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I'm back in the UK with the family over the summer for 7 weeks. Going to be doing some house sits but will have a bit of free time to fill and no permanent accommodation.
Somewhere like the Lakes is perfect in theory but suffers from being too busy, "been there done that", and is very over-priced because of desirability.
So my question is: Where in the UK is there lovely countryside, with a few nice towns/villages nearish, and is a bit of a hidden gem, where it would be reasonable to hire a house for a couple of weeks?
Anywhere in tourist areas will not be cheap to rent in the summer holidays, people want to make decent money out of their holiday homes then. You might find some good deals inland a few miles from Pembrokeshire coastline, which is a wonderful area.
Dumfries and Galloway - hills, beaches, forests, ace.
Northumbria / Borders - small villages, hills, forests.
Fife - beaches, hills, views of chemical plants, but a rather good spot
Angus - see above, beaches, proper mountains nearby, kind of 'in between', but ace.
Anywhere in tourist areas will not be cheap to rent in the summer holidays, people want to make decent money out of their holiday homes then
Absolutely, we're trying to avoid those types of area this summer.
Good suggestions, thanks, it's all about narrowing down that airbnb search....
Matt: You like your countryside in the colder part of the country, don't you!
Any specific towns or villages to aim for chaps?
We are very fond of Vale of Glamorgan. Especially Monknash where there is a splendid pub - Plough & Harrow - and gorgeous deserted beach.
You can get places nearby - Southerndown, Ewenny, the lighthouse at St Donats.
Absolutely, we’re trying to avoid those types of area this summer.
But they are the nicest places to visit! No point in going somewhere that isn't very nice, when we have such a wonderful coastline in the west. I'd search holiday cottages online and see what you can get for your money.
Pembrokeshire
Gower Peninsular
Isle of Purbeck
Devon obviously
Cornwall even more obviously
Look at the more 'forgotten' rural counties, like Shropshire, Herefordshire, Wiltshire etc. Some beautiful countryside, pretty villages and towns and without the tourist premium .
For lakes just get out to the edges, Cockermouth and around the wasdale end will be a lot quieter and all of the good stuff is there.
Herefordshire and Shropshire are nice. Depends on what you like. I'd be somewhere like Machynlleth or Dolgellau, cos I like mountains.
Rent nearby, walk or cycle to Dolgellau, by car visit Mach, Aberdovey, Castell y Bere, Cader Idris, the Blue Lake and mines, Cregennen.
I'm not sure the last time you went to Barmouth, but it's levels of charm have reduced somewhat since that poster was designed
We juts had a week outside of Haverfordwest.
Lovely part of the world.
Amazing Coastlines ( all 3 of them) Ace beaches, quiet roads, great pubs.
Whats not to love?
I really enjoyed my trip to the quantocks / somerset last year people tend to overlook it for devon and Cornwall . However North Wales never seems to be too busy and coast is nice around abersoch.
Obviously both location are great for riding.
If you're still around in September (it's booked throughout summer already), you'll do well to better this for a location:
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays/the-old-rectory-wales
Mournes area in Northern Ireland.
If you’re still around in September (it’s booked throughout summer already), you’ll do well to better this for a location:
That used to be booked up years in advance. Some funny stories about that place. It's supposed to be haunted (of course!) but the current location of the village isn't where it originally was - I seem to remember it being covered by sand or washed away, so plenty of scope for supposedly haunted areas. Occasionally Spanish doubloons would be washed up, with suggestions that a ship from the Spanish armada was wrecked somewhere near, and there was also a Whisky Galore type episode where a shipwreck was 'liberated' of its alcohol.
Anglesey?
Some fantastic suggestions. Thanks everyone.
Look at the more ‘forgotten’ rural counties, like Shropshire, Herefordshire, Wiltshire
Yes, this is what I'm looking at - "forgotten counties for holidays" would have been a better thread title!
We juts had a week outside of Haverfordwest.
Good shout, thanks.
Vale of Glamorgan.
