Adur and Worthing to host nature walks for Love Parks Week
Activity days will feature children's bug and scavenger hunts and tree and plant identification workshops.The full schedule and list of locations can be found on Adur and Worthing's Facebook page.
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Telegraph
12 hours ago
- Telegraph
How ‘murder capital' El Salvador became one of the world's hottest (and safest) destinations
One year, you're a 'murder capital', echoing to the sound of gunshots, the next you're a booming tourist magnet. El Salvador, according to the latest United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) statistics, is the world's third fastest-growing holiday destination, behind only Albania and Qatar. The small Central American country has seen tourist numbers jump an impressive 80 per cent since 2019. Some 3.2 million international visitors arrived in 2024, including more than 1.2 million US tourists. Having visited in 2013 and 2017, I'm actually not that surprised. While El Salvador is unlikely to knock Costa Rica off its perch as an entry-level Central American destination, it has plenty of diverse delights to offer the curious tourist. Let's start with the attractions. For nature-lovers, the El Imposible National Park is a great starting point. The name refers not to the chances of rescuing a lost tourist but to a steep gorge that was a much-unloved slog for local farmers with their mules. The hiking here is pretty good, if hot, but the park's main attraction is the birdlife. Among the 300 or so species are glittering hummingbirds, multi-hued motmots, orioles and parakeets; it's the only place in the country to see the critically endangered great curassow. Surfers have been loving El Salvador for decades. In 2024, the country hosted six major international surf events – including the prestigious World Surf League competition, cementing its reputation as one of the top surfing destinations in the world. Punta Roca and Las Flores are world-famous – and stunning to look at if you're not a surfer. La Libertad, Playa El Tunco, El Sunzal, and El Zonte, all in the west, attract lots of wave-addicts, but there are scores of less promoted spots on the coast. Because distances are relatively small, it's easy to hop from break to break. San Salvador is a sprawling, modern, American-looking city – better for burgers and pizzas than for pupusas, the delicious flatbreads filled with pork, cheese and beans that are Salvadorean's favourite snack. It doesn't have big-capital drawing power, but to be frank, apart from Antigua in Guatemala and Panama City, Central America is not big on urban attractions. The plazas and backstreets down town are worth a wander, with coffee shops to refuel, and cool down, in. The brutalist El Rosario church is eye-catching; the rainbow-coloured interior has been dubbed the 'stairway to heaven'. Marte, the main art museum, is always hosting interesting themed shows; it has a section on the 1979-1992 civil war. It's also the site of the striking Monument to the 1948 Revolution. A safe bet The main point here, though, is that, apart from the airport, foreign tourists never really came to San Salvador. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) puts it plainly: 'Security in El Salvador has improved considerably with significant reductions in crime'. The gang crackdown and controversial draconian security measures imposed by the government of president Nayib Bukele – who won a second term in 2024, with 84 per cent of the vote – has seen the national homicide count fall from 6,657 in 2015 to 114 in 2024. It has gone from having one of the highest murder rates in the world (106.3 per 100,000 in 2015) to one only slightly higher than the UK's. Last year, as a consequence, the United States Department of State upgraded El Salvador's travel advisory status from Level 3 (Reconsider Travel) to Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution). Just 30 miles to the north of the capital is my favourite place in El Salvador. Suchitoto, set amid rich, rolling agricultural land, is not grand or swoon-inducingly pretty, but it is cobbled, quaint and polished. A bolthole for middle-class Salvadorans escaping the big city, it has cultural spaces, cafés and restaurants and a gorgeous church on the plaza. It hosts an international film