ASK JOAN:All your travel questions answered
Which cycle company to use
We are a couple in our mid-30s who cycle a few kilometres every day to work and like to cycle at weekends but not competitively or on racers. Cycling to Howth and back on a Sunday for fish and chips would be our kind of thing, or covering every inch of Phoenix Park in an hour or so.
We want to start going on cycling holidays abroad and, as I have heard a little about it, I wanted to ask if the Canal du Midi was a good first option. More importantly, would you be able to recommend some good agents we can contact for this trip? I can see many online, so I value your opinion on which one to go with. – LOG, Dublin
The Canal du Midi is a great place to start cycling in France as the landscape is mainly flat, the scenery is lovely and there are plenty of places to stop along the way to stay and eat. You also have the train line running near the canal, and can use it to cover a lot of ground. Bicycle carriage is free on the trains.
Start by getting a copy of Declan Lyons's book, Cycling the Canal du Midi; it is published by cicerone.co.ukand is available in electronic format, or you may find a second-hand copy on Amazon or in a second-hand bookshop.
The next thing is to decide if you will take your own bikes – carriage will be about €100 return – hire a bike, or join an organised tour. The Canal du Midi runs from Toulouse to Sète on the Mediterranean coast. The principal access airports from Ireland are Toulouse with Aer Lingus and Carcassonne with Ryanair.
If you rent bikes you will need panniers to carry your stuff, rentals will be about €65-€100 per week. In Toulouse, see maisonduvelotoulouse.com, and near Carcassonne, mellowvelos.comand carcassonne.generation.vtt.com.
The staff at Mellow Velos speak English and it is well recommended for advice on exploring the Canal du Midi and it also has a holiday home near Paraza, where you can base yourself and explore the region by bike each day.
Discoverfrance.comorganises cycling tours all around the country and has a Carcassonne to Sète tour that might be just a thing for you. You can travel independently and your luggage will be transferred from place to place, or with a group. The itinerary includes bike hire, accommodation, some meals and good maps. Flights are extra.
France has really taken to cycling and there are now 15 EuroVéloroutes all over the country. One of the most recent sections to open is in Aquitaine along the coast from Royan to Hendaye in the Basque country, see velodyssey.com. For the complete list of Véloroutes and Voies Verts (Green Ways) around France, see AF3V.org.
Solo winter sun
Is there anywhere I can get away to the sun for three to four days for pure rest and relaxation as a single traveller? I have seen lots of offers to Malta for a week, and I believe it is still warm there, but do you know if there are short holidays available for a solo traveller at this time of the year. As my husband is teaching, it is not possible for him to travel, but I just don't think I can survive until summer. – SM, Dublin
During the winter Ryanair will continue flights to Malta on Mondays and Fridays, ideal for a short break, and the fares are cheap. Average temperatures for Malta in November are 17 to 20 degrees, with about eight hours of sunshine a day.
Malta has plenty of very nice hotels and they are good value at this time of the year. You can stay in a four-star hotel for under €80 per night and a five-star for less than €120 per night. The Fortina Spa Resort is about €300 for four nights in November and the Westin Dragonara is about €470. The Corinthia Palace is a sister hotel to the newly opened Corinthia in London, and a fraction of the price. As you are going by yourself, I recommend staying in a more luxurious hotel with all the facilities of pool, spa and dining.
Lively Christmas ideas
My three single pensioner friends have decided to spend Christmas together and want to stay in a lively hotel in Ireland. They are young at heart and love to dance and have the craic, so need a suitable venue. I'm hoping you can help me as I want Christmas to be special for them. – DB, Dublin
The Gleneagle in Killarney has been running a Christmas package for many years and it is popular. There is entertainment every night, and dancing and meals are included. The Gleneagle has a big leisure centre too. It costs €459pps for three nights. Its sister hotel the Brehon is a bit more expensive, from €569pps.
The Falls Hotel in Ennistymon has a similar type of package for three nights and it costs from €320pps. Travelling with a group of other like-minded people might be fun for you and your friends. Pabtours.comhas Christmas breaks around the country in Killarney, Sligo, Ennis, Donegal and Kilkenny. The tours are by coach and four days in a hotel with all the trimmings will cost from €366pps, tel: 01-871 9819.
* Send your questions with name and address to jscales@irishtimes.com