The Times

‘Well, I wasn’t expecting that,” I say to my friend as we retire to bed, ears ringing. Behind its crenellated classic appearance, Crossbasket Castle, which reopened in March after a £20 million facelift, hides a big surprise.Midway between Hamilton and East Kilbride, the building began life as a 15th-century tower, …

Private aviation isn’t just about dodging the hubbub at airports and zipping across the skies more efficiently — it’s also about asserting one’s power, prestige and personal flair.

In Scots folklore, shape-shifting beasts such as kelpies lure humans onto their backs before carrying them to a watery grave.However one mythology expert is turning this tale on its head in a bid for his own legendary status. Tony Bonning, 76, is walking 175 miles around the Isle of Mull …

Unite is pursuing a “vexatious” strike using “bully boy tactics of the past”, it has been claimed, as talks over Birmingham’s bin dispute remained in deadlock for another day.

It may be set near one of the island’s buzziest beaches, but this boutique bolthole provides a sun-kissed haven of peace and quiet...

Officers enforcing Labour’s workers’ rights overhaul will have the power to enter people’s homes and seize documents and laptops while investigating potential breaches of new laws.

Hotels on Mykonos broadly fall into two camps: smart, boutique properties located right in the middle of the action in Mykonos Town, or those set by one of the beautiful beaches, such as Agios Ioannis or Paraga...

Cancer referrals have been missed and previous convictions overlooked because biological sex has been erased from official data on health, crime and education, a review has found.

In the Middle Ages, coaching inns, baronial mansions and castles provided hospitality for the weary traveller. Guests would feast on hearty stews, warm themselves by the open fire, then haul their bones upstairs and hit the hay (sometimes literally). Across Scotland, chefs are reigniting this food-first hospitality. No designated drivers, …

Labour’s promises on workers’ rights will be “illusory” and nothing more than “virtue signalling” unless the growing backlog in tribunals is tackled, employment lawyers have warned.

The government’s money-saving tsar is considering taking over booking hotels and hostels for the homeless and asylum seekers in an effort to find £4 billion in savings.

Nothing gets me through the first few gloomy months of the year like knowing I have a guaranteed holiday ahead. I only have to see the dates in the diary to imagine that blast of oven-warm air when I step off the plane; that first sip of ice-cold rosé in …

The technology secretary has described himself as a “disruptor” with similarities to Elon Musk or Dominic Cummings, but with the added “hard work of delivery”, as he boosted public sector pay to attract AI experts.

A business group supporting China’s application to open a super-embassy in London gave a “contribution of the year” award to the alleged Chinese spy linked to Prince Andrew, it has been claimed.

Labour has mothballed plans to make it easier to legally change gender, The Times has learnt, in a step to counter Reform UK’s surge in the polls.

A second Labour MP has been named as being part of a WhatsApp group with the sacked minister who joked about a constituent being “mown down” by a truck.

Conservative headquarters has reduced staffing by three quarters since the general election in July, as members were warned there was no “magic money tree” to help the party recover from the defeat.

When Simon Ward arrived at Kingsway Park High School in Rochdale two years ago, he had to exclude 11 pupils on the first day. Now the school, in one of the town’s most deprived neighbourhoods, rarely sees a fight — and Ward proudly displays a counter on his whiteboard saying …

The attorney-general said that pledges to “control our borders” are de-humanising and there is a “moral argument” for Britain to pay reparations for slavery, in comments which put him at odds with key government positions, The Times can reveal.

The attorney-general is facing a backlash from cabinet ministers over claims that his changes to legal advice have led to an effective “freeze on government”.

Doctors are demanding an indefinite right to strike during industrial disputes under Labour’s workers’ rights overhaul.