Caroline Flack: Her Life And Death
Channel 4, Wednesday, 9pm
Family and friends pay tribute to the Caroline (pictured in her teenage years with twin sister Jody) they knew in a documentary which goes behind the headlines to offer a truthful profile of the complex woman behind the public persona, exploring the pressures fame heaped on the much-missed Strictly winner’s fragile shoulders.
Climb off the couch and head to your nearest public park. Need inspiration? Look no further
Duthie Park, Aberdeen
Large, well-kept park with duck pond, summer rose gardens, carved sculptures and the famous David Welch Winter Garden of subtropical palms/ferns, home to one of the UK’S biggest cacti collections. aberdeencity.gov.uk
Macrosty Park, Crieff
On your left as you leave Crieff for Comrie and Crianlarich. A perfect green place on sloping ground to the River Earn (good level walk – Lady Mary’s Walk) with mature trees and superb bandstand. Brilliant for kids. pkc.gov.uk
Wilton Lodge Park, Hawick
A nice park with facilities and diversions enough for everyone, eg the civic gallery,
Macrosty Park, Crieff
rugby pitches (they like rugby a lot in Hawick), a large kids’ playground, a seasonal café and lots of riverside walks by the Teviot ( you can smell the river banks). All-round open-air recreation centre. South end of town by A7. scotborders.gov.uk
Callendar Park, Falkirk
Park on edge of town centre, signed from all over. Near a busy road system, this is nevertheless a beautiful green space with a big hoose (heritage museum with exhibitions), woods and lawns. See also The Kelpies and the Helix 2/attractions. falkirkcommunitytrust.org
Beveridge Park, Kirkcaldy
Another big municipal park with a duck and boat pond, wide-open spaces and many amusements (eg bowling, tennis, putting, plootering). Ravenscraig, a coastal park on the main road east to Dysart, is an excellent place to walk. Great prospect of the firth and its coves and cruise. fifedirect.org.uk
Peter Irvine is the author of the essential travel guide Scotland the Best published by Collins, priced £15.99
Lockdown has led to a new way of life – and a new way of thinking – when it comes to holidays.
Over the last 12 months, many of us have embraced staycations and sought solace in nature by embracing our wilder side with camping adventures.
With breaks abroad looking unlikely again this year, a new guidebook could help you make summer plans.
Almost Wild Camping, launched by Cool Camping later this month, features 50 off-grid campsites in some of Britain’s wildest locations, from a new North Cornwall site within walking distance of the beach to a tiny, 10-person campsite in the Cairngorms, only accessible by wading through a river. Many of the sites included only launched within the last few years.
Whether you’re a first time tenter looking for somewhere remote or an experienced wild camper just wanting to meet up with friends, every location is a designated campsite but all have that primitive wild camping feel, where waterfalls and woods will be your nearest neighbours. You’ll have the added benefit of open campfires, composting loos and maybe even the chance of a bucket shower beneath a tree.
There’s also an opening chapter on genuine wild camping, with tips, advice, safety information and details on the essential bits, like going to the loo or finding fresh drinking water.
“Camping in Britain provides such variation and more opportunities than ever for a backto-nature experience,” says Cool Camping founder, Jonathan Knight.
“This new book brings together our favourite ‘almost wild’ camping spots with some brilliant new finds, each with something unique to offer beyond an off-grid pitch, be it epic mountain views, unpolluted starry skies or a secret beach where you can explore ancient boat remains.”
Cool Camping editor and co-author of the book, James Warner Smith, added: “This new guide brings together two British loves, camping and heading for the wild.
“Almost Wild Camping offers a selection of places that shun the onsite cafés and organized activities of the modern-day campsite and instead offer that truly rustic camping experience, where a shower is a luxury and mobile signal is the stuff of fiction.”
Almost Wild Camping book, priced at £12.95 is out on March 22.