Each Parc in the UK is transformed into a winter wonderland in the run-up to Christmas. You can choose from a fire-and-ice inspired world at Elveden Forest, Suffolk, to an enchanted fairyland at Whinfell Forest, Cumbria. December prices start from

thousands and old-fashioned charm (99 ice creams and candy floss) is now considered vintage seaside chic.Head to southwest England, home to the stunning Sandbanks beach at Poole, and you’ll find three miles of fine golden sands. Hire a paddle boat, join

returning home, you suddenly yearn for the smell of the coal from steam trains, late afternoon walks along forgotten country lanes and that ice cream tasting like… sunshine.RESOURCES Getting there- www.hovertravel.co.uk Crossing the Solent in just ten

legs with the promise of Granny Wobbly’s Fudge Pantry in Wadebridge or, if you’re heading to Padstow, there’s heavenly ice cream at Stein’s Deli.For big days out, try Cornwall’s Crealy Great Adventure Park, near Wadebridge (tel: 01841 540276; www.crealy.co.uk

leisurely towards the village square, past an iced-over stream where a lone duck skates precariously, much to the amusement of the children, I begin to feel at one with nature, breathing in the fresh air with its heady woodland scent, so unlike the polluted

money, which may be why a recent survey revealed that more than half of us will stay in the UK for our holidays this year.The good news is that while a break in the UK may not seem like the most exciting prospect to you, to your children there is a world