Cornish Second Homes Most Popular

02/02/12

By Natalie Thomas

Finances may be tough right now, but that has not stopped more people from buying a second or "holiday" home in the last year, according to a study.

The area of the UK where most people choose to have their second home is Cornwall, according to research from property website PrimeLocation.com.

There are more than 14,000 second homes in Cornwall, with a second home in the area selling for around £247,000 on average.

In 2011, the number of second or holiday homes in the whole country rose to 246,494, compared to 246,026 the year before.

South Hams in Devon has the largest percentage of second properties.

Some 9.7 per cent of properties in Devon's South Hams - including Totnes and Salcombe - are second homes, meaning the area has the largest proportion of such properties in the UK.

There is a 60-mile coastline in South Ham and the area is sheltered by Dartmoor's granite uplands so has "one of the mildest climates in the whole of mainland Britain", the local district council claims.