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Scottish Sun
05-06-2025
- Scottish Sun
I've walked the whole UK coast and this often-mocked island one hour from London is the friendliest seaside town
Plus, he reveals the bay that looks like it's from the Bahamas OFF THE COAST I've walked the whole UK coast and this often-mocked island one hour from London is the friendliest seaside town WHEN Quintin Lake travelled for five years around the UK, he encountered all sorts of coastlines, and people too. For his new book The Perimeter, Quintin ventured across entire coastline of mainland Britain which covered 6800 miles and found what he called the "friendliest place I've ever been." 7 Quintin Lake travelled the entire UK coastline Credit: Quintin Lake 7 He called Canvey Island the 'friendliest' place in the country Credit: Alamy Talking to Sun Travel about his coastal adventure, Quintin told us: "I thought Canvey Island in Essex was the friendliest place that I'd been. "I wouldn't knock places like that either because it's really easy to get to from London." The Essex island in the Thames Estuary near Southend-on-Sea that's separated from Essex by a network of creeks. The island's main attraction is an abandoned oil refinery which has since been turned into a nature reserve. It's now home to thousands of rare insects and plants, as well as nightingales, lizards and adders. Almost surrounded by water, it's no surprise that Canvey Island has lots of coastal spots that are popular with tourists. Concord Beach is a hotspot for crabbing, and there's even a tidal swimming pool. Just along the coast is Thorney Bay Beach which in 2021 received a Blue Flag award. The Canvey Seafront is a classic seaside resort, home to museums, cinemas, bingo halls, and a miniature railway. For kids, there's also Fantasy Island attractions, with rides and rollercoasters. Scotland's number one secret beach revealed 7 Canvey Island can be very popular during the summer months Credit: Alamy 7 On the front is a huge 1930s cafe Credit: Alamy It's now the only theme park on Canvey Island after the closure of Leisure Island Fun Park. One of the biggest buildings on the front is Labworth Cafe, dating back to the 1930s, has been renovated and remains a beachfront dining area. To get to the island, visitors can get the train to Benfleet train station which takes 40 minutes from London Fenchurch Street, and then a bus from there, taking around 45 minutes. It wasn't just Canvey Island that Quintin was charmed by, he even went so far as to say that Essex was the most "underrated" county in the UK. He added that during his trip, he bumped into locals who were "really fun." He said: "It makes me laugh because all the counties next to each other have a real rivalry. "Everyone in Suffolk says Essex is horrible, and everyone in Suffolk says don't go to Essex. "But I find it quite endearing that every single county reckons that theirs is the best." 7 Quintin loved the rest of Essex too Credit: Alamy 7 Quintin compared Achmelvich Bay in Scotland to the Bahamas. Credit: Quintin Lake Photographer Quintin travelled through Wales, Scotland and England, finding incredible and sometimes hidden coastal spots. All in all, he took 1,300 pictures and spent a lot of time wild camping. Along the way he found some incredible spots like Achmelvich Bay which he said looked like it belonged in the Bahamas. There's white sands and bright blue seas - the only big difference will be the weather. Quintin's book, The Perimeter is out now and available to buy here.
The Irish Sun
05-06-2025
- The Irish Sun
I've walked the whole UK coast and this often-mocked island one hour from London is the friendliest seaside town
WHEN Quintin Lake travelled for five years around the UK, he encountered all sorts of coastlines, and people too. For his new book 7 Quintin Lake travelled the entire UK coastline Credit: Quintin Lake 7 He called Canvey Island the 'friendliest' place in the country Credit: Alamy Talking to Sun Travel about his coastal adventure, Quintin told us: "I thought Canvey Island in Essex was the friendliest place that I'd been. "I wouldn't knock places like that either because it's really easy to get to from London." The Essex island in the Thames Estuary near The island's main attraction is an abandoned oil refinery which has since been turned into a nature reserve. Read More on UK Coastline It's now home to thousands of rare insects and plants, as well as nightingales, lizards and adders. Almost surrounded by water, it's no surprise that Canvey Island has lots of coastal spots that are popular with tourists. Concord Beach is a hotspot for crabbing, and there's even a tidal swimming pool. Just along the coast is Thorney Bay Beach which in 2021 received a Blue Flag award. Most read in Beach holidays The Canvey Seafront is a classic seaside resort, home to museums, cinemas, bingo halls, and a miniature railway. For