Sark ©

The smallest of the four main Channel Islands, at only three miles (5km) long and barely a mile and a half (2.5km) wide, Sark nevertheless boasts 40 miles (64km) of picturesque coastline festooned with bays and coves, caves, deep crystal pools and deserted beaches, and it certainly does not lack for accommodation options. The island is the smallest independent feudal state in Europe and is a step back in time.

The great novelty of Sark is that there are no cars on the island, and it can be reached only by sea. Getting around is on foot, by bicycle or horse-drawn carriage.

Just arriving at Sark is an unrivalled experience. Ferries moor at Maseline jetty and visitors walk through the tunnel at the end of the quay to board the 'toast rack', a tractor-drawn bus, which travels up and down the 300-foot (91m) harbour hill.

The old harbour of Creux is one of the world's smallest, used by the local fishermen, and is the venue for an extremely popular annual summer water carnival.