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The 11 Best UK Holiday Ideas for Couples, Families and Groups
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The trend with holidays used to be to go abroad, whether it be to Spain or Portugal, as long as it was somewhere hot with beaches and swimming pools. However, the cost back then of these holidays was a lot cheaper than what it is now. With the growing population more and more people are flying making it more of a hassle to get everything organised surrounding a holiday abroad.
Now more and more people are choosing to holiday at home whether this is at a seaside resort such as Brighton or Cornwall or if they want to just get away from it all and stay in a beautiful lodge in seclusion on the shores of the Lake District. These 11 UK holiday ideas are for everyone and more importantly the short breaks won't cost the earth.
What is a holiday at home?
A holiday doesn’t have to be somewhere abroad, somewhere hot or somewhere popular where everyone else goes. A holiday is simply the experience of being away from your own home in a new place creating new experiences and memories. A break from everyday life can be equally as enjoyable whether it is on a beach in Ibiza or whether you’re in a log cabin next to Lake Windermere.
Holidays were always special as a kid and still are special for your kids when you go on holiday now. Lots of holiday parks in the UK have entertainment and games for kids to ensure that they enjoy the experience just as much as you do. Lets take a look at some UK holiday inspiration.
6 Cheap Holiday Ideas
Camping
If you want to experience nature in its rawest form then camping is one of the best holidays in the UK. It is one of the most affordable ways to go on holiday, with you only needing a tent and other supplies and sometimes paying a fee to set up your tent on the land you’re on.
Some of the best places to get your supplies if you want to go camping include GoOutDoors.co.uk and Millets. If you don’t know exactly what you need before you go camping you can find a checklist here which lists all the essentials you should be taking along with you on your camping trip.
Now you’ve got all of your equipment you’re going to want to know where exactly can you go camping. Visit CampingDirect.com which has over 5000 sites to compare across Europe. You can browse every campsite in the UK and can filter by how many people are going camping, what facilities you have at the camp site as well as how much it costs to pitch your tent there.
Glamping
Glamping is a new trend that is quickly gaining in popularity which simply translates to ‘glamorous camping’. Simply put this is the same as camping but with the additional facilities and luxuries that you couldn’t get camping in a tent. You’ll find yourself in similar surroundings however, you’ll usually be in a cabin or lodge that is free standing and self-contained and will usually have central heating meaning that you won’t be left out in the cold.
One of the best websites to start your search for your perfect glamping experience is to visit GoGlamping.net which allows you to search for glamping sites all across the UK. They also provide you with information such as:-
- Are campsites allowed?
- Is it dog friendly?
- Large groups allowed?
- Child Friendly?
- Does it have wheelchair access?
They also give you the price per night of each accommodation which can range from as little as £24 per night all the way up to £125 per night.
Holiday Parks & Caravanning
These types of holidays usually have everything you could ever need in one place. Holiday parks not only aim to give you the luxury caravan hire you want but all the facilities and amenities you could want whether that be leisure activities such as a swimming pool and kids play area, entertainment at night or a bar/restaurant to enjoy a bite to eat and a drink. There are some operators that specialise in just holiday parks you might have heard of such as Centerparcs, Haven, Park Dean Resorts and many more.
There are also websites that help you search for your perfect holiday park such as Hoseasons which list parks right across the UK and allow you to search by specifying how many people are going and for how many nights. Once you have a list of parks there you can then filter by if you want a beach nearby for example, or if there is a hot tub included with the property and to whether it is dog friendly. The prices per night for these holiday parks range from £33 per night (£99 for 3 nights) to £60 per night (£180 for 3 nights).
Wooden Cabins
Both of these types of accommodation are usually found in retreats right up and down the UK usually in rural areas of natural beauty such as the Highlands, the Cotswolds, Mid Wales, the Lake District and many more places. These lodges and cabins will have all the creature comforts you could possibly want including a log burner fire and an outdoor private hot tub as well as having all the modern necessities such as central heating and Wi-Fi inclusive.
