Annie McNamee

On March 25, 1925, at London’s Selfridges department store in central London, Scottish inventor John Logie Baird made the first public demo of his latest creation: a way to broadcast visual information from a camera to a screen. A full century later, Baird’s discovery has led to perhaps the most vital, creative and popular mode of artistic expression in the entire world. But it’s only in the past 25 years that television has really fulfilled its artistic potential.  The result has been the so-called ‘Golden Age of Television’, a boom kickstarted roughly around the turn of the century with the rise of shows like The Sopranos and later Breaking Bad, and continuing with awards-winners from Succession to Shōgun to Slow Horses. So while our list of the 100 greatest TV shows may pay tribute to the unmissable programs of yesteryear, you’ll find that the majority hail from our own century – meaning there’s no excuse not to watch every single one. Paring the list down to only 100 was a painful process, so we decided to omit sketch shows, talk shows, news and non-fiction in order to focus on scripted drama and classic comedy. Time to go goggle-eyed. Recommended: 🔥 The best TV and streaming shows of 2025 (so far)🍎 The best shows to watch on Apple TV+ right now📺 The best Netflix original series to binge🎮 The best ‘90s TV shows

This bustling coastal city is absolutely steeped in history, maritime heritage, and of course, there's loads to see. It’s roots date back as far as the Stone Age, and its first ever museum (the Tudor House) remains a top attraction, with gorgeous gardens and guided tours on offer.  There’s plenty of modern-day action too, with a treasured football team, The Saints, and their fans bringing life to the city on match day. Southampton is also only a 20-minute drive away from the New Forest, or a ferry-ride away from the Isle of Wight, there's plenty going on that makes this city worth a visit. Check out our list of top picks for all the best things to do in Southampton.  RECOMMENDED:  🚆The best day trips from London⛰️ The best things to in the New Forest🏖️ The best seaside towns in the UK💕 The best things to do in the UK Annie McNamee is a writer at Time Out UK. 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. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

This is about the time when the January blues start to hit pretty hard. It’s dark at 4pm, you’ve got no money left after Christmas and winter feels like it’s dragging on forever. But we’re here to tell you that things are looking up, because 2025 is going to be a corker of a year for the UK.  It turns out that 2025 is going to be a bit of a big one, with a number of landmark occasions being celebrated across Britain. There’s Jane Austen’s 250th birthday in Southampton, as well as the art-packed Folkestone Triennial, a celebration of 200 years of the British railway in York and Bradford’s 2025 City of Culture festivities. Then, there are up-and-coming foodie towns in Cornwall, music scenes that are popping off in Cardiff and Belfast, and the reopening of grand cultural insitutions like the Tate Liverpool.  If there’s ever been a good time to book a trip, it’s now (it might even help keep some SAD at bay). There is so much fantastic stuff happening across the country this year, so read our list curated by local experts of the best places to visit in the UK in 2025, and get stuck in.  RECOMMENDED: 🇬🇧 The 25 best new things to do in the UK in 2025📍The 12 most underrated city breaks in the UK 🏨 The UK’s 13 best new hotels opening in 2025👨‍👩‍👧 6 amazing places to stay with Kids in the UK

If people make Glasgow, music is what fuels it. The city's music scene was thriving long before the rest of it had caught up, with places like the Barrowlands and the Old Fruit Market offering locals good, cheap live music when general attitudes of Glasgow were, let's just say, less than favourable.  But those days are behind us, and Scotland's biggest city is now known across the UK for its vibrant cultural heritage, nightlife, and, of course, its music scene. Whether you're looking for an arena of people to scream along your favourite songs with, or a small makeshift stage at the back of a bar to find your new favourite band, Glasgow's got you sorted. Fair warning though: crowds here are famously rowdy. They're a lot of fun, but don't be surprised if you end up beer-soaked. Oh, and brush up on our local chants. You don't want to be the only person not shouting along with 'here we, here we, here we f'ing go!'. 

