A Lancashire town has been listed among some of the most desirable places in the UK to purchase a second home.
With second homeownership in the UK under scrutiny, luxury holiday parks are providing a perfect solution for buyers and local communities, and with nearly 6,790 Google searches made by UK city dwellers for 'Blackpool second homes' since lockdown began, the seaside town has been rated one of the best areas to own a holiday home.
While two thirds of the top 20 most popular areas for a second home are located in the south of England, Blackpool bucks the trend for Lancashire and the North West, coming in at a respectable 13th on the list.
Salcombe has been revealed as the most desirable second-home town for UK city dwellers, while Scarborough, Filey and Whitby lead the way for Yorkshire.
The new study by Lakeshore Leisure Group used the Google search history of more than 100 UK cities since the beginning of the first national Covid lockdown, to find which coastal and rural locations were being searched for the most in relation to second-homes and holiday homes.
From left to right, the list reads, location followed by the number of ‘second home’ searches made by UK cities since April 2020:
- Salcombe, Devon 19,990
- Falmouth, Cornwall 12,370
- North Berwick, East Lothian 12,140
- St Ives, Cornwall 11,550
- Newquay, Cornwall 10,470
- Brixham, Devon 9,270
- Bournemouth, Dorset 9,220
- Whitstable, Kent 8,800
- Whitby, Yorkshire 7,910
- Weymouth, Dorset 7,500
- Tenby, Pembrokeshire 7,350
- Torquay, Devon 7,200
- Blackpool, Lancashire 6,790
- Padstow, Cornwall 6,180
- Ullapool, Ross & Cromarty 6,170
- Scarborough, Yorkshire 5,780
- Great Yarmouth, Norfolk 5,330
- Bude, Cornwall 5,280
- Lyme Regis, Dorset 4,660
- Filey, Yorkshire 4,650
People living in cities and big towns are most interested in second homes in South West locations, with Salcombe, Falmouth, St Ives, Brixham and Newquay all in the top six most Googled holiday home towns, and Scotland’s North Berwick and Yorkshire’s Whitby making the top ten.
The combination of Brexit and the Covid pandemic has prompted city dwellers to find a way to regularly escape their urban homes and guarantee a much-needed holiday escape whilst international leisure travel remains so uncertain.
The huge increase in interest for a semi-permanent rural escape since the start of Covid is easily evidenced in people’s online behaviour; Google Trends shows an all-time high for ‘second home’ searches in July 2020 which have remained high into 2021, and rising property prices in the South West and other rural towns and villages across the UK prove the interest is turning into serious demand.
The most popular places to escape urban life:
1. Salcombe: This pretty seaside town has been on people’s holiday home radar long before Covid came along, but since the pandemic the interest has kicked up a gear. Nestled in Devon’s picturesque South Hams area, the town is famous for its sailing community, being the home of Jack Wills and its ice cream. According to Right Move2 Salcombe’s house prices are up 8% to a pricey average of £866,000 for a detached property.
2. Falmouth: Another familiar name for boat lovers, Falmouth on Cornwall’s south coast is a quaint harbour town that lots of city dwellers would like a holiday home in. Despite Rick Stein’s recent announcement that he is permanently closing his fish and chips restaurant in the town, locals here have a wealth of gorgeous eating establishments to choose from including The Wheel House and Restaurant FOUR. Homes here are considerably cheaper than Salcombe, averaging between £317,000 and £489,000.
3. North Berwick: This picturesque coastal town in East Lothian has access to incredibly beautiful beaches that will refresh and enliven its visitors. It’s been a popular second home choice for a while, thanks to its combination of a lively high street and town, whilst enjoying easy links to Scotland’s remote and wild countryside. Homes in North Berwick are averaging at just under half a million pounds.
4. St. Ives: City dwellers who want an exciting food and art scene will be drawn to a second home in north Cornwall’s St. Ives. With Tate St. Ives and other local artist galleries, the creative culture of this pretty sea side town has made it a popular holiday home location for urbanites for years. The average price for a terraced house is currently just under £400,000.
5. Newquay: The third Cornish location in the second-homes top five, Newquay has been popular with surfers and festival lovers for a while. Suited to water lovers, the famous beach caters to those who enjoy paddle boarding, surfing, sea kayaking and sea swimming. Detached properties are currently selling at an average of £468,000, and flats at £236,000.
Stephen Twiss, CEO at Lakeshore Leisure Group, who sell holiday home lodges at their new Clawford Lakes development in Devon, said: “We want to provide a way for people to enjoy the beautiful rural areas of the UK whenever they want to, for however long they want, but in a way that is supportive rather than detrimental to local communities.
"Our new holiday lodges at Clawford Lakes offer a relaxing escape at a really low purchase price compared to waterside properties in similar locations; however, these luxury lodges don’t price locals out of the housing market.
"Our lodge owners and guests help boost the local economy all year around, our sites provide jobs for local people, and all whilst protecting the properties of rural residents.”
Find out more about Lakeshore Leisure’s Holiday Home report here
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