Ailsa Craig appears like a giant American muffin on the horizon off the south-west coast of Scotland. A boat trip round the island from Girvan costs £20, including landing on the island for half an hour, where you can inspect the rather spooky remains of the gas works that used to power the lighthouse. The bird life on the island is fantastic, and can be well-observed from the boat, together with the amazing volcanic cliffs. Can 40,000 Gannets be wrong?
Google map: bit.ly/9Fg0Rm
We've just had a lovely day out on Lake Windermere with Windermere Lake Cruises. The weather was just perfect as we set off from Bowness on Windermere and travelled to Ambleside, where we did a little shopping and had lunch at The Watersedge Inn on the lake before making the return trip.
Lugano is a beautiful city but it's hard to do it justice if you're not on a banker's salary.
One surprisingly cheap option is to hire one of the boats on the waterfront and explore the lake. The views are wonderful and you can make it over to restaurants on the other side.
Just walk along the main waterfront, the hire places are easy to spot.
Amsterdam canal cruises are one of the most popular activities for those visiting the Dutch capital. The vast majority of visitors (millions each year) opt for a so called canal bus where you share the boat with other passengers and the tour is guided in many different languages. Alternatively there is the much nicer private boat rental. Both small self operated open boats and larger luxury classic canal boats that cruise around the canals with just you and your friends or family.
Korte Prinsengracht 44
1013 GT Amsterdam
+31 (0)20 6247635
www.rentaboatamsterdam.com/
A visit to one of the world's largest harbours would definitely be incomplete without having taken one of the harbour or canal boat tours (Große Hafenrundfahrt or Fleetfahrt) which start from the Landungsbrücken.
Go to one of the marinas around Downtown and rent a speed or sail boat that you can use to tour far out into the Georgia Sraight and get an amazing new perspective on the city and the bay.
Catch a ferry up and down the Rhine. The trips vary in length, the longest going all the way to Dusseldorf. But even on the shortest voyage available, I found boating on such a mighty and iconic river well worth the few euros.
Another good view of the river can be found by walking along the bank opposite the old town. There's a wide flood plain that offers the opportunity for a peaceful riverside hike that lasts for a good couple of miles.
Catch ferries from the wharf near the Old Town.
www.k-d.de/englisch/
Instead of walking or driving around Sydney, to get the best vantage points around the harbour hire a 'Tinny', a small aluminium boat with an engine. You don't need a boat licence, and you can fit 7 or 8 people onboard. You can also organise a fishing licence to catch some fresh Sydney seafood.
Vickery Av Rose Bay 2029 telephone: 9371 7036 or 0416 123 339