Shetland

Best for
Otters, cliffs and the country's longest midsummer's day.

Highlights
If you want to see an otter fishing for its dinner, then Shetland is the place. On a trip to the island of Yell with otter devotees John Campbell and Terry Holmes it took literally two minutes to spot one in their telescope. We immediately legged it to the other side of the sea loch, then dashed through a wildflower meadow to get a closer view, dropping down on our tummies, SAS-style, as soon as it came up for a breather. We got close enough to see its sharp white teeth as it fished along the seashore.
Dramatic cliff scenery in Eshaness in Shetland's northwest mainland makes for excellent hiking: Visit Shetland runs a festival of walks in summer and early autumn.
June sees the weird bluish half-light of the "simmer dim". We were there on the longest day and Shetland really is the land of the midnight sun.

If you don't mind wild, dark, stormy weather with barely a glimpse of daylight, turn up on January 29 2008 for the Up Helly A festival, when 1000 islanders parade through the night in Viking costume carrying flaming torches. Replica Viking ships get burned on the beaches, and there's plenty of traditional music to cheer up the dog days of winter.

For a free taste of what life would have been like in Shetland in the "olden days", don't miss the superb new Shetland museum.

Getting there
Rail is cheaper and faster than coach. Advance single London to Aberdeen tickets start at £23. Return foot-passenger fares from Aberdeen to Lerwick with Northlink Ferries cost from £41-£63.60 depending on season. Or fly Stansted-Sumburgh with Atlantic Airways from £161 return.

Staying there
Mainland: Lerwick Youth Hostel, open April-September. £15.50 adult/£12.50 child a night.
Unst: Gardiesfauld Hostel at £11 a night.
Across Shetland: Basic but comfortable bothies, known as bods, for which you'll need everything you'd take for camping bar the tent, cost £8 a night and can be booked through www.camping-bods.com.

Tourist information
www.visitshetland.com

Skomer Island, Pembrokeshire

Best for
Puffins, wildflowers and comfy eco-accommodation.

Highlights
Go to Skomer to see portly puffins on the cliff edges right next to the footpaths. They're not shy and throughout June and July will be flying back to their burrows (often stolen from an unfortunate rabbit family) with beaks stuffed full of silvery sandeels to feed their growing chicks. May and June is the best time to see enchanting swathes of pink and purple wildflowers covering the island. Guillemots and razorbills perch on sheer cliff-faces, fluffy gull chicks squawk from stony outcrops in the island's interior and seals bask on rocks in the sun at low tide. Staying overnight in the new eco-accommodation is a special treat. Built out of reclaimed stone and powered by solar electricity, a stay here is the only way to hear the screaming call of the rare Manx shearwater as thousands of them stream back to their burrows at night. The eaten-out corpses of shearwaters caught by prowling greater black-backed gulls can be seen strewn over the paths in the morning. Take food if staying the night – there's nowhere to buy it on the island, so it's BYO, scavenge or starve. Staying there
Eco-accommodation, £30 each a night based on sharing a twin room, single £60 (+44 (0)1239 621600 to book). Alternatively, volunteer with the Wildlife Trust of south and west Wales for a week and stay for free.

Getting there
A return train ticket from London to Fishguard costs from £28 if booked in advance (buy two £14 singles). From Fishguard take bus 404 to St David's, then the 400 to Marloes. Timetable at gobybus.net. The ferry departs from Martin's Haven, a three-mile walk or hitchhike further on.
If you arrive at Marloes late and need to camp, then West Hook farm (tel: +44 (0)1646 636424) near Martin's Haven has a beautiful campsite overlooking the sea. Drivers can also park cars here while staying overnight on Skomer. The Skomer ferry runs from Martin's Haven daily at 10am, 11am and 12 noon between April 1 and October 31. No landings on Mondays except bank holidays. Cost: adult £8 child £6. Contact Dale Sailing.

Tourist information
www.visitpembrokeshire.com

Holy Island, Northumberland

Best for
Peace and quiet, religious ruins and a heady alcoholic aphrodisiac. Highlights
Home of the splendidly ornate Lindisfarne Gospels (though only replicas can be seen here - the originals are in the British Library), Holy Island is the place to go if you need a bit of downtime. Attached to the mainland by a causeway you have to time your trip carefully as the road is completely covered by the sea at high tide. The ruins of Lindisfarne priory are a must-see. A place of pilgrimage for centuries - although the Vikings raped and pillaged their way through in times gone by - it continues to draw people in search of spiritual solace.

Other sights include Lindisfarne castle, which teeters dramatically on a rocky crag. Originally a Tudor fort, it was converted into a private house by Lutyens a century ago and is now run by the National Trust.

Then there's the local tipple. St Aidan's Winery is where Lindisfarne mead is made from grapes, honey and herbs. In an ancient Norse custom, newlyweds were practically force-fed the stuff for a month in the belief it would make them more fertile.

Getting there
Book in advance to get the GNER single fare of £15.70 from London to Berwick upon Tweed. Then it's bus 477 from Berwick to Holy Island: this runs daily in summer, less frequently out of season.
Staying there
Crown and Anchor Inn, overlooking the harbour and castle. From £70 a room.

The Open Gate is a Christian retreat house of Tudor origin, open for group or personal retreats, guided or non-guided. From £58 for a double/twin room.

Tourist information
www.visitnortheastengland.com

Alderney, Channel Islands

Best for
Making sandcastles on wide, empty beaches. Highlights
There is a population of rare "blonde hedgehogs" on Alderney, but you'll probably be coming here for the uncrowded golden beaches. This remote island is just 3.5 miles long and 1.5 miles wide and is still remarkably undiscovered, with most visitors to the Channel Islands making for Guernsey or Jersey.

The safe sandy bays are great for watersports including sailing, waterskiing and surfing. Watching racing yachts battle it out around the island during the Alderney International Sailing Regatta (July 13-15) is a completely free thrill.

The Alderney Wildlife Festival (August 25-27) is a chance to take guided boat trips by experts to the tiny islets of Burhou to see glossy white gannets, seals and storm petrels.

St Anne, Alderney's capital, is full of higgledy-piggledy cobbled streets lined by colourful painted cottages and Georgian townhouses. Because of a much-feared French invasion in the 19th century there are forts aplenty to explore around the rest of the island. You can even stay in one: the Landmark Trust has renovated Fort Clonque, which sits on a large group of rocks south west of the island. The approach is via your very own drawbridge, which you can then raise smartish to repel unwanted visitors.

Getting there
The cheapest way is to fly from Bournemouth direct to Alderney from £112 return. Otherwise fly from Brighton City Airport for £137 return: both routes run by Blue Islands.

The ferry costs less than the Brighton flight but not much: Weymouth to Guernsey on Condor ferries is £79 return for foot passengers, then on to Alderney with manche-iles-express.com for £40 return.
Alderney is so small that hiring a bike is the perfect way to get around. Try Pedal Power at Les Rocquettes (tel: +44 (0)1481 822286) or AFS Bike Hire at Braye Harbour (tel: +44 (0)1481 823352). Staying there
Cheapest is the campsite behind the sand dunes of Saye Bay. It costs £5 a person, £2.50 for children. Fully equipped tents can be hired for £25 a night.
The Town House, High Street, +44 (0)1481 824897. Prices from £25

Tourist information
www.visitguernsey.com;
www.alderney.gov.gg