I've resigned myself to a UK cottage holiday. Where should I go?

[Beatie]

Looks liek abroad is way out of my budget for May half term. Leaving it so late I've little hope of getting anything but middle of the am flights.

Has anyone done a farm cottage holiday? I think dd would love that. We are active people. We don't need beach but water of some sort near by would be nice. And some activites nearby. Any suggestions? Rural is fine since I'm pregnant and The Taxi-driver!

We went to Pembrokeshire (hired a cottage) last Sept and loved it. Really, really beautiful.

Have you seen this website:

stay on a farm UK

North Norfolk is stunning too, plenty of water & miles of beaches.

Thanks for the link Chonky.

I hope you find a holiday in the UK that's better value than somehwere abroad. I know whenever I tried looking into something here we ended up going abroad. One day though we'll do that long-awaited narrow boat holiday in the UK.

I think it's likely to be cheaper during half term week but I agree, it wouldn't be cheaper any other time of the year - especially when you add in the cost of a few meals out.

I kind of resent paying £500 per person to go away for a week to Spain and stay in a crappy 2** self catering flat when you can go to the Far East for not too many ££s more and stay in a luxury hotel. Don't fancy long haul with dd at 2yo though.

We usually arrange our own travel and accommodation when going abroad as we like to travel about a bit.

Plan carefully when going in the UK with a small child as many B&Bs and hotels are definitely very un-child-friendly (some verging on hostile).

With small children I think self-catering is generally better than b&b. Although we enjoyed B&B before we had children, I don't think that any of the b&b's we stayed at would have been fun with tinies! We've stayed at self-catering cottages several times with tinies, and it's always been a success. We tend to stay in a small village, or else in totally lonely places, so it's a total change of scene. N Wales is lovely, with some very dramatic yet not too challenging walking. Choose what you want in the cottage - I always like a real fire. I think we've used English Country Cottages and also one that specialises in the Lake District, and their cots and highchairs have always been fine.

one year we hired a holiday cottage in Wales and it was lovely. But the best holidays I have ever had were hiring gites in france through Brittany ferries. you can get some really good deals and they are all over france. We sometimes used to go to Normandy which was just over the channel from where we lived in Poole taking the fast ferry we could the trip in about 3 hours door to door and you really felt like were abroad.

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We have stayed in \link{http://www.national trust cottages.co.uk\National Trust} cottages in the past and have enjoyed them - especially West Wood Cottage at Wallington Hall in Northumberland.

I'd reccomend cornwall! But then I live here!!!!!!!

the South Hams (south Devon) - great food, scenery, good beaches - try Toad Hall Cottages (specialise in Devon, Cornwall, Dorset)- try www.toadhallcottages.com (sorry, still can't do links here!

We stayed here last summer. It was lovely. Quite rural but close to lots of lovely places. It has a lovely big garden for kids to play in.
orchard cottage shropshire

We're going to France in the summer - hring a gite & then ferry crossings seperately worked out at good value.

Gite websites:
French Connections
Pure France
Owners in France

These all had some good value (& some pricey!) stuff on them. French Connections also has a link to a company that does discounted ferry crossings.

In this country we've just booked to go to Dorset - cost £200 for the week up to Easter for a cottage - Lyme Bay Holidays

Isle of Purbeck in Dorset is beautiful - stunning beach, pretty villages, good ruined castle, easy walking country, if that's your thing and cycling too.Might be a bit busy in half term though

I'd recommend north cornwall, been there every year since I was a child and we now take our 4. so does my sister. First time I took my husband he couldn't believe how clean the sea was! Self catering cottages best. We usually use 'John Bray', they do have a website! The weather can be as good may half term as in the summer! Good Luck

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I have been so indecisive over this whole trip and have now taken a complete turnaround and decided to go with an earlier plan of going to Copenhagen for a long city break.

Thanks again - many of your ideas will be useful for future holidays.