Avoid the heatwaves with these 15 great ideas for a coolcation
Even so, having to worry about weather that is frankly dangerous is not the ideal prelude to a holiday. So if, like me, you'd rather not have that stress, can I suggest you look elsewhere for your summer holidays? The Med is magnificent in April, May and early June, and can be blissful in late September and October too, but for July and August how about looking north or into the Alps instead?
Here, I've suggested 15 holidays that do just that. Some plunge into sparkling Alpine lakes; others dig their toes into the soft-sand beaches of Denmark and Sweden. There are even one or two that embrace the wilds of Iceland and Norway. All still have availability this summer and, while I can't guarantee that the sun will be shining while you're there, each offers magnificent landscapes or serene seascapes worth exploring whatever the weather.
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Family fun in France's first eco-poolEveryone loves the new Biotope in Combloux, in the Alps south of Geneva. The first eco-swimming lake in France is lined with a membrane (so no one gets muddy toes) and filtered by the surrounding plants. And with gently shelving play areas and surrounding lawns for picnics, it'll keep your kids entertained for hours. Use in conjunction with the local pump track for wannabe mountain bikers, as well as an Alpine rollercoaster in neighbouring Megève, and you have the makings of a multifaceted mountain holiday, with sensational views of Mont Blanc to boot. Nearby, the modern apartments at Les Fermes du Mont Blanc offer a convenient base.Details Seven nights' room only from £195pp, including ferry crossing (peakretreats.co.uk)
Beach holiday on a Swedish islandLow-key, leafy and quietly upmarket, the seaside village of Ljugarn is peppered with refurbished villas and home to a beach. Accommodation is in short supply in July but frees up in August, especially from the middle of the month, when Swedish schools reopen. And with sea temperatures near their late-summer peak (about 19C), it's a great time for a week of carefree, sand-between-your-toes serenity on Sweden's favourite holiday island. Family groups will be tempted by Airbnbs such as the neat, four-bedroom villa from £269 a night (airbnb.co.uk/rooms/34055883); couples might prefer one of the simple but pretty rooms at the Smakrike Krog & Logi guesthouse.Details B&B doubles from £150 (smakrike.se). Fly to Stockholm and take the ferry from Nynashamn
• Read our full guide to Sweden
Cycling and swimming in the SalzkammergutThis self-guided Austrian Lakes Activities holiday is focused primarily on gentle bike rides, with a week's cycle hire included in the price. It has wisely chosen the celebrated Austrian lake district (aka the Salzkammergut) as its base, so you can take the plunge whenever it gets toasty. The Wolfgangsee is the lake nearest your base at the chic, four-star Bergrose Hideaway, and it is edged with bathing areas, as well as a circular cycle track. This year the water temperature in its shallower areas has already hit 26C.Details Seven nights' B&B from £1,169pp, including flights
• 13 of the best Alpine resorts for a summer holiday
Icebergs, mountains and Viking historySurprise, surprise: bookings are up sharply for Greenland holidays this year, with most programmes sold out — but not this eight-day, self-guided Explore South Greenland tour, which combines majestic landscapes with a fascinating insight into Viking history. En route you'll stay at hotels in Narsarsuaq, Qaqortoq and Narsaq, as well as having the chance to explore fjords filled with icebergs, hike mountains and (at extra cost) visit the retreating ice cap. Meanwhile, with the help of local museums and archaeological remains, you'll learn why the Vikings vanished from Greenland after 450 years of settlement.Details Seven nights' B&B from £2,495pp, including flights (regent-holidays.co.uk)
A chic new hotel with lake viewsArosa has a lovely new summer base, the four-star superior Valsana Hotel, which overlooks the Obersee lake in the middle of town. Inside, the hotel's double rooms are huge by Alpine standards, and feature industrial lighting, vintage vinyl and a mix of Swiss and North American design motifs. Outside, Arosa's other lake, the Untersee, is the place for swimming, while free mountain bike hire allows you to explore the region's vast network of waymarked trails. The hotel also offers a range of guided mountain experiences, including sunrise hiking, fire-building and fishing.Details B&B doubles from £233 (tschuggencollection.ch). Fly to Zurich
• 10 of the most beautiful places in Switzerland
Beach days and biking on the Danish RivieraThirty miles northwest of Copenhagen, the island of Zealand meets the sea in a sweep of forested bluffs, cute second homes and long sand-and-pebble beaches. This is the Danish Riviera, and the resort town of Tisvilde gives you the best of it, with a mix of bike rides, beach days, forest walks and a buzzing restaurant scene. One of its elegant seaside hostelries, the Tisvildeleje Strandhotel, still has summer availability too, especially in August, so you can sink gratefully into the embrace of its beach-toned bedrooms once you've dusted the sand off your feet.Details B&B doubles from £121. Fly to Copenhagen
A spectacular landscape of white sand beaches and jagged peaksOn a clear day, the soft-sand beaches of Senja seem to glow as white as those in the Caribbean. But even so, this is not a place for sunbathing — more than 150 miles north of the Arctic Circle, the second-largest Norwegian island is a place of cool midsummer temperatures, variable weather and jagged peaks that rise straight out of the sea, and it begs to be explored. This one-week, self-guided walking tour sticks to the north coast and offers short but spectacular coastal walks from three bases, two of which are in converted fisherman's cottages.Details Seven nights' half-board from £2,375pp (inntravel.co.uk). Fly to Tromso
• 10 of the best places to visit in Norway
