When can I book a cottage in the UK for a holiday?

Currently (May 2020) all holiday accommodation from cottages to campsites and even hotels are closed to paying guests except for the odd exceptions that are allowed to sleep people travelling for funerals or those identified by the government as “critical workers”. Every day there seems to be a story in the press of a hopeful couple turning up somewhere like the Cotswolds or the Peak District for an Airbnb booking! Yet the rules are pretty clear.

Travelling for day trips to the coast or countryside is now allowed in England (different rules for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) – staying overnight is still a no-no!

To the frustration of many in the hospitality industry, the government has not yet given any commitment to when restrictions will be lifted. “Baby steps” is what Boris said. Hospitality businesses were included in the “step three” of the government’s recovery strategy. No earlier than the 4th of July! Itching to get going many holiday accommodation providers have started taking bookings for dates after July 4. Many are offering the ability to change dates or give refunds should there be an extension or return of the lockdown.

With holidaying abroad looking complicated demand for cottage holidays is likely to be high. Savvy individuals are making bookings now in the hope that they will get away at some stage. Admin fees may be applied to discourage lots of speculative bookings.

Worth noting is that organisations are insisting that employees take their annual leave allowance – even if holiday plans have been cancelled. So, if the “R rate” stays below 1 and tourism is open up holiday accommodation will be at a premium.

Should I book a holiday cottage to social distance or self-isolate?

Tempting as it may be to ‘tough-out’ these extraordinary days in a rural idyll or by the bracing seaside really you shouldn’t! The chances are, if you are arriving from a larger town or city — especially London, what you’ll be bringing is germs. While some cottage owners were actively marketing their holiday accommodation as the perfect spot to avoid Covid-19, the local populations of areas such as Cornwall, North Wales and the Highlands are not happy. The pressure is being put on local services, and if people become ill, the NHS health care facilities will not be able to cope. And now we have been told to avoid all unnecessary travel!

Yet It will be tough financially for many holiday cottage owners. Easter usually is the start of the season with many places booked months in advance. Now it looks likely that many aren’t taking bookings until after 4th June 2020.

So booking a holiday cottage in the UK will be an excellent option for the future. Just not now. Please don’t travel unnecessarily — losing out on a holiday is better than risking lives!

Photo Nickolay Romensky from London, UK

No pet passport? Not a problem with a dog-friendly cottage holidays

Why not holiday with your pet in the UK next year?

It could be a safer bet than planning a trip abroad. It could become more complicated, and more expensive to take your pet on holiday in Europe if we leave the EU without a deal. The current Pet Passport Scheme will no longer exist. The Government advice, for those wishing to travel to the EU is to contact a vet at least 4 months prior to travel. This is to ensure time for all the necessary blood tests and vaccinations. So, for those looking for an Easter break with the dog, it could mean a trip to Cornwall instead of Calvados! Subject to the result of the General Election.

It’s not all bad though; in the UK there are plenty of cottages that welcome pets. They do fill up quickly so book early is our advice.

Here are our Top 10 things to consider when taking your pet on holiday:

1/ You save on kennel/cattery fees – costs are around £12 – £18 per day. Dog sitters charge even more. Over a week the savings could go towards meals out or a cottage with a hot tub!

2/ Is your pet a good traveller? A long car journey is stressful enough without a howling dog in the back or a cat that is sick the moment you leave home! Take water with you, and stop for a break every few hours to let pets relieve themselves!

3/ Are dogs allowed on nearby beaches? Seasonal bans exist in some areas, so it’s always worth checking. A surprising number of beaches in Cornwall do allow dogs.

4/ Are there good walks close by? Are there parks or fields to exercise your pet in?

5/ Does the cottage have a garden? Or is there an accessible space to let the dog out?

6/ Remember to take poo bags, collar, lead, treats, bedding, crate, towels, bowls, food, balls, and toys. …and a tick remove!

7/ Is your pet microchipped? Do they have a nametag with your correct contact details? It’s useful to use your mobile phone number.

8/ What are the wet weather options? Are there pet-friendly attractions nearby? A cottage, lodge or even a caravan definitely has the advantage over a tent. Camping with wet dogs is not fun!

9/ Check flea and worm treatments are up to date.

10/ Is your pet able to be left alone for short periods? Or will it bark and disturb others? Is it house-trained?

Other factors to consider, if you’re planning on taking your dog away with you, are:

How do they cope with other dogs, new situations or crowds of people. Can they relax on the beach? Does the presence of young children running about, or people playing Frisbee, over-excite them? How do they cope in the heat? Can you provide shade for them?

That said, there are many benefits in having your pet with you; the cost saving is just one. Above all it is fun! Dogs are great for getting reluctant children out walking. In England and Wales, we are fortunate to have a fantastic network of public footpaths. In Scotland, there are plenty of wonderful lochs, forests, and glens to explore.

Nearly 55,000-holiday properties in, or around 70,000 locations

At Cottage World you can easily find cottages that allow pets. It’s simple to find the right destination with over 70,000 locations listed. For example, if you are want to stay near a National Trust or English Heritage attraction, or close to a specific city, town or village you can use our extensive ‘search’ facility, and then select your ‘must have’ options. Want a log cabin in the New Forest that sleeps 6 and welcomes pets? Or a cottage in the Lake District that allows dogs and has a hot tub? We’ve got them listed!