History has it that Pollokshaws Road was once home to a merry band of Flemish weavers – known as the ‘Queer Folk’ – who were brought over to work in the city during the 19th century by local landowners. These days it’s still a thriving creative hub, threading down Glasgow’s Southside and linking up the districts of Govanhill, Strathbungo and Shawlands. Rows of sandstone tenements loom over traffic separated by wide pavements, behind which stand ornate townhouses designed by Alexander ‘Greek’ Thomson. There’s a juicy chunk of Pollokshaws Road where bars, cafés and boutiques jostle for space; pick it up from Allison Street and wander down past Queen’s Park. Since it’s a largely residential area, there’s a distinct feel of community – something that’s enhanced by the indie businesses that have popped up over the past few years. In particular it’s a brunch haven, with queues leaking out of living-room-sized cafés come rain or shine. You can also expect to find organic fruit and veg at Stalks & Stems, a fresh produce emporium with a florist next door, and (almost) a different coffee shop for every day of the week. It’s not all hipster territory, though. Punters tired of mustachioed baristas and bar staff will be cheered by the decent selection of old man pubs complete with smoked-glass windows. Recommended: Full guide to the best things to do in Glasgow

How easily could you be persuaded to shave off an eyebrow, or take a shot for every stair you climbed? Perhaps you’d feel more compelled if you were half a bottle of ‘Chicken Wine’ deep, 18, and surrounded by new friends that you were trying to impress? If you attended university in the UK you might have an uncomfortable feeling of deja-vu, perhaps being whisked back to the time you were ‘hazed’ as a first year student. If you didn’t, you’ve likely heard the rumours about former prime ministers getting it on with pigs, or rugby teams shoving carrots in places vegetables should never go. Hazing, or ‘initiation’ as it more commonly goes by this side of the Atlantic, is a practice which usually consists of ritualistically embarrassing rookie members of a given group in order for them to prove themselves. It’s also nothing new. There’s evidence of rowdy schoolboys dating as far back as 420 BCE when Plato recounted ‘practical jokes played by unruly young men’ which left both spectators and haze-ees injured. Somehow, this bizarre custom has survived the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, the birth of Jesus Christ, several international plagues and found a home for itself in the modern age on university campuses. But for the past decade or so, hazing’s millenia-long reign has been threatened by a generation who supposedly care more about their physical and mental health than they do about banter and ritual humiliation. Today, hazing has met its match: Generation Z. So what do these

In 2024, what exactly makes a neighbourhood cool? Craft breweries, natty wine bars and street art are well and good, but the world’s best, most exciting and downright fun neighbourhoods are much more than identikit ‘hipster hubs’. They’re places that reflect the very best of their cities – its culture, community spirit, nightlife, food and drink – all condensed in one vibey, walkable district. To create our annual ranking, we went straight to the experts – our global team of on-the-ground writers and editors – and asked them what the coolest neighbourhood in their city is right now, and why. Then we narrowed down the selection and ranked the list using the insight and expertise of Time Out’s global editors, who vetted each neighbourhood against criteria including food, drink, arts, culture, street life, community and one-of-a-kind local flavour. The result? A list that celebrates the most unique and exciting pockets of our cities – and all their quirks. Yes, you’ll find some of those international hallmarks of ‘cool’. But in every neighbourhood on this list there’s something you won’t find anywhere else. Ever been to a photography museum that moonlights as a jazz club? Or a brewery with a library of Russian literature? How about a festival dedicated to fluff? When communities fiercely support and rally around their local businesses, even the most eccentric ideas can become a reality. And that, in our eyes, is what makes a neighbourhood truly cool. From formerly overlooked sub

You might never want to leave Edinburgh, and we get it. The Scottish capital is loved the world over for its culture, restaurants and Fringe Festival (to name a few). But if you limit your time in Scotland to just Edinburgh, trust us, you’re missing out.  Scotland is full of gems, but the best part is a whole lot of them can be reached by train or car in just one day – with enough time left to get back in time for dinner. From hilly hikes to wide-open beaches and from pretty towns to full-blown city breaks, these day trips from Edinburgh are not to be missed. Here are our favourites.  RECOMMENDED:🌤️ The best things to do in Edinburgh 🎨 The best art galleries in Edinburgh🏰 The best attractions in Edinburgh🏘️ The best Airbnbs in Edinburgh This guide was updated by Edinburgh-based Arusa Quereshi, and Time Out editors. 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. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, see our affiliate guidelines. 

