Festivals 2016: The Simple Things

We’re taking time to switch off at some of the finest festivals this summer. Come along to enjoy good food, being outdoors, interesting music and a chance to learn a thing or two.

The Simple Things will be at the following festivals, you can find out more and book tickets at the links below

Caught by the River

6-7 August, Fulham Palace, London

Two remarkable days of music, arts and nature. Gathering bands and brewers, authors and artists, thinkers and drinkers on the banks of the River Thames

Valley Fest

2-4 September, Chew Magna, Somerset

Smile 'til your cheeks ache. Family fun in beautiful countryside. Dancing, music, movies and top-notch sustainable food.

The Good Life Experience

16-18 September, Hawarden Estate, Flintshire

A weekend of fun and discovery. Music, books, food and the great outdoors for all the family

Readers of The Simple Things will get 10 per cent off festival tickets until the end of July – quote TGLESIMPLE to claim your discount. For more information and tickets visit thegoodlifeexperience.co.uk

Listen: Journeys playlist

Something for your holiday? Listen to our songs about journeys. 

Listen now

Read more from the July issue:

More playlists from The Simple Things:

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

FREE! Reykjavík city guide

In each issue of The Simple Things we publish a local’s insider guide to some of the coolest, most interesting and simply favourite cities to visit. As the summer holiday begins, we’re re-publishing some of them to download, in association with our friends at Inntravel – The slow holiday people

Download Jenna Gottlieb's Reykjavík guide for free here. This guide was first published in July 2015.

You can also download guides to Helsinki, Paris, Copenhagen, Florence, Amsterdam Berlin, or Palma by clicking on the links.

You’ll find a resident’s guide to Bristol for the July EXPLORE issue, on sale now. Or you can buy here

MY CITY is supported by INNTRAVEL, the Slow Holiday people, who have spent the last three decades exploring Europe’s most beautiful corners along the lesser-trodden path. When it comes to cities, their self-guided walking tours have been carefully researched using their own expert knowledge and insider tips from locals. These specially created routes take in the best-known sights, but also those hidden gems that others miss. Find out more by visiting http://www.inntravel.co.uk

Escape: Wide open space

A weekend away on a deserted beach, Jen Chillingsworth goes glamping in a bell tent in Northumberland

Our new series comes from online UK travel guide This is Your Kingdom, whose handpicked contributors explore favourite places, special finds and great goings on.

You can read about one we love each month in The Simple Things - turn to page 68 of the June issue for more of this Northumberland glamping adventure - and plenty of others at thisisyourkingdom.co.uk.

Jen Chillingsworth is a regular contributor to thisisyourkingdom.co.uk. She is a freelance writer and photographer based in Yorkshire and blogs at little-birdie.com. She shares her northern adventures on Instagram as @jenlittlebirdie. 

Read more from the June issue:

More This is Your Kingdom posts:

My City: Stockholm botels

Enjoy a spell of midsummer magic as the sun shines in Sweden's cool capital city. Turn to page 62 of June's The Simple Things for a tour around Stockholm with Lola Akinmade Åkerstrom.

Nigerian-born Lola (lolaakinmade.com) is an award-winning writer and photographer whose work appears in National Geographic Traveler, The Guardian and many more. She is the editor of Slow Travel Stockholm (slowtravelstockholm.com). 

Lola says:

Stockholm has some fantastic boat hotels called botels, which are refurbished remnants of the city’s nautical past, now used as modern-day lodgings. 

A list of some botels in Stockholm worth checking out - http://www.slowtravelstockholm.com/historical-stockholm/staying-afloat-stockholms-botels/

Read more from the June issue:

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

Escape: Mellow meadow

A weekend away camping in an idyllic Dorset meadow, Emma Bradshaw and family have fun sleeping under the stars, cooking on the campfire – even washing up in the open air. 

Our new series comes from online UK travel guide This is Your Kingdom, whose handpicked contributors explore favourite places, special finds and great goings on.

You can read about one we love each month in The Simple Things - turn to page 72 of the May issue for more of this Dorset campsite adventure - and plenty of others at thisisyourkingdom.co.uk.

Emma Bradshaw is a contributor to thisisyourkingdom.co.uk. She has three boys, works for Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, blogs at bradshawandsons.com and shares glimpses of daily life on Instagram as @_emmabradshaw. 

Read more from the May issue:

Read more from This is Your Kingdom:

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

Escape: Caravan of love

See, do, stay, love the UK. This month: slow living in a showman's wagon in Scotland. Words and photography by Sarah-Lou Francis.

Our new series comes from online UK travel guide This is Your Kingdom, whose handpicked contributors explore favourite places, special finds and great goings on.

