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We went to Porthcurno beach in Cornwall and when the tide was low we could walk round to another beach and it was hidden.
We were the only people on this beach and water wasn't very deep for a long way out. In the shallow water there were lots of little fish we could catch and rock pools filled with little crabs. When the tide was coming in and we had to leave the beach Mum and Dad got us to walk up the cliff path to the Minack Theatre.
We had the best cream tea with lots and lots of strawberry jam and we sat outside and looked over the rocky cliffs and could see the beach we had been on.
From Genevieve Monaghan (age 6)
The Eden Project is a place where there are plants and trees from all over the world. There are three gigantic domes that the plants are kept in - my favourite one is the tropical biome where it is like a jungle. At night the Eden Project looks amazing and normally has shows on. We saw fire dancers and Indian drummers. There are soundscapes that sound real, of lions, tigers and monkeys.They have activities to smell, touch, hear and see. So don't miss it!!!
From Will Sales (age 8)
The Eden Project
Bodleva
Austell
Cornwall
PL24 2SG
Tel 01726811911
Eden is open nearly every day of the year. Opening times vary. We visited Eden in summer when it was open late in the evening. www.edenproject.com
You can go fossil hunting on the beach. It's fun because you get to take them home. There are geologists to help you. Some people bring special hammers to break the rocks to find the fossils.
From Ellie (age 7).
About 2 miles east of Lyme Regis
One of the finest small art galleries in Europe, hidden away in south Birmingham. When Lady Barber set up the gallery in memory of her husband, she specified that the artworks collected should be of the standard of the National Gallery and Wallace Collection. The result is an exquisite, wide-ranging collection with works by many of the greatest Old Masters and Impressionists. Entry to the gallery is free. There are also regular concerts in the splendid wood-panelled concert hall in the centre of the building. While visiting the gallery, take a short wander around the attractive adjacent campus of Birmingham University, the original 'redbrick' university.
Off Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham B15 2TS. www.barber.org.uk/ +44 (0)121 414 7333. 10 minutes walk from University Station, on the Cross City Line from New Street.
The Water of Leith Walkway will take you along about 12 miles of river through the heart of Edinburgh from Balerno to Leith. One of the nicest stretches is the walk from Stockbridge to the Dean Gallery and Modern Art Gallery, which consists of a mile of picturesque woodland, including a Victorian mineral well guarded by a rather grand nymph-type and wander through the very pretty Dean Village. The best bit is that when you get to the fantastic galleries, you can reward yourself with chocolate cake (Dean Gallery Cafe - highly recommended). Alternatively, walk in the opposite direction (towards Leith) and after three miles pop out onto The Shore in Leith for an excellent feast and pint at the King's Wark.
Water of Leith: www.waterofleith.org.uk/
National Galleries of Scotland:
www.natgalscot.ac.uk/
King's Wark:
www.bestpubs.co.uk/layout0.asp?pub=143236
Great boozer - decent food - live music. Great in the summer for those lazy afternoons drinking in the sun.
The Cluny
Ouseburn Valley (under the byker bridge)
Great bar with live DJ sets on a Friday and Saturday night. Great juke box when the DJ finishes and always a busy and friendly crowd.
Pink Lane, opposite Central Station
By far the best Italian food in Newcastle – if not the whole North East of England. Tucked away on the cobbled side street High Bridge, it’s a charming little eatery that must have been around for the best part of ten years. Genuinely family-run and yes, genuinely Italian speaking – a rarity amongst the rest of the pseudo Italian restaurants in Newcastle. Once upon a time it would just open during the day, but now much expanded and offering a full evening menu. Good wine, fantastic Italian coffee, delicious food, amazing regional specialities, friendly staff. What more can I say? Apart from great prices, of course.
Pani's Cafe
61-65 High Bridge, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Lovely street in Clerkenwell lined with independent shops and very good restaurants (Exmouth Market's the home of Moro, a restaurant that kick-started the regeneration of the street ten years ago).
When I strolled down recently there was a new outdoor food and craft market. I was very very pleased to see that Neals Yard Cheese had a stall as usually you have to trek to Covent Garden or Borough market for their cheeses. Was lovely to be able to buy some really good, and not ridiculously priced food but wihout the business of some of London's other markets. I think the market's only there on Friday and Saturday; a lovely way to while away a weekend afternoon, especially as there are lots of tasting opportunities and a really good mix of well-known companies and tiny cottage industries.
Off Rosebery Avenue near Farringdon Road.
Nearest Tube is Farringdon
website is www.exmouthmarket.co.uk
This imposing building on the edge of the Salford Quays is made up of huge shards designed to represent a globe fragmented by war. Architect Daniel Libeskind, who also created the Jewish museum in Berlin, knows how to make an impact with his stark aluminium design and dramatic angular lines.
Inside, exhibitions centre around a timeline and feature traditional artifacts alongside interactive material, with giant screens and surround sound films bringing the harsh realities of war to life. There's a good section on the role of women at war, but perhaps, most harrowing is the collection of letters sent home from soldiers on the front line.
Climb or take the lift to the top of the air shard which shoots up from the main building for an impressive view of Manchester's cityscape and beyond.
