Top Staycation Ideas for a UK Holiday

The United Kingdom is packed with fantastic holiday destinations, a fact supported by the +15million tourists who holidayed in the UK in 2018. With travel abroad becoming increasingly complex and restricted, now is the time to make the most of what the UK has to offer.

So here’s our guide to some of the top staycation spots for a UK holiday, including some handy links to the relevant tourist information to check before you travel.
If you're planning on camping, we've also included some of the top campsites in each region; if you're new to camping or looking to refresh your kit, check out our guide to the best tents for families, festivals and travelling.

STAYCATIONS IN ENGLAND

Isle of Wight

A classic British holiday destination, the Isle of Wight is a great choice for walking holidays, with dramatic cliffs to explore and photogenic harbour towns to visit.

The award-winning beaches of Shanklin, Ventnor and Sandown should be top of your list for a beach holiday or try Brightstone, Shalcombe or Mottistone for the heart of the Isle of Wight’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

If you’re travelling by car then there’s not really a bad place to stay as the island’s relatively small size makes it easy to explore.

For top campsites on the Isle of Wight, click here and please check the latest tourism information for the Isle of Wight before your travel.

Cornwall

You can’t have a UK staycation list without including Cornwall, or Kernow as the locals call it. As well as an ancient history and strong sense of heritage, Cornwall is home to some of the UK’s best beaches and iconic surf spots.

You’ve probably heard of St Ives, but the coastline is littered with similarly beautiful seaside villages, as well as the larger towns of Newquay and Falmouth, and no staycation to Cornwall would be complete without a visit the UK’s most southern point at Land’s End.

You’re spoilt for choice for coastal campsites in Cornwall too, which you can see here. 

Check the latest tourist information for Cornwall here.

Devon

Cornwall rarely gets a mention without Devon getting in on the act, and it’s not surprising when you consider it’s the home of the ‘English Riviera’ of Torbay. But unlike Cornwall’s more village centred life, Devon also has the bigger towns of Exeter and Torquay, and the wider range of accommodation choices they bring.

Hikers can walk both the north and south coast lines of Devon, connected via Cornwall by the 630mile South West Coastal Path, a National Trail and England’s longest waymarked footpath. There are also the extensive moors of Dartmoor and Exmoor to explore if a coastal staycation isn’t your priority.

There is an abundance of places to stay, from the village of Croyde to the seaside resort of Lyme Regis, and plenty of top campsites to consider.

Click here for the latest tourist information before you travel to Devon.

The Lake District

The Lake District is made up of 16 bodies of water, as well as England’s tallest mountain, Scaffell Pike. So if it’s walking and hiking that you’re after, this is a stunning place to get into it.

The Lakes have plenty of accommodation options across the many towns and villages, as well as some of the UK’s best campsites. It can be hard to narrow the list down but you can start with the top 10 here.

The latest travel advice and tourist information for The Lake District can be found here.

STAYCATIONS IN SCOTLAND & WALES

North Wales

North Wales is home to one of the UK’s top national parks in Snowdonia as well as holiday spots ranging from the beaches of Colwyn Bay to the largest zipline in Europe.

There are also watersports opportunities a plenty, with artificial waves at Surf Snowdonia and wakeboarding in Conwy.

If you’re planning to climb Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales, then Dolgellau is a good base for your stay. Llandudno and Conwy are more traditional holiday hotspots, with the latter the more picturesque.

For camping, check out the top campsites in North Wales here.

Latest info from the Welsh travel board is available here, please be aware that at the time of writing the advice is not to travel to Wales unnecessarily.

Scottish Highlands

The Cairngorms in the Highlands is Britain’s biggest national park, home to Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis, and the famous lake of Loch Ness. On top of that are numerous historical sites and castles to visit.

Campers are spoilt for choice, with legal wild camping available on most unenclosed land in Scotland, just make sure to stick to the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. If you’re after something more structured there are plenty of campsites to choose from.

For a stay near the mountains, look at Fort William near Ben Nevis or Aviemore in the Cairngorms. Drumnadrochit is worth a look on Loch Ness and then there’s the whole island of Skye to explore.

For the latest tourist information go to Visit Scotland before you travel.