Along the Jurassic Coast from our native Hampshire lies one of our favourite mainland cruising areas; the South Coast of Devon and Cornwall. This creased and folded coastline hides stunning harbours from view behind twisted river entrances, whilst elsewhere safe haven is wrestled from the sea by the granite defences of harbours like Mousehole. The varied nature of the coastline and the myriad of places to explore makes every trip past Start Point a total pleasure. Wildlife abounds here too; with sightings of Whales, Dolphins, Sunfish and Basking Sharks all listed in Amelie Rose’s logbooks for the area.

Thirty miles west from Lands End lie the glorious Isles of Scilly. Clear blue waters, white sandy beaches, stunning anchorages and incredible semi-tropical plants & wildlife abound, all basking in the warmth of the gulf stream and the summer sun. This is always one of the high-points of our year and is an opportunity not to be missed – what better way can there be to visit Scilly than aboard a Scillonian Pilot Cutter? Our usual itinerary sees us visiting not only the inhabited islands of St Marys, Tresco, Bryher, St Martins and St Agnes but also takes in some wildlife spotting down amongst the Western Rocks and occasionally a restful night in the Eastern Isles around Great Ganilly.

Just a shade over 60nm from the Solent, the sunny Channel Islands are packed with historical and navigational interest in almost equal measure. Home of the infamous Swinge and the Alderney Race they are the perfect place to practice your pilotage under the skipper’s watchful eye, but there’s plenty to see and do if you’d rather let us take care of all that. Raising Alderney after the Channel Crossing is evocative of ancient mariners raising land after time at sea and from this point onwards the islands are a delight. St Peter Port in Guernsey usually features but the true gems of the Islands; Herm, Sark and occasionally Iles Chausey are what we go for.

From sandy beaches to craggy granite shorelines, the North Coast of France has always got some new and interesting view just around the corner. Pretty anchorages nestle next to busy harbour towns and winding rivers disappear deep into the countryside. The Bretons know their traditional boats too, so everywhere we go Amelie Rose is welcomed with open arms. The Bretons also really know how to put on a great festival. There’s generally at least one big one running each year, and they are an experience not to missed. At the heart of their excellence lies the organisers’ view that the boats and crews are the stars of the show and so we are always treated like royalty, with fantastic Breton food and drink often laid on for free.