Springtime fun festivals

Excitement will be going overboard in Galway from 23 June when the city welcomes the eight competing yachts in the Volvo Ocean Race for a two-week stopover.

The Galway Ocean Race Festival will last for the entire fortnight and, in a specially created Race Village, there'll be concerts, dancing, food and craft stalls, plus street theatre and an art trail. Visit Letsdoitgalway.com/ for details/tickets.

For accommodation in and around the city, Irish Ferries Holidays can offer hotels and self-catering cottages. For example, a week's rental of a cottage (sleeps six) in Renville Holiday Village close to Galway city is a total of £766 at the end of June inclusive of return Holyhead/Dublin cruise ferry crossing for a car and four adults. Children travel and stay free - irishferries.com.

A town-wide 'Friendly Folk Festival' takes place in the seaside town of Fishguard between 22 and 25 May where visitors can enjoy - or even take part in - a wide range of concerts, sessions and open-mike slots.

Most of the activity takes place around the Royal Oak - where marquee concerts are free - and there are also loads of street performances over the five days, plus on the Sunday morning, a 'Smugglers & Pirates' walk around the town.

Coastal Cottages of Pembrokeshire has a wide choice of properties in and around Fishguard. For example, a week's rental of Ty Gwyn (sleeps six), a pretty, traditional stone cottage close to the centre, is £649 - coastalcottages.co.uk.

An opportunity to explore the hidden gems of Guernsey comes with the island's Spring Walking Week between 9 and 17 May. More than 30 different guided walks will be available with intriguing themes such as 'Smuggling and the Iron Hand' or 'Underground, Overground, Wandering Free'.

The cost per walk is £5 and full details can be found on visitguernsey.com or by calling at the tourist office in St Peter Port once on the island.

For holiday packages, Channel Islands Direct offers a wide choice of travel and accommodation options. For example, a week with breakfast - from 9 May - at the three-star Hougue du Pommier hotel in Castel is from £115 per person (twin share) with return sea crossing from Weymouth and transfers - channelislandsdirect.co.uk.