The Perfect Staycation

On 21st July 2016
36 Comments

The word “staycation” is a bit weird really. Sounds too American for my liking, but it does nicely sum up “a holiday at home”. Home being the UK. A mini-break within driving distance that doesn’t include flights or crossing any large bodies of water.

Ohh you get what I mean right?!

It’s hump day (well, when I wrote this it was Wednesday!), I had a horribly hot and miserable day in the office yesterday and this morning all I’ve been thinking about is holidays.

You see, my family are all off work now for the whole summer (the joys of living with teachers and students) meaning they can freely visit the beach and local swimming pools. I however, had to make do with my desk, a 20 minute escape outside to sit under a tree at lunch time and a copious amount of cucumber water to counter balance the sweat practically dripping from me all day. Yum.

What a delightful way to start a post about romantic getaways and loved-up long weekends, huh?!

If I had the time and money, I’d love to travel, seeing every country on my bucket list, spending far more time in the sea, on the beach and wondering around beautiful cities admiring incredible architecture and trying local cuisines.

Alas, we are saving for a house and my 20 days annual leave don’t actually stretch that far, so for now we’re planning some fun staycations exploring parts of the UK we love and others we’re yet to explore! There are so many beautiful places to see without ever having to get on a plane or boat, so whilst it may sometimes seem to me like travelling thousands of miles is the only way to “see the world”, perhaps I’m forgetting about the incredibly varied and beautiful places just a few miles from home!

The South West Coastline

If you’ve read any of my adventure and travel posts, you’ll fully understand my absolute love of the sea, and I try and spend as much time as possible exploring the coastline. As Adam has a yacht (yes, I know, what on earth attracted me to him ehh?!) our plan this summer and autumn is to firstly fix the sails (#glamlife) and then actually do some sailing down to Cornwall, or across to South Devon. I’d love to see more of the Roseland and Helford via boat as that’s such a beautiful stretch of water, but I’d equally love to travel up to Dartmouth and Salcombe. This sort of UK staycation may not be as exotic as a cruise around the Caribbean, but there’s something so wonderful about being rocked to sleep and waking up in the middle of the sea, and I’m so keen to learn how to sail better so we can start doing longer trips together.

The Cotswolds

I’ve always wanted to explore more of The Cotswolds, and recently booked 2 nights in September in an amazing Hayloft we found on AirBnB with some of my oldest friends from school. I’ve been looking at the beautiful surroundings on other people’s blogs and the walks through the incredible countryside just feels perfect right now!

Snowdonia, Wales

Somewhere we visited a lot as children was North Wales, having spent time with one of Mum and Dad’s best friend’s Katie close to Llangollen. I have always thought Snowdonia is so beautiful yet have never actually climbed Snowden.

I wonder if I can convince Adam to venture up it with me this summer?!

Lake Vrnwy would make such a great romantic getaway as it’s snuggly in the middle of the mountains, surrounded by hundreds of acres of unspoilt scenery for stomping around. Plus, all I remember from visiting the tearoom there as a child is that their cream teas are the absolute bomb. SOLD.

Up North

Yes, it’s probably pretty southern of me to describe anywhere north of Bristol as “the North” but it’s true!

I’d originally focused on a staycation that’s only a few hours drive away (otherwise, you’d literally be able to get on a plane and fly to somewhere hot for a) less expense and b) less time!).

However, having lived in Devon and gone to university in Cornwall, there’s still a LOT of the north to explore and other than one trip to Scotland in my teens and a few short visits to York and Wakefield, I’ve really not seen any of it! After Sophie’s recent post on Leeds, I’m very keen for a staycation to visit her beloved city. Equally, I’m forever envious of Chloe’s posts about her new “toon” and some of the hotels in Newcastle are stunning, so perhaps this year I should push my boundaries and explore a bit further.

The Perfect Staycation 4

The Lake District

Another place I’ve always wanted to go is The Lake District. Is that still classified as “The north?” Any Northerners, help me out?

As a staycation destination, you don’t get much more of a romantic getaway together!

Sunsets over Windemere, boat tours, walking and breathtaking views, my instagram would be on top form for weeks!! In my head it would be great fun to do some wild camping here, but I’m guessing it probably rains quite a bit and I guess it could be frowned upon?! If you’ve ever tried it and know if its going to be fine or end up landing me in a police station, let me know in the comments!

Isle of Anglesey, North Wales

Picture this, a staycation on an island just a few hours from home (by a few, I realise that actually Anglesey is pretty far from where I am, damn the Welsh roads!!) but it’s always somewhere I’ve wanted to see. Give me a huge mansion house complete with spa, pool and gourmet dining like this one any day! With cliff top walks, castles and beaches, to me it sounds like a rugged version of Cornwall, just with Welsh accents and “ARAF” written on the roads. Plus, you *might* just bump into Will and Kate in their local Waitrose and get papped for the Daily Mail. Just sayin’!

Ohh, now I’ve spent my lunch break oggling all these incredible places, all I want to do is walk out, hop in the car and start packing! It’s tough not having a holiday booked in for the rest of the year, but I’m hoping to plan one in the next fortnight. Luckily for me, if I just present Adam with my preferred location, the suggested dates, and cost he normally just goes with it. Especially with the promise of some great food and pubs to try out the local ales…!! (Hey sweetie, if you’re reading this…thanks, you’re the best…!!).

If you’ve got any suggestions for anywhere not on this list that we should 100% straight away look into visiting, please let me know, I need to somehow narrow the long long list of beautiful places down! Whether it’s a break in a romantic hotel, sailing somewhere coastal from Plymouth or a great secret nook we can camp in, I’m really keen to book a summer staycation (or two)!