UK breaks

Cottages

Classic Cottages (01326 555555; www.classic.co.uk) has availability for August and September for the south west, including Forda Hayloft, a property for two near Tavistock, Devon with an open fire, snooker table, table tennis, tennis court and croquet lawn. A week's stay from 26 August is £396 for two people.

· Head to the Pembrokeshire coast in September and see thousands of baby Atlantic Grey seals basking on the rocks. Coast and Country Cottages (01239 881297; www.welsh-cottages.co.uk) has cottages for the week commencing 2 September, including Froghall Barn, a contemporary conversion in Scolton that sleeps six for £405 a week.

· Marsdens Cottage Holidays (01271 813777; www.marsdens.co.uk) still has a handful of properties available across Devon, including Bowood Barn, which sleeps two in a renovated dairy near Instow for £422 for the week commencing 26 August, and Coaching House in South Molton, which sleeps four for £448 during the same week. It also has properties available in September.

Hotels

· The Vineyard (016354 528770; www.the-vineyard.co.uk) at Stockcross is a stylish hotel set in a luscious vineyard in Newbury. It is offering a two-night stay, including dinner in the Michelin-starred restaurant, breakfast and access to the spa for £499 per couple for two nights, until 4 September.

· The 900-year-old, moated New Hall (0870 333 9147; www.bridgehousehotels.com) in Walmley, Warwickshire, is offering summer packages from £100 per room per night including picnic.

Camping

· Haven (0870 242 5678; www.havenholidays.com) has 34 holiday parks in the UK, offering caravan accommodation. Late deals include £200 off a caravan for six in Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire, which costs £549 for seven nights from 26 August.

· Center Parcs (0870 520 0300; www.centerparcs.co.uk) has four holiday villages in the UK, with lots of activities on offer. Deals include a six-person villa for four nights at Elveden Forest, Suffolk, from £815, from 28 August.

· Or take your own accommodation. Campsites can be found at www.uk-sites.com, www.campsites-uk.co.uk and www.camping.uk-directory.com.

Overseas breaks

Ferries

'The sea offers a real alternative to anyone whose flight plans have been disrupted and who wants to travel to the continent,' said Bill Gibbons, director of the Passenger Shipping Association. Check the PSA web site www.sailanddrive.com for a list of ferry routes.

· During August, P&O Ferries (0870 598 0333; www.poferries.com) has deals for Dover to Calais crossings. Short-stay returns of up to five days' stay cost from £100 for a car and up to nine people, and longer returns from £120. It is even cheaper in September.

· Stena Line has space on its crossings to Ireland and Holland (0870 570 7070; www.stenaline.co.uk) in September. A single crossing for a car costs from £50 from Holyhead, Fishguard, Fleetwood and Stranraer to five ports in Ireland. Harwich to the Hook of Holland costs from £59 one way.

· Trips to Amsterdam on the 16-hour ferry from Newcastle on 22 August with DFDS Seaways (0870 533 3111; www.dfds.co.uk) include return overnight travel, and a day in the city, including a tour, for £118 for two people.

Trains

Eurostar and Eurotunnel are still busier than ever, but if you can travel off peak, you should still be able to get a seat. Eurostar (0870 518 6186; www.eurostar.com) tickets cost from £59 from Waterloo to Paris, and Brussels. Eurotunnel (0870 535 3535; www.eurotunnel.co.uk) crossings from Folkestone to Calais cost between £95 and £155 return for a car and unlimited passengers.

· Rail Europe (0870 837 1371; www.raileurope.co.uk) has train journeys and package holidays across Europe. Also try www.seat61.com for information on rail routes across Europe and beyond.

· Explore (0870 333 4001; www.explore.co.uk) has spaces left on a family adventure in the Dordogne, including seven nights' camping and rail travel from the UK, for £475 per adult, £430 per child, departing 25 August.

· Headwater (0870 066 2650; www.headwater.com) organises walking trips across Europe which can be tailored to include rail travel for the UK. There's an eight-night walking holiday in Italy including visits to Venice, Vicenza, Este and wine tasting, for around £820 per person including rail travel, accommodation and transportation of bags between walking stops.

Accommodation

To find a campsite, try www.interhike.com. Canvas Holidays (0870 192 1154; www.canvasholidays.co.uk) has sites in nine countries, with £100 a week off some holidays in August. A three-night break in selected French resorts costs £199 for a group in a tent this coming weekend, including return ferry crossing for a car from Dover to Dunkirk.

· As well as offering a wide range of holidays across the UK, Hoseasons (01502 502588; www.hoseasons.co.uk) also features parks, villas and boating trips in Europe and Scandinavia. Deals include 25 per cent off two weeks' rental of a six-person apartment in Switzerland, for £690 until 21 October.

· VFB Holidays (01242 240310; www.vfbholidays.co.uk) has some availability for properties throughout France in August and September. A three-bedroom cottage in Brittany for a week from 26 August, costs £759 including a ferry crossing for one car.

Cruises

· A 12-day cruise to Oslo, Copenhagen, St Petersburg, Tallinn and Berlin departs from Harwich 29 August and costs £1,099 per person, with Page & Moy (0870 010 6430; www.pageandmoy.com).

· There are a few spaces left on Silversea's (0870 112 1102; www.silversea-uk.com) last cruise of the summer, departing from Tower Bridge in London on 23 September for a 10-day trip to Lisbon, calling at Amsterdam, Zeebrugge, Honfleur, St Malo, Brest, La Rochelle and Bilbao en route. All inclusive fares from £4,845 per person.

· Thomson Cruises (0870 550 2562; www.thomson.co.uk) has two departures in September. The Legends of the Fjords seven-night cruise to Norway departs from Harwich on 2 September for £649 per person full-board, and a seven-night cruise from Southampton to A Coruna, Bilbao, La Rochelle, Brest and St Peter Port costs £529 per person.