In what will come as obvious news to all of us who live in Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Dales has officially been crowned the best national park in the UK to take a staycation, thanks to its ample offering of activities.
Taking the top spot over popular destinations such as the Lake District, in a study conducted by Classic Land Rover supplier John Brown 4×4, the Yorkshire Dales trumped everyone as a result of its whopping 3,200km of walking routes to choose from, as well as the low visitor numbers (520K pa) it attracts in comparison to areas such as the Peak District. Although – we’ve got to say that we’d very much like that to not change.
Other factors taken into account included the number of hotels to choose from, the nightly cost to stay, and the number of dry days per month. Naturally, we didn’t fair too well for the amount of rainfall we tend to get with an average of 13.1 dry days monthly, in comparison to the South Downs’ winning 17.7 days. Even the Peak District beat us on dryness, with 14.3 dry days monthly.
The South Downs attracted the highest visitor numbers at 18M pa, followed by the Lake District at 15.8M and New Forest, also at 15M. The Peak District racked up a 13.2M average pa – a stark contrast to the Yorkshire Dales’ 520K.
Coming out on top for the cheapest staycation was Northumberland at an average of just £33 per night, while the Yorkshire Dales averaged at £67, and the Peak District at £74.
The North York Moors also made the top five, ranking as the fifth best national park to take a staycation – with tons of walking routes, a great location nearby the coast, and a fairly cheap average nightly cost of just £67 per night. Check out the full ranking below:
- Yorkshire Dales
- Brecon Beacons
- South Downs
- Exmoor
- North York Moors
- The Broads
- Dartmoor
- Northumberland
- Snowdonia
- Pembrokeshire Coast
- Lake District
- Peak District
- Cairngorms
- Loch Lomond and the Trossachs
- New Forest
Read more: 6 Gorgeous Glamping Spots In Yorkshire That Are Perfect For Autumn
