The Isle of Bute is just a 20-minute ferry ride from Wemys Bay to Rothesay, very easy to get to from to Glasgow.

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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).

www.tresco.co.uk/the_abbey_garden/

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This one's extreme. You get here via a tiny six-seater plane or a white-knuckle three-hour boat trip from Shetland. The best (usually the only) place to stay is the Bird Observatory, where you get fed within an inch of your life on home baking. You can join the twitchers with their birding work, thrill to cliff-top walks bombarded by broody skuas, check out the knitting in the island museum, and just soak up the sound of sea and silence.

Fair Isle
Shetland

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One of the best restaurants in the world, tucked away in the far corner of Skye. Great food in a stunning location. I was slightly concerned that the service would be stuffy or too formal, but it was a relaxed place to eat dinner.

Not cheap but well worth splashing out for a special occasion. Bring your big chief i-spy book of celebs - you may spot a few in here.

THE THREE CHIMNEYS
COLBOST, DUNVEGAN, ISLE OF SKYE, IV55 8ZT
Tel: 01470 511258
Fax: 01470 511358
Email: eatandstay@threechimneys.co.uk

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Tidal islands cut off from the land for 5 of every 12 hours. Check your tides and make your way across the sands (preferably barefoot) with beautiful views in all directions. Great wildlife, birdwatching etc too.

Parkgate is close, and lovely too.

Hilbre, West Kirby, Wirral
www.wirral.gov.uk/er/hilbre.htm

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There are lots of choices on the Isle of Skye; hotels, B&B, hostels and camping sites.

Our family stayed in a camping site called Torvaig near Pontree for two nights. It was cheaper than the one we had stayed at near Ben Nevis. The services were the same; showers, bathrooms, clean drinking water for free, although at Ben Nevis there was a shop. The ground was hard, but there was a beautiful view at sunset.

We liked cooking so we didn’t eat out much. But when we did there were big portions. The food was similar to Irish food; haggis is just like a mix of black puddings and mince meat. If you asked for an apple pie you would expect to get a slice but there you get a whole pie. The Pike Hotel had particularly big portions.

When we cooked it was easy to find the supplies to cook on our own in any supermarket. There are also shops on the Isle of Skye so don’t fret.

We didn’t stay long, so we only got one trip done; a boat trip.
We saw a brochure in the campsite and my dad thought it would be a good thing to do. The boat left Armadale and got to Mallaig in 45 minutes. When you get there you can stay or you can walk back to the pier. It takes a couple of hours to get back on foot. It was a great boat ride. I even got to drive the boat. The view was spectacular. It was so spectacular - that I had a dream about it. When we pulled into the bay, it was lovely and calm. To the left of me there was a mountain sheltered under a beautiful white cloud. The bay had lovely turquoise water, warmer than the sea because of the surrounding rocks and big boulders. Just right for swimming. If you don’t like salt water there is a river up beside it.

The overall view from the high rock over looking the bay was really pretty, and one you don’t see everyday.

I would recommend the holiday to outgoing people and families with teenage kids.

I had a wicked time.

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The single track road to Achiltibuie in the Coigach area of north west Scotland is full of spectacular scenery - the views of the Gormenghastian Stac Polliadh take the breath away. But the jewel in this particular crown comes on the road that veers off to the tiny hamlet of Reiff. You top the brow of a hill and there before you lies the most beautiful view of the myriad tiny specks that are the Summer Isles - with, on a clear day, the mountains of Torridon in the distance.

15 miles north west of Ullapool

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St Mary's is the largest Island out of all the Scilly Islands, it also is the busiest. I'd recommend St Mary's because it's a nice place to go and have a break and since you're only allowed a car if you live there, it's quite a 'Global Friendly' place. It's also brilliant for a midnight cycle adventure!

It has a lot of great beaches to picnic on, where you can paddle in the sea even in April! Watching the gigs race whilst having fish and chips is fun too. There are plenty of interesting little shops to potter around in. You can get to any of the islands by boat.

My favourite island is Tresco because of the Abbey Gardens and the shell grotto inside it.

From Katie Lawrence (age 10) from Pembrokeshire.

www.cornwall-online.co.uk/islesofscilly/stmarys.htm

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We usually camp at Fauxquets Valley which has a pool. Note caravans are not allowed on the island, but you can hire a tent with beds (near to the loos etc, so can be noisy).

www.fauxquets.co.uk

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Tiny village in the north of Skye, has an excellent youth hostel, but the best thing is to take the road over the hills to the east coast from there to see the Quiraing, spectacular almost lunar scenery and extraordinary views.

Northern peninsula of Skye.

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