From Orkney to Brighton, independent stores are treasure troves for vinyl hunters and a great way to while away a holiday afternoon I still remember the excitement of buying my first vinyl aged 11, Duane Eddy’s great 1962 single (Dance With the) Guitar Man, and that bug has been with me ever since. There’s nothing…

Scratch beneath the surface of these once well-connected but now overlooked towns and their grand civic buildings and streets reveal a rich seam of history, legend and memory • Where tourists seldom tread, parts 1-11 Ports, rivers, canals, railways, pilgrims’ pathways: these oft-overlooked, deeply engaging towns grew around transport and, as they expanded, created local…

Fancy a seasonal getaway? From cosy inns to restaurants with rooms, we’ve found the best boltholes – all with menus as enticing as the scenery Glenfinnan House Hotel, overlooking Loch Shiel and the Jacobite monument, is one of Scotland’s most celebrated properties. On a clear day, you can see Ben Nevis from here, too. Glenfinnan…

Our tipsters savour the season’s bounty, from orchard tours to pumpkin picking Our family’s favourite place to visit in autumn is Tulleys Pumpkin Farm in West Sussex (its pumpkin festival runs until 31 October). The pumpkin fields are impressive, with an astonishing variety in all colours, shapes and sizes. The kids love exploring and picking…

Pull on your walking boots and immerse yourself in magnificent scenery on these long-distance trails, chosen by our tipsters The best ever walk I’ve been on was actually two weeks of walking, along the GR11 on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees from Candanchú to La Guingueta d’Àneu. We got the train to France, packed…

Our writers find enchanting and secluded places to stay in the forests of England, Scotland and Wales There are days when a walk in the woods is the best option. This includes days when the cloud ceiling is barely above chest height and there is a rowdy wind driving the rain in your face. I…

From Japanese acers at Westonbirt arboretum to the pines of Loch Ard, our tipsters share their top woodland days out Autumn is often wet – so why not embrace this, and visit one of Britain’s temperate rainforests in Borrowdale, near Keswick. Such forests are rare globally as well as in Britain. Not only can you…

Share your tip on a less-visited city for the chance to win a holiday voucher While the likes of Paris, Lisbon, Madrid and Rome are understandably high up on the European city break wishlist, smaller, less obvious cities can be just as rewarding for a trip away. Those with fewer crowds and cheaper prices that…

On a rail trip to Spain from the UK via Paris, our writer discovers a great way of travelling happily with children … Street lights strobed through the window, sending shadows sweeping across our faces as our train followed the River Seine through Choisy-le-Roi. Ten minutes earlier, we had pulled out of Paris’s Gare d’Austerlitz. Departing…

We pick gorgeous country pads, from Pembrokeshire to the Peak District, that make perfect bases for groups of friends and family get-togethers• Tim Dowling’s tips for a successful multigen holiday• We hired the entire hostel On a farm eight miles from Ludlow, these two beautifully converted and adjoining Victorian redbrick barns sleep nine and four…