To ask if it’s worth having a holiday in the UK?

[TigerLils]

Right, I’ve coped pretty well so far, the past 16 months has been pretty difficult for many and I feel pretty bad about this but I need a holiday. A change of scenery! Some nice weather chilling food and drinks. Obviously it’s limited where you can go at the moment and we are looking at a staycation perhaps (it’s just me and DP) but everything is booked up or seriously overpriced in the UK.

Not sure if it’s worth it but I’m pretty desperate here… ( I need this for my mental health)

Can any of you recommend places to go for a couples getaway in the UK?

Northumberland is gorgeous, beautiful coastline, moorland, castles, stately homes, seafood, real ales, lovely locals and acres of space. My very favourite place. Plus Gateshead and Edinburgh are both doable for a day trip in bad weather.

Of course it's worth it as long as you accept that it'll be different to a foreign 'fly and flop' holiday.

North Yorkshire, the Peak District, Kent, Norfolk, Shropshire, Somerset are all great places. Join English Heritage/National Trust and pick somewhere to use as a base to explore.

Take nice food/drink, stuff for 'posh picnics', book a couple of restaurants, download some maps for walks and just enjoy being somewhere different.

Even self-catering can be nicer than cooking the same meals at home but it does take a bit of planning.

We are reluctantly staying in England. I live for my holidays but find myself not looking forward to this one really. For me a holiday is proper warmth, different culture and food etc and getting away from the everyday. None of these can be achieved by a uk break.

We always holiday in the UK, the scenery is so beautiful, my eldest hates the heat, and we have a dog. Pembrokeshire, Devon, Peak District and Yorkshire are our favourites. Harbour towns and villages are prettier imo then beach towns. City breaks I love London, York, Edinburgh, Chester, Bath, Dorchester.

God I feel so sad reading some of these comments about UK holidays - we’ve holidayed in every corner of the UK and absolutely loved it. Desperately sad to be so lacking in imagination that only the sun will do.

What at nonsense 🙄 🙄 lacking imagination how rude. Unapologetic unashamed sun seeker here. I physically crave warmth - proper warmth where you get lovely balmy evenings and you and can sit outside night after night playing cards and chatting not huddled in front of a box set or on a beach in a flipping cagoule.

Christ alive - it’s defo worth it.
Change of scene, the UK has some glorious places to visit, relaxing and doing different things from the norm, eating out, visiting pubs, beautiful sea views, culture, I could go on....
It would help if you could go outside of the school holidays if you haven’t booked anywhere. And as a PP said, be realistic about the weather! Though I go away in the UK every year, and we’ve only had 1 shit year, wether wise in the last 7.
Go go go!!

We have had some fanulous UK holidays. For a start it doesn't have to be by the coast. We have stayed in North Yorkshire, Wales, Scotland, Shropshire, Cheshire, Devon, Dorset, Cornwall, Northumberland and Norfolk, and they have all been fabulous. We have booked a week in Wiltshire this year.

• weather (stupid autocorrect)

I’ve been looking for 4/5* and there’s literally nothing left until October. Unless you want London.

Also whatever the landscape it’s still all same old same old supermarkets roads language culture. Love the difference of being in France Germany or Italy. We were house swappers so have had lots of brilliant trips and explored less visited parts of Europe so holidaying where the locals do not package trips. Can’t wait til restrictions lifted.

I always have a week in Cornwall and have always been lucky enough to have beautuful weather. We always book a lovely house, close to a harbour with nice restaurants and lovely, locally sourced fish and meat. There are lots of water sports on offer, boat trips, museums and art gallleries, theatre (the Minnack is just beautiful and so atmospheric), pretty towns and harbours, stunning coastal walks and coves.

It depends what you like though and what your interests are. Egg and chips from a hotel buffet, Pina Coladas, a week lying by a pool and Sticky Vicky-esque 'entertainment' doesn't appel to me. We're all different.

For me a holiday is proper warmth, different culture and food etc and getting away from the everyday. None of these can be achieved by a uk break.

So Wales or Scotland (for example) are exactly the same as SE England? No differences in the history, language and dialect, buildings, food, landscape etc?

Edinburgh is fab for a couple - can do nice day trips out of the city, and lots in the city too. And the train up the east coast from London has some gorgeous views, so the journey is a treat in itself.

