Quidditch quizzes
HARRY Potter fans can win wizard prizes on quiz nights at Warner Bros Studio Tour London. Guests will get a tour of the Harry Potter studio, enjoy a meal in the Backlot Cafe, then take their seats in the Great Hall for the quiz, taking place on July 5, 12 and 19. Muggles can snap up tickets from £65pp at wbstudiotour.co.uk. OH you will like to be beside the seaside with this hot selection of England’s favourite beach resorts.
Arty start St Ives, Cornwall
This Cornish haven manages to be artistic, traditional and touristic all in one.
The walled harbour is still as delightful as when top artists Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson settled here in the 1940s. Jammed in among the boutique-filled, cobbled lanes, is a branch of the Tate with spectacular sea views.
You can also ignore all that and go surfing on the Blue Flag rated Porthmeor beach or set out to hike to nearby Land’s End. STAY: At the bright, eight-bedroom B&B No4 St Ives, within five minutes walk of the harbour. Doubles from £90. See no4stives.com.
Bright lights Brighton, East Sussex
It hosts cutting-edge music festival The Great Escape and the most popular gay pride event in the country.
But Brighton also has the Palace Pier, the Lanes for quirky shops and bars and the Victorian promenade. The beach is pebbly, but folk come here for its energy, not its swimming. STAY: Located right on the seafront, the Old Ship Hotel is a period piece with doubles from £76.50. See thecairncollection.co.uk.
Right Wey Weymouth, Dorset
A crescent of golden sand on one side and the extraordinary Chesil Beach on the other, Weymouth is a hit. And it hit headlines recently with the release of film On Chesil Beach.
The sheltered bay was the venue for sailing events in the London Olympics and its southern tip, Portland Bill, is home to one of Britain’s most spectacular lighthouses and most powerful tides. Add in a sealife park, revolving tower and the Jurassic Coast and there is heaps to do for couples and families. STAY: In a Grade II listed Georgian building facing the beach, with bright modern rooms. Doubles from £56. See bb-weymouth.com.
Extra bite Whitby, North Yorkshire
Steam trains, bobbing boats, a ruined abbey and a long stretch of beach hut-rich sand. That’s Whitby, Yorkshire’s go-to beach resort.
This is a place of stories that will fire the imagination: Captain James Cook, who discovered Australia, started his seafaring life in Whitby and is celebrated in a museum here.
And another famous character ended his (fictional) journey here. Bram Stoker’s Dracula came ashore at Whitby – Stoker was inspired after staying in this terrific town. STAY: Mariners’ Rest is a sweet semi-detached cottage that sleeps eight. Seven nights cost from £559. See sykescottages.co.uk.
Paign a pleasure Paignton, Devon
Seaside traditions are at their best at this, one of the sunniest of the south coast resorts.
The English Riviera has a cracker of a beach in Goodrington Sands, with steam trains of the Dart Valley Railway running along behind.
Its unexpected bonus is its exceptional zoo but this is in essence a gentle, good value family resort. It has all the bright lights of Torquay on one side and the spectacular Dart River valley and Dartmouth on the other. STAY: Two Beaches is a well-appointed cottage that sleeps four close to Goodrington and Paignton Sands. It costs from £498 for three days. See bluechipholidays.co.uk.
Golden oldie Blackpool
A true veteran, Blackpool is a resort for all seasons and for holidaymakers who like plenty of entertainment.
You get the Pleasure Beach and the view from the Blackpool Tower plus knotted hankies, knickerbocker glories and saucy end-of-the-pier variety shows.
The Illuminations run from August until November and the UK’S only original tramway, opened in 1885, rumbles along the seafront. But let’s not forget why the resort started in the first place – that stunning seven mile beach. STAY: The grand 19th-century four-star Imperial Hotel, on the North Promenade with a tram stop