Venice
"I'm always being asked which is the best month to visit Venice and have no hesitation in answering October," says travel writer John Brunton. And he should know: he lives there for five or six months of the year. October, he adds, is when the city begins to get back to normal after the invasion of what Venetians call the Settembrini, the fashionable September visitors who flood the Serenissima for the film festival, forcing hotel prices up to their highest rates. "In October you can still catch the last few weeks of the Biennale, without all the crowds, or an opera at the Fenice, while restaurants introduce their autumn menus featuring pumpkin, artichokes and masorini (wild duck from the lagoon).
"At the bar, you'll notice locals drinking a strange cloudy-looking wine, this is torbolino, the new vintage from the grape harvest, still fermenting and traditionally served with roast chesnuts."
• B&B Sandra (+39 041 720957, bbalessandra.com) is one of the best deals around. Set on one of the main canals in the city centre, it's close to many of the main sites, yet the area retains its neighbourhood feel with local food markets and bacari (small wine bars) on its doorstep. Double rooms from €120 B&B
UK walking festivals
Woods and forests ablaze with red and gold, soft autumn sunshine, hearty seasonal grub on pub menus ... October is arguably the finest time of the year to go walking. It's no surprise then that there are numerous dedicated walking festivals next month. First up is the North Devon and Exmoor Walking Festival (30 September-3 October), where visitors have a choice of 24 walks, each graded according to difficulty and distance. The event coincides with the Exmoor Food Festival (30 September-9 October) and 11 walks will have a foodie theme, including a five-miler that starts and ends at the Poltimore Arms pub in South Molton.
New this year is the Torridon Walking Festival (1-3 October) in Scotland, with walks ranging from an easy half-day woodland stroll (£15) to an more strenuous overnight bothy trip (£105), both guided.
Another first comes from Hay-on-Wye. Famed for its literary festival and independent bookshops, the town is making the most of the spectacular scenery on its doorstep by launching the Hay Walking Festival (7-9 October). Walks across the Brecon Beacons national park, the Black Mountains, and the Golden Valley cater to different abilities and specialist interests: navigational training and an Introduction to Nordic Walking are among the 30 guided itineraries on offer.
Finally, if Exmoor, Scotland or the Welsh borders don't suit location-wise, you're sure to find somewhere near you in the National Trust's inaugural walking festival (22-30 October). Family events, self-guided walks and organised activities such as Nordic walking are all on the agenda at more than 150 NT locations.
• All festival walks, except the National Trust's, must be booked and paid for in advance
Walking in Morocco
If you fancy stretching your legs in a slightly more exotic location, how about the Atlas Mountains? Spring and autumn are the best times to climb Mount Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa, and Tourdust.com has numerous options, from a short hike in the Atlas as part of a day trip to a six-day trek around the mountain.
Between those two extremes is a three-day/two-night tour, avoiding the busier main route by taking walkers through the Azzaden Valley and over dramatic passes, culminating in a calf-busting climb to Toubkal's 4,167m summit on the final day. After a 2,500m walk back down to the village of Imlil, you're dropped off in Marrakech at 5pm – in time for a much deserved slap-up meal.
• The trip costs £201pp, and includes transfers, tour guide, all meals, mules to carry bags and accommodation in refuges (but not flights to Marrakech). Group size is usually small with a minimum of two and a maximum of six
Southern India
Float along the backwaters of Kerala, stroll through spice plantations breathing in the scent of harvested peppercorns, vanilla, cinnamon and nutemg and cycle along shady forest paths. These are just some of the activities packed into a two-centre holiday in southern India. Run by Village Ways and based on the same award-winning priniciple as its community tourism initiative in the Himalayan foothills, this new trip starts with an overnight train from Mumbai to Karnataka, where visitors spend five nights at the Spice House in Hulgol, a guesthouse owned and managed by the community, who lay on various activities including curry cooking lessons and a visit to a spice auction.
In Kerala, guests stay on board a houseboat built and managed by the four communities it travels through. Again, the emphasis is on interaction with local people as the boat passes duck herders, fishermen in dugout canoes and coir weavers, and women deliver fresh home-cooked meals on board. You'll return with a warm glow, knowing your money has gone into the right hands, and with a healthy one too as the average temperature is 28-32C year round, and the southwest monsoon will be over by then.
• 13 nights with Village Ways (01223 750049, villageways.com) costs £998pp, including internal travel and transfers. Flights into Mumbai and out of Cochin are extra. Available from 15 October; trips are tailormade
Glamping in Leicestershire
Only brave souls camp in the UK in October. For everyone else, there's glamping. Staying in a field in the rain is so much easier when you can retreat into a cosy, wood-fire-warmed space with standing room. When that space has a slipper bath in a private bathroom, and wood-framed beds and a collection of games (cards, Monopoly, etc) for evening entertainment, so much the better. Dandelion Hideaway on the edge of Charnwood Forest offers all of the above at its five "canvas" cottages which are so grand there's space for a full size kitchen dresser in the living area. The only relation to proper camping is their location – Spinney Field, a five-acre site at the heart of a working farm where kids will enjoy feeding chickens and goats, and joining farmer John on a farm tour. Nearby you can hire bikes to cycle through the National Forest or visit the new Dinosaur Gallery at the New Walk Museum & Art Gallery in Leicester.
If you think glamping's for wimps, toughen up your brood by booking the family into Black Sail in the Lake District (yha.org.uk, beds £16.40 per night), a remote YHA-run bothy at the head of Ennerdale and accessible only by foot. Once there you are in a prime location to explore the surrounding fells: Great Gable, Pillar, Red Pike and Steeple to name a few. With a small kitchen and a main room serving as a lounge and drying room, this is comfortable and in a perfect and unique spot for walking.
• Half-term week at Dandelion Hideaway (thedandelionhideaway.co.uk, sleeps six) costs £609, £405 first three weeks in October
Andalucía
And ... relax. If what you need is a proper rest, then pack a stack of books and head for Casa Olea in Andalucía, southern Spain. Set in the relatively undiscovered province of Córdoba, with rows of olive trees stretching as far as the eye can see, it's a good place to feel the warmth of the sun on your face as you lie by its pool, as in October temperatures still reach the high 20s. There are walks from the doorstep through the groves and co-owner Claire cooks healthy three-course meals using local seasonal ingredients, so it's quite possible to spend a few days here without jumping into a car, although you will need one to get here – it is equidistant from Granada and Córdoba (both an hour's drive away), 90 minutes from Málaga and two hours from Seville – and if you want to explore further afield or eat out of an evening.
• Double rooms from €89 B&B (+34 696748209, casaolea.com). Fly to Málaga or Seville with most low-cost airlines. The high-speed AVE train from Madrid to Córdoba takes 1 hour and 40 mins