Gosh, it’s absolutely worth it OP! Obviously the weather is unlikely to be wall to wall heat, but just having a change of scenery is lovely in itself IMO. You may struggle to get anywhere nice though now, as everything does seem to be booked up. Hope you do manage to get away.

Of course it is worth it!
I haven't been abroad since 2007, and have had many excellent UK holidays.
I took my parents away to a cottage for the weekend at the beginning of June. Only 3 nights, only an hour from their home. What a difference it made just being somewhere other than at home! It cost £640 for the three nights - more than we would usually spend - but was worth every penny for the lift it gave us.
Just do it.

Another fan of UK holidays here - we’ve had so many good times all over the UK, from the north of Scotland to Cornwall. Take your pick. I have to say that I’m not a beach type person, and don’t actively enjoy really hot weather. We do loads of activities on holidays such as cycling, kayaking, hiking etc (before and now with dcs) and the UK is great for this. It all depends what you like doing on holiday but I can’t imagine you’re not able to find something of your liking. What do you like to do as a couple?

Weve just used haven for the 1st time as i realised most sites are literally on the beach. Lydstep in Wales, private beach. We were literally the only ones on there 9/10, quiet, down the road from tenby, it was really lovely

Live right next to Wales and lived there myself for a few years so can’t get too excited about that culture difference and Scotland is even further north than here and rainy in August. I live in a city lots of tourists visit anyway.

Sorry all you worthy UK holiday lovers won’t change my mind - we are going to Northumberland but can’t pretend I’m not wishing it was Italy.

We went to London recently, much cheaper than normal. Stayed in a famous 5 star hotel for the normal price of a London travellodge. This week going camping, £20 a night

I went to Whitby recently and was very pleasantly surprised. It was absolutely beautiful and there were lots of equally lovely places to go to for the day from there. I rate it more than Cornwall.

However, if I were you, I’d just wait for overseas travel to open up. They’re talking about people who have been double vaccinated avoiding quarantine etc. Give it another month and you can avoid the risky weather and extortionate prices of the UK.

I love holidaying abroad but we always aim for a long weekend in UK as well and actually are always pleasantly surprised , even when the weather has been dodgy. We've done Lakes, Yorkshire, Wales, Scotland and this year in the absence of holidaying abroad a week in Cornwall. Last year we did a week in Wales , we did have good weather but honestly, it was just stunning. Beautiful deserted beaches, gorgeous mountain walks, wild water swimming. It was just gorgeous. Now I know, if we'd not chosen the beautiful heatwave week in August I may not be quite so excitable about it but even so, when we've had rubbish weather we still find things to do and without kids you're in a better position to enjoy. Gorgeous pubs with nice food and wine after a wet walk outdoors? What's not to like!? Although I do slightly feel your pain and am looking forward myself to getting abroad next year.

Nah, if you’re not going to appreciate it, leave it for someone who will.

Do some research and explore your own country!. Get some OS maps or their app. Yesterday we enjoyed -great pubs, beautiful countryside, sweetly scented wild-flower meadows by a pretty river. Stone walls and barns. Diverse wildlife. Quite heavenly.

Perfectly possible to have fabulous holidays in the UK. What you do is entirely dependent on budget, interests, ages, chill/relax or culture or excitement. Countryside or beach or city. Busy or quiet.

As a younger couple we used to enjoy walking in the Lakes and camping. Our daughter is there at the moment but prefers returning each night to a luxury hotel. We’re going in September and are too old for camping so have settled on a lakefront cottage. We walk. We swim. We sail. We have meals out. They paddleboard and mountain bike. We go to pubs with music and potter around Keswick.

We’ve just returned from a Devon. We did a mix of gastropubs with rooms, cottage and hotel. We stopped in Bath on the way for a bit of city and then spent our week walking, lazing in very warm sun, swimming in rivers and quarries, meals out, pottering around Tavistock and visiting a couple of historic churches.

You can do anything. We’re going over to the Isle of Wight tomorrow. We’ll enjoy the ferry ride with a coffee. We’ve to buy a few IOW foods to bring back for a special supper - things we can’t easily get on the mainland. That takes us around the island a bit. We’ve done all the tourist places many times over but there are many to suit all tastes from castles and historic houses to theme parks and watersports.

Almost too much choice. You need to narrow it down by deciding some criteria.