Booking a trip in the British Isles makes for a rewarding treat

When you get bitten good and hard by the intrepid international globe-trotting bug, there’s a danger that you dismiss a huge avenue of adventure that abounds with excitement and promise; namely, the discovery of good old Britannia. That we travelling Brits tend to take our own back yard rather for granted, and never see it as the same garden of paradise that foreigners do, is something of a crying shame. There are many jewels in the United Kingdom’s crown, and to dismiss them for the thrill of more exotic locations and climes is to cheat yourself out of some real magic.

Let’s take city breaks for a start. Availing yourself of the many delights of our wonderful capital, or indeed one of the other fine cities Great Britain has to offer, will open your eyes to a plethora of art, culture and architecture just waiting to be stumbled across. You could start with the main candidates such as York, Edinburgh, Durham, Manchester or Birmingham, but it can be immense fun picking out some of the less-visited examples like Sheffield, Brighton, Cambridge, Lancaster, Exeter, Chester… the list isn’t endless, but it will keep you going for quite a while.

And when you’re done with cities, start ploughing your way through our fantastic collection of towns and villages – if you haven’t a clue where to start, just decide how far you want to travel and literally stick a pin in the map.

If you don’t fancy driving, why not consider the train, bus or coach – try to see even the most mundane forms of transport as a passport to adventure, and always take your camera and a notebook to keep a record of your trip.

Book journeys well enough in advance and it won’t cost a fortune either, and when booking accommodation, your online world is pretty much your oyster. Whether you’re after a humble guest house or something offering a bit more luxury, you can bag some amazing hotel deals from some of the leading chains, especially at weekends. Don’t just rely on sites like Booking.com either – make a note of all the good UK hotel operators and get into the habit of searching their own websites too; there’s many a good deal to be had as they all compete for your lucrative business.

And a fantastic time to start your little odyssey is in the run up to Christmas – why not be adventurous and do your Christmas shopping out of town? Your gifts will be different and you get to have a mini-holiday too.

Post Christmas is also great for an indulgent little treat. The bright lights of the festive season are over, and the long, dark days of January can easily fall flat and lacklustre. Book your early new year break now and you’ll be surprised how it bucks you up, sustaining you throughout the stress of Christmas, and giving you something special to look forward to after you’ve returned to work.

Of course, it doesn’t mean you’re never going to go abroad again, but it will hopefully enable you to appreciate some of the finer points our beautiful little group of islands has to offer.

Dornie is the perfect base for the Isle of Skye

I’m not sure I could get through a year without my annual pilgrimage to the western Highlands of Scotland. What started out as a trip to find my grandfather’s final resting place on the Isle of Skye some twelve years ago – a journey made regularly with my beloved Uncle Heccy – has become a yearly pleasure I look forward to with the anticipation of a child on Christmas Eve.

The 360-mile journey to Dornie, which I always make my base, is nothing short of arduous and takes me the best part of a day from Fleetwood in Lancashire. This matters not; I’m always so excited, and the lunch stop at our special cafe on the banks of Loch Lomond serves as the gateway to a breath-takingly beautiful journey from that moment on.

Despite the extremely enjoyable drive up, I’m always glad when I finally pull into the car park at the wonderful Dornie Hotel; that last sixty or so miles can be heavy going. The traditional Highland welcome extended by hotel proprietors Paul and Suzanne Meikle is second to none, with rooms comfortable and cosy and an outstanding restaurant (serving the best haggis I’ve ever tasted). All this combines to make me realise every time just why I keep on coming back to this place. I wouldn’t entertain staying anywhere else – especially at the price. Whenever I get my bill, I’m always quietly running through it in my head as it never seems to be enough – not that I’m complaining in any way, shape or form. I always feel so ‘looked-after’; without doubt, this establishment is a vital part of my stay each time I visit.

The village of Dornie itself is quite the most wonderful place on earth, its pretty coloured houses overlooking picturesque Loch Duich (in fact, Dornie is situated at the meeting point of Loch Duich, Loch Alsh and Loch Long) and the majestic highland peaks surrounding it on all sides.

I discovered Dornie quite by accident; my uncle – Rev. Hector Lee SSM – had an arrangement with the Anglican Church whereby he could have cheap accommodation in a variety of locations throughout the UK in exchange for being the resident Sunday preacher at the local church. This was the happy circumstance which led us first to Dornie, and the quaint little caravan which overlooked the village and its neighbour Bundaloch from the far side of the Loch Duich. This in turn led to the discovery of the tiny yet delightful church at Nostie, and all the wonderful local people who formed its congregation, especially the wonderful and inspirational Penny Roome, God rest her soul.

Dornie, it turned out, was an ideal location from which to visit Skye itself, being just nine miles south of the famous Skye bridge at Kyle of Lochalsh. It’s also perfect for exploring nearby Plockton, with its famous tropical palm trees (thanks to the prevailing Gulf Stream), Duirinish (or Diurinish, depending on which sign you take to be accurate), the beautiful and often photographed Eilean Donan Castle and the breathtaking Glenelg Bay, the short journey to which is a sublime and wonderful experience in itself.