Devon revealed as top UK holiday spots for warm weather in new study
Devon revealed as top UK holiday spots for warm weather in new study
With the UK heading now well and truly in autumn, new analysis of meteorological data from the Met Office reveals the UK staycation hotspots where holidaymakers are most likely to find the warmest weather
The study of UK weather records, carried out by Devon Holiday Park Cofton Holidays, shows that London, the Devonshire seaside town of Torbay and the county of Devon as a whole top the leader board as the getaway spots to travel to for the best chances of hot weather.
58% of Brits are opting for a UK staycation this year compared to just 42% looking to travel abroad - suggesting that much of the staycation ‘boom’ driven by Covid-19 may be set to stay. But as the Great British weather is notoriously unpredictable, travel experts at Colton Holidays have scrutinised the Met Office data to see which UK staycation destinations have the most reliably warm climates.
With one poll showing that Brits highly value good weather while on holiday², their research analysed the latest weather records for the UK’s most popular holiday destinations. Their study found that London is the hottest destination for those looking to bask in the heat, with an average yearly maximum temperature of 15.75°C.
These are the top 10 warmest staycation destinations in the UK (based on average yearly maximum temperatures):
1) London (15.75°C)
2) Torbay (14.92°C)
3) Devon (14.67°C)
4) Dorset (14.67°C)
5) Bath (14.66°C)
6) Bristol (14.53°C)
7) Brighton (14.4°C)
8) The Cotswolds (14.35°C)
9) Birmingham (13.86°C)
10) Nottingham (13.78°C)
The study also looked at the top destinations for coolest weather and reveals that the Yorkshire Dales (10.81°C), the Scottish Highlands (11.23°C) and the resort town of Scarborough (11.46°C) have the lowest average maximum temperature. The city of Brighton (1891.75 average sunshine hours) came out as the sunniest staycation spot, followed by the Devonshire seaside town of Torbay (1737.19 hours) and the county of Devon as a whole (1665.49).
Chris Jeffrey, Director at Cofton Holidays commented: “It’s understandable that people are opting to stay closer to home. However, the move towards staycations is part of a wider trend that started during the pandemic. It’s lovely to see more and more repeat guests at Cofton who have fallen back in love with holidaying in the UK. And of course, we’re delighted to see that our glorious corner of Devon is consistently one of the warmest and sunniest each year.”
Holidaymakers looking for the best chances of showers to help them keep cool in the heat should head to Snowdonia (2697.13mm), the Lake District (1862.91mm) or the Scottish Highlands (1862.91mm), which have the highest average volume of rainfall.
Alternatively, sun worshippers looking to dodge the showers would do best to consider the cities of London (562.86mm), York (646.93mm) or Nottingham (715.57mm) where the average volume of rainfall is the lowest.
Study methodology: https://www.statista.com/statistics/582321/most-visited-english-cities-domestic-tourism-great-britain-number-trips/ https://www.redonline.co.uk/travel/travel-guides/a35777779/top-uk-staycation-destinations-2021/ https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/research/climate/maps-and-data/uk-climate-averages/
¹ https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/air/pandemic-trend-towards-domestic-trips-here-to-stay-as-costs-rise
