Puffin, Skomer by Richard Toller

Four of these – Skokholm, Ramsey, Grassholm, and Skomer – are nature reserves, and the fifth is home to a Trappist monastery, where monks of the Reformed Cistercian Order make their own perfume and chocolates amidst the spectacular scenery of Caldey Island.

These islands are a bird-lovers’ paradise, where half the world’s population of Manx shearwaters nest and breed, and some of the estimated 86,000 burrows on Skokholm alone have been made by puffins.

Stronghold of the Gannet

The tiny Grassholm Island is a stronghold of the gannet; 80,000 of these gull-like birds have made their home here, and although inaccessible to anyone on foot, a local boat will take you close enough to experience the sight – and sometimes overpowering smell – of these huge seabirds.

In the 1930s, naturalist and adventurer Ronald Lockley lived on Skokholm, and published a best-selling account of his and his wife’s experiences as sole occupants of this little patch of paradise.

His ‘Dream Island’ may be long forgotten by all but the most avid of his literary followers, but small numbers of visitors are still allowed onto the island to see the farmhouse he renovated with driftwood, and walk the paths and clifftops he knew and loved so well.

• While you’re in the area: Tintern Abbey near Chepstow is well worth a visit – a place that inspired both the poet William Wordsworth and painter J.M.W. Turner
• So too is St. David’s Head, where Iron Age farmers left behind traces of their presence for generations to see at Warrior’s Dyke; and Arthur’s Quoit, a huge slab of stone said to have been thrown by the legendary king from a nearby hill, and which today is held in place by a solitary, upright piece of rock.

Modern-day archeologists believe it to be the capstone of a burial chamber that may date back some 5,500 years.

• Chepstow Castle, founded by William the Conqueror’s contemporary William Fitzosbern within a year of the Battle of Hastings, incorporates the oldest surviving Norman fortification in the whole of Britain.

Perched high above the banks of the River Wye, Chepstow - now superbly-preseved, grade one listed ruins – was probably the very first stone castle in the country.

On Grassholm island, UK by Richard Toller

Nicki Williams is a content writer for on-line,outdoor retailers Gear-Zone, where you’ll find everything for a walking and hiking holiday from major brands including The North Face, Berghaus, Rab, Scarpa and Brasher

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Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is a Mediterranean nation, which for centuries was influenced by Roman, Arab and British culture. We can find a large minority of foreigners, most of which are represented by the British. Most inhabitants live on Malta‘s main island in the cities. Almost all the people belong to the Roman Catholic Church. On the island there are over 360 churches and at every step you can meet monks or nuns. Catholicism plays an important part of Maltese life.

The most important source of income in Malta is tourism, which also employs a third of the population. Malta and nearby islands to visit for over a million tourists a year. Tourism is therefore 35% of the gross domestic product. Malta has no own sources of raw materials, and is dependent on imports. Agriculture is concentrated on the island of Gozo, where we find more greenery and better conditions for growing wheat, barley, potatoes, legumes, vegetables, citrus fruit and grapes. In the summer season, vegetables need to be imported, because there is a very dry climate. Industrial production is focused on engineering products, electronics, shipbuilding and ship repair and textiles.

Malta is known for its numerous and well-preserved monuments from the times of megalithic culture. This leads to the assertion that this developed culture lived on the island already between 4000 to 2500 BC. Then the island had many different cultures: the Phoenicians, Carthage, Rome, Byzantium, Arabs, Normans, kings of Castile, Johannes and Napoleon. During the world wars, Malta became an important base for the British forces in the Mediterranean Sea. Malta gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964, became a republic in 1974 and in 2004 became a member of the European Union.

The Maltese archipelago acts on the map as the small grains in the Mediterranean Sea, and yet form an important bridge between Europe and Africa. The Maltese archipelago is essentially a remnant of the connection between Sicily and North Africa coast, which was aborted in the late Tertiary. Malta is only 90 km away from Sicily and 200 km from Tunisia.

The islands are almost without vegetation, but Malta is interesting anyway. Indeed, the mythical Odysseus reportedly stuck here for seven long years. It is a paradise for divers and water sports enthusiasts, history and art lovers and you can enjoy here good food, drink and social life as well.

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