This article was updated on 3rd February to keep up-to-date with the current position.
All accommodation in Scotland is currently closed for leisure travel and holidays, and will remain so until at least the end of February. Currently, no-one knows for certain when travel restrictions will begin to be lifted once more, as the vaccination programme gathers pace; it is hoped that the first relaxations of the rules will begin in March.
Although many people are desperate to be able to have a good holiday break when things improve, the current climate means that some are holding off on making any bookings for 2021 until the situation is clearer.
However, this may risk any chance of securing a 2021 holiday at all. There is likely to be a perfect storm of excess demand and inadequate supply of places to stay, for several reasons:
- Many people whose holiday bookings were cancelled in 2020 opted to ‘roll-over’ their bookings to 2021, so a lot of accommodation is already heavily booked once it is allowed to open and travel is permitted.
- Next summer, it is expected that far more people will choose to holiday at home rather than travel abroad, leading to a large increase in demand.
- We’ve seen a fair few accommodation providers go out of business during the pandemic, reducing capacity.
- Many other B&Bs and cottages in Scotland are run by people who are semi-retired, and many of these people have understandably opted to retire now and close permanently given the pandemic.
For these reasons, the chances of being able to make a desirable summer booking once the situation is clear are very low.
Given this catch-22 situation, we’ve had many enquiries from people about what to do.
If you do want a holiday in Scotland in 2021, it may be best to book now.
However, make sure you check with the accommodation owner or their agency on what their policy is regarding being able to get a refund (or new dates) if Covid travel restrictions at the time mean that the holiday cannot go ahead.
Links to search for accommodation on Walkhighlands:
Holiday cottages
Guest houses and B&Bs
Hotels and inns
Hostels and bunkhouses
Campervan hire
Camping and glamping
Holiday packages and guiding
