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An outstanding looking castle of fairy tale grandeur. It's free to get in the grounds and roam about them, free to park and only £10 to get into the castle itself. On our day, there was a wizard in the castle in full costume, which added to the fairy tale atmosphere. Just down the road from Lulworth Cove as well. Perfect day out!
East Lulworth, Wareham, Dorset
www.lulworth.com
+44 1929 400 352
Google map: tinyurl.com/34yzjh8
Palanga is a charming coastal resort town in the North of Lithuania. Combining sea, sand, greenery and active nightlife, Palanga is the place where many Lithuanians go for a local holiday.
Just returned from a fantastic family friendly holiday at this luxury hotel on the coast. Superb service and facilities, very friendly and welcoming and sunshine every day!
Has the unlikely billing of the Belgian St Tropez, but you can see why. A lovely long sandy beach combined with posh shops and hotels creates a posers paradise. Unbelievably busy in the summer and on sunny weekends but outside of these times a fantastic place to stroll about and plenty of well positioned bars and cafes to people watch and – my god - there are people to watch.
Only an hour or so from the tunnel and is a real alternative to the likes of Le touquet & Deauville. If staying in Bruges worth a trip to the coast.
Google map: tinyurl.com/2w65bqe
The impossibly pretty port of Uig nestles at the foot of some of the most spectacular scenery in Skye, and views of this coastline are magnificent as you set off for Uist.
Dolphins may be seen as you cross the Minch. Try the peaceful and quietly swanky Observation Lounge if the deck's too blustery.
If you manage to catch an early ferry, why not book a sea-kayaking lesson from Uist Outdoor Centre in the afternoon - you can explore the tiny islands in the harbour at Lochmaddy spotting otters, birds and seals then surf back to the centre on the next ferry's wake.
www.calmac.co.uk, Tel: +44 (0)1475 650 100 fares £4.90 single, £9.80 return, bikes are free, nearest rail station Kyle of Lochalsh, buses from here or Portree
www.uistoutdoorcentre.co.uk,
+44 (0)1876 500 480 sea-kayaking lessons £35 for 3 hours (adults)
Last year I took the Scillionian III Ferry from Penzance to the Isles of Scilly. The Scilly Isles are approximately twenty-eight miles from Cornwall, and the ferry journey is an eye-wateringly two-and-a-half hours long.
However, it is a wonderful journey. There is a restaurant inside the ferry and you can sit on the deck and breathe the sea air as you whizz past the spectacular coastline of South East Cornwall, including St. Michael's Mount, Landsend and (you can just about make it out) the legendary Minack Theatre. The Isles are a glorious sight to behold and it is a journey I will never forget.
Isles of Scilly Travel Centre
Quay Street
Penzance
Cornwall TR18 4BZ
Telephone:
Within the UK: (local call rate) 0845 710 5555
International: +44 (0) 1736 334220
Facsimile +44 (0) 1736 334228
www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk
I enjoyed a superb six-day walking holiday from St Ives to the Lizard with Western Discoveries. The customer service was lovely, the B&Bs very friendly and everything had a great personal touch. Russ, who runs the company, even took us out to see some of the region's stone monuments.
If you want to see the beautiful coastline of West Cornwall, I would recommend using Western Discoveries.
ww.westcornwallwalks.co.uk
01736 362763
St Abb’s Head is the best place to go whatever the time of year. With cliffs rising some 300 ft out of the sea you can see much further than if sitting at sea level, and as the headland juts out into the sea it also gives you a panoramic view. In the summer months there are also the sights, sounds and smells of a seabird colony in full swing.
With credits crunching and economies sliding get on down to the north coast of Cornwall, arguably England's best slice of coast. I based myself at Newquay from where there is any number of adrenalin sports waiting to be experienced. I cantered on a horse across the Gannel estuary and beach Saturday morning, coasteered and zipwired along Lusty Glaze beach Saturday afternoon while Sunday wasn't lazy at all, being spent on fabulous Watergate Bay kitesurfing and bodyboarding. Superb!
You could try, as I did, www.visitnewquay.org, a great little site with all the info you need for a trip.
Newport is a small Pembrokeshire coastal town located within Pembrokeshire National Park, Britain’s only coastal national park. The surrounding scenery is stunning and Newport is a great access point to the Pembrokeshire Coastal path. The town itself is very small but has enough restaurants and pubs to allow you to dine in a different place each evening on a week’s holiday. We particularly enjoyed Llys Meddyg and Mochyn Drwg - most towns of this size would struggle to have one restaurant of this quality. We stayed at a lovely comfortable cottage called Bury Bach just outside town.
www.newport-pembs.co.uk/
www.llysmeddyg.com
www.ymochyndrwg.co.uk
www.burybach.co.uk
A beautiful peninsula just west of Swansea in South Wales. Simply breathtaking landscapes and coastal walks. An enchanting place to explore!
An area on the northern coast of Spain which is like a step back in time. Fishing villages, walking through hills, beautiful valleys, prehistoric sites, romantic churches and Santiago walking routes. Rural and coastal. Activities, horseriding, canoeing trekking cycling etc. Many country houses and apartments to enjoy both countryside and coast.
A small fishing village close to Gijon, Aviles and Oviedo. A variety of seafood restaurants next to a small fishing port. Village has a long tradition of fishing and maintains its traditions very much alive. Bagpipe festivals, celtic concerts and seafood all at very reasonable prices.
Fly in on a low cost easyJet or Air Berlin daily to OVD airport, 30 minutes away by car.
