We’ve been returning to Corfu for years, and each time we plan for a night on the beach, beyond the decking of the Eucalyptus Taverna. Watch boats tinkering at the harbour, whilst tiny wild kittens weave between your chair legs. Order the catch of the day or the prawns wrapped in bacon.

The Willow Tea Rooms, in Sauchiehall Street, were created by Glasgow’s favourite son, Charles Rennie Mackintosh. The formal elegance of his work continues to astound – images of flowers, sinuous curves, peacock feathers, found everywhere in the ebony furniture, textiles and stained glass.

While in Glasgow, I took my meals in Rogano’s. It’s an oyster bar which opened in 1935 – an absolute gem and the oldest-surviving restaurant in Glasgow. The interior, with amber mirrors and deco panels, was designed by the people who’d worked on the Clyde-built Cunarder the Queen Mary.

The terracotta Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum is another collection of lavish donations – Rembrandts, Titians and French Impressionists. Salvador Dali’s picture of Christ of Saint John of the Cross was acquired in 1952. There are 1.4 million objects in this huge place, with its soaring halls and echoing caverns, made from multicoloured bricks and mosaic panels.

The City Chambers, filled with Carrara marble, is grander than the Vatican. The Central Railway Station is a marvel of pavilions under a glass-and-iron vault. Scottish geniuses, such as John Burnet, had visited Chicago and learnt how to erect steel-frame buildings clad with sculpted stone. 

First impressions count for so much. If you haven’t been to Salzburg, don’t bother flying there. Fly to Munich instead, and then catch the train over the border, a delightful journey of an hour and forty minutes, through the rich farmland of southern Bavaria, with the mountains helping to frame the picture.

I would recommend the wine bar at the Petite Etape aux Vins, which offers great local wine, with plates of local charcuterie and cheeses. Just down the road is the village of Epoisses, which produces the eponymous cheese – warm orange crust and powerful smell.

For picnics and dining, Noyers has a marvellous boucherie, charcuterie and traiteur called Maison Paillot, a family business run by Henri, Denis, Pierre and Vincent. I filled up the boot of my car with jars of their terrines and pâtés and sausage and hams.

For the history-minded, Morbihan is the place to go. There are the menhirs of Carnac, Vannes’s cathedral, Quiberon Bay, and, the Château de Suscinio, a stunning, 13th century castle and former home to the Dukes of Brittany, which occasionally plays host to Shakespearean theatre troupes.

A wonderfully Hitchcockian hotel overlooking the bay of Douarnenez. 15 bedrooms from as little as 79 euros. 50 yards from a small beach and the coast path. Great restaurant.

Rich friends say Biarritz is shabby; poor friends say it’s blingy. Actually, it’s a bit of both, which makes it so appealing. Whether you’re a surfer or a window-shopper, you’ll have a great time here. The harbour is a super spot for lunch – fish, straight from the ocean, served on the quayside.

A terrifying but absorbing account of the first nine months of the Trump presidency. Events are so fast moving, many of the characters mentioned have now been sacked.

Many of the wittiest and most intriguing films are released in the weeks before the Oscars but are they actually any good? The unrealistic character arcs of Meryl Streep’s Katherine Graham in The Post and Sam Rockwell’s brainless, racist idiot cop say not.

The Shape of Water, is quite mad but a splendid film. While the, shall we say, unorthodox story of girl meets fish seems to ask a little too much of the willing suspension of disbelief, the brilliant performances and watertight plotting from Guillermo del Toro do deliver.

Daniel Day-Lewis, England’s answer to Marlon Brando, has not yet disappointed. Woodcock is an effete, pampered, vain, spoilt and tyrannical 1950s couturier. Day-Lewis, who apparently arrived at and left the set in character during filming, inhabits his roles to the Nth degree. I warmed to his portrayal of Woodcock, especially after he used the word ‘unsettling’ more than once.

Isle of Dogs (PG) is the latest from Wes Anderson. It’s s a stop-motion animation of wondrous richness and colour, set in Japan twenty years from now, where the dog-hating mayor of a major city has used the excuse of ‘dog flu’ to dump every known canine on Trash Island on the other side of the bay. A must-see.

This Chilean film won the Oscar for best Foreign Language Film. It’s a moving story of the relationship between a transgender singer Marina and her older lover Orlando that ends abruptly when he dies of an aneurism. Marina’s life collapses: spurned by Orlando’s family, she is evicted from their flat and is not welcomed at his funeral. Will she survive in such a hostile world?

Buried in the depths of East Yorkshire is this Elizabethan family home. We visited on the off-chance and couldn’t believe our luck. The Great Hall is packed with allegorical carvings. Felt refreshingly lived in rather than a relic frozen in time and smelling of fresh orchids from the garden.

Budding ornithologists ought to make their way to East Yorkshire to visit the Bempton Cliffs Nature Reserve, owned and run by the RSPB. A spectacular spot of Yorkshire cliff face, where around half a million seabirds gather between March and October each year to raise their families.

The main aims of the association are to promote a greater understanding and knowledge of the traditional craft of dry stone walling and to encourage the repair and maintenance of dry stone walls throughout the country. Find out about competitions, branches and training on its excellent website.

Forget Henry Root and Wet Fish. I tried this company out at Christmas, and will never go anywhere else for my smoked fish. If you spend £100, they’ll give you a free side of smoked salmon

A beautiful walk through the deepest gorge in South West England. The site has been expertly conserved by the National Trust; the Devil's Punchbowl and White Lady Waterfall provide stunning scenery, and it's perfect for any keen dog walker. A tough walk, but the views are more than worth the effort.

A purpose-built professional theatre on the lake shore. It is sited in a lovely place – and its produtions win national acclaim and transfer to the West End. The theatre also hosts the 'Words by the Water' literary festival. This year’s programme included such limnaries as Ben Okra, Polly Toynbee and David Owen. Keep your eyes peeled for next year’s stars.

Dalemain, a Georgian mansion in Cumbria, is home to the World's Original Marmalade Awards – a celebration of one of the most British of customs: making marmalade. Founded twelve years ago, the event now attracts more than 3,000 entries!