Exclusive:
The Mirror’s travel team has picked five places that are perfect destination for taking a short break to, particularly if you’re interested in trying out someone unique and little unusual
We all need a break once in a while, but finding the time and money to get away from it all can be tricky. Enter the mini-break. Whether you’re eyeing up a three-day weekend or an extreme day trip, the fact the UK is so well-connected makes them both possible and, occasionally, very affordable. We’ve put together a list of five unique and unusual destinations that are perfect for a short holiday.
For each we’ve included some tips from locals on things to do and places to eat, transport suggestions and the environmental impact of travelling there. This is given per passenger in carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), which is a unit of measurement used to compare the climate impact of greenhouse gases. According to Curb6, every person has to limit themselves to about 1.5tonnes of CO2e a year, if the Paris Agreement’s objective of maintaining global temperature warming “well below” 2°C is to be met.
Have you been on an extreme day trip? Email [email protected]
Gothenburg, Sweden
London’s Natural History Museum’s vast blue whale model may be beloved by all who have marveled at it, but Gothenburg has gone one better. It’s got the only real blue whale on display in the world, and you can see and smell its skin 160 years into a slow, fascinatingly putrid rot. Visit on election day (Valdag) and see the whale’s (val) mouth prised open to allow voters to enter and cast their ballots. Honestly.
Don’t miss: Other than seeing the whale a second time, the feskekörka fish market offers a vibrant atmosphere in a beautiful old building that looks like a church.
Eat: At Kobe Sushi Bar. All of Sweden is blessed by excellent sushi for a fraction of the UK price. Kobe is a standout.
Flight: 6.50am – 9.40am Ryanair flight Manchester to Gothenburg, 3.20pm – 7pm for £76. January 13.
Environmental impact of flight: 430kg
Climate friendly alternative: 20 hour train from London, from £135
Podgorica, Moldova
The Moldovan capital is often called Europe’s most boring. Visitors regularly remark at how small the city is, despite being home to a third (180,000) of the country’s population, and marvel at the way cows wander through the centre. It’s no metropolis, but Podgorica has shrugged off its Yugoslavian shackles and temporary name (Titograd) and is now growing fast, at the point where cascading mountains meet the stunning coastline of the Adriatic. Wander the streets, paddle in the river, climb the hill it sits on and consider that not everywhere must be so fast-paced.
Don’t miss: The breath-taking biblical collage inside the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ.
Eat: Grilled meats and fish soup from Naša priča Restoran.
Flights: 7.05am – 10.45am Ryanair from Stansted on January 24, 10.40am – 12.40pm return the next day. £63.
Environmental impact of flight: 720kg CO2e
Baarle-Nassau, Netherlands/Belgium
Vatican City. San Marino. Lesotho. There are a handful of countries where you can seamlessly move from one to another, but perhaps no town other than Baarle-Nassau where that’s possible. The Dutch municipality hosts more than 20 Belgian enclaves, due to a very old, very confusing agreement. The town has two sets of laws, architectural styles and populations. People live in homes cut in two by the border, meaning couples go to bed in two different countries or have to pass into another nation whenever they want to have a cup of tea.
Don’t miss: The mayor’s office, which is split in two by a brightly painted border line.
Eat: At a Dutch bar, after the licensing laws shut the Belgian ones across the road.
Flight: 11.30am – 1.35pm with Ryanair from London Stansted to Eindhoven, 7.15pm – 7.15pm return on January 25. £44.
Environmental impact of flight: 256kg CO2
Climate friendly alternative: Six hour train via Paris, costing from £80.
A bothy, Scotland
There’s no such thing as a free lunch/bed for the night. That platitude may or may not feel particularly true after staying in one of the 100 bothies maintained by the Mountain Bothies Association. The simple dwellings sit somewhere between stone huts and basic houses, and are kept open for hikers to shelter in for a night or two, for free. As public-spirited as this philosophy may be, it’d take a brave soul to bed down in a bothy for a night, the cold, windy Highlands night pressing down on the walls and windows. Do you have what it takes?
Don’t miss: Glencoul bothy, located in one of the most beautiful locations in Scotland; surrounded by mountains and at the head of Loch Glencoul.
Eat: Whatever is left in your rucksack.
Camp Adventure, Denmark
Just 45-minutes via shuttle from Copenhagen Airport is Camp Adventure — a unique nature experience in the Zealand area of Denmark. As the country’s largest climbing park, Camp Adventure offers visitors the opportunity to reconnect with nature, explore a pick-your-own flower field, take on 12 different climbing courses, and climb a 45-metre lookout tower.
Don’t miss: The Forgotten Giants, where you can see giant ‘troll’ sculptures hidden in scenic locations.
Eat: Some picnic food in Copenhagen before heading to the park, which you can then enjoy in the picnic area
Flight: 7.40am – 10.40am (easyJet) & 9.20pm – 10.30pm (Ryanair) return, Bristol to Copenhagen for £52 on February 3. Then get on the shuttle provided by Camp Adventure.
Environmental impact of flying: 458kg CO2e