When does winter start and end? That rather depends on whether you’re talking astrologically or meteorologically. From an astrological point of view, midwinter – the day of the year with the least amount of sunlight – is around 21st December, meaning we should be well past the halfway mark by now.
Pete Muir Editor
However, if you tend to subscribe to the meteorological definition – as I do – then winter starts at the beginning of December and ends at the end of February. Which means that the day subscription copies of this magazine flop onto the nation’s doormats is pretty much slap-bang in the middle of winter.
There’s still as much winter to go as we have had already. That’s a lot of dark mornings, bitter winds, frozen fingers and soggy socks – and as 2024 is a leap year, there’s even an extra day of February just to rub our noses in it.
All of which puts me in mind to book a holiday. I know I should be channelling Rule#5 and rejoicing in Britain’s character-building climate (see Trevor’s column on p130), but I crave a bit of sun and the chance to ride a bike without wearing two sets of gloves. And in my opinion, the best place to do that is Gran Canaria (before you ask, no, I’m not being paid by the tourist board, although I am open to offers).
The island in the Canaries is easy to get to, has quiet roads, challenging climbs and an epic landscape of towering cliffs, winding valleys and rocky escarpments like some