You can read about one we love each month in The Simple Things - turn to page 74 of the April issue for more of this Scottish showman's wagon adventure - and plenty of others at thisisyourkingdom.co.uk.

Sarah-Lou Francis is a contributor to thisisyourkingdom.co.uk. She is a lifestyle and portrait visual storyteller, blogs at lapinblu.com and shares stories from and behind the blog on Instagram as @lapinblu. 

 

 

Read more:

From the April issue

Escape posts

Spring posts

Escape: A house lost in time

Escaping for a peaceful weekend at a house lost in time makes spring all the more exciting. This Welsh cottage inspired Laura Pashby to explore its old charm and the wilds of the surrounding countryside.

Our new series comes from online UK travel guide This is Your Kingdom, whose handpicked contributors explore favourite places, special finds and great goings on.

You can read about one we love each month in The Simple Things - turn to page 66 of the March issue for more of this Welsh cottage adventure - and plenty of others at thisisyourkingdom.co.uk.

Laura Pashby is a contributor to thisisyourkingdom.co.uk. She blogs at circleofpinetrees.com and shares daily stories on Instagram as @circleofpines. 

Read more:

From the March issue

Escape posts

Spring posts

Plenty more in the March issue of The Simple Things, out now - buy, download or subscribe

View the sampler here

Winter beaches: Pubs to watch the waves from

Every blustery winter walk should end hunkered down in a cosy pub with a pie and a pint. Even better, the pub should be by the sea to watch storms roll in and winds whip up the waves as a fire crackles comfortingly beside you.

Try these:

l The Butt and Oyster, Pin Mill, Suffolk

At high tide, the River Orwell reaches the walls of the pub and pints have been known to be handed to sailors through the windows. debeninns.co.uk/buttandoyster

l Pandora Inn, Mylor, Falmouth, Cornwall

Sitting above the Restronquet Creek, this 13th-century pub is the place to perch with a bowl of mussels and watch the tide creep in. Alternatively, wrap up warm and eat outside on the pontoon. pandorainn.com

l The Little Gloster, Gurnard, Isle of Wight

The generous deck looks over the Solent – sit here and watch the yachts drift past or eat in the restaurant and watch the sun set over the horizon. thelittlegloster.com

l The Pilot Inn, Dungeness, Kent 

Head here after a tramp along the UK’s biggest (and most atmospheric) shingle spit for fish, chips and mushy peas. thepilotdungeness.co.uk

l The Harbour Inn, Solva, Pembrokeshire

Sitting above the harbour in Solva National Park, this pub is rambler (and dog) friendly providing a comfortable stop-off along the coastal path. harbourinnsolva.com

Turn to page 64 of February's The Simple Things to read Clare Gogerty's piece on the invigorating yet melancholy pleasures of winter beaches.

Read more: 

From the February issue

The essential winter beach kit

Islands of adventure: Britain's coastline

February's The Simple Things is out now- buy, download or subscribe. 

The essential winter beach kit

Inspired by our February issue, in which Clare Gogerty takes us on an exhilarating journey to some of our finest winter beaches, our shopkeeper, Louise Gorrod, has compiled the essential The Stuff of Life winter beach kit for those wishing to head coastal and blow away those late winter cobwebs. 

Warm layers, wellington boots, waterproof coats and bags, a packed lunch to feast on and your own portable tea making facility will set you up nicely for such an adventure.

For those not willing to brave the sand and shingle quite so early in the year, there are some great coastal inspired homewares and stationery products on the shop too. Don't forget to send us a postcard!

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Images from top, left to right: Seasalt tea towel by Ulster Weavers, £6.50 | Oilcloth bag by Ulster Weavers, £19.00 | Organic print sweatshirt by Lost Shapes, £32.00 | Wellington Boots by Story Horse, £35.00 | Raincoat by Story Horse, £40.00 | Yay! lunchbox by Quince Living, £7.50 | Ghillie Kettle by The Glam Camping Company, £47.50 | Pack away bucket by The Glam Camping Company, £19.95 | Set of coastal greeting cards by Alfie’s Studio, £8.00

Event: Puddle jumping and pancake racing this half term

This month release your inner child and get your wellies on and frying pan out

In half term the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust hosts National Puddle Jumping Competitions at its nine centres. Marks are awarded for enthusiasm, style and size of splash. This one’s for kids only, but you could always host your own.

We all love Shrove Tuesday (9 February) so why not join your local race? The original pancake race was said to be in Olney, Bucks, where they’ve been racing since 1445. Now, the town holds many races, flipping competitions and prizes for best fillings.

