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The Telegraph
Can't stand the thought of cooking on a Mediterranean beach in August, surrounded by sunburned Brits? Here are 18 more original options for summer.
1. The Azores
[post_ads]This Portuguese archipelago is almost 1,000 miles off the coast of North Africa, but it is easily accessible via direct flights from London to Ponta Delgada, the capital (courtesy of Ryanair), with a flying time of just four hours. The volcanic scenery of lava tubes, crater lakes and calderas is astounding: if there’s a Lost World in Europe, this is it. Summer is the best time to see sperm whales and dolphins, and there are dozens of Blue Flag beaches from which to swim.
He adds: "There are nine main outcrops in total, each with a distinct character and charm – making for escapades which take in Portuguese colonial heritage, high-rise vistas, lava-fried ruins, intriguing cuisine, quiet beaches and the graceful sight of marine mammals breaking the Atlantic’s surface. The Azores are the antidote to the idea of a Europe shorn of surprises – strangers in the ocean’s zealous grip."
A seven-night holiday in the Azores costs from £4,039 for a family of four, including flights, a day on a farm, a Jeep tour, a visit to the hot springs, plus whale and dolphin watching (sunvil.co.uk).
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It has beautiful beaches, like Utakleiv, pictured below, as well as stunning mountains and fjords. And despite its Arctic Circle location, the Gulf Stream means temperatures sometimes top 20C in summer.
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3. Outer Hebrides, Scotland
"Visitor numbers to Scotland are booming, but only a fraction make it to this archipelago, where white-tailed eagles fly low and white-sand beaches are devoid of people," says Lorna Parkes. "Older children can snorkel with seals or take surfing lessons, while Neolithic ruins and Gaelic music will charm younger children. The only guarantee with the weather is unpredictability, and there may of course be midges – but if you’re ever going to make it to the Outer Hebrides, summer is the time to head there."
4. Koster Islands, Sweden
The Scandinavian summer - bright nights and welcoming temperatures - finds its feet in July. And does so with gusto in the Koster Islands - a tiny archipelago 100 miles north of Gothenburg in the Skagerrak Strait. Car-free, these birdlife havens proffer gentle days of hiking and cycling.
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5. Lake Bled, Slovenia
Central Europe rarely looks prettier than on the banks of Lake Bled – a glacial bowl of water in the Julien Alps, 35 miles north of the Slovenian capital Ljubljana (visitljubljana.com). Bled Island, in the middle, is the cherry on an already delicious cake.
[post_ads]Steve Fallon, our Slovenia expert, says: "Mild thermal springs warm the water of this impossibly beautiful cobalt-blue lake to 26°C, making it a great place for a dip well into autumn: there are swimming areas on the northern and western shores. But what makes it even more special is the tiny, tear-shaped island toward the western side of the lake. On it you can visit a small museum and the lovely Church of the Assumption with some 14th-century fresco fragments and a gold baroque altar. If you need a special favour, ring the ‘wishing bell’ in the 15th-century church belfry and it will be granted."
6. The Faroe Islands
Familiar to most people only from the shipping forecast, the windswept Faroe Islands together form an autonomous province of Denmark. The archipelago possesses some lovely beaches - not least at Sandur, a village on the island of Sandoy with a population of 600 - to go with starkly beautiful mountainous interiors. It is also an unlikely option for a gastronomic holiday
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"Wild, wet and windy for almost 365 days a year, the Faroe Islands are a playground for adventure seekers and inquisitive foodies, whatever the weather or season," says Simon Parker, writing for Telegraph Travel. "The short summer, however, is the best time to catch a glimpse of the millions of migrating seabirds that nest all over this isolated archipelago, and with just a few hours of darkness each day, due to the Faroes’ northerly latitude, hikes can continue long into the night. The island also now boasts its own Michelin-starred restaurant, Koks, in the picturesque coastal village of Kirkjubøur. If you’re lucky enough to snag a reservation, then far-reaching Atlantic views will be accompanied by a 16-course tasting menu that has been foraged, farmed and fermented, sometimes just metres from your table."
7. Guernsey
The second biggest of the Channel Islands does woozy summer days without breaking the thermometer, and August is a fine time to tackle its biggest draw: the coast.
