A NEW mega airport in Europe is set to take on London Heathrow and Dubai – and works have finally been given a start date.

Warsaw Solidarity Airport in Poland hopes to open by 2032.

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Passengers travelling from countries in Central and Eastern Europe will be able to fly almost anywhere in the world.

Last year, Foster + Partners and Buro Happold, the architect firms behind the ambitious build, unveiled detailed plans of what the future travel hub could look like when it opens.

A series of CGI images depicted the airport’s passenger terminal, main rail station and transfer hub.

According to the New Civil Engineer, the proposed plans have been finalised, with construction work set to begin in 2026 – two decades after the project was first announced in 2005.

Since last year, design changes were made to the roof, walkways, waiting areas and the bus station, in a bid to improve passenger comfort.

Further designs for the airport’s runways, taxiways, underground railway tunnel and air traffic control tower are still being finalised.

Grant Brooker, head of studio at Foster + Partners previously told Notes from Poland: “Our design focuses on passengers. Our ambition is to create an accessible building that will improve the travel experience…[through] clear visual connections.

“We believe the CPK [the airport] will completely change the way people travel around Poland, and will also become a new gateway to Europe and the rest of the world.”

Even though the airport has yet to receive planning permission, preparation work on the site is already underway with tree removal said to be currently taking place.

Construction work is slated to start in 2026, with a phased opening date set for 2032.

Initially, Warsaw Solidarity Airport was being built to replace Warsaw Chopin Airport because it was nearing capacity.

However, the huge new travel hub will now complement the existing airport.

Poland plans to build on its overall passenger growth, with the new airport also helping the country’s flag carrier (LOT Polish Airlines) to increase its passenger numbers.

The new passenger terminal will be able to accommodate 11,000 passengers per hour, with the capability to hold 40 million annual passengers by 2035.

A third runway, and other terminal extensions, will see passenger numbers increase to 65 million by 2060.

In addition to the new airport being built, improvements will also need to be made to the country’s rail infrastructure.

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This is because the airport will be located 40km away from Warsaw.

Because of its location outside the city, the airport will have its own train station that will connect to the country’s pre-existing railway network.

It is not yet known when flights will operate from the airport and which airlines will fly from the travel hub.

The huge airport project is expected to generate around 150,000 jobs in the area.

However, the plans for the new travel hub have been met with fierce backlash from local residents and travel experts.

Two years ago, Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary told local newspaper Rzeczpospolita: “This airport is unnecessary. It was planned in the wrong place and at the wrong time.”

Doncaster Sheffield Airport, which closed in November 2022, could reopen thanks to a new multi-million-pound plan.

And Plymouth Airport hopes to reopen after being closed for more than a decade.

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THEY say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned – and I think it must be true as I run, claw and scream my way out of a horror house haunted exclusively by women.

I am at Universal Orlando Resort’s Halloween Horror Nights, now in their 33rd year.

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And they are bigger, better and more terrifying than ever.

During the day, Universal Studios is the epitome of Florida fun, with themed lands dedicated to The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter, Minions and DreamWorks characters including Shrek, Trolls and Kung Fu Panda.

But at night the park reopens as a horror-fest complete with chainsaw maniacs, medieval villains and swamp zombies.

Universal Studios Florida is known for putting guests inside the films we love, including The Bourne Identity, Transformers and E.T.

And it is no different at Halloween.

The horror nights — this year open for their longest-ever run until November 3 — create terrifying houses based on slasher flicks recently at the cinema.

This year saw houses based on Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire starring Bill Murray and Paul Rudd, Insidious: The Further and A Quiet Place.

Anyone who has watched these movies will be stunned at how accurate the Universal houses are and how realistic it feels to be placed in the storylines.

America loves to do everything bigger and better and the horror houses here are full-scale sets.

Midway through Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, you are greeted by a larger-than-life replica of the New York Fire Station.

And true to the movie, it also happens to be snowing.

