The rise in staycations, brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, has opened many more eyes to Britain’s amazing travel destinations.
Some are discovering for the first time, as British Travel Journal readers have always known, that our beautiful countryside, sandy shores, spectacular landmarks and world-class hotels are far from a 'second choice' holiday option. Our latest issue - brimming with inspirational travel ideas from around our glorious island - should be enough to convince even the most hardened of international traveller, that a holiday in the British Isles won’t feel like a compromise. That’s why this year we’re offering a special discount on our ‘gift’ subscriptions for families and friends (p68), spreading the word, and hoping that this surge we are seeing in popularity for UK travel experiences will be here long after the virus has gone.
Staying in the UK comes with many bonuses too, like not having to worry about what to do with our beloved four-legged friends, as we discover in our Dog-Friendly Holidays feature (p76), and giving back to our spectacular scenery and wildlife in the next of our sustainable travel series, Discovering Nature (p44).
We hope you will be feeling on top of the world with our selection of Britain’s Best Panoramas (p48), and you might enjoy painting them too, so we show you how in Nurture your Creativity (p71). We offer a taste of the New Forest in our Interview with Head Chef, Luke Matthews (p54) and discover more spectacular scenery, heading west to Wild Wales (p26), before turning south to the Polperro Heritage Coast, spending 48 Hours in Fowey (p63). Other featured destinations this issue include The Charm of Clovelly, (p88) and Scotland’s Isle of Arran where we head to Meet the Makers of Isle of Arran Gin (p58).
If you're not feeling ready to travel just yet, we hope this issue helps keep your dreams of future travel plans alive - and that planning ahead will help to give you the confidence you need for a safe and memorable trip away soon.
Finally, we're delighted to have been nominated this year for 'Best Consumer Travel Magazine' in the 2020 British Travel Awards, and would love your help to try and win! Please vote for us from our direct page britishtraveljournal.com/vote.
We look forward to continuing to share our travel adventures together.
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P E R R A N P O R T H “THIS IS ONE OF THE OLDEST AND MOST POPULAR IMAGES IN MY PORTFOLIO. THE NATURAL SEA ARCH ON PERRANPORTH BEACH IN CORNWALL WAS ILLUMINATED BY EARLY MORNING SUNLIGHT.” M O R E A B O U T O U R P H O T O G R A P H E R Andrew Ray lives in Cornwall, where much of his inspiration for great photography comes from. Mountainous destinations – the Scottish Highlands, Wales and the Lake District – are also favourites. 〰 He became interested in photography in his early twenties. ‘My doctor suggested spending more time outside could help with the migraines I was suffering with, so I took up walking. Cornwall has such inspirational scenery that photographing this was a natural progression. Initially, after taking an evening course, it was just a hobby, but it quickly turned into a full-time profession which has lasted for over 20 years’ 〰 ‘I aim to create strong compositions in quality light – particularly during the ‘golden’ hours around sunrise and sunset. All of my photographs are captured using Canon cameras (currently the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV) and a tripod, along with a selection of professional lenses and filters which are used to balance brightness levels or for creative effect.’ 〰 Andrew’s images have received numerous awards including Royal Photographic Society medals for both landscape and wildlife. He regularly features in local and national newspapers, books, and magazines. 〰 Readers can buy Andrew’s prints or book onto his one-to-one and group photography tuition tours in Cornwall by visiting andrewrayphotography.com BritishTravelJournal.com 15