Empty beaches and countryside sounds spot on and out of the way, cheers.
Erm, my only recollection of Barmouth was a static home holiday when I was 14. It certainly didn't look like that... .
Hire a narrow boat? Take it where you like for a fortnight, not necessarily cheap though.
Where in the UK is there lovely countryside
France.
Another vote for the Gower Peninsula, really lovely part of the world
Expanding on Matt's Fife suggestion, any of the towns/villages between Crail & Lower Largo.
Hire a narrow boat? Take it where you like for a fortnight, not necessarily cheap though.
Good thinking, but not ideal with a toddler!
France
Is very lovely, and was lovely for 4 weeks last summer, but blighty it is this year!
Gower Peninsula
On the list...
Wiltshire etc. Some beautiful countryside, pretty villages and towns and without the tourist premium .
Are you sure about that? What with Salisbury, Stonehenge, Avebury, Lacock, Castle Combe and a few other places... I live in North Wilts, so know how busy it can get.
The centre of Salisbury Plain is generally fairly empty of emmets, but the Western edge is Cotswold country, although the very southern edge puts you within reach of the coast, but the roads are narrow and winding, traffic slow, and overtaking opportunities few and far between. I’d be looking at Dorset, maybe the South Hams area of Devon, which has some lovely, fairly quiet spots around Start Bay, or maybe look further round to East Prawle.
Porlock, wortleberry jam, Exmoor and St Austell beers, coast walks, hill walks and not as touristy as Minehead.
Dorset
Pembroke, actually quite a lot of Wales
Not Cornwall, Devon, or the lakes
France is nice but you are selling us a little short there
North Wiltshire is Cotswolds, so extra expensive unless it is near Swindon.
I sure there is somewhere suitable in the rest of Wiltshire, but it does tend to be a mix of either faaaaarms as far as you can see, insular communities, or money. I reckon somewhere down in the sw might be cool but not found it.
OK so why cant you just copy an paste a bit of text into a reply until you have typed something!!
The centre of Salisbury Plain is generally fairly empty of emmets
Are you from Cornwall Count Zero?
Matt: You like your countryside in the colder part of the country, don’t you!
They grow palm trees in parts of Galloway!
Barmouth area is a great call. Fabulous place.
I'm also going to call Eden Valley - nice villages, lovely hills, half empty.
They grow palm trees in parts of Galloway
They manage to grow palm trees in parts of Galloway. I've got palm trees in my back garden but I'm thinking the climate is slightly different!
Eden Valley... Having a look.
Northumberland is beautiful. Bamburgh castle, Alnwick castle etc. Great beaches! Spent many happy holidays there as a kid.
Just come to Blackpool. You'll find a cheap house and the lakes is only up the road 😅
Northumberland is beautiful. Bamburgh castle, Alnwick castle etc. Great beaches! Spent many happy holidays there as a kid.
Naa, the place is rammed full, even in July.
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Cornwall, It's the future. Go there. 😉
Exmoor (specifically linmouth) spent an excellent week there last summer. Very quiet (except for loads of Dutch camper vans???) , properly properly good.
Brecon beacons, black mountains area, also excellentet, quiet but lots and lots to do.
Forest of bowland also, but it's really very very quiet. Better if you just want some peace from everything / everyone
Ps I found Gower good but overpriced due to ease of travelling from London I guess.
Also a big yes to Barmouth..I'm in harlech just up the road writing this (on holiday) and it's great around here
I’m not sure the last time you went to Barmouth, but it’s levels of charm have reduced somewhat since that poster was designed
Hmm, haven't been to the Barmouth area for at least five years. It's probably changed beyond recognition. I'll be giving it a miss then.
*edit. Yep, virtually unrecognisable 😫😉
**double-edit. Arghhhh they turned the old railway to Dolgellau into a cycle path now. Ok. That's sealed it. #nevergoback
Barmouth hasn’t changed at all since that poster was designed.
