Travel in city Sandbank

Mike Leigh’s brilliant 1976 Dorset-based comedy Nuts in May begins with Keith and Candice-Marie taking the chain ferry from Sandbanks across the mouth of Poole harbour to the Isle of Purbeck, where they camp, visit Corfe Castle, walk along the mighty Jurassic coastline and end up in an altercation with a young Brummie couple called Finger and Honky. For me, watching Nuts in May is an annual tradition, as is visiting the peninsula where it was filmed. Most of us have places for which we feel a particularly strong pull; one of mine is Purbeck. And since this peninsula’s recent status as England’s first “super” nature reserve, I’m beginning to understand why.

Over half of Tripadvisor’s users say that helping the environment is important to them and sustainability increasingly factors into travellers’ choices about where to go.

Whether it's crowd-free sandy bays, dramatic cliffscapes or marine life havens, travelers love a day out at the beach. Each year, travel review and advice site Tripadvisor releases a list of the world’s best beaches as part of its Travellers’ Choice Awards. The site analyses the tens of millions of reviews submitted by global travelers over the past 12 months and looks at the quality and quantity of ratings for beach experiences.

The No 50 Purbeck Breezer travels regularly between Swanage and Bournemouth past the beautiful beaches of Studland Bay. Behind Knoll Beach there’s a heathland nature reserve with a lagoon and a giant natural sand pit. In Poole we visited the Japanese garden at Compton Acres and the historic harbour. From a child’s perspective, the best thing about the No 50 is that it goes on a boat: the chain ferry that plies the harbour mouth between Studland and Sandbanks. The return trip at sunset on the open upper deck made us laugh out loud: it was like being on a rollercoaster. Jenny Lunnon

England’s south coast makes for an epic summer road trip, with the Jurassic Coast stretching from Exmouth to Old Harry Rocks; fishing villages tucked into ancient coves; and plenty of sandy beaches. As the old adage goes, it’s about the journey, not the destination, and what a journey I had on my first campervan holiday with three pals and a dog. To plan your own adventure on England's south coast, the Rough Guide to Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight and the Rough Guides Staycations Devon and Cornwall are your essential guides.