What words come to mind when we mention the Olympics? Prestige? Excellence? Medals? Or is it: ‘Grom’?  The Olympic games have been around for nearly three millennia. As the entire planet tunes in to watch as the top sports people compete for those coveted gold medals, there’s some stuff you’ll probably want to get your head around to make the most of your viewing experience: jargon for you normies to weave into your vocab that will have you sounding like proper Olympic pros in no time.  RECOMMENDED:How to watch the Paris 2024 Olympics in the UK for freeHere’s the full schedule and timings for the Summer Games We’ve done some digging and unearthed some 100 percent real words and phrases that will almost certainly be used by professional Olympians and commentators across the next few weeks. What’s more, there’s something inherently funny about words which sound out of place to the average Joe. There’s nothing worth giggling about hearing the word ‘jaeger’ at a bar (especially as it’s usually followed by a friend trying to convince you to neck a shot of sweet battery acid and gone-off liquorice), but watching it earnestly come out of the mouth of a world-class gymnast? Now that’s entertainment. So what are you waiting for? Brush up on your sporty lingo and drop these into convo next time you’re watching the Games to impress your mates. Skateboarding  ‘Goofy stance’: Refers to when a skateboarder has their left foot on the back of the board. Also used in surfing and snowboarding

You remember the days. Assuring your friend that she definitely looks like her older cousin’s co-worker, especially with a ponytail in. Hovering awkwardly around the corner from the off-license as your one 18-year-old pal does God’s work for the rest of you. The pit in your tummy as you recite a fake birthday to the bouncer of a sticky-floored nightclub – remembering your star sign, memorising your imaginary postcode – and the elated relief when he lets you in with a raised eyebrow and a reluctant nod. Finding increasingly inventive ways to get around age-restrictions was half the fun of being 17, but today’s teens seem to be going off going out altogether. ‘You definitely see fake IDs less than you used to,’ says one bouncer at a popular student nightclub in Bristol. When he started working at the venue a decade ago, he’d encounter a load of fakes on any given night – but not so much anymore. ‘The worst one I ever saw had the back on upside down,’ he says. ‘The ones we do see are getting a lot better and it can be harder to catch them. But they’re definitely rarer now.’ Something has certainly shifted. A few weeks ago, as I walked through the Triangle, Bristol’s premier hotspot for stumbling freshers and lovers of three for two Jägerbombs, I noticed that the local Sainsbury’s was busier than all of the clubs combined. Two years ago, dancefloors would’ve been filling up at 11pm on a Monday. This wasn’t a fluke: since that night, two of the clubs in question have closed their

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. RECOMMENDED:🚂 The UK’s most beautiful train stations🇬🇧 The best things to do in the UK🏝 The most beautiful places in the world🏠 The best Airbnbs in the UK 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. This guide includes affiliate links, which have no influence on our editorial content

