I'm lucky enough to be going on a few little holidays this year & absolutely don't get me wrong, I LOVE going abroad. There's no feeling in the world like when they open the plane doors & the intense Balearic sun hits you. Or the burst of happiness when a tall, dark Spanish waiter puts a cocktail in front of you with the weird straws, umbrellas & sparklers that you only really get abroad. Saying this, I also love a staycation. I just came back from, maybe my favourite staycation I've ever been on, in Devon. So I thought I'd share a few reason why a holiday is good old England is a must for me.
You don't have to fly
Now this is a pretty frickin' obvious one, but it's also probably my favourite reason to holiday in England. Anyone who knows me, has flown with me or probably even spoken to me will know my severe hatred of flying. Hate is probably even too lighter word, I despise flying. It doesn't matter what time I fly, I have to have a Diazapam & at least 2 double G&T's before I can even think about stepping foot on a plane. Even then, I'm a wreck. Before we take off, I sit there shaking in my seat, my clammy hand gripping whoever is sitting next to me like its the last human contact I'll ever have. I stare at the cabin crew as they point to the exits and demonstrate how I will need to inflate my life jacket, because in my head it is inevitable that I will need to at some point in my 2 hour flight to Spain. Then when we start moving & I hear the engines begin to roar I cover my eyes and shout to my neighbour "TALK TO ME" as a form of distraction... Which then makes them panic & the poor soul can't for the life of them think of anything to talk about. This happened when I went to Marbella with one of my dearest friends, she did not know what had hit her. All I could say, in a very intense voice was "TALK TO ME ABOUT LOVE ISLAND" while my nails dug into her hand. When we're in the air & the drinks trolley has been round I calm down a little bit... Until we hit the slightest turbulence or it comes to landing. In my head that's it for me. This is the end. I've been known to repeatedly say "we're going down", which doesn't help the children in my vicinity. I've probably scarred them for life to. I'm sweating just thinking about it and re living it. I'm flying to Ibiza next Tuesday, so maybe in hindsight this wasn't the wisest post to write (good luck Mollie). It's definitely my number one reason to holiday in England though, any excuse to go on a holiday without flying has me sold.
The Food & Drink
Now, I love as paella & a sangria as much as the next person, but Jesus Christ did I eat some good food & drink some good drink down in Devon. I think I had one of the best fish & chips I'd ever eaten & all the local ice cream, pasties & seafood were out of this world. The mussels and crab were just a dream. I'm supposed to be on a holiday diet with Ibiza coming up, but that went straight out the window. I was having clotted cream on my cereal in the morning instead of milk, it was that good. I know you can get clotted cream and what not pretty much anywhere, but when you get them from the little local west country farms run by 1 or 2 people it makes such a difference. This also applies to the cider. We went to a really small cider farm, granted I did sit in the car though because they were cutting up big slabs of cow in the same barn. I should have realised by the sign at the entrance of the farm, which just said "CIDER & MEAT", it was exactly that, but in it's rawest form. Not ideal for a very sensitive pescatarian. The cider however, was divine & nothing you can compare to that you'd get in a bottle down your local pub. They mix it up there for you, just apple, alcohol & nothing else. Then it goes in a little pouch with a tap. My mouth is watering thinking about it now, it was like sweet sweet nectar.
Its super easy to get family & friends together
I am the biggest family person, I love spending time with them. Me, my Mum & Dad never ever really argue & I only ever bicker with my Brother over the tiniest thing for maybe a millisecond. So when I know we are all going to be spending a week drinking, laughing, exploring & chilling out, I look forward to it for ages before. We have been going to Devon & Cornwall for quite a lot of years now & although its a fair few hours away, it's a lot easier & cheaper to get to than abroad. For these reasons, over the years we have had friends, boyfriends & girlfriends & family come to stay in our holiday homes. My brothers girlfriend has quite a high power job, which means a couple of years she hasn't been able to get a week off to come, but she can come down for the weekend instead, which she wouldn't be able to do if we were in a different country. Luckily she was able to come for the week this time, but I have so many fond memories of our weekend visitors throughout the years.
The Scenery
I remember when my Mum & Dad first suggested going on holiday down to the West Country instead of Majorca, I was not impressed. "There's great beaches" they said. "It's not like round here" they said. Alas, I did not believe them. I'm from Suffolk, so my nearest beach is Felixtowe. Now I don't mean to offend any Felix-towians out there, because I know it's great for a spot of crabbing, but it's absolutely not somewhere I'd want to go on holiday. The sea is opaque brown with a pebbled beach, it's pretty flat & the entertainment consists of penny machines or dark pubs. So this is what I had envisioned when it was suggested that we go on a holiday to the seaside down West. I went along though and when we arrived my misconceptions were smashed to smithereens. It is beautiful. Rolling cliff tops lead to vast white beaches being lapped by sparkling blue sea. There are pink hydrangeas everywhere, quaint little pubs and postcard villages lined with bunting. Nothing like I first Imagined all those years ago. It makes me love walking when I go down there, & I am not a walker. We went on a 2 hour walk one evening over the cliff tops and it was like medicine. There's something about breathing in all that sea air & standing up high watching the glistening sea which is just good for the soul. There's also blackberry bushes that you can pick from & eat along the way. I felt like a very tame Bear Grylls thriving in the wilderness for those two hours... until I got back to our village & had a stone backed pizza and bottle of Coke.
...Can you tell I quite like it down there?
It makes you feel quintessentially British
Now I'm absolutely not one of these "lets take back our Britain", ban immigration, Brexit loving people. I love how multicultural we are as a country, which might make the next paragraph quite contradictory & is maybe why I started with that opening sentence. To lay down my overall position. I do however, love feeling like an old school tea drinking stereotypical Brit sometimes, & this is how Devon makes me feel. Like I said above, the villages are so quintessentially English with their pastel coloured houses, bunting and thatched roofs. Like something from a puzzle that you used to do with your Nan. Maybe that's it. Maybe it gives me nostalgia. It reminds me of my grandparents. I went to a little tea room run by an older, grey haired lady in a little apron. It was in her living room and garden, which was full to the brim with roses & other English flowers, like a perfect postcard. The china was just the same as my Nans to, all matching with a sugar bowl & a big teapot as the centre piece. The smell of scones and toasted tea cakes came wafting out with her as she brought out our cream teas. It took me back to sitting at my Nanny's table as a child, legs dangling in my little floral summer dress looking out into her garden. It gives me a type of warm fuzzy feeling that I don't get when I go abroad.
... So to conclude, I love a staycation & I think you would to. Obviously I have a bit of a soft spot for the West Country, but if you're a mad person & it's not your cup of tea then there are so many other beautiful, amazing places up & down the UK. The Lake District, Scottish highlands or a city break like Cambridge or Bath. Give it a go & I really don't think you'll regret it.
x
