How much holiday do you reckon you’ve got next year? Four weeks? Five? Think again. Tot up 47 two-day weekends, four days off at Easter and Christmas, and three bank holidays, and you’ve 111 days to play with in 2004, even before you start eating into the company allowance. Better yet, weekend breaks are just what our cash-rich, time-poor hearts desire, and holiday companies can’t wait to meet that need. You just need to know where to look.

Or rather, you just need to read on, as we hand-pick 52 breaks to colour your calendar — one for every weekend of the year. A few require a day off work, but most start late on Friday, ensuring absolute full value for your time. From pottery in Pembrokeshire to migration in the Masai Mara, from Shakespeare in Stratford to dunes in Dubai, escape is only ever a Friday away.

Unless stated, all package prices are per person, B&B; flights, when included, are from London. For Dublin and regional flight options, contact the operator

JANUARY

3rd-4th
DETOX, LEICESTERSHIRE

Why? Because if the mince pies and brandy butter haven’t taken their toll by now, then the New Year toxins almost certainly will. A Victorian hunting lodge just outside Melton Mowbray, Ragdale Hall is the ultimate shelter from the festive storm, with detox treatments to make livers sing, and 11 acres of landscaped gardens to gladden even the most jaded hearts.

The details: £339 for two nights, full-board, including a facial and massage. A “detox body wrap” costs £56. Contact Ragdale Hall (01664 434831, www.ragdalehall.co.uk).

10th-11th
POTTERY, PEMBROKESHIRE

Why? To exorcise the demons of school art class — you may still be a klutz with the clay, but this time, says instructor Caroline Flynn, what you end up with should be fit for the mantelpiece, not the bin. The course is based in a Georgian mansion near St Davids, with 187 miles of unbroken coastal path beyond the kiln.

The details: £120 for two nights, including six hours of tuition and all materials. Contact Trevaccoon (01348 831438, www.trevaccoon.co.uk).

17th-18th
WALTZING, VIENNA