There’s a massive temptation to go in to hiberation mode when winter hits, I’m not a fan of the cold so when temperatures plummet or it’s windy and raining hard I roll down my blind, make a cup of tea and pretend the outdoors doesn’t exist. Still, with the season of over-indulgence upon us, not to mention that sometimes winter can throw some truly stunning days at us I thought I’d pop together a post of things to do and places to visit as motivation to keep active even on the coldest and darkest days.

My one and only try and indoor skiing did not end well, but I’m always down for a laugh so somewhere like Chill Factore in Manchester sounds right up my street. With skiing and snowboarding lessons available I’m fairly confident I could eventually master the art of staying upright, which leads me right on to my next destination of choice…Scotland.

I fell in love with The Highlands when I visited with Bob in September. During the drive from Inverness to Gairloch he was telling me about the ski resorts dotted around and I’d absolutely love to go there with him. Given that Bob has worked a couple of ski seasons in France, and has had plenty of skiing holidays I’ll need some serious lessons before I’d brave the slopes with him, but I really like the idea of skiing in the UK and I have friends who do just that on a regular basis.

A bit closer to home and I am desperate to visit the Icescape at the Tropicana in Weston-Super-Mare before it closes on the 7th January. I love ice skating and was gutted when Bristol’s rink closed down some years back- this is literally twenty minutes from my door and even as I type this I’m wondering why I haven’t booked a session yet.

Finally, for those bright and beautiful days that winter occasionally bestows upon us I have Westonbirt Arboretum on my list of places to visit. Again, this is somewhere pretty much on my doorstep, and somewhere I have visited a few times in the past (and loved). I’m just waiting for the next crisp, bright day to pull on my boots and drag Bob out for an invigorating stroll.

What are some of your favourite winter activities? Do you struggle with keeping active in the colder months?