Great North Run Accommodation

Finding accommodation for the Great North Run is getting harder by the year! The first year we used Nirvana because we booked late and were put in a nice B&B in Morpeth. It was convenient for the bus transfer, but it took ages to get back there after the race. The following year we saw the prices had gone up, so we did our own thing.

So we then used Active Hotels a few times. These were great - one year we tried to book directly with the hotel and they asked for far more then Active Hotels asked for. Best of all, you don't pay a penny when you book - just when you checkout. And the hotels we've booked through them can be cancelled until the day before arrival. So if you are thinking of running the Great North Run, save yourself the hassle of finding accommodation for the race in February when the results of the ballot are announced and book with Active Hotels now. Check the T&C of the hotel and if you don't get a ballot place then you can cancel the booking without charge. But looking for Great North Run accommodation once the ballot opens is always hard work. Once the results are announced...

The problem with Active Hotels is that we haven't found how to book a triple room. It meant having to go direct to the hotel - and loosing those great discounts. So the last couple of years, since our daughter & other relatives have been coming with us, we've started to look elsewhere. So last year we started using at Hoseasons and Cottages4You.

Now these last 2 might seem a bit daft, but to be honest, we are finding them an excellent alternative. Last year the caravan site was a hive of activity on the morning of the Great North Run - obviously we weren't the only runners to have thought of that idea. And the fact that the nearer sites were booked up early shows that's true.

The thing is with a cottage / caravan etc is that you can do a short break. It's not hard to find one that costs less for a short break than a hotel does for a night (we paid less than £100 for our 3 night stay in a caravan last year - most Great North Run hotels seem to charge £130+ per night). You then arrive Friday after work, have a leisurely day Saturday and after the race you can go back, get showered and changed and either head home or spend another night there. We really enjoyed that. Just a pity the place we stayed in is fully booked up.

So we're left in the hunt for Great North Run Accommodation. Only December and everywhere is filling up already. What will it be like when the ballot opens???