by The Yorkshire coast on two wheels
Exploring the Yorkshire coast will be much easier on two wheels. Route YC, the organization that promotes the Yorkshire coast, teamed up with leading adventure cyclists to launch a series of new cycle routes in January. Ranging in length from nine to 260 miles, the routes are designed to help visitors of all abilities get off the beaten track on gravel, touring and road bikes.
There is a circular route from Scarborough, as well as several shorter day trips from the coastal towns of Whitby, Filey, Bridlington, Hornsea and Withernsea, and the North York Moors village of Grosmont. There is also a weekend cycle route that starts in Whitby and a touring route that hugs the coast from the ferry terminal in Hull all the way to Staithes, north of Whitby.
Route maps and accommodation details will be live on the Route YC website by 31 January
Blenheim Palace presents Icons of British Fashion, Oxfordshire
A huge fashion exhibition will open at Blenheim Palace in March. Icons of British Fashion is the biggest event in the palace’s 300-year history and will showcase some of Britain’s most famous designers. Clothing, accessories, archival materials, drawings, photographs and patterns from leading lights such as Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney, Lulu Guinness, Bruce Oldfield and Temperley London will be on display in the state rooms alongside Blenheim’s valuable art collection.
March 23-June 30. Entry tickets to Blenheim are valid for a year and cost £38 for adults, £22 for under 16s.
Glen Tweed canoe track
Launching in the spring, the first official canoe trail in southern Scotland will cover a leisurely 30 mile stretch of the River Tweed. Starting close to Dawyck Botanic Gardens in the picturesque village of Stobo and finishing on the river bank overlooking Sir Walter Scott’s former home, Abbotsford, the route promises beautiful views of the Southern Highlands and plenty of opportunities for wildlife such as otters, kingfishers and seeing unrest. It is designed to be paddled over two or three days and is suitable for all abilities.
Trail maps, suggested itineraries and camping/lodging information will be available online by the end of January
Distillery to open at Cromglinne Road Prison in Belfast
A whiskey distillery will open in the 19th century Cromwell Road Prison in early March, following a £22 million investment. Whiskey tours, cocktail masterclasses and a tasting bar and shop will open in the former A wing of the high security prison. Known locally as the Crom, it first opened in 1846 and played a key role in keeping republican and proprietary prisoners during the Troubles. Visitors can learn about the history of the prison check and some of the prisoners held here, from suffragettes to hunger strikers, on a self-guided tour.
Entry from £14 adults, £7.50 children; Distillery tour prices TBA
Black Country Living Museum, Dudley
The latest addition to the Black Country Living Museum’s collection of historic buildings is a high street that recreates life in a Midland town in the post-war era. Listen to vinyl records in a listening booth at Stanton’s Music Shop, look at paper passbooks at West Bromwich Building Society, see 1950s fashions on display at E. Minett’s Ladieswear and learn about the creation of the NHS. From spring, visitors will be able to explore a new industrial quarter and find out more about the working life of Black Country people at recreated aluminum foundries, tool makers and brickworks. And in the summer, a post office, Army & Navy Store and a replica of Halesowen and Hasbury Co-op will open on the new high street.
Adults £22.95, under 16s £11.45
The King Charles III coastal route
England’s King Charles III Coastal Path is on schedule to be fully walkable by the end of 2024. It will be the world’s longest managed coastal walk, covering 2,700 miles and linking communities as far apart as Bamburgh and Boscastle. More than 1,000 miles of coastline have been accessed so far, including new sections in Cumbria, Kent and Sussex, which were completed towards the end of last year. The next section to open is from Hunstanton to Sutton Bridge in Norfolk, alongside the tidal marshes, beaches and nature reserves of the Wash estuary. It is expected to be ready in March. New sections on Sepia Island and improvements to the existing path on the Exmoor coast will also follow in the spring.
