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‘My mum was a barmaid. I was raised on Bacon Fries!’ - readers on the pub that changed them

From 80s punk hangouts to celebrity hotspots to good old community boozers, readers reveal their much-loved locals

I started working at the Windmill in the Surrey Hills when I was 14 and the landlord, Cecil Baber Brendan Holland – Dutch to the locals – became my second father. My second son’s second name is Brendan, after him. Several photographers, entrepreneurs, sportspeople and musicians lived in the area – Eric Clapton’s house was just around the corner. Although I never quite got over answering the phone to someone asking for Mick and I made the mistake of asking “Mick who?”

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© Photograph: Posed by models; Taiyou Nomachi/Getty Images

© Photograph: Posed by models; Taiyou Nomachi/Getty Images

© Photograph: Posed by models; Taiyou Nomachi/Getty Images

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‘It feels as if I’m in a Richard Curtis film’: readers’ favourite romantic trips in Europe

Romance is in the air on a roof terrace in Venice, rowing across Lake Bled and a fairytale garden in Stuttgart
Tell us about your memorable breaks in Wales – the best tip wins a £200 holiday voucher

We had our wedding reception at the Grand Hotel Royal in Sorrento, south of Naples. We danced to two guitarists playing Justin Bieber’s Despacito with our 50 guests singing and dancing along with us. We watched as the sun began to melt into the Mediterranean Sea from this time-capsule hotel balancing on the edge of a cliff. I floated out of my body and felt a rush of euphoria – perhaps it was the limoncello spritzers. We’ve returned many times and I get the same rush – the gelato, the pizza, the people, it feels as if I’m in a Richard Curtis film.
Charlotte Sahami

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© Photograph: Kess16/Alamy

© Photograph: Kess16/Alamy

© Photograph: Kess16/Alamy

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