Free admission
Open 10-6
Trafford Wharf Road, Trafford Park, Manchester M17 1TZ
www.northiwm.org.uk
A self-proclaimed 'eating and drinking palace', Trof is a miscellaneously decorated bar and eatery in the heart of Fallowfield. The staff and guests are sometimes a little too cool for school, and sometimes seem to care more about the playlist than the customer, but the hearty food is a winner - including the best vegetarian breakfast in Manchester. A recent enlargement means the upstairs area features live music - DJ sets, live bands and open mic - virtually every night.
2a Landcross Rd, 0161 224 0467
Chic and sophisticated bar that serves great Italian style snacks and the most delectable cocktails made from the best spirits, liqueurs, fresh fruit, herbs and juices. My favourite is a Basil Grande, a beautiful strawberry Martini with fresh basil and cracked black pepper. Excellent friendly staff, happy to advise on your choice of tipple and even happy to make cocktails off menu.
See www.paradiso.co.uk/index.htm for further information and to check out the sister establishments - Paradiso also comes highly recommended for their fantastic light lunches, made with locally sourced ingredients.
82-84 Pilgrim Street,
Newcastle upon Tyne,
NE1 6SG
Tel: 0191 232 8923
Nearest Metro Station, Monument. Start from the bottom of Northumberland Street, head past the Tyneside Cinema, and the Fire Station.
Maybe I'm missing it on the guide to Manchester, but I can't find it! Is it because everyone thinks it's so good that it doesn't need a rec? A few years ago, the then Times food writer (Mathew Norman?) described The Yang Sing as one of the best restaurants in Britain; no, not one of the best Chinese restaurants, but one of the very best.
Unless that's changed dramatically (I've been out of the UK for a couple of years), I entirely agree. Terrific dim sum, a huge choice for dinner, and they also are a marvellous place for Chinese New Year, but also Christmas. And also very helpful staff.
I love some of the restaurants near Leicester Square, but The Yang Sing, for me, is probably the best Chinese restaurant in Europe, if not the best outside Hong Kong.
34 Princess Street, Manchester M1 4JY
www.yang-sing.com
This restaurant has been on the scene for a very long time. From a humble beginning, it has now become an upmarket restaurant. We feel their food is the nearest one finds to the middle-class homes of India and Pakistan.
Their Masala Fish is historic and a variety of lamb and chicken dishes, bunah/dry or with vegetables like lady's fingers or karela/bitter gourd are memorable. Their clientele used to be mainly Europeans but now Asian families are frequently seen dinning there. That's the ultimate test of a good curry restaurant outside the subcontinent.
Great Horton Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD7 3HS
Tel: 01274 571861
www.mumtaz.co.uk/main.htm
Goldbrick House is a new restaurant and bar development in Clifton. Apparently two years in the making and a cool £2m later, the project is a stunning new addition to the Bristol scene.
The food is simply some of the best I've ever eaten in Bristol (try the scallops and beef wellington - delicious). Staff are friendly, attentive and well informed, and the general feel of the place is very classy yet simple and unpretentious.
69 Park Street (at the top), Clifton Bristol; tel: (0117) 945 1950;
www.goldbrickhouse.co.uk
Commendable co-op that does good coffee as well as vegetarian and vegan food. All ingredients are organic or sourced locally making this an ethical, guilt-free place to eat. Sadly, there's not a single 'Now' compilation in their jukebox.
3 Ninetree Hill, BS1 3SB (just off Stokes Croft);
tel: 0117 924 9200;
www.cafe-kino.com
Back when Bristol was a gateway to the New World the first American consulate was established here in 1792. The square became the focal point of the violent Bristol riots in 1831 against the lack of voting rights, one of the worst outbreaks of urban rioting in 19th century Britain. During the 1980s a brutalist road was ploughed straight through it. Nowadays the road is gone and its been restored to its former Georgian self. A green spot to hang out in in the old city centre.
Queen Square, BS1
Friendly family-run cinema in the north Bristol burbs. Attracts a diverse crowd of locals and students with reasonable entrance prices and by showing a mixture of mainstream and independent cinema. For those who prefer not to drive to an anonymous retail village for their film fix.
Northumbria Drive, Henleaze, Bristol BS9 4HN
tel: 0845 166 2381
www.reeltime-cinemas.co.uk/bristol.php
Brunel never lived to see it completed but if he had he may have topped it off with faux-Egyptian sphinxes on each of the bridge's towers. It's had a recent refurb with new lighting installed to show it off by night and with its' Avon Gorge backdrop remains a potent symbol of the city and the reckless engineer who designed it.
Sion Hill, Clifton BS8
Take the Number 8 from Bristol Temple Meads to Clifton Village.
... Is, in my opinion, in Broughton Street, and looks so posh from the outside that I hardly dare to go in. Everything is spotless, and it isn't even that expensive. They also sell award winning self-made ale pies and Haggis in one-person sausage-like portions.
The head butcher has a really big belly, which in my opinion is a quality trademark of good butchers, as they want to serve customers fresh produce but don't like to throw their high quality products away - so they eat it themselves. That's the same with my village butcher at home.
Apart from that, there is a wide variety of special sausages to try for free - from wild boar to beef with blackberries and Lucifer's matchsticks.
The butcher is also very friendly and chatty, and they have leaflets on their products such as the history of Haggis and Burn's supper, including a variety of poems. They might even recite them for you at the till to get you to hear them with the original Scots language.
Crombie's of Edinburgh: 97 Broughton Street;
www.sausages.co.uk
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