Three Cornish towns named in top five most in demand areas for second homes
The study looked at Google search data from through the pandemic
Three coastal towns in Cornwall have been named in the top five areas which are most in demand for second homes.
A new study by Lakeshore Leisure Group has revealed that the UK’s city dwellers are most interested in Cornish second home properties located in Falmouth, St Ives and Newquay.
Padstow and Bude also made the top 20. But the number one spit when to Salcombe in Devon.
The study analysed the Google search history of over 100 UK cities since the beginning of the first national Covid lockdown, to find which coastal and rural locations were being searched for the most by city dwellers in relation to second-homes and holiday homes.
Urban inhabitants are most interested in second homes in South West locations, with Devon's Salcombe and Brixham, and Cornwall's Falmouth, St Ives and Newquay all appearing in the top six most Googled holiday home towns. Scotland’s North Berwick and Yorkshire’s Whitby also made the top ten.
"The combination of Brexit and the Covid pandemic has prompted city dwellers to find a way to regularly escape their urban homes and guarantee a much-needed holiday escape whilst international leisure travel remains so uncertain.
"The huge increase in interest for a semi-permanent rural escape since the start of Covid is easily evidenced in people’s online behaviour; Google Trends shows an all-time high for ‘second home’ searches in July 2020 which have remained high into 2021, and rising property prices in the South West and other rural towns and villages across the UK prove the interest is turning into serious demand."
Lakeshore Leisure Group
Where UK Cities Want Second Homes, According to Google Data
The list is ordered by rank, second-home location and 'second home’ searches made by UK cities since April 2020.
1 Salcombe, Devon 19,990
2 Falmouth, Cornwall 12,370
3 North Berwick, East Lothian 12,140
4 St Ives, Cornwall 11,550
5 Newquay, Cornwall 10,470
6 Brixham, Devon 9,270
7 Bournemouth, Dorset 9,220
8 Whitstable, Kent 8,800
9 Whitby, Yorkshire 7,910
10 Weymouth, Dorset 7,500
11 Tenby, Pembrokeshire 7,350
12 Torquay, Devon 7,200
13 Blackpool, Lancashire 6,790
14 Padstow, Cornwall 6,180
15 Ullapool, Ross & Cromarty 6,170
16 Scarborough, Yorkshire 5,780
17 Great Yarmouth, Norfolk 5,330
18 Bude, Cornwall 5,280
19 Lyme Regis, Dorset 4,660
20 Filey, Yorkshire 4,650
About the most sought after places for second homes in Cornwall
Falmouth: "A familiar name for boat lovers, Falmouth on Cornwall’s south coast is a quaint harbour town that lots of city dwellers would like a holiday home in. Despite Rick Stein’s recent announcement that he is permanently closing his fish and chips restaurant in the town, locals here have a wealth of gorgeous eating establishments to choose from including The Wheel House and Restaurant FOUR. Homes here are considerably cheaper than Salcombe, averaging between £317,000 and £489,000."
St. Ives: "City dwellers who want an exciting food and art scene will be drawn to a second home in north Cornwall’s St. Ives. With Tate St. Ives and other local artist galleries, the creative culture of this pretty sea side town has made it a popular holiday home location for urbanites for years. The average price for a terraced house is currently just under £400,000."
Newquay: "The third Cornish location in the second-homes top five, Newquay has been popular with surfers and festival lovers for a while. Suited to water lovers, the famous beach caters to those who enjoy paddle boarding, surfing, sea kayaking and sea swimming. Detached properties are currently selling at an average of £468,000, and flats at £236,000."
You can find the Lakeshore Leisure’s Holiday Home report here.