![]() ![]() Also, with a bounty of nature reserves, North Norfolk is brilliant for birding, especially in winter when – among other species – pink-footed geese arrive in their tens of thousands. Board a boat to see the spectacle up close (£25 adult/£15 child 01263 740505 .uk). What to doīlakeney Point is home to England’s largest seal colony, where 3,000 pups are born annually, November-January. And it means spectacular big skies, including dark, clear nights when you can see the Milky Way with the naked eye. It means spotting seal pups and masses of migrating birds. ![]() Because off-season in North Norfolk means the long, golden beaches are empty and the coast-path walks are extra invigorating (the coast-hopper bus continues, too ). (And we don’t mean the amusement-arcade sort – though you can do that in Hunstanton and Cromer, if you like.) No, you’ll avoid summer’s crowds, but arguably still see it at its best. Visit North Norfolk in winter and you’ll hit the jackpot. There is so much unexpected beauty to be found in winter – as you’ll see below – and so many outright bargains, too. Not having to give way to six coachloads of people as you ramble around a Cumbrian lake makes that ramble all the more enriching, especially if the surrounding fells are dusted with snow. The bliss of standing alone on a breathtaking Cornish clifftop is worth a blast of chilly sea air. Because many tourist spots are magical to visit out of season. January seems to be the top choice for hotel refurbishments, and many tours and attractions hibernate until Easter or at least the February half-term (be sure to do some pre-trip research).īut don’t let that put you off. More annoying, perhaps, is that some things just close. It is undeniably colder, though low temperatures do have pleasingly hygge-ish side effects – notably the chance to embrace rosy cheeks, woolly jumpers and roaring fires. Their winding roads are unclogged, their sights queueless, their rated restaurants much easier to book. 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 bolthole by the previous November, you are probably already too late.Įven better, in winter these locations are delightfully crowd-free. 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. Unreliable weather? That’s simply the potential for storm-watching, bracing strolls or feeling the magnified joy of a surprisingly crisp, blue-sky day. 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. ![]() See them instead as a canvas for spectacular stargazing. Take long, dark, gloomy nights, for instance. Because if you are willing to look at things a little differently, you will find that winter can be very much “on”. 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. 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.
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