Hi everyone, my parents got recently approved a visitor visa here in Uk. I’m just wondering which airline will be suitable for senior citizen and 1st international traveler with limited English. Thank you so much 🙏

Hi everyone! My partner has a work event in September in Birmingham, and then we will be spending a few days together afterwards before flying back to Toronto. Below is our planned itinerary as of now (we only have the flights booked but no hotels yet). But we were hoping for some suggestions/warnings on it.

(note: both of us have visited London once as kids and have done all the big tourist sites. for this trip, we don't need to see them and would rather immersive ourselves in cool neighbourhoods with unique cultures and history. We also are obsessed with urban architecture/parks/history and public transportation.)

Monday - Arrive in the morning at Heathrow, eat lunch in London, then take train to Birmingham. Night 1 in Birmingham hotel (any suggestions for hotels?)

Tuesday - Partner is at work event all day, I plan to do a solo day/easy recovery day around Birmingham (any suggestions on good sights to see?) Night 2 in Birmingham hotel.

Wednesday - Partner at work event all day, I plan to solo somewhere nearby on the train (maybe Worcester or Stratford upon Avon ?) Night 3 in Birmingham hotel.

Thursday - Partner at work event all day, I plan to solo somewhere nearby on the train again (any suggestions?) Night 4 in Birmingham hotel.

Friday - Leave Birmingham, travel back to London. (any suggestions for the best neighbourhood for us stay in? high walkability/train access is key and maybe less touristy. i stayed in fulham in a airbnb back in 2016 with my family and enjoyed that a lot. is airbnb/vrbo still viable in London or is it mostly scams like it is here in Toronto now?). Night 1 in London.

Saturday - Free day. Night 2 in London.

Sunday - Get to Heathrow in the morning, fly home.

Thank you so much!

Hello, I have a trip planned to fly into Edinburgh with my mom and then spend 10 days in Mull and the highlands.

And I’m having a bit of a breakdown at work and am debating seeing if I can change my ticket for an extra few days alone.

So, where would you go for a few days of sitting in an old pub, maybe some cool ruins or interesting history that is an easy train trip from Edinburgh.

I’m thinking of York, I’ve been there before and loved it. But I wondered about a hidden gem I might miss.

Thanks for any tips.

Hello to all. I’m from the USA and in my mid forties. With the upcoming Prem coming up in just a few days, I’ve been seriously considering taking a trip to see all the big clubs and those in between for the vibes next season. My question is what clubs to go see, how to get around, where to stay, what pubs to go to and how long would the stay probably take to feel like I did it to the fullest. I’m working on getting my passport right now and have around 30k saved for the trip. Any and all answers and questions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance

A HISTORIC Scottish ferry service said to be the last of its kind in the entire world is facing an uncertain future due to a millionaire “absentee landowner”, it has been claimed.

The ferry service between Glenelg on the Scottish mainland and Kylerhea in the Isle of Skye – a former drovers’ route in use for at least 400 years – is now run by the community using the MV Glenachulish, which is reputedly the “last manually operated turntable ferry in existence”.

“It's so finely balanced that one person can push that deck round with six cars on it,” Jo Crawford, the chief executive of the community interest company (CIC) that runs the ferry, said. “It's a really historic little piece of culture.”

The ferry crosses around 800-metres of water between the mainland and Skye (Image: Isle of Skye Ferry CIC)

The CIC has proven a success in the 20 years since it was established, now employing 22 people either part- or full-time, winning Social Enterprise of the Year both in Scotland and UK-wide in 2023, and being awarded a Red Wheel Plaque for its importance to transport heritage.

However, an obscure ancient entitlement held by the landowner on the Skye side – former financier Richard Oliphant of that Ilk – has created a situation which “cannot be sustained” and may threaten the ferry’s future, Crawford warned.

Oliphant of that Ilk holds “rights to ferry” – a little-known legal entitlement said to date back to the Lord of the Isles – over the Kylerhea Narrows. As such, he is paid a percentage of the Isle of Skye Ferry CIC’s annual turnover.

Richard Oliphant of that Ilk (centre) pictured at Edinburgh Castle in an image which tops the clan's website and Facebook page (Image: Facebook)

The CIC signed a similar deal with the Burton Property Trust, the landowner on the Glenelg side, after it was realised that they also held “rights to ferry” – which they have recently transferred to community ownership.

Crawford said: “The trust never asked us for any money, even though the lease agreement said that they could. They supported the community.

“Richard Oliphant of that Ilk, on the other hand, absolutely charged us, right from the word go, and has continued to do that for the past 20 years.

“When the ferry was non-operational in 2020 because of Covid, he still claimed his dues.”

Crawford told the Sunday National that while paying Oliphant of that Ilk had “cost a fortune over the years … the lease also states – this is the awful bit – that he can never be paid less than a previous year”.

“Last year, happily for the ferry company, we had our best year ever in terms of income,” she went on. “He was paid close to £10,000.

“This year, the weather's been awful, so our income is down 20% … but we can't pay him less. He’ll get £10,000 no matter what.”
Crawford said it is “galling” to have to pay Oliphant of that Ilk “for nothing” when the money represents “a part-time seasonal job that somebody locally could be having”.

Oliphant of that Ilk is the current clan chief of Clan Oliphant. He made headlines in 2003 after hiring Hugh Peskett – the acclaimed genealogist who traced Ronald Reagan’s family to the tiny Irish village of Ballyporeen – to prove his claim to the chiefship.

The Scotsman reported at the time that the “millionaire City banker” had funded a 16-year trawl through historical records to oust his Perthshire farmer cousin who had been thought to hold the clan chief title. Oliphant of that Ilk told the paper that there had been "no recognised or official chief of the Oliphant clan before my claim, and therefore it was not a challenge to anyone else’s title".

