How about Hogmanay in Edinburgh this year?

The Scots word for the last day of the year is Hogmanay. Nobody is quite sure where the word comes from or what it means, but that's not important. The real meaning of Hogmanay is party time. The Hogmanay party lasts through the night until the morning of New Year's Day (1 January) or, in many cases, the day after. For the ultimate Hogmanay experience, one has to go to Edinburgh, which is where we're off to now.

1. Pubs: Edinburgh's best bars are old, cosy and charming. Leslie's Bar on Ratcliffe Terrace is all three, and it has delicious Deuchar's India Pale Ale as well. The beautiful Edwardian interior is divided by a "snob screen", which once allowed "gentlemen" to drink all day without being seen by their wives, children or business partners.

Nearer the city centre, the owners of the Whiski Bar and Restaurant at 119 High Street may not win any prizes for their spelling, but they do have hundreds of single malt whiskies, which can be enjoyed in great comfort. The bar even has its own blog.

If you are one of the millions of readers of Ian Rankin's thrillers, you'll know that his Inspector John Rebus likes to have a pint or two in the Oxford Bar at 8 Young Street before going to see Hibernian play Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup — unless someone's been murdered, of course.