Courses
Free the novel inside you on a writing break to the Isle of Wight. The Script Clinic, which takes place in Sandown Bay from October 27 - 29, provides advice on structure, theme, tone, and many more aspects of creative writing. Budding novelists will be in good company; Alfred Lord Tennyson, Lewis Carroll and John Keats all drew inspiration from the island's shores and settlements. Find out more at: The Script Clinic

Or why not join an active art break in the Scottish Highlands? Killiecrankie House Hotel has joined forces with the Pitlochry Festival Theatre to offer workshops in block printing, opera singing, tap dancing, flower painting and other creative pastimes. Tuition takes place between 10.30am and 4.30pm; after that you get to discuss your day's achievements over an indulgent dinner. More information and dates from Killiecrankie House Hotel

Foodie
Become a domestic goddess on a cookery masterclass break at the Hazlewood Castle Hotel, near York. The class comprises a hands-on cooking demonstration and informative tutorial. The price of £154 per person includes one night's bed and breakfast accommodation, complimentary apron and a private tour of the castle. Available on October 4, November 7, December 6, January 18, February 5 and March 6. More info from Superbreak; 01904 644455.

Or combine eating with blustery coastal walks at Beachcombers Apartments, Watergate Bay, Cornwall. Prices start at £99pp for a four-night break including a six-course tasting menu at Jamie Oliver's new restaurant, Fifteen Cornwall, plus dinner at Beaucliffes Restaurant at Porth Veor Manor, overlooking Porth Beach. For further details visit Breaks in Cornwall or phone Travelsmith on 01621 784666 and quote offer C681.

Stay at the Ashdown Park Hotel between the October 22-29 and have your fill at the Ashdown Food Festival. The event showcases food produced around Sussex. Events include a tutored tasting of local English Sparkling Wines and Louis Roederer Champagne, a game cookery demonstration, a mushroom forage and gourmet dinner, and the Ashdown Forest Horticultural Show. More info from Ashdown Park Hotel

Sussex is fast becoming England's wine country. On a break based at Ockenden Manor in Cuckfield you can explore wineries such as Bookers at Bolney, which is in walking distance of the hotel; Breaky Bottom at Rodmell; and Ridgeview at the foot of the Downs close to Ditchling. A little further away is the English Wine Centre at Alfriston where you can taste and buy a whole range of Sussex wines. More info from HSHotels; 01444 416111.

Heritage
Connect with the past during a stay at Custodian's House, located in the grounds of Pendennis Castle in Falmouth, Cornwall. The house is among the first of 30 historic English Heritage properties opening up for public hire between now and 2008. Other properties include the former residence of the Battery Sergeant Major of Dover Castle; a former cricket pavilion in the grounds of Osborne House on the Isle of Wight; the Fort House at St Mawes Castle in Cornwall; and a stone cottage at Rievaulx Abbey in Yorkshire. The cottages will be available for long weekends (three nights, Friday to Monday), seven-night stays or mid-week breaks (four nights, Monday to Friday). The Custodian's Cottage at Pendennis Castle sleeps two and costs from £215 for a three-night winter break. More info from: English Heritage; 0870 333 1187.

Theatre
Be among the first to see Wicked, the new musical that tells the story of the witches from the Wizard of Oz. The four-star Apex City of London hotel and Theatre Breaks.com are offering one night's bed and breakfast plus preview tickets for the show from £99 per person based on two sharing. Tickets are available for a Friday or Saturday between September 8 to 23. To book, call Theatre Breaks.com;0800 458 3408.

If a last-minute theatrical getaway appeals, Shrewsbury is holding its first ever International Street Theatre Festival this weekend. The entertainment, provided over three days by world-renowned performers, includes flying trapeze acts, comedy skateboard stunts, puppetry, escapology, juggling feats, the Hilarious Human Horse Show and Shirley Sunflower's Death Defying Leaps. All performances take place in public areas of the town. The newly opened Sleep Inn, two miles from the town centre, offers contemporary accommodation for £50pp per night on bookings made before November 1. More information from Sleep Inn Shrewsbury; 01743 276020.

Cycling
Get close to nature and your significant other on a tandem ride around New Forest. On arrival at Brockenhurst station, you pick up your cycle from the Country Lanes centre (in a restored railway carriage), where you get instruction in tandem riding plus route sheets and maps. The tour starts next the next morning, covering 15 miles on the first day and 16 on the second. The price starts from £185 per person and includes cycling equipment with helmet, two nights' bed and breakfast accommodation, a cream tea, New Forest guide book and discounts at local attractions. To get pedalling, contact Country Lanes;01590 622627.

