Hannah Bentley

Birdwatching is really having a moment. What was once deemed the reserve of patient retirees armed with a bird book and pair of binoculars has now been taken to another level. Apps like Merlin – which identifies bird calls – are getting shout outs from celebs like Ariana Grande, while social media influencers are touting birdwatching as a way to reconnect with nature. Even Vogue said it was ‘cool’. Now there’s yet another way to get into birding and twitching in the UK. An app called Birdex has launched which turns birdwatching into a real-life game. That’s right, just like dating, online shopping and fitness, twitching has been gamified. And it’s already taking off, with more than 200,000 sightings logged so far. Much like Pokémon Go, the app gamifies the outdoors. Users earn points every time they spot and log a UK bird species, collecting digital cards as they go. The rarer the bird, the bigger the reward. You can track your sightings, build your collection and even compete with friends to see who’s the top twitcher. Image: BirdEx Birdex says it aims to educate users about Britain’s birdlife, encouraging people to spend more time outside. Harry Scott, one of the app’s developers, told the Guardian: ‘I think birdwatching and Pokémon do share a lot of similarities.  ‘We’re trying to make sure that the screen time [people are] having is a lot more positive […] and about using technology […] as a tool to learn.’  There’s a potential scientific upside, too. If Birdex’s vast l

Calling all audiophiles! Listening bars have been slowly popping up around the capital in the last few years with venues like Jumbi in Peckham – which celebrates the sounds of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora – and Spiritland in King’s Cross. And now there's another one – with a twist. The Olfa Club in Walthamstow’s St James’s Street neighbourhood is a Japanese-inspired listening bar that boasts a tightly curated wine list and a high-spec music system, as well as a curious focus on mineral water.  The bar serves wine exclusively by the glass from an ever changing list, with over 40 options available from big reds and vintage champagnes to fizzy oranges. Prices start from a fiver and go up to £100.  The Olfa Club As you sip your vino, you’ll be serenaded by a hi-fi system with top-end studio monitors. Olfa supplies a wide range of in house vinyls for guests to choose from across jazz, hip-hop and electronic music. But if that doesn’t tickle your fancy, you can bring your own record for a needle drop.  Olfa comes from the couple behind much-loved café Long & Short, which is just down the road in CRATE. The listening bar carries over those coffee credentials, with more than 30 coffee blends and a specialist ‘vault’ freezer, where rare coffee beans such as Panama Geisha, Sidra and Eugenioides are stored at –24C to preserve peak flavour. Then there’s the water. Each customer is given a complimentary carafe of pure water and a pipette of mineral concentrate to sample drops of agua fro

Whether you’re partial to a cruffin, a sticky cinnamon bun or prefer something savoury – a ham-and-cheese croissant, perhaps – few things beat the levelled-up baked concoctions of a destination artisan bakery. If you’re plotting your next carb pilgrimage, we’ve got just the thing. Baking industry magazine British Baker has officially announced the UK’s top artisan bakeries for 2026. The rankings were based on which bakeries excite visitors most, inspire admiration for their skill and passion, and keep customers coming back for more. These being artisan bakeries, they’re fancier than your bog-standard high-street bakehouse. Artisan baking is all about time, craft and quality. Think slow-fermented doughs, traditional techniques and carefully sourced ingredients.  British Baker’s top artisan bakeries list featured 13 institutions, spread across the UK. Two of the bakeries were in London and you can read all about that specific duo on Time Out London here.  In Chester, the husband-and-wife team behind The Bear Bakery earned a place thanks to indulgent savoury creations. Exceptional sourdough forms the base of the Bear’s generously filled sandwiches, while buttery pastry steals the show in best-selling sausage rolls. York’s Haxby Bakehouse got a nod for having championed ‘real’ bread (no flour improvers, hydrogenised fat or preservatives in sight) since 2008. Part bakery, part delicatessen, the Haxby also cooks up beautifully decorated fruit-topped cakes and fluffy croissants. Up

London cycling enthusiasts (and there seem to be more and more of you out there with every passing year) we come bearing very sad news indeed. RideLondon, the city’s biggest cycling event, has been cancelled for 2026 – and perhaps even been axed for good.  RideLondon was a much-anticipated date in the capital’s cycling calendar, a day when lycra suits and neon helmets flooded the capital’s city centre streets and thousands of riders raced in different events. Launched in 2013 as part of the legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games, RideLondon quickly became one of the world’s largest cycling festivals. At its peak, around 500,000 people took part, raising more than £85 million for charity along the way. But now, after more than a decade, London’s most beloved cycling event has been placed on an ‘indefinite pause’, organisers said. RideLondon’s 10th edition took place in May 2024, which is now (after cancellation in 2025) confirmed to have been its final instalment. Photograph: Alan Kean / Shutterstock.com Organiser London Marathon Events said the decision followed a review of operations and finances. In a statement, it said: ‘While RideLondon will not continue in its current format, its legacy lives on in the thousands of riders it inspired and the charitable contributions it enabled. ‘Future efforts will focus on expanding access to cycling and promoting active travel across London and beyond.’ Stumped for cycle event ideas in London? Worry not, there are plenty more two-wh

