FEATURE

Photo: Ben Guerin - Unsplash

The Great 2020 STAYCAY

This year, us Brits have rediscovered all that our varied nation has to offer by enjoying a staycation.

SOPHIE CLOWES shares her findings.

When the world locked down and 2020 properly went rogue, we, for the most part, went nowhere.

Stay at home, for the entire year? Well yes, and it might just be one of the best silver linings of this whole heartbreaking episode. We have given the environment longedfor breathing space, we have freed up our skies, cleaned up the air and found solace in nature. We have pared back our lives and (re)connected with the people and spaces around us. It’s been an education, an alternative to the actual education our children didn’t receive!

London, as always with our mighty capital, has thrown up some unexpected gems. The centre of town has been empty and while it might be getting busier, there is still space to admire the spectacular architecture by bike, taking in three palaces within the same number of miles. Having gazed longingly at the river for years, our family finally took the plunge and we have roamed our stretch by kayak, being firm fans of an A to B adventure. Our city is close to the cosmopolitan dream, an exciting cultural junction of heterogeneous ideas.

For purists, a staycation is a holiday at home, eschewing the daily routine for day trips and backyard discoveries. At least, that is the American version. For once, us Brits have taken it further and understand the term as a holiday that doesn’t include going abroad. And if you’re going to stay put in any country, well, Britain has it all: history, culture, art, cities, mountains, countryside and miles of coastline. Ours is a country of variety: topography, food, architecture, seasons, flora and fauna, and even our stalwart joker, the weather. Your newly acquired dog is welcome: yes, hurrah for clichés, particularly lockdown bumps and puppies!

The staycation has impressive environmental credentials, no language barrier, requires no passport (dog or human), saves you from extreme sunburn, mosquito bites and insects the size of light aircraft, and costs whatever you think is good value. Hotels, rental properties or a tent (note that wild camping is only permitted in Scotland): once you have wrapped your head around the lack of foreignness, welcome to vacay fun.

Where to go? If it’s an overnight stay seek out satellite spots not far away: Brighton, Whitstable, the Cotswolds, even the Isle of Wight. If time is your friend, just pin the tail on the cartographic donkey or head to the compass points of Scotland (woo, a border crossing!), Northumberland or the Lake District; Devon and Cornwall; Norfolk or Suffolk; and Pembrokeshire. I make no apology for the coastal theme, it’s where it’s at.

Kate Hiscox of @wearsmymoney headed both south to Devon and north to Northumberland in the summer, posting strong castle and beach content on the ‘gram. “For us we need good walks, ideally with a snack situation at the end of it, interesting places to visit - we love history so the 70+ castles in Northumberland were perfect - beaches that are not too busy and at least two good pubs to have lunch at.” This, from someone who works in the music and fashion industries, is how to rock and roll in 2020.

Photo: Belinda Fewings- Unsplash

The joy of a staycation is the lack of pressure, explains Caitlin Ramsdale of Kid & Coe. “They are less about accomplishment and more about starting to build a story for your family in that location, with the idea that each time you go back, you might uncover a deeper layer.”

Ramsdale feels the deep rooted element of a staycation: “They are about visiting friends, connecting with other families, planting a seed for the future by finding a place you can visit every year, or investing in a community that you can grow into.” For the Curtis-Freud clan this sweet spot is in Suffolk, and if it’s good enough for the king and queen of feel-good movies and founders of Comic Relief, and their feminist-activist-author daughter Scarlett, it’s a pretty safe bet that it’s a place to fall in love with. Actually.

Sticking with east, the Norfolk coast at Holkham is about as big and sandy as you can get. If you’ve read Anne Glenconner’s astoundingly bonkers book Lady in Waiting, you will know that there are London buses buried in the dunes. If you haven’t, pack it in your bag and enjoy a vicarious wild journey of a different sort while holidaying there.

If you have an urge to go west and break for another border, head for Pembrokeshire with its untamed coastline of extraordinary beauty. The high rainfall puts off some but if you’re getting in the sea, you’ll be wet anyway.

It’s the south that has many people’s hearts, specifically Cornwall.

When planning a staycation it’s important to list what matters to you. For this family, there has to be the sea or a big lake or river to swim in, an activity – surfing or wild swimming, long blustery walks – and a house that is as comfortable as our own, preferably more so, that must include a bad-ass shower, super comfy beds and space to be with friends. And wifi is a must.

A staycation is also the perfect snooping opportunity, seeking out interiors inspo that you can try and test. Emily Wheeler, interiors stylist and founder of community project Furnishing Futures, encourages us to find happiness in properties with sustainability credentials and a strong connection with the outside.

The Cornish coast is as varied as it is long and each family has their own allegiance to a certain point along it. The north is famed for its surfing. Head to the family-friendly beaches of Polzeath or Watergate Bay, both of which have contemporary hotels with attached self-catering accommodation.

The pretty bays and headlands down the winding roads of the Roseland Peninsular are perfect for smaller children and accompanying grandparents, too. Others fall in love with the deep south: St Ives, Penzance and The Minack Theatre being arty honey pots. When the sun shines, the kernowfornia hashtags are justified.

Future certainties are possible, even in the shifting sands of our times. The Thames will continue to grace us with her twice-daily rise and fall, our exceptional coastline will exert its trans-generational pull and the miles and miles of footpaths will still be there, watching the seasons change. Go and book for next year. And don’t forget the extra bed for the baby or puppy!

HOTELS

The St Moritz

Just outside Polzeath, brilliantly pioneered socially distanced dining with the Anti-Social Club stmoritzhotel.co.uk

Watergate Bay

Author and founder of @happymumhappybaby Giovanna Fletcher and her family stayed here in the summer

watergatebay.co.uk

Another Place

The Lake District’s sister hotel to Watergate Bay.

another.place

WHERE & WHAT

CAMPING

Featherdown Farms

featherdown.co.uk

National Trust campsites

nationaltrust.org.uk

If you are investing in a tent for a family, a bell tent is a must.

belltent.co.uk

RENTAL COMPANIES

Unique Homestays

Ellesmera Mill in Devon will have you calculating a move to the South Hams, while Ukiyo in Cornwall is blue-sky thinking made real.

uniquehomestays.com

Kid & Coe

Real homes for real families.

kidandcoe.com

Cabins and Castles

Sussex properties for a coastal country stay.

cabinsandcastles.co.uk

Cool Stays

Unique and unusual properties.

coolstays.com