The Sunday National attempted to contact Oliphant of that Ilk through his clan, and was told our request for comment would be passed on. However, nothing was returned before going to print.
The community took ownership of the ferry two decades ago after its former operator put it on sale due to the Skye Bridge becoming toll-free. There were concerns, Crawford said, that the loss of the ferry would have an irreversible impact on the Glenelg community.

“It's a dead-end down here without a ferry service,” she said. “It would have changed the peninsula entirely. In these small and rural communities, the numbers start to drop, the school roll starts to drop, there's not enough people to merit a GP service anymore, all of that.

“It was just a very small group of local people, none of whom were expert legal experts; they were just impassioned about keeping the ferry here in Glenelg for the benefit of the local communities on either side.”

Crawford said that newly formed CIC had then been “effectively forced into signing the lease” with Oliphant of that Ilk in order to “ensure that we had the correct permissions in place in order to get the grant money in order to buy the boat in the first place”.
“If something catastrophic happens … [and] we still have to pay him £10,000, that's the end of the ferry company, its operation here, and all of the benefits that it brings to the local community,” she added.

The old lighthouse serves as a merchandise store on the Glenelg side of the ferry (Image: Isle of Skye Ferry CIC)
Crawford said that the CIC has a small merchandise shop on the Glenelg side which, using an honesty-box system, brings in around £10,000 per year.

They had hoped to put something similar in a disused phone box on the Skye side – which was described as a “mess” – to help cover costs, but were allegedly blocked from doing so by Oliphant of that Ilk.

“The short version of his response was, ‘Yes, you can tidy up, that'd be great, but no, you can't use it’,” Crawford said.

“He's extracting financial funds out of the ferry company, while being absolutely obstructionist to any form of sustainable development.

“I feel that we have a responsibility to flag this up and do something about it because this ancient right to ferry is nonsense.

“The Community Empowerment Act has legislation in place for salmon fishing rights and mineral rights over land, but not rights to ferry because it's so unusual, so we can't even use that legislation to do something about this.”

Crawford added that they are in discussion with Government bodies about including the ancient rights in land reform legislation, and said the Isle of Skye Ferry CIC was "more than happy to be contacted" by anybody who may be able to help their situation.

Me and my partner (both 20 years old and male) are sick of the UK and have been thinking about moving out of our house and working abroad a few months at a time and then coming home and staying with our parents for a couple weeks at a time before returning or going to another country. I don’t currently have a passport but I am applying this week and will hopefully have it by about October time. We want somewhere where our accommodation will be paid for and our take home pay is atleast £300 each after tax and we also want to be together or pretty close to each other or ideally working at the same place. We don’t really mind where we go. We were thinking like Iceland maybe during the winter months and then maybe Spain or France during summer. Is there any programs that we can look into and what’s the easiest way of going about this? Our main goal is to save money so we ideally don’t want to be spending loads to get there in the first place, obviously we’d probably have to pay for flights but we don’t want to pay loads out to get there.

Why Wildfire Risk Matters for Motorhome Owners

Wildfires are no longer a problem confined to southern Europe. Prolonged hot, dry spells in recent summers have driven wildfire risk sharply higher across the UK as well as popular touring regions in France, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy, and motorhome and caravan owners are increasingly caught up in the disruption.

Because motorhomes are often parked overnight on open sites, farm pitches, wild camping spots, or campsites close to heathland, woodland, or dry grassland, they can be exposed to a wildfire risk that many owners do not fully consider until it affects them directly.

Read the full article by following the link above.

I live in Scotland and I’m going to Kerala for a holiday soon. So I’d like to take something nice for my family.

What are some affordable but unique Scottish/UK stuff I could take home? Looking for ideas that aren’t too expensive and are easy to carry in a suitcase.

Hi,

First time traveling to London in September 2026, and wondering if an Airbnb or hotel would be best. Flying into Heathrow. Not afraid to use the tube, but also want to walk a bit. Maybe shopping or farmers markets. Looking for nice lounges, history, and communities of all types. Looking at Soho, Brixton, Camden or Kensington areas. Where would be the best place to stay to get all these things?

hey guys I'm an international coming to the uk fir the first time. I'm planning to stay in London for 2-3 days after arrival. I'm trying to figure out the best way to get to uni of Nottingham from London. (cheap and fast or even the best options with good rates)

for some context, I'll be traveling with my parents as well, we will have around 2 suitcases per person, so 6 in total. my parents are in their mid 50s, no physical as such but it would be great if y'all could recommend options for that would be comfortable for them keeping their health in mind.

I'm open to any options, please help me out guys!!

Hi, will need to train from Bath to this hotel, before a flight the next day. I see you can train to terminals, but then I'd need to taxi to the hotel. Is this correct? Alternatively, where could I get off the train not within the airport, and taxi to the hotel? Anything I'm just not getting??? Thanks,appreciate the help.

Hi everyone, I’ll be in London for about 5 days before I travel up towards York & Edinburgh. We don’t really have a preference but would enjoy walking around pretty towns. We only have time to visit one of these.

1. Oxford
2. Cambridge
3. Cotswold
4. Canterbury
5. Bath

Those who’ve been to these places, any recommendations?

My trip is in a few weeks what are some apps that make getting around and finding cool places better? Example is Uber or something gonna matter? Taking the tube most of the time obviously. Do we need a bathroom app like SF 🤣. Best websites/apps for booking things to do.

Just looking for tips that may have squeezed through the cracks. Unconventional advice nothing nasty and rude.

It’s hot today! And my parents (in their seventies) are having a hard time without AC (even though I prepped them). We were planning on Stonehenge but are thinking that’s too much today. Any suggestions for activities that might be cooling? Open to anything! Thanks in advance