It’s a little known fact that a bag of soggy chips on a windswept bench are not, in fact, the compulsory ingredients of a British weekend. No one needs to stay prisoner to the crummy weather and predominantly grotty tourist attractions. (Oh come on! The London Aquarium is one thing, but Bognor petting zoo is quite another.) It’s possible, in fact, to spend a whole weekend in the UK without stepping foot in a pub. No, really!
Here some bites from abroad to be found in good old Blighty:
Festival: Tour de France
Check out the spectacle of dozens of international cyclists competing in this year’s Tour de France. They’ll be parading round Trafalgar square at 6pm tonight and there’ll be live music to follow. On Saturday there’s a carnival of floats circling the route round London that the cyclists will be taking from 1pm and then another chance to see them ride as the “prologue” sprint starts at 3pm. Finally, on Sunday the Grand Depart of the actual Tour de France will start at the Mall. Get down there to check out the champions.
Exhibition: Ice Station Antarctica
Do you have what it takes to survive the coldest, windiest and most remote place on Earth? Pull on your long-johns and brave the freeze at the Natural History Museum.
Film: Golden Door
Emanuele Crialese’s story of a Sicilian family emigrating to America is steeped in the magic and superstition of their rural homeland. Salvatore, head of the family, takes his family’s life in his hands, holding them together through the chaos of the journey and the baffling immigration process beyond. Two hours of poetry and adventure with bizarrely surreal interludes… go with an open mind and you’ll love it.
Buy tickets for Golden Door at a Vue cinema near you.
Gardens: Mediterranean Summer at Kew
Sod the rain, you could be wandering through balmy olive groves, sniffing scented pine woodlands and watching the palms sway on a sandy beach. Kew are hosting a summer long homage to all things Mediterranean and from similar climates as far afield as Australia. It's the closest you can get to that sunshine-and-sangria feeling without fishing out your passport. Dip your toe in Kew's Med.
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