Has anyone got a successful holiday let in a not touristy area?

[SunnyUpNorth]

We are looking at buying a holiday let. We are trying to balance it being somewhere that people would want to stay (near a town, attractions, pub etc) versus what we would personally want (slightly rural, a bit off the beaten track) as we will probably let it less and use it more as time goes on.

However I have fallen down the very bad route of looking at things a bit further afield and seeing places that are much bigger and really nice for so much less than the typical holiday let areas. I’m confident we would make the place really nice and appealing, it’s just whether we would get the tourist footfall.

For reference it’s around the Lake District we are looking. I personally prefer to avoid the busy-ness of Ambleside, Windermere etc. DH really likes Keswick, and whilst I like the town, to me it feels like somewhere to live rather than holiday. I know a place around any of these would rent well but I’ve been looking more around the outskirts of Penrith (Orton?), more towards Kendal, south west towards Ulverston etc. Basically we aren’t stuck to any one area so I’ve been doing quite vast searches and keep getting my head turned!!

My brother researched a secluded house to finish his book and found it on www.sabbaticalhomes.com . It is mostly used by academics so be ready for very fussy and spoiled clients. I hate to have him as a guest .

To attract other clientele, you might want to look at a " retreat " type of rural property where to recover from trauma, or slow down after a burn-out. A reconnect - families type of holiday with bikes, board games, a big dinning table that can accomodate 10 or 12. Throw flower seeds in your lawn to create a boho atmosphere, an hammock between two trees, a fire pit in the garden with deck chairs, and so on

It comes to smart marketing. A website, an instagram account

Thanks, that all sounds great....apart from the fussy guests!

You’re right though, it’s all about selling people an idea. I’m on a few holiday Facebook pages and quite a few people specifically request quiet places off the beaten track. But I guess they’re never going to be as successful as an investment as something more conventional.

Often, the higher property purchase price in higher-tourism area just reflects the tourist rentals though. It should broadly even out.
Look at occupancy rate and rental cost in each area?

If you're looking at the Lakes is there a non-tourist market for people needing access to Sellafield for example?

Places like St Bees would work for both tourists and Sellafield workers for example. But presumably cheaper than inside the Lake District National Park Boundary?

I have had a number of holidays in and around Keswick. I think Keswick thinks it is a holiday place.

@Scarby9 yes Keswick is definitely a tourist place! I mean for me it feels like too big a town to be in for a holiday (just for me, not in general). I personally prefer something more rural/secluded so it’s trying to balance what I want vs what tourists in general want.

I have tried looking at rentals in other areas and generally if they’re quite a nice property they do seem to have good occupancy rates but definitely are lower priced than the same thing near one of the popular tourist centres.

I’ve looked along that north western coastline and you can def get gorgeous properties for a great price but for us it’s a bit too far a drive to get to for personal use. I’ve also heard mixed opinions on the areas. I saw some lovely things around Seascale but a few people said it can be a bit bleak around there with Sellafield looming....

There are some lovely things just outside the national park towards Kendal or Penrith but I didn’t know if those spots would attract tourists.

We stayed near Penrith for our honeymoon - lovely group of cottages and had use of a local hotel pool. It's convenient for the motorway and hadrians wall too so I wouldn't rule it out for a holiday let.

Oh no. I’ve just made the mistake of looking up St Bees in rightmove, the properties are amazing and about half the price of the central lakes!!! I don’t need any more tempting areas to add to my search, I feel like I’m already permanently attached to Rightmove 😂

Is St Bees a popular tourist destination?

What about Kirkby Lonsdale? A pretty town with lots of cafes, lovely river walks. Not as honeypot as the proper Lakes, but very popular.

I actively seek out houses like this. Sadly not in the lakes but another tourist district, my SIL has a chronic illness that makes traveling difficult for her, so we go and stay in houses big enough for the whole family (10) but very close to where they live. I’m always delighted to find somewhere a bit luxury but off the beaten track!

When we went to the Lake District I looked specifically for a cottage from where you could start nice walks/ hikes without having to go anywhere in the car. I dismissed quite a few nice looking cottages on that basis.

@SunnyUpNorth

Oh no. I’ve just made the mistake of looking up St Bees in rightmove, the properties are amazing and about half the price of the central lakes!!! I don’t need any more tempting areas to add to my search, I feel like I’m already permanently attached to Rightmove 😂

Is St Bees a popular tourist destination?

It's obviously no where near as popular as Windermere, but it gets pretty busy in summer. It would probably be my choice if I wanted somewhere gorgeous but a bit off the obvious track.

I have family up in West Cumbria and we always take a trip to St Bees when staying. It is gorgeous. I also am much more of a fan of the west side of the lakes tbh, much quieter but just as beautiful. We usually stay in an Airbnb in a tiny village called Pardshaw just outside the national park, which presumably does well enough as a business.

I think it depends on whether it’s primarily a holiday let or somewhere for you to enjoy. Personally when I stay in the Lake District I want to be somewhere more central, but I go in October or November, when the weather can be worse. If you only want to rent in the summer season, somewhere more remote/less touristy would be fine. Although Kendal which is outside the park and therefore cheaper would be great too.

I really like Kendal, and I think you get the benefits of people being there for the lakes or the Peak District. There are some great properties in the areas surrounding Kendal for good prices.

I need to do some more driving around and exploring areas.

I think my ideal is semi rural. Walks from the house, gorgeous views, not too far to drive or walk to a local shop and pub and then slightly further to get to a proper town. It’s weird having such a big search area. When buying a home you normally have quite a tight radius from schools, station, shops etc.

We do want it to be appealing to tourists and we will let it all year around with just a few visits ourselves. But as we get older we would possibly look to reduce or stop renting it and use it a lot more ourselves.

St Bees sounds great. I’ll def look into that a bit more.