A cluster of more than 770 windswept grasslands and rugged cliffs washed over by the icy Atlantic swells some 300 miles east of Patagonia, the Falklands are a wild and untouched world where penguins roam the coasts, rockhoppers hide in the salt-sprayed grykes, lichen splatters the rolling moors and tussocks of ancient grasses hide weevils and black-browed albatrosses alike. Politically the archipelago has been an interesting one, with both Argentina and its ancestral colonial masters in London vying for control of the land. A referendum overwhelmingly came back supporting British rule (98% no less); a vindication of Stanley, the capital’s red phone boxes, London-style buses, English country cathedral and smattering of hearty pubs. Most Falkland Islands tour guides will recommend hitting the backcountry for the finest offering of the destination. Hikers can scale granite escarpments and survey sweeping heaths on East Falkland, while West Falkland means the chiselled headlands of Port Stephens and their concomitant penguins. There are countless other islets to explore too, like New Island with its Skye-esque landscapes, the Sea Lion island with its elephant seals, sea lions and seasonal killer whales, and Pebble Island, where the HMS Coventry Memorial remembers the conflicts of the 80s.