UKC

I'm sure many of you are getting excited at the prospect of Winter Conditions, but I personally find this time of the year pretty tough. The short days and long nights add to my gloom. As a result I am planning a winter break. Istanbul was top of my list due to the architecture and photo opportunties. A friend told me to go Morrocco, but I have been there before.

Anyone got any other suggestions? ( In March I am planning to escape the the Himalaya)

In reply to Blizzard:

What about places like New Mexico? Lots of photo opportunities there and I imagine it stays warm in winter. I have to say Istanbul would be high on my list.

In reply to Blizzard:

What about further afield - the southern hemisphere?

In reply to Blizzard: How long do you want to go away for? What's your budget? Roughly speaking. What are you looking for? Just some nice weather or more than that?

Best place for cheap guaranteed winter sun is the Canary Isles. Though this may not be what you're looking for.

In reply to Tall Clare:

I am limited regarding the cost of flights, trying to keep them down to a minimum. Ideally no more than £100 in total, £150 tops. I can just about do that with Istanbul

In reply to Frank4short:

Ooo, good call - I found Fuerteventura very photogenic.

In reply to Frank4short:

Was also about to suggest Canaries. Beautifully warm in our winter without being searingly hot.

In reply to Ava Adore:


Indeed - but unfortunately also with a maddening, continuous and relentless wind. Was there in Feb this year and wanted to kill the wind by the time we left.

If you can get to Istanbul, that would be my choice. An amazing city with lots to do if sitting on a beach isn't your thing or a beach to sit on if it is. Not sure what the weather is like though.

In reply to EeeByGum:

I would still favour the Canaries or Madiera wind or no wind. The Eastern Med can be really cold in the winter with arctic blasts coming down from Russia.

The "Cape Doctor" can get very wearing in Western Cape at that time of year - lovely clear weather and a relentless gale force warm wind which can go on non stop for weeks....

In reply to Blizzard:

what winter do you want to escape from? In the UK it very rarely gets as cold as -10 and snow that lasts more than a week is unusual, at least in low lying areas.

I'll agree about the lack of daylight being miserable though, nothing worse than dragging yourself out of bed when its still pitch dark. Gonna try a daily drop of vitamin D & see if this helps.

In reply to Blizzard: Is there any climbing in the canaries that anyone knows of?

In reply to Blizzard:

Istanbul's not exactly roasting in the winter. I don't know where you are in the UK, but you may not be much warmer in Istanbul. But you will get a bit more daylight, and it does look a fascinating place to visit.

In reply to t.j:

Ta daaaa: http://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/page.php?id=4410

That's just Tenerife though - not sure about the others.

In reply to Blizzard: Naples?

In reply to Tall Clare: Thanks! I thought i had looked through all the destination articles looking for a good choice for November but missed that one.

I was put of the idea of the canaries because i have a preconception of them as being tacky package holiday destinations but there seem to be a few positive comments on here. have you been there?

In reply to t.j:

I went to Fuerteventura years ago with my parents on a timeshare thing. Whilst some of the coastal areas were clearly heading for tackiness, the interior and some of the more remote coastline were amazing - proper spaghetti western territory and fabulous for photographs.

In reply to Tall Clare: Same largely applies for Tenerife. The island is comparatively large and extremely mountainous. Whilst it does have a thriving /unpleasant tourist concentration this is largely confined to a few areas, infact mostly in specific conurbation, other than that the island is mostly desert and mountains to the south with cliffs and banana plantations to the north. I haven't climbed there but the mountain biking is great and I can imagine the rock climbing would be good in places based on what i've seen of the place. It also has the highest mountain in Spain and extensive hill walking.

In reply to t.j:

It's not hard to get away from the tourist hotspots in Tenerife. We've been a couple of times and stayed in a small village away from the coast. Nothing like the Tenerife you might imagine

In reply to t.j:

Photos from our last trip

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ebygomm/sets/72157625861566955/with/5429428068...

In reply to ebygomm:


I'd say even at that once you've a rental car the tourist hotspots aren't that bad. And have certain advantages like they can be cheaper to eat and drink out in if you're careful about where you go.

In reply to ebygomm: Great photos, thanks for that