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

You’ve been here before. Almost.  With a clientele which would be perfect for a Love Island spin-off featuring exclusively people with ‘entrepreneur’ in their bios and a healthy amount of exposed pipework, The Counter is what those in the know would probably call ‘trendy’. Its dim lights, small plate selection, and strategically chipped brick feature wall put it on the verge of parodically hip, but a glance at its menu and a quick chat with any member of its team reveal it to be much more down to Earth than some of its equally Instagrammable peers. If you close your eyes you can almost feel the Istanbuli breeze flowing through your hair The sense of deja-vu you feel may not be coming solely from its open-plan bar though. Chef Kemal Demirasal’s first UK venture, opened up two years ago in Notting Hill to much success. Originally from Turkey, he’s taken much of the charm of the original joint (as well as its most popular recipes and excellent cocktails) and transported it to Kingly Street – and combined it with a series of fresh ideas and a lot of seafood. Fresh is definitely the operative word. The cocktails are infused with real fruit. The tomatoes have been imported from Turkey. There’s sort-of-caviar sprinkled on avocado-topped fish. If you close your eyes and just bite, you can almost feel the Istanbuli breeze flowing through your hair. A series of enthusiastic staff members recommended a variety of dishes to us. Some, like the tomato salad or prawns, were familiar classi

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. 

During summer in London, there’s one thing on everyone’s mind: how to stay cool. Where air-con fails, there’s no better way to ward off the heat than a good old-fashioned ice cream. Lucky for Londoners, a brand new gelateria has just opened up in the capital. Don Nino is a popular ice cream chain in Rome and Florence, and now it’s made its way to the UK. The store popped up on Paddington Square in early July, and has been serving proper Italian gelato to the capital since. The café is the brainchild of Francesco Mastroianni, a man so good at making ice cream he’s won multiple awards for it and been dubbed ‘Gelato Ambassador of the World’ by his fans. Clearly, he knows what he’s doing. Each of Don Nino’s 24 flavours has been carefully crafted by Francesco and his team, covering everything you might want from chocolate to lemon to pistachio. If ice cream isn’t your thing, fear not. Francesco is also an expert patisserie chef, so Don Nino is also stocked up with authentic cannoli and pastries. Some are savoury – filled with meat or cheese – and others are sweet treats like brioches and macarons. There’s also the eponymous Don Nino bite, a nutty, chocolatey delight. Getting hungry yet? The manager of the London shop, Benito Megna, has expressed his excitement about the opening, saying: ‘We’re thrilled to introduce Londoners to our authentic Italian gelato and freshly baked pastries and Sicilian cannoli in our first UK store. ‘We look forward to sharing la dolce vita with our cust

A few years ago, Neapolitan pizzas were all the rage. Now, that craze has burned out and a new cheesy-tomato hero has risen from its ashes – the New York pie is here to save us from the sourdough. There are loads of great NY inspired restaurants popping up across the capital, including some which are so good one store just isn’t enough. Alley Cats – a spot so aggressively Italian-American that they often project episodes of the Sopranos directly onto the walls – opened in Marylebone back in 2023, before a second location came forth last year. Now, a third Alley Cats has been announced. View this post on Instagram A post shared by @alleycatspizzalondon The selected spot is on Westbourne Grove in Notting Hill, in place of previous Italian occupants Verderame. It’s expected that the menu, developed by head chef Francesco Macri, will remain pretty similar to its predecessors. Expect huge 14 inch pizza bases with creative toppings like pepperoni with jalapeños and honey, and wild mushrooms with red onion jam and fried sage. If that’s not your thing, there’s always the classic margherita. Macri has worked across restaurants in London and Rome, so he definitely knows what he’s doing. Time Out London editor Joe Mackertich particularly rated Alley Cats’ creamy vodka sauce pizza when he headed to the Marylebone branch, describing it as ‘every bit as moreish and comforting as the dish that inspired it’. As if that wasn’t enough, you can also enjoy a range of starte

