Staycation
Lodges with hot tubs, country house hotels, coastal cottages and coach breaks, from Northumberland and the Lakes to Cornwall, the Highlands and the west of Ireland.
Photo by David Booth on Unsplash
- Typical length
- Short breaks of 2 to 4 nights, or a week
- Getting there
- By car, by train, or by coach from a pick-up near home
- Included
- From self-catering to half board or a fully escorted coach break
- Best booked
- 6 to 12 months ahead for school holidays and Christmas
Some of the best breaks start at your own front door. No airport, no luggage limits, and the dog can come too. A few nights in a lodge in the forest, a country hotel with a good dinner or a cottage by the sea can be as restful as a week abroad.
The UK and Ireland pack a lot into a small space: mountains and lakes, long empty beaches, castles, gardens and cities, most of them within an easy drive. From the North East, Northumberland, the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District are all close to home.
We find the right place for who's going, whether that's a hot tub for the two of you, a lodge that sleeps three generations, a ground-floor room or somewhere that welcomes dogs. We can add dinners, spa treatments and theatre tickets, or book a coach break that picks you up nearby.
Ways to stay
A staycation can be a hot tub in the woods or a dinner, bed and breakfast in a country house. These are the main kinds.
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Photo by Roman Holoschchuk on Unsplash Lodges and holiday parks
Wooden lodges in forests and by lakes, many with their own hot tub, on parks with pools, cafés and things for children to do. Short breaks usually start on a Monday or a Friday.
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Photo by Tetiana Shyshkina on Unsplash Country house hotels and spas
Grand old houses in their own grounds, with fires in the lounge, a proper dinner and often a spa. A good choice for a birthday, an anniversary or simply a rest.
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Photo by Kate Joyce on Unsplash Cottages by the coast and in the country
Stone cottages in fishing villages and farmhouses in the hills, with a kitchen of your own and space to settle in for a week.
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Photo by Andrew Ridley on Unsplash Coach breaks
A driver, a coach from a pick-up point near home, a hotel with dinner and days out included, from the Scottish Highlands to the Isle of Wight and Christmas markets.
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Photo by Artem Zhukov on Unsplash City and theatre breaks
A West End show in London, Edinburgh during the August festivals, or York, Bath and Liverpool, with a central hotel and tickets sorted.
Making the most of it
Finding the right place
Small details make a UK break. Is the cottage really dog-friendly, and how many dogs? Is the hot tub private? Are there stairs, is there a ground-floor bedroom or a wet room, is there parking at the door? We ask these questions before we book, not after you arrive.
Whatever the weather
It will probably rain at some point, so it helps to have a plan for it. A pool, a spa, a pub with a fire, a castle, a museum or a garden with glasshouses can turn a wet afternoon into one of the best of the trip.
Days out
Walks from the door, National Trust houses, gardens, beaches and heritage railways. The Jacobite steam train over the Glenfinnan Viaduct runs from spring to autumn, and Hadrian's Wall is on the doorstep in Northumberland. We can suggest what to book in advance and what's best left to the day.
Where to go
From the coast on our doorstep to the far west of Ireland. These are the favourites, and the months they're at their best.
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May to September
Photo by Ben Cuthbertson on Unsplash Northumberland
Bamburgh and Alnwick castles, Holy Island across its tidal causeway, Hadrian's Wall and some of the darkest skies in England.
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April to October
Photo by Richard Sutcliffe on Unsplash The Lake District
Windermere, Ullswater and Keswick, with fell walks from the door, lake steamers and cosy inns.
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All year
Photo by Antonio Araujo on Unsplash Yorkshire
Drystone walls in the Dales, heather on the Moors in late summer, Whitby's abbey and the medieval streets of York.
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April to October
Photo by Marek Omasta on Unsplash The Cotswolds
Honey-coloured villages such as Bibury, Bourton-on-the-Water and Chipping Campden, with gardens and country pubs.
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May to September
Photo by Greg Willson on Unsplash Cornwall and Devon
Sandy coves, St Ives and the fishing harbours, the South West Coast Path and Dartmoor.
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May to September
Photo by matthew Feeney on Unsplash The Scottish Highlands
Glencoe, Loch Ness, the Isle of Skye and the North Coast 500, with long light evenings in summer.
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April to October
Photo by Zihao Chen on Unsplash Wales
The mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia), the Pembrokeshire coast and castles at Conwy and Caernarfon.
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May to September
Photo by Sean Kuriyan on Unsplash Ireland
The Wild Atlantic Way through Kerry, Galway and the Cliffs of Moher, Dublin, and the Causeway Coast in Northern Ireland.
How we help
- The right place
- Dog-friendly, accessible, a private hot tub, room for everyone: checked before we book.
- Coach pick-ups
- The coach break with a joining point nearest your home, and the times to be there.
- Something extra
- Dinner, spa treatments, afternoon tea or theatre tickets added to your break.
- Ireland and the islands
- Ferries to Ireland, the Isle of Wight or the Scottish islands, which book up early in summer.
- Protected
- Booked with an ABTA member, with ABTA protection on package bookings.
Questions about staycation
Do I need a passport to go to Ireland?
British and Irish citizens don't need a passport to travel between the UK and Ireland, but airlines and ferry companies ask for photo ID, and many only accept a passport. It's easiest to take one.
Can I bring my dog?
Often, yes. Many lodges, cottages and some hotels welcome dogs, usually with a charge per dog and a limit on how many. We'll check the rules, such as whether dogs can be left alone or go upstairs.
When is it busiest?
School holidays, bank holiday weekends, Christmas and New Year book up first and cost more. Term time and mid-week breaks are quieter, and spring and autumn are often lovely.
Do lodges and cottages have set arrival days?
Many do. Holiday parks often have Friday short breaks of three nights, Monday breaks of four nights and full weeks. Cottages commonly change over on a Friday or Saturday, with more flexibility out of season.
What is a coach holiday like?
You join the coach at a pick-up point near home, sometimes changing to your main coach at an interchange. The driver looks after you throughout, the hotel usually includes breakfast and dinner, and excursions are either included or offered on the way.
Are there accessible lodges and rooms?
Yes. Many parks and hotels have lodges and rooms with ramps, wider doors and wet rooms, but there are not many of them, so they are worth booking early.
What about the weather?
Pack for everything, even in summer. We can suggest places with plenty to do indoors, from pools and spas to museums and historic houses.
Where should we take you?
Tell the team what you have in mind and we'll come back with ideas, usually the same day. The team reads every request.
- 01WhereA place, a few ideas, or a hotel you love
- 02WhenA month or exact dates, and how flexible you are
- 03FlightsWhich airport suits you, or none at all
- 04WhoEveryone going, with children's ages
- 05SpendA rough idea for the whole trip
- 06The detailsBoard, hotel rating, facilities, the kind of place
Photos by David Booth, Roman Holoschchuk, Tetiana Shyshkina, Kate Joyce, Andrew Ridley, Artem Zhukov, Philip Veater, Chris Barker, B K, Ben Cuthbertson, Richard Sutcliffe, Antonio Araujo, Marek Omasta, Greg Willson, matthew Feeney, Zihao Chen and Sean Kuriyan on Unsplash.