If you’re thinking of buying a second home you’ll have to consider the location very carefully.
Your second home should really contrast your regular home. If you live in a town you should look for something more rural for your second home, and if you live in the country think about the coast for your investment, whether or not you plan to rent it out on occasion to earn a little extra revenue.
Here the team at Adrian Flux look at what’s on offer and come up with the best six locations for your second home or holiday rental.
The Lake District
Mountains, moors and shimmering waters make the Lake District one of the UK’s most popular tourist destinations with around 20 million visitors each year, making it the perfect region in which to invest.
The towns of Bowness-on-Windermere, Keswick and Kendal, home of the famous mint cake, are popular destinations but if you’re looking for something a little more remote, Grasmere is an excellent base for fell walking and to explore Scafell Pike – at 3,209ft, this is England’s tallest peak.
Photo by James Armes on Unsplash
Cornwall
With warmer than average temperatures, fantastic beaches that stretch out for miles, beautiful Bodmin Moor and some world beating attractions such as the Eden Project, Cornwall ticks all the boxes when it comes to a lovely location for your second home.
The biggest holiday resort is Newquay which is popular with surfer dudes and stag and hen parties so there will be a lot of competition amongst cheap holiday lets. Look instead to one of the quieter more picturesque towns such as Penzance, St Ives, Truro, Falmouth, Padstow or Fowey where rentals are fewer and further between and your property will command higher rental values.
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash.
Devon
Picturesque market towns, teeming seaside resorts, the mysteries of Exmoor and Dartmoor, two coastlines and better-than-average weather make Devon a great possibility for your holiday rental. It enjoys a similar reputation to Cornwall but it’s not quite so far!
In North Devon, Woolacombe, Ilfracombe, Croyde Bay and Barnstaple are popular stops for family holidays, while on the south coast all roads lead to Torquay, Dawlish and Dartmouth.
Dorset
With the impressive Jurassic Coast, 10 Blue Flag beaches and a range of charming market towns such as Wareham, Dorset is another south western county well worth taking a second home in.
As well as fossil hunting on the beach, there are great opportunities for boating out of Poole Harbour, enjoying all the fun of the fair at Weymouth, and seeing the sites such as the famous Durdle Door, which is one of Dorset’s most photographed and iconic landmarks.
Prices in Dorset are a little higher than elsewhere in the country but buy wisely and your investment will quickly mature!
Photo by Belinda Fewings on Unsplash.
The Cotswolds
Easily accessible from both the north and south, the Cotswolds is a charming attraction of half a dozen counties, mainly located in Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire but also fringing parts of Wiltshire, Somerset, Worcestershire and Warwickshire.
Beautiful towns, breathtaking countryside and sturdy flint cottages make the Cotswolds a popular choice for a holiday home. From Bourton-on-the-Water to Stow-on-Wold, the Cotswolds is popular with walkers, cyclists, and sightseers galore.
Photo by Ivy Barn on Unsplash.
Norfolk
With the beautiful Broads and more than 90 miles of quaint and largely quiet coastline, many people choose Norfolk as their favourite place to rest and unwind, making it a great place for your second home. Even the Queen has a second home in Norfolk and is a frequent visitor to the Sandringham Estate near King’s Lynn.
Popular coastal destinations include Hunstanton, Cromer and Great Yarmouth but if you truly want to change down a gear look somewhere quieter and more traditional such as Wells-next-the-Sea.
Protect your investment
When you have settled on your second home, whether it is going to be for your exclusive use or you plan to use it for holiday lets, you really should take the time to find the right insurance for it.
Or better still, let the team at Adrian Flux use their expertise to find you the right holiday home insurance for your precise circumstances and at a price you can afford.
Call 0800 369 8590 for a free no obligation quote — 81.5% of all customers receiving an online quote in August 2022 could have obtained a cheaper quote over the phone, based on the information they provided.
To discover more about buying a second home and using it as a holiday home, visit this blog.