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Original poster

Wales - second home

58 replies

nathanandfanny · 05/04/2021 19:50

I am completely confused. When can we travel to wales and stay there. I’m in England. The announcement today all related to travel and staying in England and international travel in May. There doesn’t seem to be anything about the UK. I have combed the internet and I keep reading contradictory announcements. Wales online and bbc both have days old articles saying travel from England permitted in Wales from 12 but does that include overnight stay. I have a second home in wales and normally stay there a week out of every four - for the last 25 years. Can anyone help me make sense of this!

OP posts:
1AngelicFruitCake · 05/04/2021 19:57

I thought crossing border and overnights were 12th because Welsh are already allowed to do that and it’s just extending it? I have also researched and can’t find an answer!

AlohaMolly · 05/04/2021 19:59

Wales allowed internal Welsh travel including overnights from 27th March. Second home owners are currently allowed over the border into wales to carry out maintenance on second homes but are not permitted to stay overnight. From April 12th cross border overnight stays are permitted as long as it is one household.

AlohaMolly · 05/04/2021 20:00

I should say that I live in wales and work for a holiday home company Grin

SunshiningBetty · 05/04/2021 20:01

We’re going down on Thursday...it’s a few days early but hey ho

1AngelicFruitCake · 05/04/2021 20:36

@SunshiningBetty

We’re going down on Thursday...it’s a few days early but hey ho
Are you not worried about being caught? I’m a worrier! I imagine the Welsh police out and ready to check your address (would love to know if they do this!)
Original poster
nathanandfanny · 06/04/2021 00:21

Thank you!

OP posts:
Nootkah · 06/04/2021 09:01

@SunshiningBetty

Careful with this. We live in a beautiful part of Wales with some second homes and know two English families who came for Easter, were reported by locals, visited by police same day, fined and sent straight home.

Gertie75 · 06/04/2021 09:03

I've been struggling to find this out too, one website said that travel restrictions will be lifted from 12th so we can travel into Wales but overnight stays are unlikely.

I then read another saying that single households can stay overnight but they're both news websites, I'd like to get the answer from an official website.

Our caravan is 100 metres into Wales, it has a Shrewsbury postcode but still classed as Powys so has to follow their rules.

AlohaMolly · 06/04/2021 09:52

The police can, do and have been stopping people and checking, and issuing fines. Random stops as well as parking up on roads to and from touristy spots. I know of at least four occasions where second home owners have been reported by their neighbours and police have arrived and told them to leave.

I live in one and work in another area that has a lot of anti second home owner sentiment - especially for those that use it as a business, ie rent it out as self catering. I personally would be cautious about going before the rules change as I just wouldn’t want to cause that amount of upset to my neighbours.

1AngelicFruitCake · 06/04/2021 17:05

[quote Nootkah]@SunshiningBetty

Careful with this. We live in a beautiful part of Wales with some second homes and know two English families who came for Easter, were reported by locals, visited by police same day, fined and sent straight home.[/quote]
That’s what I thought! I wouldn’t be able to enjoy myself and am waiting until the rules change. I just hope we can visit next week!

SunshiningBetty · 08/04/2021 19:23

Well, we are here! It’s quite quiet but there are some English people here in their caravans. No sign of any police or any snitches just yet Grin

SunshiningBetty · 08/04/2021 19:26

Plus I don’t think they can fine now it’s guidance rather than law

OverTheRainbow88 · 08/04/2021 19:32

Blows my mind people are getting reported!

Yapplepearora · 08/04/2021 19:40

The people reporting sound horrible when rates are now so low and vulnerable vaccinated. I’m nowhere near fortunate enough to own a second home in Wales but if I did I’d still be going an accepting the chance of a fine, who the fuck do authorities and busybody curtain twitchers think they are banning somebody from visiting their home which they OWN?

Yapplepearora · 08/04/2021 19:42

I can understand not allowing people go visit other households in Wales or having self catering holidays, but somebody reporting me for travelling across the border to my own home would be classed as a grade A twat, in my book.