Visit wwt.org.uk/bigsplash or olneypancakerace.org

Read more:

From the February issue

Pancake posts

Listen to our bus journey playlist 

February's The Simple Things is out now- buy, download or subscribe. ​

Tips: How to taste wine

It might not be the first thing you associate with the local countryside, but our green and pleasant lands make ideal terroir for sparkling wine. On page 72 of October's The Simple Things, Johanna Derry takes on the tough job of tasting wine among the vines.

Vineyards are popping up all over Britain, as growers learn to use our cooler climate to their advantage. But how best to taste the spoils?

Tips on how to taste wine from top English winemaker Owen Elias

• Serve white or sparkling wine in a tulip-shaped glass between 8 and 10C. The shape of the glass traps in the aromatics giving the wine a good 'nose'. 
• Hold the glass by the stem so you don't warm the wine, give it a swirl and a sniff, and pay attention to what you can smell.
• Taste the wine and, as you do, take a little air into your mouth to release the flavours. You'll get the acidic ones first and then the rest will appear afterwards. It's not necessary to spit it out. Unless you're the designated driver, of course.  

Find out more about English wine in this video:

Read more:

From the October issue

More wine posts

Try a saffron G&T

October's The Simple Things is on sale - buy, download or subscribe now.

Swimwear: Grown-up styles for lido lasses

Up and down the country our outdoor pools are enjoying a revival and work is underway to help restore the faded glory of many more of these historic treasures. It was around the 1930s when lidos became all the rage, with many built in a bold, elaborate Art Deco style, somewhat symbolic of the behaviour they encouraged (stripping off and larking about). There’s always been something carefree and rather extravagant about them. For a start how many days are hot enough to swim in those bright blue, sparkling waters, bearing in mind they need a good spell of sunshine to warm up? In spite of that we do love swimming in a lido – it must be the most nostalgic and literally breath-taking summer activity. 

Turn to page 16 of August's The Simple Things for a directory of our favourite lidos.

And if you need something to wear when you're there, try one of these five grown-up swimwear styles.

Left to right: 

Emerald green swimsuit - For Luna

Polka dot bikini - Toast

Chic swimsuit - Boden

Boyleg maillot - Anthropologie

Classic bikini - Simply Be

Read more:

• More from the August issue
• Drinks recipes
• Picnic ideas

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August's The Simple Things is on sale - buy, download, subscribe or look inside now!

Event: The Just So Festival

An award-winning festival for families, the Just So Festival provides an imaginative outdoor adventure like no other, showcasing the best art, music, literature, comedy and theatre in a wondrous landscape of woodland clearings, rolling parkland, arboreal amphitheatres and lakeside spots.  

This year’s theme is “the golden age of travel”. Expect mischief and mayhem, lands full of magical midnight feasts, raucous pillow fights, tribal tournaments and curious creatures.

The Just So Festival takes place 21 – 23 August at Rode Hall Estate, Cheshire. Find out more on the website, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.

Have a look at this video from last year's Just So Festival:

Rightmans Place

For our beautiful Summer Days shoot in the New Forest, we stayed at Rightmans Place, a stylish and family-friendly Huntsman’s Lodge. Think luxury self catering meets boutique hotel. Guests have free range of a beautifully restored country home, with over 20 private acres to explore, and wild New Forest ponies at the garden gate.

There’s a walled garden, rope swings and wildflower meadows along with a south-facing sun terrace that calls for an afternoon Pimms.

Big get-togethers are no problem as there’s room for a gathering around the large oak table in the country kitchen, complete with Aga.

On balmy evenings fling open the huge doors and dine alfresco or in the cooler months, cosy up in front of the comforting wood burner and view the deer graze. The dining room is something special – expect fireplace envy. Can’t find the TV? Let the kids reveal it at the click of a button behind a classic oil painting.

Six bedrooms and several bathrooms ensure everyone can bag a their own space. And you can bring the family dog too with their own quarters in the laundry and utility rooms.

Short breaks cost from £2065 (Sleeps 11+cots). Find out more at newforestliving.co.uk or call 01590 427887

See our Summer Days feature in the August issue of The Simple Things - out 29 July 2015 and you can buy direct from our shop - and more of our pics here.

Recipe: Flip-flop-pop fish and campers' coleslaw

'This is a super-simple way to cook fish when you’re camping. It is also a very child-friendly recipe. In fact, it was my five-year-old who suggested the Rice Krispies coating. It works brilliantly and provides a satisfying crunch. You could try breadcrumbs, rolled oats or even cornflakes in place of the Rice Krispies. The coleslaw is low-cost, quick and easy and very tasty.'

