. There are escapades that are actually more fun when there's frost and snow on the ground. And there are seasonal spectacles that are so astonishing they'll make you forget it's a bit nippy out. Plus, with fewer people daring to go out and about, the experiences will feel all the more exclusive, all the more edgy. And you'll fully deserve that flagon of cocoa at the end. See below for some adventurous ideas to get you started. The beaches in this part of Scotland are some of the country's cleanest, wildest, emptiest and most invigorating. They're also slapped by the UK's most northerly surf break, which is best from autumn to spring. North Coast Watersports offers lessons at world-class surf-hub Thurso and – new for 2022 – Ceannabeinne Beach in Durness. Group lessons from £35pp, private lessons from £100 (07982 649635; northcoastwatersports.com). Wales's highest peaks are still tantalising in winter, but you'll need more nous to tackle them. Anelu Aim Higher runs courses in Snowdonia, ranging from night navigation (£40pp) to a five-day mountain experience (£395pp). It offers winter-skills courses, too, covering everything from using crampons to avalanche awareness. One-day winter-skills course from £80pp (07877 902624; mountain-hill-courses.co.uk). OK, you don't need to wait until winter to go ice climbing in Kinlochleven. But it feels like the most appropriate season to hit this 40ft-high slab of real snow and ice – the biggest indoor ice wall in the world. Learn here, then consider a course in the g){kind=link}
From stargazing and cycling to surfing and hiking, here’s how to master the art of winter adventure this season
With the Met Office reckoning that the chances of us having a cold winter this year are greater than us having a mild one, you might be forgiven for going into hibernation; simply drawing the curtains and hunkering down with a flagon of cocoa under a mountain of blankets until March. But don’t! There are so many ways to enjoy – really enjoy – the UK’s darker, chillier climes.
There are active adventures that will warm you up nicely (no costly central heating required). There are escapades that are actually more fun when there’s frost and snow on the ground. And there are seasonal spectacles that are so astonishing they’ll make you forget it’s a bit nippy out. Plus, with fewer people daring to go out and about, the experiences will feel all the more exclusive, all the more edgy. And you’ll fully deserve that flagon of cocoa at the end. See below for some adventurous ideas to get you started.
The beaches in this part of Scotland are some of the country’s cleanest, wildest, emptiest and most invigorating. They’re also slapped by the UK’s most northerly surf break, which is best from autumn to spring. North Coast Watersports offers lessons at world-class surf-hub Thurso and – new for 2022 – Ceannabeinne Beach in Durness. Group lessons from £35pp, private lessons from £100 (07982 649635; northcoastwatersports.com).
Wales’s highest peaks are still tantalising in winter, but you’ll need more nous to tackle them. Anelu Aim Higher runs courses in Snowdonia, ranging from night navigation (£40pp) to a five-day mountain experience (£395pp). It offers winter-skills courses, too, covering everything from using crampons to avalanche awareness. One-day winter-skills course from £80pp (07877 902624; mountain-hill-courses.co.uk).