If you yearn for a holiday which involves looking at lovely landscapes and wonderful wildlife then it is worthwhile booking self-catering accommodation in or close to one of the UK’s beautiful national parks.
There will never be a shortage of things to do with acres of stunning countryside and wildly undulating terrain to explore.
These are great places to get away from it all by going for long walks but you can also tour the parks on a push bike or in the car.
It’s a real joy to stumble upon the various rural communities en route with their tea shops and country pubs, as well as meeting people who live and work in these idyllic settings.
Throughout Great Britain you will find holiday homes in the vicinity of our great national parks and here are some areas you might want to look at:
Brecon Beacons
This park is in South Wales and is a good place to base yourself if you and your guests like plenty of varied recreational activities, including cycling, fishing golf and horse riding. If you’re a keen star-gazer you will find some of the highest quality dark skies in the UK with great views of major constellations and the odd meteor shower.
Cosy cottages and large country houses are available as holiday properties in Carmarthenshire, in the heart of the Brecon Beacons. But if you plan to stay in the Pembrokeshire or Snowdonia National Parks there are plenty of options for self-catering accommodation in Wales to suit all tastes.
Exmoor
With 267 square miles of Devon countryside and coastline to explore the Exmoor National Park is a fascinating mixture of moorland, woodland, farmland and valleys. Holiday cottages in Devon will all give you a great base from which to tour the park, which has the highest sheer cliff in England and Wales and picturesque villages such as Allerford and Bossington. You will find maps and leaflets about the area in a host of community hubs, such as village shops, pubs and tea rooms.
Loch Lomond
If you love water sports or messing around on the coast then a stay in this fabulous part of Scotland is highly recommended. You can canoe, sail or windsurf, take your boat out on the loch or just sit back and ride the water bus with spectacular vistas all around you.
Other options are an energetic spot of climbing or a leisurely game of golf.
There are some lovely holiday properties in Argyll and Bute, which will locate you close to Loch Lomond.
South Downs
For some of the best weather in the UK you should head to the south coast of England. The South Downs is a sprawling national park which stretches from the cathedral city of Winchester in Hampshire across to the busy market town of Lewes in east Sussex. Potential activities are numerous, from riding a horse across the Downs, visiting a heritage site or traversing the 160km national trail. Taking a self-catering break in Hampshire will put you right in the heart of this memorable place.
Yorkshire Dales
This northern English park straddles the central Pennines in North Yorkshire and Cumbria and visitors are also within easy reach of major cities like Manchester and Leeds, as well as the Lake District.
Lovely stone cottages and converted barns are typical of the properties you will expect to find for holiday breaks in North Yorkshire, in the heart of the Dales.
This is a great place for outdoor pursuits with many holiday-makers enjoying nothing more than a long walk broken up with the occasional break for refreshments in a country pub. It’s also the perfect peaceful location to enjoy wildlife in its natural habitat.