Travel views: December 31, 2011 to January 6, 2012 See here for how to enter this week's competition, in which you could win flights to Innsbruck in Austria with easyJet Village stays in north India Without the Telegraph we would have missed one of the best trips of our lives. Several years ago you published an article on the Village Ways walking holiday in the Binsar sanctuary in the north of India. We agreed it was something we had to do. Then earlier this year came a description of the company's extension trip to the Saryu valley, and our minds were made up. We spent two wonderful weeks there, which were everything we had hoped for. The trips were exactly as described. The organisation and logistics were faultless: a taxi was arranged for a couple whose train was extremely delayed, as well as a mule for another guest when she was unwell, and locations were rearranged for those who found the altitude a problem. We were called "guests," not "clients," and felt privileged that the villagers' life carried on and yet included us. Waking up at sunrise and emerging from our tent to see the orange/pink sunlight on the Himalayas was the highlight of our trip. Lesley and Max Todd, by email Just back winners When I heard I'd won the weekly Telegraph Just Back writing competition in June, I was thrilled. But on reading Moira Ashley's overall winning tale "A grand Irish day" ("Just Back of the Year," December 31) I realised I still have a mountain to climb. Her writing is subtle and fresh, with a lightness of touch that makes the piece a joyful and easy read. Congratulations to Moira, and to the runners-up, for producing such effortlessly told stories. Many thanks to the Telegraph for offering its readers the chance to appear in print every week, and for encouraging and inspiring people like me. I shall continue to hone, edit and improve in the hope that one day I will be able to write 500 words that flow as gracefully as Moira's. Liz Cleere, by email Visiting Bethlehem "Away to the Manger" (December 17) was a golden article by Christopher Howse, which highlighted Jerusalem as a city for a visit at any time: ancient and modern, curious and exciting, with historic buildings and traditions. To walk in the footsteps of Jesus through the busy markets is a real excitement that makes one shiver, and there is more: much more, in Bethlehem, Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee. The Bible comes alive, and one sees how the citizens live their lives, and loves, even under stress. Geoffrey Lord, by email Bethlehem is a fascinating place whatever the reason for your visit, as Christopher Howse reminds us. Whether the journey is in search of history or the historical origins of religious faith, it is usually a "once in a lifetime" trip and a tour leader has a serious responsibility. Over the past 30 years, I have led a total of 10 pilgrimages and made a radio and television series about the Holy Land. People's expectations are strange. In Bethlehem they probably expect to find an English wooden stable. Proper preparation by tour leaders is essential if suppositions are not to be disappointed. Reverence may be in short supply, but awe is not, as the coaches disgorge their occupants in Manger Square. To stand in the Church of the Nativity singing carols in the middle of July or August seems an odd experience. Rev Robert Ellis, by email Testing out wooden skis In my youth I tried alpine skiing with a set of hired wooden skis. It was pretty hopeless and I left plenty of imprints in the snow. It put me off skiing for many years. A friend then introduced me to cross-country skiing and, like Adrian Bridge ("Wooden skis, woollen clothes," December 24), I found that I could not only stand up but that I could complete a black run in my first week of cross-country skiing. Several winters passed and a Swiss friend invited me to her birthday party. To get acclimatised, I stayed at the Hotel Victoria in Kandersteg before journeying on to Martigny. I am glad to say that it looks as if the intervening years between my visit and Adrian's have not dulled the Victoria. There was an ulterior motive, for within a month I was back in Switzerland taking part in and completing my first marathon - the Engadin SkiMarathon. I did not come in first, but it felt like a win when the commentator announced my name and that I was from Great Britain. Allan S Carter, by email