Devon vs Cornwall: sorry Cornwall, Devon is the best staycation destination!

The latest research from hoo has settled the old age debate of which is better, Devon vs Cornwall!

Undoubtedly two of the most beautiful parts of the UK, the rivalry between the two locations recently resurfaced over a war on cream tea etiquette.

In Devon, the birthplace of Sir Francis Drake, Agatha Christie and Coldplay’s Chris Martin, the cream comes first. In Cornwall, the birthplace of Sir Humphry Davy, Kristin Scott-Thomas and Dawn French, it’s the jam. 

But how do the two compare when it comes to holidays? 

For those considering a long-term holiday home, Cornwall comes out on top with an average house price of £265,288 - 9.5% more affordable than Devon. The rental market is also more affordable in Cornwall where you could rent a home for the summer for £744 a month versus £792 in Devon. 

However, when it comes to a short-term staycation, Devon reigns supreme in all areas. According to hoo’s research, the average hotel room rate for a long bank holiday weekend in Devon comes in at £155 per night. The same stay in Cornwall will cost you £172 per night, 10.6% more expensive. 

hoo also looked at current availability and found that 98% of Cornish accommodation is already booked up, while in Devon it’s just 96%, meaning you have a better chance of finding somewhere to stay in the first place.

Both areas are home to some of the best beaches the UK has to offer but Devon takes the top spot once again in this respect. Cornwall is home to a respectable 10 Blue Flag awarded beaches, but in Devon, this number climbs as high as 13. 

Finally, hoo looked at the number of annual domestic tourists that flock to each area for their holiday. The latest data shows that just over 3.2m of us head to Cornwall in a single year but Devon takes the crown as the busiest tourist hotspot with over 3.4m visitors per year. 

 hoo's co-founder, Adrian Murdock, commented:

“A modern-day War of the Roses, the Cornwall-Devon debate is fierce and one that can be ignited over something as simple as a cream tea. 

While it certainly looks as though Devon edges it from a tourism standpoint, our personal opinion is you can’t go wrong with either. 

In fact, combining a visit to both is a win-win situation and doing so can rival any foreign holiday, as long as the sun is shining that is. Just make sure you apply your cream and jam in the correct order depending on which side of the border you are at the time.”