not a geologist or fossil-loving child, fear not. Staithes is gorgeous to look at as well. Built like a picture-perfect toy-town, it’s the sort of place you’d expect to find Postman Pat, or get tangled up in a mystery which ends up somehow involving all 700 residents, and their dogs. Being relatively unknown also means Staithes is very cheap to stay in, with rooms in some BnBs starting at only £30 a night. In other words, it’s also ideal for a budget staycation.  This summer, think outside the box. Think beyond the all-inclusive calling your n

It may be a headache at times, but modern aviation is a bit of a miracle. Only a century ago getting across the ocean required months of seasickness and potential iceberg disasters, and now you can hop onto a plane anywhere on Earth and be in a completely new time zone within a matter of hours. The annual Routes Europe Awards celebrates the best in European aviation, including the continent’s best airport, airline, and tourism authority. The winners were announced last night (April 23) and one British airline triumphed, taking home the top prize in its category.  Jet2.com, best known for its package holidays, was crowned Europe’s best airline, due to greatly increasing its seating capacity and offering loads of new routes in the past year.  The airline’s CEO Steve Heapy expressed excitement following the win, saying, ‘We are absolutely delighted to have won this prestigious award which recognises Jet2.com’s strength and success, as well as our industry-leading approach to supporting and working with airport and destination partners.’ Budapest Airport took home the title of best airport, and Turismo de Portugal was crowned best destination. So if you’re planning your summer 2024 getaway and quality of transport is high on your list of priorities, taking a Jet2 flight to Budapest or Portugal could be the way to go.  Congratulations to all the winners, and from everyone who has ever been on a plane, a wholehearted thank you to all for attempting to make flying at least a margina