Five years after western Devon and Cornwall were cut off from the rest of the UK by rail, the government has promised £80m for a new sea wall at Dawlish. A storm in February 2014 severed the Great Western Railway from Exeter to Plymouth. The main line from London to Penzance clings to the coast…
After a Delta Air Lines flight nosedived twice due to extreme turbulence, we look at what causes it – and whether it can ever bring down an aircraft. What is turbulence? Turbulence is caused by eddies of “rough air” – a bit like waves becoming choppy at sea. Join Independent Minds For exclusive articles, events and an…
Choosing where to lay your head in London can be a tricky affair. With a plethora of snazzy design hotels, some of the grandest, oldest establishments around and a frankly bewildering array of so-so spots offering cheap-as-chips theatre dinners to baffled tourists, it can be tempting to book into the nearest Premier Inn and be…
Copenhagen has been voted the most liveable city for Europeans in new research released today. Cities in Scandinavia, the Netherlands and Switzerland dominate the top 20 cities for European expats, according to data from consultancy ECA International. In the UK, Edinburgh is the only city that ranks in the top 20, while Aberdeen came in at…
As extreme cold weather continues to wreak havoc across the US, a small aircraft attempting to land in Indiana slid off the snowy runway and came to a stop on the highway. The charter jet, which was carrying three people, was touching down at Richmond Municipal Airport in Indiana. Arriving from Waukesha, Wisconsin, the aircraft slipped…
The cities to avoid/embrace this V-day, depending on whether you’re looking for romance or a break from swooning couples. Venice, Italy Italy’s lagoon city is many things. Historic? Why yes. Beautiful? Most certainly. A giddy triumph of architectural creativity and whimsical dreams over the basic fact that things built into water will eventually sink? Absolutely…
A fares war on one of Europe’s busiest routes is about to break out. The train operator Eurostar is selling tickets for direct trains from London to Amsterdam for a flat £30 in a short-term promotion. The same price applies to Rotterdam, and saves £5 on the normal lead-in fare. Join Independent Minds For exclusive…
It’s a Saturday night and I’m eating sweet and sour pumpkin and ricotta crostini and paccheri served with succulent pork and fennel sausage sugo. I’m in southern Italian restaurant Uccellino in Edmonton, northwestern Canada, where the food is as buzzing as the city. It wasn’t always this way. Just a couple of decades ago the downtown…
Six months after dropping flights from Heathrow to Dubai, Virgin Atlantic is launching services to a very different Middle East destination: Tel Aviv. Sir Richard Branson’s airline will start serving the route on 25 September 2019. At just 2,233 miles, it will be easily Virgin Atlantic’s shortest link to and from the UK. The eastbound…
Fifty years ago the Boeing 747 took to the skies for the first time, with the promise of transforming aviation. The Jumbo jet offered greater luxury than ever before for first-class passengers, and more seats than ever before in economy class. And while younger planes have come and gone, the 747 flies on. How transformational was the…
Welcome to a new series about the “micro-trip” – journeys that involve parachuting into a destination for a very extreme itinerary. We’re tactical travellers these days (2017 research from the Office for National Statistics showed that Brits are shunning longer trips for short breaks and quickie holidays) and thanks to a whole host of new flights from well-connected…
A British Airways flight can be seen trying and failing to land while buffeted by strong winds at Heathrow Airport. Video shows the aircraft visibly shaken as it attempts to touch down, with the wheels even hitting the tarmac, before the pilot aborts the landing and takes off once more. The clip was shared by…
Train travellers between Birmingham New Street and London Euston can make the 120-mile journey for a flat £10 – but only for the next nine Mondays. Virgin Trains is launching an experimental promotion which will reduce the cost of all standard Advance tickets on certain Monday trains to £10 one-way. Passengers must travel on trains…
There will be fresh disruption for South Western Railway passengers later this month as a new wave of strikes is announced. Staff will walk out on dates in February and March in an ongoing dispute about guards on trains. The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) confirmed walkouts would take place on the line…
One of the UK’s biggest holiday firms is seeking a buyer for its airline. Thomas Cook, which has just announced increased first-quarter losses, says it will consider all options for its flying business “to enhance value to shareholders and intensify our strategic focus”. The tour operator stressed that flights will continue as normal and that any…