I walked the Pennine Way to help other children
I thought about them every day – through the rain, wind, aching feet and long climbs. The idea came from my dad, who walked the Pennine Way when he was 18. I wanted to follow in his footsteps and show that children can do big things. I filmed short updates every day for my YouTube channel, Layros14, and raised more than £2,700 through my JustGiving page. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the way, and I'd love for my journey to inspire other young people to take on their own adventures – and to realise that small steps can lead to big change. Thank you to everyone who supported me, donated and cheered me on. Layla RosowskyCambridge
The Kinder trespass is indeed something to commemorate. Let's not forget that it wasn't just Manchester ramblers, people came from Sheffield too. And the Ramblers Association itself was opposed to illegal action, much of the organising was done by members of the Young Communist League. Ask a Boltonian (I'm not one), but they may point out an earlier trespass on Winter Hill. Better known now for its telly transmitters. Yes, the countryside should be for everyone. And public transport. Both of these are vital.Mary WrightManchester
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Wales Online
44 minutes ago
- Wales Online
A 19th-century railway takes you up to an incredible coastal viewpoint with a cafe and retro attraction
A 19th-century railway takes you up to an incredible coastal viewpoint with a cafe and retro attraction Something curious rises from the northern end of this Welsh promenade and features unique attractions. A 19th-century railway takes you up to an incredible coastal viewpoint (Image: Portia Jones) Lovely Aberystwyth (fondly known as Aber) has long been known as a seaside town, culture hub, and centre of learning. Located at the heart of the Ceredigion coastline, it's roughly as far from St Davids in Pembrokeshire as it is from Pwllheli in Gwynedd. Here, you'll find a castle, a promenade, the National Library of Wales, the Arts Centre, more than 50 pubs, and one of Wales' oldest universities. This buzzing student town was also recently named one of the 'happiest places to live in the UK' by the Guardian and was the setting for the hit Netflix TV series Hinterland. While many come to explore Aber's sandy shores, something curious rises from the northern end of Aberystwyth promenade. This area features unique attractions that may have escaped the attention of newbie visitors. Constitution Hill rises dramatically from the coast, providing spectacular views of Aber and can be accessed by a historic train. At 778 feet, the Aberystwyth Cliff Railway is the longest funicular electric cliff railway in Britain. It operated via a water balance system until its electrification in 1921. This lovely funicular opened in 1896 and has been transporting visitors to the Constitution Hill summit ever since. It has also been a Grade II listed structure since November 1987. This lovely funicular opened in 1896 and has been transporting visitors to the Constitution Hill summit ever since. (Image: Portia Jones) The recently installed summit station passenger lift now provides wheelchair access to the top of Constitution Hill, and major works have been completed to offer accessible footpaths. The carriages are hauled to the summit at a stately four miles per hour. They are powered by a powerful motor and high-tensile steel cables, supported by a sophisticated electronic safety system. At the midpoint of the journey, the railway ventures through a deep cutting, where 12,000 tons of rock were excavated to allow the winding footpath to cross via a series of bridges overhead. There's no need to book in advance. With slow chugging trains running every few minutes, you can buy a ticket, hop on board, and slowly ascend to the best views in Wales. Once you reach the top of Constitution Hill, you'll be spoiled with an epic panorama of Cardigan Bay and, on a clear day, the 26 mountain peaks spanning much of the length of Wales. It's one of the most incredible views we have here, and you don't have to hike for miles to see it. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What's On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here The carriages are hauled to the summit at a stately four miles per hour. (Image: Portia Jones ) From medieval times until the early twentieth century, Constitution Hill was the site of several large quarries, which, along with others in the area, provided much of the stone required to build the town of Aberystwyth, including its now-ruined castle. This large hill was also the Victorian predecessor of our modern-day theme parks and had plenty to offer tourists. In 1895, the Aberystwyth Improvement Company was formed, a business venture with the goal of developing the hill for leisure and tourism and created the Victorian Luna Park. Sadly, Luna Park's development did not survive long, as successive summers of poor weather in the early twentieth century limited the number of visitors. Today, however, there are still some family-friendly amusements, including a games room with bowling alleys, a soft play area, and a cliff-top Crazy Golf course. You can also experience one of the world's largest camera obscuras here. This technological masterpiece has a massive 14-inch lens, which lets you observe about 1,000 square miles of land and seascape with amazing clarity and precision. This large hill was also the Victorian predecessor of our modern-day theme parks (Image: Portia Jones ) There are also historical displays, a kids' play area, a gift shop, a cafe selling delicious home-made snacks, and plenty of wide-open spaces for picnics and walking. Dogs are also welcome across the site. At its peak runs the Clarach Footpath on the Wales Coast Path, which connects the town of Aberystwyth with Clarach Bay and offers scenic views of Cardigan Bay and the surrounding coastline. Nearby is the Borth – Clarach Site of Special Scientific Interest. Article continues below Looking to stay in Aber longer? The Richmond Hotel, The Glengower, or the 3-star Gwesty'r Marine Hotel & Spa are all great choices. You can also search for accommodation on Airbnb, and Holiday Cottages.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