It’s impressive, but you only have a few seconds to appreciate the incredible detail before Garraka, the resident baddie, appears out of nowhere and you’re making a mad dash for the exit.

This year, girl power rules supreme with an all-original haunted house, Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines, that features exclusively female monsters, including The Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula’s Daughter and She-Wolf of London.

As I navigate the house, there is no doubt this experience feels different to the other slasher-heavy ones in the line-up.

There are ten horror houses in total, including one themed around children who become demonic after eating sweets, which I am sure many parents can relate to.

Each house also comes with its own spin-off street food vendor, serving freaky treats including a Red Door Pie from Insidious and an Instagram-tastic Ghostbusters Stay Puft S’more, which was the most sought-after snack of this year’s event.

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Even when taking a break from the haunted houses, the horror continues with dedicated scare zones around the park.

Jump scares and sudden frights

This year they featured characters from the Blumhouse franchise, including M3GAN and The Grabber.

The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter is also open and fans should be on the lookout for Death Eaters, who will almost certainly make an appearance.

Halloween Horror Nights are recommended for guests over the age of 13 and it is easy to see why.

This epic gore-fest is terrifyingly realistic — and watching fully grown adults jumping out of their skin is endlessly entertaining.

The next day, Universal Studios as we know it is back to normal, but girl power is still going strong.

Poppy from Trolls was high-fiving guests at DreamWorks and Marilyn Monroe was spotted cruising past in a classic car.

It baffles that just hours ago, demons roamed the streets to a soundtrack of screams and that now there is no trace of that terror.

But that’s the magic of the movies, after all.

WE all know the famous Blackpool Illuminations, but if you can’t venture up north to catch them, there’s a tradition in the middle of the country that’s been going almost as long.

Matlock Bath in Derbyshire may be landlocked, but its seaside vibe draws the crowds, especially in the autumn when it’s got its own version of the illustrious illuminations on the coast.

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I headed for the bright lights of this Heart of England hotspot to see why tourists are still in love with its illuminated boat parade, more than 125 years after it first lit up the River Derwent.

The big event takes place in Derwent Gardens every weekend in September and October, with children’s rides, food stalls and character appearances making for a festive atmosphere.

There’s even a fireworks display on some evenings, included in the price.

As we joined a steady stream of visitors wandering along the road towards the riverside park in the twilight, autumn leaves crunching beneath our feet, there couldn’t really be a more quintessentially British build-up to Bonfire Night.

The riverbank started to get crowded about half an hour before the boats appeared, but the parade spends a good hour rowing up and down, so you’ll soon get to see the displays if you’re not at the front when they first take to the water. 

Honestly the effort taken by the Matlock Bath Venetian Boat Builders’ Association to create these light displays on just a rowing boat is incredible.

This year’s winner is a moving model of a fairground teacup ride, with child-size dummies riding in the cups and bubbles spouting from the central teapot.

Our favourite was the second-place Optimus Prime, which transformed from truck to robot and then back again as it was rowed along the river.

But hats off to all the designers and builders, who take their inspiration from everything from current culture like Squid Game or Spirited Away to historical figures like Florence Nightingale.

I also loved the helicopter, the planes and the lifeboat with its friendly, waving captain, marking 150 years of the RNLI.

There’s even a candle-lit boat to give an idea of what visitors would have seen if they attended the first illuminations in 1897 to mark Queen Victoria‘s jubilee.

I grew up visiting the Skegness Illuminations and I can remember the excitement as a child of being out in the dark, looking at the moving lights and trying to guess the story behind them.

They’ve even got a few of the ones I remember from childhood scattered through the gardens here.

I spotted a cow jumping over the moon at a little grotto, which was definitely a touch of nostalgia for the famous Jolly Fisherman mascot and the rest of the Skeggie lights, some of which were sold off a decade ago.

I do love the Blackpool Illuminations, which are free to visit and run until the New Year.

But Matlock Bath has a festive, family-friendly vibe that made it worth the ticket price of £7 or £8 for adults, depending on whether it’s a fireworks night, and just 50p for children.

