Try before you buy: last-minute holiday rentals by the sea for summer 2018 — all within commuting distance of London
As the long school holiday looms, parents look for ways to fill the weeks ahead. Travel costs and entrance fees can make London’s attractions expensive. A better choice can be to rent a house by the sea, where coastal walks cost nothing and children can enjoy family time, rather than slipping away to their bedrooms and laptops. You might even be tempted to relocate permanently. Here are a few to try:
WINCHELSEA EAST SUSSEX
Why? Camber Sands’ huge beach is a big draw to this part of the coast but just the other side of Rye lies the small town of Winchelsea. The area was popular with the 19th-century Pre-Raphaelite artists, and many houses display Arts and Crafts influence. Some older houses have original barrel-vaulted cellars that were used to store wine from Gascony when the wine trade and fishing were the two main sources of income.
What there is to do: The Kitesurf Centre at the eastern end of Camber Sands is perfect for teenagers, with courses all summer for both land and water activitiesx A mile further west, Rye Watersports runs dinghy sailing courses and clubs. Rye Harbour Sailing Club offers cruiser and dinghy sailing, including teaching children with disabilities, and runs film evenings. Rye Arts Festival is from September 15-30 this year.
To rent: surrounded by National Trust land half a mile outside Winchelsea, family-friendly Azalea Cottage dates back to the early 19th century and has four bedrooms sleeping seven. Weekly high season rental is about £1,500.
Like this spot a lot? Demand for second homes is strong among Londoners with happy memories of childhood holidays in the town and at Winchelsea Beach. Little Mariteau House, in the conservation area, is Grade II-listed Georgian with three bedrooms. It’s for sale at £745,000 with Phillips & Stubbs.
Getting there from London: two-and-a-half hours by car; London St Pancras trains, changing at Ashford International, take 1hr 10mins.
SOUTHWOLD SUFFOLK
Why? In a charming Fifties time trap, with colourful windbreaks, the sandy beach is overlooked by rows of candy-coloured beach huts, some for hire. Just down the coast is Walberswick, home to the British Open Crabbing Championships in August.
What there is to do: Southwold Surf School is great for older kids and also does bike hire. Upmarket High Street shops sell artisan bread, handmade chocolates and Blythburgh Pork. Buy fresh fish of the day from traditional fishermen’s huts at Southwold Harbour.
To rent: a smart four-bedroom period terrace house in Victoria Street in the heart of town is £901 per week in high season through Durrants Holiday Cottages.
An ultra-modern option is Balancing Barn by Dutch architects MVRDV, in six acres at the edge of a tranquil reserve a few miles inland. There’s a swing suspended at the far end of the 15 metre-long cantilever. Price per week in high season is £3,380. Through Living Architecture.
Like this spot a lot? Southwold draws fortysomethings from London, Herts and Essex. Recently renovated, two-bedroom Lavender Cottage, a short walk from the seafront, has two small terraces for alfresco dining. Priced £585,000 through Durrants.
Getting there: three hours by car; two-hour trains from Liverpool Street to Halesworth station (changing at Ipswich), then 30 minutes by bus to Southwold.
DEAL KENT
Why? This Kentish seaside town has independent shops, good restaurants and a wholesome, old-fashioned identity, with ice creams on Deal Pier and a family amusement arcade. Its shingle beach is said to be one of the UK’s best and children love watching the fishing boats being hauled in. There’s Walmer outdoor paddling pool, castles by the beach to explore and a coastal path perfect for cycling.
To rent: in the historic quarter just a minute from the beach, a Georgian house that sleeps six and has a small courtyard garden is £925 per week in high season. Through Mulberry Cottages.
Like this spot a lot? It’s possible to commute to London three days a week so “there’s a steady flow of Londoners in the Deal market”, says Simon Backhouse of Strutt & Parker. Conservation area homes are £300,000-plus. A three-bedroom Victorian townhouse with a courtyard garden is £485,000 through Colebrook Sturrock.
Getting there: two-and-half hours by car; direct trains from St Pancras to Deal take 1hr 45mins.
BOSHAM AND ITCHENOR WEST SUSSEX
Why? The little communities around Chichester Harbour channel enjoy easy access to West Wittering’s vast beach. Bosham and Itchenor are sailing hotspots. There is paddle boarding and yoga.
What there is to do: Itchenor Fortnight is a big annual sailing regatta and the sailing pontoons on the harbour are great for crabbing. Cobnor Activities Centre at the end of the Bosham Channel runs summer camps and sailing schools. Nearby Chichester is home to Pallant House Gallery of mid-20th century British art and the Festival Theatre, which sends productions to the West End. There’s racing at Goodwood, polo at Cowdray Park or off-road mountain biking through the South Downs National Park. A cycle path into Chichester brings cinema and good shopping within reach.
To rent: with a fine quayside view, The Old School House in Bosham sleeps four. High-season weekly rental rates start from £726. Through Amberley House Cottages.
Like this spot a lot? Londoners snap up weekend and holiday cottages. Jackson-Stops in Chichester is selling a modernised three-bedroom cottage in Gordon Terrace, Bosham, with a terrace and on the banks of the mill stream, for £795,000.
Getting there: two hours by car; Bosham has its own station, which is also the closest one serving Itchenor, with 1hr 40 mins trains to Victoria (with one change).
‘WE WALK TO OUR OWN LITTLE-KNOWN BEACH’
Azelle Thorowgood, 47, who runs a London-based design business, bought a clapboard cottage in Winchelsea four years ago with her barrister husband, Max, 48. They spent two years renovating Azalea Cottage, and with four children aged from four to 17, they use it as a coastal retreat for family holidays and rent it out at other times.
“We love being able to walk straight from the cottage across two fields and be at our own, little-known beach,” says Azelle. “There’s nothing better than getting up first thing and going for a swim while the children surf and play cricket on the beach at low tide. We might go for a potter on a dinghy at Rye Harbour Sailing Club, or mooch around the shops in Rye.”