Research by Which? Travel has found that there are tens of thousands of holiday cottages still available - and you could save a bundle by avoiding the UK’s most popular regions. A family of four will typically save £250 by choosing a self-catering holiday in the Peak District over the Lake District.
We’ve compared over 25,000 listings from the UK’s biggest holiday cottage providers to reveal the best-value locations.
Where are the cheapest holiday cottages for Easter?
Shropshire is the least expensive place for an Easter cottage break. The average price of a week’s stay in a property sleeping up to six people is £657 - nearly £300 less than in the Lake District. Visitors can hike up the Shropshire Hills, amble along the River Severn and meander around the medieval alleys of Shrewsbury.
If you’re after wilder hills, the Peak District is cheaper than many tourist hotspots: you’ll typically pay £666 for a week’s stay.
Herefordshire, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Lancashire also have below-average prices.
In Scotland, the Scottish Borders is the best-value destination with decent availability. Only a short hop from Edinburgh, it has plenty to offer - from castles and ruined abbeys to Berwickshire’s craggy coastline. A week’s stay costs £697 - £200 less than the average price in Fife.
The cheapest place for a cottage holiday in Wales is Camarthenshire, which stretches from the south coast to the Brecon Beacons.
Which areas have the best holiday cottage availability for Easter?
There are over 25,000 cottages to choose from for the week before Easter, including more than 2,500 in both Cornwall and Devon.
Yorkshire has by far the most choice, with over 2,400 cottages available for the first week of the Easter school holidays.
You’re also spoilt for choice in Dorset, Norfolk and Cumbria, which all had over 1,000 holiday cottages available when we checked.
Where are the most expensive places for an Easter cottage break?
If you’d like to spend Easter hiking up the Lake District’s sheep-nibbled fells, you’ll typically pay a premium. Cumbria’s national park is currently the priciest place for a self-catering break - £954 for a week in a cottage sleeping up to six.
The average price of a seven-night stay is also more than £900 in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, Fife and Suffolk.
Coastal regions are generally more expensive, but you can save money by booking a cottage inland. Analysing one provider’s prices, we found that the average price of a cottage on the Suffolk coast was over £200 more than a rural location. In neighbouring Norfolk, coastal cottages with the same provider were £100 more than its rural properties.
The priciest tourist hotspots this Easter
undefinedWhat is the average price of a holiday cottage at Easter?
We’ve also calculated the average price of a week’s stay for a couple and families. A couple will typically pay £634 for a holiday cottage this Easter, while a family of six will be charged around £400 more.
Cottages sleeping eight or more are in short supply and expensive. Big families and groups may save money by booking two smaller cottages instead.
Our research
We gathered prices for a week’s stay in 25,408 cottages of all sizes in England, Scotland and Wales from 3 April 2023 from Cottages.com, Holidaycottages.co.uk and Sykes. We’ve only included regions with at least 100 cottages sleeping up to six people available.
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/cheap-easter-holiday-cottages-asTkH1B9o7ED