Ruth Lawes

Constant rent hikes and the relentless grind of the rat race can make city living about as appealing as commuting on London’s sweatiest tube line in a heatwave. It’s not surprising, then, that for many, the idea of giving it all up to pursue a dream ‘island life’ is becoming difficult to ignore. If you relate (and you’ve got at least £500,000 to spare), here’s a solution.  Currently listed on the market by estate agent Savills is a 90-acre private island off mainland Scotland's west coast near Oban. You’ll need a private boat or helicopter to reach your new Inner Hebrides home, but on the plus side, you’ll count seals, dolphins and a variety of seabirds among your neighbours. The place is called Insh Island – and if being on your own island way up in Scotland wasn’t quite off-grid enough, there are no ‘established’ buildings on the isle. Currently there’s just a ‘cave home’ on the northwestern coastline, which is carved into a cliff. The place was occupied by Insh Island’s former owner, David Brearley, for 30 years between 1973 and 2003 – here’s what the ‘cave home’ looks like.  Photograph: Rightmove Photograph: Rightmove And it’s not just the ‘cave home’ and its enviable position in the heart of the Scottish wilderness that cements Insh Island’s allure. It also boasts a natural freshwater spring, rugged coastal trails and no light pollution, making it the ideal spot for stargazing. Here are a couple more pics of the place.  Photograph: Rightmove Photograph: Rightmove

A Wetherspoon pub might not be everybody’s cup of tea (though they do offer unlimited refills of the national beverage), but you can’t deny that ’Spoons has a hold on UK pub culture. From families chowing down on a cheap dinner to night workers celebrating the end of their shift with an early morning pint, the chain is a staple for many.  That’s why there will likely be a collective cheer over a recent announcement from the budget boozer’s boss Tim Martin, who says 30 more Wetherspoon pubs are on the way to the UK over the next year. That means more cut-price drinks and metres of Spoons’ iconic carpets (which even boasts its own appreciation society) for all. So, which lucky places can expect a new Wetherspoons? While all exact locations have not been revealed, confirmed spots include Edinburgh Old Town, Farnham in Surrey, Basildon in Essex, Manchester, Heathrow Airport, London Bridge, Paddington, and Glasgow, according to the Mirror.  Even if you’re not a pub-goer, you could still benefit from a new ’Spoons. The 30 new pubs will reportedly create around 1,800 jobs, and half of them will be owned by franchises, rather than the company directly. This will take Wetherspoons’ pub portfolio, which reportedly currently stands at 794, over the 800 mark. Last year the firm closed over a dozen pubs across the UK, including The George in Wanstead and The Hain Line in Cornwall. However, this year’s heatwave was big business for ’Spoons, with the company reporting a 5.1 percent rise in

Not going on holiday in August? Social calendar looking a little empty? Don’t despair: we’ve got just the thing. If you find yourself at a loose end next week, specifically in the afternoons of Monday August 4 or Tuesday August 5, you can head to your local cinema to watch a highly-anticipated new animated blockbuster. The best part? It won’t cost you a penny. Thanks to Escapes, a project supported by the BFI awarding National Lottery funding, there will be free matinee family screenings of Grand Prix of Europe next week. You’ll also get to watch the movie before everyone else, as it’s being released in the UK and Ireland on Friday August 22. Grand Prix of Europe follows young mouse, Edda, who unexpectedly finds herself realising her wildest dream of becoming a race car driver – but not without a few hiccups along the way. The feel-good film is packed full of British acting talent, including Gemma Arterton, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Hayley Atwell, Lenny Henry and Rob Beckett. Since its launch in February 2024, Escapes has brought over 115,000 people back to local cinemas with free nationwide screenings, including the likes of The Surfer (which starred Nicolas Cage) and Lollipop. Keen to catch a flick for free next week? Here are the cinemas taking part.  UK cinemas where you can watch a film for free in August 2025 Regal Redruth Phoenix Falmouth Merlin Thurso Savoy Penzance Regal Movieplex Capitol Bodmin Kings Kingsbridge Embassy Ilfracombe New Central Torquary New Carlton Oke

You’re not British if you don’t have a never-ending list of grievances about train services: too slow, too expensive, not enough of them, and so on. Well, in news that could be music to the ears of some train grumblers, there should soon be a noticeable improvement to services on the East Coast Mainline (ECM), affecting routes between London, Hull, Newcastle and Glasgow.  First built in the 1840s, the ECM runs between London’s King’s Cross as its south terminus and Edinburgh Waverley in the north. One of the UK’s oldest train lines, it’s renowned among trainspotters for being the route traversed by iconic steam trains, Flying Scotsman and Mallard, the latter of which broke a world record for speed. Now an electrified railway stretching 393 miles long, the ECM serves towns and cities including Doncaster, York, Peterborough and Darlington. London, Glasgow and Newcastle So, where on the ECM is getting a service boost? First up is Lumo, which is extending its London King’s Cross to Edinburgh services all the way to Glasgow. That means you’ll soon have two more northbound trains and one southbound zipping between London and Glasgow on weekdays, plus one more each way on Sundays. An additional return Lumo service will launch between London King’s Cross and Newcastle on weekdays, while an extra service in both directions on a Saturday and Sunday is also being added to the budget operator’s timetable. Wakefield and Bradford And there’s more good news for train routes up north. A reva

Honestly, London receiving game-changing, futuristic escalators was not on our 2025 bingo card. But why not? The mechanical step-savers are everywhere we look, from tube stations to tired office buildings, so it’s about time they got an upgrade. And Harrods is leading the way in doing just that. Kiss goodbye to the run-of-the-mill straight escalator we’ve all all come to know and love, as London’s poshest department store is about to go round the bend. Yes, Harrods has just announced it’s installing Europe’s first-ever curved escalators. In some ways, it’s not that surprising that the Brompton Road retail cathedral is ahead of the curve. As all true London escalator-heads know, back in 1898, Harrods brought the first escalator to Britain. Soon Harrods will join a select few locations in the US and Asia, including iconic Las Vegas hotel and casino Caesars Palace, as the proud home of a curved escalator. Fun fact: the world’s only manufacturer of curved escalators is Japanese producer Mitsubishi. Construction of the new curved escalators is expected to begin in 2026 as part of a multi-million-pound renovation to merge Harrods’ fine jewellery and watches departments. The transformation will also deepen the lower ground and sub-basement levels of the store to make way for a ‘first-of-its-kind vertical two-storey boutique concept’. Image: Make Architects The reimagined design of the Grade II-listed building will create ‘an impressive sense of arrival, emulating the original Edwa