Terrible Year For British Holiday Cottage Letting

[LetsGetReadyToTumble]

Just checked the holiday cottage almost next door to me (Lizard, Cornwall). Last year it was fully booked. For the remainder of this year, it is so far booked for only 6 weeks.

[Harold Bishop]

The reason. Crap UK summer weather plus a massive increase in holiday lets/capacity over last ten years with prices related to HPI . But, mostly crap, crap, wet weather.

[betterToDo]

Everybody has brought caravans! £250 for two weeks on a really good site in Dorset in late June/early July

Yeh and they litter the coast of the otherwise beautiful county of my birth :angry: We need another decent hurricane, this time blowing from the North.

[Frank Hovis]

In my area 3 beds can go for up to £1400 per week in peak season - and most are not that nice. And they're damp too on the whole.

They were the posh things to do. I had friends come down and, depsite my recommendation to stay on some marvellous caravan sites insisted on a vastly overpriced "cottage" or, to my mind, glorified chalet. Damp as you say, hideously overpriced, and without the facilities of a caravan site. They were happy saying at work that they had stayed in a cottage but didn't want to go around saying that they had stayed in a caravan. It was so damp that, partly because they had a young kid, they cut it short. I didn't blame them.

Great people but those insidious snob values get into your soul in the south-east, I can see that they affected me when I lived there. Hopefully enough people have learnt through experience that £1k+ to rent a damp cold cottage on a farm for a week is money thrown away.

[whippet]

I live in a sea side town in South Devon. 10 years ago there were a few holiday cottages, now over half the town is holiday cottages. To many people jumping on the same idea again. It will drive down holiday prices and house prices eventually.

[porca misèria]

Apart form taking a tent on your back which i don't consider a holiday ( some might ) there is not such a thing as a cheap holiday here or abroad.

I used to take a lightweight tent everywhere on hols, until I discovered the joys of the bivvy-bag as a much nicer alternative, as well as less to carry. Instead of a small, dark hole, you're sleeping under the stars. And no problem if you need to kip down on terrain where you couldn't erect a tent! Weather doesn't matter too much (heavy rain is hardest, but you just zip up and use a downward-facing vent to breathe), and the only real problem is when the biting critters are out in force - but that's not a great time in a tent, either.

These days I can afford a B&B or even a hotel, but in most places that somehow doesn't feel like a real holiday - it's more like a business trip. Honourable exception to that is the Swiss alps, where quality and value are high right out there!

[Kingding]

I used to take a lightweight tent everywhere on hols, until I discovered the joys of the bivvy-bag as a much nicer alternative, as well as less to carry. Instead of a small, dark hole, you're sleeping under the stars. And no problem if you need to kip down on terrain where you couldn't erect a tent! Weather doesn't matter too much (heavy rain is hardest, but you just zip up and use a downward-facing vent to breathe), and the only real problem is when the biting critters are out in force - but that's not a great time in a tent, either.

These days I can afford a B&B or even a hotel, but in most places that somehow doesn't feel like a real holiday - it's more like a business trip. Honourable exception to that is the Swiss alps, where quality and value are high right out there!

Any recommendations on these? I have been after one myself as they look far less bulky than lugging a tent about.

[Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz]

They were the posh things to do. I had friends come down and, depsite my recommendation to stay on some marvellous caravan sites insisted on a vastly overpriced "cottage" or, to my mind, glorified chalet. Damp as you say, hideously overpriced, and without the facilities of a caravan site. They were happy saying at work that they had stayed in a cottage but didn't want to go around saying that they had stayed in a caravan. It was so damp that, partly because they had a young kid, they cut it short. I didn't blame them.

Great people but those insidious snob values get into your soul in the south-east, I can see that they affected me when I lived there. Hopefully enough people have learnt through experience that £1k+ to rent a damp cold cottage on a farm for a week is money thrown away.

Some friends of mine stayed in a local cottage last year - it was sooo cold in June that they turned up to borrow a couple of electric heaters. They've gone to sunny Spain this year.

Seriously though, it's not just about the weather - people are incredibly price sensitive all of a sudden and they are not going on so many holidays - the implications for the holiday cottage brigade are dreadful

[Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz]

Just checked the holiday cottage almost next door to me (Lizard, Cornwall). Last year it was fully booked. For the remainder of this year, it is so far booked for only 6 weeks.

Excellent

[housespider]

I've never seen such poor holiday home occupancy here in West Wales and I'm told this is repeated across Britain. I'm watching the holiday home crowd squeeeel, and loving it

I would dearly love to have a holiday in the UK as I am petrified of flying and can't travel by sea due to an inner ear condition but the problem is that I can't afford it!