If you’re busy dismantling a monarchy, dissolving Parliament and generally reshaping a nation, good organisation and strong time-keeping are probably essential skills. In other words, the watch of Oliver Cromwell has almost certainly seen a fair amount of use (as well as witnessed several defining moments in British history). All of which is why Cambridgeshire’s The Cromwell Museum worked so hard to secure a small but mighty object: what’s believed to be Cromwell’s very own pocket watch. The museum in Huntington occupies the same building where Cromwell attended school. Today, it’s dedicated to the life and legacy of the English statesman and holds the world’s leading collection of material relating to him. The museum launched a fundraising appeal in 2024 to acquire the watch. Thanks to donations from the public, alongside grants totalling £95,000 from the Art Fund and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, it’s now proudly been put on display. Crafted in silver by a London watchmaker – believed to have been Cromwell’s neighbour when he lived in the capital from 1647 – the watch is strikingly simple. Made in a Puritan style, it’s very on brand for a man intent on relieving the country from the glitzy clutches of Catholicism.  Image: Simon Hill It’s thought that Cromwell gave the watch to John Blackwell, his military treasurer (and the husband of one of his cousins), during a campaign in 1650. A descendant of Blackwell later put the watch up for auction in 2019. The timepiece i

Glaswegians! If your weekend routine involves a dog walk, a flat white and a lap of the duck pond in Southside’s Queen’s Park, then listen up. This beloved green space is gearing up for a major revamp.  Originally designed by Joseph Paxton in 1896 (the same mind behind London’s original Crystal Palace), the 148-acre green space is among the oldest parks in the city. With tennis courts, a pitch-and-putt course, several children’s play areas, a large boating pond and a pristine rose garden dedicated to Scotland’s poets, Queen’s Park is as much a tourist attraction as it is a local hangout. Attracting more than 300,000 visitors each year, the Victorian park also boasts a conservatory and glasshouse, which houses tropical plants and cacti and has previously hosted music festivals. And now, after a consultation with input from more than 1,000 locals, Queen’s Park is set for a huge redevelopment. Councillors have shared details of several projects, including a new basketball court, bluebell woods, upgraded paths, and even a skatepark. Among the more immediately notable changes will be a grand new entrance at the Battlefield Monument. The landmark at the park’s southern tip marks the site where Mary, Queen of Scots famously lost the Battle of Langside in 1568, which forced her to flee to England.   Photograph: Shutterstock   The plan read: ‘Queen’s Park and Recreation Ground shall be an exceptional, world class, much used and well-loved public park that respects and celebrates its

For seven long years, more than 800 artworks and a treasure trove of local historical artefacts have been hidden behind scaffolding inside Scotland’s Paisley Museum and Art Galleries. But soon, after a whopping £68.7 million redevelopment, the museum will be back – and it’s had a truly game-changing glow-up. The revamp of the Paisley Museum was designed by award-winning British architect Amanda Levete and her practice AL_A. The project will feature a seductive red glass wrapping around a brand new entrance, as well as a sleek panoramic extension that floods the café with light.  Photograph: Renfrewshire Council Those familiar with the place will notice big differences, with the museum’s expanded campus now connecting the museum’s main building to the Coats Observatory. There’s a new interactive weaving studio to highlight Paisley's rich textile heritage, as well as more spacious galleries to show off the museum’s hefty collection of 19th and early 20th-century Scottish paintings – and the world’s largest collection of Paisley shawls.  Photograph: Renfrewshire Council The building also boasts dedicated learning spaces, a heritage centre, around 100 new and reimagined displays (many shaped by input from local residents), plus a café-restaurant, shop and landscaped outdoor garden with picnic spots.  Photograph: Renfrewshire Council Funded by Renfrewshire Council alongside the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic Environment Scotland and the Scottish Government’s Regene

The multi-coloured pastel façades of Portobello Road are one of London’s most iconic streetscapes. The Notting Hill street’s diverse roster of antique shops, restaurants and boutiques is legendary, while Portobello has played backdrop to the on-screen romance of Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts, and to the marmalade-fuelled adventures of Paddington.  Portobello Road Market is already among the city’s most picture-perfect shopping destinations, but soon it’ll get even sleeker. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council has announced that the street will receive a £4.4 million makeover, including wider pavements, new lights, accessibility upgrades, more greenery and parking bays. And the upgrades aren’t stopping there. Portobello Market is also getting future-proofed with a new fancy drainage system to prevent flooding. The area has been somewhat prone to floods – with particularly heavy rainfall in 2021 causing severe water damage to businesses and residents to be temporarily relocated – but a new Hydrorock system will use underground tree pits and absorbent materials designed to store rainwater and slow the flow to drains. Photograph: Shutterstock Some residents will be glad to hear that the council will replace Portobello Road’s concrete anti-terror barriers with sliding bollards. The existing barriers were installed a few years ago on advice from the Metropolitan Police.  The changes were approved last Tuesday (February 10) following a six-week public consultation in

