Things to Do in England in January

January is when England's excellent institutions become visitable. The hush in the reading room of the British Library, the smell of old paper and polish in the V&A's galleries, the sheer space to stand back and take in a Turner painting at the Tate Britain without a wall of phones in front of you - this is the month for it. The weather outside is irrelevant when you're wandering these grand, heated halls. Go now.

Cities like York, Bath, and Cambridge are made for crisp, clear winter walks. The sound of your footsteps echoing on York's Shambles before the day-trippers arrive, the sight of your breath in the frosty air outside Bath Abbey, the quiet crunch of gravel along the Backs in Cambridge - it's atmospheric in a way humid summer visits can't match. The cold keeps the pace brisk and the pubs at the end feel earned. Embrace it.

This is the authentic English winter experience: hiking a short, bracing trail - perhaps around Grasmere in the Lake District or through the frost-tinged fields near Castle Combe - with the specific, glorious reward of a country pub at the end. The sensory payoff is everything: the blast of heat as you open the door, the smell of roasting meat and real ale, the feel of a worn wooden bench near a crackling fireplace. Bliss.

London's West End is the obvious draw. But January also sees an increase of pantomime season finales and new play runs in regional theatres from Manchester's Royal Exchange to Bristol's Old Vic. The collective warmth of a packed auditorium, the velvet darkness, and the post-show debate in a nearby wine bar is how locals combat the winter gloom. Join them.

England's historic covered markets come into their own in winter. The damp cold outside makes the steamy, fragrant interior of London's Borough Market or Leeds Kirkgate Market feel like a sanctuary. Taste samples of artisan cheese, feel the warmth from oyster grills, listen to the banter between stallholders - it's immersive, delicious, and entirely under cover. Dive in.