Notavegan · 08/04/2021 19:42

I thought it was the 12th. I'm in South Wales and looking forward to visiting attractions over the border.

Frazzled2207 · 08/04/2021 20:57

12th I'd say. Not me but a friend has a holiday home in wales and their site has suggested they're expecting the English either on or shortly after the 12th.

SirVixofVixHall · 08/04/2021 23:17

I live in an area slowly being destroyed by second home owners, many of whom were breaking the rules last year. Along with other locals I have had enough and I will happily report anyone I know of coming here early and staying overnight .
Second homes are in Wales are an absolute blight, anyone who cared about our villages at all would not buy one. Many of the owners showed how little they care for the community by sneaking in when they could. We are just a nice location, there is no respect whatsoever.

Northernsoullover · 08/04/2021 23:56

@SirVixofVixHall

I live in an area slowly being destroyed by second home owners, many of whom were breaking the rules last year. Along with other locals I have had enough and I will happily report anyone I know of coming here early and staying overnight . Second homes are in Wales are an absolute blight, anyone who cared about our villages at all would not buy one. Many of the owners showed how little they care for the community by sneaking in when they could. We are just a nice location, there is no respect whatsoever.
I agree totally. I think its absolutely disgraceful.
AlohaMolly · 09/04/2021 00:00

@SirVixofVixHall

I live in an area slowly being destroyed by second home owners, many of whom were breaking the rules last year. Along with other locals I have had enough and I will happily report anyone I know of coming here early and staying overnight . Second homes are in Wales are an absolute blight, anyone who cared about our villages at all would not buy one. Many of the owners showed how little they care for the community by sneaking in when they could. We are just a nice location, there is no respect whatsoever.
I agree. My little village is over run. The village where I work is over run. I didn’t realise until this a year what an impact second homes had and it’s w huge driver in why I’m looking for another job, as it doesn’t sit right with me to work in the same industry.
AlohaMolly · 09/04/2021 00:02

For example, one of DS’ school friends lives on a street of ten houses, seven of which are second homes/holiday lets. One particular road where I work has 43 homes on it - 29 of which are holiday homes/second homes.

SirVixofVixHall · 09/04/2021 00:48

So many places are ruined. We almost went to look at a house in a different village a few years ago, but the entire road was second homes.
The village I live in was fine for ages as it was largely residential, but in the past decade more and more houses have sold to second home owners and the change is palpable. As second homes increase fewer people want to live in an area -it is horrible having no proper neighbours, or having an airbnb next door with different people every week.
Gradually everything changes, younger people get priced out of buying, but there is nothing to rent either, as the rentals are all now airbnbs. So locals have to move further inland, or away entirely. The people buying don’t care about a community as they don’t live here, they don’t have any respect at all for our culture or language, or what they destroy by having a holiday home somewhere they profess to be so fond of.

SilentPanic · 09/04/2021 01:02

Agree with above posters. It's immoral. The village next to mine is completely dead in the winter months, as so many of the houses are holiday houses/lets. No-one local can afford as much as a garden shed there. School has shut. It's so common and such a shame that people buy second homes here because they love the area- but they're killing it.

Poppiesandfreesias · 09/04/2021 01:22

Come on now, why should the likes of @SunshiningBetty be at all concerned about the impact second homes have on rural Welsh communities or the language?

As long as they can get to their second homes without pesky locals contacting the police? As Welsh culture is yet again undermined.

I expect someone will be along soon to bleat about how they bring their money into the local economy as though that makes any difference.

Love this Twitter account btw: twitter.com/SetCheshire?s=09

Fflos · 09/04/2021 07:27

There's a major problem with second homes in some parts of Wales so I'm sure any opportunity to inconvenience a second home owner from over the border proves too good an opportunity to miss. Completely agree @SirVixofVixHall and most don't give a toss that they create a housing crisis and erode Welsh culture and language. People simply don't want them that's why they get reported