John and Karen Greaves, Raise View, Grasmere, White Bridge. £30-£37.50pppn.

The Byre, Northumberland

Nestling in the Northumberland National Park; ideally located to explore the dramatic countryside, historic towns of Rothbury and Alnwick, and the stunning beaches from Alnmouth to Bamburgh. The Byre offers delicious Malaysian vegetarian food, warm hospitality and leaves you planning your return asap.

Rosemary & Srini Srinivasan, The Byre, Harbottle. £28pppn.

Hethpool House, Northumberland

Hethpool House lies on St Cuthbert's Way in the beautiful College valley, close to the Scottish border. This genuine Edwardian country house offers large bedrooms, good food, magnificent original plumbing and charming hosts. Bed and breakfast is also available for horses.

Eildon Letts, Hethpool House, Kirknewton. £30pppn.

Hedley Hall, Newcastle

For a delightful, friendly welcome and superb food, we recommend Hedley Hall, close to Beamish, in Northumberland. Small and warm, this offers a peaceful retreat close to Newcastle and Durham.

Mrs Brenda Fraser, Hedley Hall, nr Sunniside. £65prpn.

Wales

Llannerch Goch, Conwy

A comfortable B&B situated high above Betws-y-coed in the village of Capel Garman. A warm welcome and good food await you, and with superb views of the Snowdonia mountain range, a relaxing stay is assured.

Mrs Eirian Ifan, Llannerch Goch, Capel Garmon, Betws-y-Coed. £27pppn.

Brodawel, Gwynedd

Edwardian house overlooking Cardigan Bay one mile from Aberdovey. Large bedrooms - all ensuite - exceptionally well appointed, including binoculars for observing wildlife. Comprehensive breakfast with house specialty of smoked salmon with scrambled eggs. Warm welcome from proprietress, including pot of tea on arrival.

Pat and John Griffiths, Brodawel, Aberdovey. £28-31pppn.

Castle House, Powys

Castle House is in a central yet peaceful location in the Brecons. Paul and Diana are friendly and helpful hosts. Very comfortable bed in suite room, decorated and furnished in good taste. Try the "dragon sausages" for breakfast! They also cater for special dietary requirements.

Paul and Diana Clark, Castle House, Postern. £53prpn.

Dolffanog Fawr, Gwynedd

Alex and Lorraine have created a warm and restful atmosphere in their lovely old farmhouse in the shadow of Cadair Idris. Wonderful food, eaten at a large refectory table where conversation abounds. Bedrooms are comfortable with stunning views.

Lorraine Hinkins and Alex Yorke, Dolffanog Fawr, Tal-y-llyn, Tywyn. £30pppn.

Scotland

The Marks, Dumfries & Galloway

A place I would recommend to all my friends! Nothing is too much trouble for Chris and Sheila, who offer accommodation for you and your horse, alongside the working farm - home to sheep, cattle and WORMS (for fishing and composting)! Beautifully coordinated bedrooms are available with ample supplies of towels, robes and hot water. Food superb!

Sheila Watson and Chris Caygill, The Marks, Kirkcudbright. £25pppn.

Craiglemine Cottage, Dumfries & Galloway

Warm welcome from Mike and Helen Alexander, spacious lounge, gluten-free vegetarian dinner, comfortable twin room with radio and tea/ coffee. Full Scottish breakfast. Close to Wigtown, Scotland's Book Town, and St Ninian's Priory.

Mike and Helen Alexander, Craiglemine Cottage,Glasserton, Nr Whithorn. £22-£25pppn.

Heathbank, Inverness-shire

Catriona and Keith's Victorian home has beautifully designed bedrooms - ours had a tasteful red and grey colour scheme. But most enthralling is the Charles Rennie Mackintosh-inspired dining room. Sitting in impossibly tall black chairs, eating a delicious breakfast, is an absolute joy.

Keith and Catriona Webster, Heathbank, Drumuillie Road, Boat of Garten. £30pppn.

Travelling by Train

Modern life is impossible without travelling. Of course the fastest way of travelling is by plane. But many people make their choice on travelling by train as with a train you have speed, comfort and pleasure combined. Travelling by train is of course slower than by air but it also has its advantages.

If you are going to travel by train you’d better book seats beforehand because many people are fond of travelling by train. There are some reasons why people choose railroad. Train is the cheap means of travelling. If it is summer outside it will be better to think of your trip before the vocation starts. To understand how true this is, you only have to go to a railway station. There you will see hundreds of people hurrying to catch a train. You’ll waste a lot of time standing near the booking office trying to buy a ticket.

Modern trains have very comfortable seats in all passenger cars, and there are sleeping cars and dining cars, which make even the longest journey enjoyable. You can buy first-class, second-class and third class sleepers in a separate compartment. If you are early before the train starts you can leave your suitcases in the compartment and walk up and down the platform. Some people forget when and from which platform and track their train will be off. They can always ask for the track, platform and train numbers at the railroad station information bureau and also get information about next trains and their schedules. There are express, slow and long-distance trains. If you want to go somewhere and get there as quickly as possible you’d better know that express trains only stop at the largest stations while slow trains stop at all stations. You can get to far countries only by a long-distance train.

Once you are in your compartment you have to ask the guide to bring in the bedding. There are usually two lower and two upper berths in a third-class sleeper compartment. Some people like to occupy upper berths because it is more convenient and exciting to travel. During your way on the train you can read newspapers, books, look out of the window, drink the tea, communicate with your neighbors or sleep. I prefer to look out of the window, because you can see the country you are passing through and not only the clouds as when you are flying. You can have something to eat at the stations when the train makes stops.

Though we all seem to agree that the future belongs to air transport, the railroads today still carry a lot of passengers and goods.

Travelling By Air

When travelling by air you have to get to the airport early in order to check in about an hour before your flight. If you have a lot of luggage, you can put it on a trolley and push it to the check-in desk where someone will check your ticket and weigh your luggage. If you have excess luggage, it can be expensive. Your heavy luggage is put on a conveyer belt and carried away. A light baggage is classified as hand luggage and you can take it with you on the plane. An immigration officer looks at your passport and a security guard checks your hand luggage before you go into the departure lounge to wait till your flight is called. If you want to, you can buy some cheap duty free goods here. Then you see on the departures board or hear an announcement that you must board your plane. You go through the departure gate, then (here is sometimes a security check before you actually enter the plane. When all the passengers are on board and when the captain and his crew are ready in the cockpit, the plane begins to taxi to the end of the runway. Finally, permission is received from the control tower and the plane moves faster and faster in order to take off.