Weather forecast
Winter is definitely here. Friday night will be chilly, with temperatures as low as 2C in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but most of the country should stay dry. The rest of the weekend, on the other hand, will be bitter, with freezing temperatures, rain and strong winds forecast.
1. Step into a Cold War bunker
Saturday marks 25 years since George Bush declared the end of the Cold War following the Paris Summit. There are a few places in Britain to find remnants of the tensions, including Kelvedon Hatch in Essex - signposted, rather amusingly, with "secret nuclear bunker". Fronted by an innocuous bungalow, it plunges 38 metres below the surface and was capable of housing up to 600 key personnel in the event of a nuclear attack.
2. Go on safari
Inspired by Sir David Attenborough's new series, The Hunt? The animal encounters won't be quite as thrilling, but Longleat is one of the best places in Britain to see exotic wildlife. Inhabiting 900 acres of historic Longleat House, it offers the chance to drive among cheetahs, zebras, rhino, monkeys and lions, feed giraffes by hand, walk (if you can stand the cold) among lemurs and penguins, and visit a lakeside gorilla colony by boat.
We're really happy to be able to announce the rare birth of some flamingo chicks at the park! Take a look. http://pic.twitter.com/RoBoQypJqQ
— Longleat (@Longleat) November 14, 2015
• Quiz: Which animals can you recognise?
3. Remember Roald Dahl
Monday marks 25 years since the death of Roald Dahl, the children's author. So why not plan a day out to match your favourite novel? For Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, head to Cadbury World. For The Witches, go for a bracing walk along Fistral Beach in Newquay, from where you'll spot the Headland Hotel, which featured in the film adaptation. Or visit the White Cliffs of Dover, setting for James and the Giant Peach.
Otherwise, head for the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, to learn more about the author and his works.
4. Get your skates on
More of Britain's best outdoor ice rinks are unveiled this week, including Somerset House (November 18-January 10), Hampton Court Palace (November 20-January 3), the Tower of London (November 20-January 3), Winchester Cathedral (November 19-January 3), Princes Street Gardens in Edinburgh (November 20-January 4) and Old Market Square, Nottingham (November 20-January 3). Take your scarf, gloves, long johns and woolly hat.
5. See Matisse in Liverpool
An exhibition of Henri Matisse's cut-out art at the Tate Modern in London last year was the most successful in the gallery's history, attracting a record 562,622 visitors. Organisers will be hoping for a similar level of enthusiasm for the Tate Liverpool's new exhibition, Works to Know by Heart: Matisse in Focus, which opens on Friday. More than 50 years of his creations will be represented and it will be the only chance to see The Snail outside London as, due to the delicate nature of the work, it is unlikely to leave the capital again.
6. Feast at a festive pop-up
Several seasonal pop-ups will be unveiled in the capital this weekend, including Coq d’Argent's après-ski-themed bar, Lodge d’Argent; the Rekorderlig Cider Lodge at the Southbank Centre, which features Scandinavian street food, and the South Pole Saloon in Brixton, a theatrical drinking and dining experience that celebrates the dark side of Christmas.
#lodgedargent is almost here - we're going to make your dreams of French Chalet come true! https://t.co/CPP4M0bU6b http://pic.twitter.com/ra0iQyMRhA
— Coq d'Argent (@CoqdArgent1) November 16, 2015
7. Enjoy your first mulled wine of the winter
Many of Britain's Christmas markets swung into action this week, including those in Edinburgh (November 20-January 4), Chester (November 19-December 20), Nottingham (November 20-January 3), York (November 19-December 23) and Winchester (November 19-December 22).
Kielder Winter Wonderland opens on Saturday, in the pleasant setting of Kielder Water and Forest Park in Northumberland, one of Britain's best stargazing locations. Festive markets will also be held this week in Harrogate (November 19-22) and Derby (November 19).
Can't face the cold and the crowds? Make your own mulled wine using Victoria Moore's recipe.
8. Start planning your next adventure
The Kendal Mountain Festival (Novemer 19-22) bills itself as the biggest event of its kind and a key social gathering for outdoor enthusiasts. It's a celebration of mountain film, literature, art and adventurers, and aims to inspire more people to explore the wilderness. Among the numerous speakers at this year's event will be Sir Chris Bonington, whose career has featured nineteen expeditions to the Himalayas, including four to Everest and the first ascent of the south face of Annapurna.
