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?

@Biscuitandacuppa

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.

A day trip to Gateshead 🤔

I'm glad there are some positive comments. It drives me nuts the amount of people that say a holiday in the UK isn't good enough, or doesn't count as a holiday.

If you don't want to, that's fine- but there's no need to belittle the very many people who only every holiday in the UK. Like they're some kind of failure...

I've had wonderful holidays in the UK. Do some research, find places that have the things you love, you'll have a great time- and not waste hours in airports at the same time.

As others have suggested, look at city breaks. I live in Cambridge which is normally full of foreign tourists but of course not at the moment. The hotels are half empty and you can get some good deals. Loads of history. museums and culture.

Other good cities for breaks are York, Bath, Edinburgh, Norwich..... the list is endless

We’ve got a few camping trips organised for the summer holidays which we all love (but hoping for dry weather). It doesn’t get much cheaper than camping. We also sometimes book premier inn hotels for a few nights as they are usually cheap but very clean and well positioned. UK is simply stunning especially when we have some glorious sunshine. I tend to prefer the South West abs West Wales but there’s beauty all over.

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

Last year we had a week in Suffolk, 28-32 degrees all week, and week in Devon, 26 degrees all week (in September!). I think our summers are improving!

wineiscooling "Gorgeous pubs with nice food and wine after a wet walk outdoors? What's not to like!?"

Erm, let's unpack this one a little.... 😂

I would second the Shropshire recommendations. Normally very quiet tourist wise, despite some lovely scenery and things to do. Ludlow would be a nice town to base yourself- not too big, but decent restaurants and hotels.

The other thing I'd say is it does rain abroad. At least in the UK we're well set up for not so good weather and many attractions are not weather based. Having gone to Tenerife a few times when it's not quite sun bathing weather and indeed rained, I can tell you that the attraction wears thin quite quickly.

Another Northumberland fan. It has some of the most beautiful beaches, loads of history, fantastic historic houses, great countryside. Just a shame it's at least a 6 hour drive from where I live.

We have so much unspoilt countryside in this country, and most of it very accessible. Our national parks are just fantastic. Nowhere is more than about 70 miles from the sea, and you don't have to go far off the beaten track to find quiet beaches in most areas.

We also have lots of interesting small towns and lovely villages, it's easy to get a decent meal out a reasonable price in pubs, bigger towns will usually have a museum and gallery or two so there are things to do if the weather is shite.

If you go to somewhere like Dorset, you'll get the best of everything. Lively Bournemouth and Poole for cinemas and stuff (although Wareham has a delightful, tiny cinema that is like stepping back in time), unspoilt beaches on Studland (well, the whole of Purbeck, really), some lovely small towns (Bridport and Beaminster are my favourites), fantastic countryside for walking or picnics, nature reserves, Brownsea island, New Forest on the eastern edge, beautiful Corfe Castle, Cranborne Chase, ancient sites all over the place, including the eerily beautiful Maiden Castle.

If I was condemned to spend the rest of my life in just one county, I'd probably choose Dorset.

We are self catering in Devon right now and about to move to Somerset for our second week (we like a two centre break). We have never been to this part before and have been exploring the military history of Plymouth and loving it.
Next week will be more relaxing and walking in the hills.

Staycation is where you stay at home. A U.K. break is still a holiday.
(And we have never done a U.K. holiday before COVID as always travelled but needs must and we are having a great time although our children are young adults so don’t holiday with us anymore).

@EvenRosesHaveThorns

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'm not 'looking down' on holidays in the UK, but you are 'looking down' on those that prefer Benidorm!

That's snobbery!

I've not had any type of holiday in 8yrs. But, saying that, I've moved to a UK holiday area so you could argue that I'm living a holiday every day!

Recently had a lovely holiday in Norfolk
Self catered with hot tub
Hired a boat for the day on the Norfolk Broads
Had to buy sin cream, because it was so hot !
Hotter than Portugal !

Also have holidays planned for Lake District & Scotland

Sun cream

The most we have paid for a cottage near the beach in Cornwall is £1200 for a week, can you really get a private villa with a pool and flights and carhire for a family of four for the same price in the Summer holidays in Spain ?
That's a genuine question because I have looked in the past and for 2 bedrooms it seemed to work out a lot more than we pay in the UK. Just looked on Jet2 for villas in spain and they seem to be about 3-4k for a week in August in Spain. They do look lovely though

@prettyvisitor

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

Last year we had a week in Suffolk, 28-32 degrees all week, and week in Devon, 26 degrees all week (in September!). I think our summers are improving!

And on Tuesday, in Hampshire, it was 11 degrees and rained all day....

We used to camp with the DC every year in the UK.

But one mid August, in 2007, we were sitting in our spacious, well equipped EHU tent on the edge of Dartmoor, listening the the rain hammering down for the 4th day in a row, surrounded by wet clothes we couldn't dry and the wellies we'd had to buy as we were getting trench foot from constantly wet feet from the unmowable long grass onsite - and we went 'hang on'...

