Tresco is the second largest of the Isles of Scilly, privately owned and best known for the famous Abbey Garden. Founded by Augustus Smith in the 1830s on the site of the old Benedictine Abbey, this extraordinary subtropical garden is home to thousands of exotic plant species.

St Mary’s is the largest of the Isles of Scilly, and the gateway to the islands for those arriving by ferry from Penzance. Take a wander around charming Hugh Town, explore some of the lovely nearby beaches and look out for wildlife including seals, puffins and fulmars.

Colourful Kinsale is situated on a sheltered natural harbour, guarded by a brooding 17th-century fortress. The winding streets are a delight to explore, and the town is home to some excellent restaurants, galleries, pubs and shops. For sublime coastal views, take a trip out to the Old Head of Kinsale Lighthouse.

The beautiful Dingle Peninsula reaches out into the crashing Atlantic surf, culminating in the westernmost point on the Irish mainland. The peninsula’s buzzing ‘capital’, Dingle town, is a charming little place full of lively pubs, colourful shopfronts and toe-tapping traditional Irish music.

Inishmore is the largest of the Aran Islands, a group of three starkly beautiful islands situated at the mouth of Galway Bay. The island is a stronghold of traditional Irish culture and the Irish language, scattered with historical monuments such as the ancient fort of Dun Aengus.

The St Kilda archipelago is a remote and rugged collection of sea stacks and rocky islands, some 40 miles to the west of Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides. The islands constitute the largest nesting site for seabirds in the North Atlantic and are home to over a million birds, including puffins, gannets, fulmars and petrels.

The outlying Shiant Isles are a key breeding site for seabirds, home to species including Atlantic puffins, razorbills, common guillemots and northern fulmars. The islands are also a haven for seals and basking sharks, and are said to be haunted by mythical creatures known as ‘kelpies’.

The little town of Dunvegan, on the west coast of Skye, is famous for Dunvegan Castle, seat of the Clan McLeod since the 13th century. The castle sits amongst beautiful gardens, and has a jetty where you can take boat trips out onto Loch Dunvegan in search of seals.

Pull up a seat and enjoy a pint at the most remote pub in mainland Britain, the Old Forge in Inverie. This sleepy little village is situated on the wild Knoydart Peninsula, and can only be reached by boat or by hiking 17 miles over some pretty challenging terrain.

The tiny island of Iona, situated off the southwestern tip of Mull, is said to be the cradle of Christianity in Scotland, and is a popular place of pilgrimage. Thousands of visitors flock here every year to visit the Abbey, and the island gets particularly busy in summer.

Lunga is the largest of the Treshnish Isles, a small archipelago off the west coast of Mull. The island has been uninhabited since the 19th century, and provides a haven for wildlife including puffins and seals. Lunga is also home to rare and endangered plants such as primroses and orchids.

The 1998 Good Friday Agreement was a watershed moment for Northern Ireland, and its rejuvenated capital is enjoying a surge in popularity. The new Titanic Belfast museum is the star attraction, while the city centre boasts some handsome Victorian architecture and a lively pub scene.