Where can you swim in the morning and ski after lunch - just 30 mins from Heathrow?

It's a long way to Vancouver, or even Antalya, Turkey - places which boast that you can go swimming in the morning and skiing in the afternoon.

But there is another option, only half an hour from Heathrow - and that's by road, not air.

Maidenhead is often overlooked by those in search of a glamourous holiday. But it has much to offer - in its own, Buckinghamshire way.

The Holiday Inn Maidenhead/Windsor (the name itself implies a certain inferiority complex on the part of Maidenhead) has a nice pool, and isn't too busy.

There's Henley for lunch and a sniff of the river.

And the Bracknell ski centre offers a relaxed afternoon on the slopes (below), and a view of such tech giants as HP, Dell and Fujitsu. It's less Aspen in fact, more Silicon Valley. We had the place to ourselves once a few classes had finished.

If you're returning to London, I'd recommend the route through Sunningdale and Virginia Water, and past the amazing Gothic revival Founder's Building at Royal Holloway (completed in 1881 and opened by Queen Victoria).

There's nothing like that in Vancouver or Antalya (though admittedly there's nothing like Egham either).