Tomorrow! Demain! Mañana! Morgen! Domani! However you say it, #Kendal15 begins in 24 hours! http://pic.twitter.com/Ka8XyIze28
— Kendal Mountain Fest (@kendalmountain) November 18, 2015
• 15 amazing adventures for 2015
9. Watch Philip Seymour Hoffman's final film
The best bets for cinema-goers this weekend, according to the Telegaph's film critics, are The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2, released on Thursday (the "scorchingly tense" final instalment of the franchise, which features Philip Seymour Hoffman's final performance), Steve Jobs (a "stunningly scripted" biopic of the late co-founded of Apple Inc, featuring a "microscopically calibrated" lead performance from Michael Fassbender), and Tangerine ("the best Christmas movie since Elf").
10. Learn about Britain's greatest diarist
Samuel Pepys: Plague, Fire, Revolution opens at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich on Friday, offering the chance to learn more about the great diarist, best known for his account of the Great Fire devouring the City of London in 1666. The city is packed with sites associated with Pepys, from the Tower of London, where he was briefly imprisoned, to All Hallows by the Tower church, from which he watched London burning. Read our guide for more information.
11. Visit a stately home (because you're missing Downton Abbey so much)
Downton Abbey is over until Christmas (a season special will be aired on December 25), so why not get your weekly dose of opulence by visiting one of Britain's best stately homes?
Highclere Castle, where the popular period drama is shot, is currently closed to the public, but there are plenty of others that aren't, including Montacute House in Somerset (pictured below), used to represent Greenwich Palace in the television adaptation of Wolf Hall, Castle Howard in Yorkshire, best known as the fictional home of Sebastian Flyte in the TV adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited.
12. Go on the Alice trail
It is almost 150 years since the publication of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. There are numerous places associated with the author and his novel, as outlined by Telegraph Travel earlier this year, including Whitby, Llandudno, Oxford, Daresbury in Cheshire and Rugby School in Warwickshire.
13. See how the Royal Family did Christmas
Situated in the magnificent Waterloo Chamber of Windsor Castle, a Regency-themed display this weekend will show how George IV celebrated Christmas at the castle in the early 19th Century. The 16-metre long table will be laid especially for a festive feast, whilst the St George’s Hall will be filled with decorated Nordmann Fir Christmas Trees. The Octagon Dining Room will also be decorated with yew, evoking a sense of how Queen Charlotte would have decked out Windsor Castle over the festive period.
14. Devour an Argentinian steak
Friday is National Sovereignty Day in Argentina, a fine excuse to visit one of Britain's growing number of Argentinian steak houses - and sink a glass or two of Malbec. Gaucho, the chain with 12 outlets in London and one in both Leeds and Manchester, is the obvious choice, or try Casa Cruz in Holland Park, whose grass-fed Argentinian rib-eye is "steak perfected", according to our reviewer.
Noches en @CasaCruzrest disfrutando la mejor cocina porteña con los #BeneficiosExclusivos que te brinda @clubln! http://pic.twitter.com/gt6uGzRdqe
— CasaCruz (@CasaCruzrest) October 23, 2015
15. Retrace the adventures of Tintin
Somerset House's new exhibition, Tintin: Hergé’s Masterpiece, features original artwork from the finished Tintin albums, plus pencil sketches and preparatory drawings.
• On the trail of Tintin in Belgium
16. Wrap up warm on the sofa
It will feel like the start of winter this weekend, with temperatures expected to tumble below freezing in parts of Britain. As good a reason as any to drag the duvet downstairs/across the hallway and curl up on the sofa in front of a good film. This weekend's pick? Run Fat Boy Run (Film4, Friday, 7pm), Layer Cake (5*, Friday, 9pm), The Help (BBC Two, Saturday, 945pm), Fight Club (5*, Saturday, 1120pm) and Captain Corelli's Mandolin (ITV, Sunday, 1020pm - enjoy the shots of Kefalonia; ignore Nicolas Cage's Italian accent).
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