Britain’s beauty spots brace for a busy summer

With its white sand, turquoise waters and sea view cottages, Praa Sands in Cornwall has all you could want from a beach holiday. Weather permitting, of course.

In busy periods, the mile-long strip of pristine sand becomes covered with beachgoers. On a sunny afternoon in April, however, the beach is mostly empty. The beach café is under construction and a seafront pub remains closed. The only activity comes from a coffee van that is parked nearby.

For Tracey Duggan, the van’s owner, this is the calm before the storm.

“It was really busy [last summer],” says Duggan, who has operated the Dejabrew Cornwall coffee van for three years. “Business wise, people were like, ‘wow, if that's anything to go by, we've got a huge summer coming’.”

Last year saw a British “staycation” boom as travel restrictions forced people to holiday closer to home. As international travel remains limited, it is likely to be another bumper year for Britain’s beauty spots.

For many, the influx of tourists is welcome.

“If you work in a coffee shop or a hotel, it's the tourists that are going to pay your salary,” says Duggan, who estimates that local businesses depend on tourism for 80 per cent of their income.

However, not all are pleased at the prospect of another bumper summer. This spring, some local Dejabrew customers told Duggan she would not see them again until October. Although the beach is on their doorstep, they plan to avoid it.

Indeed, some holidaying in Cornwall last summer were “badly behaved”, being impatient about waiting for service and disrespectful to staff.

“They were the people who usually go and get bladdered somewhere,” says Ms Duggan. “They were here for the wrong reasons is how I think we all felt.”

Tourists are also driving prices up. Some holiday lets are going for £10,000 a week this summer. The price of buying property has increased too, as second homeowners and remote workers pay premium prices for seafront spots.

Property in the Praa Sands area now costs £315,000 on average, up £58,500 from 2019. As a result, locals are being priced out.

“It would be much nicer to see people moving down here and staying rather than buying a second home,” says Duggan. “In winter, it's pretty much dead. […] It'd be lovely to have a thriving village again.”

‘The tourist industry has to be here’

A thriving local community has been essential this year for Mike and Diane Palmer, who run Tywyn Leisure Park on the Cardigan Bay coast of Wales.

“We were really pleased that the local community were able to support us, and that we've got something for them to do,” says Mike, who has managed the leisure park with his wife for 13 years.

Nestled between Tywyn’s sandy beach, with its wooden groynes and promenade, and the green hills of Snowdonia, the leisure park boasts a brightly coloured array of games. Visitors can try their hands at crazy golf, table tennis, skittles and shuffleboard, among other things.

Entirely open air, the leisure park was one of few local businesses to reopen during early lockdown lifting. For those that have missed months of trading, a busy summer is essential.

“The tourist industry, it’s got to be here,” says Mike. “The tourism industry and the local council are the two biggest employers in the county.”

While the Palmers expect a busy holiday season, they think holidaymakers will be hesitant until more people have been vaccinated. Mike also works as a groundsman at a local caravan site and has noted that occupancy rates are lower than when lockdown lifted last year.

Last summer was busy for Welsh tourism. In July, photos circulated of traffic choking the roads as crowds attempted to climb Snowdon. People must now pre-book to park near the mountain.

However, the Palmers are understanding of tourists’ desire to explore. “Everybody was just desperate to get out at that point,” says Mike.

More than anything, the pair have missed seeing the familiar faces that return to the area every year. “We’re looking forward to seeing everybody again,” says Diane. “It will be lovely to catch up with them again.”

A rock and a hard place

Nick Owen, manager of Elterwater Hostel in the Lake District, is also looking forward to “being part of getting back to normal”. However, he is unsure what to expect.

As the hostel prepared to reopen following lockdown, bookings were starting to trickle in. “There’s still some trepidation about shared facilities,” says Owen, who has managed the hostel for 28 years. “Self-catering cottages are by far the most bio-secure.”

The Elterwater team is also hesitant about accepting bookings in case regulations change. “We’re between a rock and a hard place,” says Owen.

The village of Elterwater sits in the Langdale Valley. Surrounded by craggy peaks and mountain lakes, it is a hotspot for walkers, cyclists and climbers alike.

The area depends on tourism for its income. Most properties in Elterwater are holiday lets and quite a few permanent residents are employed by the tourism sector. Despite this, there are reservations among locals about the consequences of so many tourists descending on the valley.

“There is some nervousness about the spread of the virus,” says Owen. “Some of the local population are fairly elderly and felt very much under siege last year.”

Pop-up campsites are being set up in an attempt to deter fly camping, the practice of camping in unofficial spots and leaving tents and other debris behind afterwards. Fly camping became an issue last summer as holidaymakers struggled to find space at established campsites.

However, Owen is unsure whether this will help. Extra campsites will not solve the problems of overflowing car parks or crowded paths, he points out.

All in all, emotions are mixed. This summer will be a balancing act, as business owners juggle the need for a fruitful holiday season with a variety of local and personal concerns.

“It is going to be a challenge,” admits the hostel manager, “but hopefully by mid-summer we will be somewhere approaching normal…” “Or the new normal at least.”

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