You cannot mention the leisure activities of Silicon Valley without talking about the wonderful opportunities for getaways here for either a weekend or a week.

Inland towards the east we have the Sierra Mountain range which provides a wonderful landscape of majestic redwood trees, idyllic lakes, spectacular views along beautiful forest trails - and that's just in the summer, spring and fall. The advent of winter presents its own set of activities for the snow lover - skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, telemarking, sledding and snowshoeing are all available at a mere 3 hour drive from Silicon Valley, an easy weekend jaunt to places like Bear Valley and Dodge Ridge.

Lake Tahoe is the most famous resort in Northern California further away, a 5 hour drive, and very popular with the natives here. The beautiful national park of Yosemite provides some of the most amazing views, waterfalls, and peaks in the country, another 3 hour drive from Silicon Valley.

To the west of Silicon Valley is the ocean, with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The waves of the Pacific provide the most fantastic surfing so even if you're not a participant, you can still enjoy being a spectator.

Places like Santa Cruz offer wonderful sailing opportunities, the famous boardwalk and gorgeous sandy beaches for families. Further south are the well-visited towns of Monterey (from Steinbeck's novels) and Carmel (remember mayor Clint Eastwood) continuing on to Big Sur with its spectacular cliffs reaching into the sea, and where James Dean met his demise along Highway 5, a road with some of the most amazing views I've seen anywhere.

And if you're willing to drive further afield, Disneyland in Southern California is a straight 5 hour drive, with San Diego and its famous Zoo, Wildlife Park and Sea World a further hour away.

And let's not forget Legoland in Carlsbad.