Seeking UK Cottage Destinations for Spring Adventure – Recommendations Needed!

Everyone heads for the Cotswolds but in fact there are many other areas which give you all this and more....

For starters - and others may want to add in more places!

North York Moors or Yorkshire Dales

Lake District (possibly slightly more strenuous walking)

Peak District

Norfolk and Suffolk

Dorset

Devon or Cornwall- at that time of year it won't be too easy, but should have cracking weather. There is of course the coastal walking (some of which can be quite strenuous), but also a lot of really good inland walking.
I have a route in Cornwall on my desk at the moment, for instance, which officially counts towards your Camino to Santiago de Compostela.
Going to Devon/Cornwall gain a day by taking the Night Riviera Sleeper train from London Paddington to Penzance.

If you went towards the Cotswolds there is a beautiful route (I know it from years ago) from Oxford to Reading which has been an officially accredited part of the Camino Ingles since June this year- called the St Frideswide's Way. I mention that because it is not close to but not actually in the Cotswolds- equally as beautiful. If you stayed in Wallingford or Abingdon you are in very easy reach of Oxford (and the Oxfordshire town called Dorchester, for the Abbey) but equally get great walking.
Those are towns but there are lots of great villages in the area.

The way runs from Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford to Reading Abbey- where King Henry I is buried.

Just one example of a slightly lesser well known possibility. That can be done either by car or very, very easily by public transport.

Our three favourite villages that tick your boxes ie. pub or pubs, shop, lots of walks / stunning scenery, and close to other places to visit!

• Castleton in the Peak District
• Trefriw in North Wales
• Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales

You would have a great time in any of them and there is LOTS to see in all of those areas which would be all lovely in the Spring!!!!

Here are some places that I have done exactly that:

Askrigg in the Yorkshire Dales
Leyburn in the Yorkshire Dales
Helmsley, North York Moors
Brancaster on the North Norfolk coast
Porthleven in Cornwall
Mousehole in Cornwall
Hope Cove in Devon
Ludlow in Shropshire

Some of these are towns rather than villages but all are lovely, with access to fantastic countryside, hikes, pubs and places to eat.

There is so much more to the UK countryside than the Cotswolds.

To put the Cotswolds into context with the rest of the country, they are designated as a National Landscape. The 15 National Parks mentioned above are at a level above National Landscapes. Below are maps of both. The countryside in the Cotswolds is lovely, but in my view bettered by many of the other National Landscapes and definitely by the National Parks. And most others will be less crowded, some spectacularly so.

https://www.nationalparks.uk/app/uploads/2020/10/Map-NationalParks-names-2016.pdf

https://national-landscapes.org.uk/national-landscapes

I can definitely recommend several of the suggestions above.

Castleton in the Peak District: I stayed in Castleton earlier this year for 5 nights and really liked my stay there. The village is perfect in that it's quite small, so easy to drive in and drive out of, yet large enough so that it has quite a few good hotels and pubs with rooms to let, and many good restaurants and cafes. It's in a good spot for hiking—in fact, I had a breathtaking view of Winnats Pass from my window, and there are a lot of hikers who stay there. You also have access to the Blue John caves and mines, which are nearby. I found it convenient to get to all my destinations in The Peak, although the area really isn't that large, so pretty much anyplace you stay will be fairly near most sights. One my favorite sights was Winnats Path, a limestone gorge with very steep cliffs and a narrow valley, that is easily hikeable. As you drive through the pass, you are surrounded by towering limestone walls covered with green that rise dramatically on either side of you.

Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales: I did not stay here but did visit and it is a lovely village and fits your needs. If you are a fan of the newest version of "All Creatures Great and Small" it would probably be ideal as the scenes are usually shot here. If you're not, it might be a drawback as it does get a lot of visitors because of that. But it's really a charming place and I don't think you could go wrong here.

Helmsley, North York Moors: I stayed at Foxglove Cottage (Laskill Grange), which would probably be a bit more isolated than what you are looking for; however Helmsley would be ideal, I think. The town is small, but has a number of good restaurants, cafes and shops. Rievaulx Abbey is just a couple of miles away (easily reached along a lovely footpath), as are a number of other sites in North Yorkshire. Thirsk is about 30 minutes away by car. The surrounding area has some of the prettiest scenery I've ever seen, with beautiful green rolling hills, forests, streams, bridges, and lots of wildlife, like pheasants and grouse. I loved it here!

Mousehole in Cornwall: This was another place I went on a day trip, but really enjoyed. It was so charming and cute and I just fell in love with it. It sits right on the sea with a large harbor, some very nice shops and access to great walks along the coast and visits to other sights in Cornwall.

And when you've picked a place to base yourself and are looking for a cottage, definitely take a look at the National Trust and their Holiday Cottages. No guarantee they'll have a place in the town you choose, but worth a look.
https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays
They will likely be at the more expensive end of options but in my experience the ones I've stayed on have always been perfect and worth the splurge.