Costa del Tottenham, north London
Tottenham was, pre-lockdown, one of London’s up-and-coming nightlife hubs, led by warehouse-with-a-conscience nightclub the Cause. The club remains closed, but its team has transformed several industrial spaces next door into Costa del Tottenham, an open-air venue with a festival spirit. It’s a large all-weather space, open daytimes and evenings, with DJs, street food and lots of outdoor seating. The Southside area has palm trees, murals and big beats on the Terrace; a few steps down the road, Northside has trestle tables inside and a tropical disco-style stage hosting quiz nights and craft beer bottomless brunches. Group tickets must be booked in advance (£10pp), and inside it’s table service via an app. A rota of street food traders ranges from Neapolitan pizza and spicy Indian kati rolls to vegan “tofish” tacos and fried jerk cauliflower in ginger beer batter with slaw.
• costadeltottenham.co.uk
Sailing, south Cornwall
Budding sailors can spend a day learning how to hoist the sales, trim the rig, tie knots and other skills, while sailing around St Austell Bay on one of two historic boats from Unesco-listed Charlestown Harbour, a location for the BBC’s Poldark. Full- or half-day trips (£95/£50 adult, £45/£30 child 10+, including lunch) take place on Anny, a 1930s fishing topsail schooner, and the 19-metre 1904 Mascotte, the largest surviving Bristol Channel pilot cutter. There’s birds to spot in the bay, as well as basking sharks, seals, porpoises and dolphins. Proceeds from Mascotte trips help support the newly launched Rich’s Boat Charitable Trust, which uses sailing as a tool to aid positive mental health.
• charlestownharbour.com
Interlude performance festival, Norwich
Actors can’t take to the stage at Norwich Theatre’s three venues yet, but from 10 August to 20 September the city will host a season of summer shows in collaboration with Lost in Translation Circus. Six weeks of comedy, music, circus, cabaret, magic and family shows are set to take place in a big top tent in Chapelfield Gardens. Performers include Mark Watson, Arabella Weir, Jimmy Carr, Ruby Wax, Paul Chowdhry, magician Ben Hart, and the Joe Ringer jazz band. For those missing the feel of a theatre building, the nearby Norwich Playhouse has turned its auditorium into a bar (Thurs-Sat), inviting customers on to the stage for a drink.
• norwichtheatre.org
Maize maze at Skylark, Cambridgeshire
Skylark Garden Centre, near the fenland town of March, has two mazes this year, a 4.8 hectare (12-acre) one and a smaller one for younger children. The main maze gets a new design each year and for 2020 organisers have cut out a thank-you message to the NHS. Included in the ticket (£10 adult, £12 child, booking advised) is access to the Funyard, with tractor rides, go-karting, den-building, an obstacle course, a 15-metre zipwire and farm animals to feed. There’s a barbecue hut and other refreshments onsite, and picnics are welcome. Maze map proceeds will be donated to NHS Charities Together and the Fenland Road Safety Campaign.
• skylark-events.co.uk
Tate galleries, nationwide
The reopening of the four Tate galleries was a welcome beacon in uncertain times for the creative industries. And while entry remains free (though online booking is essential), donations are vital. Highlights from current temporary shows include: retrospectives of work by Steve McQueen (to 6 Sept), Andy Warhol (to 15 Nov), and Hungarian artist Dóra Maurer’s experimental photography (to 21 Jan 2021), all at Tate Modern; Aubrey Beardsley’s distinctive drawings (to 20 Sep) at Tate Britain; immersive exhibition Op Art in Focus (to 17 Jan 2021) and an upcomingDon McCullin photography show at Tate Liverpool (16 Sept-9 May 2021); and Modern Art in St Ives (booking until 27 Sept), with sculptures from Naum Gabo and Emily Speed’s Rooms Designed for a Woman film, at Tate St Ives.
• tate.org.uk
The Wave, Bristol
Inland surf centre The Wave reopened its 185-metre lake on 1 August. Suitable for all ages and abilities, the Wavegarden technology produces up to 1,000 waves an hour, varying in size and power, from 50cm up to 2.4 metres. Wave-riding averages are around 15-20 seconds, longer than at most UK surf beaches. Timed slots are available from dawn for advanced surfers, and beginners and intermediate levels throughout the day until sunset. Coaching is available, with group sizes limited to five; tickets to surf independently cost from £50 adult, £40 child 10+, wetsuits and surfboards included. There are pop-up food outlets onsite.
• thewave.com
Fat biking on the dunes, Bridgend
Ride the dunes instead of the waves in Bridgend, south Wales, home to Europe’s second-tallest sand dune – the 60-metre Big Dipper. Fat bikes are designed to travel over a range of terrain and are well-suited to these sandy peaks and troughs near the village of Merthyr Mawr. Rest Bay Watersports Centre hires out bikes (from £15 adult, £10 child) for a workout around the 323 hectares of dunes, also known as the South Wales Sahara. Nearby are the seaside town of Porthcawl, Kenfig nature reserve and the River Ogmore with its castle ruins.
• bridgend.gov.uk
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