Research by Which? Travel has found there are still thousands of holiday cottages available in August - and you could save a fortune by avoiding the most popular regions.
A cottage holiday in the cheapest region of England, Scotland and Wales - Durham/Tyne & Wear - costs a whopping £500 less on average than a week in the most expensive - Cornwall.
We’ve crunched the numbers on nearly 10,000 one, two and three-bedroom properties still available to rent this August from the UK’s biggest holiday cottage providers. Here we reveal the best-value locations.
Where are the cheapest holiday cottages this summer?
The area around Durham and Tyne and Wear is the cheapest last-minute destination for a holiday cottage - at just £544 on average. And if you’re looking for a one-bedroom cottage, that average price drops to just £422.
Staffordshire, Lincolnshire and Lancashire also offer average prices of under £600 per week in one of the busiest weeks of the year for holiday rentals.
Ayrshire and Arran is Scotland’s cheapest region - with plenty of properties available at £602 on average. That’s £207 cheaper than Perthshire at the other end of the scale (£809 per week).
And Mid Wales is the cheapest Welsh destination, with cottages available at £678 - that’s nearly £300 cheaper than the tourist hotspot of Snowdonia (£968 per week).
The cheapest last-minute holiday cottage destinations in England, Scotland and Wales
Where are the most expensive destinations for a summer cottage break?
August is peak season for holiday cottages in the UK, so it’s no wonder that the overall average price for England, Scotland and Wales is £794 per week.
But you’ll pay even more of a premium for Cornwall and Dorset in England, and Snowdonia in Wales. See below.
The priciest tourist hotspots for a last-minute holiday cottage this summer
How to save money on a last-minute cottage break
There are plenty of tricks to bring prices down, such as shopping around different sites, going to the owner’s own website direct, and playing around with different check-in days and durations.
But by far the most effective is to be flexible on location. Sometimes you can save a packet just by staying a few miles down the road. Here are three of the most-economic destination swaps:
Cumbria vs the Lake District
A staggering 16 million people are drawn to the glorious mountains and glassy lakes of the Lake District national park every year. And cottage prices are high - £776 per week on average. But stay in the same county - Cumbria - but outside the boundaries of the national park and you’ll save £123.
Devon vs Cornwall
Despite overcrowded beaches and gridlocked roads, Cornwall remains one of the most visited and fashionable regions in the UK, with prices to match. But savvy travellers should head to neighbouring Devon, with equally beautiful beaches and historic harbour towns. It’s £154 cheaper on average.
Norfolk vs Suffolk
The East Anglian counties both offer enormous skies, unspoiled coastline and pretty thatched villages - but when it comes to cottages Norfolk is much cheaper. You’ll pay £184 more on average to stay in Suffolk.
Which areas have last-minute deals on cottages?
Even at this late stage our data tells us that you can save money on cottages. Prices have come down overall since we first started analysing prices in early June and some regions have seen some deep discounting for last-minute properties.
In North Wales, where there are still hundreds of cottages available, there has been an 11% reduction in prices. When we first looked in early June the average holiday cottage cost was £889. It’s now £789. Those who held their nerve will be £100 better off.
In Aberdeenshire, prices have dropped by 14%. Booking last-minute will save you £94 per week on average.
And even some tourist hotspots like Devon and the Cotswolds have seen a 10% reduction in prices in the last two months.
Where are the cheapest cottages with hot tubs?
Cottages with hot tubs are in high demand, so it’s always best to book early if you want to bag one. In the last two months availability has plummeted to 42%, and the average price has gone up to £997 per week.
Only three regions - Cornwall, Devon and Yorkshire - have a decent number of one, two or three-bed cottages with hot tubs still available.
Of these Yorkshire is the cheapest. The average weekly rental price is £925. That’s £122 cheaper than Devon, and £439 per week less than Cornwall.
Where are the cheapest big holiday cottages for large groups?
The best big properties for large family groups or special occasions also get booked up quickly, but we found there is still availability if you know where to look.
When we compared prices of houses with four or more bedrooms, the priciest region was Dorset, where you’ll pay £3,595 per week. But there are six regions (see below) with good availability, where you’ll pay below the overall weekly average of £2,338.
Our research
We’ve only included regions with at least 30 cottages still available across the three companies. There was in insufficient data to include Northern Ireland.
source https://www.which.co.uk/news/article/cheap-last-minute-holiday-cottage-destinations-ap9xW9m4q4bc