Winter hot spots
THE Canary Islands are the most popular destination for Brits searching out winter sun.
The Algarve in Portugal, Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Hurghada and Malta made this year’s top ten winter break list, On the Beach found.
Turkey, Cyprus and Cape Verde are also in demand. And the Balearics are extending their season and tempting in more tourists. IT’S beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but now that the countdown has begun, get into the festive spirit with this appealing pick and mix of seasonal getaway.
Santa steam Specials on private railways
Forget about a nation of shopkeepers, we are a nation of private railways, and at this time of year they all come puffing out of hibernation at the head of a variety of Christmas specials. These railways are all over the country – see heritagerailwaysmap.co.uk.
A typical one is Staffordshire’s Churnet
Valley Railway, which combines a ride on a steam train through scenic countryside, accompanied by Santa, plus balloon artists for kids and sherry and mince pies for adults.
See santaandsteam.co.uk.
The West Somerset Railway near Taunton, the longest heritage line in the UK, offers carol-singing trains, with a band on board and regular stops for station singalongs.
See west-somerset-railway.co.uk.
Good elf
Christmassy athletic pursuits
The proliferation of ice rinks up and down the land continues from year to year. But if you want to do some proper slipping and sliding without the hard falling over then try the Snowdome in Tamworth (snowdome.co.uk) just outside Birmingham. Santa’s Winter Wonderland there includes snow tubes and snowball fights in an enchanted forest.
And for those who have always dreamed of getting sweaty in a Santa suit, The Llandudno 5K Santa Dash is taking place in this seaside resort in North Wales on the December 8.
Participants will receive a medal, their own Santa suit to wear, and be able to take a bunch of eye-catching selfies with tidal waves of other Santas getting sweaty too. See bespokefitnessandevents.co.uk.
Ding dong merrily Cathedral celebrations
The Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols from King’s College Cambridge, broadcast on Christmas Eve, may be the most famous carol service of all but many other churches and cathedrals have their special events.
Oxford colleges such as Christ Church (chch.ox.ac.uk) have carol services and concerts in the run-up to Christmas, with quality choirs in historic settings. Lichfield Cathedral (lichfieldcathedral.org) takes a different approach through its Cathedral Illuminated, a light and sound experience with a mix of music and multiple projections both inside the building and out in the Cathedral Close.
Oh yes it is! Christmas on the stage
Panto is breaking out all over. It’s behind you, in front of you and in almost every town hall, serving up rambunctious reworkings of tried and tested favourites such as Aladdin, or Cinderella, or Sleeping Beauty, often with a well-known name heading the bill – in drag.
Big or small, there’s a comprehensive listing of all regional pantos on bigpantoguide.co.uk. Alternatively a new Christmas classic is the enchanting stage show of Raymond Briggs’s classic book The Snowman, which tells the story of one boy’s journey with his snowman friend to Once upon a time you had to travel to Germany to see a proper Christmas market. These days they’re breaking out all over in the UK. Birmingham is the biggest and York has the prettiest setting. You can book special overnight market breaks to both via superbreak.com.
Meanwhile some British venues have taken the European market concept and adapted it to match their surroundings, as at Healeys Cornish Cyder Farm in the heart of Cornwall. The aim