UK cottages: the south-west
Winnford cottage in south Dorset, booked through Hideaways Hideaways
An independent family-run business, Hideaways has 200 self-catering cottages across the Cotswolds, southern England, the West Country, the south-west, Herefordshire and Shropshire. Family properties sleeping six on or near the coast are the first to book up, unsurprisingly, in school holidays. The week beginning 2 June (when there are two bank holidays) is also proving popular. Properties currently booking well, but with a few weeks still available in peak times, include: Winnford, a traditional sandstone house in the coastal village of Chideock, near Bridport in Dorset (sleeps seven, a week starting 21 July costs ?1,168); and The Old Pumphouse, a converted Victorian building hidden down a woodland track in the Forest of Dean (sleeps six and costs ?914 per week in July and August).
• hideaways.co.uk
North Cornwall is the focus for Cornish Horizons, with more than 200 self-catering homes across the area, 117 of which take pets (there is a charge of ?15-?25 per dog). The most popular location is Padstow, and if you want to book a cottage near there this summer you'd better get your skates on. Most weeks have already sold out between 6 July and 31 August. The hugely popular Roundhouse in Higher Halwyn, a barn conversion with fantastic views of the estuary (sleeps 10, cornishhorizons.co.uk) overlooking Padstow estuary, has just one week left in the summer holidays, for the week beginning 27 July, from ?2,558. But Trevalga, a modern house, which is also near Padstow and sleeps 10, is currently free throughout July and half of August, from ?2,750.
• cornishhorizons.co.uk
They won't win any awards for character, but Breaks in Cornwall has a small collection of apartments and holiday homes, mostly on modern developments, popular thanks to great locations and family-friendly facilities such as games rooms. Properties such as Green Acres Cottages near Fowey sell out quickly in the school holidays, thanks to an indoor pool and proximity to the south coast and the Eden Project. In May a two-bedroom cottage (sleeping six) costs ?650 for a week, but between 20 July and 23 August a cottage for six rises to ?1,225.
• breaksincornwall.com
Cornish Cottages has 200 homes dotted across the whole county, although there is a concentration on the Lizard peninsula. Likely to be snapped up early is Tyller Teg (sleeps six, cornishcottagesonline.com), a pretty stone house in the centre of Lizard village, 800m from the beach. It still has availability throughout August, when a week's rental costs ?1,287. Camellia (sleeps six), a ground-floor apartment bang on Mullion's pretty working harbour, with immediate access to the South West Coast Path, is available in July and August, and costs from ?1,040 for the week beginning 21 July.
• cornishcottagesonline.com
Commended at the Guardian and Observer Travel Awards for its brochure, Classic Cottages has an equally impressive website – clean, functional and well-designed. As for its cottages, the majority of the 653 homes are in Cornwall but it also covers Devon, with a handful in Dorset and Somerset. Under its Classic Green scheme it lists 33 homes that make an effort to be environment-friendly, such as subscribing to a green energy tariff and buying local. Among the green cottages are: Little Trebarvah (sleeps four plus cot), a restored barn on 40 acres of farmland, with beef, lamb and eggs available to buy on site. It is available throughout August at a relatively affordable ?816 (compared with similar sized properties elsewhere) for a week beginning 11 August.
• classic.co.uk
If you're after a cottage in popular fishing towns such as Mousehole and Newlyn, West Cornwall Cottage Holidays is a good bet. It has more than 130 properties across the far west of Cornwall, right down to the tip of Land's End and coves such as Sennen and Cape Cornwall. Half-term breaks in 2012 are booking fast, as are the most popular family properties in July and August – half of the family homes are already booked but Beachcomber (sleeps four), is still bookable in July and costs ?1,134 for a week. A newly constructed apartment close to the Minack Theatre, it has a communal BBQ and seating area with views of Porthcurno and Pedn Vounder beach.
• westcornwallcottageholidays.com
Helpful Holidays has 600 properties in the West Country. It caters to all sizes of party but is particularly strong on larger coast and country houses – its biggest sleeps 48 (we don't envy the person organising that trip!) Wootton House (sleeps 16) sits on a 1,000 acre estate of gardens, woods, lake, parkland and working farms on the edge of Butleigh Wootton, Somerset. With a croquet lawn and hard tennis court, you will be quite the lords and ladies of the manor. Available for a week from 10 August for ?2,900.
• helpfulholidays.com
With more than 500 holiday homes throughout the south-west, Toad Hall Cottages has plenty to choose from. The 16th-century Church House in Looe, Cornwall, has been stylishly refurbished with new kitchen and woodburning stove, and is five minutes' walk from the beach. It's still available for the week from 25 August for ?810 (sleeps four).
• toadhallcottages.co.uk
A family-owned and run business, Farm and Cottage Holidays, specialises in holiday home rentals across the south-west, with 1,450 properties to choose from. Its larger cottages (three bedrooms plus) always get snapped up first, but a few of their most popular pads still have some availability over the summer holidays. Number Ten (sleeps six) is a three-bedroomed former fisherman's cottage in the coastal village of Appledore, North Devon, and is just one minute's walk from the quayside. It is still free for the weeks from 21 July-31 August, and costs ?1,080.
• holidaycottages.co.uk
For more holiday cottages and villas see guardiancottages.co.uk
If you have come across any useful websites or have any tips on self-catering for fellow readers, post a comment below.
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