Isle of May, Scotland
A tapering silhouette in the Firth of Forth, the Isle of May is uninhabited save for scientists and seabirds. From April to September, though, it can be visited in a day trip by ferry from the Fife mainland. Just 1.5km long and half a kilometre wide, the isle is home to the ruins of a 12th-century monastery, the oldest lighthouse in Scotland, built in 1636, and the UK's biggest puffin colony: spot them between April and August. Fulmars, shags, oystercatchers, gulls, terns and guillemots thrive too, and grey seals breed in the offshore reefs.• Boats sail once a day from Anstruther harbour, Fife; 01333 310103isleofmayferry.com, snh.org.uk Jessica Cargill-Thompson
Canvey island, Essex
Canvey Island is different. It is different for its commitment to all things Canvey, from the unremarkable football club to the pub-rock band Dr Feelgood, which local fans insist is better than the Stones. Its population has an unerring attraction to "independent" politics, so elects a majority of "independent" councillors and has a UKIP MP.
The most modern thing about the island, Dr Feelgood notwithstanding, is the Labworth Cafe, the only architectural work of the engineer Ove Arup. He built it in 1932-3, in the era when architects believed that the purity of the modern movement could save the world and Canvey Islanders thought they could make it as a seaside resort. canveyisland.orgMichael McNay
Isle of Walney, Cumbria
Nestled between the Duddon estuary and Morcambe Bay, and connected to the mainland by a bridge is the Isle of Walney with a population of 12-13,000. Norsemen inhabited the island during the ninth century, then the plague wiped out many inhabitants in the 1600s.
It's a pretty place of bays and saltmarshes, two nature reserves, where you can spot kestrels and dunlins, butterflies and natterjack toads. • Bus services to Walney Island from Barrow-in-Furness or follow the A590. Barrow-in-Furness tourist information centre: 01229 876 505 Carlene Thomas-Bailey
Piel Island, Cumbria
Get out to 20-acre Piel Island, off the coast of Barrow-in-Furness, by boat or on foot. The landlord of the island's pub is known as the "king" and he'll knight anyone who sits in his oak chair and takes part in a ceremony. The pub is currently closed for renovation but you can stroll along the beautiful empty beach.• 07516453784, OS map ref: SD 234639 CS
Machair, Hebrides
This beautiful phenomenon of wildflower meadows is unique to the remote shores of the Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Ireland.
One of the rarest habitats in Europe, it is famed among botanists for its rare orchids, and the riot of colour created by eyebrights, wild carrot, marsh marigolds, silverweed and more.
The machair soil is unusually fertile, being composed of 90% crushed shells, blown inland over the peaty soil, held together by tough maram grass. Among the flowers hop wetland birds such as corncrake and ringed plover.
It's under threat from storms, rising sea levels, and tourists, so tread lightly. • On South Harris, head for Seilebost, Horgabost, or Taobh Tuath JCT
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media 2009
