Winter is that special time of year when children are left wide-eyed by twinkling lights, ice-skating and, most of all, by that man in red.
Home may be the usual place for most families to celebrate Christmas, but spending the winter holidays away can minimise family politics (no squabbling over who's hosting) and give adults and kids alike a fun new Christmas experience. We've put together ideas for the best family festive breaks around Britain, to make a 25 December getaway memorable, easy and fun.
Exhilarating winter sports in the Cairngorms
At 3,800 sq. km, the new Cairngorms National Park is Britain's biggest and most diverse park. It is Britain's premier destination for winter sports and home to four of Scotland's highest mountains. In addition to the peaks, it's home to the romantic River Dee, which flows through the glen where Queen Victoria persuaded Prince Albert to buy her the Balmoral Estate. The park also holds a quarter of Scotland's native woodlands, including forests of rare natural conifers, pines and birch. There is a good chance of snow at Christmas, although when the weather turns nasty, which it can do without warning, the only place to be is indoors.
Where to stay
While Scotland is rife with hunting lodges, most are geared to adult pursuits and don't cater for children. One place families flock to is the Hilton Craigendarroch resort hotel at Ballater (pictured), in the heart of Royal Deeside. The hotel has two swimming pools, one with a children's slide; all-weather tennis courts; an outdoor playground and dry ski slope; squash courts; a fitness suite; sauna; steam room; games room and snooker room. When guests arrive on Christmas Eve, adults enjoy mulled wine around the log fire in the study. In the evening, there is a champagne reception, followed by a buffet of Highlands seafood and game in the Lochnagar Suite. For children, there are Christmas Eve parties, high tea, a Hamleys playroom, and a supervised swim and video evening.
A three-night Christmas break, including dinner, bed and breakfast with entertainment and activities costs £300 per person (sharing a double or twin-bedded room), £90 per child (2 to 4yrs) and £180 (5 to 15yrs) sharing with adults.
Things to do around and about
For young animal-lovers, the nearby Cairngorm Reindeer Centre has visits to the herd and Father Christmas. Trips leave daily at 11am. For older children (recommended age, 10 plus) there is the Cairngorm Sleddog Centre. During a three-hour course (£45.00) you learn about the sport, discover how a pack of 12 husky dogs is trained to match the power of a pair of horses, and experience the thrill and power of sled dogs in an hour-long ride (with an experienced driver). At the village of Stonehaven on the coast, the fireball ceremony at Hogmanay is said to burn off bad spirits and welcome in the New Year, clean and fresh. Just before midnight, local people walk through the town, swinging flaming balls of fire in wire cages, which they then toss into the sea. The ceremony attracts thousands of onlookers, who make sure to watch from a safe distance.
For details:
If you'd like to get away from the commercial blitz of Christmas, swap city hubbub and street lights for a remote cottage with log-burning fires, a blue velvet Cumbrian night sky and thousands of stars overhead. By day, children will busy themselves visiting Santa, walking in the hills, sizzling Cumbrian sausages over open fires, cycling around the lakes and, best of all, tobogganing down the snow fells.
For details of walks and cycle routes:
National Trails www.nationaltrails.co.uk
National Cycle Routes www.sustrans.co.uk
Where to stay
Monkhouse Hill Cottages near Keswick won 2003's Cumbria for Excellence Award for the best self-catering accommodation. The cottages are arranged around a courtyard and all have log-burning stoves - get ready to toast marshmallows. (Make catering for your clan that much easier by ordering groceries online for delivery at the cabin.) Grizedale Forest is close by for winter walks. Weekly rentals start from £490. Get more information about Monkhouse Hill as well as hundreds of other cottage properties from Cumbria's tourist board.
Armathwaite Hall near Ullswater provides a traditional experience for kids and parents alike. Christmas day starts with a visit from Santa, present-opening and a traditional turkey lunch, followed by the Queen's speech (perhaps a good time for a nap?). On Boxing Day families can visit Trotters World of Animals in the hotel's grounds, where children meet Monty the Python, a family of gibbons and birds of prey. Then it's back to the hall to collect a packed lunch and off to Lake Ullswater for a winter cruise. Cruising is one of the best ways to take in the Lakeland scenery, especially when the surrounding fells have their first winter snow. In the afternoon there is a guided walk along a favourite Victorian woodland track to Aira Force, one of the Lake District's finest waterfalls. Guests are driven back to the hall. Later in the evening, parents don black tie for an after-dinner casino night of blackjack, roulette, professional croupiers and funny money.
The three-night Christmas and New Year packages cost £760 per person including meals and entertainment; children under 4 to 12 years sharing with parents are £200 per child; under-4s are free with meals charged as taken.
