Saunas, seal-watching and spectacular skies feature in our picks of great places for a short break to enjoy winter in the raw. Plus boltholes to cosy up in
A murmuration of starlings is one of winter’s most mesmerising spectacles; thousands of birds, swooping in formation, before communally roosting to stave off the winter. Piers are a favourite place to roost, with up to 50,000 zooming around in the skies above Aberystwyth, best seen on an afternoon stroll along the prom. The town is also home to the National Library of Wales which is well worth a visit, both for its excellent gift shop and the chance to browse a few of the 8 million books and periodicals within its walls. Y Ffarmers, which is a few miles out of town, is excellent for a long lunch, and Gwesty Cymru, on the seafront, has doubles from £140 B&B.