You can’t go wrong with Colin Thubron, and I’d put "In Siberia" at the top of the list. As one reviewer said about the region, these “are places that you would not wish to visit in your wildest dreams”. But one such place, Krasnoyarsk, was the destination of a group of British teachers (myself among them) on a British Council sponsored visit. On the flight to Moscow I seem to recall almost everyone in the group of eight sitting reading their Thubron and it provided us with a cultural and spiritual context for the trip that made the experience all the more profound.

Penguin Books, isbn: 0-140-26860-X

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The islet of Trogir is a popular Croatian tourist destination and World Heritage site. Billionaires park their yachts here during the summer months. However, a short walk round the town and away from the quayside leads you to a causeway back to the mainland and the extensive daily market. Under an array of shady parasols local produce – fruit, preserves, fresh herbs, cheeses and vegetables - is displayed in abundance and elderly Croatian ladies are set up round the edges with tiny trestle tables, eager to sell you their pots of honey and hand-picked crops; anything from plums to courgettes. Afterward you can pick up a coffee and a Croatian pastry in one of the nearby bakery stalls.

Trogir is on the Dalmatian coast about 20 miles from Split. The market is just off the main road beside the causeway that leads on to Trogir island.
www.dalmacija.net/destination/trogir

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More of a museum than a gallery, this quirky museum was the summer home of Dali and his wife Gala. Situated in the picturesque sleepy bay of Portlligat, close to Cadaques on the Costa Brava. You need to book in advance for a timed admission but will be rewarded with an intimate insight into the artist and his work. Highlights include his studio, themed rooms, sculptered eggs and examples of pop art around the phallic shaped pool. Don't expect a trendy cafe or extensive gift shop but you may come away with a smile!

www.salvador-dali.org
Portlligat
E- 17488 Cadaqués
+34 972 251 015
Google map: bit.ly/f6kkT1

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When you visit the Birch Hall Inn you’ll probably find that most of the customers are walkers – and a whole range of walks is indeed possible from this tiny and historic pub in the charming hamlet of Beck Hole, eight miles inland from Whitby. Start in Goathland (you can take the steam train there) and walk down the incline, a remnant of the first railway track connecting Whitby and Pickering and dating from the 1830’s, or make the pub the base and you can strike up across the moors or continue along the old track bed, following the river towards Esk Valley. This route is wheel and push chair friendly. More serious walkers could visit Thomasson Foss or take a cue from The Inn Way – this circular route will lead you to dozens of walks around the North York Moors, with a pub every few miles. However, you never need to stray far from the Birch Hall Inn, and you can collect your reward in the form of a beer dedicated to the pub itself – the appropriately named Beckwatter, and just one of the reasons why this splendid hostelry regularly receives recognition from CAMRA.

Beck Hole, Whitby, North Yorkshire, YO22 5LE
+44(0)1947 896245
www.beckhole.info
Google map: bit.ly/h4kvuw

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Malaga, like most airport cities, is often overlooked but as we found last year, it makes a great and accessible winter city break, especially if you time it for the first weekend of December when some of the best and most tasteful Christmas lights you could hope to see are switched on. Don’t miss the huge nativity scene at the meeting point of Alameda and c/Larios, then explore the marbled pedestrianised streets festooned with red green and gold lights. The atmosphere in the city centre is truly festive, with street entertainers to keep the kids happy and a free rock concert in the Plaza Constitucion. There are many cosy authentic tapas bars where you can drink Malaga wine and eat delicious tapas, such as Malaga Cod (a sort of potato salad with cod and oranges). Drink with the locals at the Casa Guardia, which Picasso frequented. During the day you can visit the Picasso Museum, the Moorish fort and the Alcazaba palace and then return to soak up the carnival atmosphere in the evening.

Malaga centre is pedestrianised and easy to find. Access from the airport is easy - from the central staion it is a 15 minute walk to the centre

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The Hyde Park Picture House in Leeds is the second oldest continually operating cinema in the country, one of the oldest surviving cinemas from the silent era and with many of its original features still intact. To be found on the corner of a terraced street you come upon it almost by surprise. Not only has it shown film, it has also featured in film, notably Wetherby in 1985. What makes it so appealing is its intimate feel - indeed it was advertised in 1914 as “the cosiest picture house in Leeds”. It hasn’t changed much since then. Among its most well known features is its gas “modesty lighting”, which could be dimmed by the projectionist to a level that would preserve decency during a show! To be found on the corner of a terraced street you come upon it almost by surprise. Today it serves the local community well, showing a mixture of selected mainstream cinema, classic cinema, arthouse films, Hindi films and is about to host the Leeds Young People’s film festival. It even welcomes babies to its Saturday morning screenings.

Hyde Park Picture House, Brudenell Road, Headingley Leeds, LS6 1JD
www.hydeparkpicturehouse.co.uk
0113 2752045

Google map: tinyurl.com/y8f584z

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If you have seen “Life Is Beautiful” and enjoyed watching the central character, Guido, attempting to woo his “principessa” then you have been transported to the Tuscan town of Arezzo.

Much of the backdrop for the first half of the film is the Piazza Grande, a large sloping square dominated by the Romanesque facade of the church of Santa Maria, the Palazzo della Fraternita and an arcade designed by Vasari, now occupied by antique shops and restaurants where you can watch fresh pasta being made.

However, if you look a little more closely you will notice a number of display boards dotted around the square, showing stills and dialogue from the film. Roberto Benigni, who scripted, directed and starred in the film, obviously picked his locations with care, and he won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 1999.

If you do decide to visit this classic film location you will also have the opportunity to visit one of Italy’s great fresco cycles, Piero della Francesca’s Legend of the True Cross, which adorns the walls of the church of San Francesco.

Eastern Tuscany; Tourist Information in Piazza della Repubblica (www.apt.arezzo.it)

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For cream teas, forget Devon and head for Falling Foss Tea Gardens, five miles south of Whitby. Located in an idyllic woodland setting beside the waterfall of the same name, the tea garden has been lovingly restored to its early 20th century appearance by owners Jack and Steph, who unfailingly offer a warm welcome whatever the weather. Reopened in 2008, the tea garden has established a reputation for its home baking, not least the freshly baked scones, accompanied by generous portions of home made raspberry jam and lashings of cream, all for £1.50! Young and old are catered for, with play equipment in the garden and children of all ages are invited to participate in pooh sticks from the nearby footbridge. The tea garden is popular with walkers and ramblers, with the Coast to Coast path passing nearby, but most customers are there for just one thing – the cream teas.

Midge Hall, Sneaton Forest, Whitby, YO22 5JD.
07723 477929
www.fallingfossteagarden.co.uk

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Take crabbing to the highest possible level by competing in the British Open Crabbing Championship held every year in the seaside village of Walberswick. Described as a competition for “children of all ages” – the only condition being that you weren’t born before 1890 - there can be few greater pleasures than joining the hundreds of competitors with line, weight and bait (bacon is said to be best, but the professionals will keep their choice to themselves) and then teasing the crab out of the water and into the bucket. If you can’t make it to Walberswick on Sunday 9th August this summer then any other day will do. Our daughters, now in their late teens, have the fondest memories of hanging off a bridge, filling a bucket with crabs and then releasing them, often a hundred at a time. An essential family experience.

Walberswick is in Suffolk, across the river from Southwold (take the rowed ferry) Details of the crabbibg championships at www.walberswick.ws/crabbing/

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