My top three ideas for festive breaks

Christmas decorations at the Galleries Lafayette

This time of year provides the perfect opportunity for a relaxing pre-Christmas getaway before the stress of hectic family get-togethers. Many people flock to the glittering lights of New York or the traditional atmosphere of Germany’s Christmas markets, but there are many other options for those in search of some festive spirit.

Paris

Everyone talks about Paris in the springtime, but I prefer Paris in the winter – particularly around Christmas, when the Champs Elysees are lined with sparkling lights and the windows of famous department store the Galleries Lafayette come alive with animated displays. The city’s shops are perfect for picking up unusual gifts, while the  ice-rink outside the Hôtel de Ville provides wintry fun in a romantic setting overlooking the Seine.

Edinburgh

Fascinating at any time of year, Edinburgh is especially worth a visit in December. As well as the starkly beautiful castle – illuminated at Christmas by a striking lighting scheme – it boasts a huge German market, a fair, an outdoor ice-rink, lively bars and fantastic shopping opportunities.

Edinburgh also offers a wide array of fantastic boutique hotels, of which my favourite for festive breaks is The Bonham in the city’s West End. Set in a converted Victorian town house, it blends contemporary style with luxurious interiors, rich colours and period touches such as huge bay windows, black and white tiled bathrooms and an imposing spiral staircase. The hotel’s restaurant is similarly warm and sophisticated, serving an innovative menu of modern French food with a Scottish twist in a wood-panelled dining room.

The Cotswolds

If you’re looking for a more rural festive escape, the Cotswolds’ picture-perfect stone and thatch villages offer stylish hotels, unusual boutiques and cosy pubs. The area also boasts a growing art, restaurant and spa scene, attracting increasing numbers of celebs to its rolling hills and village greens.

Those searching for all-out luxury should try Lower Slaughter Manor, Cowley Manor or Cotswold House, while the Burford House Hotel – set within a 17th century building on Burford’s High Street – is perfect for those seeking comfort and style on a lower budget. Its eight individually decorated bedrooms are crammed with antiques and luxurious fabrics, while the hotel’s two lounges come complete with roaring fires, an honesty bar and resident cats.

Hotel L’Aviatic – www.aviatic.fr

The Bonham – www.townhousecompany.com/thebonham

Lower Slaughter Manor – www.lowerslaughter.co.uk

Cowley Manor – www.cowleymanor.com

Cotswold House – www.cotswoldhouse.com

Burford House Hotel – www.burford-house.co.uk

Spooky suggestions for Halloween breaks

I have to confess to having a bit of a secret interest in all things paranormal, so I was intrigued to read that English Heritage is preparing for Halloween by launching an online map of the UK’s most haunted spots.

I’ve visited a few locations which have sent a chill or two down my spine, so I thought I’d add to its suggestions with my own recommendations for destinations where you might just experience things that go bump in the night…

Edinburgh 

Edinburgh doesn’t feature on English Heritage’s list for obvious reasons, but its macabre reputation shows no signs of abating. It boasts a number of spooky sights, from crowded cemeteries and the reputedly haunted Castle to the Blair Street vaults, where grave-snatchers used to hide bodies and the city’s most disreputable inhabitants would congregate. Also well worth a visit is St Mary King’s Close – a warren of hidden streets beneath the Royal Mile whose former residents are said to linger to this day.    

Mercat Tours, which claims to run Edinburgh’s original ghost walk, offers a chilling evening of entertainment which covers all of the above and ends with a well-needed drink in a candle-lit pub.

York 

Often lauded as Europe’s most haunted city, York is rumoured to contain more than 140 ghosts within its walls, from Roman garrisons marching through the cellars of the historic Treasurer’s House to the spectre of Henry VIII’s unfortunate fourth wife Catherine Howard, who reportedly walks through walls at the King’s Manor.

Blood-chilling tales of murder, tragedy and gruesome revenge can be heard on the Ghost Trail of York, a nightly guided walk which leaves from the West entrance of York Minster.

Derby 

Derby often vies with York for the title of most haunted city and was once crowned ‘ghost capital of Britain’ by the BBC. Its location in the very centre of the UK has certainly left an interesting legacy, encompassing links with Bonnie Prince Charlie and a strong Viking connection which is still evident in the city’s street names.  

Most of Derby’s ghostly sightings centre around the historic streets of Sadler Gate, Friar Gate and Iron Gate, where a Victorian lady in blue haunts the Bell Hotel and a man in Jacobite dress roams the area near the Cathedral. Perhaps the city’s most famous haunted spot is the former Derby Gaol, now a museum, where countless condemned prisoners were held and where a fascinating ghost walk now departs several times a week.

Bath

Bath’s elegant Georgian terraces are home to more genteel but no less fascinating ghosts and ghouls. These include the Theatre Royal’s Grey Lady, the ‘signing lady’ of Royal Crescent, a man dressed in black at the Assembly Rooms and a spectral re-enactment of an 18^th century dual on Gravel Walk. 

Guided tours operated by Ghost Walks of Bath take place every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm.

Bristol

Bristol’s paranormal side may not be as well-known as the above cities, but it has still experienced a few of its own ghostly goings-on. Besides, it’s my home city and I’m biased, so it had to be included somewhere on the list.

Bristol’s spooks include a grey monk who disappears into walls at the cathedral, a Victorian servant on the Christmas Steps and a highway man on Pembroke Road, but perhaps most famous among the city’s haunted locations is Brunel’s SS Great Britain, the world’s first ocean liner, where a long-deceased captain is said to wander the decks.

English Heritage – www.english-heritage.org.uk/halloween

St Mary King’s Close – www.realmarykingsclose.com

Mercat Tours – www.mercattours.com

The Ghost Trail of York – www.ghosttrail.co.uk

Derby Gaol – www.derbygaol.com

Ghost Walks of Bath – www.ghostwalksofbath.co.uk

SS Great Britain – www.ssgreatbritain.org