kids, there's also Fantasy Island attractions, with rides and rollercoasters. Scotland's number one secret beach revealed 7 Canvey Island can be very popular during the summer months Credit: Alamy 7 On the front is a huge 1930s cafe Credit: Alamy It's now the only theme park on Canvey Island after the closure of Leisure Island Fun Park. One of the biggest buildings on the front is Labworth Cafe, dating back to the 1930s, has been renovated and remains a beachfront dining area. To get to the island, visitors can get the train to Benfleet train station which takes 40 minutes from London Fenchurch Street, and then a bus from there, taking around 45 minutes. It wasn't just Canvey Island that Quintin was charmed by, he even went so far as to say that Essex was the most "underrated" county in the UK. He added that during his trip, he bumped into locals who were "really fun." He said: "It makes me laugh because all the counties next to each other have a real rivalry. "Everyone in Suffolk says Essex is horrible, and everyone in Suffolk says don't go to Essex. "But I find it quite endearing that every single county reckons that theirs is the best." 7 Quintin loved the rest of Essex too Credit: Alamy 7 Quintin compared Achmelvich Bay in Scotland to the Bahamas. Credit: Quintin Lake Photographer Quintin travelled through Wales, Scotland and England, finding incredible and sometimes hidden coastal spots. All in all, he took 1,300 pictures and spent a lot of time wild camping. Along the way he found some incredible spots like which he said looked like it belonged in the Bahamas. There's white sands and bright blue seas - the only big difference will be the weather. Quintin's book, The Perimeter is out now and available to buy . 7 Canvey Island has been described as being very 'friendly' Credit: Alamy
Time Out
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Alexandra Metcalf at The Perimeter
Walking through the high-ceilinged halls of The Perimeter in Bloomsbury, where natural light spills across bare walls and polished floors, you might not expect to stumble across something so disturbing and intimate. Gaaaaaaasp is London-born artist Alexandra Metcalf's first solo institutional exhibition, turning the gallery's four floors into a disorienting world of 1960s patterns and clinical sterility, brought together under themes of domestic and gendered labour. In the first room, the ceiling drops oppressively low beneath the flicker of harsh office lights. The walls are covered in 1970s vintage wallpaper; a dull, yellowed floral that seems steeped in years of cigarette smoke. The carpet is a muted, corporate grey-blue and chairs line the edges of the room. A muffled dialogue loops continuously from a TV screen mounted high in the corner, playing recordings from the artist's own visits to abortion clinics and therapy sessions over the years. The space recalls a clinical waiting area, but it also suggests something more metaphysical: a kind of purgatory, where time is suspended, judgment is quietly present and trauma lingers. In Gaaaaaaasp, the domestic is destabilised. On the top floor, an open trunk has enormous needles piercing its lining like weapons. Another room is configured as a hospital unit, with two 1960s nightstands with bed springs erupting from vintage trunks lit by collapsing surgical lights. The floor is covered in faded pink linoleum, the colour of a pediatric ward or nursery; except here, the hues tip into psychedelia, turning the space into something dissociative and quietly menacing. Meanwhile, a standout painting, I AM MY OWN RIOT & BEST FRIEND (2025), stretches five metres across one gallery wall: a densely layered work with paper cut-outs sealed with wax and female figures in ambiguous poses. What makes Gaaaaaaasp so powerful is its excavation of the long, gendered history of psychiatric containment. In Victorian Britain, women were routinely institutionalised for hysteria and postnatal depression; their lives confined to a world of needlework, ornament and quiet suffering. Metcalf's environments echo this. Her use of marbling, stitching and soft furnishings reference these sanctioned forms of feminine expression, while also exposing their limitations. These were the materials women were allowed to work with, even as their bodies and minds were surveilled and controlled. Yet within these constraints, Metcalf finds rebellion. Her camp aesthetic, theatrical excess and jarring use of colour transform repression into performance. The show's title lands somewhere between a scream and a laugh: a bodily release that is at once absurd, tragic and liberating. This exhibition feels acutely timely. As conversations around bodily autonomy, particularly abortion rights and mental health, are especially politically charged, Gaaaaaaasp reminds us that these debates are not new. They are part of a much longer history of how women's bodies have been monitored and medicalised.