Explore the Colne Valley's traffic-free country lanes and cycle routes on a weekend break at the boutique-style de Vere Arms hotel. There are three popular scenic rides - the 16-mile Colne Valley Jaunt, the 38-mile Tour de Colne Valley and the 22-mile Colne Valley Route - all of which start and finish in the Medieval village of Earls Colne. The hotel can provide route planning advice, plus maps, packed lunch humpers and snacks Prices start from £75 per person (Sunday to Thursday) and £85 per person (Friday and Saturday) for a standard room, including breakfast and dinner. More information from de Vere Arms Hotel; 01787 223353

Hiking
Take a self-guided walk across the Jurassic Coast of Devon and Dorset, designated a World Heritage site for its fossils. You'll total of 48km over four days from Colyton, through Thomas Hardy's landscapes from Far From the Madding Crowd, to Lyme Regis and Eype. Highlights include the lush Undercliff, parts of which resemble a tropical forest with creepers hanging from the trees, and the coastal path passing Golden Cap, where the views stretch for miles. Along the way, you stay at pre-booked 2-star guesthouses, country house hotels or farms. The cost of £328pp is based on two sharing and includes four nights' bed and breakfast, with three dinners and picnics, walking maps and notes, plus luggage transfers from one hotel to the next. More information from Inntravel; 01653 617906.

Armed with a map from reception, you can explore 58 miles of lakeside and forest paths on the 24,000 acre Lake Vyrnwy Hotel estate, just across the Shropshire border in mid-Wales. September short break prices at the three-star country house hotel start at £155 per person, for two sharing. This includes two nights' accommodation plus breakfast and dinner in the award-winning Tower Restaurant. Book a mid-week break and you'll get a complimentary champagne picnic to take with you on your wanderings. More info from Lake Vyrnwy Hotel; 01691 870692.

Or blow away the cobwebs on a "Wind in your hair" off-season break from Coastal Cottages of Pembrokeshire. The breaks include four nights' five-star cottage accommodation, a guide to walks along the spectacular Pembrokeshire Coastal Path, a table booking at a top local restaurant with a £20 voucher, a two-hour coastal cruise and two spa treatments per person in the comfort of the cottage. When four people share, the price per person starts at £199. Coastal Cottages; 01437 765765.

Wildlife
If you appreciate wildlife, North Devon's salt marshes, mudflats and sandbanks host large numbers of migratory waders, while nearby Lundy is home to a colony of seals. Set in 10 acres of grounds in Parkham near Bideford, the Penhaven Country House Hotel is an ideal base from which to explore North Devon's wild side. It has 12 rooms, an AA rosette restaurant and is offering a 2-for-1 deal during September. The cost of £204 covers bed and breakfast for two people sharing for three nights. More info from: Penhaven Country House Hotel; 01237 451 711

Relaxation
Five-star country house hotel Bodysgallen Hall in North Wales is offering a two-night spa break from £285 per person until the end of September. The package includes two nights' accommodation in a superior room or a cottage suite, dinner, breakfast, a 30- minute back, neck and shoulder massage, plus unlimited use of the hotel's spa facilities and admission to Conwy Castle which the hotel overlooks. The hotel's health and fitness spa is situated in the restored farm buildings and contains a swimming pool, whirlpool spa bath, steam room and sauna. More info from: Bodysgallen Hall; 01492 584466

Closer to the capital, Grayshott Spa is an easy getaway for stressed city workers. It is offering an autumn reviver package including 3 nights accommodation based on two sharing, all meals, consultation, body scrub, aromatherapy full-body massage, oriental wisdom treatment, lymphatic stimulation and full use of the facilities, which include 700 acres of National Trust grounds. Available from sunday to thursday, the package costs £499pp for stays taken by November 30. More info from Grayshott Spa

Or hop across the Irish Sea to wash away your worries at the new Slieve Donard Resort & Spa in County Down, Northern Ireland, which has undergone a £15m overhaul. The Victorian hotel's bedrooms are decorated in natural colours and materials while the spa's decor comprises Mourne granite, sea washed pebbles and natural driftwood to reflect the rugged outside environment. Facilities, provided by E'Spa include a thermal suite, vitality pool, rock sauna and steam room, tranquility room plus 16 treatment suites. The "Ocean View" private relaxation suite looks out across the Irish Sea. More info from Slieve Donard Resort and Spa; 028 4372 1066.

Music
The Roman Camp Country House Hotel and Restaurant will be hosting performances at the first Jazz and Blues Festival in Callander, Perthshire. Five internationally acclaimed quartets, four big bands and three traditional bands will be playing as town "jazzes up the Trossachs". Festival goers at the Roman Camp will receive a champagne afternoon tea and a gourmet jazz-themed lunch. For more information on prices and the music programme contact The Roman Camp Hotel; 01877 330003 or see Callander Jazz Festival

Pick and mix
This month Jurys Doyle launches a collection of short break packages on themes including golf, spa and London theatre. Prices start at £89 for a tailor-made weekend break incorporating a stay at one of the Irish hotel chain's 4-star hotels. More info from Jurys Doyle; 0870 907 2222