After a long, hard lifetime of work, we all want a relaxing retirement. Some choose to settle down near family, others to escape gloomy British weather by fleeing the country – but if you’re still shopping around for the perfect place to enjoy your golden years, we’ve got some info that might be helpful. Pension and asset management company Legal & General (L&G) has done some research into where the best places in the country to retire are based on six ‘pillars’: housing, health, social and community, financial, nature, and amenities. The firm evaluated how 632 areas stack up to each of those pillars, giving them an overall rating and thereby creating a national ranking.  As you might expect, leafy suburbs in the south of England tended to score exceptionally well, with the seven of the top 10 best areas for retirees being in Surrey or Buckinghamshire. In fact, it isn’t until 15th that Cheshire, the first place not in the south of England, makes an appearance. Scotland and Wales don’t get a look into the top 20, despite both having more affordable housing. The best places to retire in the UK According to L&G’s research, the best place to move to for retirees in Britain is Chesham and Amersham, a gorgeous Buckinghamshire authority with excellent transport links and loads of nature. It excelled in the ‘health’ category, where it got a very impressive 93/100 due to a high number of its 65+ population remaining in good health, and good access to GPs and hospitals. Overall, the to

In case you somehow missed it, the ’90s are back in a big way. Oasis are in the middle of a huge reunion tour, Pulp made it back at Glasto, and everyone’s wearing bucket hats again. Now, a retired drink is the latest icon to make a comeback: Boddingtons cask beer, AKA the ‘Cream of Manchester’. The ale was first brewed in the late 18th century, but rose to fame after an ad campaign dubbing it the ‘Cream of Manchester’ (due to its velvety texture) thrust it, and its home town, into the spotlight. Despite its iconic status, Boddingtons Brewery went bust in 2005, and after a few years of being produced by a third party, the beer was last sold in the UK in 2012. Until now. JW Lees, the oldest brewer in Manchester, is set to begin creating the drink, licensed by Budweiser. The brand has promised to use traditional methods, although it will be making some adjustments to keep the flavour fresh for modern boozers. The director of JW Lees, William Lees-Jones, expressed his excitement for the beer’s comeback, explaining that when he joined the industry back in the 90s he was ‘in awe’ of Boddingtons; ‘We are planning to put Boddingtons back where it rightly deserves to be, as one of the leading premium UK cask beers, particularly in our heartland of the North West.’ A representative from Budweiser group said they look forward to ‘combining one of the UK’s most iconic beer brands with one of its most respected brewers’. If you fancy a pint, you’ll have to make your way up to the northwes

It’s been a great few months for the UK’s skies. Not because of the weather – although that hasn’t been half bad either – but because of the birds. Golden eagles, the largest of the eagle family, were spotted last month in England for the first time in a decade, and sea eagles have also been reintroduced into our ecosystems after 200 years of absence. On top of that, the common crane, which was hunted to near-extinction in the 16th century, has made a comeback. As if all of that wasn’t enough to keep Britain’s birdwatchers busy, we’ve got some big news about spoonbills. The uniquely-beaked Eurasian Spoonbill used to be a common sight across the UK, but, like so many great things, once humans got involved things went downhill. By the 1660s we had killed and eaten almost all of them, and it wasn’t until last year that the species began to recover. Last August, the RSPB reported that there were around 90 groups of Eurasian spoonbills at various nature reserves across the country, and that there were high hopes for their future. Those hopes seem to be being realised, as another pair has managed to breed, as conservationists found them with ten baby birds across four nests in Wild Ken Hill nature reserve in west Norfolk. This is a big deal because it’s the first time that birds at this particular park have managed to breed successfully, so it’s a very positive sign. Hetty Grant, conservation manager at the reserve, shared her support for the birds saying that ‘Spoonbills are such

We all love a holiday, but we’re also all on a budget at the moment, so any options to save money whilst on a getaway are very welcomed. And, if you’re a Brit, one of the planet’s most beautiful destinations just got a bit cheaper to visit.  Sri Lanka has just announced plans to scrap visa fees for visitors from 33 countries – including the UK – in a bid to boost its tourism industry. At present, any Brit has to pay $50 (roughly £37.50), to gain entry to the south Asian country, but that fee is soon set to be waived. This is an extension of an ongoing Sri Lankan scheme which offers a free ‘tourist visa’, valid for 30 days at a time, to travellers from India, China, Indonesia, Russia, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan. On July 25, Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath announced that the government had approved the move to increase the list of countries eligible for this type of visa, and Britain made the cut. The hope is that this will make Sri Lanka a more appealing destination for tourists and travellers, and that all the extra people visiting will more than make up for the near £50 million of losses in revenue that will come from the change. In a press release, Herath explained that this move is all part of a wider plan, saying: ‘We have stabilised the economy, and through policy changes in tourism, we aim to ensure steady growth in arrivals’. He added that the tourism industry is ‘progressing day by day’ and that it could become a ‘key contributor’ to the country’s economy. When the

