Normally I hate the cold, but a friend persuaded me to join her on a winter activities trip to Roros in Norway, famous as the coldest place in the country – and I loved it. The small town itself is gorgeous, with streets of quaint old wooden cottages and interesting shops. We went dog sledding, which was brilliant; tried snow-shoeing, which was fun but hard work; and met reindeer herders, which was fascinating. The highlight, though, was a night-time trip in a genuine ‘one-horse open sleigh’, just like Jingle Bells. It was magical gliding through the forest, with flickering torches to light our way. And the only sounds? The crunching of snow and – yes – the jingle of the little bells on the pony’s harness.