In the second of his series on Croatia, Travel Editor KEN BENNETT is all at sea when he visits the country’s fascinating islands...

We are bouncing along a dusty track in a battered fire engine, blue lights flashing, in a last-minute panic to catch a ferry.

And we are late. Very, very late… but you can blame it on the Bora.

According to the gnarled, sun-blanched locals on this untidy sprawl of land that makes up the largest of the Kornati Islands, off Croatia’s Dalmatian coast, the Bora is supposedly a benign wind.

They claim it brings vitality and calming thoughts. But not today. And definitely not to me.

Much earlier, our happy party had set out from Zadar, a beautifully historic location, by motor-driven fishing boat to visit one of Croatia’s famous national parks on Long Island, or, to use its proper name, Dugi Otuk.

However, the Bora had decided to be contrary and blow very hard for a very long time. And any benign thoughts my party may have harboured evaporated when our scheduled, relatively short sail took more than four hours to complete.

Our lumpy journey was cosseted by our generous skipper who had plied us with copious amounts of grappa, highly distinctive liquor that could strip paint at 40 paces.

By the time our party clambered ashore things had taken on a rather rosy glow. Our smiling hosts served up a glorious meal of freshly caught sea bass, lashings of crunchy salad and piping hot boiled potatoes… happy days.

It was only after we had finished our feast and made a quick tour of the island, we realised our boatman had diplomatically but determinedly pulled out of taking us back to our hotel on the mainland.

Hastily, an even smaller motor launch was laid on to take us to a headland where the national park’s trump card was waiting - a bright red fire engine.

We were whisked through a blur of forest, bright with flowering broom, wild orchids and garlic to the island’s main town, Sali. And with five minutes to spare, we scrambled aboard the last hydrofoil of the day.

This was just the start of our great adventure to some of the 1,185 islands that crowd the senses along Croatia’s stunning coastline, lipping the crystal waters of the Adriatic Sea.

Yet it only takes a few days travelling this widely diverse necklace of islands to understand why Sharon Stone, Robert De Niro and Clint Eastwood have all made inquiries about purchasing one of them.

Because more than half are completely devoid of any inhabitants – giving you a real chance to play out your own imaginary Robinson Crusoe or Girl Friday role.

Personally though, this total solitude was not for me – even though I was tempted by the whim I could hire a converted derelict lighthouse or fisherman’s cottage for a holiday home break.

Instead, I was taken with the remarkable island of Hvar – which the locals pronounce as Har.

It is reckoned to be the sunniest spot on the Adriatic and in the top ten most beautiful islands in the world. In fact, if it ever snows, one hotel guarantees it will provide free accommodation.

Tourist office brochures claiming the island is ‘an inexhaustible treasure chest of sights, experiences and adventures’ simply do not do it justice. It is much, much more than all this - in truth, its Venetian Renaissance charm makes is totally captivating.

You can gauge the island’s real magic when you stand on a wooded hillside above the main town and absorb the satisfying picture spread out below.

Sunlight chamfers down alleys flanked by bright white houses, topped with red pantiled roofs, cascading towards a wide harbour flanked by elegant restaurants and discreet hotels.

None of your mass-market package holidays pushing into the limelight here. This is where the smart money goes for gentle breaks savoured over sublime afternoon latte and delicate cakes.

Daily life revolves around the town’s long, limestone-paved square, the Sveti Stjepana, billed as Dalmatia’s largest piazza. There is something terribly comfortable and homely in just strolling across the square. Visitors and locals seem to move in slow motion, taking time to dawdle over drinks and delicious ice creams.

And, like everywhere else in Croatia, history plays a significant part. Here, it is the remarkably preserved theatre that steals the tourist show.

Much later, I made my final landfall at the country’s most unusual island – Trogir – that stands just 65 feet off the coast from Split.

Delightfully preserved, the island is doubly attractive because it is car free, giving tourists the chance to idle over exquisite jewellery stores and shoe shops tucked down narrow alleyways.

And do you know something … it was one place where the Bora couldn’t reach me!

Information

- Ken Bennett travelled to Croatia as guest of the Croatian National Tourist Office. For further information and brochures call: 020-8748-7722 or visit: www.croatia.hr - Flying time to Croatia from Gatwick or Manchester takes about two hours, 30 minutes to Split. For information, call Croatia Airlines on: 020-8563-0022, or click on: www.croatiaairlines.hr - Alternatively, more than 50 UK tour operators have a wide range of holiday options. Visit your local travel agent for details and prices.