Adrenaline-soaked adventure In summer the long Alpine valley of the Ötz River is best known for its hell-for-leather mountain biking, courtesy of the swooping downhill trails of Bike Republic Sölden (soelden.com). But it's a treat for water-loving thrill-seekers too. Not only can you try canyoning and whitewater rafting here, but its Area 47 waterpark is awash with adrenaline; giant water slides, a water cannon, bouldering walls, high-diving — they're all here (£46; area47.at). Meanwhile, more serene swims are available at the Piburgersee, one of the warmest swimming lakes in the Tyrol, where the water temperature can reach 25C. In Sautens, the four-star Daniel hotel is near both and has a pool.Details Half-board doubles from £274. Fly to Innsbruck or Zurich
Beach club vibes Add a touch of Nordic noir to your summer — as well as soft sand and wind-in-your-hair bike rides — by heading to Ystad, at the southern tip of Sweden. It is best reached from Copenhagen airport, across the Oresund Bridge, which starred in the detective series The Bridge. And once there you can explore the many settings of Ystad's fictional crimewave, portrayed in another hit series, Wallander. In between times the South Coast Trail cycling route beckons (sydostleden-sydkustleden.se), as well as the considerable comfort of the Ystad Saltsjobad hotel. This New England-style beach club — with four restaurants, 11 pools and contemporary country-house interiors — has long been a hit with well-to-do Danes and Swedes. Details B&B doubles from £200 (ysb.se). Fly to Copenhagen
Spot seals where two seas meetUndulating dunes and endless beaches dominate the wild, windswept north of Jutland, where a 20-mile spit of sand marks the meeting of the Skagerrak and Kattegat seas. Walking to the tip of the peninsula at Grenen to spot basking seals and watch the seas intermingle is an essential activity. So too are kite-flying, bike riding and sea-swimming (on the more sheltered eastern coast). But this is Denmark, so you're never far from a cute hotel room and a freshly made cinnamon bun to go with your coffee. In town the Skagen Harbour Hotel supplies the former and the Skagen Bakery has all the cakes you'll ever want (skagenbageri.dk), while the Skagens Museum celebrates the Danish art scene's long love affair with the area's sparkling seaside light (£16; skagensmuseum.dk).Details B&B doubles from £173. Fly to Aalborg
Dip into Lake MontriondNearly 30 miles east of Geneva, on the northern edge of the Alps, Morzine is a place of fragrant forests and lush meadows, and it's the perfect summer venue for an energetic family of hikers and/or bikers — not least because when you've had enough uphill work you can throw yourselves into Lake Montriond. Squirrelled away up a nearby valley it offers a lifeguarded, child-friendly swimming area, as well as paddleboard rental (£17 an hour; nautichill.com), and on a sunny day in August the water temperature can hit 25C. Stay at the characterful and recently refurbished Hotel du Lac, at the western end of the lake, and you can be first in for a dip each morning too.Details B&B doubles from £220. Fly to Geneva or take the ferry to Calais and drive
Europe's largest national park Many hotels in Iceland may now be full for summer, but you can still hire a camper van at Keflavik, the main airport. What's more, if you head eastwards, towards Vatnajokull, you'll find the crowds thinning too. This is Europe's largest national park, where a vast ice-cap glacier and its many tongues interact with extinct and active volcanoes. Expect thunderous waterfalls, soaring peaks and abrupt canyons carved out by sudden floods. There is plenty of good hiking in between, as well as a mix of national park and private campsites — at the Skaftafell visitor centre in the south, pitches cost £17pp a night (vatnajokulsthjodgardur.is); at the private Tjaldsvadid Myllulakur, pitches are from £12pp a night (fb.com/myllulaekur).Details Seven days' rental of a four-berth camper van from £1,430 (indiecampers.com). Fly to Keflavik
• 15 best tours of Iceland
No wonder accommodation around Lake Bohinj, in the Triglav National Park, is hard to find this summer — word is spreading about this spectacular and underdeveloped region of deep forests and limestone mountains, and hotels and apartments are struggling to cope with the demand, especially for family-friendly accommodation. Couples and friends should, however, take note of the adults-only Vila Park B&B in Ukanc. Crisp, friendly and beautifully kept, it stands beside the crystal-clear Sava Bohinjka River at the quiet, western end of the lake, and is an idyllic launchpad for gentle woodland walks or lung-bursting ascents of mountains such as the Tolminski Kuk, at 2,085m (6,841ft). There are plenty of wild-swimming spots nearby too.Details B&B doubles from £208. Fly to Ljubljana
Sailing in the midnight sunFor a unique perspective on Norway's Arctic outpost, halfway between the mainland and the North Pole, step aboard the Noorderlicht. This two-masted, 153ft schooner spends summers cruising the Svalbard coastline from Longyearbyen with a professional crew of four, two walking guides and up to 12 guests. Berths are still available on some of the voyages this year. You'll do a little less sailing than is normal on a tall ship because each day is anchored around an onshore excursion, from visiting glaciers and observing walrus colonies to exploring a disused marble mine. But time on board is essential too — it's by far the safest way to spot polar bears.Details Eight nights' full board from £3,735pp (venturesailholidays.com). Fly to Svalbard
A riviera with a differenceSure, there's plenty of sand at Huuhanranta, but this mile-long beach on what is jokingly referred to as the Saimaa Riviera is the very opposite of the Côte d'Azur. A freshwater strand on one of Europe's biggest lakes, three and a half hours' drive from Helsinki, it has nothing on its shoreline but picnic spots, local kayakers and the odd hammock slung between its pine trees. Visit it as part of an easy-going, family-friendly week at the nearby Koskenselka holiday park. Its superior lakefront cabins have private saunas, just in case you need to warm up before your morning swim. Details One night's self-catering for four from £138 (koskenselka.fi). Fly to Helsinki
Where will you be going to keep cool this summer? Let us know in the comments below
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