Travellers Tips - Cold and Icy

Unless you're intrepid enough to trek in the Himalayas or cruise in the Antarctic, cold and icy weather means one thing: winter.

Travelling in this season can be a joy. High-pressure weather systems can keep it clear and bright all day, and the low sun picks out shadows and warms up every building with a golden glow (perfect for photography). Best of all is when it snows, and sights that looked jaded and worn out in summer are transformed into picture-postcard, gift-wrapped delights.

Of course it can be sheer misery too. Driving sleet that drives you indoors and biting cold that keeps you cooped up in your hotel. Dark days that you've all but missed before you've started because you couldn't face getting up. Grumpy locals, early closing hours, grey skies and wind that makes your best winter coat feel paper thin.

We all hibernate a little in winter, and a hectic round of sightseeing and day trips goes right against the grain. Mind you, you'll have the museums and galleries all to yourself... Plan with a little extra care to avoid long treks through the streets, or take a taxi (if it feels extravagant, don't worry, you're being a good eco-tourist and spending in the local economy!). Time visits between long, slow, warming meals that keep you indoors, and patronize cafés and bars between visits. Who needs a St Bernard? A hot chocolate in a Swiss café can be a lifesaver. That or a stiff schnapps.

Long winter evenings mean cooks have time to show off, and food can keep you warm, too. On the freezing Spanish mesa they swear by slow-cooked stews of fatty pork and beans. Tibetans drink cup after cup of strong, buttery tea (sugar will do just as well), while the Nepalese fill up on bowls of the blackest lentils, flavoured with garlic to aid the circulation. Spices get the blood going, too - even in Britain we use nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves to perk up anything from winter stew to Christmas pudding. Not to mention mulled wine, which keeps them warm and happy right across the Alps.

But the best thing you can do is just wrap up. Layers are best, but if you're in and out all day it's good to have a coat that you can take off easily. Down is simply amazing when it's icy, and unbelievably warm for its weight, but is quickly ruined by a downpour - and it's ruinously expensive. Techno-fabrics like fleeces and micro-fibre are useful, but wool is just as good if you can keep it dry. Luckily, winter clothes aren't just about being practical, and gloves, scarves and hats come in a million exuberant colours and styles. Who needs tanned flesh and white cotton? Pass me my parka.

Travel Tips: Cold and Icy Weather
When the sheets are cold and clammy and you're longing for an electric blanket, don't forget that a hot water bottle is exactly what it says it is. Finish off that brandy, refill the bottle with hot water and just wrap it in a T-shirt. Where there's no bottle (or worse, no brandy), warm up a stone in the oven and pop that in instead.