There will be updates on new departments on the UK government website as they open
Toulouse-Lautrec in Bath
A major new exhibition, Toulouse-Lautrec and the Masters of Montmartre, opens at the Victoria Art Gallery in Bath in April. More than 30 pieces from the artist’s colorful career will be shown, including his first poster of the Moulin Rouge and the can-can dancers of La Troupe de Mademoiselle Eglantine, alongside works by other artists of the day. Steinlein’s iconic Tournée du Chat Noir, an advertisement for Alphonse Mucha’s Ruinart champagne, and theater posters by Jules Chéret will be part of works by other Parisian belle époque masters. This is the only chance to see Lautrec’s entire poster collection in the UK before it moves to its permanent home at the Musée d’Ixelles in Belgium.
26 April-29 Septemberadults £10, children £3.50
Aerial adventure in the Welsh rugby town of Cardiff
A new aerial adventure will open at the home of Welsh Rugby this spring. Thrill-seekers will be able to climb to the top of the Principality Stadium in Cardiff for a bird’s-eye view of the pitch and the Cardiff skyline before descending via zip line and white-knuckle “drop”. The attraction, called Scale, is being created by urban aerial adventure specialist Wire & Sky, who have worked on similar projects at Wembley, Tottenham Hotspur, the Cutty Sark and Liverpool Anfield.
At the time of writing, tickets had not gone on sale, but fans can register interest on the website
The National Gallery goes on tour
The National Gallery is celebrating its 200th anniversary on 10 May. To mark the occasion, the gallery is loaning 12 of its most iconic paintings to 12 venues across the UK. Paintings including Constable’s The Hay Wain and Monet’s The Water-Lily Pond will travel to venues from Brighton to Edinburgh, giving more than half a National Gallery painting within an hour’s journey. of the UK population. At the Ulster Museum in Northern Ireland, visitors will be able to admire Caravaggio’s The Supper at Emmaus, while Velázquez’s The Rokeby Venus heads north-west to the Walker Gallery in Liverpool. This is the first time some of the works, such as The Wilton Diptych and Botticelli’s Venus and Mars, have left the gallery since they were acquired. The paintings will be exhibited on May 10 and each of the 12 venues will hold complementary events, exhibitions and digital interventions to showcase their particular painting.
Back in time at Beamish, County Durham
An authentically recreated 1950s picture house at Beamish will allow visitors to relive the golden age of filmmaking. The cinema will be the latest of the “1950s Town” which opened last summer at the living history museum as part of the biggest development in its history. The 50s town brings a new era to Beamish, with its carefully recreated hairdressers, fish and chip shop and cafe, where visitors can listen to jukebox music in a vintage booth. Beamish will also be adding to its Georgian displays this year with an 1820s pub serving Georgian inspired food and drink, and working pottery. For the first time, guests will also be able to stay overnight in original farm buildings and houses that are being converted into self-catering accommodation.
Unlimited Beamish Passes £24.95 adults, £15.45 children, £63.50 for a family of four, valid for one year
Barbie: The Show, London
If you thought Barbie was in the spotlight in 2023, think again. The Design Museum in London will celebrate the doll’s 65th birthday in a new exhibition that will tell the story of the evolution of the brand. The museum has been given special access to Mattel Inc’s extensive Barbie archives in California and will display dozens of rare items that explore the doll’s influence on everything from fashion and furniture to architecture and vehicle design.
5 July to 23 February 2025ticket prices TBA
Surfing is up in Edinburgh
Europe’s largest inland surf destination will open near Edinburgh this autumn. The Lost Shore Surf Resort is scheduled to launch in September and will be able to generate up to 1,000 waves per hour, suitable for both beginners and professional surfers. There will be a 160-metre surfing lake in a 60-acre country park, with 22 pods and accommodation sleeping two to eight, a seasonal food market featuring chefs and street food vendors, a surf shop and a spa. The emphasis will be on accessibility, with beginner lessons, heated changing facilities, and wetsuits and surfboards included in the cost. Visitors will be able to try skimskating, an increasingly popular variation of skateboarding. Lost Shore is in Rathto, nine miles west of Edinburgh.
