Islands with a seal of approval

This week: a Galápagos surprise; fare deals on the rails; remembering Lesbos; north Spain treasures; captivating Corfu

and children could have gone for £3 each.

When people say train travel in the UK is expensive, they are looking at the wrong fares. Ask ticket office staff, and you will find some real bargains. ANDREW EDWARDS

Let’s hear it for Lesbos

Having read your article about Samos (July 30), we feel we should put in a word for Lesbos which has suffered equally if not more due to the refugee crisis.

We have been travelling to the island’s Anaxos resort for the past 20 years. Last year, yes, we were aware of the refugee crisis, but it did not impact on our holiday.

The island looked as beautiful and immaculate as ever and we did not see any refugees. It was admittedly quiet, due to the negative press it received almost daily. However, we feel it is time for the media to redress this and give Lesbos a positive review. It would be a tragedy if this fantastic island were to suffer when its people helped the refugees.

Thomas Cook has cancelled its Manchester flights for 2017 and will only depart from Gatwick, to the concern of travellers from the North and Midlands. We hope you will publish this letter in support of the hardworking hotel and taverna owners who are suffering due to circumstances beyond their control. PAULINE COOKSON

Corfu in 1964

My memories of Corfu reach even further back than those of Tizzie Coleman (Travel Views, July 23). In 1964, having graduated from Cambridge University, two of us set off in our trusty Peugeot 404 on

Spain’s quieter north

Hugh Morris’s article (“Sun shines on ‘safer’ Spain”, Travel News, August 6) highlights the popularity of the Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Andalucia with safety-conscious British holidaymakers.

However, I recommend northern Spain as an alternative to the more overcrowded south. From San Sebastián westwards via the historic town of Santillana del Mar to the resorts of the Costa de Cantabria and Costa Verde, visitors will find familyfriendly beaches, seafood restaurants and taverns.

Expeditions can be made to the national parks and inland villages of the Cantabrian Mountains, where wildlife is prolific. British motorists will love the roads and motorways (tolls payable) which are carried over viaducts and through tunnels and give spectacular mountain views. Crossings with Brittany Ferries from Portsmouth to Bilbao or Santander make a pleasant start and end to the holiday. REG SMART