festival every autumn, and I can heartily recommend its lively and fun-filled fiesta honouring Santa Lucia, the town's patron saint, in December. The former mansion where I like to stay here, Los Almendros de San Lorenzo, was built in 1805 when El Salvador was still part of the Spanish Empire. Owners Joaquín Rodezno and Pascal Lebailly have created somewhere comfortable, even luxurious, but which still feels aged and atmospheric. Tropical gardens and a pool mean you have to make an effort to wrench yourself away from the place and go and explore. In 1983, Joan Didion's short sharp Salvador brought the bloody story of the civil war to an international readership. It was reported in the UK – the BBC's Jeremy Bowen started his career in El Salvador – but, like almost all things Latin American, it was always a remote affair. Liberation theology, Marxist guerrillas and US and USSR machinations in the region were exotic topics in the Britain of Margaret Thatcher. Ordinary Britons easily got confused about the so-called 'Contras' and what was happening at the time in Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras and, even, Grenada. El Salvador's Oriente region is the place to head for a basic understanding of the conflict that made El Salvador infamous. Up at Perquín – where the Farabundo Martí Popular Liberation Forces (FMLN) leftist guerrillas had their headquarters – are memorials to the fallen. Shrines and burial sites are dotted here and there, and commemorative parades are as routine as religious ones. The Museo de la Revolución contains a collection of war memorabilia, rocket launchers, downed helicopter fragments, a preserved radio station, propaganda posters and photographs of guerrillas. Nearly 1,000 people were slain in a massacre that took place in December 1981 in El Mozote. Visiting such places might sound like the very definition of 'dark tourism', but the people I encountered were welcoming and kind; they want the world to know what happened here. The journey up to the sierras around Perquín – known today as the capital of the Peace Route – was also quite magical. A bright future UK tour firm bosses are very upbeat about its future prospects. 'I recently returned from a trip full of highlights,' says David Horwell, founder of Select Latin America. 'Sunset dinners by Lake Coatepeque, volcano hikes, artisan workshops, watching surfers at El Tunco, and drinking in atmospheric bars in San Salvador's historic centre. 'It's a perfect blend of thrilling adventures, laid-back moments, rich history, and immersive local experiences, all within a small, accessible country. Over the past year, we've witnessed a rise in interest for El Salvador as a travel destination, and it's no surprise. The country's improving safety record and steadily expanding tourism infrastructure are drawing a wide variety of travellers.' He highlights coffee tourism and the pre-Columbian ruins of Tazumal and Joya de Cerén as attractions with major potential for UK travellers. Steve Wilson, founder of sabbatical specialist LiNGER, adds: 'Having spent time back in El Salvador for the first time in 25 years, I can safely say it is one of the most inspiring, unique and safe countries to travel at the moment.' John Faithfull, a Central America specialist at Steppes Travel, concurs: 'As the security situation improves on the ground, the appetite for travel to El Salvador grows. Typically, our clients are aged 50-plus, well-travelled and driven by an interest in El Salvador's people and culture, as well as a curiosity about the civil war and its legacy. The warmth of the people and the stories they share are what our clients find most captivating about El Salvador.' The fabled Pan-American Highway has always gone arrow-straight through El Salvador, but for years many travellers halted at the border and wondered if it was worth the risk. Bukele's heavy-handed approach to crime will continue to be divisive, but it has opened up the country to mainstream tourism. This in turn is drawing investment. Intriguingly, in sheer visitor numbers, El Salvador is already ahead of Costa Rica – which had 2.9 million visitors in 2024, a drop of 7 per cent on 2019. Perhaps, post-pandemic, we're all a bit braver, or at least more curious. I am already scanning the crime stats for this year's 'murder capital' to plan my next holiday.
