Top dog-friendly holiday locations in the north for Sheffield pet lovers

The data shows that 41per cent of people holidaying with cottages.com are taking one pet or more with them, an increase of 9per cent compared to data from the same timeframe in 2022, proving that doggie staycations in Britain continue to be a growing trend.

And the self-catering specialist reveals that among its top ten locations for a doggie staycation in 2023 are three Yorkshire locations and Matlock, in Derbyshire, near Sheffield.

Tom Bell, Vice President - Portfolio, at Awaze – the parent company of cottages.com said, “With nearly half of our bookings made by dog owners, it’s clear that taking a beloved pet away on holiday is becoming an important part of ‘how to staycation’ here in the UK.”

Since the pandemic, there has been a surge in dog owners so there is little surprise to learn that increasingly more Brits have been opting to get away from it all with their four-legged friends.

In fact, in 2022, 172,477 pets went away with their owners on a cottages.com holiday. The travel company predicts that a further 17,000 dogs - making a total of 189,477 dogs - will go on a ‘pawcation’ with their owners during 2023. Its latest data also reveals that the most popular times of year for a ‘pawcation’ is spring and autumn, with March, October and December, being the most popular months to holiday with a pet in the UK.

Here is the cottages.com top ten list of where dog-owners and their pets like to holiday: 1. Keswick, Cumbria; 2. Whitby, Yorkshire; 3. Happisburgh, Norfolk; 4. Bridlington, Yorkshire; 5. Warkworth, Northumberland; 6. Scarborough, Yorkshire; 7. Skegness, Lincolnshire; 8. Seahouses, Northumberland; 9. Matlock, Derbyshire; and 10. Beadnell, Northumberland.

Tom Bell added: "Location-wise it seems that dogs and their owners clearly prefer to holiday in the North of England, and understandably so. With a plethora of beauty spots such as Seahouses, Keswick and Whitby, among a few on the list, and a wide range of coastal and countryside locations boasting wide-open spaces to roam free, these are just some reasons why owners and their canine members of the family are opting for the North.”

Cottages are proving to be the most popular self-catering accommodation for dogs and their owners scoring 57per cent in the survey, followed by lodges at 28per cent, and caravans at 10per cent. Other accommodation, including boats, apartments, chalet and pods, make up the rest of bookings for dog owners representing five per cent of those surveyed.

Dog owners can be reassured that cottages.com offers a wide range of pet-friendly accommodation, including over 8,000 properties in its “pets go free” category. Guests may be required to pay a small surcharge for pets, and in other cases pets stay free.

The self-catering specialist, cottages.com, is the UK’s leading provider of holiday properties and luxury homes and offers more than 21,000 places to stay across the UK.