Cheltenham Tops New UK Ranking for Restorative Winter Breaks as Coast and Highlands Follow
Together Travel's study of 143 destinations puts Bournemouth and Inverness next, spotlighting spas, walking routes and nature-led British getaways.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Together Travel ranks Cheltenham first among 143 selected UK restorative-staycation destinations with 50.77 points, ahead of Bournemouth and Inverness.
- Scotland accounts for four top-ten destinations, reflecting the prominence of Highland settings alongside spa towns and seaside escapes.
- VisitBritain says 78% of UK adults intended to take a domestic overnight trip in the following year in September 2026, up three points from August.
- The ranking weights spas and walking routes at 30% each, with summer temperatures and mobile coverage at 20% each; it does not measure wellbeing outcomes.
Cheltenham has emerged as the highest-scoring destination in a new UK study of restorative short breaks, edging out Bournemouth and Inverness in a ranking that puts historic spa towns alongside seaside retreats and Scottish Highland landscapes. The research considers access to spas and walking routes, cooler summer temperatures and the potential to spend less time connected to a mobile phone.
Commissioned by holiday accommodation specialist Together Travel, the study assessed 143 selected destinations and placed the Gloucestershire town first on 50.77 points out of 100. Bournemouth followed on 49.81, with Inverness third on 48.79. These are relative scores within a particular model, not measures of improved health or wellbeing among actual visitors.
The results come as domestic breaks remain prominent in British travel plans. VisitBritain’s September 2026 sentiment tracker found that 78% of UK adults intended to take an overnight trip within the country in the following 12 months, three percentage points higher than in August. Together Travel’s announcement also cites a 317% quarterly increase in searches for the phrase ‘winter getaway’, although the underlying search volumes were not supplied with the findings.
From Regency spa heritage to open Highland landscapes
For Cheltenham, the leading position reflects a combination of spa heritage, a walkable Regency-era townscape and proximity to countryside routes around the Cotswolds. Visit Cheltenham’s heritage walking guide identifies the Montpellier district and its historic spa buildings as part of the town’s appeal to visitors exploring on foot.
Second-placed Bournemouth illustrates a different kind of escape. The Dorset coastal destination offers beaches, seafront walks and spa accommodation, potentially allowing visitors to substitute quieter coastal time for conventional summer seaside activities. In third place, Inverness provides access to the River Ness, Loch Ness and the Highlands, while fourth-ranked Aviemore connects visitors to the Cairngorms’ woodland and mountain scenery. Both Scottish destinations show how important accessible outdoor experiences are to the study’s definition of a restorative break.
Bath, in fifth, returns the emphasis to spa culture through its thermal-water history and Georgian setting. Its presence alongside Cheltenham suggests that established spa destinations remain competitive even when walking opportunities are given the same weight as spa availability.
The ten highest-scoring UK destinations
| Rank | Destination | County or council area | Nation | Score / 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cheltenham | Gloucestershire | England | 50.77 |
| 2 | Bournemouth | Dorset | England | 49.81 |
| 3 | Inverness | Highland | Scotland | 48.79 |
| 4 | Aviemore | Highland | Scotland | 47.28 |
| 5 | Bath | Somerset | England | 46.10 |
| 6 | Buxton | Derbyshire | England | 46.04 |
| 7 | Ilkley | West Yorkshire | England | 44.13 |
| 8 | Keswick | Cumbria | England | 43.06 |
| 9 | Fort William | Highland | Scotland | 42.26 |
| 10 | Dunkeld | Perth and Kinross | Scotland | 41.42 |
Four of the ten destinations are in Scotland: Inverness, Aviemore, Fort William and Dunkeld. The other six are in England, including Buxton, another spa town; Ilkley in West Yorkshire; and Keswick in the Lake District. Wales and Northern Ireland were represented in the wider sample but had no destinations in the top ten.
Wellness travel is increasingly about the whole stay
The emphasis on landscapes as well as treatments aligns with a wider view of wellbeing in domestic hospitality. Research published by PoB Hotels found that 87% of respondents to its whitepaper survey considered overall wellbeing important when booking a UK hotel stay. Among the surveyed affluent and high-net-worth travellers, 61% were interested in spa treatments, while 45% expressed interest in outdoor pursuits such as hiking and cycling. These figures describe the survey respondents, not all UK holidaymakers.
Laura Dubois, holiday specialist at Together Travel, said restorative travel need not depend on international trips or expensive spa packages. She pointed to time outdoors, simpler itineraries and a change of routine as ways to unwind, highlighting the contrasts between traditional spa centres, coastal settings and more remote Highland destinations.
For accommodation providers and destinations, the ranking illustrates the range of experiences that can be offered during quieter travel periods: heritage walks, countryside access, local spa facilities and nature-led short breaks. It does not establish that a particular location will provide a more relaxing experience for every visitor; individual preferences, travel conditions and accessibility still matter.
What the rankings actually measure
Together Travel compiled the scores using four weighted indicators, each standardised against the destinations in its selection: spa venue density within 10 kilometres (30%), total mapped walking-path length within the same radius (30%), average June–August temperatures from NASA POWER’s 2001–2025 climate data (20%), and the share of the wider local-authority area without predicted outdoor 4G coverage under Ofcom’s January 2026 data (20%). Spa listings came from SpaSeekers, while walking-path data came from OpenStreetMap.
The sample comprised 78 locations in England, 33 in Scotland, 22 in Wales and ten in Northern Ireland, selected for their relevance to coastal, rural, walking or spa holidays. The temperature measure concerns summer rather than winter weather, and weak mobile coverage is used only as a proxy for digital-detox potential, not evidence of better wellbeing. The results should therefore be read as a comparison of selected destination characteristics rather than a definitive guide to health benefits or the quality of individual stays.
As the colder months approach, a restorative UK break can take several forms. The strongest choice for an individual traveller may come down less to a league-table position than to whether they prefer a historic spa weekend, a walk beside the coast or time among hills and woodland. Together Travel states that all the study’s data was accurate as of 19 October 2026.