Mini-break in Britain

GO ASK JOAN:From a few days away with mum to taking tennis lessons in France, JOAN SCALESanswers your travel questions

Mini-break for elderly mother

I would like to bring my 80-year-old fairly active mother and 14-year-old daughter for a three-night break over February midterm.

My daughter would like to fly, even to the UK, but mother can’t get to the airport before 11am. We’ve done Glasgow, Edinburgh and London. I prefer not to use Ryanair as I don’t think I could manage them as well as the team!

Alternatively, we could take the car to Holyhead and drive – they like shopping and historic sites, I’m just along for the ride!

COC, Dublin

There are so many great places to see in England, Scotland and Wales and they are easy to get to. I have come up with two places that fit the criteria, particularly for flights after 11am. It is always so civilised to travel during the day – your mother has the right idea.

First is the Isle of Man, just a short hop with Aer Arann (aerarann.com) and it is completely charming. Time has stood still here and it is like a miniature Ireland. There is a great coast with long beaches, glens and forests, a seafront, museums and castles, and you will easily fill three days here.

A car would probably be useful, but the island is easily navigated by public transport. There are steam trains, horse trams, electric mountain railways, as well as local buses. Douglas is an old-fashioned seaside town, not unlike Bray with a long esplanade dotted with hotels. See gov.im/tourism.

Birmingham, on the other hand, is more modern with a major redevelopment in the past 10 years shaping a new city. It is a centre of arts, culture and heritage, and the best thing is, it is easy to get around. The Hippodrome in Birmingham sells more seats than any theatre in London and during midterm Cinderellais on. It is also a great city for shopping and trying Asian food. See visitbirmingham.com.

If you take the car to Holyhead, then the variety of places to see opens up considerably. Just a short drive from the ferry is Chester, which is an attractive town. The Tudor architecture is fantastic and there is great shopping. A day and night would be enough to explore it before moving on.

Liverpool is a surprisingly fun city and it too has been transformed in recent times. There are great galleries in the city and a lovely redevelopment of the waterfront area. See visitliverpool.com.

Further up the coast is Blackpool and worth a visit if just to marvel at the tower and let your daughter have some fun in Pleasure Beach, which will be open for the weekends of February 12th and 19th. See visitblackpool.com.

Heading further north, the Lake District is beautiful and has many places to see and enjoy. However, the weather may be a bit colder and you could still have snow on the peaks. But it is worth a visit, particularly Ambleside, Kendal and Bowness-on-Windermere. See lakedistrict.gov.uk.

Serving up French lessons

I am looking for suggestions for three weeks in August when I am hoping to go to France with three teenagers, aged 13-16, who all play tennis. I would like to combine some French lessons with tennis coaching and would be content with having French classes and just access to some courts.

BC, Westmeath

Keeping teenagers busy in the holidays is always a challenge. If you stay at the La Loubine resort in Les Sables d’Olonne which is in the Vendée, there are tennis courts on site and there is a language school in the nearby town with private classes from €90 each for five hours or €240 for 15 hours. During the summer, the Teen Connect Club runs activities and adventures for an additional cost. Details from Keller Campotel on 0909-648750, campotel.com.

Further south near Biarritz, Canvas Holidays (canvasholidays.com) has tennis courts at Camping Le Ruisseau resort. It is also close enough to Biarritz to avail of the many language schools there. Or perhaps they would like to combine learning French with surfing, a popular teen activity. See alternative-aquitaine.co.uk and biarritz.fr.

Heading towards the Côte d’Azur you could consider putting the teenagers into a week-long language school which would cost about €600 each. It would provide intensive classes along with social activities and sports including tennis and outings. There is a purpose-built school near Cannes. Details from steinstudyabroad.ie.

Further east, the town of Beaulieu has a tennis club where they could take lessons, see itf-beaulieu.com. Most French towns have public tennis courts or clubs. Usually there is a fee and the city hall can provide information. Details of clubs are available from the French Tennis Federation, fft.fr.

Going green at Italian lakes

My friend and I are interested in a holiday in Lake Como and in visiting Italian gardens around Lake Como and surrounding areas in late April to May. We have checked various websites and there is no information on garden holidays to Italy. Would you have any suggestions on where we should look or should we look at other areas in Italy?

LF, Dublin

As you are interested in gardens in Italy I have found a perfect tour. It sounds so nice I want to go myself. It is organised by Brightwater Holidays (00-44-1334-657155, brightwaterholidays.com) and will allow you to visit some spectacular gardens and islands on and around Lake Maggiore in May.

Based in a hotel in Stresa, the tour over four days from May 22nd will visit six villa gardens, mostly private ones, and three islands with interesting gardens and plantings. The tour includes four nights’ accommodation, breakfast and dinner each day and the tours, with flights from

London cost from £775pps (€908).

Brightwater should be able to arrange flights from Dublin or you can do so yourself with aerlingus.com or ryanair.com.

E-mail questions, with your name and address, to jscales@irishtimes.com