United Kingdom holidays

United Kingdom holidays

What’s new on the UK coast this summer

Tree tents in Cornwall, beach cabins in Dorest and a thrilling cliff-side pathway in County Antrim are among the new highlights on the UK coast

New National Trust campsite, Pembrokeshire

Gupton Farm is a sandy stroll away from the beach at Freshwater West, near Castlemartin, and tucked into a sheltered hollow. It offers a wet-weather barn alongside shower block facilities. If camping doesn’t appeal, visitors can stay in the farmhouse.

Saltdean lido reopens, Sussex

This art deco beauty was snatched from the hands of property developers five years ago, given a Grade II* listing and returned to the council. Following a campaign by concerned locals, it has been restored and from 17 June, outdoor swimmers will once more be able to revel in its heated 40-metre-long, crescent-shaped pool.

Tiny homes to stay in, Isle of Wight

These cabins are part of a movement to downsize living spaces, and are built to minimise environmental impact. The brainchild of Helen and Frazer Cunningham (of Airstream campsite Vintage Vacations), they have solar power, composting toilets, woodburning stoves, water recycling and share a mandala garden (a circular garden divided by paths)

.New beach houses in Cornwall

Two glamorous, coastal high-end properties: Pentire, a penthouse apartment overlooking Fistral beach, Newquay; and Barford, a holiday home in Widemouth Bay. Each has many high-spec touches, including wood-fired hot tubs with sea views. .

Northern Ireland’s white-knuckle coastal walk reopens

The Gobbins Path runs along the cliffs of Islandmagee in County Antrim, a giddy mixture of crashing waves and suspended steel walkways. Opened in 1872, it was restored and reopened in 2015, then closed last year following a rock fall. At the end of June, visitors can again teeter along the roller-coaster cliff path just above the sea. 

Dreamland rebooted, Margate 

Catch bands including Toots and the Maytals (20 July, £29.50) at the new indoor music venue at the vintage amusement park. Reopened in May, the park is now free to enter – visitors pay for individual rides or buy an unlimited rides wristband – so it costs nothing to marvel at the Grade-II listed Scenic Railway, although it would be hard to resist a ride. 

Beach huts you can sleep in, Bournemouth

Several notches up from the usual day-use-only beach huts, these 15 lodges on the seafront near Boscombe pier are raised on a deck above the promenade and can accommodate four adults and two children overnight. They also have wifi, showers and cooking facilities. 

Hide-out, Cornwall

Kudhva means hideout in Cornish and is the name given by Louise Middleton to her innovative project in 18 hectares near Tintagel, which opens on 1 July. Curious wooden capsules on legs, designed by Ben Huggins, and Tentsile tree tents suspended over a disused quarry and a waterfall will provide accommodation. There are also solar showers, chilled-out music, a bar, cinema club, food, yoga and a truck to take surfers and boards to nearby beaches. 

Gothic castle opens its doors, Isle of Lewis

Following extensive renovation (and being featured in Channel 4’s Great British Buildings: Restoration of the Year), the upper floors of Lews Castle in Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, are now open to visitors who can stay in one of several smart, lofty apartments overlooking the harbour. 

Sleep in a beach hut, Dorset

Cunningly constructed with a mezzanine floor to accommodate two adults and two children and to provide a shower room and kitchen, 34 Monmouth Beach in Lyme Regis is a beach hut but not as you know it – and is excellent value given the seashore location. 

Celebrate the Cornish pasty, St Austell 

Cornucopia, a new food and drink attraction opening in St Austell this summer promises to give Cornwall’s favourite hot snack the deference it deserves. Visitors can make one of their own at the “UK’s very first pasty heritage centre”, then sample food and drink from 19 Cornish food and drink producers. There will also be an adventure area with soft play zone, sky wires and trampolines, keeping younger children entertained while older family members tuck in.

Modern Yorkshire cooking, Whitby

Local Michelin-star chef Andrew Pern opens a new Star Inn, a brasserie version of his other three Star Inns, by the harbour at Whitby in July. With its position three metres from the harbour, the menu is seafood-oriented: expect shellfish from the North Sea, potted shrimps, oysters and a Whitby crab stick and, of course, fish and chips. 

Dolphin watching from a new restaurant, Scottish Highlands

The Sun Dancer restaurant’s name is a nod to the site’s previous occupant – the Sandancer arcade. The beeps and crashes of arcade games have been replaced with calming views across the Moray Firth, and hopefully diners will spot the occasional dolphin pod from the restaurant in Nairn’s harbour. 

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APPLE PARK Mid May 2017 Sunset Flight

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US warns Beijing on South China Sea islands

US warns Beijing on South China Sea islands

The US will not accept China's militarisation of man-made islands in the South China Sea, Defence Secretary James Mattis has warned.

Speaking at a security conference in Singapore, he said such moves undermined regional stability.

China's territorial claims in the resource-rich South China Sea are contested by several nations.

At the same time, Gen Mattis praised Beijing's efforts to restrain North Korea's missile and nuclear activity.

His comments came shortly after the UN Security Council expanded targeted sanctions against North Korea in response to a series of missile tests conducted this year.

The council voted unanimously to back the sanctions after weeks of negotiations between the US and China.

In his speech at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue forum, Gen Mattis said: "We oppose countries militarising artificial islands and enforcing excessive maritime claims.

"We cannot and will not accept unilateral, coercive changes to the status quo."

President Donald Trump and other senior US officials have repeatedly stated that they would protect its interests in the South China Sea, a key shipping route.

During his nomination hearing earlier this year, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned that the US was "going to have to send China a clear signal that first the island-building stops, and second your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed."

In response, the Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing would "remain firm to defend its rights in the region".

But in Singapore Gen Mattis also struck a positive note on US-China relations, saying that while competition between the two countries "is bound to occur, conflict is not inevitable".

The biggest question amongst Asian delegates attending the forum has been how much of a role the US will continue to play in this increasingly tense region, the BBC's Karishma Vaswani in Singapore reports.

She adds that Gen Mattis sought to reassure his peers that the US was not turning its back on Asia.

What is the South China Sea dispute?

Rival countries have wrangled over territory in the South China Sea for centuries, but tension has steadily increased in recent years.

Its islets and waters are claimed in part or in whole by Taiwan, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei.

Beijing has been building artificial islands on reefs and carrying out naval patrols in waters also claimed by these other nations.

Although the previous US administration of Barack Obama insisted it was neutral, it spoke out strongly against the island-building and sought to build ties with, and among, the South East Asian nations whose claims overlap those of China.

In July 2016, an international tribunal ruled against Chinese claims, backing a case brought by the Philippines, but Beijing said it would not respect the verdict.

The frictions have sparked concern that the area is becoming a flashpoint with global consequences.