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.
SKOMER’S PERFECT
SKOMER’S PERFECT PUFFINS The island of Skomer lies just off the Pembrokeshire coast and covers less than three square kilometres – however, it is home to Atlantic Puffins, as well as the world’s largest population of Manx shearwater. “Skomer is a wildlife lover’s dream,” says Bret Charman, who has led puffin-watching tours to the island for the past four years. “Our dedicated photography tours are timed to coincide with the peak of the puffin nesting season, when the birds spend more time on land. There is also an endemic species of vole found on the island – this is the only place on the planet it exists. And there are nesting short-eared owls, and countless other seabird species including guillemot, razorbill and fulmar, as well as grey seals.” It’s possible to take a day trip to the island, but to see everything that Skomer has to offer, you need to be one of a handful of people staying the night. The simple accommodation on offer is more than compensated by the riches of the wildlife. This is the only way that you will get to see the Manx shearwater, which return to the island under the cover of darkness to feed and care for their chicks – and create an eerie, but magical cacophony as they arrive. “To be one of only 16 visitors staying on the island overnight, it feels like you have your own slice of puffin paradise,” says Bret. “By staying overnight you get the best puffin encounters and the best photography opportunities. Nothing beats being surrounded by thousands of puffins on a warm summer’s evening. Staying on the island allows you to escape the hustle and bustle of the 21st century, put technology to one side and immerse yourself in the natural world”. Skomer’s Perfect Puffins is run by Wildlife Worldwide, and the island itself is managed by The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, so money from the tours goes back in to the trust’s conservation efforts. wildlifeworldwide.com ATLANTIC PUFFIN WITH FISH ABOVE: SHORT-EARED OWL. BELOW: SKOMER SUNRISE AND A SKOMER VOLE . ALL PHOTOS BY BRET CHARMAN 46 BritishTravelJournal.com
YORKSHIRE WINTER BIRDING You might think of spring or summer as the time to go bird watching, but winter offers unique opportunities – both in terms of the species you might see, and the ease of spotting them. “There’s, surprisingly, a lot to see in winter,” says Richard Baines, who runs winter birding and wildlife photography trips in East and North Yorkshire. “Everywhere is much quieter, and less human disturbance means more birds.” Guests on the trip stay at comfortable Highfield Farm, and from this base explore a huge range of landscapes, from the towering sea cliffs of Flamborough to the wetlands BELOW: WAXWING of Top Hill Low nature reserve. A short drive away, Hornsea Mere is Yorkshire’s largest freshwater lake, and is one of the best places in the county to see winter wildfowl, from Slavonian grebe to goldeneye. Some of Richard’s favourite spots on the winter trip over the past couple of years include waxwings and kingfishers. The Yorkshire winter birding and photography trip is run by Yorkshire Coast Nature, who have set up partnerships with nature conservation organizations, including the RSPB and the North Sea Wildlife Trust, to ensure that their organisation benefits wildlife and local communities. yorkshirecoastnature.co.uk ABOVE: EARLY MARSH ORCHIDS. BELOW: RED-NECKED PHALAROPE OUTER HEBRIDES: MAGICAL WILDLIFE SPECTACULAR This seven-night tour of the Outer Hebrides takes in multiple islands and offers the opportunity to see a huge diversity of wildlife in this remote region. David Rosair has been running the tours for over twenty years. “I love the remoteness, the wildness, the romanticism, the special wildlife – from hen harriers to short-eared owls, golden and white-tailed eagles, red-necked phalaropes and corncrakes, otters, and the famous machair, covered with orchids, knapweed, wild pansies and buttercups – it's fabulous!” Accommodation on the trip is very comfortable, with hotels providing excellent local food – and having been hand-picked for their environmental credentials. As well as unrivalled naturespotting opportunities, guests can look forward to stunning scenery, deserted beaches, and the fabulous sunsets beyond the western shores of Benbecula. The Magical Wildlife Spectacular is run by Island Ventures. islandventures.co.uk BritishTravelJournal.com 47
