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Llanystumdwy is a beautiful Welsh village, with some splendid attractions. Set on the banks of the river Dwyfor, the wise people of Llanystumdwy have restored the boyhood home of David Lloyd George, next door to the compact and fascinating museum. The great man himself is buried alongside the river in a breathtaking setting. There are plenty of beaches, country and seaside walks here, and refreshments are available at the excellent pub - Tafarn y Plu -where you can sample a pint of Lloyd George beer. For a bit of variation, visit the national writers' centre,the rabbit farm - or Cricieth castle nearby. Also, the beaches in the area are tremendous.
A sheltered beach with bar/loungers on St Jean Cap Ferrat. Facing in to the mainland, with a lovely view over the bay to Beaulieu-sur-Mer and just a hint of Monaco to your right. A lovely place to soak up the sun all day, while watching the yachts come and go. If you happen to turn up via yacht, just call the bar (phone number writ large across the second storey) and they'll powerboat out to pick you up.
Walk along the signposted coastal promenade from Beaulieu Sur Mer to St Jean Port, or take the 81 from Nice Gare Routiere (1 euro 30). It's about 5 km out the other side of the Port.
Traeth Towyn is situated a mile or so from the tiny picturesque hilltop village of Tudweiliog on the Llyn Peninsula, Gwynedd. It is a small, sandy stretch of beach surrounded by grassy cliffs with a dirt track leading down to it. Popular in the summer, but virtually deserted in winter - a perfect getaway to be at one with yourself and nature. On clear days, the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland may be seen from the clifftops.
Approximately 1 mile from Tudweiliog by road via Rhoslan. Pwllheli is the nearest town.
The beach is really quiet and you can walk all the way along at low tide through the mangrove forest on the beach.
Cape tribulation. Free car parking
Very clean, able to park on the beach, so no long walks to & from the car, & no having to carry all your beach toys very far.
Good children's section, and lots of activities to do for all.
Weston-super-mare, Junction 21 M5, or Weston-super-mare train station
Cycle along the coastal path to Portixol beach, a little curve of sand surrounded by pastel-coloured villas and smart restaurants which means you can spend an afternoon to-ing and fro-ing between beach towel, sea and restaurant terrace.
This is the modern, spruced up side of Palma and the restaurant menus reflect that – scrambled egg and sea urchin caviar with truffles was on the menu when I went to Minimar. If you want patatas bravas and gambas you’ll have to head back into central Palma.
Seventeen acres of subtropical gardens constructed over a century ago on a formerly bleak, windswept island. It’s like a Douanier Rousseau painting, with species from 80 countries, from Brazil to Burma. Beyond the garden and on neighbouring islands are some of the best unspoilt beaches in Britain. You could be in the Canaries or somewhere really exotic (until you put your foot in the water).
Visually, the beaches in Pattaya are not up to much compared to elsewhere in Thailand; it’s a very urban environment with rows of umbrellas and deck-chairs. Although people do swim, the sea is rather polluted, (how much is unclear) they claim to have cleaned up the water a lot in the last few years and have marked out areas for swimmers.
Neighbouring Jomtien beach, about a 15 min bus ride away looks to be more swimmer-friendly but there is the occasional bout of untreated sewerage there from time to time. (This IS Thailand!).
Cosy beach and Sugar beach between Pattaya and Jomtien offer less crowded or urban alternatives. Bear in mind that what is done to monitor pollution on any of the beaches throughout Thailand is not clear. Inevitably, ALL the main holiday beaches in Thailand are subject to pollution from time to time depending on season wind and tides.
At both Pattaya and Jomtien beaches you can hire all sorts of watersports stuff, and it’s all pretty cheap. All beaches have plenty of people selling drinks and snacks etc. Have a fresh coconut and drink the liquid inside through a straw - very refreshing!
Off shore there are one or two islands with much nicer beaches, they are easily accessible for a day trip. If you go to Ko Laan, the main beach is really just a row of restaurants etc, but it’s well worth hiring a moped and driving over to the other side of the island - views from the top are great and there are some very quiet beaches there. Or simply walk along the coast for a bit to get away from the crowds.
A holiday to the Isle of Man contains all the best parts of England and Ireland in one small island just 32 miles long, but has an identity all of its own. Tourist figures have dropped in recent years due to cheap flights abroad, but that's more reason to visit. Walking the length of Peel beach in mid-July and not meeting another soul makes it worth visting the island alone. The island remains clean, untouched and beautiful.
www.isleofman.com/tourism.htm
www.isleofman.com/about/outandabout/peel/
Ardara is a small unpretentious town in Donegal, which hosts this year's annual festival of traditional music on May 4, 5, and 6.
Its people and pubs are great. Local scenic points include the Glengesh Pass, the Maghera Falls and the views out over the Atlantic from Loughros Point.
Good beaches around the area too.
Now that the British youth culture has moved out of Faliraki and on to other unfortunate places, Faliraki is re-establishing itself as a cosmopolitan beach resort for all age groups.
Its multitude of scenic locations, St. Apostolos, Profit Amon, St. Sophia, lend themselves for weddings, whilst the recently renovated Kallithea Spa is becoming the hot venue for tying the knot in 2007.
This is one of my most favourite beaches in the world. A long stretch of lovely white sand, little cantinas dotted along the beach and clear, warm sea. Great for snorkling around the rocks.
After a strenuous day relaxing try the Panorama restaurant, a 5 minute drive away. Enjoy their authentic, fresh food (cheesy flowers a must) sitting under vines with a view of the beach.