Ali Ray, author of Pitch Up, Eat Local

Serves 4

4 skinless fish fillets (use white, firm, flaky-fleshed fish such as pouting, whiting or sustainably caught cod or pollock)
Olive oil
4 soft bread buns

For the coating

Plain flour
2 tsp paprika
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
3 large handfuls of Rice Krispies
1 large egg, beaten

For the coleslaw

Half a red cabbage
Half a white cabbage
Half a red onion
3 carrots, peeled
4 tbsp plain yoghurt
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard

1 First, make the coleslaw. Slice the cabbage and onion as thinly as possible. Put in a large bowl. Grate the carrots into the bowl. Add the yoghurt and mustard and mix well.

2 Sprinkle at least 6 tbsp plain flour over a large plate and mix in the paprika, grated lemon zest, salt and pepper.

3 Crush the Rice Krispies in a freezer bag and pour on to a separate plate. Have your beaten egg in a wide bowl next to this.

4 One at a time, flip the fish fillets over in the flour, then flop in the egg, then flip back into the flour. Pop into the Rice Krispies, making sure the fillets are well coated.

5 Heat up a slug of olive oil in a large frying pan. Put the coated fish fillets in the pan, and fry for about 4 minutes on each side. Resist the temptation to push the fish about with a spatula as it might disintegrate. Check the fish is cooked.

6 Put the fish fillets and a heap of coleslaw in a soft bread bun to serve.

Recipe from Pitch Up, Eat Local by Ali Ray (AA Publishing).
See August's issue of The Simple Things for coastal campsites and the perfect pitch - buy, download or subscribe now.

Read more:

• Sunshine Hash recipe
• Picnic Loaf recipe
• Campfire Beef & Beans recipe
• Camping food inspiration on Pinterest

Sounds of our shores: World Listening Day

To celebrate World Listening Day and the theme of water, join in with the Sounds of our Shores project and record sounds of waves at noon tomorrow.

From crashing waves to bustling piers, children’s laughter to chattering seabird colonies, what we hear at the coast connects us to it. The sounds of our shores project (National Trust/British Library/National Trust for Scotland) aims to get as many people as possible recording the sounds of waves along the whole UK coastline at 12 noon on Saturday 18 July. The aim is to build up a sonic snapshot of how waves sound and how this sound is affected by the beach, the topography of the land etc. The coastal sound map aims to reflect the beauty and diversity of the entire UK coast, 775 miles of which are cared for by the National Trust thanks to their Neptune Coastline Campaign.

Getting involved

To take part in the project, which runs for three months until 21 September, you can record a sound from anywhere on the UK’s 10,800 mile coastline from beaches to ports, cliffs to seaside towns. You can also share historic coastal sounds to illustrate how our coastline has changed.

Each sound should be an audio or video clip up to five minutes long and can be uploaded along with a location, images and a description to the map via the audioBoom website or app and there’s lots of great information to help you. You can also share your sounds on social media using #shoresounds.

Tips to get you started

The British Library website has useful tips for making the most of your coastal recordings including how to minimise unwanted wind noise and advice for recording near wildlife. There’s also practical information on using a smartphone, tablet or handheld recorder.

What you record is completely up to you but Catherine Lee, community and volunteering officer on the Lizard in Cornwall and a former sound recordist, has a few suggestions to get you going:

Footsteps in the sand
People ordering and eating ice-creams
Waves crashing against the rocks
Seagulls calling

Sounds of the Shores is featured as part of July's Things to Plan and Do (page 16). Read more - July's issue is available from all good newsagents, supermarkets and our official online store. 

Sold out? Download it from Apple Newsstand or subscribe now.

Meet the bloggers: Lottie from Oyster & Pearl

In the May issue we introduced you to four bloggers on The Simple Things team. In the second of a series of guest posts, Lottie Storey, Digital Editor and author of Oyster & Pearl, shares a blog post describing her first Airbnb experience.

Travelling may be one of life’s greatest pleasures, but feeling like a traveller? Not so much. Standing on an unfamiliar street, squinting at a map, the realisation it might be time to croak out a few words of GCSE-learned language to ask a passerby for help. These are the things that make me cringe a little. I’d much rather appear effortlessly native. Who wouldn’t?

Last month, when in the capital for Blogtacular, the Mollie Makes Handmade Awards, a Team Simple Things planning meeting, and a rather exciting craft workshop (more to come on those!), we chose not to stay in a hotel. Although there are many wonderful hotels in London - more than 700 at the last count - we were staying for a long weekend and it felt like the right time to pop our Airbnb cherry.

