We’re not going on a summer holiday...

As trips abroad bite the dust, the ripple effect on the British countryside has hit breaking point, says Nick Trend

Never has there been a year quite like this one. First – in a rush of relief – we piled into the travel agents. Tour operators and airlines were slapping themselves on the back in January and February, as they took record bookings for July and August.

Then came lockdown. Millions of us lost our Easter holidays and many are still waiting for refunds. Millions more were held in suspense for weeks – unable to cancel summer breaks without forfeiting money, yet uncertain if they would go ahead.

When we finally got the goahead to travel again, look what happened. Spain, our most popular holiday destination, has been all but cancelled overnight.

While those heading to France, Greece, Turkey or Italy know that a surge in the infection rate could mean the axe will fall, even as they drive to the airport. That’s if they aren’t forced into a local lockdown themselves.

The only safe alternative? A staycation. The result? Huge stress on the British coast and countryside. Never in my wildest imaginings did I think I’d see stories like those which have emerged this week. Of people being gazumped out of rental cottages by desperate holidaymakers offering to pay extra. And of owners reneging on bookings because their own trips have been cancelled.

A growing number of people who had booked accommodation on Cottages.com, a popular rental platform that offers 18,000 properties, have been complaining after receiving emails telling them their reservations were suddenly unavailable. Most were due to check in within days, had paid the full balance and received confirmation.

Yvonne Moulds, 43, an A&E doctor, was due to stay in a cottage near Inverness with her partner Chris, a

Anna Hart WHEN holidays go wrong, it can feel like our resolve, optimism, hopes and dreams have been cancelled, not merely the flights.

But it is possible to rustle a good time out of nothing, and sometimes, the very best holidays are the ones we’d never have chosen in a million summers.

So if you’re wrestling with abandoned plans, here are a few smart tricks which could help you to salvage your summer.

Crowdsource

Don’t be shy. There is a pandemic on, and (some) people are being teacher. Both key workers, they had booked a week off for some muchneeded respite

“I paid straight away, as you do when it’s last-minute. But the email we got didn’t have any information about how to get there, or collect the keys,” says Yvonne.

“Finally, three days ago, we got an email from Cottages.com and I thought, ‘Oh, it’s going to be OK’. But a few minutes later, the owner of the cottage phoned me really distressed. She explained she had decided not to rent it out this year, and had informed the agent at the start of the season.

She’s had no money from them and it’s not her fault.”

The site has admitted that trips have been cancelled because of technical errors caused by “unprecedented” demand on its website, which meant some listings were double-booked.

A spokesman for Cottages.com told

The Daily Telegraph: “Due to the large number of last-minute bookings we have received, there have been a small number of double-booking issues within our system.

“We have apologised to those customers involved and are working with them to ensure they can rebook, or receive a voucher or a cash refund.”

They added: “Some [proprietors] are choosing to use the property themselves as they are unable to travel abroad for their summer holiday.”

Yvonne believes the site may have marketed cottages they knew weren’t available. “You’d think if it was a one-off it might have been a mistake, but from social media it seems to be a common theme. We know we’re not going on holiday now. I’ve spent my days off sorting this, instead of relaxing.”

I know that I have been one of the lucky ones. My Greek sailing holiday, booked for June, never looked likely to go ahead. I cancelled in May, postponing it for a year. And, because I live in North Norfolk, I’ve had the consolation of blue skies, country lanes and deserted beaches. It has felt more like the Thirties than the 2020s.

One glorious Saturday in May, after a week of responding to the developing dramas over cancellations and refunds, I cycled the few miles to Holkham beach – one of our local holiday honeypots.

The mile-long drive, which runs down to a swathe of sand dunes and pine woods, is normally used as a car park for thousands of day-visitors.

That morning, it was empty. I didn’t see a single other person. In 25 years, I haven’t witnessed anything like it. But, just a few weeks later, the pendulum has swung the other way. Norfolk is besieged by campervans and cars; bikes on the roof racks, wellies in the boot – a manic invasion of pleasure-seekers.

I have no beef with it. Those that have been cooped-up in the towns and cities desperately need some sea air. But I wouldn’t dream of heading back to the beach myself.

In fact, unless you are desperate, maybe this isn’t the summer for a staycation after all. If you haven’t got anything sorted, you might want to look ahead to an autumn break instead. Those glorious wide beaches and sand dunes will be waiting.

Rental cottages are being gazumped by desperate holidaymakers paying extra

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