Christmas is on the horizon, and this week Great Escapes heads to Cheltenham to meet the people who make the season feel magical.

In this special Christmas episode, Isy Suttie and Dan Skinner explore Cheltenham at its most festive, from glowing Regency streets to countryside grottoes and backstage theatre bustle.

Just outside town at Cotswold Farm Park, Dan meets a real-life Santa Claus – and when we say real, we mean it. Their conversation dives deep into the details of the role: how elves operate, the rules of the job and the practicalities of delivering presents to the entire world in one night.

Meanwhile, Isy heads backstage at Cheltenham’s Everyman Theatre to meet the cast of this year’s pantomime, Robin Hood and his Merry Men. She discovers the graft behind the glitter, the stamina required to keep the energy up night after night, and why panto remains one of Christmas’s great shared traditions. There’s even time for her to attempt a musical number, with some very interesting percussion.

Later, Isy and Dan regroup on Cheltenham High Street over coffee and doughnuts, swapping stories and soaking up the town’s festive atmosphere. Along the way, they share listener Christmas travel tales – from a strange encounter with Santa in Aberdeen to a moment of unexpected kindness that turned a breakdown into a Christmas memory to treasure.

Warm, funny and reflective, this episode celebrates Christmas not just as a season, but as something people choose to believe in – whether on a farm, on a stage or on a quiet street lit with fairy lights.

We’re pleased to be supported by Great Western Railway. Adventures start here.

In this episode of Great Escapes, Isy Suttie and Dan Skinner travel across Devon and Cornwall to explore two iconic landmarks – one perched high above the moors, the other steeped in shadowy smuggler lore. From rose-pruning and brass-polishing at Castle Drogo to ghost stories and literary inspiration at Jamaica Inn, it’s a day of drama, history and proper hands-on adventure.

Isy starts at Castle Drogo, the last castle ever built in England – perched high above the Teign Gorge with epic views over Dartmoor. She joins the gardening team to prune roses ahead of winter, before taking on a surprisingly satisfying indoor job: polishing one of the 300 brass jelly moulds in the castle’s collection. It’s proper hands-on work with plenty of elbow grease – and a brilliant insight into the care and craft that keeps this extraordinary place alive.

Meanwhile, Dan heads out onto the windswept wilds of Bodmin Moor to visit the legendary Jamaica Inn. He hears spooky tales of ghostly goings-on, uncovers the real smuggling history behind the place, and learns how Daphne du Maurier discovered the inn while out riding – an encounter that sparked the idea for her novel Jamaica Inn. He even gets to see the very room where she wrote the book.

Together, their adventures reveal the twin spirit of the South West: dramatic landscapes, deep-rooted stories and places that stay with you long after you’ve gone. Whether you love ghost lore, grand architecture or a good moorland ramble, this is a journey into the heart of what makes Devon and Cornwall magical.

We’re pleased to be supported by Great Western Railway. Adventures start here.

In this episode of Great Escapes, Isy Suttie and Dan Skinner head to Exmouth – a classic Devon seaside town bursting with charm, creativity and seriously good fish and chips.

Isy spends the day behind the counter at The Proper Fish & Chip Co., learning the ropes from Danny, a man with over 30 years’ experience in the art of perfect fish and chips. She takes her turn at the fryer, quickly discovering just how much skill goes into a truly great chippy. And the best part? She gets to taste her handiwork – and it might just be some of the best fish and chips she’s ever had.

Meanwhile, Dan heads to Arty Boat, a cosy creative café where visitors can grab a brew and paint their own wooden ornaments. What starts as a simple activity soon becomes an unexpectedly joyful escape, as he finds himself painting a wooden duck in the likeness of his comedy alter ego, Angelos Epithemiou. It’s creative, mindful, unpretentious fun, and a reminder of how good it feels to slow down and make something with your hands.

Together, these two stories reveal the real heart of Exmouth: a town where community spirit, seaside tradition and everyday creativity come together – and where even a portion of chips or a painted duck can turn into a great escape.

We’re pleased to be supported by Great Western Railway. Adventures start here.

