This joint is juiced
A PREMIER Inn could save £20,000 a year as the UK’S first battery-powered hotel. The Gyle at Edinburgh
Park is trialling a five-ton battery which draws power at cheaper off peak times then runs the 200-room hotel for hours during the day.
Richard Oakley, of energy firm E.ON, said: “It shows power users can save money and support a lower-carbon, smarter energy grid.” YOU don’t need to ski to have a blast in the snow this winter. So explore these magical white landscapes on an icy-cool adventure.
Llama trekking Liechtenstein
The tiny country of Liechtenstein, covering just 62 square miles between Switzerland and Austria, is known for its medieval castles, alpine landscapes and villages linked by trails.
This year, visitors can discover its 300 years of rich history while trekking with llamas and alpacas through the snowy countryside.
Starting in Triesenberg, the two-day trek heads off through secluded paths to the village of Sucka, then uphill to the Berggasthaus mountain inn for a good night’s sleep. After a hearty breakfast, the journey ends at the quaint holiday village of Malbun.
GO: The nearest airport is Zurich, then there is a regular train to Sargans with an onward bus to Liechtenstein’s capital Vaduz. A two-day guided tour with Lama and Alpakahof Triesenberg costs £238, which includes dinner and a night’s accommodation. See lama-alpaka.li.
Igloo building Finland
Building an igloo, husky-sledding and watching the Northern Lights are all on the agenda in remote Kuusamo in north-eastern Finland.
The Finnish way of igloo building is a simple one – create a huge pile of snow and hollow it out, before sleeping in it overnight. This is also an area for snow-shoeing and cross-country skiing, with the chance to track elk, wolverine, pine marten, wolves or even spot signs of bears – although the latter will be in hibernation.
GO: Walks Worldwide’s Call of the Wild seven-night guided tour stays in log cabins and wilderness cabins. It costs from £1,649 full board, with flights. See walksworldwide.com.
Fat biking Austria
Fatbikes are a variety of mountain bike that have wide balloon tyres for a firmer grip on snow. They take a bit of getting used to, so fatbike routes are graded into degrees of difficulty, in the same way as ski pistes are.
The spa village of Ramsau at the foot of the Dachstein mountain range in Austria, has a range of routes and Norco Bigfoot cycles for hire, plus helmets and knee protectors.
GO: Zenith Holidays is including two guided fatbike sessions in its activity holidays based at the spa hotel Knollhof in Ramsau. Other activities include snowshoeing and hiking, with the chance to ski too. Seven nights half board costs from £748,including return crossing from Dover to Calais or you can fly in via Salzburg or Munich. See zenithholidays.co.uk.
Family chilling Slovakia
The picturesque village of Smokovec is high in
Slovakia’s Tatras Mountains, which the country The Th wild and remote Abruzzo National Park lies shares with Poland. Here you will find a winter two tw hours’ drive from Rome in the isolated wonderland for families. valleys va of the Apennine Mountains.
Days are filled with dog sledding through At this time of year the endangered Marsican the Velka Fatra National Park, snow shoe be bears are in hibernation, leaving only their adventures and horse and sleigh rides across et etchings on trees. But the Apennine wolves are the forest, ending in an outdoor barbecue. ve very much at large, with their distinct howling.
There is a bit of downhill skiing here too, and Experienced guides are on hand to point out access to thermally heated outdoor pools and fr freshly-made wolf and lynx tracks in the snow, Aquacity water-rides for some post-exercise an and you could glimpse chamois, deer, martens, relaxation and recuperation. ot otter and golden eagles. GGW walking GO: in the Abruzzo park, based at
GO: Families Worldwide offers school-holiday Ramblers Holidays offers a week of winter weeks in Slovakia from £895 per adult and £795