For a family holiday that gets to grips with the great outdoors, summer in South Tyrol is hard to beat. It's also very, very confusing...

It slowly wins you over, brick by brick

A family skiing holiday is all about balance – and not just in the obvious ways. But let's start with them anyway. Obviously, everyone should be trying to stay upright on the slopes. For that there's ski school. In Saas-Fee, the exquisitely sculpted resort at the heart of Switzerland's narrow Saas Valley, there are three to choose from: Optimum (swanky green gear), Eskimo (powder blue) and the Swiss Ski School (red and white, naturally). Given the destination, the Swiss version seemed most appropriate, although my instructor, Robert Fuller, later turned out to be from Essex. As I say, there's a balance to be struck. His homespun acumen would come in very handy. Meanwhile, my two sons, aged nine and six, were assigned a local who would have them carving neat turns on the nursery slopes in no time.

The View From Here

Is it the journey or the destination that brings contentment? Exploring Bhutan – home of Gross National Happiness – by mountain bike might well provide the answer

David Attenborough has shown us the fragile beauty of the earth's polar regions up close. As his latest series draws to a close, Ben Ross talks to him about filming there and what it has revealed for our future

From volcanoes and ancient forests to the stars in the night sky, there's plenty to lure adventurous families to the steep little island of La Palma.

"Do you want to take any photographs while we're up in the air?" asks Jonathan, as we walk towards his helicopter. "I'll leave the door off, then, so you can get a better view."

First time for everything

Belgium's comic-book hero is about to hit the big screen in a Steven Spielberg-directed film, but for fans of the boy reporter the story begins here...