I spent four months working in Fairbourne, at the other end of Barmouth bridge in that pic, 20 years ago. Still daily the fools in the village shop would greet me in Welsh, making me apologise and ask them to speak English. It's the only time I've ever run into nasty Nationalism. Bizzare.
Fairbourne is essentially the Welsh Royston Vasey
Still daily the fools in the shop would greet me in Welsh
That happened to us in France. And more than once, I can tell you. Except they did that same thing yet in French. I knew that they were able to greet me English, but they obv wanted for me to look stupid. Was I going to mumble 'bonjour, ça va'? Er, no. Nasty business. I won't be going back.
People in their own country speaking their own languages?
The world is going to the dogs, it really is...
*or perhaps they kept saying good morning to you in the local language so you might, you know, learn something and maybe even try to integrate into the community a little?
I did learn enough Welsh, I could greet and comment on the weather etc, thanks to the 80 year old centre cook who taught me. They would deliberately carry on asking more in Welsh and more. Even other centre staff (Welsh) would comment about the shop owners behaviour...
As I said, only time ever, the rest of Wales and the world is welcoming...
Had a great weeks holiday a couple of years ago in llanbedr, between Barmouth and Harlech. I think if you go even more mid Wales it will be much quiter
Wylye/Nadder/Chalke Valleys in Wiltshire.
http://www.discoverchalkevalley.org.uk/
http://www.discovernadder.org.uk/
I would pick somewhere dry.
Can't believe how many people like Barmouth.
We had a long weekend there 18 months ago,ended up christening the place Royston Vasey On Sea.
I much prefer Dolgellau just up the road.
A 'Hidden Gem' in Lancashire is the Forest of Bowland area.
I'm quite surprised at how often Dolgellau and Barmouth have come up in this thread too. But having said that, we lived in Dolgellau in the early to mid 80s when I was ~10 and the Tan y Fron campsite was always filled with with central Europe couples/families (especially from Germany).
~10 miles from the beaches at Fairbourne and Barmouth; a little less to Cader Idris and the lovely roads/lakes around its base; Bala and Lake Vernwy <20 miles north east; Coed y Brenin under 10 miles north etc.
Back then, I didn't really see the appeal of Barmouth and Fairbourne besides the beach, but it could have changed an awful lot in nearly three decades.
Hopefully going to re-visit Dolgellau for the first time in ~25 years this summer, perhaps using it as a base to road ride, including doing the Bwlch Y Groes triple climb.
Back then, I didn’t really see the appeal of Barmouth and Fairbourne
I never did. Barmouth was left behind in the Victorian 1960s. Fairbourne is simply a cluster of ramshackle houses and a shop or three. Not even big enough to be a village.
But in over 50 yrs I've camped, hosteled and rented accommodation around the Mawddach area more times even than the Gower and Pembs, and rivalling Exmoor/Devon. It's simply a stunning place if you love the outdoors. The two mountain ranges protect a stunning estuary and river trail. All I need is the George III for a pint of ale and some scran. And a quick bike into Dollgellau next morning to the frankly epic T H Roberts café for a breakfast, read and coffee. Stock up on supplies at the supermarket, then a ride back to Arthog for night fishing off the bridge or Fairbourne beach. Rest of the time spent climbing, walking, photography, or by car visiting other towns/areas locally. The whole area has so many hidden gems. I woke one morning to see an osprey and a buzzard having a dogfight above me. The night skies are also wonderful from Cregennen. Standing stones, Bronze-age tracks, oak woods, ruins, lakes, pools, torrents, I need a year there.
I might cross the bridge into Boremouth for a pizza or a swift pint by the quay. But that's about it. Why would anyone want to mope around an old seaside town all week? Chips!
Timidwheeler: An excellent point regarding weather. I moved abroad to avoid the rain, so whilst a change from 45 degC will be welcome, constant downpours not so...!
Malvern Rider: My thoughts exactly. Looking for good accomodation in a beautiful but largely unspoilt area, but with access to at least a decent pub, shop, cafe and takeaway. It's good to have a town like Barmouth near by, but not as the actual location where you stay. Days to be spent walking, playing in the great outdoors with the toddler, reading, watching the World Cup and leisurely BBQs. I'm a man of simple pleasures!