So a villa in Majorca it was the following summer, and one in Spain ever since.

The issue with the UK is largely weather. To go somewhere 'nice' you have to book a year in advance. Then you might have a glorious week, or it might be a wash out. Yes, there'll be NT properties. Or theme parks. The cost of which add up considerably, especially if you're paying out day after day for 'something to do because of the rain'. Or 'cosy pubs' (August?). Where you'll pay inflated prices to be served by a bored teenager. And town centres to amble around, with the same shops as in my local high street.

I can't risk my precious family holiday time on that.

Hence Spain. Where a 'day in' isn't box sets or board games, watching the rain; it's sitting in the shade beside the infinity pool at your private villa, as the sun climbs higher, then putting something interesting together from stuff sourced from a local market, drinking a bottle of 4 euro red.

😁

UK holidays are a rip off..overpriced to begin with, you'll gey fleeced while there, shit weather, dog shit on the beaches, no parking anywhere.... I refuse to support British tourism

So you've been EVERYWHERE in the UK in order to reach this conclusion? Or did your refusal to support British tourism begin after one bad experience?
Conversely, I've had great and not so great holidays in the UK but it won't stop me having more.
Do people who have one bad holiday in Spain point blank refuse to go ever again?

rookie can you recommend things to do and see around Ludlow? 4 adults (us and early 20s DSs).

We walk but we aren't sporty.

frumpery

I'm talking non-Covid years.

If you book in January, yes, you can get some great prices on villas in Spain, but you need to book the villa, flights and the car hire separately, not a package.

Whereas my mate recently had her Cornwall cottage booking rescinded (booked much earlier in the year in hope they could go) as the owner wants to get over twice the price for it, as he can, now.

Lots of places are now getting booked, and there's not a lot of a gap before the school holidays. If you can mix and match two or three midweek breaks you should get a better choice at better value.

Culture hotel/AirBnB break to London/Edinburgh, hit the museums and restaurants.
Coastal break chilling in the dunes.

What would you actually enjoy, ignoring price/availability/etc.?

Of course its worth holidaying in the UK. We go abroad most years but always go for at least one break in the UK too. We are usually pretty lucky with the weather but even if it is not good we have a good time.

We always use Airbnb. We always select "entire property" and usually they are cheaper than hotels or cottages.

So many lovely places to go in the UK - Cornwall, Devon, Yorkshire, Lake District, North Wales around Snowdonia we love, South Wales is really nice too, Sussex, Essex. Northumberland has wonderful beaches. Norfolk also has some nice beaches and, if you have a dog, is very dog friendly.

If you like cities I think York is great but, of course, no city beats London. So much to see and do there

Scotland after the schools go back mid-August is fabulous and so much cheaper than most other places. We've booked a lovely self-catering lodge in Dumfries and Galloway (we've been to this area several times before and it's gorgeous - there's nobody else there!) - dog-friendly, covered deck so we can sit outside even in inclement weather, beaches nearby. Just over £500 for the week.

Isle of Wight is nice, not as busy as mainland but lots of lovely places to eat and visit.

If you haven’t got children, then book in September. I’ve booked a weeks cottage in Yorkshire for about £100 per night.

Youth hostels are another option, and aren’t shabby anymore. The Stratford upon Avon one is in a stately home. The London ones I’ve been too have been lovely. There are dorm rooms, but you can get private rooms as well.

Look on Hoseasons for last minute deals. They can be cheaper.

What about having days out. Stay at home but go off during the day. Plan ahead so the house is clean and tidy, have some meals ready in freezer, or bbq and salads etc.

My dd moves her furniture around and clears the clutter, throws on chairs and sofas, and makes her house look like a holiday home, lots of extra cushions on the bed etc etc , lays out out wooden boards with treats on and champagne glasses for when they get home on Friday nights and they have a ‘mini break’ at home, this was before Covid, they were saving up for their wedding, they then go out for a couple of meals and walk etc, go to markets, free places of interest, museums etc etc.

@Miljea now you've put me on the spot - I usually just do what I'm told.
There are some lovely and not overwhelming walks - SIL and I enjoy interesting but not overly strenuous walks - Carding Mill Valley and the Long Mynd is spectacular and has an excellent National Trust tea room if they are selling more than pre made sandwiches these days.

We also did a walk that involved a lunch stop at The Green Dragon at Church Stretton which was also very good. Ludlow food hall is overpriced but nice if you get a seat outside in the sun. Sadly not this year but one year we took part in the Ludlow Magnalonga - a long walk with 6 different food and alcohol stops - that was an amazing day !

Ludlow castle is worth a visit , Croft Castle and Berrington Hall also a nice day out. We tend to go to Shrewsbury for a day as that's where DH and SIL grew up, but if truth be told it has seen better days, so I'd not rush there.