For details:
Cumbrian Tourist Board www.golakes.co.uk
Armathwaitehall Hall www.armathwaitehall.com
Things to do around and about
Weather permitting, the hills of the Lake District make excellent toboggan runs. Two of the best locations are Latrigg Fell near Keswick and Kirkstone Pass near Ullswater. In addition, many Cumbrian tourist attractions stay open during Christmas and the New Year. Popular with youngsters is Keswick Climbing Wall, and the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, England's first narrow gauge railway. The Railway runs a Santa Special three times a day, every weekend in December, whereby kids get a visit and a gift from Santa, and parents enjoy mince pies and a drink. Tickets cost £14 for adults; £14, including Santa gift, for children aged 1 to 11; and £7 including token gift for children aged 12-15. For tickets, telephone Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway on tel 01229 717171.
For details:
Have you always imagined spending Christmas like Clara in the Nutcracker - in a glorious country house with a giant tree, a crackling fire and Christmas carols? Lots of country house hotels offer Christmas and New Year packages for families that echo this experience - with everyone seated around huge tables for a traditional Christmas lunch, indoor leisure and beauty spa treatments, a visit from Santa, log fires, board games and candlelit walks. (For more modern-minded kids, some hotels like Calcot Manor in Gloucestershire also have less 'traditional' pursuits for kids, such as PlayStations and Xboxes.) Travel agent, Breaks With Tradition, which specialises in country house and town house hotel breaks, lists Christmas and New Year packages at hotels around Britain.
For details:
Breaks With Tradition
Before booking, call and ask what the typical mix of guests is; you do not want to arrive to find you are the only family among couples.
Where to stay
The Old Bell in Malmesbury (pictured) is a family-friendly hotel situated in the Southern Cotswolds. Its three-night Christmas package includes all meals and activities. Events for children include a pantomime and hanging stockings around the big old fireplace on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, Santa arrives and kids must find him in a group game of Hide-and-Seek. There is also a big video screen for watching DVDs with friends, and carol-singing. Tariff is from £680 per person, with children aged 12 and under sharing parents' room £150.
For details:
The Old Bell www.oldbellhotel.com/
Things to do around and about
The Old Bell is well located for trips to Bath with its cathedral carol concert, Christmas market and Westonbirt Arboretum. In winter, Westonbirt has magical night time trails through the Enchanted Wood, illuminated with thousands of coloured lights. It also runs Christmas craft workshops for adults and children, where decorations are made with materials from the surrounding woodland.
For details:
Capital Christmas in London
If you want shops, eating out, entertainment and lights, then London is the place to go. While you'll likely want to avoid hectic shopping thoroughfares like Oxford Street, you can make the most of the delights of the season: ice skating, window-shopping, seeing the lights and enjoying the hustle and bustle.
Where to stay
Location is all-important, since kids as well as adults can get over-stimulated faster than normal during the Christmas season.
London Marriott Hotel County Hall
The London Marriott Hotel County Hall on the River Thames is a convenient base for exploring nearby attractions like the London Eye, the South Bank, Pantoland and Covent Garden. Christmas lunch is served in the Riverside County Hall Restaurant; the high ceilings, grand windows and seasonal decorations make it a memorable setting. Lunch starts with a glass of champagne for adults, followed by a choice of five starters, main course and dessert. Then coffee is served with mince pies and stollen. Finally, Santa Clause arrives with a gift for each child. Christmas lunch must be pre-booked. Adults: £95; children aged 5-13: £60; children under 5: £40. Tariffs for hotel rooms start at £199 per room, including one night's accommodation and breakfast, based on two adults and two children aged 16 and under sharing a room, subject to availability.
51 Buckingham Gate
If you want a luxury home-from-home, stay just around the corner from Buckingham Palace, in a five-star apartment at 51 Buckingham Gate. The suites are kitted out to suit the tech-literate child in your family - all are equipped with TVs and DVD players and the first-floor e-centre has video games. A nanny service can be booked 24 hours a day and, for fresh air, 51 has its own courtyard garden, with St James's Park just two minutes' away. A Superior two-bedroom suite costs £339 per night; Superior three-bedroom suite costs £439. Quote iVillage when booking.
For details:
Things to do around and about
London's tourist board has full listings of events in and around the capital. For the first time this Christmas, skating comes to Hampton Court Palace (pictured above and at top) from 6 December 2003 until 18 January 2004. The ice rink will be outside the west front of Henry VIII's famous Thameside residence. Sessions last one hour and cost £8.50 per adult; £6.50 per child (under 16); £26.00 family ticket for four. Booking in advance is recommended at www.hamptoncourticerink.co.uk. The outdoor ice rink at Somerset House is also a long time favourite for families and it's advisable to book ahead there as well - www.somerset-house.org.uk/icerink.
For details: