AS someone who holidays in England every year, I was looking forward to getting my mitts on Visit Britain's 2008 series of accommodation guides.

These weighty, yet well laid out and colourful tomes, offer thousands of suggestions for bed and breakfast accommodation, hotels, camping, caravan and holiday parks and self catering.

And with Britain being a nation of animal lovers, a book entitled Pets Come Too! should appeal to many folks who feel their holiday isn't complete without their faithful friend by their side.

The books are geared towards all ages, budgets and tastes.

They include hip city hotels and spas, idyllic rural inns or bed and breakfasts through to family-friendly campsites and individual self-catering breaks. Special requirements including accessibility are also covered.

The one thing every destination and accommodation option included in these guides has in common is the assurance that comes with the Official Tourist Board quality assessment.

We're always being told to consider options to reduce our carbon footprint and there are few better ways to go green than holidaying in this country rather than flying abroad.

As a youngster, I always used to hear "when the weather's good in this country, you don't need to go anywhere else".

Some of my most abiding holiday memories are of the multi-million pound mansions of Sandbanks in Dorset shimmering in the sun, the stunning Lake District fells and my five-year-old building a succession of sandcastles on Minehead, Skegness and Bournemouth beaches.

If that's whetted your appetite, then Self Catering, a paperback guide to quality-assessed holiday homes in England (£11.99) is well worth checking out.

There's an explanation of star ratings, ranging from one for simple, practical and no frills' to five for exceptional with a degree with luxury' and you're also told what to expect, for example, there must be clear information given before booking on location, facilities, prices, deposit, etc.

After 13 pages of useful maps, including greater and central London, the 808-page book is divided into nine area sections, from the Northwest to South West England.

Entries are accompanied by photographs, low and high season prices, contact details, directions and a brief description.

Seasonal offers and promotions also get a mention.

The different sections also include diary dates, Tourist Information Centre contact details and a list of places to visit.

At the rear of the guide is an exclusive listing of every self-catering establishment in England that has been assessed for quality by Enjoy England.

All of the accommodation guides are available from good bookshops.

For more details, visit www.visitbritain.com and www.enjoyengland.com