Land flight freebies
NORWEGIAN is offering free upgrades and long-haul flights to its most frequent fliers. You need to join its Norwegian Reward loyalty programme and fly at least ten round trips in 2018 to be eligible for a premium upgrade. Fly 20 trips on any of its 14 long-haul routes from Gatwick for a free long-haul ticket. See norwegianreward.com. FRESH water tends to be forgotten in the summer rush to the sea. But dip a toe into these European lakes for a very special holiday.
Posh and pretty Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, on a dreamy train trip
Switzerland’s calmest clearwater lake is picture perfect. It is protected by mountains and crisscrossed by beautiful paddlesteamers, many of them more than a century old.
Its shore is dotted with elegant villages with brilliant brasseries where you can bask in the sun. Besides Lucerne itself, with its wooden Chapel Bridge across the Reuss river, there is the pretty village of Weggis and the lakeside funiculars up to the peaks of Rigi and Pilatus. GO: Lucerne and Lake Geneva feature on a six-night, two-centre rail-based holiday. The journey between the two lakes meanders through handsome Bernese Oberland on the Golden Pass Line. It costs from £1,349pp, including hotel, breakfast and all rail journeys, including from the UK. See planetrail.co.uk.
Sky high Lake Menesjarvi, Finland, for peace and autumn colour
This remote lake near the near Lemmenjoki national park right in the north of Finland is a particularly serene spot. It is so still you can see the stunning northern lights reflected in it.
In autumn, known as Ruska season, the shore is ablaze with colour as the leaves turn and the cloudberry and bilberry harvest kicks off. After a day foraging for berries, canoeing on the lake or cycling around it, unwind in the Hotel Korpikartano’s lake-facing sauna. GO: Four days based at Hotel Korpikartano features hiking, visits to reindeer herders and northern lights spotting. It costs from £675pp, including half-board accommodation and activities, but no flights. The nearest airport is Ivalo. See magneticnorthtravel.com.
Plot your course Lake Alqueva, Portugal, on a houseboating holiday
At 60 miles long, Alqueva is the biggest artificial lake in Europe. It was made by damming the river Guadiana in the Alentejo region.
Plot your own course on an easy-to-use, self-drive cabin cruiser. Visit sand beaches at Monsaraz and Mourao, moor up at villages and walk to medieval hill-top towns and castles such as Juromenha, Terena and Portel. Don’t forget to sample Alentejo cuisine and wine. GO: Boats sleep from two to ten and start from £1,295pp for seven nights, with flights from London to Lisbon and car hire. Kayaking and water-skiing available. See sunvil.co.uk.
Wild Welsh water The lakes of Snowdonia, for hiking and wildlife wonders
Snowdonia is drowning in lakes, many formed by glaciers in the last Ice Age. Bala, Llyn Tegid, is the largest at four miles long and more than 40 metres deep, with its own Loch Ness-style monster. With predictable conditions, it is perfect for kayaking, sailing and windsurfing.
Brittany Lake, Llyn Llydaw, has mirror-calm reflections of Snowdon and great hiking along The Miners Track from the Pen-y-pass car park. Talyllyn Lake, Llyn Mwyngil, is a glacial ribbon lake at the foot of Cader Idris, famous for its wild brown trout, plus hares, otters, weasels, stoats and polecats on its banks. And you are likely to see ravens and red kites overhead. GO: The Old Rectory on the Lake is a luxury B&B that offers dinner on Talyllyn’s shore. From £50pp with breakfast. See rectoryonthelake.co.uk.
Tour de banks Salzurg’s Lakeland, Austria, for bike adventures
East of Salzburg, the Austrian Lake District is best explored on two wheels. The mountains are reflected in the clear waters of four particularly special lakes and their welcoming villages.
Take a boat ride on Wolfgangsee. Follow the shore of neighbouring Mondsee, the setting of the wedding in The Sound Of Music.
Pedal around the southern tip of Attersee, the largest and clearest, so clean you can drink it.