From gloom to bloom

It’s a dog’s life. Staying in Val Cenis, the day started cold, but with the astonishing clarity of sunshine and light you only find in the mountains in winter. Kitted out in my warmest gear, I took th

Jeremy Ellwood mixes waterways with fairways on a maiden river cruise with his wife to the wine-making region of Bordeaux in the south-west corner of France

WITH SUMMER ALMOST over, we at last managed an all-too-short driving holiday, discovering the Val de Loire region of France over seven days in our 2005 Maserati Cambiocorsa. That the Loire is one of t

On arrival at Arc 1800, one of five resorts in the Les Arcs ski region in southeast France, we were surprised to discover a 4ft dump of snow had fallen overnight. Skis were parked up, snowmen were bei

Susan Taylor celebrates New Year in Cornwall with bracing walks and fancy dress I could feel it in the air – almost reach out and touch it. Not the wind and rain; even that was strangely quiet, mirror

Paris to Tokyo. Budget-ish airlines will fly you for as little as 300 quid. Although for that price you get a free 20 hour stopover and an imprint of your seat neighbour’s elbow in your ear lobe. Or,