Why swap refreshing drizzle for swimming pools full of other people’s urine? Bring your holiday back home

The dangers of mass tourism are all too real, and it’s destroying destinations the world over. We need a re-education about what holiday really means – and it starts right on your doorstep

Pier pressure: we need more holidaymakers to choose UK seaside resorts (PA)

This morning, in Kent, the sky was grey but there was no wind; the air was warm, and a fine rain had just stopped. At 8am, the tide was turning. On my way to the beach I met a fox walking up the lane and a fellow swimmer heading home for breakfast. I walked to the water’s edge over shingle and oyster shells, sea pinks and wild spinach. I could not imagine anything more perfect: the water was like silk, all I had for company were a couple of floating seagulls. For twenty minutes everything was luxuriously peaceful.

Life is full of choices, and as I have every intention of living to 100, each day has to be considered carefully. Do I want to be pushed around, treated like cattle en route to market, forced to queue for hours and be crammed into a small space for a prolonged period of time? That’s what going on a “normal” summer holiday entails.

Every day, we see pictures of disgruntled and tired families at airports and stations; the victims of failing transport systems, ramshackle technology and labour disputes. Ryanair, BT, Eurostar, Heathrow, Liverpool airport – and there’s more to come.