Jersey

From the airport
Taxi: It costs about £16 to get to St Helier, the largest town on the island.

Shop
Ransoms Garden Centre in St Martin is not just for gardeners. It is a small village incorporating an excellent bakery, restaurant, pet centre and Potting Shed Gift Shop for some unusual souvenirs.
Recently opened GreenHouse sells environmentally-friendly products, from children's clothes to skincare and beauty products.

It must be one of the smallest shops on the island but the Camera Corner is piled high with cameras and other photographic equipment.

The Central Market, in Halkett Place, has been selling fruit, vegetables and meat for two centuries. There are antiques, books, jewellery and fashion stalls to browse, as well as a coffee shop and post office.

Sunset Nurseries in St Peter is an interesting free attraction where you can see exotic plants being grown and send postal flowers to friends back home.

The Jersey Bowl, close to the airport, not only has 18 lanes, but also a restaurant, beer garden, pool lounge and Qasar arena.

According to Jersey's agricultural statistics, the island produces about 36 000 tonnes of the famous Jersey Royal new potatoes every year, that is about a third of a tonne for every  man, woman and child on the island.

Jersey is so close to France that if you are on the east coast your mobile phone may automatically switch yo a French network.

Day trip
Les Ecrehous. These islands between Jersey and France are home to just a few weekend cottages and can be reached by fast inflatable boats. A peaceful retreat for a day.
Brittany. Join Jersey's golfing enthusiasts on a trip to neighbouring Brittany for a day on one of dozens of championship courses within easy reach of St Malo, including Golf des Ormes. 

The pristine beaches, the island is teeming with AA-rosetted and Michelin-starred restaurants.

By day. The island is small and beautiful and every five minutes there is something pretty to stop and look at. On a glorious day, head for Mark Jordan At The Beach to sample excellent seafood, not to mention superb chunky chips, while watching the surf roll in. 

By night. One of the best place to sample the great food that the island has to offer is the Michelin-starred Ocean restaurant at the island's beloved Atlantic Hotel. This is upmarket cuisine with all the flourish and presentation you would expect., specialising in modern British food. The menu changes daily as fresh ingredients are key. 

 

Cornwall

The North Cornish coast with its long sandy beaches and crashing Atlantic waves is the place to go to be part of a scene. The Camel Estuary breaks the coast. On the East is Rock, with a beach crowd who hang in boats (both sailing and rib), behind boats ( generally mono or boarding), on the golf course ( St Enodoc) or, if they are looking for surf, in Polzeath. They stay in Rock, Daymer Bay, Polzeath or the lovely fishing village of Port Isaac (home to Doc Martin). They rent their cottages and they have probably been going to the same cottage all their lives.

On the other side is Padstow and beyond this the surf beaches of Constantine Bay and Boobys Bay. There is a Championship golf course at Trevose. This side is a bit less crowded and regulars will say they prefer it that way. Both sides meet along the Camel Trail, a don't miss bike ride along a disused railway line. Most families coming to either side stay in cottages.

The coast down to Newquay has a string of family-friendly resort hotels near Morgan Porth and round Watergate Bay. Bedruthan is a perennial favourite. The Watergate Bay is good for older kids with their Surf Academy. 

Sometimes known as the "Delectable Duchy", Cornwall offers the visitor endless variety: the north coast contrasting with the south both in scenery and climate. The north is fresh and invigorating, the south is extremely equable and mild. Cornishmen claim that theirs is the first, last and best county in England. It is certainly an excellent place for holidays after the year's strife among the hustle and bustle of everyday modern life.

Good if you want sand in your toes, the world's best cream teas and watersport actions. Come July, the UK's coolest county is packed full of surfers types.

You will love how much there is to do. As you head south, drop into the Eden Project where you can ride the UK's longest zip wire over the flora and fauna filled geodomes. Catch a play at the open-air Minack Theatre and try surfing. Take a sailing lesson on the River Fal or, if you fancy foraging, join a Rache Lambert wild walk (wildwalks-southwest.co.uk) and learn to identity edible hedgerow plants. But if all that sounds too healthy, head to arty St Ives for a stroll around the boutique shops and Tate gallery followed by a calorie-blow-out cream tea or Cornish pastry at The Yellow Canary.

The Eden Project is a great day out 

Facebrag about lying in the white sandy beaches such as Sennen Cove, close to Land's End and Kynance Cove near Lizard Point.

Eat at Rick Stein's fish and chip shop in Padstow, then catch the foot ferry across to Rock, where London's posh set like to hang out in August for dinner at Tides restaurant. In St Ives you won't get fresher seafood than the Seagrass Restaurant.

Don't leave without walking to St Michael's Mount. Wait for the tide to recede, then stroll the stone causeway to this fairy-tale island which houses a beautiful garden and medieval castle, and if the tide comes in while you're there, don't panic, there's a ferry.

Pack it:

• a brolly: this is UK, which means it could rain
• sunglasses & suncream: let's be optimistic and plan for hot weather in the summer
• a beach towel: you're going to get wet at some point, whether you're learning to surf, sailing or just going for a paddle

the Land's End Peninsula is one of the most beautiful and unspoilt corners of Cornwall

Newquay, in North Cornwall, is one of the sunniest places in the UK and is heaving with parties in the summer. Check out White Stuff Surf Relief Festival in July or the Rip Curl Unleashed Festival in August which include live bands and DJs at sunset. 

St Ives. The best way to arrive in St Ives is surely by train. Overnight to St Erth, you can have breakfast in the cafe before joining the branch line through Lelant, round into Carbis Bay and mile upon mile of golden sands open up before you, kitesurfers dotting the blue. Turn the final corner and there is St Ives in all its sparkling glory. It is always sunny in St Ives. The light is extraordinary and good for the soul. There are two beaches. Porthmeir for surf, Porthminster for buckets and spades. St Ives does get hugely busy in the summer.

Polperro, a place of unending fascination for the visitor and artist having a picturesque harbour, full of interest with its fishing boats and the pleasure craft of the holiday makers. Unique in respect of its architectural and historic interest, a quaint house on props is built over the tiny river whre it flows into the harbour. The late 16th century "House of Jonathan Couch" (grandfather of Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch better known as "Q" the Cornish novelist) has been restored and is well worth a visit. 

Watergate Bay

This pretty stretch lies between Padstow and Newquay. It is a good spot for sport: surfing, kite-surfing, kite-boarding, land-yachting, you name it. But if that sounds too exhausting, stroll to the Watergate Bay Hotel, overlooking the beach, and watch the action from behind a huge plate of seafood. Enjoy the views of Watergate Beach after a gentle cliff-top walk to nearby Porth island, a headband attached to the coast by a bridge.