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Our Autumnal slow travel holidays are peppered with seasonal harvest-related stop offs. The beaches are quieter, the leaves are on the turn and cosy pubs are lighting fires. In the north, midnight light shows are beckoning.
For late summer sun, Italy is ready to welcome you again, from olives groves in Tuscany to sea swimming in Sicily. Here are some of our favourite slow trips for Autumn, well worth leaving the house for.
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1. Northern Lights on the Isle of Skye
Scotland: 4 days from £351
Spend time in the Highlands for a chance to see the famous merry dancers. Stay in a wonderfully remote bothy in the north of the island for the best chance to see them.
Enjoy the autumn colours of the Yorkshire Moors on our favourite circular walks with en-route lunch stops. End the day with a well earned hearty dinner, page turner and maybe a tipple or two.
2. Roaring fires in the Yorkshire Moors
Yorkshire: 7 days from £746 – enquire
3. Cider making in the West Country
West Country: 7 days from £564
October means one thing in the West Country – apple season. Spend a long weekend near Bath and visit cider farms during the apple harvest for an insight into the cider making process (and a few samples).
4. Seal pups on the Llŷn Peninsula
North Wales: 7 days from £683
5,000 grey seals live in the water around West Wales and September to December is pup season, so the perfect time for a wildlife spotting holiday.
5. Empty beaches on the Jurassic Coast
Jurassic Coast: 47 days from £626
After the schools go back and the summer crowds empty out, the Jurassic Coast becomes a peaceful haven when you can enjoy whole beaches all to yourself.
September and October is grape harvest time on the French vineyards. Spend a week in the Alsace hopping between wine regions or becoming a grape picker for the day.
6. Grape harvest in the French Alsace
Eastern France: 7 days from £708
7. Whale watching on the Yorkshire Coast
Yorkshire Coast: 7 days from £646
Catch the tail end (sorry) of the whale season without the crowds. Minke and Humpback whales can be spotted off the Whitby coast throughout October, and the area is also home to dolphins and seals.
8. Adventures in Snowdonia
Snowdonia: 7 days from £683
Nothing keeps you warm like adrenaline, and adventures in Snowdonia are packed with that. Kayak across mirror lakes surrounded by purple heather, join in Snowdonia’s Hiking Festival or scramble up sparkling waterfalls full of autumn rains.
9. Surfing in Cornwall
Cornwall: 7 days from £933
The autumnal weather brings higher winds and bigger waves, meaning great surf on the Cornish Coast. Stay in Padstow and Sennen for easy access to two of the best surfing beaches in the UK.
10. Autumn sun on the Med
Côte d’Azur: 10 days from £1189
If you’re not quite ready for cooler weather, escape to warmer climes and sunny days on the Côte d’Azur. September has an average high temperature of 25 degrees and 11 sunlit hours per day.