Tide and tested
Isle of Athelney, Somerset
Freshwater floods draw great bedsheets of water across the Somerset Levels every winter, isolating raised sanctuaries of land.
One such is the Isle of Athelney, once the site of a medieval fort where King Alfred took refuge among the marshes from Vikings.
These days, Athelney has the distinction of being the most flooded village in England. All the water may be annoying for us, but overwintering wildfowl love it, so this is a great place for birdwatchers.
Other churchtopped islands here are Muchelney and Burrow Mump, imbuing this landscape with ancient spirituality. ■■Stay locally in the Devonshire Arms, a former hunting lodge on a village green in the heart of the Levels, with B&B doubles from £110. thedevonshirearms.com
HARD
Davaar island, Scotland
Davaar sits right at the mouth of the superb natural harbour of Campbeltown, the main town on the Mull of Kintyre. That means magnificent seaviews all around, especially across to the island of Arran. There is a hard track (the Dhorlin) across to the island, but you’d be best advised not to risk it with your car, and even on foot you should only cross three hours either side of low tide.
Despite this natural obstacle, there are several accommodation options on Davaar: a lighthouse keeper’s cottage, a coastguard lookout and two glamping cabins, so the island’s proprietors will transport guests and luggage across by 4×4 when they arrive, and when they leave.
■■Stay in the Minke cabin, named after the whales you might see from its veranda, from £135 a night for two (2 nights minimum stay). davaarisland.co.uk
Bosham, West Sussex
With its red brick houses and flint-walled church, Bosham is very much a typical Sussex village.
But if climate change and rising sea levels are going to follow their predicted path, then its location on one of the watery tentacles of Chichester harbour spells trouble.
Legend has it that this was the place where Danish King Canute sat on a chair and commanded the waves to go back. He was trying to prove a point to his courtiers about his powers. His eight-year-old daughter later drowned nearby and is buried in Bosham Church. Consulting tide tables would be good before trying to drive along Shore Road – it floods every high tide. ■■Stay in Riggers Cottage (sleeps six) and watch water come and go. From £855 a week. cottages.com
Aveton Gifford, Devon
There are two tidal roads in this corner of south Devon.
The first runs along the side of the river Avon linking Aveton Gifford with Bigbury. It is submerged two hours before high tide and covered until two hours after the tide has turned. A hazard is the fringing of soft mud for those who attempt to drive the road when it still has a shallow covering of water.
The second tidal crossing is from Bigbury out to Burgh Island, home to one of our most exclusive hotels. The Burgh Island Hotel’s Art Deco detailing have made it a regular location for films. There is a causeway across at low tide, and an island pub, the Pilchard Inn, but visitors leave their cars on the mainland and are ferried across by a unique sea tractor.
■■Stay in the Burgh Island Hotel (if you can afford it), smallest doubles from £500, B&B. burghisland.com