The Lake District Bath and the Cotswolds The South Coast The Scottish Highlands
Next time you take a Flybe flight, why not explore the beautiful countryside that the UK has to offer? Get off the beaten track in an Avis car and discover the real countryside.
The Lake District is a truly beautiful part of the country. Take your Avis car over one of the many passes, which vary in steepness and narrowness (and scary-ness!), but are well worth it for the view.
Honiston Pass allows you to pick your way among the mountains and discarded rocks. At the top of the pass there is a slate mine and you can have a guided tour.
Hardknott Pass has a gradient of 1 in 3 so is a steep pass. The view from the top makes it well worth the trip.
Flybe flies to Manchester and Liverpool, and the Lake District is a drive up the M6 motorway. You'll be pleased to know that this part of the M6 is a world away from the congested road just north of Birmingham - it cuts through some beautiful hills and scenery.
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"The Cotswolds" is the name given to a line of limestone hills that run more than 50 miles northeast from Bath. The hills are ideal for grazing sheep, hence the Cotswolds were once the centre of the wool industry.
Bath is England's most famed spa town. Built with stone from the nearby Cotswold hills by architect John Wood and his eponymous son, Bath is famed for such features as the Royal Crescent, the Abbey, and of course the Roman Baths and Pump Room, where you can enjoy afternoon tea. The spa is now open to visitors so you can get the true Roman experience.
Stow-on-the-Wold is the kind of place where a whole day can be spent wondering around antique shops, woollen shops and tea shops. Stow, as it's commonly abbreviated, is the antiques capital of the Cotswolds, and it boasts more than 60 shops and an extraordinarily high quality and range of goods.
Situated on the banks of the Windrush River, Bourton-on-the-Water has been called the Venice of the Cotswolds. The 15th and 16th century architecture, the immaculate gardens and the peaceful air are unmistakably the Cotswolds at their finest. The town boasts several small museums, including the Bourton Model Railway Exhibition and Toy Shop, The Cotswold Motor Museum and Birdland, which houses some 1,200 birds.
Upper and Lower Slaughter are two idyllic villages, set close by, built of honey-coloured Cotswold stone. Upper Slaughter has a stream that literally crosses the road, a true medieval ford that any car can easily cross.
Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare's home town, may have its commercial side, but it also has such outstanding treats as the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. You can see some of Britain's finest actors pounding the boards from April until early January. The half-timbered structure that is Shakespeare's birthplace is filled with furnishings and a period kitchen. More evocative still is Anne Hathaway's cottage, where Shakespeare's wife lived before her marriage to the Bard. The cottage's charming garden and orchard still evoke the period.
Flybe fly to both Bristol and Birmingham Airports, where a journey north or south respectively will bring you to this beautiful part of England.
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The south of England is home to some magnificent cathedrals, beautiful National Park and colourful seaside resorts.
The New Forest has recently been designated a National Park. It was laid out by William the Conqueror as a private hunting preserve. Nowadays, you'll need to drive at a steady pace to avoid the many wild ponies that roam free throughout the park. Pause at the Maritime Museum at Buckler's Hard, a charming 18th century village, where the ships for Nelson's fleet were built from the giant timbers from the forest.
Brighton is England's first seaside resort, and its buzzing nightlife coupled with traditional Palace Pier make it an ideal destination for all ages and tastes. Be sure to stroll the Lanes, a series of alleyways off North Street in Brighton's Old Town, with good shopping for antiques.
Flybe flies in to Southampton, which is just a short drive away from both Winchester and the New Forest. Brighton can be reached via a short drive along the M27 and A27, which takes you eastwards along the coast.
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The Scottish Highlands are one of the last great wilderness areas in Europe. Long distances between towns and enormous landscapes mean that a driving holiday if the perfect way to see them. But do bring suitable footwear for afternoon walks, because Scotland boasts some of the best and most varied hiking terrain in all of Britain.
Glencoe is Scotland's most famous glen, or valley. Surrounded by steep-sided mountains, it is darkly beautiful and is perhaps the most famous site in Scottish history. It was here, at the height of clan warfare, that the Macdonalds were defeated by the Campbells in 1692. You can learn more about the area's tumultuous history at the Glancoe Folk Museum.
Lying beside Loch Linnhe, Fort William is surrounded by mountains, its streets full of serious hikers provisioning themselves at the numerous outdoor shops. This is the heart of Scottish climbing country, and no mountain is more prized than nearby Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Britain at 4,406 feet. Pause a while at Glen Nevis, which begins at the north of the town, where parts of Braveheart were filmed.
People come to Fort Augustus for one thing: glimpses of Nessie, the Loch Ness monster. The town sits at the foot of the 23 mile Loch Ness, whose deep, murky and cold waters are forever shrouded in mystery. Arrange a cruise on Loch Ness for a closer look. For those who fail to see anything of Nessie, there's always a visit to the Clansman Centre, a good exhibition of traditional Highland culture.
Flybe flies to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness, where you can rent a car and explore the Highlands at your leisure.
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