Tips for planning a scenic staycation
If you are anything like me, you will be sticking to UK holidays again this year. If you are more used to package holidays abroad, it can be difficult to know where to start with planning your perfect staycation - here's our guide to having the best holiday on home shores in 2021, including some location ideas.
1. Picking the location
Look for national parks – ready made stunning scenery, which is well cared for with plenty of resources online and a wealth of walking paths (with generally better signage and more routes available).
The Yorkshire Dales National Park
If you are staying self-catering, check on google maps how far to the nearest pub and shop. This is especially important if its in a tricky location to drive in and out of! Is it walking distance? What about when its dark?
If you want the hotel experience – check beyond the usual Booking and Hotels.com sites. Quite often I find that ringing around a few B&Bs you can find lovely accommodation which is better value than a hotel – the breakfast is included! This is often a lovely cooked to order affair that would set you back £££ in a hotel.
Booking a B&B also gives you access to the great knowledge of the owners about the area. Sometimes tips about things like taxis, eating places and pubs are absolutely invaluable. We have avoided £££ in costs more than once by a few hints of local knowledge.
Make sure to check what else is nearby for rainy days (it is the UK after all). There will be more to do than you think. For example, in Cornwall the Eden Project is a great day where being indoors doesn’t feel like a let down – its absolutely amazing! For more ideas, check the National Trust and English Heritage website for places nearby.
Greenway, National Trust property near Dartmouth
Consider splitting your trip into more than one location – I usually start furthest away and work back as the week(s) go on so you save a little time on the journey back. This can work well for some days in more luxurious accommodation, or nearer to the pub/restaurant, for example. You won’t run out of ideas for walks or things to do this way and if you love it you can always come back for a full week next year!
2. Food and drink
If you are self-catering, check the things most important to you (obviously) but don’t forget some of the boring bits – is the kitchen actually any good? For example. A week with the world’s slowest oven or 1 pan and a kettle to rustle up a great meal after a big days walking or playing on the beach is not going to keep everyone motivated!
There are lots of upsides to holidaying here (scenery, language and airport avoidance being just three!), however eating and drinking out costs can be pretty high. I usually remedy this by eating fish and chips as often as possible – my personal record was 6 times in 8 days on the Dorset/Devon coast. (In my defence we DID do a lot of walking . . . ). There’s other ideas local to places such as pasties in Cornwall.
Just add fish & chips in St Ives, Cornwall
3. Enjoying the great outdoors
Obviously I’m going to recommend walking! Look on the local ‘Visit…’ website, and find the local Tourist Information when you get there. I would always heartily recommend buying the full OS map of the area, but I do know some people find these expensive. The local Tourist Information or some small local shops sometimes carry smaller maps of the immediate area.
It doesn’t have to be walking everyday – there’s kayaking, surfing, bouldering, canoeing, wild swimming (it has to be v hot for me to do this! But it has been known), pitch and putt golf . . . the list is endless.
For quieter places make your way to spots further from the town/village hubs. Where you might find the mile or two around these places crowded, the further from the car park and the toilets the more likely you are to enjoy the scenery to yourselves. Then you can pick the best spot to eat your packed lunch and sunbathe in peace afterwards.
A few ideas:
Yorkshire Dales
Swaledale is absolutely stunning and a little quieter than Wensleydale. Look at Askrigg or Hawes for B&Bs and eating places.
Nidderdale would provide somewhere a little more off the beaten track, and it has a wealth of walking paths to enjoy. Look at Pateley Bridge for places to stay.
Askrigg
Lake district
You will be pushed for anywhere quiet here – last year it was packed and I would expect more of the same this year. My favourite is Keswick and Derwentwater. For a touch quieter stay at the Borrowdale end of the Lake. Parking is difficult at peak times so try and stay and somewhere you can just walk out of the front door each day, and remove 50% of the stress from your day.
If you go out in the car I recommend starting early. If it’s a nice day, you can always make this up with a lunchtime snooze in the sun. And if you finish your walk (or canoe) early you’ll be first to the prime spot in the beer garden . . .
View from Skiddaw over Derwentwater and Bassenthwaite
Cornwall
If you want beaches, head to the North Coast, but don’t expect quiet! St Ives is beautiful and has several perfect beaches – along with 98% of the UKs staycationers it can seem. The other end of the bay is absolutely stunning – also quieter for surfing. But you have to do with only one pub so might have to find food if this is full). If you’re not so fussed about beaches try quaint harbour towns like Fowey, Boscastle or Kingswear just over the border in Devon.
This is where heading out onto the coast paths away from the towns and villages can come into its own. You can find all sorts of nooks and crannies if you are adventurous. I highly recommend the book ‘secret beaches South West’ which has great recommendations and good walking routes to each. Remember on the coast to be aware of tides (especially on smaller beaches) and try and buy a copy of the tide times if you can.
Surfing & serenity at Gwithian, St Ives Bay, Cornwall
Devon and Somerset
There are lots of places in both these counties. There is holiday cottages around Heddons mouth that give you a relatively calm place, but you have to live without too much in the way of evening meals out (there are pubs on the walks in the area though.
For something a little more lively, try Sidmouth or nearby villages of Branscome and Beer. Lots of eating places, accommodation and you are not to far from places like Exeter if the weather has an off day. The best bit is the (somewhat hilly) coast that awaits – so many views to see, so little time! No trip is complete without the trip to the Clock Tower Café, home to the world biggest and possibly most delicious slices of cake.
Bonus tip
The South West in general is where heading out onto the coast paths away from the towns and villages can come into its own. You can find all sorts of nooks and crannies if you are adventurous. I highly recommend the book ‘Secret Beaches South West’ which has great recommendations and good walking routes to each. Remember on the coast to be aware of tides (especially on smaller beaches) and try and buy a copy of the tide times.
Happy holidays!
