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Summer hotspots like Cornwall, Norfolk and the Lakes can be just as magical to visit in winter, especially when the crowds have gone
What’s the old adage? There’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothing? Broadening “bad weather” to encompass winter in general, I would add – and the wrong attitude. Because it strikes me that what is most wrong with winter in the UK is the way it is framed – the way it is dismissed as the “off” season. Because if you are willing to look at things a little differently, you will find that winter can be very much “on”.
Take long, dark, gloomy nights, for instance. See them instead as a canvas for spectacular stargazing. Horribly short days? More like dramatic sunrises with lie-ins – after 8am in December! Stark landscapes and leafless trees? All the better for spotting wildlife, not to mention a welcoming environment for migrating birds. Unreliable weather? That’s simply the potential for storm-watching, bracing strolls or feeling the magnified joy of a surprisingly crisp, blue-sky day.
Unpopular also equals great value. If you are prepared to visit that smart hotel or cute cottage in January rather than July, you might well nab it for half the price. This is especially true in places that are over-loved in warmer months, such as Cornwall, Norfolk and the Isle of Skye – places where if you haven’t booked your summer 2023 bolthole by now, you are probably already too late.
Even better, in winter these locations are delightfully crowd-free. Their winding roads are unclogged, their sights queueless, their rated restaurants much easier to book.