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?

A holiday is what you make it, if you are determined to have a rubbish time you will.

We are going to Northumberland for a week, beautiful beaches and walks and places to visit.
We normally do go abroad to different cities mostly for sightseeing but we always have a uk stay too, been all over from Lands End to John O’Groats literally, but I did as a child too so am always amazed at the number of people who have hardly been past their front door step and never travelled or see anywhere in UK, there is so much to see .

It’s definitely worth a holiday in UK IMO.

The UK is a great place for a holiday - so much variation in a small island! Canopy and Stars is a great site for finding something different and they seem to have lots of accommodation for two. Sounds blissful to me

I didnt go abroad til I was an adult but according to (some of) MN I had never been on a "proper" holiday. We often go away in the uk down to budget and while its chance with the weather (and a couple of times we have come home early) a holiday for me is about both me and DH being off work at the same time, doing stuff with DC, staying somewhere new, not doing as much cooking/chores etc, and sunshine is a bonus!

We have a week booked in a gorgeous untouristy coastal place, 4 bed, 4 bathrooms luxury house with amazing views.....less than £900. And the forecast is great.

I always enjoyed a long weekend city break in the UK, but never really managed a successful longer holiday as the weather was inevitably always crap. Same problem in Ireland too. I would do a shorter break in a lovely city and upgrade my hotel to something more luxurious, so you can chill out in style if the weather lets you down. As someone already said, huddling in a cagoule on the beach, or playing board games in a caravan in the rain,, is not my idea of a holiday!

Yeah, you’ll probably hate it if you are startin* off thinking is it worth it?

I’d be picking somewhere next door to busy places, so Devon not Cornwall, Edge of Lake District, Galloway….Shropshire.

Great food, lovely pubs, walking….

I echo the Northumberland recommendations. I'm based in Greater Manchester and adore the Lake District (and it's short distance to me) however if budget is a concern you will see a noticeable difference in the prices of cafes, bars and restaurants in Northumberland. So many beautiful beaches, walks, hills, forests and historical sites as well as lovely villages and proximity to larger cities if needed

We have spent a few breaks there and even when it's full it seems much quieter than the Lakes.

There are plenty of SC cottages left for August - we've just booked one. Pick a quiet-ish area, check Covid levels, then book.

We're so lucky in the UK - there's so much to do. Weather may not always be brilliant but I think you just have to make the most of things, esp this year!

Depends what you want and your budget- we are spending a few days away in a spa hotel where there’s a pool, jacuzzi, hot tub and spa treatments (I can’t use it all as I’m pregnant but looking forward to the pool) it’s a 30 minute drive from a beautiful quiet sandy beach, a 30 minute drive to a small to medium size city with decent eateries, shops, cinemas and a couple of museums, and the surrounding area is chock full of castles, stone circles, fancy gardens, and beautiful scenic drives. The only thing we might not get is the weather but we’ll have the car and bring waterproofs. We did something similar last year and it lifted our spirits so much. Lovely not to have to cook and clean too.

UK holidays can be great. You've left it rather late to book

Hotel city breaks are still available

Or house swap with a friend?

I'd happily go to the travelodge on the other side of town for a change of scenery at the moment!! Everything isn't booked up, there's last minute availability coming up (probably due to people cancelling due to covid) and the week of the August bank holiday Monday had a surprising amount of availability when I booked a couple of weeks ago (I assume schools return later that week). there's rooms in Premier inns for £29 a night, I booked one to break a journey but it's in a location that could have easy access to a big city, beach and countryside.

What we are doing is staying home, getting the recipe books out and cooking things we wouldnt normally make, not stinting on the ingredients.

We have been going to things connected with our hobbies and generally relaxing. Holiday isnt just about being somewhere but an attitude of mind.

Cheaper than going away and the beds are comfortable.

For just the two of you I would book a hotel break with spa facilities/golf course etc.
When we have gone away without the DC we have went on distillery tours (gin and whiskey), National trust properties, city breaks, spa days etc punctuated with lovely meals out.

Those of you who look down on holidaying in the UK are completely unimaginative and complete snobs. Hope you can go back to Benidorm soon.

I agree that it depends what you want out of a holiday. If all you do on holiday is lie on a beach and never do any sightseeing then not being able to do this would be disappointing.

Much as I like lying on a sunbed, I would get bored after a couple of hours, and would take myself off somewhere interesting to explore.

We like UK holidays because we like walking, exploring new places, visiting National Trust properties/historical buildings etc. Nice weather is an added bonus.

Do a city break to one of the many cities people come from all over the world to visit.
York, Edinburgh, Bath, London

I don’t look down on it it’s just too cold and too similar to my everyday life. Never been to Benidorm. Last summer we drove to the Austrian alps and stayed in a near empty Venice. Incredible. Those memories got me through the winter.

My top tip for holidaying in the UK (although I'm not sure if it will work quite so well at the moment if accommodation is booked up)

Don't decide where to go until two days before your holiday starts, then choose your location based on the weather forecast in the various places you've been looking at.

Yes, it takes more prep if you are wanting too research places to go and see in advance, but it's the closest you'll get to guaranteed good weather in the UK.

I think the prices are too much, especially for a nice hotel (and I am fussy) so we normally look for a comfortable cottage/flat and go out a lot for meals.

We did Forest of Dean, Derbyshire, Stirling, Cornwall in October, Shropshire and this year it will be Cheshire and North Wales.

Yes, you don't have weather guarantee, but for me it is also about having time away, seeing new things, visiting areas I havent' been before,.

For a long weekend without DD we would normally think about a nice boutique hotel with a spa in a city, Bath, York are lovely.

I guess it depends on who is going on the holiday, how long for and what sort of things you enjoy doing ?

There are loads of lovely places to visit in the UK , great towns and cities, beautiful countryside, great beaches all around the coast. How far are you willing to travel ?

Of course! It's worth it for a change if scenery, different restaurants, sea air!

Places are getting busy now, in your position I'd do a search on air bnb, you can enter your budget, dates, what facilities you want (sex pond?) and see what comes up!

We enjoyed Whitby - things to see, lovely beaches, good pubs.

I love UK holidays but only if I’m also having another one abroad in the sunshine. The British weather kills it for me

If anything I find the smug “we go to Cornwall” brigade far snootier - you see it on this thread sneering about sun beds! You are pretty unimaginative if you think “abroad” is Benidorm and sunbathing only!

@MsTSwift

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.

Me too.

Especially when what we have paid for a villa in Spain including flights and car hire is about the same as a nice Cornish cottage this year...😳

We are going away as the rest of the family have been wfh for over a year now, to a cottage in rural Shropshire.

I shall be 'making the best' of it, which is not normally my holiday sentiment....

I was looking at Edinburgh hotel prices recently, and midweek you can get some amazing deals even with no notice. Weekends are much more expensive. I don't know if it's the same in other cities, but might be worth looking at a midweek break in a city.