To think that people on holiday don't want to go for a walk?

[Notwiththeseknees]

I'm looking at buying a house as a holiday let. The house is amazing - really fab. The gardens are beautiful and we would put in a big pool. It is between 40 & 80 minutes drive of the sea, UNESCO sites, big architecturally gorgeous market towns and fantastic scenery. Village is 5 minutes away by car, bigger village 10 minutes away with restaurants & supermarket. BUT the immediate surroundings are a bit 'okay'. There doesn't seem to be anywhere to have a really nice walk, an okay walk, but not an "ooooooh, that was a lovely walk" walk.
How much does a lovely walk in the immediate vicinity add to your holiday enjoyment? Especially if you have amazing gardens to potter in and a lovely
pool....

We have dogs and our holidays, weekends away and days out all centred around walking/hiking so as others have said, its just a house and not a holiday let. Also 40 minutes drive from a beach is no good at all. Thats something a lot of people can do from their own home, not on holiday. The place we go to is 5 minutes walk from a great surfing beach.

It wouldn’t work for me as I like to walk from the doorstep. However I own a holiday let that has no good walks nearby - it’s rural, surrounded by private land. Occasionally people ask if you can walk somewhere (you can walk to one pub but it’s along the road), but generally they don’t ask. It’s a 2 min drive to beach, 10 min drive to national park. Loads of attractions within a 30 min radius. Guests always comment on how fab the location is. Plus we don’t accept dogs as a rule.

It’s a 2 min drive to beach, 10 min drive to national park. Loads of attractions within a 30 min radius. Guests always comment on how fab the location is

That's not this properties location though.

TO put this in perspective to you, it's like advertising a holiday home with fantastic links to Skegness. Where is it? 5 miles outside of Grantham.

It's difficult one really. I've been in the s/c holiday lets business for over 20 years and owned a rural house in France. In Norfolk I was 7 minutes drive from Blakeney and 20 to Sheringham. The house & converted barns were in a hamlet that was surrounded by gorgeous walks and there were lots of stately homes, auctions, markets all within a short drive (25 - 1hr). No pub within walking distance. Some people tried against my advice, but didn't do it twice.

My house I rent out in the UK now is bang on the beach, 5 walk to shops, pubs & restaurants and you can walk along the beach to the sand dunes etc. Lots of lovely things to visit nearby by car & bus. The house attracts all types of holiday seekers - 3 generations of families, singles with their dogs, book clubs, 3 couples each with babies and they all do different things.

This house is a tricky one. It is missing stunning countryside - it is nice countryside and I've seen photos of the sunflower fields, but I wouldn't call it stunning. There is a walk to a pretty lake along footpaths and there is a swimming lake nearby. First village is easily cycleable and has a boulangerie. No restaurant or bar in first village. Second village has everything and is very pretty.

In a previous life, I would go to the house (in France) get my shopping. Pool, read, take dogs for a run round the vineyards (I would cycle) make lunch, drink wine, more pool & simple meal in the evening watching the sun set. Id usually visit two markets a week, top up the cheese & meats etc. Visit a brocante or a vide grenier at the weekend and maybe go to lovely town for lunch once or twice a week - St Emillion or Bergerac or Bordeaux.
So this is automatically what I think of when I think of holidays in France. But times change and I wondered if the majority of visitors needed more on their doorsteps as it were.... and most people do it seems so I will have to think some more. Might have to take the rosé tinted glasses off. Then again, I've been bang in the middle in the busiest town in the French Alps for the last few months and the racket has driven me half-mad

The thing is OP what you're describing from your times in France is you visiting your own holiday home. You know you'll be coming back so if you want to do an 80 min drive to a tourist attraction you can do that just the once in the week and chill out the rest of the time, knowing everything else is waiting for you on a future occasion. You're not going to be anxious about having a wasted drive to the next village or wherever because the restaurant's fully booked or not to your taste, you're not going to be worrying what the parking's like outside the local shop or whether they'll sell what you want. You're describing the things that don't bother you when it's your second home, not the annual holiday for most people.

My brother lives in the south of France (not the posh bit and a fair old drive from the coast). He bought a barn a decade or so ago, when they could be bought for very little, and did it up beautifully. He lives there with his (French) wife and their 5 children. We go out there for occasional holidays but driving is essential. Walking from the barn to get fresh croissants isn't possible. SIL makes her own bread and pastries. It's a lovely home but definitely NOT a place to go for a holiday, if that makes any sense. That being said, he and his family live an enviable lifestyle and I thoroughly enjoy visiting, but my DC want beaches, pools, other people to meet, on holiday.

The trouble is if the countryside isn’t stunning, and beaches/other cities and attractions are all 40-80 minutes away, why would people stay there? Even if they are happy to drive 5/10 minutes for local amenities.

