Spend some time with your family on a winter walk

Souter lighthouse, South Tyneside
Set off from the Souter Lighthouse (the world’s first electric lighthouse, opened in 1871), whose red and white hoops provide a bright start for six miles of spectacular sea views, circling seabirds and ghostly goings on. Take in the beautiful rock formations at Marsden Bay and numerous bird colonies, and then stop off to visit the Grotto, where you might hear the moans of the Grotto ghost, John the Jibber. John was a well-known local smuggler, who betrayed fellow smugglers to customs men in the late 1790s. His punishment? He was suspended in a bucket halfway down the cliff face and left to perish. Knowing that, it is probably wisest to focus on the breathtaking views this trail allows, so spend your time looking forward rather than glancing behind!

Roe Valley Country Park, Co. Derry
This tranquil country park offers a variety of riverside and woodland walks with a generous dash of local and national history. The linear park runs for approximately three and a half miles either side of the flowing River Roe, which has been a source of industry and living for the surrounding population for hundreds of years. It once powered a successful linen industry, the evidence of which still stands in the park, and at the end of the 19th century, John Edward Ritter harnessed its energy to bring hydroelectricity to Ireland for the first time. Roe Valley is also home to O’Cahan’s Rock and O’Cahan’s Castle, evidence of the once powerful Irish clan. If the winter air is too crisp, stop off for some liquid refreshment at the tearooms, open all year round, except Christmas Day.

Christmas cake walk, Polzeath
Mark your calendar for this circular walk, which takes in some of Cornwall’s most beautiful coastal scenery. Taking place on Saturday 27 December, the gentle ramble is part of the Ramblers’ Association’s Festival of Winter Walks and takes in countryside and coastline. At four miles, it’s not too intimidating and is suitable for families with young children. The homemade Christmas cake that is handed out at the highest point of the walk is quite an incentive too.

Wakehurst Place Christmas walk, West Sussex
Venture to Kew’s country garden, Wakehurst Place, for a festive walk through 180 acres of towering fir trees and redwoods. Among these is one very special redwood, the region’s (and probably the UK’s) largest growing Christmas tree. Every year, the giant redwood adjacent to the Elizabethan mansion at Wakehurst Place is transformed into one huge, glowing ball of Christmas joy. Decorated with nearly 2,000 lights, it is one of the more spectacular sights to see this festive season.

The Christmas Day Charles Dickens’ London walk
This walk takes place every year at 2pm on Christmas Day, organised by London Walks, and takes advantage of the capital’s deserted streets to transport walkers back to the time of A Christmas Carol. The starting point is the Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square. Gone are the hoardes of last minute shoppers and festive revellers, leaving you to picture this day as it may have been in Dickens’ 19th-century world.