5 coolcations ideas for food lovers

View of Haukkalampi in Summer, Nuuksio National Park, Espoo, Finland

Summer is much-loved for good reason – that ‘holiday’ feeling, long lazy days by the beach, the promise of a cold beer, cocktail or mocktail at the end of a warm day, balmy nights where there’s no need for a jacket ‘just in case’. But as climate change wreaks havoc on global temperatures, many regions are now getting excessively hot in the traditional summer season, and continuing to experience warm ‘summer’ temperatures well into September, October and even November.

Enter the coolcation. If you switch on your USB fan as soon as the mercury passes 25˚C (tops), your European breaks may need a change of direction; think mountains, lakes and forests. From the beaches of a Scottish peninsula to the mountains of Italy, these are some of our favourite 'coolcation' locations to discover.

For more travel inspiration, check out 10 unmissable European road trips for food lovers and 8 breathtaking train journeys across the world.

Five coolcation travel ideas

The Kintyre Peninsula, west of Glasgow, Scotland

One of Scotland’s prettiest peninsulas, Kintyre on the west coast is a place of wide, white-sand beaches, eye-popping views and comfortable autumnal temperatures. For road-trippers, the Kintyre 66 (K66) winds through all six of Kintyre’s regions including Campbeltown, one of Argyll’s largest towns. Walkers have the long-distance Kintyre Way, castle ruins aplenty, and scenic excursions to Argyll’s islands including the white-sand beaches of the Isle of Gigha, the most southerly of the Hebridean islands. Surrounded by water (the Atlantic, Kilbrannan Sound, West Loch Tarbert and Loch Fyne), this is a land of fishing towns and harbours – little wonder it’s a seafood paradise.

There’s an actual Seafood Trail on Kintyre and Gigha which takes in some of the best spots around the region’s bays, coves and islands for freshly caught produce. If self-catering, Prentice Seafood is a must for fresh crabs, clams, scallops and more, while neighbouring Skipness has the wonderful Skipness Castle Seafood Cabin for seafood platters and fresh mussels. On Gigha, the highlight is the Boathouse Café Bar at Ardminish Bay for island-reared halibut and Gigha oysters. And of course, there’s whisky. Campbeltown was once the ‘whisky capital of the world’ with 34 distilleries; now there are three, but an increasing number of gin distilleries like Kintyre Gin Distillery at Torrisdale near Campbeltown make a good stop for a tasting and tour. Check out our guide to the best Scottish whisky distilleries to discover more.

Isle of Gigha. Credit: VisitScotland / Kenny Lam

Egilsstaðir, East Iceland

Iceland always has a reason for a season, be it midnight sun, northern lights (Aurora Borealis) or winter wonderland vibes. For a twist on Reykjavik, head to East Iceland. Its largest town Egilsstaðir is a direct flight from the capital and a good base for hikers, bikers and birdwatchers to explore the East Fjords and Vatnajökull National Park post-summer. The region prides itself on hyper-local food, including Icelandic lamb, wild mushrooms and dairy products such as the yogurt-like skyr, much loved by Icelanders and a common feature at breakfast with fresh berries and local honey.

A popular Egilsstaðir spot is Nielsen Restaurant, known for its refreshing takes on traditional ingredients such as reindeer tataki and reindeer terrine – co-owner Kari was a former head chef at Iceland’s first Michelin-starred restaurant, Dill, in Reykjavík. At the family-run Lake Hotel (the town’s oldest) on Lake Lagarfljót, emphasis is again on local; Arctic char, lobster, skyr, wild berries, and much of it from their own farm or nearby Vallanes Farm, Iceland’s first organic farm.

For a more remote adventure, head to the Wilderness Centre, about 30 miles/50 kilometres southwest of town, for Icelandic horse-riding, jeep adventures and hikes. The owners have recreated traditional farm buildings for accommodation, revamped a smoke hut to smoke meat, and serve meals created from passed-down family recipes using local produce such as lamb and rhubarb grown on their fields.

