MANCUNIANS “HAPPY” PLACE IS A STROLL IN THE LAKE DISTRICT

A countryside walk in the Lake District has been voted as Manchester’s ultimate “happy place” when it comes to time spent away from the city, according to a new study.

This research looked into places in the UK which evoke special memories and ultimately make us “happy”. It found that Mancunians are a well-travelled bunch with a pub lunch in the Cotswolds coming close second followed by ice cream on Brighton Pier.

Enjoying fish and chips in Padstow harbour and hiking in the Peak District completed the top five happy spots for people from Manchester.

Researchers from SACO, The Serviced Apartment Company, polled UK holiday makers and revealed more than a third of Mancunians (35 per cent) believe there is “no place like home” when it comes to holidays.

Cornwall was their most desirable holiday destination (21 per cent), followed by places closer to home with the Lake District cited again (18%) and the North Wales Coast (12%).

More than 70 per cent of adults in Manchester polled said some of their fondest memories of being a child were spent holidaying in Britain – and nearly two thirds (60 per cent) of those asked are now trying to replicate those memories for their own children.

Around a third of Mancunians (31 per cent) say their best holidays have been in the UK, while two thirds of them claimed if you could always guarantee the weather they would never go abroad.

A spokesperson for SACO, which also provides serviced apartments in Manchester, said: “Although many Mancunians enjoy the beauty of the Lake District, they were among the most well-travelled of the people we polled with many of their favourite places and experiences being outside of the North West.

“This just goes to prove how lucky we are in the UK. There’s an incredibly diverse range of beautiful scenery and things to do, yet we can travel to all of it within a few hours. Few other countries in Europe could come close to competing with the experiences on offer.”

More than half (57 per cent) of those polled in Manchester said the biggest benefit of holidaying in the UK was the fact you can go by car while 45 per cent love being able to travel at a time that suits them.

Being able to get home if needed, avoiding sweltering heat and being able to take the family dog along were also listed as benefits of the ‘staycation’, as well as it being more affordable.
Must-do activities for Mancunians on a summer break revolved around traditional British foods with fish and chips (62 per cent), a pub lunch (51 per cent) and cream teas (32 per cent) all on the holiday checklist.

A more honest 33 per cent of Mancunians said it was a must to get blown about on a windy beach and 28 per cent said, you haven’t experienced a true British holiday until you have been caught in torrential rain.

Interestingly, the research showed that a typical seven-day break in the UK would set you back £754, compared to £1,571 if you went abroad from Manchester.

MANCUNIANS’ ULTIMATE “HAPPY PLACES”

Walking / hiking in the Lake District
Pub lunch in the Cotswolds
Eating ice cream on Brighton Beach
Eating fish and chips in Padstow
Walking in the Peak District
Admiring the white sandy beaches of the Hebrides
Enjoying a cream tea in the Isles of Scilly
Enjoying a pasty in St Ives
Visiting the Roman Baths at Bath
Open top bus ride in London
Picking fossils on the Jurassic Coast
Swimming in Bude Sea Pool, Cornwall
Boating on the Norfolk broads
Eating candy floss at Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Walking the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path
Walking the dog on Holkham Bay, Norfolk
Searching for Nessie at Loch Ness
Playing arcade games on Weston Super Mare Grand Pier
Building sand castles on Blackpool Sands Beach
Climbing St Michael’s Mount
Winning a toy for the children at Barry Island
Rock Pooling in Polzeath Beach
Exploring Exmoor
Playing rounders on Perranporth Beach, Cornwall
Strolling over the Clifton Suspension Bridge
Riding donkeys on Great Yarmouth Beach
Surfing on Fistral Beach
Crabbing in Looe
Punting on The River Cam
Sailing in Salcombe.

MUST-DO ACTIVITIES ON A BRITISH HOLIDAY

Eating fish and chips
A pub lunch
Having a cream tea
Building sandcastles
Paddling
Playing arcade games
Getting blown about on a beach
Skimming stones on the sea
Relaxing in a deck chair
Getting rained on
Playing in rock pools
Eating a pasty
Playing cards
Crabbing

Mancunians Happy Place