In this episode of Great Escapes, Isy Suttie and Dan Skinner head deep into the Forest of Dean – a landscape of legends, light and remarkable contrasts.

Dan ventures underground at Clearwell Caves, swapping daylight for headtorches and hard hats to experience the life of the freeminers who once worked beneath the forest floor. With Jonathan Wright as his guide – whose family has worked these seams for centuries – he learns it’s more than a trade; it’s a calling handed down through generations.

Meanwhile, Isy finds herself in a very different world – the vibrant home and studio of ceramic artist Mary Rose Young. Surrounded by rainbow-coloured teapots, chandeliers and wall-to-wall creativity, she discovers how art, colour and a little eccentricity can brighten even the darkest day.

Together, their adventures reveal two sides of the same forest – one grounded in grit and history, the other bursting with imagination and light. Proof that the Forest of Dean isn’t just a place to visit, but a place that stays with you.

We’re pleased to be supported by Great Western Railway. Adventures start here.

In this episode of Great Escapes, Isy Suttie and Dan Skinner head to Pembrokeshire – a place of wild seas, big skies and quietly brilliant people.

Dan takes the plunge with Sian Richardson, founder of the Bluetits Chill Swimmers, for a bracing dip in the Irish Sea. What starts as a mad idea soon turns blissful – proof that a communal winter swim can clear the mind, lift the spirits and make you forget everything (apart from the cold).

Meanwhile, Isy finds warmth of a different kind at Folly Farm, meeting the keepers who care for lions, rhinos and Wales’s only giraffes. She feeds some of these gentle giants, learns about their personalities and discovers why conservation and compassion are at the heart of this much-loved family attraction.

We’re pleased to be supported by Great Western Railway. Adventures start here.

Join Isy Suttie and Dan Skinner as they roam the weird and wonderful corners of the UK, meeting the characters, unearthing the oddities and celebrating the glorious quirks that make every place special.

In each episode, they go their separate ways, try something new and reunite at the end to compare notes. Great Escapes is about more than just travel – it’s about saying yes to the unexpected, discovering what makes a place tick and finding adventure (and laughter) in the most unlikely corners.

In this Halloween special, Isy starts her day behind bars at Britain’s most haunted prison – a place that once held the Kray twins, a few accused witches and, somehow, Paddington Bear. As the lights flicker and the temperature drops, she hears tales of the inmates who never quite checked out.

Meanwhile, Dan takes on a different kind of spirit at the Showerings Cider Mill – birthplace of Babycham, the fizzy 1960s drink that made post-war Britain sparkle. He meets the family keeping the legend alive.

And all this in Shepton Mallet – where ghosts linger and the past just keeps on fizzing.

We’re pleased to be supported by Great Western Railway. Adventures start here.

Great Escapes is the podcast that sets off in search of fascinating stories, delicious food, and the quirkiest customs the UK has to offer.

Join Isy Suttie and Dan Skinner – two intrepid (and not always willing) travellers – as they explore towns and cities, meet unforgettable characters, try regional delicacies, and get roped into activities no one properly agreed to. Camping under the stars? Wild swimming? Cornish wrestling? One of them’s keen. The other’s calling their agent.

It’s part travelogue, part comedy, and 100% fuelled by snacks, bickering, and unexpected detours.

Great Escapes – the only podcast where “trying new things” comes with a disclaimer.

We’re pleased to be supported by Great Western Railway. Adventures start here.

Great Escapes is the podcast that sets off in search of fascinating stories, delicious food, and the quirkiest customs the UK has to offer.

Join Isy Suttie and Dan Skinner – two intrepid (and not always willing) travellers – as they explore towns and cities, meet unforgettable characters, try regional delicacies, and get roped into activities no one properly agreed to. Camping under the stars? Wild swimming? Cornish wrestling? One of them’s keen. The other’s calling their agent.

It’s part travelogue, part comedy, and 100% fuelled by snacks, bickering, and unexpected detours.

Great Escapes – the only podcast where “trying new things” comes with a disclaimer.

We’re pleased to be supported by Great Western Railway. Adventures start here.