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Tokens for the kiddie rides were £2.50 for a single or five for £10. My tip would be to bring your own food and light-up wands if you want to keep costs down.

There’s loads to do in the town if you’re travelling from further afield and want to make a day of it.

Theme park Gulliver’s Kingdom is over the road from Derwent Gardens and even opens its car park for illuminations visitors.

A short stroll away are the cable cars which take you up to the unique Heights of Abraham attraction, which offers cut-price tickets for anyone attending the illuminations.

With playgrounds, tours of the caving systems and spectacular views out over the countryside, it’s a must-see for anyone who’s not been before.

And just up the road from Matlock Bath is Crich Tramway Museum, which is great if you love heritage vehicles.

It’s no wonder that 100,000 visitors enjoy these awesome autumn illuminations every year.

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IF you fancy enjoying rolling hills in the Italian countryside, while being only half an hour’s train ride from Rome, Castelli Romani is just the ticket.

It comprises a collection of small towns perched around the crater of an ancient volcano, each offering spectacular views of two pristine lakes.

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Anyone wanting to experience both the hubbub of the Italian capital and a more relaxed pace of life will love it. The train fare into Rome is just €4.

The Eternal City has long been on my bucket list and I was keen to tick off sights including the Sistine Chapel, Colosseum and Spanish Steps.

But having discovered Castelli Romani, a day in the city will soon have you longing to be back in the sticks — and while a hotel in Rome does not come cheap, you get so much more for your buck at the Park Hotel Villa Grazioli in Grottaferrata.

Flying into Rome Fiumicino Airport, it’s just a short transfer to the hotel, which sits in stunning hillside gardens with a majestic view of Rome.

 The grand, 16th century villa, built for a cardinal, is rich in historic detail and its 62 rooms start from around £100 per night in November.

It also provides a free shuttle service to Frascati train station for easy access to Rome.

The nearby medieval village of Rocca di Papa, its colourful houses tumbling down a steep cliffside in a maze of narrow streets, is a great starting point for those who want to explore the winding hillside trails.

The fit and fearless can hike to the top of Monte Cavo and be rewarded with not just more views of Rome but of the sparkling Mediterranean

These pass through forests of chestnut trees and afford stunning views of Lakes Albano and Nemi, where volcanic soil renders the water an intense azure blue.

The fit and fearless can hike to the top of Monte Cavo and be rewarded with not just more views of Rome, but of the sparkling Mediterranean.

In the town of Ariccia, we dine in one of the region’s traditional fraschetta restaurants. These casual, rustic affairs are often found in converted wine cellars.

At Osteria N.1, we feast on local speciality porchetta — a juicy, slow-roasted pork roast — apple slices, olives and ricotta drizzled with honey.

Pasta-making class

Also worth a wander is the town of Nemi, overlooking the same-named lake.

Cafes and restaurants line cobbled streets where you can eat and drink while taking in, yes, more fabulous views.

Heading farther south, to the Tenimenti Leone vineyard, we got to sample some of the region’s wonderful wines.

The beauty of the 178-acre site is matched only by the quality of the bottles of red and white it produces.

Rome is beautiful — about that there is no doubt — but it is wonderful to be able to dip in and out and appreciate it from afar as well as up close

Meanwhile, in Rome, we enjoyed a pasta making class at a cookery school in the city’s beautiful Trastevere neighbourhood.

For €59, you can make traditional Italian fettuccine and ravioli from scratch, while enjoying a glass or two of prosecco and aperitivo snacks.

We then joined a City Experiences tour of the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museums.

These sites are crowded at all times of year, but the tour offered a very welcome, skip-the-line, small-group experience with expert guide.

However, you are still going to have to deal with the inevitable hordes of tourists, and it was a little difficult to appreciate the sheer mastery of  Michelangelo’s ceiling in the Sistine Chapel while constantly rubbing shoulders with fellow visitors.