Spectacular clifftop walk with dips into beachy coves and links to local buses. Very scenic but also windy, with several swimming spots along the way, but you need to bring your own picnic. There is a museum at Porthcurno, too.
Porthcurno to Penzance is a long enough walk that you might want to arrange overnight accomodation along the way, for example at Lamorna.
The Land's End commercial complex is out of place but can be easily ignored, though it is a pity the National Trust have not bought it.
Spectacular clifftop walk with dips into beachy coves and links to local buses. Very scenic but also windy, with several swimming spots along the way, but you need to bring your own picnic. There is a museum at Porthcurno, too.
Porthcurno to Penzance is a long enough walk that you might want to arrange overnight accomodation along the way, for example at Lamorna.
The Land's End commercial complex is out of place but can be easily ignored, though it is a pity the National Trust have not bought it.
mobile and transport info on porthcurno.mobi
All of a sudden there has been a craze in the market to travel to Croatia’s coastline. It is absolutely no wonder, considering Croatia boasts some of the most stunning coasts in Europe. I came across this beauty a couple of years ago and loved it so much I went again this year.
What I loved most about the islands (especially the first time) is the serenity and lack of built up resort style beachfronts that can be found everywhere else in the world. No matter how spectacular a place is, if its panorama is filled with man-made constructions and obstructions that I could also find on the Gold Coast, Ibiza, Cancun etc., then it has lost the unique splendour and appeal that I love about Hvar, Mljet or The Elaphite Islands.
With the Croatian islands still being relatively untouched like this, my travel tip is to see this place yourself. Don’t pay a tour guide or company to show you around! You don’t need to! With fresh fruit markets and ample accommodation in the townships (no matter how small) you save yourself a fortune, compared to paying for your stock standard tour group, which hardly compares to exploring these islands using your own aptitude. The islands are small enough to see on your own and the transport between islands is common, cheap and only a short distance!
You can get a ferry in the morning and be at the next place well before lunch. Hire a moped or bicycle and see more of the islands then any tour could show you. On many occasions I found myself on a beach that was not only magical but I was the only person there. Travel this seaside paradise with no time limits, stay on the islands you love and move on from the locations that you don’t. Explore these islands, use only a small amount of effort and less money than you would spend on the weekend in London - and you can find so much more than you bargained for!
Michael Palin's recent TV series might have whetted the appetite but as someone who has been to Gdansk four times already this year I can tell you Michael only touched the surface.
Gdansk is part of a three-city conurbation including Sopot and Gdynia. All three cities have their own identities and all have something to offer.
I flew with WizzAir from Liverpool to Gdansk airport.
Gdansk's Old Town is like a smaller version of Krakow's but with a maritime flavour. It's also the best place to buy amber in Poland.
Twenty minutes drive away is the seaside resort of Sopot. Very fashionable in the 1920s, the town still has a rather sophisticated image (nothing like Blackpool, no amusement arcades here!). Sopot is famous for it's enormous wooden pier which really is just used by holiday makers to enjoy a daily promenade on. Watch out for the seagulls though!
A few minutes drive away is the third coastal resort of Gdynia. Only created in the 20th century, this town has a more modern feel about it and is located sandwiched between the Baltic Ocean and a National Park. I visited Orlowo beach with its own famous pier (they seem to be big on piers over there).
The highlight of my trip was a drive to the Hel Peninsula, 45mins drive away. It's a 35km finger of land that curls into the Baltic Ocean. At its narrowest base it's just one road wide (although they still fit a railway track alongside it). Further down the peninsula widens out to reveal fishing villages and exclusive holiday resorts with the Northern side boasting long, white, sandy beaches - almost Floridian in style.
We booked our hotels through www.ilovepoland.co.uk
The ideal place for fossil enthusiasts. On the beaches and foreshore of Swanage but also in other coasts of Dorset you will find thousands of them.
The sunken Scylla is the UK’s first artificial reef created in 2004 and a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to enjoy a dive there.
I dived with BSAC (the British Sub Aqua Club) after being recommended by a friend who told me that I could join BSAC no matter where or who I had originally trained with. After a few weekends in my local swimming pool refreshing my skills I finally was able two join my local BSAC branch who just happened to be planning their trip down to Plymouth a few weeks later.
The dive was great and it was such an enjoyable experience to spend a day with a group of active, adventurous people all around my own age and all on hand to support me with my dive.
Once in the sea the sunken Scylla was breathtaking. Although originally an artificial reef there is now an abundance of colourful, lively marine life at this site and I could have been entertained for hours. There was perfect visibility and I was able to spot sea urchins, reefs, corals, crabs and much much more. I’m not sure of all the correct names but it was definitely a bright and interesting show that was easily on par with the few dives I have done abroad in the past.
If you want more information on BSAC and diving in the UK it’s definitely worth visiting their website www.bsac.com I’ve been doing a bit of research and they literally have branches all over the country with the joining fee being from as little as £10 I think. A club well worth joining – especially if you want to try something new this Summer without having to even leave the country.
Not far along the coast road from Lynton you’ll find a signpost for Hunters Inn, which as well as being a pub-restaurant and place of accommodation, is also a beauty spot near the bottom of the alarmingly steep and deep Heddon Valley.
The walks in this area are spectacular, whether you follow the river path down to the sea or climb the cliff paths which cut narrow tracks along steep, heather-covered inclines.
This is a truly beautiful place to spend some time, just make sure that your car brakes are in good working order before you make the journey.
Take the coast road from Lynton towards Ilfracombe. Watch for the signposted road for Hunters Inn.
www.thehuntersinn.net/
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