In praise of ... British islands

The Shetland Islands are at number six on a list of places to see in 2011 ? and there are others deserving of praise tooLists are popular in journalism. This week Lonely Planet proved the point by issuing a list of fashionable places to see in 2011. The company caused predictable and unjust astonishment by including the Shetland Islands at number six. But why only Shetland? The British Isles include many others that are just as good but which have been overlooked, so far, by Australian guidebook publishers in search of a media plug. In a bid to redress the balance, here are a dozen more deserving of praise ? clockwise round the coast, like the shipping forecast. Start in the Isles of Scilly. All are special, but the best is St Agnes, with a lighthouse, a few cottages and a beachside pub. Best save a visit for summer, when the water is just about warm enough to swim. For now, try Lundy in the Bristol Channel, quieter that Shetland will ever be, or Skomer, off west Wales. Head north to Rathlin Island, off Northern Ireland, where Robert the Bruce is reputed to have hidden in a cave. Or try Jura, with its whisky and odd-shaped twin peaks, the Paps. More remote still in the Hebrides is Barra, where planes still land on the beach. Does Rockall count as an island? If not, there is lonely St Kilda. The east coast has fewer. There is muddy Horsey Island in Essex ? the setting for a 1930s children's book. The Isle of Sheppey is perhaps only for specialists. In the Channel Islands you can stay in Fort Clonque, off Alderney, and be cut off at high tide. Or you could venture on to Sark and gaze across to Brecqhou and its mysterious landlords.United Kingdomguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

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