Phoebe Taplin

2 months ago | theguardian.com | Phoebe Taplin

The green tidal mudflats are noisy with gulls and lapwings as the ferry sails towards Yarmouth. Far out on sparkling water, a white sail stands out against misty downs. The Victorian poet laureate Alfred, Lord Tennyson regularly tramped over those chalky hills, declaring “the air is worth ‘sixpence a pint’”. There is no need to drive for a holiday on the Isle of Wight. Regular ferries connect with mainland trains and the island has a good network of buses.

Feb 26, 2025 | msn.com | Phoebe Taplin

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Feb 26, 2025 | msn.com | Phoebe Taplin

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Feb 26, 2025 | theguardian.com | Phoebe Taplin

The banks by the lane are white with snowdrops and a mistle thrush sings in the bare orchard. The writer Thomas Hardy grew up in the thatched cottage at the end of this track. His earliest poem, Domicilium, describes the house as it was in 1800 when his great-grandfather built it. The gardens were wilderness and the lane “a narrow path shut in by ferns”. This cottage, where Hardy wrote Far from the Madding Crowd, is the starting point for a 220-mile hike, the Hardy Way.

Dec 21, 2024 | theguardian.com | Phoebe Taplin

The Churchill Arms, LondonIt’s hard to imagine a list of Christmassy pubs without the maximalist Churchill in Kensington. Its outside is usually covered in flowers, while inside, where Thai food and pints of London Pride are served, the ceiling and walls are hung with a strange collection of artefacts: lanterns, butterflies, 100 assorted chamber pots, second world war memorabilia and pictures of Winston Churchill, whose grandparents were regulars.