Letter from the editor: It’s the first day of the school holidays

In households throughout the land, families will wake up this morning with a mixture of near-hysterical excitement and a certain resigned trepidation. Yes, it’s the first day of the school holidays.

What are we all going to do for the next six weeks? You think that’s a terrifying prospect? When I lived in steamy New York, we had a touch short of three months “vacation” to fill! There, as here, one thing’s for sure: parents are not going to be short of advice from the media about what to do. And, for once, we will appreciate it.

As ever at i Towers we aim to mix the aspirational with the practical, and there’s no better example of that combination than our esteemed travel supremo Simon Calder’s column (p39). Read our handy feature on Mauritius (p38) if you fancy the exotic, and Brighton beach (p26) if you want to stick closer to home. However, as Mimi Spencer’s lyrical writing makes clear, Brighton is arguably almost as exotic. Before you start moaning about some mythical southern bias, there’s also fun to be had in the Scottish highlands (p40). Once you’ve got to that beach, what to eat? Be ambitious, and check out i’s resident chef Mark Hix’s guide to barbecuing crustaceans (p28).

I’m not sure if the weather will let me take my rightful place behind the barbie this weekend, but one thing I will be doing for the first time since the great Lance Armstrong’s post-cancer victory is tearing myself away from the fascinating Lord’s test to tune in to Sunday’s finale in Paris of what’s been an extraordinary Tour de France. So many of you have written in to i to commend Alasdair Fotheringham’s daily coverage, that it’s clear that you share our feeling that this has been the most thrilling Tour in years. To someone like me, who can scarcely wobble along the Thames pathway, riders such as Alberto Contador appear superhuman. Let’s hope that they haven’t have had a little illegal chemical assistance with their super-powers.

Have a good weekend, and keep those i company song suggestions rolling in! See you on Monday.