'I watched friend get eaten by a shark and most haunting moment was exactly like Jaws'
A woman who survived a shark attack in Florida when she was just 21-years-old has opened up about the terrifying ordeal that invovled watching a predator eat her friend A woman who desperately swam for over seven hours to survive a shark attack watched her friend get mauled by a beast in the water – and said one horrifying moment was just like the movie Jaws. Tamara Ennis was a 21-year-old waitress when she endured one of the scariest scenarios imaginable near Ormond Beach, Florida, in August 1981. She was out sailing on a catamaran with three others when disaster struck. After sailing one mile from shore, dark clouds suddenly circled, and a storm battered their boat, before a pontoon filled with water. The small catamaran, that only seated four people, flipped over and the four explorers, Daniel Perrin, who owned the boat, Randy Cohen, Christy Wapniarski and Tamara, scrambled to get up on a hull to stay out of the shark -infested water. They had no food or water and spent six hours drifting further from the shore wearing just bathing suits. After briefly hearing an engine nearby before it left, Tamara remembered: "The reality hit us, and we were just quiet. And Christy who was sitting in front of me, she was very quiet, and I could tell also that she was just making peace and I had a sense that she knew she was gonna die.' After dawn, Tamara declared that she was going to start swimming before the sun went all the way up, which could make them lose direction. At that moment, she thought she was going to die, but wanted to die trying, and Christy was the only one out of the four who was not a comfortable swimmer. After giving her tips, the four then set out into the water, and Tamara will never forget what happened next. She told YouTube channel A&E: 'I was up in front and it was only probably about an hour into the swim that I looked back and I heard, um, Christy screaming and yelling for Randy to come get her.' Tamara initially thought her friend was drowning and she shouted at her to stay afloat, however, she then realised a shark was circling. She continued: 'I realised I saw her thrashing about in the water. And then she went straight up just like in the movie, in the Jaws movie, when she went straight up and straight back into the water. And I knew she'd been hit by a shark. 'So I yelled to Randy that it was a shark and he thought she was drowning. So he was yelling back to her, and you know, calling her name, and she was just screaming 'come and get me now' and she went up again and down. 'And he was swimming while this happened and he didn't see that it was a shark. He just thought she was drowning. So the last time I saw her go up and down she just went face down into the water. I knew that, you know, I knew she was dead. She was completely pale, completely white, I knew she'd lost all her blood.' Knowing there was nothing she could do to help, she carried on swimming, and she then felt something brush against her own leg. She revealed: 'After seeing Christy get hit by the shark, I got bumped by something. And I looked down and it was a grey shark, bigger than I was, and I just had a split second vision of Christy and me saying, 'That's not how I wanna go. There is no way I can die like this.' 'I put myself in the frame of mind of a fish, or that I belonged to the ocean. It was the weirdest thing. Just in nanoseconds I was like, I belong here too so get out of my way too, so I just kept swimming backstroke.' After five hours of swimming, Tamara lost sight of Randy and Daniel, and at one point had to swim against the current after spotting sharks in the distance. She also suffered hallucinations and said her life flashed before her during the swim that left her severely exhausted and sunburnt. Finally, after seven hours, Tamara made it back near land, and a lifeguard recused her. She recalled: 'I just told him instinctively – 'I've just swam about nine miles, there's a boat out there, one person's dead. And there are a couple of guys and I don't know if they are dead or alive.'' Randy and Daniel both made it out alive and Tamara saw the former in hospital where he stayed for two weeks with hypothermia. As for Daniel, she never saw him again, and has no idea what happened to him. Tamara meanwhile started working on boats in the Bahamas to help her trauma and she concluded: 'I still to this day won't go in dark water but surviving that also gives you a whole new outlook on life. 'Dying wasn't an option for me during that time so I just had to keep good thoughts and say, 'Ok, I've made it another minute, I made it another five minutes, I made it another hour.' And just keep going and thinking about, you know, your family, or your future, and not giving in to the negative thoughts is how I survived.' The body of Christy, who was just 19-years-old and was from Chicago, was never found.
Time Out
2 days ago
- Time Out
Virgin Atlantic upgrades Cape Town route for summer season
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