Between the Swiss border, Alsace and Burgundy is Jura, a tiny region by French standards. Emerald lakes, scenic rivers, forested valleys and crashing waterfalls characterise a landscape wonderfully devoid of main tourist sites. The region’s entire economy is dedicated to making outstanding cheese, like the famous Comté, and dotted with a profusion of small, mainly organic vineyards.

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With 200,000 acres of woodlands and more champion trees than anywhere in the UK, Perthshire deserves its title of “big tree country”. Rising out of the endless forests, lines of munros lead to isolated peaks like Ben Lawers, and the long ribbon of Loch Tay stretches out to the western border. The county is part of the area where lowland becomes highland, giving it a mix of calmer terrain studded with farmhouses and more challenging mountainous scenery.

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There’s surely no better place to get away from it all than somewhere with 572 miles of protected night sky. The Dark Sky Park that encompasses parts of Kielder Forest and the Northumberland National Park is Europe’s largest, making it the perfect escape from the glare of the city. In the north, the distinctive lava-formed Cheviot hills offer quiet, gentle hiking and in the south, you can visit Hadrian’s Wall, part of an 84-mile trek from coast to coast.

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