vallierojas: Great trips from your favourite tour operators

From skiing in France and following a seafood trail in Scotland to walking in Alaska and cycling in Cuba, we pick the best trips from the winning tour operators in our Travel Awards 2011

SMALL SHORT BREAK OPERATOR: SADDLE SKEDADDLE
01912 651110, skedaddle.co.uk

Mountain biking weekend, Derbyshire

Mountain biking can be an adrenaline-fuelled adventure ? but it can also be a relaxing way to explore a beautiful part of the country. Saddle Skedaddle's introductory weekend in Derbyshire is aimed at beginners. The gently undulating routes crisscross former railway lines around Bakewell, Haddon Hall and Chatsworth House. Riders stay in B&Bs and pubs in Youlgreave, a small village in the Peak District.
? tinyurl.com/derbyshirebike, from �225 for a two-day guided trip, including two nights' B&B, picnic lunches and transfers to/from Matlock station. Call for next departure dates

Easy-paced cycling, Cuba

Explore Cuba on a revolutionary journey on two wheels. The easy-paced route begins in Santiago de Cuba, follows the dramatic southern coastline, then turns in towards the Sierra Maestra mountains, along deserted roads past sugar cane fields. Trek into the jungle to visit Fidel Castro's old hideout; carry on to Santa Clara, home to Che Guevara's mausoleum; cycle around the Bay of Pigs; and enjoy the back roads around Vi�ales. You'll stay in hotels with pools but also spend four nights in casas particulares (private houses) to get a taste of the real Cuba.
? tinyurl.com/cubacycle, from �1,545pp for a 15-day guided trip, including most meals but excluding flights. Next departure 6 November

Road cycling, Emerald Mountains, Colombia

Much of Colombia has been untouched by tourism thanks to its turbulent history, but it is now safe to visit. Cycling is popular and the roads are in good condition, so it's an ideal place for a cycling holiday ? as long as you don't mind hill climbs. This pioneering new trip starts in the high mountain capital of Bogot� and ends at the Caribbean coast. Along the way you'll cross Andean mountain passes, coffee-growing regions and coastal flatlands. It's a challenging route with eight full days of cycling (80-120km a day).
? tinyurl.com/colombiabike, from �1,735pp for a 12-day guided trip, included 80% of meals but excluding flights. Next departure 3 December

LARGE SHORT BREAK OPERATOR: HF HOLIDAYS
0845 470 8558, hfholidays.co.uk

Discover the Victorians, Isle of Wight

HF Holidays specialises in walking holidays but also offers a number of quirky leisure breaks to suit the most esoteric of hobbyists. This trip is a chance to see the Isle of Wight as it was in its Victorian heyday. You'll discover Victorian inventors and engineering, and follow in the tracks of Victorian writers and artists. Stay in style in an 18th-century coastal country house.
? tinyurl.com/hfvictorians, from �479 for four nights' full board and three full-day guided excursions. Next departure 10 July 2012

City break, Seville and C�rdoba

An architecture buff will guide you around fascinating Seville and C�rdoba on this four-night cultural break. Walks around Seville's narrow streets take in the medieval cathedral, the atmospheric Jewish quarter and the Moorish former palace. You also spend a day wandering around C�rdoba, capital of an Islamic caliphate during the Middle Ages. Accommodation is at a traditional three-star hotel close to Seville's old centre.
? tinyurl.com/hfseville, from �349pp excluding flights or �529 including flights for four nights' B&B and guided sightseeing. Next trips 17 October, 12 March 2012

Walking tour, Alaska

This new trip offers unforgettable walking in one of the world's last wildernesses. Walks take place in three national parks, Denali, Wrangell St Elias and Kenai Fjords, and by the Chena river near Fairbanks ? look out for grizzly bears, wolves and beavers. You'll spend three nights in the historic mining town of McCarthy, surrounded by glaciers and 4,000m peaks, and cruise across Prince William Sound, a stunning glacial landscape that is home to orcas, seals and bald eagles.
? tinyurl.com/hfalaska, from �2,650pp for 13 nights excluding flights or �3,660 for 14 nights including flights, guided walks and full board at hotels and inns. Next departure 23 June 2012

SMALL TOUR OPERATOR: McKINLAY KIDD
0844 804 0020, mckinlaykidd.co.uk

Scottish seafood trail

This self-drive culinary tour of the west coast of Scotland is based around three small, food-focused hotels. The first, on the Kyles of Bute, serves scallops, bacon and champagne for breakfast; dinner could be venison sourced by a local stalker. You'll also have a cookery lesson with the chef. The second hotel, just north of Oban, is the best place to try langoustines and lobster. Your final destination is a family-run inn in secluded Wester Ross, overlooking a loch and a tiny, pine-covered island. You'll join a local fisherman on his creel boat and eat a lochside lunch from the day's catch.
? tinyurl.com/scotlandseafood, from �525pp for five nights' B&B, including cookery demonstration, fishing, ferry travel and maps. Departures between March and October

Classic car tour, Scotland

Leave the Volvo at home and let McKinlay Kidd arrange your holiday transport. How about touring the highlands in an E-Type Jaguar, Austin-Healey or Lotus Elise? Perhaps an Aston Martin or Bentley is more your style? You may even fancy zipping about in the latest ? convertible ? Mini Cooper S . Whichever car you choose, this touring holiday features beautiful scenery on a circular route from Edinburgh, passing whisky heartland Speyside, Loch Ness, Ben Nevis and the Glencoe valley, and nights in boutique hotels.
? tinyurl.com/classicscotland, from �545pp for three nights' B&B, including hire of a Lotus Elise and unlimited mileage for four days. Other cars cost more, except the Mini, which is less. Departures between April and October

Music break, Donegal

Enjoy the craic at a quintessential Irish pub with rooms in rural County Donegal. The pub offers home-cooked meals and the perfect pint of Guinness, plus plenty of music: jamming sessions, traditional folk songs and occasional concerts by famous musicians. Upcoming gigs include Grammy award-winner Rodney Crowell, singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey and Altan, an Irish folk band. The pub is set in a small village surrounded by beautiful countryside, and close to some of Ireland's finest beaches.
? tinyurl.com/donegalmusic, from �229pp for three nights' B&B, two dinners and tickets to one live concert. Departures throughout the year

SKI COMPANY: PEAK RETREATS
0844 576 0170, peakretreats.co.uk

Brian�on self-catering

Brian�on is a new destination for Peak Retreats this season. Located in the southern French Alps, it is one of Europe's highest towns, and has an excellent skiing pedigree, having opened France's first ski school in 1902. Brian�on has 24km of pistes best suited to beginners and intermediates, but it is also part of the Serre Chevalier resort. This means access to 250km of interlinked lifts and runs with terrain for all standards. The town features several world heritage sites among ancient streets with pretty squares and fountains, plus great restaurants, museums and a theatre ? a far cry from purpose-built resorts.
? tinyurl.com/brianconski, from �345 for a week's self-catering chalet sleeping two-four, including Eurostar crossing with a car. Ski hire, ski school, lift passes and car hire can all be booked for an additional cost