If you are feeling festive, look no further than a Christmas market. The smell of mulled wine, the sound of carol singers, the taste of that first mince pie: markets are a multi-sensory feast for all the family, and the perfect way to kick off your festivities.

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.

Take the train to join the grape harvest in the Alsace in France. For late summer sun, we recommend the olive groves in Tuscany or sea swimming in Sicily. Here are some of our favourite slow trips for Autumn, well worth leaving the house for.

Suie Hunting Lodge, in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, is the very definition of off the beaten path. No wifi, no phone signal — just you and the Highlands. Seize the chance to see the wild, ancient, and often macabre side of Scotland, and enjoy stars sparkling in dark skies as night draws in.

This summer Hannah and her two children packed their bags and jumped onto the train to the Isle of Purbeck, for a long-awaited post-lockdown holiday. They explored sandy beaches and ancient castles, hopping on and off the Purbeck Breezer bus - the open top deck was particularly popular!

As the nights turn darker and longer in Scotland the ghosts and ghouls come out to play. The shadows stretch out and the tales turn taller in the season of Samhain and Halloween. Scotland, after all, is the country of Jekyll and Hyde, of real-life Bodysnatchers; a shadowy land where past and present constantly intertwine – no wonder Diana Gabaldon chose Scotland as the setting for her time-travelling historical fantasy romance, Outlander. Autumn is a spooky time of year all right; otherworldly too as the dark skies bewitch you into looking beyond our world in search of others in the heavens. In this land of wandering souls and lingering shadows, you’ll still also find peace and solitude away from the summer crowds.

Scotland is a land of epic landscapes, soul-stirring views and camera teasing wildscapes. And in autumn it really excels as the leaves turn and the heather blooms. The deer descend from the mountains too, the mountain hares consider a change of coat to a white winter hue, the salmon are leaping and the red squirrels get serious about stocking up for winter.

Savvy Scots know the upside of shortening nights is the soft, dappled light, burning colours and sheer cosiness of a Scottish Autumn. What could be more life-affirming on a glorious autumn day than enjoying a bracing walk followed by a gorgeous single malt in the glowering gloaming?

This summer Hannah and her two children packed their bags and jumped onto the train to the Isle of Purbeck, for a long-awaited post-lockdown holiday. They explored sandy beaches and ancient castles, hopping on and off the Purbeck Breezer bus - the open top deck was particularly popular!

Byway member Megan and her friend Kimbers went on Byway’s first ever North Wales adventure to check it our for us and to celebrate Megan’s 40th birthday! They explored a medieval castle, took a coastal boat trip and scarfed delicious seafood chowder. To top it off, there were plenty of Welsh ales for birthday toasts overlooking Snowdonia’s gorgeous peaks.

Sarah and Nick finished work for the day and jumped on the train from Bristol to cross the country for a luxury twelve day holiday in Scotland. Think empty beaches, hilly walks and lots of rest and relaxation. They enjoyed remote islands, towering castles, fantastic food, and invigorating sea swims.

Sian and Peter jumped on the train from Newcastle to head south on a fourteen day Byway, full of island hopping, bird spotting and sea swimming. They enjoyed crab sandwiches, island ferries, view-filled walks, a Shepherd’s Hut, and a show from Red Arrows (for them, or the G7 dignitaries).

There are many ways to plan a holiday in Scotland by train. Some want to conquer the castles, others want to bag Munroes, and then of course there are famous Scottish Whisky trails to soak up. One of our most popular recent additions is our Cathedral tour of Scotland.

The River Aeron rises in the hills west of Tregaron in mid-Wales and performs a neat pirouette through rich dairy country and runs down to reach the sea at Aberaeron. Aberaeron is a gem, a handsome wee town with a rare architectural unity. And it’s the spot we’ve chosen for this month’s Byway members’ holiday.

We've combed the country to find you four slow travel gems for the upcoming bank holidays that haven't yet booked up (it wasn't easy!). Book yourself a May or August bank holiday roaming the Hebridean Isle of Mull, the Lake District, the South Downs or Sussex. Travel's unrestricted between England, Wales and Scotland and from 17th May hotels/B&Bs should be open, so the UK's our oyster - let's get out there!

As of yesterday self catering overnight holidays become possible, so we’ve pulled together our favourite self-catered UK holidays with last minute availability still remaining. Whether a romantic getaway for two, a fun-filled family adventure or a solo retreat, there’s a slow travel holiday to suit everyone, personalised to you by our team.

This guest blog post is written by Joe Timothy, business analyst from Leeds, slow travel enthusiast and friend of Byway, who is sharing with us the story of his slow travel honeymoon through Norway.

The many dazzling towns scattered along the Mediterranean coast are among the top spots on our list once travel to Europe becomes possible again. There are a number of ways you can take the train to the Mediterranean from the UK. Here are some of our chosen favourites to ponder as you map out your meanderings for 2021.

It’s the moving that we all miss. And to rekindle that affair post-COVID, there are few better places than the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean oozes slow, with sultry scenes of apertifs in Marseille’s vieux port or a paddle and pique-nique on Nice’s Castel beach filling our dreams. Such reverie will, hopefully, become a reality by summer 2021 but, as we sit patiently and wait, there is no harm in planning.