If there is a destination that feels tailor-made for the midweek break, it is the New Forest.
Less than 90 minutes from London and within comfortable reach of Southampton, Bournemouth, Bristol and beyond, it offers one of the more extraordinary juxtapositions in the English landscape: ancient woodland, open heathland, free-roaming ponies, medieval villages and a coastline stretching from the Solent to the Jurassic coast in Dorset – all within a national park that covers nearly 570 square kilometres.
The New Forest rewards the midweek visitor in ways that simply don’t apply at weekends. The trails through Rhinefield Ornamental Drive are properly quiet on a Wednesday. Burley village, perpetually busy on a Saturday afternoon, feels like a different place on a Tuesday morning. The tearooms have seats. The car parks have space. The ponies are largely unbothered.
For couples, in particular, the New Forest is hard to beat. Walks that don’t need a map. Proper country pubs within cycling distance. Sound baths tucked into woodland clearings. It doesn’t ask much of you beyond turning up and slowing down.
What the data says
The broader trends point firmly in the same direction. The UK staycation market is forecast to grow at around 5-6% a year through to 2035, driven by demand for shorter, more frequent domestic breaks and the enduring shift towards flexible working. Analysts project the market will be worth over £55-60 billion annually by the early 2030s, up from roughly £33 billion today.
Younger travellers are particularly engaged. Research shows 71% of those aged between 18–28 planned a UK holiday in 2025, with 45% choosing it as their main summer break. The 25-34 age group is currently identified as the segment most likely to take a domestic holiday – a demographic that has grown up with flexible working norms and is least likely to feel that the UK is a compromise choice.
The cost-of-living crisis, then, has not so much diminished British holidays as redirected them. It has pushed people towards the domestic, the spontaneous and the midweek. In many cases, it has pushed them towards places like the New Forest – where the case for a Tuesday to Thursday escape was always strong and is now quietly irresistible.
The dog factor
One quietly significant driver of UK domestic short breaks is something the data rarely captures directly: the nation’s relationship with its dogs. The pandemic-era surge in dog ownership has created millions of households for whom international travel has become logistically complicated. A midweek break in the New Forest – largely dog-friendly in terms of both accommodation and outdoor access – solves that problem cleanly, without the expense or anxiety of kennels or pet passports.
At Chevrons, pet-friendliness as a primary feature rather than a reluctant concession. It’s a practical detail that has quietly reshaped what ‘accessible short break’ means for a large segment of the travelling public.
If you’re looking for a great place to stay mid-week (or any other time too), look no further than Chevrons – we have accommodation to suit families, couples and people of all ages. We consistently get great reviews on booking.com – for our ambience, team, accommodation and breakfasts. Book online on the website or get in contact to get the best deals and see what the fuss is all about.
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