I think the location would not be somewhere I would look at renting.
40 minutes minimum drive to the beach or to any sites would mean I wouldn’t even consider it.

I am currently looking for a villa in Spain and there are absolutely stunning places that far inland but I wouldn’t want to be doing that drive to the beach or sightseeing each day.

Some really good points being made and I am taking them in. The house would be for me to live in full-time eventually, but it will mean making sacrifices if it can't earn its keep in the medium term.
Interestingly, my former house in France has come onto the market - can't afford that one atm, but it has some lovely walks

Honestly, I wouldn't stay anywhere that wasn't EITHER a) surrounded by beauty that I could really enjoy - gorgeous countryside and quaint villages, beaches all within walking distance (i.e. the not being able to have a lovely walk really would bother me and staying in mediocre surroundings wouldn't feel so much like a holiday), or B) was located VERY close to the UNESCO sites/beaches etc, not a 40 minite drive away and definitely not an 80 minute drive away.

I'd stay somewhere right by these sights, or if I was going to have to drive a significant way to see these places I'd at least want where I was staying to be very beautiful - 'just okay' scenery AND a long drive to sights wouldn't cut it for me for a holiday.

I think you need to be realistic here

Having once accidentally booked a holiday and we had to drive every day it would be a no from me, by the end of the week I was fed up of getting in the car.

Another holiday where we thought we were near some good days out and then discovered it was 40 + minutes to everything was equally bad. I really like to be able to walk out of my door to do things on holiday but I do appreciate some people just like to sit and relax too.

you were into sight seeing then it is really centrally locates

You also said it’s 40-80 mins away from more than a shop.

I wouldn’t book your house op
A rural hideaway would need to be very quirky for me to consider it.

I would book it. In fact we’re having a similar holiday this year in the house of a friend. Rural France, pool, gardens. I don’t mind driving, it’s lovely to drive in France.
When we were younger we stayed in a hamlet in Tarne et Garonne with only one other house nearby, got water from the well, swam in the nearby river and our parents drove the 11 or so km to the local village for croissants. My idea of heaven. If you have a great pool people will come.

I think it sounds wonderful - as a full time home. 3km to the nearest boulangerie? Not a chance. Even walking-mad DH would say that was too far (I’m disabled hence he walks ddog).

He’d want to be to the bakers and back within 10-15 mins walk MAX on holiday.

I think you’ve fallen in love with this house as an eventual home but it’s definitely not somewhere I’d rent for a holiday. Sorry.

Can you link it so we can see if it would appeal. It’s hard to tell otherwise

I wouldn't go anywhere without restaurants within walking distance. Without that you would end up either having to cook or drive to eat and I don't want to do that on holiday.

How many other holiday rentals are in the immediate area? If not many you need to ask yourself why? Is it because it’s been tried but not succeeded?

It just depends how many boxes you can tick. We rent out a villa in rural Andalucia, just under an hour from the beach. Most of our guests aren't bothered about the beach, or might visit once during their stay. But we're just 10 minutes' walk from the local village, and a lot of guests have said that did influence their decision to book. We also have some lovely sightseeing places within 20/30 minutes.

We also focus on a family market (apparently you have to have a unique selling point these days!), so we have a heated gated pool, playroom and aircon, which is more important to families. I wouldn't want to go to the beach in the middle of summer, it's too busy, and a lot of people do feel the same. Obviously there are those for whom the beach is fundamental, and they wouldn't consider our house.

Overall I'd be more worried about the distance to local bars/restaurants than the beach. Also there's so much more competition than there used to be, so a house and gardens that look really beautiful in photos may have an advantage.

It's not going to appeal to most people. My SILs family walk constantly and my fathers family do too, all go for very long walks. The latter would probably expect walking distance of pub.

Most people would want to be closer to the beach too, 40-80 minutes is a massive distance!

However, it sounds absolutely perfect for my family, we have 4 children though, two with autism, and I love quiet areas with our own surroundings and pool too would be my idea of bliss and as long as there was one or two things to do within a couple of hours away than we would be very very happy. But that would be my ideal, pool in a warm climate and away from others. We aren't beach people either so that wouldn't matter.

But I think it wouldn't be the same for a lot of people.

Colditz

I thought the same... Beautiful house in Doncaster with days out to Cleethorpes, York, Manchester and London (all genuinely within 80mins travel) You just wouldn't.

100% necessary for me to have a place to walk, otherwise I feel trapped.

Depends on the size.A massive house and pool means people are likely to come over in groups and therefore wouldn’t mind eating and drinking “ at home” with their friends.

A small family type place and they are likely to want a few conviences or at least something that feels French rather than being in the countryside anywhere..

If it's in a hot country you could get families with young kids, who just want to lounge by the pool or go on day trips. If it's the UK then maybe that's not really an option, not sure whether your USP would provide enough of a reason for people to book....?