ARE you looking for an island escape with beautiful beaches and stunning scenery, but don’t want to have to go abroad?
Then you’re in luck because there are plenty of islands dotted around the coast of the UK – and you won’t even need to dig out your passport to visit them.
Anyone in the UK can enter a country within the Common Travel Area without their passport.
The Common Travel Area includes England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland and other crown dependencies like Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
While you may be able to travel to these countries without having to show a passport, it’s best to bring a form of photo ID just to be on the safe side.
Sark, Channel Islands
Just a 50-minute ferry from Guernsey, Sark is often known as the “jewel of the Channel Islands” – and it’s easy to see why.
Only 20 miles from France, famous French author Victor Hugo once called it a ” sort of fairy castle, full of wonders”.
The tiny island is home to just 562 people, with cars banned across the two-mile destination.
Most people travel around by bike, although you’re likely to spot a tractor ‘taxi’ or horse-drawn carriage on your travels.
The popular route to take is across Le Coupee ridge, connecting Big Sark and Little Sark.
Expect a mix of English and French culture, despite the majority of its history being under English rule, apart from a brief period in the 1500s when it was captured by France as well as being occupied by German soldiers for five years during WWII.
There are a number of attractions for tourists to explore, including Sark Henge, a much smaller version of Stonehenge, as well as Sark Observatory for stargazing and the War-Time Exhibition.
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The Isle of Erraid, Scotland
The tiny Inner Hebridean Isle of Erraid is a tidal island, just off the tip of the Ross of Mull.
For an hour or two either side of low tide, the Isle of Erraid is linked to the mainland by a broad expanse of sand that you can cross.
But Erraid’s major claim to fame is its inspiration for the famous novel Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Erraid is one of the driest and sunniest places in Scotland, with less than 1,000 millimetres of rain and 1,350 hours of sunshine annually, so you’re virtually guaranteed great days out on the beach.
It’s also a haven for birds including corncrake, lapwing, peregrine, hen harriers and sandpipers and you’ll also see plenty of deer, hedgehogs and Black Face sheep.
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Brownsea island, Dorset
Said to have inspired well-known children’s author Enid Blyton, Brownsea Island is the largest island off the coast of Dorset
After glimpsing Brownsea Island, Blyton wrote about Whispering Island in the Famous Five book, Five Have a Mystery to Solve.
Nowadays, the island is owned by the National Trust and said to be a wildlife haven, home to red squirrels, a variety of exotic birds, bats, and deer.
Accessible from Poole Harbour, passengers will need to board a small foot ferry to reach Brownsea which takes around 20 minutes and costs £13.
In addition to the ferry ticket, holidaymakers will also need to pay an admission fee to visit the island which is £.950 for adults and £4.75 for kids (although it’s free for National Trust holders).
There’s a visitor centre on the island where holidaymakers can learn about Brownsea’s wildlife, including its population of red squirrels.
Daily guided tours also take place on the island at either 11.30am or 1.30pm, holidaymakers can also hop on a shuttle bus service to tour the island too.
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Anglesey, Wales
With over 125 miles of unspoilt coastline, in Anglesey you’ll find rugged cliffs, uncrowded sandy beaches and clear water.
The calm and shallow waters are ideal for a gentle swim, or for little ones to enjoy a paddle.
The whole island has been designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty so you can also explore the lush countryside.
If you walk along the Holyhead Mountain coastal path you’ll get to see dramatic cliffs, spectacular bird life, a lighthouse, and Roman forts.
Traeth Llanddwyn, found in Anglesey, has won praise online because of its golden sandy beaches and clear waters.
It’s a Blue Flag beach, so you can expect it to be clean and well-looked after too, with more than 3.5miles of sand.
While there aren’t lifeguards, there are free toilets, as well as BBQ areas, picnic benches and food trucks in the summer.
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Unst, Scotland
Unst is roughly 178 miles away from the Scottish mainland.
There are thought to be just 600 people living on the tiny island, making it the most northerly inhabited place in the UK.
Unst has just one pub, one hotel, one school, three shops and a lone bus route.
Skaw Beach, the most northerly in the UK, is packed with golden sand, and it’s backed by a meadow that’s home to an array of wild flowers in the spring and summer.
Because of its shape, the beach is fairly sheltered from the winds.
There are limited facilities at the beach, so holidaymakers should aim to pack everything they need before visiting.
Despite its remote location, around 100 people have reviewed the beach on Google, with one person writing: “Wild and wooly, with nobody around. The water was freezing, as you would expect.”
Read more on the Scottish Sun
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A Brit is the leader of a remote island in the middle of the ocean – and claims it’s the smallest country in the world.
Michael Bates became the leader of “Sealand”, a platform 7.5 miles off the Suffolk coast when his dad Roy died in 1991.
Other little-known islands to visit in the UK
Staycations are becoming increasingly popular with Brits who aren’t keen on forking out for flights and hotels abroad, and luckily enough there are plenty of little-known islands to visit.
- Caldey Island, which lies just off the coast of Tenby in Pembrokeshire, is owned by monks and is home to a grand monastery. The island welcomes daytrippers from Easter until the end of October, but it is closed to visitors on Sundays.
- Foulness Island, which sits just off the coast of Essex, is home to 150 residents. Brit holidaymakers can visit the English island on the first Sunday of every month. To step foot on the island, visitors will need to complete a registration form on the Foulness Island Heritage Centre website before arriving.
- During World War II, Cramond Island was fortified in preparation for an enemy invasion. While it was left unscathed at the end of the conflict, it was abandoned. Today the island, just outside of Edinburgh, remains as it was left all those years ago – waiting for a war that never arrived.
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