The Joy of a Staycation
In recent years I have been that person who always has at least one holiday booked at all times, often booking my next trip as soon as I return home. I love travelling and seeing new places - swimming in the Mediterranean, taking a road trip through dramatic landscapes or getting lost in an interesting city. The part of the pandemic that I have found the hardest has definitely been adapting to a life with less travel.
I’ve been lucky that my long-planned America road trip took place just before the pandemic hit, and I managed a short break in Sicily last summer - but I’ve been surprisingly bad at making the most of this time to explore more of the U.K. As restrictions began to ease again at the beginning of spring, I made a promise to myself that I’d take more staycations this year - I managed to plan several short trips for summer and have a few potential staycations possibly planned for autumn. The past month has been a blur of trips - glamping with friends in Anglesey and visiting my best friend in Brighton, sandwiching our big adventure of the summer: a road trip around Devon and Cornwall.
This wasn’t my first time in Cornwall, but I hadn’t been to Devon since I was a child. During my short week exploring just a small corner of both regions, I completely fell in love and am already planning how I can spend more time in the south-west corner of the country each year, revisiting my favourite places and discovering more of the coastline. There’s something about Devon and Cornwall that just feels so different to the rest of the country - and also reminds me of my other favourite place in the U.K., Wales. Basically, I’m at my happiest among dramatic coastal scenery, searching for crystal clear waters to dip into.
On this particular trip, we spent a few days camping close to Salcombe, then we moved onto a campsite on the Roseland peninsula, concluding our trip with a couple of nights in a tipi at Kudhva, near Tintagel. We spent our days walking the coastal path, wading into the sea for refreshing dips along the way. I would wake early each morning, roused up and out of the tent by the morning sun; spending a couple of hours sprawled out on a blanket reading a book. We’d pack our bags for the day and set off on long walks - sometimes straight from our campsite, sometimes driving further up the coast. Some days all we did was walk, returning home with tired limbs after Dave dragged me out of the water (I could bob up in the waves for hours if I had all the time in the world). Most days we’d eat out for lunch - grabbing something to eat on the go or settling down outside a restaurant to eat fresh seafood. In the evenings we’d cook over an open fire; memorably we cooked dinner on the beach on Midsummer, warming my feet by the fire after a chilly evening paddle. I think I’m at my happiest when I’m by the sea, letting the salty wind tangle my hair and floating in the water.
I’m not going to deny that I miss travelling abroad (and that I will be heading to the Mediterranean the first chance I get) but there is something to treasure about a staycation. For one thing, it’s much easier to organise and less faffing around than travelling abroad. It’s so simple to just load up our van with everything that we could perhaps need for the next week and not worry about stuffing our belongings into tiny suitcases. And it was a dream to take Evie (our dog) with us on this trip, rather than having to leave her behind (don’t worry - she always stays with family members who she adores). Obviously, travelling without boarding a plane is much better for the environment, and going forward I am going to fly less than I have done in the past. (I’m also welcoming the arrival of many more sleeper train routes to Europe in the coming years - but that will be a separate story).
Beyond these practical and sustainable reasons to continue enjoying staycations post-pandemic, I’ve also discovered a new love of the country I call home. I didn’t know I could find water as clear and beautiful as the Med in the U.K - but I’ve swam in crystal clear, not-too-cold waters in Devon, Cornwall and Anglesey over the past few weeks. I also have a never-ending list of walks, coves, restaurants and hideaways that I can’t wait to discover with my own eyes - from Cornwall to Wales, via Bath, Kent and the Lake District. Yes, prices may have escalated and it’s impossible to get a booking at short notice these days, but I’m learning to plan ahead and am already thinking about next year.
Have you discovered the joys of a staycation over the past year? Where have you visited and where is on your list to explore? I’d love to hear about your adventures in the comments below.
