Win £1,000 Sykes Holiday Cottages voucher for the ultimate UK staycation
The giveaway comes as new research reveals that food is now a key driver behind where Brits choose to holiday. According to the holiday home agency's latest Staycation Index report, more than a third of Brits now choose their UK holiday destinations based on food.
In a poll of 2,000 UK adults commissioned for the report, one in five also said that the meals they eat on holiday significantly impact how much they enjoy the overall trip. The research revealed the top 10 foodie towns Brits most want to visit in 2025, with Cornwall dominating the list. The Cornish town of St Ives took first place, closely followed by Padstow and Falmouth in third. Other popular spots named in the list include Brixham on Devon's south coast, northern favourite Blackpool and Great Yarmouth in Norfolk.
As we head into summer we've got a fantastic prize up for grabs for anyone who's dreaming of a staycation. To be in with a chance of winning a £1,000 Sykes holiday voucher, entrants simply need to provide their details using the form below. The winner will receive their voucher via email, to be redeemed against a cottage holiday of their choice. Click here if you cannot view the entry form below.
The competition closes at 23:45 on 31st July, 2025.
Sykes research also revealed that for those seeking out food-inspired breaks, the biggest motivation was trying a local delicacy, followed by visiting a specific restaurant, and purchasing regional ingredients.
Dining experiences aren't just shaping where people go – they're also encouraging them to return. The report found that one in 10 travellers have rebooked a destination just to revisit a favourite restaurant, while many are willing to travel up to 70 miles for a specific culinary experience – with one in 10 prepared to travel more than 150 miles.
When it comes to eating out during their stay, traditional British pubs remain the top choice for travellers (58%), followed by independent local restaurants (52%) and fish and chip shops (51%).
James Shaw, Managing Director of Sykes Holiday Cottages, said: 'Food is an essential part of the staycation experience, whether that's indulging in fresh seafood at the coast, browsing local farmers' markets, or seeking out a pub lunch. People are increasingly planning their holidays with their palates in mind – and that's great for local businesses across the UK.
'We're seeing more and more holidaymakers prioritise local experiences over abroad escapes, and with so many flavour-packed places to visit in this country, it's no surprise that foodie travel is on the rise.'
The Index notes that almost two-thirds (63%) of Brits plan to take a UK-based holiday this year, increasing to 71% of Gen Z travellers – suggesting the younger generation is leading the charge when it comes to staycations. On average, Brits are expected to take three domestic breaks in 2025, each lasting around six days.
Spending is on the rise too, with travellers expecting to spend £1,292 on their main UK holiday – up from £1,070 in 2024 – contributing to a projected £24 billion boost to the domestic tourism economy this summer.
While average booking times have shortened to 105 days (compared with 114 in 2024), foodie hotspots like Cornwall and Cumbria are still being snapped up six months in advance, on average. Meanwhile, 24% of holidays are now booked within a month of travel, highlighting a growing trend for more spontaneous getaways.
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Richmond Park 555 points Seven of London's eight royal parks had some sort of prior life as hunting grounds for the monarch (Green Park is the exception). Richmond Park is perhaps the member of that septet which most resembles its former self. It wears its royal tag (50 points) in colossal fashion – at 955 hectares, it is by far the largest park anywhere in London. And while it is not the oldest of the royal eight (its opening to the public in 1758 – 45 points – leaves it in third place on that particular metric), on quiet days, it still feels attuned to the era of kings on horseback. The descendants of the red deer once pursued by James I and Charles I still roam across the landscape (earning the park a 25-point bonus) – while Pen Ponds, the ornamental lake at the heart of it all (30 points), was dug in 1746, when the park was still a private estate for George II and his family. In some cases, the story goes back even farther. Richmond Park is home to around 320 trees categorised as 'ancient' (60 points). The most venerable of these is the Royal Oak – whose acorn burst into life 750 years ago. Best bit London has 13 'protected views' – lines of sight which cannot (by law) be interrupted by modern building work. Richmond Park has one of them (25 points) – the panorama which looks north-east from King Henry VIII's Mound to St Paul's Cathedral. 4. Bushy Park 580 points If, in its name, Bushy Park is perhaps the least recognisable of those affiliated with the crown, other factors make its royal status (50 points) obvious. There are more than 20 listed buildings on or within its boundaries (30 points). Chief among them is Hampton Court, the Grade I-listed 16th century palace which has been in crown hands since it was gifted (under duress) to Henry VIII by his soon-to-be-dismissed chief minister, Cardinal Wolsey, in 1529. Said Tudor marvel (with Baroque flourishes) makes for one of London's foremost historic day trips – partly because the 445 hectares of grassland which fan out behind it are not much changed from the hunting grounds where Henry liked to gallop. As with Richmond Park, you can still encounter red and fallow deer here (25 points). And while the six-times-married monarch lost his athleticism in his gluttonous later life, active visitors can swim in Hampton Pool, the lido which was added to the park's north-west corner in 1922 (50 points). Best bit According to the Woodland Trust, Bushy Park has nine ancient trees (40 points) – among them a sweet chestnut tree which, dating to about 1370, is older than the palace. 