MORE of us are holidaying at home. It might not seem that way if you've been waiting at an airport in a heatwave lately, but more people just can't face it. Suddenly, a ten-mile tailback on the A1 seems preferable.

The recent hot weather has also tempted more of us to stay in Britain - if we're hotter than Barbados, then why fly?

There are also more of us who have a couple of breaks a year with at least one in this country.

But how do you know where to go?

We've been looking at the guide books to Britain. Most of them are, understandably, aimed at foreign visitors, but they're a good place to start when you're checking out a new area.

And to get a flavour of how accurate they are, we've seen what they say about us in the North-East.

AA EXPLORER BRITAIN

£14.99

Lots of information, phone numbers and ideas for walks and drives. But all a bit confusing. Nidderdale and Teesdale are bracketed together, Beamish comes next to Beverley and Haworth next to Berwick - so it's tricky to get a good sense of geography.

There is plenty of helpful info on Wensleydale, Swaledale, Northumberland, York and Durham, but there's no mention of Darlington, not much about Newcastle and the guide puts Middlesbrough in North Yorkshire.

Typical comments: "Richmond...the streets are full of interest but there is nothing self-conscious here."...."Geordies are known for their quick-fire humour and guttural accent."

Verdict: Useful. Tries hard, but doesn't always succeed.

DESTINATION GREAT BRITAIN

WH Smith £12.99

Glossy, lots of pictures but so limited in its information it would be helpful only if you had just landed from Mars. Devotes just 20 pages of large print and lots of pictures to Yorkshire and the North East. There is very little detail and some of that is wrong - in its small list of recommended pubs, the guide changes the colour of the Blue Lion in East Witton to the White Lion. Hardly helpful. Durham gets a page and York gets three pages. Richmond gets a paragraph and Darlington and Newcastle don't get mentioned.

This reads as if written by someone who's never been to any of the places, and certainly not the Blue Lion. But it does, bizarrely, have time for table manners. It says: "The subtle nuances of dining reveal volumes about your social background...class distinction is by no means dead and buried in Britain."

Verdict: Shallow, skimpy. Doesn't tell you much that you don't already know.

EYE WITNESS GREAT BRITAIN

Dorling Kindersley £16.99

This is a fat book crammed with information and lots of glossy pictures; some you expect and some you don't. There are pictures of paintings from galleries and houses in Middleton-in-Teesdale, as well as lots on the moors and dales, York, Whitby and Castle Howard. The guide has dashes of history and practical advice.

It is one of the few books to take Northumbria and Tyne and Wear seriously - there's lots about the Cheviots and Hadrian's Wall, but also Beamish, Newcastle and the Baltic. Although it says it's annually revised, there was no mention or picture of the blinking eye Millennium Bridge.

The only mention of Darlington is in an entry for the Thai Cottage.

Verdict: By and large, this is a series to trust.

LONELY PLANET BRITAIN

£15.99

This has lots of solid print enlivened by a few colour pages. Unlike most guidebooks, it contains very readable chunks on the history of Britain, including a history of the arts plus a potted guide to British culture. Great buy for foreign visitors. For us nationals, it's also very useful. There are good sections on the North York Moors National Park and a reasonable section on the Yorkshire Dales. The guide is excellent on York, Whitby, Newcastle and Durham, but there's no mention of Darlington or Stockton.

Verdict: Does most things very well, but there are gaps.

ROUGH GUIDE TO BRITAIN

Penguin £15.99

Although black and white and crammed with small print, this is packed with everything you need to know. This is clearly written by people who know the area and haven't just collected leaflets from the tourist office. It doesn't just concentrate on the pretty bits, but has plenty about everywhere - including Darlington, Stockton, Newcastle, Robin Hood's Bay, Bishop Auckland and Barnard Castle.

Verdict: Nearly everything you need to know and as useful for locals as visitors.

OVERALL

Our clear favourites were The Rough Guide, for all that it told us, and the Eyewitness Guide because it was interesting and nice to look at.

Happy travelling...