Over the summer peak, being savvy about where in the UK to holiday can mean fewer crowds and better value. Even following weeks of disappointing weather, hotel prices in hot spots such as Cornwall will reach an average of £205 a night in August, according to hospitality data intelligence service Lighthouse.
But elsewhere, there are bargains to be found. And, following a recent IT meltdown that caused tens of thousands of flight delays globally, more Britons may be encouraged to seek a last-minute holiday on home soil – especially given another heatwave may be on the horizon.
The South West is the most in-demand place for UK getaways this summer, according to VisitBritain’s latest Domestic Sentiment Tracker, published last week. Northern Ireland ranks lowest, followed by the North East and the West Midlands.
It was a similar pattern for trips taken in 2023, both by domestic and international visitors. The survey also shows that mountains and hills are most overlooked between July and September, followed by rural coastline, as opposed to seaside resorts, meaning uncrowded beaches are a possibility.
Pricing data from accommodation specialists, meanwhile, indicates affordable options for places brimming with holiday potential, such as Wales and Newcastle and the surrounding areas.
Here are less obvious places to focus a search for a last-minute, cost-effective and appealing break…
Coastal wonders
Mid and North Wales
Wales was the second-least visited UK region by overseas tourists last year, according to VisitBritain, with 350,000 international visits between July and September, even though it offers knockout scenery and adventure activities.
Camping and holiday park booking website Pitchup says Mid Wales is among its least-booked UK regions. Yet the area received its highest average customer reviews in 2023 and is priced below the national average. Beach lovers can discover quiet coves or head to buzzy Aberystwyth, which also has a heritage railway.
Walkers can enjoy the Ceredigion Coast Path or Cambrian Mountains (less busy than the Bannau Brycheiniog/Brecon Beacons). Dolphin-spotting in Cardigan Bay could prove a holiday highlight.
Pitchup customer favourite Sychpwll Centre, in Powys, has pitches from £26 a night for two adults, pitchup.com.
Hoseasons, which offers different types of holiday accommodation across the UK, suggests North Wales for good value. Based at Conwy, near Eryri National Park (Snowdonia), visitors can tackle Cader Idris or Pen y Fan, visit castles or kayak and paddleboard on Llyn Tegid (Lake Bala). A two-night stay for two people costs from £203 in August at Rwst Holiday Lodges, hoseasons.co.uk.
(Photo: C T Aylward/Getty/Moment RF/AKNOWLES)
Cheaper city bases
Newcastle
The North East is the least-visited English region, with 15.4m fewer overnight visits last year than the South East (excluding London).
Hotels in Newcastle cost an average £90.68 a night in August, according to Lighthouse; around £15–£20 less than Liverpool and Manchester. Doubles at four-star, waterfront Innside by Meliá start at £61 in August, melia.com.
Newcastle is packed with attractions, as well as Novum, a multi-arts festival taking place from 8-11 August with everything from DJs to breakdancers (novumnewcastle.com). Nearby beaches include Whitley Bay and Tynemouth, where dune-backed Longsands Beach is a favourite among surfers. Further north, the Northumberland Coast National Landscape is a quiet wonderland.
Newcastle is also well placed for trips to Alnwick Castle, featured in the Harry Potter films, cathedral city Durham and Darlington’s impressive new engineering museum, Hopetown.
Carlisle
Though the North West is significantly busier than the North East, Carlisle is a canny base, with August lets coming in at an average £86 a night, according to short-term rental statistics company KeyData. The city has a castle and cathedral and is close to Unesco-listed Hadrian’s Wall.
Take a day trip into the Lake District, where the north and west are quieter than honeypots such as Windermere. The edge of the national park is around 35 minutes’ drive from the city, and quieter Bassenthwaite around 45 minutes’ drive.
The Turret at Hadrian’s Wall barn conversion near Carlisle costs from £470 for two for a week in August, holidaycottages.co.uk.
Beaches and filming locations
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland was the least-planned summer UK trip in VisitBritain’s Domestic Sentiment Tracker. It has around 4.5 million combined domestic and international visits a year, according to Tourism Ireland – as many as South East England (excluding London) receives from overseas tourists alone.
Yet it has plenty to offer beyond the obvious highlights of the Giant’s Causeway and Belfast. Tourism Ireland recommends the quaint town of Strangford, which has nearby beaches, seal-spotting opportunities, lough scenery and access to Game of Thrones filming location Castle Ward.
