Mt Elbrus, Russia

Highest mountain in Europe, anyone? Mt Blanc? Do keep up: it’s Mt Elbrus, almost another Scafell Pike on top of Mt Blanc, bestriding the Russian-Georgian border like some twin-headed colossus.

A dormant volcano, Elbrus stands at 18,510ft, with the top 5,000ft permanently under snow, and with views over a highway of Caucasus peaks stretching from the Black Sea to the Caspian. Technically, it’s a cakewalk — a knackering cakewalk, with a final 5,700ft of trudging ascent from base camp, but go with a guide, and it’s easier than an introductory ice-axe and crampon weekend in the Highlands, with 10 times the views. High & Wild (01749 671777, www.highandwild.co.uk) has 11 nights, full-board, for £1,817, including nine days’ guided trekking, all transfers and flights to Mineralnye Vody via Moscow.

CRAZIEST CAPER

Island-hop in Speedos, Croatia

Yes, you read that right. Run by Swimtrek (020 8696 6220, www.swimtrek.com), this is surely the daftest — and most rewarding — way to explore the hundreds of uninhabited islands off the Dalmatian coast. The sea in the Sibenik archipelago is a balmy 26C in summer, but with a daily average of nearly three miles of open-water swimming, this isn’t for the faint-hearted. However, beach picnics will never taste as good again, and with a support boat close by, you can always wimp out if the going gets too tough — although Swimtrek provides a 12-week pre-trip training program to knock you into shape. The break costs £675 for six nights, half-board, starting from Prvic island, two hours and £5 by bus and ferry from

Split airport, which is served by several airlines, including British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com), Croatia Airlines (0870 410 0310, www.croatiaairlines.com) and EasyJet (www.easyjet.co.uk).

SCARIEST DROP

Via Ferrata, Italy

A vertical rock face in the Dolomites is as far from the traditional sunburn and swimming pool as you’ll get this summer, but you don’t even need to know a clove hitch from a karabiner to climb here. Criss-crossed by vie ferrate — metal ladders, bridges and cables originally put up to help tranport infantry in the first world war — the Dolomites can be climbed by even the greenest of alpinists, although you’ll need a head for heights. With English-speaking guides, Dolomiten (00 39 047 170 5343, www.dolomiten-alpin.com) has a six-night hut-to-hut Via Ferrata trek in the Brenta, an area of twisted pinnacles at the western end of the Dolomites, for £643, half-board. The nearest airport is Verona, served by BA (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com).

BIGGEST RUSH

White-water rafting, Turkey

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