How We Produced This Guide
We used HomeToGo search data to identify the villages located in UK National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty which did not appear in the list of the top 500 most-searched destinations via hometogo.co.uk for summer 2022. We then created a shortlist of the destinations with sufficient accommodation offers. Any locations that appeared in the HomeToGo 2021 UK Hidden Gem Index were excluded. To rank these destinations, we researched seven data points: the average summer temperature, the average summer rainfall, the number of pubs in each village, the number of outdoor activities available in the local area, photo-friendliness, the median nightly price for accommodation in summer 2022 and search volume for summer stays in 2022 via hometogo.co.uk.
After obtaining the raw data, we assigned each data point a representative numerical value between 5 and 10, with 5 representing the lowest data point and 10 representing the highest data point. The hypothetical "perfect score" would be 70 out of 70. We used the following equation in order to calculate this for every factor:
Score(i) = 5 · (x(i) - xmin ) / (xmax - xmin ) + 5
Warmth score: We used data from each village's nearest climate station, made available by the Met Office, to calculate the average temperatures during the months of July, August and September. The destination with the highest average temperature across all three months was given a score of 10, and the remaining areas were awarded a score of 5 or higher.
Rainfall score: We used data from each village's nearest climate station, made available by the Met Office, to calculate the average rainfall during the months of July, August and September. The destination with the lowest average rainfall across all three months was given a score of 10, and the remaining areas were awarded a score of 5 or higher.
Pubs score: We used data provided by The Good Pub Guide to record the number of pubs located in each village. The destination home to the most pubs was given a score of 10, and the remaining areas were awarded a score of 5 or higher.
Outdoor activities score: We collected data from Komoot to determine the number of outdoor trails and activities available within a 5 mile reach of each village. The destination with the most outdoor trails and activities on offer within a 5 mile reach was assigned a score of 10, and the remaining areas were awarded a score of 5 or higher.
Scenic score: We used Flickr to identify the number of photographs featuring each village as the subject. The most photographed destination was given a score of 10, and the remaining areas were awarded a score of 5 or higher.
Price score: We used HomeToGo internal price data to find the median price per night for holiday accommodation in each destination with a check-in date between 21st June - 23rd September 2022. The area with the lowest median price per night was awarded a maximum score of 10, and the remaining areas were awarded a score of 5 or higher. Data was collected in June 2022, prices are subject to change.
Under-the-radar score: We used HomeToGo internal search data to find the number of searches for holiday accommodation in each destination with a check-in date between 21st June - 23rd September 2022. The area with the fewest searches was awarded a maximum score of 10, and the remaining areas were awarded a score of 5 or higher.
¹ Survey insight: Research conducted by HomeToGo among a sample of 1,900 respondents in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States. To participate in this survey, respondents had to be 18 or older. The survey was carried out online between 22nd March 2022 - 11th April 2022.