It also suggests Ballycastle for a lively pub music scene and puffin and seal boat trips or Castlerock for a great beach, National Trust site Mussenden Temple and half-hour train access to Derry/Londonderry.
Northern Ireland is another of Pitchup’s least-booked regions, with the bonus of 16 per cent lower fees than the UK average. Prices start at £20 a night for up to six people sharing an electric-optional tent pitch or from £30 for a fully serviced motorhome pitch at Watertop Farm in County Antrim, near Ballycastle Beach.
National parks & stately homes
Central England
Lesser-visited over summer according to VisitBritain, Central England is also good value. Derby, with its attractive cathedral quarter, is a bargain at an average £71 a night for holiday lets, according to KeyData, and is well placed for exploring the Peak District.
Head to market town Bakewell for a traditional pudding (precursor to the famous tart), art-stuffed stately home Chatsworth or the National Trust’s Lyme House, setting of Colin Firth’s lake dive in the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice adaptation from the nineties.
Stoke-on-Trent is an average £102 a night for holiday lets – lower than most tourist hubs over the school summer holidays. Besides its famous potteries’ visitor experiences, the city is handy for historic gardens and Alton Towers.
Warwickshire, home to Stratford-upon-Avon and event-packed Warwick Castle, has among the lowest average prices on accommodation site Sawday’s. A night in a secluded shepherd’s hut for two with bathtubs, swimming pond and sauna at Hill Farm Glamping costs from £125 next month, canopyandstars.co.uk.
Alternative Scotland
East Lothian & Dumfries and Galloway
Scotland is popular; 2022 VisitScotland data showed the Highlands, Edinburgh and the Lothians, Glasgow and the Clyde Valley collectively attracted 10 million of its annual 16.5 million overnight visits.
The capital is an average £257 a night for a holiday rental this summer, and during the Fringe arts festival an eye-watering £362 in a hotel.
VisitScotland suggests considering East Lothian, following the coastal trail from Musselburgh, taking in the Scottish Seabird Centre and Lobster Shack at North Berwick, and Seacliff Beach, overlooked by Tantallon Castle ruins.
The Dolphin Inn at Dunbar, which includes a self-catering kitchen, has double rooms from £70 a night and family rooms from £80 in late August, dolphindunbar.com.
Alternatively, VisitScotland recommends Dumfries and Galloway for sandy beaches and attractions including Galloway Red Deer Range, Grey Mare’s Tail waterfall and Moat Brae house and gardens, JM Barrie’s childhood inspiration for Peter Pan.
Notably, further north, Aberdeen is the lowest-priced of Scotland’s major city bases, with an average summer rental of £100 a night and £103.50 for a hotel in August.
Go East
Norfolk and Suffolk
The East of England receives around 11.2 million annual visits compared with the South West’s 18.3 million.
With miles of wide, sandy beaches, you are bound to find space to spread out on the Norfolk coast. For canny pricing, consider Norwich, a city less popular with international tourists, as a base. Holiday lets here are £115 average a night this summer, says KeyData, yet it is the most complete medieval city in the country, and it has beaches within easy reach. For a traditional resort feel, Great Yarmouth averages £133 a night for holiday lets.
A boating holiday on the Norfolk Broads may be pricey, but they are easily visited from Norwich. The royal retreat of Sandringham and UK’s first beer spa at Norfolk Mead, are among other attractions.
Suffolk, which shares the Broads, has been one-time home and influence for John Constable, George Orwell… and Ed Sheeran. Highlights include the village of Lavenham, boating through Constable country, long beaches and curious military site-turned-nature reserve Orford Ness.
A week’s self-catering in the Garden Wing at Redisham Hall, near Beccles, costs £1,100 for four in August, durrantsholidaycottages.co.uk.
Cotswolds Dupe
Somerset
Instead of the touristy Cotswolds, Hoseasons suggests heading to Somerset, which has similarly rolling hills, historic sites and picturesque villages.
Attractions include Glastonbury’s Abbey and Tor, the bird-rich Somerset Levels, and the caves, cliff paths and activities of Cheddar Gorge.
The county also offers a south-western swap for crowded Cornwall, with KeyData placing a night’s holiday let in North Somerset at an average £129 this summer compared with Cornwall’s £191.
St Audries Bay near Minehead has beach access and an indoor pool. A three-night stay in a lodge for up to four costs from £299 in August with Hoseasons.