The former smuggling port with rock pools, quirky cafes and quiet coves

[ Six miles south of Whitby, Robin Hood’s Bay – known affectionately as “Baytown” – is an appealing fishing village in North Yorkshire. It has centuries-old pubs, a colourful smuggling history, and opportunities to explore the treasures of the fossil-rich Dinosaur Coast. The village is divided into Upper Bay and the car-free Lower Bay. It … Read more

Holly is an easy garden plant for winter – here’s how to grow it

[ Evergreen hollies were sacred to ancient druids, adorned temples of ancient Greece and Rome and were symbols adopted for Christmas. They have been popular winter decorations for hundreds of years – many houses and public buildings in 16th-century London were described as being decorated with holly, and about a quarter of a million bunches … Read more

How I decide if the UK will get a white Christmas, as a Met Office meteorologist

[ The picture-postcard image of snow-blanketed festive scenes has become synonymous with Christmas thanks to Charles Dickens, Bing Crosby and, frankly, the entire Hollywood festive film output. In the UK, a white Christmas is officially announced by the Met Office – and it is a responsibility they don’t take lightly. Here, Craig Snell, a senior … Read more

the Yorkshire village with community spirit, cosy pubs and poetic links

[ Surrounded by moorland, Marsden in West Yorkshire is often overshadowed by better-known villages, such as Haworth and Saltaire. Yet it has a similarly Gothic appeal, helped by its 19th-century mills and St Bartholomew’s Church, which has a history dating to the 15th century. There is also an active pagan community that runs events such … Read more