Trentino-Alto Adige, northern Italy

In the Dolomites is the self-governing border province of Trentino-Alto Adige (or Trentino-South Tyrol) where residents typically speak Italian, German and the Ladin dialect. It’s a sublime region for hiking in summer and autumn before the winter sports/ski season begins, and foodwise, it’s an intriguing fusion of Italian, Austrian, Mediterranean and Alpine. Think hearty meaty stews (Germanic) with polenta (Italian), broths with dumplings; spinach and cheese-flavoured strangolapreti and bread dumplings, canederli. Pasta is, of course, always on the menu from spätzle, fresh egg pasta, which has Germanic roots, to casunziei, beetroot-filled ravioli with poppy seeds, and schlutzkrapfen, half-moon pasta parcels of spinach and ricotta. Speck, a popular Italian salumi, is a Trentino favourite, and the region produces 200+ cheeses; try Alta Badia, reminiscent of Swiss Gruyere, and fruity Vinschger.

Trentino is also known for its lake fish; try the many spots on Caldonazzo and Levico lakes, a half-hour drive from Trento. Autumn sees the wine harvest; South Tyrol is home to three indigenous grape varietals with 99% of wines enjoying DOC classification. Take an e-bike to explore the Giro del Vino 50, a 55km circuit with 50 wineries and distilleries along the route.

Helsinki, Finland

As the midnight sun slowly sets, autumn becomes a beautiful time of year to visit the Finnish capital. It’s ‘ruska’, when the leaves change colour, and the city is a sea of fiery golds, reds and yellow. And just outside the city, Nuuksio National Park is perfect for hiking and foraging for wild herbs, mushrooms and bilberries, and for enjoying the colours of ruska. A word of warning: while everyone has the right to forage, guided tours are recommended if you’re planning on mushroom-picking…

Try classic dishes like creamy Finnish salmon soup with dark rye bread, marinated herring and river fish, poronkäristys which is stewed venison with mash and berries, and lihapullat, meatballs from ground pork, beer or even elk. Autumn also welcomes the 300-year-old Helsinki Baltic Herring Market, an atmospheric event that captures the country’s maritime heritage. At Natura restaurant in the city centre, the focus is on seasonality, ethically produced and locally sourced produce, sometimes from their own farm, with good vegan and vegetarian options. Think truffle pancakes with mushrooms, and roasted trout from Kotka on the east coast. For a post-walk coffee, Helsinki has no shortage of inviting cafés and bakeries. Try Tintin The Café for its flaky almond croissants, cinnamon buns and homemade sourdough – you can also book a breadmaking workshop to learn the secrets yourself.

Bourgogne-Franche Comté, France

In eastern France, bordering Switzerland and the Jura mountains, the eastern Franche Comté region is something of a pilgrimage for lovers of nutty Comté cheese. It pairs particularly well with a Jura wine or melted in a fondue or raclette in a cooler climate that feels quite Alpine.

But the giant cheese wheels are just one gourmet attraction of this under-visited, lesser-known part of France where the deep forests and valleys are ideal for hiking and biking. There’s fresh cherry jam from the orchards in Fougerolles, Morbier cheese with its ash-grey line, smoky, garlic and cumin-flavoured saucisse de Montbéliard, the oldest sausage in France (first recorded in the 14th century), and Bresi, a smoked salt beef made in Franche Comté since the Middle Ages. The region even has a protected signature chicken dish, poulet de Bresse.

Wine-wise, try the golden ‘vin de paille’ (‘straw wine’) and ‘yellow wine’, aged in the barrel with yeast; alternatively, trace the Franco-Swiss Absinthe Trail past fields of herbs and smuggling locations. The region’s pine forests and meadows are a playground for bees, resulting in fragrant pine and acacia honey. In the picturesque old town of Besançon, a local favourite is the unpretentious Le 76 which serves classic French dishes with a gentle twist; salmon fillet in yellow wine, vol-au-vent with wild mushrooms. You can pick up local produce from cheese to jams in Besançon’s farmers’ market on Place de la Révolution or browse the more upscale stalls inside the Musee de Beaux Art.