Some like it hut...but be quick!
EVERY week our Holiday Hero NEIL SIMPSON takes an in-depth look at a brilliant holiday topic, doing all the legwork so you don’t have to. This week: the rush to rent a beach hut for the holidays.
BEACH huts are in high demand this summer for staycationers who want to rent one for a day, weekend or week – and prices reflect their current popularity.
Many huts have embraced their Victorian and Edwardian roots with retro makeovers, while others make a nod towards modern architectural trends, some even running to two storeys with glass balconies.
Rental rules vary across the country but overnight stays are rarely possible, as few huts have running water or electricity, let alone toilets or showers. Expect to be allowed to arrive from 6am and leave by 10pm on most beaches. They’re great for families who want to camp on the beach all day without the hassle of bringing summer essentials such as deckchairs, sunloungers, parasols and beach games, which are often included with the hut.
Local councils own and rent out huts on their best beaches, but you’ll find plenty of options from individual owners through agencies such as beachhuts.com and beachhuts4hire.co.uk.
At South Coast favourite Bognor Regis there are super-luxe beach huts on Felpham Beach. They sleep four for overnight stays costing £225, so it’s a real experience (beachhuts.com).
Lyme Regis, on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast, is home to rows of simple, white-wood huts with pastel-coloured doors which can be rented by the day (from about £12), week or even year. Many have been snapped up for summer, but remaining dates and cancellations can be found under ‘beach hut availability’ at lymeregistown council.gov.uk. Bournemouth, with five long sandy beaches, is home to some 250 beach huts, with access ramps available for wheelchairusers. Find its offerings at bournemouth.co.uk, and expect to pay about £130 a week.
In Norfolk, the sand and shingle beach at Cromer (the perfect place to eat Cromer crab and local seafood) and the wide beach at Sheringham offer rows of huts. Some summertime availability is left from about £210 a week (north-norfolk.gov.uk)
Design fans may prefer the new, contemporary huts with angular shapes being built in nearby Lowestoft. From £300 a week at hirebeachhuts.co.uk.
South Beach in Blyth, Northumberland, has 20 stylishly renovated huts with living green roofs from £40 a day. For further information, go to northumberland.gov.uk.
Many of the beach huts set alongside the two Blue Flag beaches in and around Scarborough are connected to water and power and contain kettles, toasters, cutlery and mini-fridges. Find out about rentals of council-run huts from £38 a day at scarborough.gov.uk.
Scarborough is also home to two-storey beach huts with glass-fronted balconies on the upper level. Rent one from £130 a day through scarboroughbeachchalets. com, which is also the place to look if any go up for sale.
In Wales, most of the beach huts at Whitmore Bay on Barry Island have been reserved for the summer, but you can rent them as a wedding venue for £750 plus the registrar’s fees at valeof glamorgan.gov.uk Traditional beach huts are harder to find in Scotland, but modern alternatives don’t just bring huts up to date – they let you stay the night.
Timber-framed huts – called pods – with double beds are set close to beaches in Achmelvich and Brora on the North Coast 500 road. Four-day weekends cost from £450 at nc500pods.co.uk.