I have been known to email owners of holiday homes to tell them that their rates are offensive! BUT like everything else, there's always someone willing to pay even when they must realise how absurd the prices are!

[erranta]

I would dearly love to have a holiday in the UK as I am petrified of flying and can't travel by sea due to an inner ear condition but the problem is that I can't afford it!

I have been known to email owners of holiday homes to tell them that their rates are offensive! BUT like everything else, there's always someone willing to pay even when they must realise how absurd the prices are!

I read last night on another site that Thompson are doing a >

"September 7 days, self catering, large flat (four sharing) for 28p a night each"! Get own flight.

In Majorca for those who are watching their pennies.

I've never been there so can't tell you what it's like!

[silversurfer]

This would be great for pembrokeshire house prices (maybe not for people who own them or work in tourism!) but where i live there are more holiday lets and second homes than occupied full time, i dont know the exact figure but i do know in summer we can go from a population of 2000 to over 20000. i am hearing rumblings from holiday let owners aswell, but i have done for a while now, i think it's been bad for a couple of years, but about to get much, much worse!

Pembrokeshire (st.davids) land of dreams! average wage around £16000, ex council house £175000!

[Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz]

This would be great for pembrokeshire house prices (maybe not for people who own them or work in tourism!) but where i live there are more holiday lets and second homes than occupied full time, i dont know the exact figure but i do know in summer we can go from a population of 2000 to over 20000. i am hearing rumblings from holiday let owners aswell, but i have done for a while now, i think it's been bad for a couple of years, but about to get much, much worse!

Pembrokeshire (st.davids) land of dreams! average wage around £16000, ex council house £175000!

St Davids is more like a land of nightmares - a hollowed out and dying community if ever there was one - average wage 16,000? Surely more like half that figure coz I don't see the tourism skivvies earning that kind of dosh. Perhaps that newish supermarket is paying big money these days. Or perhaps the surf guides have started earning it big?

I bet you have a shorter 'season' than average to start with anyway (unless tourists flock to the place to enjoy its 'out of season' horizontal rain and endless gales!)

Edited May 18, 2010 by gruffydd

[TylerDurden]

This is all True. I have a fair bit of inside knowledge on holiday lets around the cardigan bay / pembrokshire areas.

I know 3 familys who actually went down the purpose built holiday cottage route, vastly expensive builds, very high standards, Did it for the pensions etc etc.

I also know the woman who runs most of the websites for them, And the general concensus is "there all ******ed".

Bad bookings, means paying out the mortgage themselves. Of course theres just know way they can do this on a few hours bar work a week.

Its not looking good.

[The Masked Tulip]

Wales has become Cardiff and everywhere else West of it basically survives on public sector jobs and ramping house prices.

[TylerDurden]

Any recommendations on these? I have been after one myself as they look far less bulky than lugging a tent about.

Get a goretex army surplus bivvy as a first bivvy bag. Very spacious, strong, and around 30 - 40 quid usually. Its all i use. A few friends upgraded to much lighter bags which weigh as much as a bag of crisps. But they are expensive and i find restrictive in space and size. The way i see it is your allready saving the weight of a tent so a lightweight bivvy as opposed to an army bivvy is only really worth it if your doing big distances.

A really good lightweight sleeping mat is where you want to be spending the extra. and i often carry a swedish army shelter to lash up if theres a cold wind blowing, again very lightweight and super effective.

I'm almost sure i will never sleep in a tent again.

[TylerDurden]

Wales has become Cardiff and everywhere else West of it basically survives on public sector jobs and ramping house prices.

Have you ever made a post without the words "public" or "sector" in it. I really don't think you have.

Just pall up with some management and get them to make up a job for you. It's pretty cozy on the inside, And your blatently hanging out for a way in.

[Kingding]

Get a goretex army surplus bivvy as a first bivvy bag. Very spacious, strong, and around 30 - 40 quid usually. Its all i use. A few friends upgraded to much lighter bags which weigh as much as a bag of crisps. But they are expensive and i find restrictive in space and size. The way i see it is your allready saving the weight of a tent so a lightweight bivvy as opposed to an army bivvy is only really worth it if your doing big distances.

A really good lightweight sleeping mat is where you want to be spending the extra. and i often carry a swedish army shelter to lash up if theres a cold wind blowing, again very lightweight and super effective.

I'm almost sure i will never sleep in a tent again.

Quality, many thanks for that, I'll be picking one of them up later in the week methinks.

[Captain Cavey]

Get a goretex army surplus bivvy as a first bivvy bag. Very spacious, strong, and around 30 - 40 quid usually. Its all i use. A few friends upgraded to much lighter bags which weigh as much as a bag of crisps. But they are expensive and i find restrictive in space and size. The way i see it is your allready saving the weight of a tent so a lightweight bivvy as opposed to an army bivvy is only really worth it if your doing big distances.

