Experience calm after the storm with a UK break

As those estimated 150,000 of us UK travellers stranded by Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano eruption trickle back to work and school we now face the resulting debt. Meanwhile, the summer holidays are just under 12 weeks away — so how will we afford them and where will we go?

Not to mention the predicted hike in airfares.
We will still need to entertain our children come that six-week stretch of summer holiday, however, so we bring you a guide to the best deals in the UK available to book. And not a single flight is involved

PGL children's adventure holidays has a first-timer's introductory offer of £319 per child for a four-night multi-activity break at selected centres, such as Windmill Hill in the Sussex Downs. The cost includes full board, sleeping in four- to six-bed lodges (each with own bathroom), within the grounds of Windmill Hill. Activities each day range from aeroball and abseiling to trapeze and zip wire (far right). There is instruction and equipment and a variety of evening entertainment. Available for ages seven-10s, 10-13s, 13-16s on July 20 and 27, and
August 31. www.pgl.co.uk

The Crown Inn, a family-friendly Cornish pub with a flagstoned-bar with an open fire and pretty garden in the village of Lanlivery, near Bodmin, has bright, cosy rooms for £79.95 B&B per night. Children's beds cost £10 B&B. Perfect for walks over Bodmin Moor and from Polruan to Looe on the Gribbin Head-Polperro Heritage Coast. The Eden Project and beaches at St Austell and Fowey are near, while the Bodmin & Wenford Railway operates mainly steam locomotives from Bodmin. Free wifi. Available from April 30 to September 30. www.wagtailinns.com

For families with children over 14, Explore has a small-group walking tour in the Lake District for £275pp including two nights' B&B and guide. Follow in Wordsworth's footsteps up to Nab Scar, cross Lake Windermere by boat, then climb to Potter's Hill Top Farm. One walk takes in six peaks over 2,000ft. Stay in the Queen's Hotel in Ambleside with large en-suite rooms with satellite television and serving local cask ale in the bar. Departs July 23. www.explore.co.uk

The Lugger hotel, right on the water in the fishing village of Portloe on Cornwall's Roseland Peninsula on the south coast, has a discounted family room rate of £140 per night B&B (one child free when sharing) including family tickets to the Eden Project, 30 minutes away. Valid throughout July (Sunday to Thursday). www.luggherhotel.com

A three-night family sea-kayaking break through the wildlife-rich waters of the Sound of Arisaig and exploring the white sand beaches of Scotland's west coast islands with Wilderness Scotland costs £465pp. The cost includes three nights' inn accommodation (family of four sharing), most meals, transport (starting and finishing at Inverness station), kayak equipment and a guide. Graded: easy and suitable for children ages 10-16. Departs July 18, August 15 and September 12, www.wildernessscotland.com

Holiday Lettings has seven nights in Newquay at Surfside — a stylish two-bedroom apartment within walking distance of Newquay golf course and Fistral Beach — for £926 (saving £164). Attractions such as Cornwall Zoo and Blue Reef Aquarium are also nearby. Available from July 24.
www.holidaylettings.co.uk/103619. Also with Holiday Lettings — seven nights in Hall Farmhouse, dating back to the 1700s, in Boughton, Downham Market, Norfolk, with a heated outdoor swimming pool, 15-foot trampoline and games room for £2,400. The property sleeps 12 and is surrounded by seven acres of private land for guests to explore at their own leisure. It is available from July 17 to August 14. Code 92096.

Sheepskin — whose prices remain the same all year round — has availability at a number of its new, stylish self-catering properties in remote locations throughout Wales. A week's stay at Cragside, a rustic mountain cottage with mezzanine floor, and Rayburn near Caernarfon and Cardigan Bay, sleeping four, costs £1,110 (available for the weeks beginning July 16 and 23. With the same company, Hilltop, located near Betws Y Coed in Snowdonia, is a restored farm building. It sleeps four, has Welsh ponies in the adjoining fields and has availability throughout the summer holidays for £1,110 for a week. Every property has fluffy bathrobes, cotton towels, logs for the log burner, iPod docking stations, and beds with Welsh blankets and faux furs.
www.sheepskinlife.com

A week's cruise on the Staffordshire canals with cruising routes including the Four Counties Ring costs £1,130 (saving £125). Hiring of Harecastle, a 58ft narrowboat (sleeps six) based at Stoke-on-Trent, includes gas for cooking, bed linen, towels and buoyancy aids. Up to two pets are welcome at £25 each. Available from July 10 and 24 and August 14 and 21. Waterways Holidays. www.waterwaysholidays.com