YORK has come in second on a list of the UK’s favourite family friendly places to holiday.

More than 3,200 members of the public voted for their favourite UK destinations for families in the poll by holiday rental firm HomeAway, with Keswick taking the crown in the rural category, Bournemouth in the seaside group and Edinburgh in the urban category voted as most popular British family friendly destinations for UK holidays.

In the urban group the Scottish capital was closely followed by York which got 26 per cent of the votes ahead of London with 25 per cent and the news comes as two-thirds of British holidaymakers say they are not planning to travel abroad this year due to COVID-19, and are opting instead for rural staycations.

Karen Mullins, Regional Director UK & Ireland at HomeAway, said: “We are absolutely thrilled with the support our first Family Friendly Destinations campaign has received from the British public and shortlisted communities.

“The impressive volume of votes and positive community feedback shows we are very keen holidaymakers and that we want to spend much desired, quality time on holiday with our loved ones after months of being separated. British communities put a lot of thought, investment and heart into welcoming families with the perfect environment to experience an unforgettable holiday and they are looking forward to doing this again soon.

“As a family travel brand, we remain fully committed to providing holidaying families with a worry-free and positive holiday experience in the holiday homes of our partners. In supporting local tourism and UK communities, we are confident that the Family Holiday Destinations 2020 campaign marks a positive step in this direction. It is however essential and more important than ever that we all respect and follow the guidelines outlined by the Government and the NHS to help protect and maintain the safety of our own families and others when travelling, as well as the local communities of these popular destinations.”

In the rural category, Keswick was the clear winner, securing nearly half of all votes in the category with 47 per cent voting for the Lake District market town followed by Tenby in Wales with 17 per cent and Bakewell in the Peak District at 15 per cent completing the top three spots in the category.

Click here to see the full results.