To be honest, most areas more than 500m from a car park are effectively hidden gems.
Exactly jam bo.
"INH" - has a good point, Barmouth the town is pretty depressing, it's full of absolute sh*te food (chips, hotdogs, etc..) fatties covered in tattoos on a sunny day and feels washed up...evening wear seemed to be a Liverpool shirt and track suit bottoms. I made the mistake of taking some Spaniards there who were very puzzled by what they saw!. The surrounding area is lovely.
Walsall, cumbernauld and warrington.
Barmouth the town is pretty depressing, it’s full of absolute sh*te food (chips, hotdogs, etc..) fatties covered in tattoos on a sunny day and feels washed up…evening wear seemed to be a Liverpool shirt and track suit bottoms. I made the mistake of taking some Spaniards there who were very puzzled by what they saw!. The surrounding area is lovely.
This pretty much sums up our opinion of Barmouth & it's surrounding area.
Shropshire, Northumberland, Forest of Bowland, Dorset all good suggestions. For what it's worth, I quite like Barmouth and pretty much all of the Welsh coast. Criccieth or somewhere else on the Lleyn peninsula is another possibility.
I used to live in Shropshire where there's Ironbridge Gorge, the Long Mynd and Ludlow. Authentic enough, rather than too touristy but with enough pubs and amenities.
And I grew up in Dorset. Perhaps somewhere like Seatown would appeal although some of the roads near Weymouth get busy. Portland, Durdle Door, West Bay all nice in their own way. Sherborne is nice but apart from the abbey, there's not much to actually do.
Have a nice time, wherever you go.
"Wylye/Nadder/Chalke Valleys in Wiltshire"
Just moved there* this week. Can't wait to explore!
* one of the three anyhow!
@Drac I take your Cleethorpes and raise you Skeg.
@CountZero Is the centre of Salisbury Plain tourist-free because of the tanks?
Another Shrops shout here, used to live in SW Shrops, always marvel at the jewel-like nature of the place. A treasure trove once you get West beyond the Cardingmill crowds . Also over the border into Radnor and Powys. Knighton, Walton Basin, Offa's Dyke etc Far from beaches, but also some of the quietest and prettiest places imaginable.
Clunton and Clunbury,
Clungunford and Clun,
Are the quietest places
Under the sun.In valleys of springs of rivers,
By Ony and Teme and Clun,
The country for easy livers,
The quietest under the sun,
- A. E. Housman
The weather comments are spot on tho. It rains all of the time in Shrops, Wales, Devon and Cornwall. There must be some interesting coastal places in the S/E that remain largely un-thronged?
I would pick somewhere dry.
that rules out the UK then!
500m from a carpark....good point! Last August BH in beautiful weather we had Saunton Sands almost to ourselves. Everyone else was in close range of the car parks at each end leaving us a couple of miles of beach in between. Amazing! 😎
Forest of Bowland, local town Clitheroe, Skipton 30 minutes drive/ Ilkley another 10 minutes.
Manchester for yoer bright lights 45 minutes
Yorkshire Dales 30 minutes drive
Lakes 1hr20 drive
MTB gisburn, York's dale, Lakes.
Walking as above plus Forest of Bowland
@mikertroid - you're very lucky indeed! Gorgeous areas, so unspoilt and you're bound to have a great time exploring.
Don't come to Machynlleth it's crap, the views are appalling, the locals are positively obnoxious and you may as well leave your mtb at home cuz there are no decent trails to speak of.
To be honest, most areas more than 500m from a car park are effectively hidden gems.
Ain’t that the truth!
Is the centre of Salisbury Plain tourist-free because of the tanks?
Well, large chunks of it can be a bit hazardous... 🤣
There are attractive areas around and in the Plain, but Stonehenge is the main honeypot and the traffic on the A303 is a nightmare, the rest of the centre of Wiltshire is pretty flat, (it isn’t called Plain for nuthin), and hasn’t got much else, really.
