IMAGES: ALAMY; GETTY
WINTER EXPERIENCES
3 TAKE A TRAIN THROUGH THE ALPS
While the British railway network grinds to a halt with the slightest dusting of snow, Swiss trains soldier on undaunted through snowdrifts, raging blizzards and conditions that would make polar explorers wince. Perhaps the boldest trains running through the Alps are those of the Bernina Express — reaching an ear-popping elevation of 2,253 metres as they enter a realm of glaciers while traversing a mountain pass dividing Switzerland and Italy. The sublime four-hour journey leaves skiers behind in St Moritz, as each train screeches skyward to the railway’s highest point at frozen Lago Bianco, before looping its way downhill to Tirano. Look out for the snow plough train that clears the line — it’s affectionately known as ‘the monster’. One way from CHF 61 (£63) per person.
rhb.ch
4 SKATE IN SWEDEN
Come winter, ice rinks establish themselves in market squares across Europe, with stollen and mulled wine in abundance. None, though, can compare to the experience of skating on the natural ice in Sweden — should the temperature sink low enough, thousands of miles of possible routes unfurl for anyone with a pair of skates and a spot of gumption. Guided tours with Nature Travels see skaters slice their way across backcountry lakes, gliding amid boreal forests, listening to the creak and rumble of shifting ice and peering into the crystalline depths beneath the metal blades. If conditions allow, itineraries also allow participants to skate on the salty ice of the Stockholm archipelago, where a frozen sea is studded with thousands of islets and skerries. Four days from £748 per person.
naturetravels.co.uk
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NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM/TRAVEL
5 RIDE A BOBSLED IN LATVIA
The closest many folks get to bobsleighing is watching a certain ’90s film with a reggae soundtrack. The Sigulda Bobsleigh and Luge Track, about 50 minutes by rail from the handsome Latvian capital of Riga, however, is doing its bit to change all that. The course is 1,500 metres long, contains 16 curves and was built in 1986, mainly for use by Soviet athletes during the twilight years of the USSR. Since then, history has taken its own twists and turns, and the track now serves as a training ground for the Latvian Winter Olympic team. An exception is made for paying visitors, however. During each session, an expert bobsleigh pilot takes the controls while ordinary mortals cower in the back, clinging on for dear life as speeds of up to 80mph are reached. From £40.
latviabobsleigh.com
6 WHALE-WATCH IN NORWAY
Winter sees vast shoals of herring migrate to the Lofoten archipelago, where they seek sanctuary in fords warmed by the Gulf Stream. Hot on their fishtails come pods of orcas that congregate here to gobble up mouthfuls of said herring, their sleek black forms rupturing the surface of the Norwegian Sea. Third in line are the tourists who come to see these whales on seasonal safaris — Lofoten Opplevelser offers daily departures in rigid inflatable boats, watching dorsal fins circling and clouds of spray erupting from blowholes. Almost as distracting is the backdrop to all this fishy drama: snow-capped mountains rising sheer from the sea, and villages of blood-red cabins strung along the shore. Four-hour safari from NOK 1,800 (£133) per person.
lofoten-opplevelser.no
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