Singles to get in the swing
Aberdyfi is a perfect little seaside community bang in the middle of Wales’s west coast, with the five miles of Tywyn beach to the north and the Snowdonia national park starting just inland. Aberdyfi, pronounced Aberdovey, is as cheerful as the brightly painted buildings suggest. It is sheltered and south-facing on the north bank of the Dovey estuary and sits at the midway point of a delightful coastal railway. One of the best golf courses in Wales is just beside the station and Machynlleth and the pioneering eco-living Centre for Alternative Technology is up the valley. Check out the Britannia Inn for lunch. STAY: The Lookout has contemporary-styled twobed and one-bed apartments. Prices from £180 for a two-night break based on two people staying. See thelookout-aberdovey.co.uk. SINGLES holiday firm Friendship Travel is offering golf trips for the first time in the UK and Spain this winter. O On September 22 it is ru running a two-night break a at the De Vere Staverton P Park Golf Resortesort near N Northampton on on a half- Inter-island ferries in the bay, a harbour front painted all the colours of a Neapolitan ice-cream, a selection of restaurants which serve the freshest seafood you are likely to find, a whisky distillery within a short walk of your front door... You cannot go wrong with Tobermory, the whimsical, storybook capital of the Scottish island of Mull, once the setting for children’s TV favourite e Balamory. There are not many capitals where you can set out on n a boat trip to see whales and dolphins and have a chance of seeing white-tailed eagles too. STAY: The pink-walled familyrun Tobermory Hotel has doubles from £110 B&B, see thetobermoryhotel.com. board basis for £300.Then from November 4 it is offering a seven-night holiday at the Nuevo Portil Golf Resort on the Costa de La Luz for £995. Call 0289 446 2211 or go to friendshiptravel.com for details. There is huge tradition behind Yorkshire’s classic seaside resort – a place of lobster pots, fudge shops and world-class fish and chips, split in half by the River Esk. On one side is West Cliff Beach, lined with beach huts, while over on the East Cliff, overlooking the North Sea, stands the gaunt ruin of Whitby Abbey, Bram Stoker’s inspiration for Dracul Dracula. Between the two is a bunch of tavern-l tavern-lined medieval streets and a blowsy, busy port filled with yachts and fishing boa boats. Captain Cook was once a shipping ap apprentice here. On a dark night you might even bump into his ghost. STAY:ST If a B&B is too mundane, why not try a self-catering railway carriage just sou south of the town. They sleep six from £18 £180 a night. See trailways.info. WE want a holiday where we get to see the real country. But not too far away. Any ideas? ITALY is a good option, especially with Citalia. It wants holidaymakers to get on their bikes or go for a stroll to discover famous destinations on new self-guided trips. So you hit the slo-mo to enjoy pretty towns, forests, vineyards and hilltop hamlets. There can be up to five hours of hiking a day but the routes vary in difficulty level.
If you prefer cycling you get a Eurobike, available in three frame sizes with up to 21 gears. Or if you fancy something a little easier on the legs there are electric bikes.
Citalia also has private city tours and guided tours of famous sites such as the Vatican or Pompeii.