They also have loads of huge dried gourds hanging everywhere and squid stretched out to dry. The waiters are great and the service excellent.
Tsampika beach is on the east coast roughly half way between Rhodes Town and Lindos.
To get to The Panorama, turn left out of the beach entrance, drive up the hill, it's on the left-hand side, and has a gravelled parking area out front.
Okay, I'm going to be totally perverse here by suggesting a place that isn't in Sicily. Vulcano is actually one of the Aeolian Islands just north of Sicily (others include Stromboli and Lipari) and is quite unlike anywhere else I've visited. The name's a bit of a giveaway (Vulcano/volcano geddit), as these islands are all volcanic (and there's Etna on mainland Sicily of course. Vulcano itself has (apparently) Italy's largest 'non submarine' volcanoes, there are little 'fumaroles' spouting steam, the beach has black sand - unbelievable - and there are thermal spas and mud baths. A bit like Iceland with hot weather we reckoned. Stayed at a very nice modern hotel on the Gulf of Ponente.
Sicily has many stunning beaches, but the 7km string of coves that run along the coastline of this nature reserve are particularly special. Grab a map at the information hut in the car park, and make your way along a winding cliff-edge path for 20 minutes and you will come across the first white pebbled beach 20 metres below.
If you can resist the lure of the dazzling crystalline waters a little longer, it is well-worth trudging on another 3km to the next series of bays, which will be less crowded.
A word of warning: it can get painfully hot in July & August, & the path enjoys little shade, so the walk can be torturous without sufficient clothing or litres of water.
There are entrances to the Nature Reserve to the South near Scopello, and in the North at San Vito Lo Capo.
These hills are beautiful, high, and very little visited. There are some wonderful towns where you can feel the atmosphere and brooding isolation - Castelbuono, Petralia Soprana. The beach at Cefalu is beautiful. Just don't expect to drive at more than 30mph on the hairpins!
Fortunately, Datça is as yet unspoiled by mass tourism. The people are really relaxed, friendly and hospitable which creates a great atmosphere.
Take a yacht along the Datça peninsula to find your own undiscovered beaches.
In the summer regular ferries depart from Kormen (9km to the north of Datça) to Bodrum.
Maria Island is as close to heaven as it is possible to get on earth. It is, for a start, the very best place in Tasmania to see the amazing marsupial wildlife and birds during the day and in the evening. It is a magical place - rugged cliffs, beautiful beaches with lines of fairy penguins, mountains you can climb and views right up the east coast of Tassie. The walk is a four day walk for up to 8 and after just a few hours you feel like you have known your fellow walkers for years. The food is incredible, all cooked by young (gorgeous) guides and sleeping in the beach camps, walking up at dawn as the sun filters through the trees above is a truly remarkable experience. Pure bliss.
www.mariaislandwalk.com.au About an hour and a half from Hobart, but you get transferred there by the walk anyway. You can also go for a day on the ferry.
Google map: tinyurl.com/l2rh4g
Belhaven Bay! I adore Belhaven Bay! It has got wide open spaces. You can walk for an hour without disturbance. You can even get stranded! It has got a beautiful silence. In summer you can swim among jellyfish, crabs and much more! If the tide is in, there is a bridge to nowhere! Where is it to? Come back when the tide is out and see. If you are a runner, this is heaven! Standing on top of the bridge looking out towards the sea, you won't see anything but beauty. You can make sand sculptures until the tide comes in and gets you. You can make dams and accessories (sofa, TV etc). Some things are quite difficult to make on other beaches, but Belhaven Bay has damp sand. There is fun for everyone! It's the perfect place for flying kites! Almost every day you will get the wind in your hair! The feeling is tremendous! There is a magical feeling about Belhaven Bay! I just love paddling in the cool water or even swimming! Connie and I often make fairy swimming pools with channels and islands. It's a brilliant place to meet up with friends, have a chat, go for a walk and things like that. Grand waves crash on to the beach, excellent for surfers! On calm days, you can see right across to Fife! So from getting stranded to swimming with jellyfish, Belhaven Bay is BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!
Love Delilah (age 10).
At the bottom of Belhaven hill, near Miss Auld's house.
Guernsey is a very nice island in the Channel. I go there on holiday because my Nana lives there. When we go there we stay at a campsite with a swimming pool, but it’s an outdoor one so sometimes it’s cold. I like the little chapel which is made from bits of broken pottery. It is a good place to play hide and seek and it is echoey. I also like the North Show especially the Battle of the Flowers parade as lots of people dress up and sometimes the costumes are funny. There is a very good beach called Petit Bot with lots of rocks and really big waves. There were some beach ducks and Mummy and me saw some ducklings eating seaweed and two walked right past Daddy’s foot.
There is a nice restaurant called Bruce Russell’s with a goldsmith’s next door and a playground for children. There is also a castle called Fort Grey. When I went there was a play going on and I was a French warship and went “La Boom! La Boom”. I made a cross face when the English won the battle.
From Eleanor Teather (age 9)
A wild island, boss beaches, cool little shop, good kids food in the Jura Hotel. I get the freedom I don't have at home - I can explore all day on my bike and come home when I am hungry! Good sandcastle sand and empty beaches. Great pier for crab fishing - lots of fresh air! Fantastic for cycling - single track roads and hardly any cars.
From Ross Webster (age 10).
Ferry to Islay then small ferry to Jura
Main village = Craighouse
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