Invade Normandy
Le Castel is a classical Napoleon III chateau, deep in the Normandy countryside, and is "large but not palatial, grand but not ornate", advises Bethan. Bedrooms are classic French countryhouse style - think striped or silk wallpaper and polished French beds. As for culture, at "just 15 minutes' drive from the pretty town of Coutances and a car ride to Mont Saint Michel, it's a gateway to France's historical treasures."
Doubles start from 120 Euros, B&B (00 33 2 33 17 00 45; www.le-castel-normandy.com)
www.le-castel-normandy.com
The true effect of the badger cull
'To farm I have to rape the countryside. It’s got to be wrong'
First night: The Cripple of Inishmaan
Daniel Radcliffe gives an admirably honest performance in Michael Grandage's comedy
Guides drop religious reference but pledge to self and the Queen
After 103 years, organisation changes oath to welcome 'all girls, of all faiths, and none'
Steve Tongue
Joe Kinnear was one of the boys and a breath of fresh air... 21 years ago
Chris Froome: Free from 'pain in neck' after Wiggins' exit
Sky's lead rider says he is in fantastic form for the Tour and happy pecking order debate is over
Hannah England: Keeping Track
I've got the right times – now to focus on the chess
Beards, brawn and body art
Meet London’s new batch of male models
Scandi-geeks descend on Nordicana for fan-convention
British love of shows such as The Bridge, Borgen and The Killing shows no sign of fading
The Great Green Wall of Africa,
Behind the rhetoric what is really being done to combat desertification?
Laughter Inc
The cheering growth of the chuckle industry
The bad science scandal
How fact-fabrication is damaging UK's global name for research
Female aristocrats battle to inherit the title
A passionate protest is gathering pace among the women of Britain's aristocracy, who believe that men should no longer automatically inherit the family pile and title.
In pictures: JFK's visit to Berlin in 1963
Photographer Ulrich Mack accompanied Kennedy on the entire trip. The results are an astonishing record of a watershed moment.
Mark Hix gets creative with English peas
English peas and their offsprings, such as mangetouts and sugar snaps, are great tossed into a salad, says our chef.
Chef Martin Morales: Ceviche with a smile
Morales has turned South America's elegant cuisine into one of London's hottest food trends