The best way to find and book your ideal lodge or log cabin for your getaway is to start here . Not only do they have thousands of properties to choose from you can also search specifically for properties that are perfect for:
- Romantic (More Here)
- Dog friendly
- Fishing
- Spa Treatments
- Hen Parties
- Golf Breaks
The prices of lodges and log cabins typically can range from £87 per night all the way up to £1014 for the larger lodges.
Visiting Family Elsewhere
Some of us are not fortunate enough to have all of our family live in one location and so it can be few and far between that we get to visit these family members, and it’s not always viable to stay at that relative’s house. That’s why with so many lodges, cabins, and cottages being spread nearly everywhere around the UK there will always short holidays in the UK on the cards.
Hotels and Bed & Breakfasts
These are the perfect places to stay if you’re only staying somewhere for one night. If you’re on a city break in London or Manchester hotels are typically in the city centre meaning you have easy access to most of the city whether you’re there on business, on a night out or have just gone to do a bit of shopping. On the other side of the coin Bed & Breakfasts can be the perfect place to stay over a weekend in a place such as Blackpool for example that come at affordable prices and lie on the beachfront.
One of the best websites to compare hotels no matter where you’re going in the UK is Trivago which lists thousands of hotels in each city across the UK allowing you to compare prices and facilities available at the hotel. If you want a hot tub in your hotel it's here.
Hiring a Motorhome
One of the best ways to be in control of your destination and also explore freedom at its finest is by driving and staying in a motorhome. You can stay wherever you want whether it be down near the sea or deep in the heart of the Lake District, there are no limits or restrictions and the modern motorhomes come with an abundance of luxuries.
Campanda is one of the best websites if you’re looking to rent a motorhome. You can filter by how many people are going to be staying in the motorhome and what type of vehicle you want the motorhome to be.
Unusual UK Short Break Ideas
Walking holidays
More and more people are now more conscious of their physical health than ever before and so more and more people are doing more regular exercise. This is one of the main reasons why walking holidays have become so popular, with some of the more desirable walking routes in the UK becoming very in demand.
One of the best websites for if you’re interested in a walking holiday is Walks Worldwide which lets you choose walking routes from across Europe and further afield, as well as choosing whether you want it to be:-
- A Guided Walk
- Classic Route
- Cultural Discovery
- Point to Point
- Nature
- Short Breaks
- Coastal Walks
- Self Guided
- Centre Based
You can also choose what you want the walking grade to be, for example if you’re new to walking holidays you may prefer to choose easy or moderate as opposed to demanding and strenuous.
Fishing Holidays
Fishing is a lot more than a hobby for some people with some taking it seriously and entering competitions across the country, for some it’s a way of life, and yes for some it is simply a way to relax out in the sun and fresh air. All in all more and more people are fishing now than they ever have before and this has brought a demand for holidays revolved around fishing.
Park Dean Resorts specialise in fishing holidays at some of their fishing parks such as their flagship park White Acres located down in Cornwall that has an impressive 13 fishing lakes throughout the park with matches and competitions held all year round. Other popular fishing parks are Warmwell and Southview Holiday Park.
Holidays With Your Pet
One of the main advantages to having a holiday here in the UK is that it is a lot easier and also a lot cheaper to take your dog on holiday with you. Many cottages, log cabins and lodges across the UK allow guests staying there to bring well-behaved pets along with them. Most of the time you’ll find that these lodges and cottages are situated near beautiful nature trails and coastal paths that are the perfect place to walk your dog.
One website that specialises in properties that are dog friendly is Canine Cottages which have 2335 properties located right across the UK from the North of Scotland to the South of England. The costs of these accommodations per night can range from £43 to £64.
Horse Riding Holidays
Also rising in popularity are holidays centered around horse riding. This can either be a pastime for some people, a passion for others or a full time job for certain people. Horses have long had a close relationship with us as humans and these are more popular now than ever before. One website that specialises in horse riding holidays is Equestrian Escapes which runs through all of the horse riding holidays that are available in the UK.
Some of their featured horses riding holidays include the Flexible Beach Ride that costs from £395 per person and a Beach Ride in Cornwall that is £335 per person.