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
One of UK's best beaches next to Donald Trump's golf course is home to more than 400 seals and dolphins swim offshore
DONALD Trump has landed in Scotland to talk politics, but right next door to his golf course is one of the best beaches in the UK. The US president has two golf courses in Scotland, and one happens to be right next to Newburgh Seal Beach. 5 The beach is known for its large colony of around 400 grey and harbour seals. You can often see dolphins and whales close to the beach too, particularly around the mouth of the Ythan River. Newburgh Seal Beach was named one of the best in the UK for 2025 by the experts at Holidu. The holiday rental portal compiled a list of the best beaches from user review data from Google Maps - and Newburgh Seal Beach came in at number 11. The Holidu team praised the beach for its "wildlife experience" that makes it a "captivating natural attraction in Scotland." The sandy stretch of beach is just 20 minutes north of Aberdeen and outside the village of Newburgh. It's a popular destination for anyone looking to see the seals, but is generally peaceful and rarely busy. One visitor wrote on Tripadvisor: "The sand is a brown soft sand, at high tide, we found the seals all throughout the narrow waterway. "They came right up to the shoreline to look at the people as much as we were looking at them." Another wrote: "Once on the spit of beach, you are looking at clear water, the home of seals. Four of Scotland's beaches you have to visit 5 "We saw around 20, all playing and swimming around and occasionally peering at us curiously. Children were enjoying playing in the sand - it was a lovely family atmosphere." While the beach is an ideal place to spot wildlife, it's not recommended for swimming. Trump International Estate in Balmedie has lots more than just a golf course - the estate has 1,400 acres of meadows, woodland and a huge manor hotel. It's called the Trump MacLeod House & Lodge is a five-star luxury hotel with superior and grand deluxe rooms. It even has Italian-marble en-suites, and various dining options, there's also a spa, and a private beach. The US president's other golf course is in Trump Turnberry in South Ayrshire. The huge golf course is known for providing "a world-class experience." As for Turnberry, it's a small village in South Ayrshire with a wide sandy beach that's backed by the Trump Turnberry Ailsa Golf Course. On the coast is Turnberry Lighthouse which was built in 1873 while nearby is the impressive Culzean Castle which overlooks the Firth of Clyde. And hear from one woman who lives in the UK's new Riviera with white sand beaches, celebrities and hidden holiday homes.
The Guardian
a day ago
- The Guardian
I'm obsessed with snorkelling in Scotland: starfish below, sea eagles overhead – and it really isn't that cold
People always ask me: isn't it too cold to snorkel in Scotland? And I reply that while it's obviously much cooler than it would be in Spain, the sea does warm up from May, when the temperature rises from about 9C to as high as 12-15C by August and September. I go snorkelling in Scotland all year round. I work for the Scottish Wildlife Trust, developing snorkelling trails on the Scottish coast and creating guides to the places you can go to enjoy snorkelling in a particular area. But even so, the Wildlife Trust always recommends wearing a wetsuit. In the UK, we sometimes think that to connect with nature you have to go to really exotic, faraway places and spend a lot of money. But actually, it can be more effective to connect with the local marine life on your doorstep. Snorkelling doesn't cost much money or require a great deal of training. It's one of the most accessible sports to enjoy in the sea: some of the best snorkelling I've ever done has been in water I could stand up in. It's also a very sociable activity because you should never snorkel alone. You should always have a buddy (and ideally a mug of hot chocolate waiting for you afterwards). One of my favourite snorkelling experiences is swimming over a kelp forest, which are prevalent around Scotland. You see these beautiful, golden fronds of kelp undulating with the waves, which are home to an incredible amount of small fish, colourful beadlet and dahlia anemones, starfish and brittle-stars. Sometimes, you can even see them catching prey. Another time, I saw a huge show of sand eels beneath me. Then I put my head up and saw some seals on the beach and a pod of dolphins in the sea, coming over to say hello – right at that moment, some sea eagles flew low over our heads. When I talk to my colleagues in other European countries about snorkelling, they often talk about the overcrowding caused by tourism and how that is a hugely challenging part of their job. I feel very fortunate that in Scotland, we don't have that same strain on most of our natural places. Having said that, I've noticed snorkelling in Scotland has increased a lot in popularity since the pandemic, and coastal communities are leading the way in championing that. I think people are realising that it's an amazing thing to do for yourself for health reasons – mental and physical – but also for society, because it can remind you that the sea is an extraordinary place where nature is in decline. Hopefully that inspires more people to protect it. Research also suggests that cold water immersion can have physiological and emotional benefits. I find, when I get into the water, the coolness takes away all my worries and anything that was niggling away at me in my mind. Finally, there's so much cultural history in Scotland tied to the sea and coastal communities. Sometimes, you might be snorkelling below a castle or through sea caves or a harbour – you gain an understanding of the connection between people and the sea over time. The Scottish Wildlife Trust's latest project, Sea the connection, aims to reduce barriers some people face when connecting with the sea. As told to Donna Ferguson