"There are 27 very different bays to choose from – some with long and popular stretches of sand, others hidden coves which rarely attract tourists," says Jill Chadwick, our expert. "The beautiful south coast is lined with stunning cliffs best explored on foot
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8. Meck-Pomm, Germany
Chances are you've never heard of Meck-Pomm (or, more formally, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern). It's "Germany's answer to Norfolk", according to John Gimlette, "vast, lightly populated, and with an enormous seascape". Go for remote beaches, busy little seaside towns, and - for the inevitable rainy day - a pair of Germany’s newest and brightest museums: Phantechnikum (home to a brilliant collection of curiosities and gadgets) and Ozeaneum (an aquarium with a family of penguins on the roof).
9. Iceland
If you don't mind black sand, head for Vík í Mýrdal on Iceland's south coast - often named among the most beautiful beaches in the world. It's easy to see why, with its soaring cliffs and basalt stacks out to sea.
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10. Bay of Kotor, Montenegro
Lorna Parkes writes: "One of the most beautiful bays in the Balkans starts just an hour south of Dubrovnik Airport, but it’s not in Croatia. Head across the border to Montenegro and the Bay of Kotor comes as quite a surprise with its sheer mountains, island churches and medieval town where fortifications crest the mountainside like a bony dragon. This is the closest the Mediterranean has to a fjord, but with the advantages of having less rain than Norway and higher temperatures in summer."
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11. Denmark
The Danish capital's charms are well known. It is one of the greatest cities in the world for food, with the most recent Michelin guide awarding 15 Copenhagen restaurants a total of 19 stars. It is also child-friendly - think biking, boat rides and the trippy Tivoli Gardens amusement park - and cheap to fly to from all over the UK in July and August.
[post_ads]But few think to escape the city and explore the rest of Denmark. "You’re seldom far from the coast and some surprisingly lovely beaches," explains our expert, Andrew Stone. "The timber-framed houses of harbour towns such as Faaborg and Svenborg on sleepy Odense give way to gently rolling farmland and woods. If that’s all still too much like a rat-race, head for sleepy, gorgeous Bornholm island by train or overnight ferry. It’s a Baltic idyll with beechwoods and fine sandy beaches."
12. Latvia
Yes, Latvia has beaches. Beautiful ones. The photograph below was taken at Saulkrasti, a short hop north from Riga, while just 15 miles west of the capital lies Jurmala, a summer holiday favourite of Brezhnev and Khrushchev with an impressive 21-mile sandy beach. Temperatures can top 20C in high summer, so you might even need sun cream.
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Who needs the seaside when there are lakes to explore. The EU’s northernmost state calls itself the "Land of a Thousand Lakes". This is actually an under-selling, as Finland has 188,000 bodies of water, including Lake Saimaa, the largest. Nordic calmness encapsulated
14. Madeira
[post_ads]"Madeira is not Ibiza," explains Gavin Bell. "It attracts a more mature clientele, and raving is limited to enthusing about the island’s dramatic scenery and botanical wonders. One of the earliest ravers was H N Coleridge, nephew of the poet, who waxed lyrical after a visit in 1825: 'I should think the situation of Madeira the most enviable on the whole earth. It ensures every European comfort with almost every tropical luxury.' Madeirans know this of course, and over the years have enhanced their quality of life by producing a cornucopia of fine food and wine. They have also helpfully provided access to their tumultuous countryside by building more than 1,000 miles of irrigation channels, accompanied by footpaths that snake through the kind of striking landscapes dreamt up by J R R Tolkien."
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Ditch the beach this summer and head to the Alps for blue skies and even-handed heat. Austria plays its part at Saalbach-Hinterglemm - a hiking oasis which is easily accessed from Salzburg.
16. Nova Scotia
"It’s only a six-hour flight from London to Halifax, the capital, making Canada’s easterly Maritime provinces an easy long-haul option for summer," says Lorna Parkes. "You won’t get the hulking great mountains here, but you still get the classic Canadian spruce forests and waterside living. Nova Scotian children live like fish – and yours can, too. Hire kayaks, learn to sail and take advantage of the highest tides in the world."
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The EU’s longest river – 1780 miles of it – takes its curtain call on the Romanian shore of the Black Sea. It pours out its soul in the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (ddbra.ro), 1055 square miles of protected wetland where pelicans and herons flap wings.
18. Andorra
"Catalan-speaking Andorra is a curious mini-country a third of the size of London, shoehorned between France and Spain on the roof of the Pyrenees," says Lorna Parkes. "Despite straddling these two mega-popular destinations, its valleys are strikingly empty in August. This is partly because its lofty location makes it impossible to fly into, and partly because Andorra’s small population has cultivated its snow scene far better than its summer potential."
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