Have a new Krk at Croatia
For more great holiday ideas, see page 39
the UK, costs from £795pp. See rivercruiseline.co.uk.
Skyline drive Virginia, US
Virginia’s Skyline Drive is the backbone of Shenandoah National Park, a great place for autumn colours with a heap of hiking and biking trails to complement the 105mile stretch of road.
Follow the Blue Ridge on a guided horseback ride from Skyland Stables, join a guided backpack trip or take in the views at one of Virginia’s 208 wineries. And if that’s not enough for you, then the 469 mile Blue Ridge Parkway connects Shenandoah to the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. TUI is expanding in Croatia. From May next year, the UK’S largest tour operator will introduce new programmes to Rab and Krk in Kvarner Bay, in the northern Adriatic. Twiceweekly flights from Manchester and Gatwick GO: Newmarket Holidays’ Fall Colours escorted tour takes in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah, Washington, New York and Boston. Nine days costs from £1,299, with flights and coach travel. See newmarketholidays.co.uk.
Berry pretty Ruka-kuusamo, Finland
Summer ends with an explosion of colour in the Finnish forests. The season is known as Ruska, and is vibrant in the treelined landscapes of Lapland in the north.
It is a time of silence and relaxation, hiking in clean, crisp air, and foraging for cloudberries and wild mushrooms, such as yellow chanterelles. Plus there are the Northern Lights and saunas. will fly direct to Rijeka on the island of Krk. Kvarner Bay has beautiful beaches, stunning mountains, quaint fishing villages and more than enough to keep outdoor lovers happy with cycling, swimming and diving. See tui.co.uk. GO: Finnair flies to Kuusamo via Helsinki. See finnair.com. A room for four at the Hotel Arctic Zone costs from £90. See hotelarcticzone.fi.
Fall in love New England, US
This forest region on America’s east coast is fall heaven. Dogwood, red oak and maples turn to crimson, while hickory, poplars, birch, elms and ginkgoes change to gold and yellow. The show starts in Maine and New Hampshire in September and moves down to Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island in late October. En route are places like Boston, Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod, best seen on a fly-drive itinerary. GO: A 14-night itinerary, with flights, car and room-only accommodation, costs from £1,499. See purelynewengland.co.uk.