A magnificent medieval cathedral in Somerset<\/p>\n
\u201cSo this is where Officer Nick Angel [Simon Pegg] chased that swan.\u201d As a fan of Hot Fuzz, I was excited to explore the cathedral city of Wells in Somerset, where much of the film was shot. This charming, compact and walkable city is awash with medieval architecture and magnificent buildings, such as the gothic cathedral, with one of the oldest working clocks in the UK (late 14th century) and the Bishop\u2019s Palace and Gardens<\/a>. Within easy reach of the Mendip Hills, Cheddar Gorge<\/a> and the Wookey Hole Caves<\/a>, Wells makes for a low-key alternative to tourist-soaked Bath. Wild camping in the west HighlandsSanna Bay. Photograph: Jox<\/p>\n The Ardnamurchan peninsula, which includes the most westerly point in mainland Britain at Corrachadh M\u00f2r, is stunning. With my partner, I spent a night wild camping by the shell-sand beach at Sanna Bay<\/a>, surrounded by the machair grassland and wildflowers. It was absolutely stunning. We walked to Ardnamurchan lighthouse<\/a>, spotted some dolphins, and swam in the sea in cold but crystal clear waters. The simplicity of the trip and not having to check in at any accommodation was a plus. I would recommend it to everybody. ProfileReaders’ tips: send a tip for a chance to win a \u00a3200 voucher for a Coolstays breakShow<\/p>\n Guardian Travel readers’ tips<\/p>\n Every week we ask our readers for recommendations from their travels. A selection of tips will be featured online and may appear in print. To enter the latest competition visit the readers’ tips homepage<\/a><\/p>\n –<\/p>\n Thank you for your feedback.<\/p>\n Cinematic light and seabirds in East LothianA view of Bass Rock from North Berwick. Photograph: Westend61\/Getty Images<\/p>\n North Berwick in East Lothian always feels like a proper holiday without needing a passport. Take the early train, walk straight down to the beach, then continue past the harbour towards the Scottish Seabird Centre<\/a>, where the light over the Firth of Forth changes by the minute. If the tide is out, the views are cinematic with the sand stretching so wide. On clear early evenings Bass Rock turns gold and you wonder how somewhere so close to Edinburgh can still feel quietly remote. Rock-pooling and picnics in DevonThe beach at Beer. Photograph: Guy Edwardes\/Alamy<\/p>\n I visited Beer in east Devon last summer with three friends, all of us women in our 40s, and our six children aged between four and 11. It couldn\u2019t have been a better choice. We stayed at the lovely large YHA hostel<\/a>, which was relaxed, welcoming and ideal for families. The kids were charmed by the stream running through the village and spent hours rock-pooling on the beach, discovering tiny crabs and sea anemones. We also enjoyed the clifftop walk to Seaton with its incredible views. Don\u2019t miss Woozie\u2019s Deli<\/a> for fresh treats \u2013 perfect for picnics by the sea. A cycling tour of the Northumberland coastDunstanburgh Castle. Photograph: Ashley Cooper\/Getty Images<\/p>\n We cycled the Northumberland coast from Newcastle to Berwick over four days. We visited Dunstanburgh and Bamburgh, two of the most impressive castles in the country, the mining museum at Woodhorn<\/a> and the RNLI Grace Darling Museum<\/a> in Bamburgh, and swam from huge, empty beaches. Cycling over the causeway to Lindisfarne<\/a> was the highlight, an incredible place to visit and awesome watching the road disappear under the sea (after we\u2019d made it back to the mainland). Loch \u00c8ireasort on Lewis. Photograph: Nagelestock.com\/Alamy<\/p>\n Ravenspoint community hostel<\/a> on Loch \u00c8ireasort, south of Stornoway and home to nesting sea eagles and sea otters, feels remote even by Outer Hebridean standards. I shared the hostel kitchen with a father and daughter cycling the Hebridean Way, and a psychiatrist who seemed genuinely quite unsettled by the vastness of the landscape stretching all around. The hostel has a rich history \u2013 it is owned by the Co-Chomunn na Pairc<\/a>, one of the original community co-operatives established in the 1970s, and the profits from it, the shop and tea rooms all go back into keeping vital services open for visitors and locals alike year-round. Happy days in West Yorkshire\u2019s Happy ValleyHebden Bridge. Photograph: Kelvin Jay\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Sharing my obsession with Happy Valley<\/a>, my teenage son agreed to a long weekend in Hebden Bridge. Armed with a list of filming locations, we scouted around Sowerby Bridge and Hebden, getting a buzz from the scenes we recognised. We climbed up to Heptonstall to visit Sylvia Plath\u2019s grave, caught a film at the independent Picture House<\/a>, and hiked along the river and on to the moors beyond Hardcastle Crags<\/a>. An early morning run along the canal and the best pizza in town topped it off. Cliffs, castles and chips in AyrshireCulzean Castle. Photograph: Iain Masterton\/Alamy<\/p>\n Ayrshire is beautiful, bucolic, full of family-friendly activities and often overlooked by Munro-baggers heading north to the Highlands. It has excellent local produce, coastal splendour and bountiful historic attractions. Start at Dumfries House<\/a> with its marvellous gardens, enormous treetop adventure area and interactive water play (much of it free!). Visit the ruins of clifftop Dunure Castle<\/a>, then stroll along the sandy Croy Bay to Culzean Castle<\/a>, with its own gardens, play area and spectacular views of Arran and Ailsa Craig. Then pootle up to the Coo Shed<\/a> for fab local ice-creams, before rounding off your day with some outstanding fish and chips from the Wee Hurrie<\/a> on Troon harbour. A village idyll in SnowdoniaFairy Falls near Trefriw. Photograph: Alamy<\/p>\n My wife and I went for a weekend break in Trefriw on the River Crafnant in north Wales. It\u2019s a peaceful village with lively pubs. We stayed at the Fairy Falls hotel<\/a>, a perfect base for exploring the surrounding river and mountain walks<\/a>, and for viewing the cascades. Winning tip: Hadrian\u2019s Wall by bus and trainMilecastle 39 on Hadrian\u2019s Wall in Northumberland. Photograph: Stock Solutions\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Exploring the Hadrian\u2019s Wall area stands out for us among our UK trips, not only for the places we visited but also because we travelled by train, bus and on foot. This meant the holiday began once we\u2019d boarded the first train, not just once we\u2019d arrived at our accommodation. We stayed at the Sill youth hostel<\/a>, arriving there using the AD122 bus <\/a>from Hexham station. This bus stops at several Roman sites between Hexham and Haltwhistle \u2013 we used it to visit Housesteads<\/a>, \u201cBritain\u2019s most complete Roman fort\u201d. Another highlight was the Vindolanda fort and museum<\/a> around a mile and a half from the Sill.
Alison<\/p>\n
Jox<\/p>\n
Michelle<\/p>\n
Tara<\/p>\n
Ian<\/p>\n
Eleanor<\/p>\n
Lucy<\/p>\n
Dan Ashman<\/p>\n
Seamus<\/p>\n
Sharon Pinner<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A magnificent medieval cathedral in Somerset \u201cSo this is where Officer Nick Angel [Simon Pegg] chased that swan.\u201d…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":585050,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-585049","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/585049","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=585049"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/585049\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/585050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=585049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=585049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=585049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}