Rome is beautiful — of that there is no doubt — but it is wonderful to be able to dip in and out and appreciate it from afar as well as up close.

If you want to experience the real Italy, Castelli Romani is the best of all worlds.

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IF the quiet East Yorkshire town of Bridlington is good enough for Captain Mainwaring, then it is good enough for me.

Despite posing as the fictional resort of Walmington-on-Sea in the 2016 Dad’s Army film, it has remained relatively off the map as a holiday destination in the UK.

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Cinema-goers saw Toby Jones lead a star-studded cast along the pretty High Street as the bumbling fictional Home Guard leader.

And this coastal gem has plenty to draw people in.

Placing a generous platter of scones and sandwiches on my table at The Georgian Tea Rooms, owner Katherine Furmidge tells me: “Bridlington has so much to offer — people just don’t know about it.”

She’s right.

There really is a lot going on here.

And because the town hasn’t been in the spotlight yet, it’s still great value for money.

It’s also home to some of the most undisturbed and striking walking trails in the country with miles of pathway carved into the cliffs that border a thrashing sea.

I headed to Danes Dyke, a wooded ravine cleaved in the rocks as if from a Viking’s axe — apt, as the area was invaded by the Scandis in the 8th century.

The ravine opens out on to a white pebble beach sheltered by pale cliffs and lapped by gleaming waves.

Across Flamborough Head is the majestic RSPB site Bempton Cliffs, a corner of heaven for serious bird-spotters and novices.

Puffins, dolphins, seals and owls all make seasonal homes here and when I visited, the air was thick with more gannets and fulmars than you might think possible.

I hadn’t given much thought to gannets since seeing Steve Backshall’s Deadly 60 TV series as a toddler, but it turns out watching them in flight or at rest is an almost religious experience.

Fulmars, meanwhile, are furtive little seabirds which can spit foul-smelling oil for yards.

Bridlington has the biggest lobster catch in Europe

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They can also smell fish from miles away, so probably caught an envy-stirring whiff of the lobster thermidor I had for dinner back in town.

Bridlington has the biggest lobster catch in Europe, and the Salt On The Harbour restaurant is the best place to try it fresh, having served more than 500 of these crustaceans to customers this summer.

Overlooking the tethered boats, it’s a great spot to order a glass of wine and some scallop popcorn while observing the vessels which caught your meal earlier that day.

Like many joints around Bridlington, Salt On The Harbour is dog-friendly — though it would take a saintly pooch to resist swiping their owner’s dinner.

Grinning like a kid

If you’re not into fish, Highfield House, a mock-Tudor mansion in the nearby market town of Driffield, has a more varied menu plus a handful of dog and family-friendly rooms.

I dined there on my first night, tuck­ing into venison tartare, Yorkshire trout and a chocolate-coffee pud that had me grinning like a kid.

Too much gluttony calls for penitence, so the next morning my better half marched me down to Bridlington’s South Beach for an outdoor yoga class in the North Sea wind.

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Kitted out with an England shirt and a panic-bought towel in place of a yoga mat, I wobbled, flopped and shivered through the downward dogs and tree poses — even the local OAPs were putting me to shame.

Yoga teacher Kimmy Palmer runs the Active Coast classes entirely for free over the summer months.

Come winter, East Riding ­Leisure in Bridlington has a fabulous gym with floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the bay.

I was rewarded for my yoga efforts with one final treat (for a history fan, like me).

One stop away on the train is the market town of Beverley where you can meander around the old shipyards — much of the North Sea fishing fleet was built there, as well as some of the landing craft for D-Day.

The shipyards have now all closed but Beverley remains a fascinating spot for lovers of history with Beverley Minster, a gorgeous example of Gothic architecture at its centre, as well as St Mary’s Church.

Look out for the church’s stoney white rabbit, said to have inspired the character in Alice In Wonderland.

Alice’s white rabbit led her to Wonderland, whereas mine took me to East Yorkshire — but it was an adventure nonetheless.

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