Best holiday/short break to appeal to a 10 and 12 year old boy

[1234hello]

Looking for suggestions....I have seen MN loves Efteling in Holland but wonder whether 12yo would be too old for this?

Ideally looking for something in UK, but Europe would be ok too....

Ideas I've already had are: Portsmouth (Historic Dockyard) - and New Forest; Snowdonia National Park (outdoor pursuits). Lake District (ditto).

We already do/have done Devon & Cornwall a lot so looking elsewhere in the UK.

[Crunched]

Alton Towers Hotel or Splash Hotel also on site.

[HollowTalk]

Edinburgh Festival?

[Ellapaella]

Center parcs? Bike hire, swimming pool and a whole load of other activities.

[flissfloss65]

Visit Chatham Dockyard then day in London and day on coast at Broadstsirs/Joss Bay.

[Floralnomad]

If they like theme parks do a theme park tour , when mine were that sort of age that’s the sort of thing we did . For example start at Lightwater Valley , then stay a night near Scarborough and do Flamingo Land , then book a night at the Big Blue Hotel and do the Pleasure beach and then drive down to Alton Towers for a couple of days .

[AJPTaylor]

Have you done York?

[CherryPavlova]

Neilsons are you xcellent

[peppaminttea]

Duinrell in Holland. We stayed with Eurocamp but you can book direct. Theme park and indoor water park on-site. Very much suitable for 12 year old. Don't know about Feeling, we are hoping to go in a few weeks.

[peachnuts]

DNephew is 12

For his birthday I took him to London for 2 days- did Big Ben, London eye, London dungeons one day and then spent the next at the science and natural history museum (right next door to each other so easy travel wise). Then we did a day at Thorpe Park, stayed just north of London and did the Harry Potter studios on the way home.

Air BNB is your friend- got a 1 bed private rental (I had the bed, he had the sofa) near Covent Garden for £80 for the night when hotels were going to cost at least half that again. The one by the Harry Potter studios cost less than half that- and they weren’t shabby either!

[peppaminttea]

*Efteling. Damn autocorrect!

[peachnuts]

I second Durinell!! Been myself many times before- youngest I was about 13, but my younger sisters would of been about 11 and 8 and we all had an amazing time

[FiveGoMadInDorset]

We are heading to Channel Islands next weekend, beaches, paddle boarding, trip to Sark, etc

[greenlanes]

I know you have done Devon but do try the Manor House craft, sport and activities hotel. Lots of sole activities but also team stuff like football.

[rosy71]

Definitely Duinrell. My boys are 13 and 10 and love it. We've been 3 times.

Also Center Parcs- UK or Europe - or London - loads to do.

My boys love water parks, so you could try an Alton Towers break, visiting theme park and water park. I would also like to take them to Bluestone in Pembrokeshire.

[1234hello]

Brilliant ideas, thank you! I am going to make a list for 2019!

We have done York and London, although London was a few years ago so we could do different things next time.

Anyone been to national Space centre? Anything else around there that we could combine it with?

[AJPTaylor]

Erm. National Space Centre is not worth travelling for imho.

[1234hello]

Good to know! Thanks

[juneau]

Efteling is lovely, but the theme there is fairy tales, which 10 and 12 year olds might find a bit childish. The rides are also, mostly, on the tame side, but there are a few faster ones and DH and I loved it ...

We just had a week in the Lake District with our two boys, 7 and 10, and thought it was brilliant. So much to do outdoors - lots of walking, obviously, scrambling about on rocks, lung busting climbs - great for that age group. There are good water sports too - rowing, sailing, paddling boarding, kayaking, plus more adventurous stuff like canyoning, pot-holing, if they'd be into that. There is masses of cultural stuff too - stone circles, roman forts, castles - and steam trains, lake ferries, etc. It was one of our best family holidays so far.

[Madcats]

DD likes De Efteling. Assuming they aren't theme park afficianados, they'll like the rides. I am sure there are plenty of videos of them online.
The fairy tale stuff is tucked away.

We are off to Duinrell in a couple of weeks' time (combined with a couple of quirky Airbnb's)

Take a look at somewhere like Snowdonia (mountain biking/surfing/Zipwires/underground trampolining/steam trains). Your boys are of an age where you can leave them having a lesson without having to do it yourself if you don't want to.

One of our friends did one of these holidays last year with their children (6-14) www.field-studies-council.org/individuals-and-families/family.aspx

[thaegumathteth]

National space centre isn’t that good for older ones imo.

Ds (11) loves Alton towers. Also Chester zoo is brilliant.

[1234hello]

Thanks for info/suggestions everyone

[Ricekrispie22]

We did Birmingham: a day each at Cadbury World, Thinktank and Drayton Manor, and a day Legoland Discovery Centre and the Sealife Centre.

[Notmethistimehonest]

Center Parcs de kempervennan in the Netherlands. A fair bit cheaper than UK center Parcs but has an indoor ski centre next door.

Our DC loved it and skied every day. It was a fraction of the price of UK ski centres and whilst ours didn’t take lessons we heard they were good too.

[AJPTaylor]

Have you done legoland in Denmark? Thats on our list for next year. I reckon it will be easier and cheaper than trying to get to the windsor one via the feckin m25

[seasidegAl2018]

notmethistimehonest were the extra activities expensive?