The Guardian — Life & Style • Jan. 12, 2026, 2:34 a.m.

On a running pilgrimage in the land of my forebears I was blown away by the scenery – and even more so by the warmth of the people As a long-distance runner, I had always wanted to use running as a means of travel, a way to traverse a landscape. I’d heard of people running across Africa, or the length of New Zealand, and the idea of embarking on an epic journey propelled only by my own two legs was compelling.

I had just turned 50, and some might have said I was having a mid-life crisis, but I preferred to envisage it as a sort of pilgrimage – a journey in search of meaning and connection. And the obvious place to traverse, for me, was the land of my ancestors: Ireland.

Most summers as a child, my Irish parents would take us “home” to Ireland, to visit relatives, sitting on sofas in small cottages, a plate of soda bread on the table, a pot of tea under a knitted cosy.

The Guardian — Life & Style • Jan. 12, 2026, 2:34 a.m.

This 14-mile section of the Sandstone Trail crosses an ancient landscape of hills, woods and ridges, bookended by two fine old inns Deep in the heartland of rural Cheshire, there’s a wind-scoured ridge of sandstone that hides a two-storey cave known as Mad Allen’s Hole. Here, on the flanks of Bickerton Hill, it is said that in the 18th century a heartbroken man called John Harris of Handley lived as a hermit for several decades.

As locations to weather the storm of romantic trauma go, this – I mused as I stood above it on a crisp winter’s day – certainly takes some beating. Offering a panorama of nine counties of England and Wales from its entrance, I could spy the white disc of Jodrell Bank Observatory glistening in the sunlight, while the peaks and troughs of the Clwydian range appeared like a watermark in the distance.

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The Guardian — Life & Style • Jan. 12, 2026, 2:34 a.m.

The festive season can stretch waistbands and wallets to breaking point. Here’s our pick of boltholes for a new year reset – each with a spa and rooms for under £160 a night Virginia Woolf described the South Downs as “too much for one pair of eyes, enough to float a whole population in happiness”.

So where better to head at this time of year, when our happiness levels are traditionally at their lowest ebb? Striding across the rolling chalkland towards the teetering sea cliffs buoyed up by a stiff breeze is the perfect antidote to the January blues.

And if there’s a cosy hotel bar with an open fire waiting for you at the end of the walk, so much the better. Continue reading...

The Guardian — Life & Style • Jan. 12, 2026, 2:34 a.m.

On Ulva, in the Inner Hebrides, Banjo Beale and his husband are transforming a rundown mansion into their dream hotel, while another adventurous couple have created a charming bothy for hardier folk Ulva House is a building site. There are workmen up ladders, hammering, plastering, but I leave my muddy walking boots by the door.

There’s no central heating or hot water and Banjo Beale and his husband, Ro, have been camping out here for weeks, but he greets me, dazzlingly debonair, in a burnt orange beanie and fabulous Moroccan rug coat. The 2022 winner of the BBC’s Interior Design Masters, who went on to front his own makeover show Designing the Hebrides , Banjo’s vibe is more exuberant Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen than quizzical Kevin McCloud.

The Guardian — Life & Style • Jan. 12, 2026, 2:34 a.m.

Poland’s capital is now rated above cities like San Francisco and Copenhagen for its vegan options. We sample plant-based schnitzel, ramen and, of course, pierogi Pinny on, hands dusted with flour, I rolled out dough, cut it into circles, added a spoonful of filling and sealed it into little parcels.

I was getting stuck into a dumpling cooking class in one of the most vegan-friendly cities in the world. Making gyoza in Tokyo, perhaps?

Wontons in Singapore? Potstickers in Taipei?

The Guardian — Life & Style • Jan. 12, 2026, 2:34 a.m.

Our popular readers’ tips column has been running for 20 years. We’ve selected some highlights from the past 12 months to help you plan your 2026 adventures • Enter this week’s competition, on life-changing holidays Continue reading...

The Guardian — Life & Style • Jan. 12, 2026, 2:34 a.m.

Dara, 24, a trainee accountant, meets Alexia, 24, a healthcare worker What were you hoping for? Something a little different for a Tuesday night, and a fancy meal with some good company.

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The Guardian — Life & Style • Jan. 12, 2026, 2:34 a.m.

The Guardian’s sex advice column is coming to an end after 20 years. Here are some of the most memorable questions and answers • Pamela Stephenson Connolly on two decades of solving readers’ sex problems My wonderful new wife is everything I have always looked for in a woman.

The issue is that she is openly and proudly bisexual. When we first became involved, she even joked that she didn’t want me getting mad when it was time for her to visit her friend on girls’ trips.

A threesome with a bisexual woman has always been my fantasy. She even gave me permission to go online and find a “unicorn” for us.

The Guardian — Life & Style • Jan. 12, 2026, 2:34 a.m.

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions. In this week’s replies, readers ponder whether acting wins success • Read this week’s question: Should speed cameras be hidden?

Can you really fake it to make it? Does bluffing – or even, arguably, “manifesting” lead to success?

Gareth Edwards, by email Continue reading...

The Guardian — Life & Style • Jan. 12, 2026, 2:34 a.m.

Nolo beer is becoming easier, cheaper and tastier, so tip one back in Dry January without a care As the last of the liqueur bottles are consigned to the recycling and the festive hangovers subside, even those of us who scorn the very concept of Dry January (no booze at all ? In the gloomiest month of the year?

Are they mad?) tend to take our feet off the alcohol pedal and give our livers something of a rest. Water, of course, is the easiest, cheapest and probably most effective way to detox; it’s also the most boring.

We can zap our inner organs with herbal infusions, turmeric/kale/spirulina shots and smoothies, or with the fermented goodness of kombuchas and kefirs, but sometimes the mindful drinking halo of virtue can become too heavy to bear and we want something that feels like a “real” drink.

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