Travel

Winter can be a tricky time if you’ve got kids of any age: darker, shorter days and inclement weather mean they inevitably end up stuck inside, with everyone getting bored, cross and arguing about screen time. Why not banish those winter blues with a change of scene and whisk them …

A fresh Atlantic breeze blows up the estuary and rustles through a thicket of young lime trees by the Treaty Stone, the rock that witnessed the end of the Williamite war in the autumn of 1691. Just ahead, a seven-arch limestone bridge spans the Shannon River as far as the …

Lochview House, Fort William Spectacular views come as standard at this comfortable home set on the banks of Loch Lochy on the outskirts of Fort William. Opposite the house, the auburn slopes of the Great Glen rise up above the loch, with the Nevis Range – offering breathtaking hiking and …

Buxton, Derbyshire This spa town in the Derbyshire hills – the joint highest market town in England (a title shared with Alston in Cumbria) – has beautiful Georgian and Victorian architecture and is surrounded by the Peak District on three sides. Buildings such as the Crescent (modelled on the Royal …

Wintry romance, Salzburg, Austria Salzburg’s Christmas markets are among the very best, and there are plenty of them too, with at least 10 main ones across the season. The Salzburg Advent festival (1-17 Dec) at the Great Festival Hall, Residenzplatz, is a memorable show and highly recommended. With snow falling …

Adventure means different things to different people. For some, it means overcoming a challenge such as climbing a mountain or a long-distance bike ride. For others, it’s about pushing themselves out of their comfort zone – travelling solo, perhaps, or heading out into the unknown on a road or rail …

Here is a plan for a day out on the Metropolitan line of London’s underground, although we will at no stage be under ground, and will travel 25 miles from London. First, however, a little history. In 1863, the Metropolitan Railway (Met) built the first subterranean railway – from Paddington …

After the heat and crowds of high summer, southern Europe takes on a new charm out of season. The winter months can be a wonderful time for exploring hiking and biking trails, day trips to cultural sites (minus the queues) and long, lazy lunches. From Portugal to Cyprus, Spain to …

The first snows have fallen on the sharp ridge below the 700-metre summit of Víkartindur. Walking the village path towards Saksun, we looked across to the ridge of peaks that run along the spine of the neighbouring island of Eysturoy. The jagged landscape was bathed in golden winter light and …

The elegant main railway station in the Hanseatic city of Lübeck is well suited to grand departures, but these are few and far between these days. The only international destination served from Lübeck is Szczecin, in Poland. Half a dozen daily trains ply a meandering route through sparsely populated terrain …