Will Devon & Cornwall be ok to go to in July?

[EinsteinaGogo]

We are in a real dilemma.. We have to pay the balance on our holiday in the next couple of weeks which is about another £800 on top of the £400 deposit already paid.

We've gone for a self catering holiday flat on the Devon / Cornwall border for last week of June /
first week in July.

Don't really want to go if the touristy places we'd usually go to aren't open but our holiday company are only offering a reschedule so will lose our money if we cancel. We have a family wedding next year (hopefully) so we don't want to rebook.

We were pretty sure we'd still be in lockdown and be able to get a refund but now that the new rules are in place, I don't know if we are or aren't allowed to go.

AIBU to think we should be able to get our deposit back?

I have no skin in this game btw - I have no holidays booked at all this year as I am on maternity leave so income is reduced

Do you think the residents haven’t been campaigning? Realistically, there’s not a lot we can do. It’s up to the owners, who just seen pound signs and don’t care about the community.

I don't know anyone who has rented out their air b and b this summer. Can't speak for larger caravan parks.

Also you do realise you’re not actually allowed to sit in the beaches? Why travel all the way here for a quick walk in the beach?

@Chiyo666 you really are quite rude! If the government say people can go, they will! Simple!

So based on current guidelines, expect an influx of people from the end of July to beginning of August for the school holidays.

Start making arrangements for social distancing in your shops/restaurants etc.

Or lobby the government and get them to stop it, good luck with that when they're actively encouraging people back to work!

But coming on here, badmouthing people, calling them thick, stupid and getting yourself all stressed out because people won't follow your set of "rules" will get you nowhere.

You know it's not just Cornwall that's suffered or going to suffer, what about the London figures, the pressure to go back to work with packed tubes etc.

This is a country not a county!

@IvinghoeBeacon yes but I've asked this and no reply in what they are doing about this

@Chiyo666 yes you are allowed to sit keep up rules changed yesterday

@ITonyah if that was directed at me re husbands auntie she does - says she may as well be dead with Covid if she doesn’t have an income for 2 years, and the assistance offered by the govt/benefits won’t stretch far enough to keep the business alive. Her plan in the next few years was to sell it on and retire but she can’t sell a business that’s not made it through the pandemic.

She and I recognise that’s not the majority view of course but it’s going to be devastating for a lot of people, at least the holiday home owners can generally get mortgage breaks and the properties will still be standing when this is over.

Coastguard are at my beach this morning moving people along 🤷🏻‍♀️

Rebook for next year and have a proper holiday then.

Covid will not magically right itself in a year. Most likely it will still be with us next summer.

If you think Devon and Cornwall can survive 2 summer seasons with no tourists, you’re naive.

@Itonyah I believe air B and B aren't renting out anywhere but holiday parks and cottages have taken bookings obviously many booked long before this and they aren't refunding after July as that's when they think they may be able to open
Although no one knows for sure
The original OP has holiday booked for end of June so really the cottage should be giving her a refund as they can't stay at moment as no overnight stays are allowed but they are obviously trying to get away with pushing to next year when they should be offering a full refund of deposit

Also you do realise you’re not actually allowed to sit in the beaches? Why travel all the way here for a quick walk in the beach?

except you are!

another @Chiyo666 rule?

I can imagine self catering cottages might open before hotels, campsites and holiday parks. That would be sensible, at least, as easier to social distance and stay in household units.

Tourism is only a percentage of the economy here (not the entirety) and much of the tourism pound is actually a circular loop as property and hotel owners often aren’t local.

That said, there are local businesses that will suffer if holidaymakers aren’t allowed to come.

There’s a lot of emotion at play here - fear of the virus that hasn’t peaked in Cornwall plus general disgruntlement at the over-tourism that has developed here is harmful for the county. Plus a few idiot vigilantes.

I live on a beach in Cornwall. Our local cafes and shops are doing well with local trade. It’s enough. And the beach is quiet. Actually it’s blissful, and a return to having thousands of people descending doesn’t fill many people with enthusiasm. Add a deadly virus to that, and plenty in our communities would rather people cam back next year, and that numbers were reduced long term.

It’s not personal, and I’m yet to see anyone with a pitchfork.

@Chiyo666 well not sure why as it was clearly said you can sit down as long as social distancing etc

@Chiyo666 Coastguard are at my beach this morning moving people along 🤷🏻‍♀️

It's not your beach, that's the whole issue, you don't own the beach.

This isn’t just about holiday home owners - tourism accounts for 20% of the Cornish economy and for 1 in 5 jobs.

Do you really wish all campsite owners, hotels, restaurants, pubs, bars, local shops and businesses to go down the pan?

If not you have to accept tourism supports the local economy. That Covid will be with us for at least 18 months.

I would re-schedule. I think going to different areas right now is a really bad idea and won't be much different in July.

We've got a holiday in isles of scilly for August, and under T&Cs we have to pay full balance even if we dont want to go. Cant see how social distancing can be done either on travelling there or on the Islands. But looks like we have to pay and need them to cancel

My local beach. Didn’t really realise I needed to spell that out. Reading comprehension and that.

Whatever. Come down on your stupid holiday to sit in the beach and do fuck all and potentially make everyone sick. I’ll increase my shifts at the hospital, never see my kids and even potentially die myself. That will be great for them, considering they lost their dad last year. You people are so fucking selfish. You don’t NEED the sea. You don’t NEED a holiday. You want one, and fuck everyone else. Stay at home and pump some money into your own community.

@OrangeSamphire a lot of people own caravans in these holiday parks so they may well open for owners who will still have to pay site fees but have no bookings
We don't know yet but realistically we can't assume all will be well next year we may have to resume tourism slowly in areas and people will travel once allowed so it's best to be prepared

OrangeSamphire good post. This is my experience also (not Cornwall).

@OrangeSamphire this.

Do you really wish all campsite owners, hotels, restaurants, pubs, bars, local shops and businesses to go down the pan?

With the exception of holiday accommodation, all those other categories of business have local trade. They might miss the six week super boom of summer trade, that’s true, but local businesses are used by the resident population all year round.

Have you asked the cottage owner for a refund OP? If you are coming down to Cornwall in the last week of June and holiday homes are so far scheduled to open on July 4, I don’t see how you could be refused?

@Chiyo666 one of my best friends is a consultant at Exeter hospital - she’s not having tantrums over business that is vital to the local economy.