We take the long walk, adorned with wild flowers, to the hidden stretch of sand where a secret world exists. Watched from cheerful beach huts, the children dig channels in the unbroken sand, willing the sea to come and do battle with them. The midday sun conquers us and we return to the breezy harbour to indulge in fish and chips and drink warm orange squash from our flasks.
Peering excitedly into clear buckets along the harbour wall, we gasp at the quantity of crabs dancing inside murky water. Dad is dispatched to buy our crabbing kit – the afternoon is sorted.
Emma Cooper, Cambridgeshire
Croyde, Devon
A surfers’ paradise it may be but for this family of Manchester townies, a day in North Devon isn’t complete without a visit to Croyde. Famous for it’s olde worlde charm and thatched pubs and cottages, Croyde is a stunning, safe family day out.
We drove from the tiny vibrant village of Braunton over the clifftops, the breathtaking coastline of Saunton Sands spread out below. A perfect stretch of white sands and clear blue sea mark your arrival in the chocolate-box village of Croyde.
The Thatch Pub and adjacent Billy Budd’s are the hub, with surfers and families packing both day and night. After a perfect day on the beach, we round off our trip with a visit to the Croyde Ice Cream Parlour and hot doughnut shop. The queue snakes down the street but the wait is worth it: with a bag of hot ring doughnuts and sand between our toes we watch the sun set, full of food and happy memories of an unbeatable day.
Andrea Coen, Lancashire
Tresham trail, Northamptonshire
A local Northamptonshire man, Sir Thomas Tresham, provided my inspiration. A Roman Catholic fanatic in the time of Elizabeth I, he was often imprisoned for his beliefs. He left two baffling buildings behind that I wanted to explore. The first was Lyveden New Build in Oundle. A lodge built in the shape of a cross, it was never completed owing to lack of funds and it remains as it was left: remote and roofless. It has a fragile eeriness and is surrounded by restored Elizabethan gardens.
The other was the Triangular Lodge in Rushton. It really is a remarkable folly built to represent the holy trinity and everything is in threes: three sides, three floors, three storeys, trefoil windows and three triangular gables.
My day finished at Rushton Hall (01536 713010; rushtonhall.com), once the home of Tresham, a magnificent building and now a hotel where I had a sumptuous afternoon tea. I was surrounded by portraits – maybe one was of Tresham himself.
Liz Verwoerd, Northamptonshire
Gibraltar Point, Lincolnshire
Just south-west of Skegness and its holiday hordes lies a gem: Gibraltar Point National Nature Reserve (lincstrust.org.uk) – a three-mile shoreline stretch on The Wash, with clean beaches and fringed with wind-driven sand dunes. You can walk among 1,062 acres of atmospheric, ever-changing saltmarshes, magical ponds and small lakes with bird hides, with flora and fauna galore; an ornithologist’s paradise. Spot seals on emerging sandbanks – and Norfolk on a clear day.
Catherine Parker, Lincolnshire
Oxford, Oxfordshire
Picture a wet and dismal day in the old and characterful city of Oxford, full of past shadows and winding alleys. Standing in the reading and writing gallery in the city’s Ashmolean Museum, we read the text: “I am Darius, the great King, the King of Kings.”
It sings to us through the centuries, as we trace the words of the inscription on the glass.
The rain stops. We head for The Covered Market a minute away. Like the city, the market is old and out of the ordinary, each wooden-fronted window crammed with an array of exotic sights and smells: meats, soaps, spices. We pass the busy cafés, still good for a quick, cheap, meal. Later, visiting the stately Randolph Hotel for smooth coffee and rich shortbread, I catch a glimpse of the creator of Inspector Morse smiling at me over the cups.
Ann Ellis, address withheld
Moreton, Dorset
Moreton is a quiet and welcoming village found down a country road in Dorset, and yet there is a direct rail link from London Waterloo, making it the perfect escape to the countryside for Londoners (and others). There is a lovely walk across the River Stour through woodland to Lawrence of Arabia’s house in nearby Bovington.
The village itself is a delight to explore, with its thatched cottages and immaculate country gardens for those who want a shorter walk. Moreton Church is worth visiting to see the exquisite etched glass windows designed by Laurence Whistler.
For lunch or tea, Moreton Tea Rooms is the place to go. Cakes are displayed on the bier that carried Lawrence of Arabia to his grave in the nearby churchyard. They are home-made and perfect after a walk.