Scottish Sun
15-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
‘I walked the UK coast for five years – this little-known beach felt like the Bahamas'
Plus, the award-winning Welsh beach perfect for the summer holidays that won't be busy BEACH BEAUTY 'I walked the UK coast for five years – this little-known beach felt like the Bahamas' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IF ONE person knows where you can find the best beaches in the UK, it's Quintin Lake. For his new book The Perimeter, Quintin travelled for five years around the entire coastline of mainland Britain which covered 6800 miles and he was armed with nothing but hiking gear and a camera. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Quintin walked on and off for five years taking pictures of the UK coastline and found incredible beaches Credit: Quintin Lake 5 Some of the beaches look like they belong in other countries - like Achmelvich Bay in Lochinver Credit: Quintin Lake Photographer Quintin travelled through Wales, up to Scotland and across England, finding beautiful coastal spots and he took 1,300 pictures. Along the way, Quintin saw all sorts, including beaches that you wouldn't believe were in the UK - and one that looked like it was in the Caribbean, was actually in Scotland. Quintin told Sun Travel: "Achmelvich Bay in Scotland literally looks like it belongs being in the Bahamas because the sand is white. "The sea looks turquoise, which you'll see in the book. The water is a beautiful greeny blue - it doesn't look like it belongs in this country at all. "When I went, it was a sunny day and there were maybe six people there so it was heaven. I couldn't believe it. "All the northwestern and Sutherland beaches have white sand, and if you go off the beaten path you can easily find a hidden bay that you'll have all to yourself." Quintin isn't the only one to recognise Achmelvich Bay for its tropical beauty, in 2023, the beach was recognised as being one of the World's Best Beaches. It came in at number 45, and is the only UK beach to ever be placed in the top 50. Scotland doesn't just have beautiful beaches, it's also known for its very striking landscape. "Faraid Head in Scotland is beautiful too, especially with the dramatic cliffs that come down to the sea." UK beach named one of the top 100 in the world 5 Scottish beaches also have dramatic coastlines like on Faraid Head in Durness Credit: Quintin Lake 5 The journey took a total of five years and Quintin wild camped along the way Credit: Quintin Lake He continued: "Then on the Ardnamurchan Peninsula in Scotland there's a single road where you'll come to a volcano from thousands of years ago. "The top has blown off and you wouldn't even believe it's in Britain, the beach is so remote and eagles fly overhead - it's very dramatic." Quintin added: "I mean in northwest Scotland, it's really easy to find a beach where there's no one there for days on end." Applecross Beach in Scotland is a remote sandy stretch that visitors have sometimes referred to as being the 'edge of the world'. The area is known for its wild and untamed landscape, with rugged mountains, lochs, and beaches. A recommendation from Quintin for any holidaymakers who want to avoid beach crowds this summer is Three Cliffs Bay in Wales. The beach is on the Gower Peninsula and spans for 0.6 miles in low tide. In 2023, Three Cliffs Bay came ninth in Big Seven Travel's 50 Most Beautiful Places in the UK. Quintin added: "It's just beautiful, I mean, if you're from Wales, it's probably quite well-known but that beach was magical and it's huge. "It would be great for families because it's not one of those places where everyone's on top of each other all the time." Quintin's book, The Perimeter is out now and available to buy here.
The Irish Sun
15-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
‘I walked the UK coast for five years – this little-known beach felt like the Bahamas'
IF ONE person knows where you can find the best beaches in the UK, it's Quintin Lake. For his new book 5 Quintin walked on and off for five years taking pictures of the UK coastline and found incredible beaches Credit: Quintin Lake 5 Some of the beaches look like they belong in other countries - like Achmelvich Bay in Lochinver Credit: Quintin Lake Photographer Quintin travelled through Wales, up to Scotland and across England, finding beautiful coastal spots and he took 1,300 pictures. Along the way, Quintin saw all sorts, including beaches that you wouldn't believe were in the UK - and one that looked like it was in the Caribbean, was actually in Scotland. Quintin told Sun Travel: " "The sea looks turquoise, which you'll see in the book. The water is a beautiful greeny blue - it doesn't look like it belongs in this country at all. "When I went, it was a sunny day and there were maybe six people there so it was heaven. I couldn't believe it. "All the northwestern and Sutherland beaches have white sand, and if you go off the beaten path you can easily find a hidden bay that you'll have all to yourself." Quintin isn't the only one to recognise It came in at number 45, and is the only UK beach to ever be placed in the top 50. Most read in Beach holidays Scotland doesn't just have beautiful beaches, it's also known for its very striking landscape. "Faraid Head in Scotland is beautiful too, especially with the dramatic cliffs that come down to the sea." UK beach named one of the top 100 in the world 5 Scottish beaches also have dramatic coastlines like on Faraid Head in Durness Credit: Quintin Lake 5 The journey took a total of five years and Quintin wild camped along the way Credit: Quintin Lake He continued: "Then on the "The top has blown off and you wouldn't even believe it's in Britain, the beach is so remote and eagles fly overhead - it's very dramatic." Quintin added: "I mean in northwest Scotland, it's really easy to find a beach where there's no one there for days on end." Applecross Beach in Scotland is a remote sandy stretch that visitors have sometimes referred to as being the 'edge of the world'. The area is known for its wild and untamed landscape, with rugged mountains, lochs, and beaches. A recommendation from Quintin for any holidaymakers who want to avoid beach crowds this summer is The beach is on the Gower Peninsula and spans for 0.6 miles in low tide. In 2023, Quintin added: "It's just beautiful, I mean, if you're from Wales, it's probably quite well-known but that beach was magical and it's huge. Read more on the Irish Sun "It would be great for families because it's not one of those places where everyone's on top of each other all the time." Quintin's book, The Perimeter is out now and available to buy 5 Quintin has documented his journey in The Perimeter Credit: Quintin Lake