Everyone has a favourite bar. Maybe yours plays good music or has a delicious cocktail you can’t get anywhere else, or maybe it’s actually won a national award which confirms its status as not only your first choice, but the official best bar in the country. That’s where the annual Muddy Stilettos awards come in. Each year, the publication’s team of editors search far and wide across the nation for the best of the best in all things food, drink, entertainment, and shopping, naming everything from England’s best café to its most calming yoga/pilates studio. And, of course, the best bar in the country. But how do the winners actually get chosen? They all come from an initial pool of regional winners, voted for by Muddy Stilettos readers. Every bar is personally visited and reviewed by the editors, and once the regional shortlist is created, the team chooses national winners. After all of that, the Shambles Bar in Windsor came out on top. Last year it came fourth in the national awards, and was named best bar in Berkshire in 2024 and 2025. Now, it’s managed to make it all the way to the top. The cosy Berkshire bar is open seven days a week, opening from 9am for breakfast and brunch with proper quality coffee every morning. Once the evening sets in, there’s an extensive cocktail menu and an impressive wine list which specialises in independent producers. On top of all of that, it’s only moments away from Windsor Castle, which adds a pretty regal feel to each visit. Photograph: T

Flying doesn’t need to be a stressful experience. It’s true that sometimes there’s not enough legroom and everything gets delayed by five hours, but sometimes it’s a full on luxury experience. Enter: Qatar Airways. Qatar Airways is the nine-time (yes, nine) reigning champions of the aviation Oscars, aka the Skytrax Awards. Flying with the Qatari national carrier is an experience in itself – although it comes at a hefty cost – and the airline has just announced that it’s soon increasing its number of flights from the UK. Currently, you can fly direct with Qatar to Doha from a few UK airports including Manchester, London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Birmingham, and Edinburgh, and now the airline will be making the intercontinental journey an extra 17 times per week. This will include an increase in the weekly takeoffs from Manchester from 21 to 24, and two more flights every day from London Heathrow. Qatar Airways’ total number of flights from London per day will be boosted to 10, which gives travellers loads of options when planning their getaways to the Qatari capital (or if they are planning to use it as a stopover). These changes came into effect from June 22, and economy tickets begin at £375 one way. If you want to upgrade for the full first class experience, which includes your own cubicle with reclining seat, a ‘culinary journey’ onboard, and an entire private closet to stow away your belongings, you’re looking at anywhere between £4,000 and £6,500 for a single leg of your

Kew Gardens has been helping Londoners escape from stuffy city life for nearly 250 years, and ideally, it would continue to do so for 250 more. That may not be possible, however, if climate change continues unchecked; which is exactly what the attraction’s brand new Carbon Garden wants to draw attention to. Kew Gardens’ new Carbon Garden is ‘a curated selection of herbaceous perennial’ or, in layman's terms, a long-term exhibition full of nice-looking, carbon-eating plants. It opened last Friday (July 25) and its goal is to illustrate to visitors through the medium of ‘plant’ just how severe the climate crisis is getting, and the role that nature has in combating it. Did you know that fungi could be valuable warriors in the fight against global warming? You certainly would after a trip to the Carbon Garden. In terms of what you’ll be able to see there, it’s pretty varied. Each plant selected, from flowers to trees to hedges and grass, demonstrates a different way in which carbon can aid or hinder the natural world. Built around a circular path, your journey begins in a ‘dry garden’, which includes a selection of ‘drought-tolerant’ plants, and ends in its rainy equivalent, built to show how we can ‘manage water flow’ in a climate-friendly way which draws carbon out of the air and into the ground. Right at the centre is a unique mushroom-shaped sculpture ‘inspired by the symbiotic relationship between plants and fungi’. This also doubles as a bit of shade from the sun or shelte