Rachael Rowe, Dorset
Sherborne, Dorset
We went down to Sherborne which we think is, without doubt, one of the most beautiful towns in England. There is an abundance of medieval buildings, a superb abbey, picturesque almshouse and two castles. Located on the Dorset and Somerset border, it has excellent transport links and plenty of parking. Sherborne retains small and specialist businesses in the High Street, with a large selection of handcrafted goods and elegant fashions. It has also plenty of art galleries, antique shops and restaurants, plus a choice of hotels if you decide to say over.
Maggie Riordan, Somerset
Padstow, Cornwall
This year we spent an idyllic May Day in Padstow. The harbour, the boats, the shops and the locals were decked out in red or blue bunting representing an allegiance to their “oss”. Rhythmical music from drums and accordions filled the air as the opposing red and blue old “osses” were paraded round the streets, followed by their supporters.
Locals sang traditional songs and smiled and embraced around the maypole. The atmosphere was one of peace and happiness set in a beautiful harbour town that until that day we had only known about because of Rick Stein. That day the extent of our gastronomical delights were pasties, eaten while sitting on the harbour walls drinking Cornish Doombar. It was magical, spiritual, beautiful and, most of all, English to the core.
Leonie Darbon, Staffordshire
Bodiam Castle, East Sussex
I recently took two American cousins to visit the mighty Bodiam Castle (nationaltrust.org.uk). It proved a great day out, and we played in the ruins (even at our age we were caught up in the thrill of a real castle with history of battle, with a 10-minute video getting us into the spirit). And there’s a pub nearby.
Billy Smart, East Sussex
Bowland, Lancashire
Leaving behind industrial Manchester, we motor north towards the often overlooked wide open spaces of the Trough of Bowland. Quiet roads, bordered by fields of sheep and cattle, wind their way through countryside replete with wild flowers, ripening corn, leafy trees: each glimpse lovelier than the last.
Soon we arrive at breathtaking Browsholme Hall (browsholme.com) where the same family has lived since 1507. The tour reveals one of the most historically significant houses in England, with its continuous connections from Tudor times to today.
Onwards to The Inn at Whitewell on the River Hodder. As we begin the final, vertiginous descent we are rewarded with an exhilarating outlook of heather-clad fells, verdant valleys and blue skies. In the cosy bar we choose from pleasing selections of beer, food and wine then enjoy a toothsome, al fresco dinner in warm evening sunshine, watching birds and fishes busy on the gently flowing water below.
Fred Ford, Greater Manchester
Send us your tips and win an Eagle Creek wheeled duffel bag and packaging accessories worth £151
Do you have tips, advice or observations on cycling, golfing, walking or camping, to share with other readers? If so, we would like to hear from you. A selection of your submissions will be published in Discover and on our website. The sender of the best entry on each destination will win a Crossroads Roll Away 30 bag by Eagle Creek plus a Pack-It™ Wallaby washbag and a set of Pack-It Cubes™.
The Prize
This large-capacity wheeled duffel bag from the travel gear specialists Eagle Creek folds into the size of a small briefcase for easy storage, so it’s ideal for cruise travel.
At only 2kg, the Crossroads Roll Away 30 (RRP £95) is incredibly light and features a large front opening panel, two-way lockable zippers, compression straps to help keep everything in place and a front zip pocket for travel documents. In addition, the bag features easy to manoeuvre wheels, while corner bumpers and a durable Bi-Tech base help withstand all the knocks and bumps that travelling has to offer.
The prize also includes a Pack-It™ Wallaby washbag (RRP £27) plus a set of Eagle Creek’s ingenious Pack-It Cubes™
(RRP £29), a great way of organising T-shirts, shorts and other smaller items when travelling.
The Crossroads Roll Away 30 and Pack-It™System also has a lifetime guarantee.
Eagle Creek’s great range of bags and packing accessories is available from a variety of outdoor retailers, including swissluggage.com.
How to enter
Email your tips and recommendations (no longer than 150 words, please) on any of the four activity holidays above, with your name, address and phone number, by September 18 to yoursay@telegraph.co.uk, or post them on our website at telegraph.co.uk/yourtravels.
For full terms and conditions, email yoursay@telegraph.co.uk or click here for full terms and conditions.
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