The UK is full of fascinating, globally-renowned ancient archeological sites, from the prehistoric village of Skara Brae and Anglo-Saxon royal burial ground Sutton Hoo to the ancient Roman town of Verulanum. But while the Vikings were in Britain for 300 years, one of their monumental legendary ship burials has never been found in these lands. Until now.  For years, archeologists have been puzzling over the final resting place of the famous Viking Ivarr the Dragon. As his colourful name suggests, Ivarr was a feared war leader. He co-led the Great Heathen Army invasion of England in 865 and founded a Viking dynasty in Dublin, reshaping early medieval Britain before vanishing from historical records.  But now, an archeologist working in Cumbria believes he might have found the burial site of Ivarr. Naturally, if you’re a Viking fanatic (or general history geek), it could be a huge deal. It’s possible that Ivarr’s remains lie beneath a windswept mound on the Cumbrian coast, along with his ship as well as an entire Viking cemetery, making it a monumental find. To put the discovery into context, there are only 16 other known major Viking ship burial sites in northwest Europe. If the find turns out to be a ship burial, it would be the only one of its kind ever found in the UK.  Ship burials were reserved for the most powerful and important figures in Viking society. Facing the Irish Sea, the mound rises around 60 metres high and has dimensions consistent with other elite Viking grav

Council tax paying Londoners (and, to be honest, that’s most of you), you know what time of year it is. That’s right, councils are gearing up to reveal how much tax you’ll be paying to your local authority for the 12 months from April. The joy. The sheer joy..  Most boroughs haven’t confirmed how much council tax rates will be going up in April (though a few could be increasing by much more than others). But we do know that some residents in one London borough could be paying twice as much as they did in 2025/26. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is considering doubling council tax bills for second home owners in the area. If it goes ahead with the proposals, the borough would follow in the footsteps of the likes of Wandsworth, Westminster and Hackney, which all already have council tax premiums for second homes. The aim of the policy is to raise revenue and discourage properties from sitting empty.  So why is Kensington and Chelsea introducing the higher fees, and why now? Well, the proposal comes as the council grapples with an estimated potential £139 million budget shortfall by 2030. The forecast deficit follows planned cuts to local authority funding by the central government. Photograph: IR Stone / Shutterstock.com But it’s not just second home owners that could be impacted by higher taxes in K&C. The council are suggestions that some of the it’s poorest residents, who currently receive full council tax support, could be forced to pay for the first time. Fun

The optimal thickness of pizza crust has long been a highly controversial topic among pie connoisseurs. Devout Sicilians may swear by a hefty base – thick enough to fold a slice without it snapping – while Neapolitan purists argue that a lighter crust is the only way to let top-quality toppings shine. And don’t even get started on the Detroit and Chicago schools. If you’re partial to thinner, lighter ’za crusts, then you’re in luck: a brand new thin-crust pizzeria is landing in Belgravia this spring.  Weezie’s is the latest project from Abbie Roden and Will Sandbach (pictured below), the duo behind Belgravia wine bar amie. Opening in Eccleston Yards, next door to amie and a five-minute walk from Victoria station, the pair are swapping stemware for pizza wheels with an all-day ’za spot. Image: Weezie's Heading up the kitchen is Sumant Siani, previously of Circus Pizza in St John’s Wood and Share A Slice in Brixton. There’s no menu to peruse just yet, but expect plenty of New Haven-style pizzas. But that’s not all. Weezie’s will also serve up small plates and house-made signature sauces, such as a southern-style buttermilk ranch. Drinks will include amie wines by the glass, Harbour Brewing Co beers from Cornwall, Guinness on tap, and a tightly curated cocktail list featuring old fashioneds, negronis and spicy margs. All excellent pizza companions, if you ask us. Sustainability will be a key focus, too. Weezie’s will be fitted out with mostly vintage or reclaimed furniture and

Michelin Guide inspectors have been even busier than usual over the past month, cleansing palates and unfurling napkins to sample some of the UK’s most exciting restaurants ahead of Michelin Star Day – ie when the guide’s coveted stars are dished out. That event will take place next week, on Monday February 9. New food spots are added to the guide every month, but for many restaurants January represented a final opportunity before the 2026 Michelin Guide UK and Ireland ceremony. If you want to get a star, you have to be in the guide first. So, here’s a look at the brilliant British restaurants that made the cut. Wales picked up two new places in the guide last month. Restaurant FIR in Llangattock impressed inspectors with its intimate tasting menu, with the guide calling the place ‘one of the more immersive dining experiences around’ thanks to dishes like trout confit and vanilla canales. FIR was also praised for its focus on local produce, which includes Welsh truffles.  Theatr Clwyd in Mold, Flintshire was praised for its ‘welcoming charm’ and ‘sensibly priced’ menu, and a special shout out was given to its flavoursome beef croquettes and beef, onion and mushroom pie. Cornwall also bagged a few spots. Down in Falmouth, Hevva! – named after the Cornish saying for ‘here they are!’ when fishermen spot a shoal of pilchards – impressed with its cosy and unfussy seafood menu that changes daily depending on the catch.  Meanwhile in Truro, Petty Fours was praised for its ‘ambitious