What’s your favourite theme park? If you’re a Brit, there’s a pretty high chance that your answer is either Alton Towers or Thorpe Park. Maybe Legoland. While those are all excellent days out, according to a democratic vote, they are not the best in the country. In fact, four other British theme parks are among the best in the entire world, let alone the nation. But according to who? Well, TripAdvisor, and the hundreds of thousands of people across the globe who use it every day. Each year, the website releases its picks for its Travellers' Choice Awards, which includes winners in various categories including ‘Amusement & Water Parks’. For each category, TripAdvisor’s experts picks the top 25 places in the world with a ‘high volume of above-and-beyond reviews and opinions’ and rank them in order, resulting in a definitive ‘best of the best’ list. Less than one percent of attractions will ever earn this label, so it’s a pretty big deal. This year, we really excelled when it came to theme parks, with three of the top 10 on Earth being in Britain, and a fourth at 17th place. RECOMMENDED: The best theme parks in the UK, according to Time Out. So where exactly should you thrill-seekers be heading? According to TripAdvisor, The Web Adventure Park in York which was seventh overall. Okay, this one is maybe not the best for any adrenaline junkies, instead being more for children and families, but for its target audience, it checks all the boxes. Think loads of places to play, fairgrou

Glasgow has changed a lot in the last three decades. It’s overcome stereotypes of being run down and violent to become one of the UK’s biggest cultural hubs, but its city centre still lacks one thing: a shopping centre built this century. Despite sitting right at the top of Glasgow’s biggest street, the Buchanan Galleries is less of a place you seek out and more of a huge, well-placed shelter from the rain. Although recent efforts to breathe new life into the near 30-year-old mall have been somewhat successful – introducing local vendors to vacant shops definitely makes the place feel more alive, and gives punters a reason to venture past Greggs – the inescapable fact is that it’s just gotten a little... old. Last year the Galleries was even threatened with demolition. Clearly, it’s time for a facelift. And that’s exactly what owners Landsec want to give Buchanan Galleries. It’s just filed planning permission with the council to give the shopping centre a complete overhaul, which it says will ‘truly reflect the priorities of the local community’. The proposal, which has been developed with architectural firm Threesixty, is pretty ambitious, but Landsec argues it is a ‘direct response to the community's call for improved retail and leisure spaces in Glasgow’. So what exactly do they want to do? On top of redoing the facade and improving accessibility for all visitors, the most significant changes would be felt in the food hall. At the moment, eating options are currently tucke

There’s few things Britain does better than a chippy. That deep-fried cod and fluffy chip combo is unbeatable, and residents of one seaside town seem to know that better than anyone else. In order to figure out exactly where the UK’s chip shop capital is, Finnish company Suomikasinot has been doing some research. It found out how many chippies there are in every authority in England, then did some maths to determine how many shops that is per 100,000 residents. From there, it was able to name the area with the highest concentration of fish and chip restaurants in the country, aka the nation’s undisputed battered-fish centre. It’s common knowledge that the best chip shops are by the sea, so it also makes sense that the nation’s chippy capital would be on the water. In the end the title went too… Scarborough! With a total of 93 establishments, which equals 85.4 for every 100,000 people, the north Yorkshire town is spoiled for choice. There’s a brand new, fresh-fish retailer around every corner – almost literally. The report explained that the village has ‘long drawn visitors with its harbour views, sandy beaches and love for proper fish and chips, with fresh North Sea catch on the doorstep.’ In second place was East Lindsay, the district home to popular seaside destinations like Skegness and Mablethorpe. It has 89 total chippies, meaning there is roughly one restaurant every two miles along the coast, so you’re never far from your dinner. Blackpool rounded out the top three, wi