Devon is the lowest-priced Westcountry family holiday - Cornwall comes second in new study

Brixham in bargain-tastic Devon

So, we've decided that we're going to do an annual price comparison of holiday parks in the Westcountry. Here's the press release for the first year, with details of how we worked it all out at the bottom of the page. 

A new study has found Devon is the cheapest county in the Westcountry for a family summer holiday, with regional rivals Cornwall in second place.
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The comparison by Holiday Park Guru looked at the cost of a week’s holiday in Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset, comparing accommodation in caravan holiday parks, attraction entrance fees and driving distance for visitors.

The total cost for Devon was £673 for a week's holiday for four, compared to £812 in Cornwall, £817 in Dorset and £825 in Somerset.

Robert Lane from Holiday Park Guru said:

“We often hear about holidays in August being a rip-off but it’s certainly possible to have a week away in the Westcountry on a budget. All four counties had plenty of highly-rated free attractions but Devon and Cornwall had the cheapest holiday park accommodation.  Several Devon holiday parks were less than £20 per person, per night even in peak season. Cornwall wasn’t far behind but the extra mileage helped bump up the price.”

The study looked for a week’s holiday in August 2017 for a family of four, staying at a caravan holiday park and arriving on a Saturday. An average price was taken from the five cheapest holiday parks which had availability, as of late May 2017.

It also included the cost of a family ticket to the five highest rated attractions in each county, according to TripAdvisor. Many of the highest rated attractions were free including The Lizard and Kynance Cove in Cornwall, Sidmouth’s Donkey Sanctuary, Bournemouth Beach in Dorset and Wells Cathedral in Somerset.

Car journeys were for a return journey to the county capital (Exeter, Dorchester, Truro and Taunton) from London and Manchester, with an average figure being calculated.

Holiday Park Guru is an independent guide to caravan parks in England and Wales. For more information on the comparison see Holiday Park Guru's blog.

Notes to editors:
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Holiday Park Guru is an independent guide to holiday parks in England and Wales.
Methodology: We searched for a week’s holiday with Hoseasons, Haven, Park Holidays, Breakfree Holidays and Park Resorts. Searches were carried out in late May for self catering in holiday park caravans for a family of 2 adults and 2 children (aged 10 and 12) from Saturday 12th August 2017 or arriving on a Saturday either side. We averaged the top five cheapest accommodations available for each county (we used the ‘mean’ average). Attractions were calculated by looking at the cost of entrance for two adults and two children (aged 10 and 12) at the five highest rated attractions, according to TripAdvisor in late May 2017. We chose the on-the-day price and we didn’t include parking, discount vouchers, optional gift aid or mileage to the attractions. We assumed visitors didn’t have National Trust Membership. We calculated fuel costs by looking at a return car journey from central London and central Manchester to the county town, averaging 35 MPG with petrol costing 117 pence per litre.

• Cornwall's cheapest holiday park accommodation ranged from £545 to £699 per week with an average price of £621.20. The five highest rated attractions were Minack Theatre (£13 standard visit for a family, not a show), Cornwall Football Golf (£24), Lanhydrock House and Garden (£33.85), The Lizard and Kynance Cove (free), Trebah Garden (£28). Cost in petrol from London to Truro was £86.32 or £99.54 from London, so an average of £92.93. Total cost of £812.98.

• Devon's cheapest holiday park accommodation ranged from £525 to £560 per week with an average price of £546.20. The five highest rated attractions were Coleton Fishacre (£30.30), Sidmouth Donkey Sanctuary (free), Woolacombe Bay (free), Plymouth Hoe (free) and Yarak Bird of Prey (£30). Cost in petrol from London to Exeter was £59.88 or £74.01 from Manchester, so an average of £66.94. Total cost of £673.44.
• Dorset's cheapest holiday park accommodation ranged from £580 to £834 per week with an average price of £685. The five highest rated attractions were Bovington Tank Museum (£37), Bournemouth Beach (free), Weymouth Beach (free), Monkey World Wareham (£38) and Hengistbury Head (free). Cost in petrol from London to Dorchester was £39.06 or £75.83 from Manchester so an average of £57.44. Total cost of £817.44
• ​Somerset's cheapest holiday park accommodation ranged from £608 to £759 per week with an average price of £674.20. The five highest rated attractions were the Roman Baths (£46), Wells Cathedral (free, suggested donations), Bath Abbey (free, suggested donations), Glastonbury (free), West Somerset Railway (£49). Cost in petrol from London to Taunton was £50.15 or £63.37 from Manchester, so an average of £56.76. Total cost of £825.96.

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