Jaywick Essex.
A ‘Hidden Gem’ in Lancashire is the Forest of Bowland area.
Yup. Just don’t tell everyone about it 😉
The Lleyn is great. Abersoch can be busy but get away from it and it's really quiet. This is Porth Ceiriad on a really busy day in peak season:
If you want quiet in the Lakes, go East near Shap, have you seen the film Withnail and I, this is where they went on holiday, just say you are not from that London, the real cumbria.
Some great cottages in the area.
+1 for Forest of Bowland, Herefordshire (Golden Valley) and Shropshire. All are attractive places with great countryside for outdoors stuff, and not overrun with tourists. In fact I've climbed hills in the Forest of Bowland without seeing anyone else at all. Try doing that in the Dales...
I've just spent the weekend walking in the Cotswolds, and it's a funny old mixture: Broadway was completely overrun with tourists milling about, yet other pretty villages (e.g. Stanton) were deserted, and in my view much nicer for it. So I guess that even busy areas have their quiet spots.
I’ve just spent the weekend walking in the Cotswolds, and it’s a funny old mixture: Broadway was completely overrun with tourists milling about, yet other pretty villages (e.g. Stanton) were deserted, and in my view much nicer for it. So I guess that even busy areas have their quiet spots.
As a Cotswold inhabitant, there are many villages that are much prettier and much quieter than the tourist honeypots. They tend to be the ones without the car parks.
Eastleach, for example, is a beautiful village with a fantastic pub and is tourise free. Less than five miles away in Bibury is an entire tourist industry built around a single row of cottages...
I'd second the Llyn Peninsular.
Or somewhere like Ravenglass. Coastal, a stones throw from the western Lakes and narrow gauge railway up into Eskdale.
I really love Rhossilli bay in the Gower. Surfable waves almost every day, lovely walks nearby, an hour from BPW or Afan and some good local spots for food and drinks. If you get the weather it's amazing.
We went to Cornwall last year for 6 days for £630 in the middle of August.
Northern Ireland! The causeway coast is amazing and plenty of small villages etc to spend time in
I really love Rhossilli bay
Yep.
in the Gower. Surfable waves almost every day, lovely walks nearby
Indeed
and some good local spots for food and drinks. If you get the weather it’s amazing.
Those two attractions have persistently eluded me. Especially the food and drinks part. Any tips? King's Head is the usual 'not vastly disappointing' option for us.
and some good local spots for food and drinks. If you get the weather it’s amazing.
Those two attractions have persistently eluded me. Especially the food and drinks part. Any tips? King’s Head is the usual ‘not vastly disappointing’ option for us.
I agree. I live in Swansea and rarely ever eat anywhere in Gower because most of the places are just designed to rip off visitors, it seems. There are a few decent cafes, and places like The Greyhound/King Arthur dip in and out of form, but nowhere I'd actually recommend. (Although we stopped at the cafe in Pennard last weekend - £17 for two coffees, a soft drink and three pieces of cake. The coffee was good, and the cake was huge lumps of very good home-made cake.)
WIltshire in the height of summer is in no way comparable to South Hams or Purbeck - plenty of space and places to go if you avoid the obvious Avebury, Stonehenge, Longleat etc.
How about Steephill Cove on the IoW? Can't get a car to your house there though, may be a deal breaker ...
...perhaps not that undiscovered but I'd say underrated: Costa del Yorkshire, from Flamborough up to Cleveland. Coves, cliffs beaches and villages, and the Moors and Wolds thrown in. Just a bit of riding too. And look at that map at the top of the page: no rain. Ever.
No, no, no. South/West Wales is a complete waste of time. There's zero worth seeing, the views are nonexistent, everyone's rude, the trails are massively crowded and there are never any decent waves. There's nothing, NOTHING, to do and everywhere is a massive rip-off. That NORTH Wales on the other hand......I've heard amazing things. You should all go there. Definitely.