Over 15500 Pet-Friendly Holidays in the UK and Ireland

So, if your usual destination is the Dordogne with the dog, why not opt for the delights of Devon instead; you can avoid the stress and expense of visits to the vet. Forget ‘what if we leave without a deal?’ and give yourself some certainty! Summer 2018 was a scorcher; staying in the UK was a great choice. If you want the pick of the best pet-friendly accommodation in the UK, the golden rule is to “book early” as Fred Pontin famously used to say!

Here’s a roundup of Cottage Agents offer pages…

“3 killer questions” to ask before booking your next Cottage Holiday

Here’s taster of our guide…

The first rule of holiday cottages – Price is not a good guide to quality!

The price you pay is mainly about the size of the cottage, where it is, and how popular the time of year is. So a four-bedroomed cottage in Cornwall in August will cost at least three times more than a two-bedroom cottage in Herefordshire in May. But the cheaper cottage may be much nicer inside. The truth is that a cottage in Cornwall will let for the summer holidays regardless of how tired it may be inside, because lots of people are looking for big places for a family holiday.

Quality schemes don’t help much.

I have seen an owner moving furniture out of a holiday cottage with his son. When I asked why, he told me “The tourist board inspector is due round this afternoon, and we always put the furniture out of our house in for him, because it’s much nicer”. A quality inspection is once every year or second year, so don’t rely on it for reassurance.

Pictures only tell part of the story.

Clever use of a long lens can make a beach appear to be right outside the window of your cottage. Only when you get there do you discover the camera angle has shielded the road / rubbish tip / impassable cliff between you and the golden sands. Google Maps on “satellite” view can be very helpful for getting the lie of the land.

Is the price really the price?

Check what is included and what may be extra. This varies with different cottage agencies, with some seeming to make charges for everything. Items to check include booking fees, credit card charges, bed linen, fuel, electricity, and charges for pets.

Like to know more? Download our FREE Cottage Holiday Guide, giving you expert tips on how to find the best holiday cottage for you, and those “3 killer questions” to ask before booking.

How to find value in your cottage holiday

If you have a choice between two items, and one costs twice as much as the other, it’s a fair bet that the more expensive one will be better / nicer / trendier.

The world of cottage rental, as usual, has different rules.

It is perfectly feasible to walk into a cottage for which you have paid say £400 for a week and go “Wow, Fabulous!” and spend 5 minutes in a cottage costing twice as much and wonder about going home. So how do you get the best value from a holiday cottage.

The three key factors in understanding the price of a cottage are location, size and date

These things come way ahead of quality of furnishings. To take an extreme example, a 5 bedroom cottage on a Cornish beach in August could probably sell out 30 times over. So how concerned will the owners be about making sure evreything is perfect? They might, but they don’t really need to in order to get more bookings.

There are 13 weeks of school holidays a year, compared to 39 weeks which are not school holidays. If you are tied to school holidays for your cottage you already know you will be paying a price premium. Many people believe this is unjust, but it is just market reality – lots more people want those few weeks, so the price goes up. The best value is often Whit week, at the end of May / beginning of June. Days are long, prices are lower than high season, and the weather can be lovely.

Cottage size matters!

Size of property is tricky to change as it is probably determined by your party. Bigger properties tend to drop the most in price outside school holidays, as families can’t travel then. So three couples splitting the cost of a large cottage can get a real bargain.

Gorgeous Cottages have a range of large luxury holiday homes that are perfect for a special celebration. Brass Castle – prices start at £2450 or a short break at this wow-factor 6 bedroom property which has a hot tub, games room and even a tennis court. Skylark – A 6-bedroom property that’s right in the centre of the North York Moors. It’s elevated position means stunning views and the interiors are just as good. Prices start at £1650 Gilling Lodge – This stunning Georgian Manor House has grand interiors (including a sweeping cantilever staircase), gorgeous grounds and sleeps up to 16 people. Prices start at £1490

What’s the most effective way of saving money on your cottage holiday?

Go where fewer people want to go – not because these places are unattractive, but because people have not heard of them. By and large people don’t take a lot of holidays, so they aren’t familiar with all of the options available to them. Most people have heard of Newquay, but how many have heard of Embleton? (It’s in Northumberland, and features as the backdrop to ITV’s “Vera” detective series). Snowdonia is rightly famous, but the Malvern Hills rise spectacularly out of a flat plain, and provide wonderful views on both sides while walking along the ridge. By definition, fewer people visit less-known places, so cottage owners generally try hard to bring them back by keeping standards very high.

So our advice is, start from what you like in a holiday cottage, whether it’s wifi or an open fire (or both) and put those into the CottageWorld search Don’t go through the results to find a location you have heard of – look at all of them. Lower Slaughter might be just the place for you, despite the off-putting name (it’s a gorgeous village in the Cotswolds). And it’s the places people haven’t heard of where the real bargains lie.

Happy hunting!