Holiday blues

My family and I recently had to cancel a much anticipated visit back to Scotland, the country of my birth, because of the volcanic ash which disrupted air travel across Europe. We had reached Italy and could not embark on a flight to the UK.

Having pre-booked accommodation for all our stays in various places, we were pleasantly surprised at how good most venues were at cancelling or refunding accommodation costs with little or no penalty. However, we were sadly disappointed with the apartments we had booked in Edinburgh, as they insisted their policy was not to refund under any circumstances (despite the fact that we cancelled a couple of days in advance). So three nights' accommodation fully paid in advance was forfeited.

It does not weaken my resolve to return to Edinburgh and enjoy its beauty again, but I will certainly not be booking those apartments – or paying in advance.

AUDREY MACDONALD

Baulkham Hills

New South Wales, Australia