Shropshire tops list of UK's cheapest spots for last minute Easter holidays

10 March 2023 , 17:14

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Caer Caradoc in Shropshire (Image: Getty Images)

The cheapest place in the country for an Easter cottage break has been revealed.

There are tens of thousands of idyllic small holiday homes that are still available over the up-coming holidays, according to research by Which? exclusively shared with the Mirror.

If you are looking to lock in a last minute break, you could save a bundle by avoiding the UK’s most popular regions.

A family of four will typically save £250 by booking a self-catering holiday in the Peak District instead of the Lake District, a comparison of 25,000 listings from the UK’s biggest holiday cottage providers shows.

Shropshire is the least expensive place for an Easter cottage break, the research found.

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Fife has some beautiful spots, but it's not cheap (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The average price of a week’s stay in a property sleeping up to six people is £657 - nearly £300 less than in the Lake District.

While Shropshire might not boast as many lakes, holidaymakers can hike up the Shropshire Hills, amble along the River Severn and meander around the medieval alleys of Shrewsbury.

If you’re after wilder hills, the Peak District is cheaper than many tourist hotspots: you’ll typically pay £666 for a week’s stay.

Herefordshire, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Lancashire also have below-average prices.

Yorkshire has by far the most choice, with over 2,400 cottages available for the first week of the Easter school holidays.

In Scotland, the Scottish Borders is the best-value destination with decent availability.

Only a short hop from Edinburgh, it has plenty to offer visitors - from castles and ruined abbeys to Berwickshire’s craggy coastline.

The Lake District is the most expensive area for a cottage staycation (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

A week’s stay costs £697 - £200 less than the average price in Fife.

The cheapest place for a cottage holiday in Wales is Camarthenshire, which stretches from the south coast to the Brecon Beacons.

There are over 25,000 cottages to choose from for the week before Easter, including more than 2,500 in both Cornwall and Devon.

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You’re also spoilt for choice in Dorset, Norfolk and Cumbria, which all had over 1,000 holiday cottages available when we checked.

If you’d like to spend Easter hiking up the Lake District’s sheep-nibbled fells, you’ll typically pay a premium.

Cumbria’s national park is currently the priciest place for a self-catering break - £954 for a week in a cottage sleeping up to six.

The average price of a seven-night stay is also more than £900 in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Dorset, Fife and Suffolk.

Coastal regions tend to be more expensive, but you can save by booking a cottage inland.

Analysing one provider’s prices shows that the average price of a cottage on the Suffolk coast was over £200 more than a rural location.

The Isle of Wight was the second most expensive area looked at (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

In neighbouring Norfolk, coastal cottages with the same provider were £100 more than its inland properties.

For those couples looking for a romantic stay just by themselves, the average Easter price is £634 for the week - £400 less than a family of six will pay.

Cottages sleeping eight or more are in short supply and expensive, with groups of 12 having to fork out £2,526 on average - way more than double the price for a group of six.

Are you going abroad this Easter, or will you be choosing a staycation? Let us know in the comments below.

Milo Boyd