3. Hyde Park 622 points Kensington Gardens' partner in green-and-pleasantness is a metropolitan marvel. Hyde Park 's birth year – it opened to the public in 1637 (50 points) – is only enough to make it the city's second-oldest royal park (50 points; St James's Park, having flung wide its gates in 1603, is the oldest). But its heart-of-the-matter location, served by both Marble Arch and Hyde Park Corner Tube stations (10 points), means that it comes out on top of one particular set of statistics: in welcoming 13 million people each year, it is easily the most-visited of London's eight royal parks. In part, this is down to its use as a venue for music festivals (40 points) – not least the British Summer Time series of concerts (which, this year, holds court until July 13). Beyond this, Hyde Park is a space for leisure, exercise, and engagement, where you can swim in the main water feature (the Serpentine; 30 points), test your speed on an official Park Run (25 points), or offer a hot take at Speakers' Corner – which, squished into the park's north-east limits, has acted as an ad-hoc soap box and a bastion of free speech since 1872. Best bit The granite oval of the Memorial Fountain which celebrates Princess Diana. Somewhat mocked when unveiled in 2004, it has become a splash-happy joy for children. 2. Hampstead Heath 640 points If there is one characteristic that central London's parks lack, it is an air of wilderness. This absence does not apply to Hampstead Heath. True, its 320 hectares are eclipsed by bigger spaces (notably Bushy and Richmond), but this vast slab of ancient heathland (the clue is in the name) feels somehow removed from the city around it. Although elusive, muntjac deer roam freely (25 points). And humans have a similar right to wander. Should you wish, the heath is accessible at all hours (20 points) – a boon to those who like an early-morning splash in swimming spaces such as the fabled Kenwood Ladies' Pond (50 points; those who prefer a chlorinated dip can aim instead for Parliament Hill Lido). There are pleasantries too. The heath's most feted structure – 17th century pile Kenwood House – is one of more than 20 listed buildings on park land (30 points), and is open to the public. A walk to see it might easily take in the Southampton Arms, a pub, opposite the lido, that is ranked by this paper as one of Britain's 500 best (25 points). Best bit Parliament Hill. The high-point for three of London's 13 protected views (25 points), and host to a weekly food market (25 points). 1. Greenwich Park 641 points Almost every royal park in London has a connection with Henry VIII, but Greenwich Park 's royal status (50 points) is particularly wrapped up in the tale of 'Bluff King Hal'. He was born, in 1491, in the Thames-side palace whose modern descendent, the Old Royal Naval College, is one of 18 listed buildings (25 points) in or around the space. It is also a key element of the 'Maritime Greenwich' Unesco rubberstamp which makes this easterly corner of the city so special (50 points). In fact, heritage abounds at nearly every turn. Greenwich Park opened to the public in 1830 (45 points), but some of its 'residents' have been around for rather longer than 195 years. Its line-up of ancient trees – more than 20 (60 points) – includes Queen Elizabeth's Oak, a relic (it died in the 19th century) whose fallen remains may date back to 1292. The young Henry would have cantered past it. And while he would not not recognise the protected view (25 points) across to St Paul's Cathedral (which rose a century after his death) – nor the rather more modern sight of the Canary Wharf skyscrapers on the opposite side of the river – these twin panoramas ensure that Greenwich Park is never less than a visual feast. Best bit The Royal Observatory, whose hilltop location also marks the precise path of the foremost line of longitude – the Greenwich Meridian. Back to the top The case for London's 'worst' park As the saying goes, there are lies, damned lies and statistics. One of London's parks was always going to end up at the bottom of our list – but Finsbury Circus Gardens, a little pocket of east London tranquillity, might feel somewhat aggrieved at its 50th position in our table. For one thing, it is, by some definitions, the city's oldest park. Its low score – 195 points – can be attributed to both its small size (a mere two hectares), and a paucity of facilities. Set within the borders of the City of London, it lacks the space for a lido, a playground or tennis courts. But it does have a weight of history to its name: it is all that remains of the former Moor Fields, the grassy expanse which, dating to 1607, is considered to have been London's first park. That Moorgate is the nearest Tube station reinforces this connection. And its low score does not mean that it is unloved. Finsbury Circus is widely appreciated by the workers in the surrounding offices – not least in summer, when its lawn and benches fill up with a lunchtime crowd. Its popularity can also be attributed to its return from behind high fences and security cordons: the park was inaccessible from 2010 to 2020 (for the building of the Elizabeth line), and from November 2023 until the May of this year (for a 19-month bout of restoration work which has left it looking in fine fettle).