A really good lightweight sleeping mat is where you want to be spending the extra. and i often carry a swedish army shelter to lash up if theres a cold wind blowing, again very lightweight and super effective.

I'm almost sure i will never sleep in a tent again.

Going way OT – but you should try some of the modern camping hammocks ( Hennessy Hammock). Light weight, very comfortable and with built in mozzie-net. They also come with a fly sheet to keep you dry and the hammock part can be converted to a swinging seat during the day.

I used one whilst camping out in SE Asian jungles – if you try to sleep on the ground here the bug life will reduce you to bones by the morning – the hammock was perfect as it kept you above ground and away from the insects & snakes.

Its made slightly asymmetrical, so you sleep at an angle and almost flat, unlike the crippling banana shaped posture you get from conventional hammocks. The only down side – you need trees, but it's much better than a tent.

[TylerDurden]

Quality, many thanks for that, I'll be picking one of them up later in the week methinks.

Double check its the goretex one. They are not often marked but the difference between goretex and the standard jobbies is you wont wake up piss wet through in condensation. worth the extra 10 quid.

Those hammocks are lovely bits of kit and essential in a jungle. But for me its the ease of chucking a bivvy on the floor and climbing in rather than setting up a tent and securing it. i found the hammocks to be as much of a pain in the **** as a tent and ended up just bivvying. It was the getting in and out in the night that i found the biggest problem.

[silversurfer]

St Davids is more like a land of nightmares - a hollowed out and dying community if ever there was one - average wage 16,000? Surely more like half that figure coz I don't see the tourism skivvies earning that kind of dosh. Perhaps that newish supermarket is paying big money these days. Or perhaps the surf guides have started earning it big?

I bet you have a shorter 'season' than average to start with anyway (unless tourists flock to the place to enjoy its 'out of season' horizontal rain and endless gales!)

I imagine your right about the wages, but don't forget about housing benefit and tax credits and in some cases benefits!. I certainly hope we have a sorter season as i hate it when the tourists arrive, in fact if i never saw a tourist ever again i'd be an extremely happy man! people around here are completely delusional about house prices and about what is propping the local housing market up. Never mind houses, land is also rediculously priced take a look at this 1/5th of an acre of pastureland for £10,000 so they are pricing it at £50000 an acre!!!!!!!!!

[The Masked Tulip]

I imagine your right about the wages, but don't forget about housing benefit and tax credits and in some cases benefits!. I certainly hope we have a sorter season as i hate it when the tourists arrive, in fact if i never saw a tourist ever again i'd be an extremely happy man! people around here are completely delusional about house prices and about what is propping the local housing market up. Never mind houses, land is also rediculously priced take a look at this 1/5th of an acre of pastureland for £10,000 so they are pricing it at £50000 an acre!!!!!!!!!

What do they think is the reason for house prices, and land for that matter, being so high?

[ImA20SomethingGetMeOutOfHere]

Apart form taking a tent on your back which i don't consider a holiday ( some might ) there is not such a thing as a cheap holiday here or abroad.

Well, that depends.

This is a place called Woodgate Beach. It's in Southern Queensland and it's absolutley lovely (I speak from experience here). You can camp for a stonking AU$2.95 per person per night at the national park campground which is about 3 ks south of the town. There are plenty of other simillar places you can go and pay the same amount. Here's another one called Agnes Water:

Yet another reason to leave the UK IMO.

[rolf]

Good news! Maybe these greedy baby boomer B&B owning cu nt s will now finally drop their prices to reasonable levels! Hotel prices in the UK are bloody atrocious! Compare it to a motel in America, it's ridiculous. I hope half of these b@stards go bust!

[Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz]

What do they think is the reason for house prices, and land for that matter, being so high?

Hi MT - I know that area quite well - I have family from up in the Preselis. St Davids was a place where you could buy land for less than £1,000 an acre in the mid-90s - and old cottages were being demolished - yes, stone cottages were knocked down, because they were surplus to demand.

One of the reasons was that St Davids area was a major focus of cottage burning by Meibion Glyndwr - but it was also because of the economic fundamentals - it's one of the poorest areas anywhere in Britain. The economy has been on its knees for a long time - particularly since MOD made big cutbacks in that area.

If you don't like tourists SS, campaign for a tourism tax to support affordable housing. The tourists should pay for the severe social damage they've caused to your community. And get in touch with some of the local tourism letting agency spivs to see if they'd support the idea - if they won't, campaign against them too.

Get in touch with the local rag - anonymously if you want to. I always get the impression that many of the locals down your way feel the same way about the tourists as you do - absolutely hate them - so you should get plenty of support

Edited May 19, 2010 by gruffydd