Adventure Holidays
Adventure breaks are one of the best fun weekends away. The term adventure holiday covers many different types of holidays, but it’s typically somewhere where you can experience something unusual or interesting. This can be a trip through a wildlife park or a safari. Exodus Travels is a website that covers all different types of adventure holidays whether you’re after:-
- A walking holiday
- A cycling holiday
- Mixed activities (Kayaking, Climbing, Rafting, Canyoning, Snorkeling and more)
- Winter Holidays (Winter Sports, Northern Lights, Skiing)
- Family Holidays
- Wildlife Holidays
Skiing Holidays
One of the most popular winter holidays as opposed to going abroad are skiing holidays. Some of the most popular Skiing resorts are mainly located in France and Switzerland as well as Austria and Italy. Not only do these places have some of the best ski slopes for visitors to tackle but also some of the best accommodation overlooking some of the most beautiful sites possible as well as vibrant nightlife.
The UK however also has some great options for skiing holidays at really affordable prices. Sites like skiresorts.info have some great option for skiing holidays in places like the Nevis Range and Glenshee with day ski passes from as little as 35 pounds per day and accommodation with breakfast in a hotel from as little as 500 pounds per week for two people sharing a twin room.
City Breaks
These types of breaks are perfect if you are wanting an affordable weekend away in a City. The good thing about City breaks is that you have everything you could possibly want to do within a short distance, whether you’ve gone to Manchester to shop for the weekend, whether you’re in London for business for a couple of days or if you’ve simply gone to Newcastle to enjoy a night out.
A recent study found that out of ten types of holiday taken in the last 12 months city breaks led the way with a staggering 53% of people saying that they had been on a city break exceeding beach holidays that were 41%.
There are many websites where you can browse the best deals for City Breaks including LastMinute.com and Thomas Cook or if you want to compare between City Break operators your best bet is Travel Supermarket.
Cost Comparison
With money being tighter than ever more and more people are weighing up what the cheapest option is when it comes to a holiday, especially if you’re taking the family with you. That’s why we’re going to look at how much a log cabin holiday would cost vs. a camping holiday. We’re going to base these prices on a holiday in the Lake District area of the country.
Log Cabin Holiday - We are going to look at Badgers Rest which is a log cabin at Limefitt Park in the Lake District. The lodge itself sleep 6 people. So 7 nights cost £560 in total. This cost is roughly around £80 per night, which is around £13 per person per night. The leisure facilities on site are free of charge and Wi-Fi and parking is also free of charge. The average expected amount of petrol used to and from the park would be roughly around £50 with another £100 being allocated for spending money at the pub in the local village for example.
All in all the total cost would be around £710 conservatively.
Camping – This may seem the cheaper option however when you go to a log cabin you have all the modern facilities whereas with a camping trip you’re totally self-sufficient so we’re going to break down just how much it would cost for you.
The cost of a family tent would be around £100-300 so we’re going to base an average of £200.
Sleeping bags can cost around £40 each so we’re going to say £160.
Stove/Grill would cost around £30.
Kitchenware, tables and chairs all in all would cost around £100.
Lighting would cost around £25.
The average cost of renting a pitch would come in at around £200.
All in all the total cost with equipment and the pitching rental would be over £700.
So with a log cabin costing £710 on average and camping costing around £700 there isn’t much difference between the two, however with each you can upgrade for example the log cabin or more expensive and robust equipment for camping.
What to do if you’re on a budget
Ideas for holiday take a little imagination especially if you are on a budget. There are plenty of ways to cut back money if you’re going camping. The first would be to shop around for the best deal when it comes to a tent.at Shops such as Millets and Go Outdoors. It’s also worth shopping around to see where the cheapest place is to rent a pitch as pitch operators will be competitive when it comes to pricing, or you can camp on public land where this is permitted and save yourself money. Do your research and include all the extras you may need and your spending money before you decide on the accommodation best suited to you.
Last Word
Hopefully we’ve covered everything you need to know when it comes to planning your holiday on a budget here in the UK including what different types of holidays there are and different types of accommodation to stay in. Wherever you end up going on holiday in the UK we do hope that you have a fantastic experience whether you’re with your partner, friends, family or even your family pet. Enjoy!