UK Holidays with Kids

cat_with_no_tail

Much to my frustration, the wife has decided she hates going abroad and hates flying and as such, we have to do a "staycation" next year.

Personally, I farking hate holidaying in the UK (with kids at least). It's always shite weather, cold, raining etc, and everywhere you take the kids is grubby, run-down, and vastly overpriced.

Or is it?

Who can advise me of a good UK based holiday destination for a family with 2 small children (girls, ages 6 and 4)?

mintedox

Rent a caravan at a place like Presthaven sands in north wales. Loads of stuff for the kids to do and if you take your bike you could disappear to one of the trails close by.
My mrs is the same about flying so that is my plan for this year

cooldad

You are 100% right.
Leave her behind and take the girls to Whistler.

tlw1

Weather is always inconsistent

But there are some great places. Wife and kids will love the lake district and there is some great places for you

tlw1

Oh, join the national trust. Because if it rains, you end up seeing a lot of houses & castles!

Richie63

House sit for me next summer

ps there will be Olly and Mia the cats there

cooldad

matthew h wrote:

Oh, join the national trust. Because if it rains, you end up seeing a lot of houses & castles!

I believe the terms is pussy whipped.

Richie63

Ferry to the UK then head for a channel port

Richie63

Then just keep driving

cooldad

Genius

Stevo_666

If the kids like beach holidays then try South Devon or Cornwall - some good beaches, weather is as warm as you can get in the UK and not too wet in summer. Also there's plenty other stuff around as so many other tightwads go there on holiday insteading flying to somewhere hot

cooldad

Are we allowed to mention Rhyl in the Hub?

Anonymous

Cat With No Tail wrote:

It's always shite weather, cold, raining etc

Why not go somewhere where the weather is SUPPOSED to be crap? Go to Scotland.

Or go to Rhyl. You could sell the wife and kids there, and get enough money to go on a proper holiday.
or, (non crudcatcher response), do what one of my mates does. Have a holiday with your mates, and another one with your missus later on.

unixnerd

Aviemore maybe? In addition to the biking delights there's a very big wildlife park, Landmark centre (great for kids), if it rains the Hilton at Coylumbridge have a new kids fun house and I'm pretty sure Macdonalds Highland resort put on a lot for kids including indoor bouncy castles. All of this has been refurbished recently and isn't run down.

All the eateries and hotels are pretty child friendly and not overpriced. If the weather's nice (it doesn't rain that much in summer, you'd be surprised) there's loads to do outdoors including the mountain railway, loads of walking trails, learn to fish at the fish farm, meet the reindeer at Glenmore, etc. We even have a superb beach at Loch Morlich with canoe hire and sailing lessons there and on Loch Insch.

For biking fun you can hire tag-a-longs and take the kids off road with you. You never have to go on road, good purpose made trails from the village up to Loch Morlich and all around or north to Boat of Garten and beyond. I've seen six year olds on their own bikes in the middle of nowhere, amazing what they can do.

tlw1

cooldad wrote:

matthew h wrote:

Oh, join the national trust. Because if it rains, you end up seeing a lot of houses & castles!

I believe the terms is pussy whipped.

Close, it's class, you wouldn't understand

Tom4

I went center parcs a few weeks ago, haven't got any kids myself but the stuff they got there to keep them entertained is brilliant.

The water rapids are the best, im 22 and i had a great time on them!

Richie63

Center parcs are fk expensive in school holidays

Redhog14

Try St Andrews in Fife, it is generally drier than the rest of Scotland and there is a decent enough array of eateries in the town, big beaches castle etc plus you can get the train into Edinburgh for a day out from Leuchars. Don't be tempted by Dundee though.

.blitz

N. Cornwall or Pembrokeshire gets my vote. Lovely places with loads to do. If it's dry do what you want if it's raining hire some wetsuits and go in the sea.

cat_with_no_tail

Have any of you been to Bluerock in Wales?

Looks like Centreparcs, but better!

Failing that, Centreparcs longleat has made the shortlist, and so has this place

Abra

I went here with the mrs last year. Its a beautiful place, plus the cabins are sweet. hot tub, lake view..etc. I went to Deer park in Cornwall.

Your also in the middle of a forest If you can get away with taking your bike its pretty nice!

http://www.forestholidays.co.uk/cabins/ ... tions.aspx

allen.coulson

Took mine to Butlins this year - it was fine!

oodboo

I'm off to centre parcs next week, hoping this good weather holds out. My two are younger than the OP and one is severely disabled so I'm not expecting there to be much for them to do there so I'm taking my parents as baby sitters so that me and the misses can get plastered.

woodnut

+1 on Pembrokeshire.

But I have to say, my kids are 8 & 6 and absolutely love Llandudno! It's got nice beaches, donkey rides, the Great orme to walk up & down or cable car. Lots of good places nearby aswell, Theres a"green" theme park (the name escapes me at the mo) in Snowdonia that's much, much better than you'd expect. Maybe you could take your bike and dad could have a day to himself?

Anonymous

Green theme park in Snowdoania? You mean "greenwood"? It's just down the road, but I've never actually been there.
Llandudno's not a bad choice, actually. There's usualyl some sort of entertainment at the theater, which varied from torture (Jedward, chuckle brothers), to a great night out (Dylan Morran etc), to high brow entertainment (opera and such).
And there's a dry ski slope, and a bobsleigh track thing the kids can play on.

woodnut

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Green theme park in Snowdoania? You mean "greenwood"? .

That's it, it's great for kids, self powered roller coaster ( very cleverly done), archery and dry sledging and one of the best adventure playgrounds I've seen.

cat_with_no_tail

Booked in at centre parcs in the end.

We've got a week at Whinfell to start with. Possibly another week at one of the others later in the year if it's any good.

I was initially going to treat us to a week in one of their new "treehouses", but when I went to book, found that they are £5k PER WEEK!!! :shock: So....maybe not then.

Stevo_666

I quite liked Center Parcs when I went as it was dead easy to keep kids entertained and you could always go for a quick blast on the bike. Prices were a bit steep though and the food was a bit ropey in places. I'm going to try and get my next UK holiday as close as possible to some Welsh trail centres

tlw1

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Green theme park in Snowdoania? You mean "greenwood"? It's just down the road, but I've never actually been there.
Llandudno's not a bad choice, actually. There's usualyl some sort of entertainment at the theater, which varied from torture (Jedward, chuckle brothers), to a great night out (Dylan Morran etc), to high brow entertainment (opera and such).
And there's a dry ski slope, and a bobsleigh track thing the kids can play on.

I like Llandudno, I do a classic rally there most years and some fantasic roads & some great food stops. The great Orme is just fantastic flat out

Anonymous

Yep. I believe the world rally championship is doing a lap of the orme this year too!