Airbnb is an absolutely brilliant idea. Seriously. Over a million properties all across the world are up on the site allowing you to stay in a real home rather than a hotel, wherever you may be visiting. The place we chose was a boho cottage in Bloomsbury owned by Ben (I’m a sucker for alliteration; it was fate). As you can see from these pictures, it’s about as far removed from a sterile hotel as you can get.

My parents are big fans of house swaps, meaning we travelled a lot as kids and stayed in countless real homes. The thought of sleeping in someone else’s bed is not so Goldilocks to me. Just to make us feel extra welcome, Ben was there to hand over the keys, show us round his abode, give directions and recommendations for local cafes and restaurants, and he’d even stocked up the kitchen for us with basics like bread and milk (and a bottle of wine - definitely a basic in my book). After he left, we got a bit giddy exploring this delightfully decorated little cottage.

The ground floor - an open-plan kitchen/diner and living room - was comfy and cosy, books covered most walls and a turntable and stack of vinyl was left out for us to peruse. The sofa and armchair were large and squidgy, various knick knacks adorned the mantelpiece. But the most fascinating thing for me was Ben’s collection of art. Classic oil paintings were hung alongside music memorabilia and pop art prints. I loved his style.

Upstairs, the bedroom felt grand, with its heavy mustard velvet curtains, antique furniture, and doors through to the adjoining dressing room (which also has a pull down bed to allow the cottage to sleep four). A stack of old suitcases were stuffed on top of the chinois wardrobe, a dressmaker’s dummy wore a bowler hat, and a beautifully painted screen made me want to have packed an impractical nightdress and fluffy mules. Elsewhere, two tiny bathrooms were cleverly fitted into otherwise unusable spaces - up in the eaves and under the stairs.

And the neighbourhood? Well, if I were to move to London, all things being equal I’d pick Bloomsbury. The cottage was a few minutes from Kings Cross and Russell Square stations, but an easy walk from Oxford Street, Soho, or Tottenham Court Road. On the night we arrived we headed round the corner to a pub that served amazing tapas, and further down the road was a Waitrose and many other lovely shops and caffs. After the tapas, we went for a stroll to see what we could see, and stumbled on the Foundling Museum. I’ve always wanted to visit this London institution. It tells the story of the parents who left children they weren’t able to take care of, along with a trinket by which they hoped to identify them when they returned. Sadly, we didn’t manage to visit this time but I hope to go back.

By the end of the weekend we were exhausted but didn’t want to leave. The little cottage had begun to feel like home. Without an inflexible checkout time, we were able to pack at our own pace, which removed some of the stress of travelling back to Bristol. But not the sadness. Airbnb is such a reassuringly easy way to travel. I can feel plans brewing already… Here’s to adventures ahead!

You can find details of the boho Bloomsbury cottage here. This property worked out at about £195 per night for two adults. If you are new to Airbnb then you can sign up here and you will get £16 off your first booking.

Read the rest of our Meet the bloggers series.

FREE! My City Guides

In each issue of The Simple Things we publish a local’s insider guide to some of the coolest, most interesting and simply favourite cities to visit. As the summer holiday begins, we’re releasing one online each week in association with our friends at Inntravel – The slow holiday people

This week it’s Berlin. Download Sandra Juto’s guide for free here

This guide was first published in October 2012 - issue 1*

Did you miss Helsinki, Paris, Copenhagen, Florence, Amsterdam or Marrakech?  They’re still available to download.

Coming soon!

2 July – Palma

We'll post on our Twitter and Facebook when they are published.

*Since this guide was published, Café Slörm has now closed. The statue of Karl Marx is not in Karl-Marx-Allee but in the public park , Marx-Engels Forum in Mitte.

MY CITY is supported by INNTRAVEL, the Slow Holiday people, who have spent the last three decades exploring Europe’s most beautiful corners along the lesser-trodden path. When it comes to cities, their self-guided walking tours have been carefully researched using their own expert knowledge and insider tips from locals. These specially created routes take in the best-known sights, but also those hidden gems that others miss. Find out more by visiting http://www.inntravel.co.uk

Outing: Making a bus journey into an adventure PLUS a playlist

WHETHER YOU PLAY ‘CHARABANC ROULETTE’ AND GO WHERE FATE TAKES YOU, OR TAKE A SLOW CHUG IN A VINTAGE VEHICLE, LIFE LOOKS DIFFERENT FROM THE DECK OF A BUS. 

On page 68 of July's The Simple Things, Julian Owen takes us on a trip down memory lane.

Need a soundtrack? Have a listen to our bus journey playlist for 41 minutes of songs to listen to while those wheels go round. Cheers drive, as they say in the west country.