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  How wireless working is reviving Britain’s coastal beauty spots

  The transformation of some of Britain’s most picturesque coastal towns and villages through the rise of “wireless working” is revealed in an official study pinpointing the areas where it is now the norm to work from home.

  New analysis of census findings for England and Wales has highlighted a clutch of once isolated beauty spots where between a quarter and a third of the working population run businesses or work remotely from their own homes.

  It shows how a handful of seaside communities, particularly in Devon and Cornwall, have managed to buck the trend of towards economic decline seen in other coastal towns, benefiting from a rise of home-working, boosted by Internet connections.

  The study by the Office for National statistics shows that coastal communities overall have higher levels of unemployment and long-term ill health as well as a higher average age and lower inward migration than average British towns.

  But a handful of small coastal communities, led by the town of Lynton in Devon, now enjoy some of the highest employment rates in the country boosted by the increasing ability of people to work from home.

  The town, situated on a clifftop the edge of Exmoor, is Britain’s working from home capital, with 35 per cent of its working population now operating from where they live.

  In Tintagel, on the rugged coast of north Cornwall, 33 per cent work from home while in Porlock, Somerset and Hugh Town in the Isles of Scilly the proportion is 30 per cent.

  Across England and Wales as a whole just over 10 per cent of the population work from home and in coastal towns as a whole, the proportion doing so is slightly lower than average.

  But the study shows that within small seaside resorts and towns the proportion rises dramatically.

  Tony Meakin, the mayor of Lynton, and his wife Linda, were drawn to the area when they moved back to the UK five years ago, after living in South Africa, because of the scenery and close community spirit.

  He said the higher-than-average number of Bed and Breakfast establishments in the town boosted the number of people working from home but that the trend is reviving the fortunes of a range of other businesses.

  The process likely to intensify after the arrival high-speed fibre optic broadband connections.

  He said the Internet is undoubtedly boosting both traditional businesses such as builders or gardeners and enabling people to set up new ventures.

  Although the area around Ilfracombe, just over 20 miles away, suffered economically from railway line closures in the Beeching cuts and the rise of package holidays, Lynton now has almost 80 per cent employment, well above the national average and one of the highest anywhere on the British coastline.

  “If people were having to travel to get a job instead of being able to work from home I think we would have half the population here, in bad weather the journey is horrendous,” he said.

  “So the Internet is having a huge impact.”

  But as well as enabling existing residents to stay, the ability to work from home has also drawn new residents.

  “I would guess that the majority of people who have moved here have come on holiday and just love the area,” he said.

  “It is still traditional English village life with incredible community spirit.

  “There are a lot of arty businesses here, pottery and people making silver jewellery, the old Methodist church has been turned into a craft centre, there are some beautiful things – those are all people working from home.”

  Small coastal communities with highest proportions of home-workers:

  Lynton, Devon (35 per cent)

  Tintagel, Cornwall (33 per cent)

  Porlock, Somerset (30 per cent)

  Hugh Town, Isles of Scilly (30 per cent)

  Southwold, Suffolk (29 per cent)

  Overstrand, Norfolk (28 per cent)

  Salcombe, Devon (28 per cent)

  Charmouth, Dorset (27 per cent)

  Rock, Cornwall (26 per cent)

  Polperro, Cornwall (26 per cent)

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  Disney to offer sailings to Martinique, Tortola

  Add Martinique to the list of destinations that you can reach via a Disney ship.

  Disney today announced that it'll offer its first regular sailings to the Caribbean island in early 2016 out of San Juan, Puerto Rico.

  The new seven-night Southern Caribbean voyages also will include stops in Barbados, Grenada, Antigua and St. Kitts. The sailings will take place on the 1,750-passenger Disney Magic with four departures in 2016 scheduled for Jan. 10, 17, 24 and 31.

  A Disney ship has called at Martinique only once before during a special holiday sailing in 2010.

  Bookings for the new Southern Caribbean itinerary open on Oct. 30 with fares starting at $980 per person, based on double occupancy and not including taxes, fees and port expenses.

  Disney today also announced a new seven-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary out of Port Canaveral for 2016 that will include a call at Tortola as well as St. Thomas and Disney's private island in the Bahamas, Castaway Cay.

  The sailings will take place on both the Disney Fantasy and the Disney Magic with 11 departure dates from January through April 2016. Fares start at $1,120 per person, based on double occupancy.

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  Indulging on one of the world's most luxurious ships

  Just how much pampering is there on a luxury cruise ship? Now you can see for yourself right here at USA TODAY's Cruise Hub.

  Part 5 of our six-part video series on the recently revamped Seven Seas Mariner, in the carousel above, offers an insider's look at the wide range of indulgences available to passengers on the vessel, from hot stone massages to elegant wine tastings.

  USA TODAY Travel received special access last month to all-suite, all-balcony ship, which is operated by Regent Seven Seas Cruises and emerged from a major makeover in April.

  PHOTO TOUR: The luxury of the revamped Seven Seas Mariner

  We'll be posting the final installment of the series here at USA TODAY's Cruise Hub on Wednesday. Part 1 of the series, which offers an overview of the Seven Seas Mariner's recent makeover, is located HERE. Part 2, 3 and 4 of the series, which focus on the ship's dining, entertainment and all-suite accommodations, respectively, are HERE,HERE and HERE.

  For a deck-by-deck look at the revamped spaces on Seven Seas Mariner, don't miss our new, comprehensive Cruise Ship Tour of the vessel in the carousel below.