I hate our holiday and want to go home

Exactly! Mot a horrible place to be if you lake nature! Why are you sitting inside?!

I’ve heard the Pizza Express in Woking is lovely …

Hi op, you are not unreasonable.

I only get to spend a month to 6 weeks in the US every year, but I cry my eyes out when I have to come back to the UK. The UK and I live in Wales, is a proper shit hole by comparison. I wish I could move to the US too. Such an amazing country, lots to do, better weather, better lifestyle.
When I retire, I will buy a house there and spend 6 months of a year. And I’ll take vacations during the other months elsewhere, minimising time spent in the UK.

If I did ever get to move to the US full time, then nothing, including my mil, would ever get me to come back.

@LaughingCat well said

The OP does sound incredibly self obsessed

I like York, although last time I was there it was choc full of Geordie hen parties.

But if you’re in Hampshire it’s not that practical. You’d have to go into London to get there anyway. And there’s nothing in York that doesn’t have its equivalent in London. The Minster? Westminster Abbey or St Paul’s. The Railway Museum? The Science Museum. The Jorvik Centre? The British Museum. The walls? The Tower. And that’s only scratching the surface of what London can offer, and from Hampshire you can be there and back in a day.

Ok I’m in Scandinavia so not even the UK. My dh is from a 24 hr flight away, so I know where you are coming from. You’ve been doing this for 10 years, you knew what to expect. It is your lack of planning and possibly lack of money that is ruining this holiday, not the UK. You say you miss the views, but you are making no effort to go anywhere where you would actually see any nice views.

I would not want to sit in a crappy house with relatives in the US not going anywhere because no car. It is the same thing. It would be the same thing in any country.

You and your dh need to step up, it’s your life, your holiday, your money, your time. Don’t waste it.

And shooting just for the fun of it is just vile.

@LaughingCat brilliant post, I can be very negative at times, I need you as a life coach.

I hear you. The holiday entitlement in the US is less than here and I wouldn't want to give up most of my annual leave doing this holiday, either. I guess it's a difficult position as you both agreed to move away from his family so time with his family needs to be figured into things, also and seems like it's the only way to do it. Could you maybe just go every other year or him go on his own one year and you the next? Do you have friends and family in the UK yourself you could go visit whilst he catches up with his?

@LaughingCat I love you!

Tbh York has had its day imo. Over crowded and doesn't have the infrastructure to cope. So every shop and eateries are all rammed.

Just spend time with the actual people you've come to see op. Lunch out, park with the kids, bit of shopping. It isn't shooting animals true but you've got all that fun to return to.

I’d take York over London any day

I'd never go on holiday without making plans. You have your own free will and can explore.

With it being Easter there will be so many free Easter events that you can join in with in the local area. You just need to get out there and find it - look up the local Facebook group and loads of people will be asking what Easter events are on this weekend.

If you're really desperate for a bit of shooting you could even head over to the range at Bisley, it's about 20 minutes away.

Personally from where you are I'd be heading for a walk around Hogmoor Inclosure, checking out their Easter events and then getting an ice cream at Dylans. Minimal cost, exploring the heathland and getting out in nature.

I’m sorry, this has properly irritated me. You’re just so down about it all but this situation is entirely of your own making.

Why don’t you come during shooting season if you like to hunt? We’ve been with the goddaughter every year since she was two - she used to have the cutest little pink camo ear defenders 😂

Seriously…the UK is amazing. In England alone, we have a huge variety of beauty. From spooky cave networks in the Chilterns to the wilds of the Lakes, and from underground boat rides to see stalactites and stalagmites in the Blue John caverns in the Peak District to wild ponies and Iron Age settlements on Exmoor. Gosh, and never mind the 300-odd castles on the Welsh:English border. I’m in North Yorkshire, myself, and we can do a lot for relatively little outlay in easy distance. I’m continually amazed by the pockets of beauty I can find.

Come at a different time of year, when kids are out of school and plan ahead what you want to do. If you all hire a cottage it becomes a LOT cheaper and agree to have time together and time to yourselves.

On top of that, this is your DH’s family. My FIL died suddenly in 2019 and my MIL has deteriorated massively since, going from a strong, active, vigorous lady to one who can barely put one foot in front of the other thanks to Parkinsons. One of his two aunts has died and his uncle is now terminal. I would give ANYTHING for him to have one more family get together with them all like we did just six years ago. Anything at all. And we just live 5 hours away.

Anyway, emotions aside, I can’t stand whingers…if you come over here during term time, don’t hire a car and just sit in your SIL’s living room all the time (when you’re not sneering at the local high street), you thoroughly deserve to wallow in your snobbish misery. These days will be gone sooner than you think and then your DH will have precious few reasons to have to come back here, to a place you clearly loathe. If you love him, the profound ache that loss will clearly leave in him will hurt more than your vapid irritation and pique at using your holiday days on this now.

And that’s my rant done.

Your problem isn't the UK. It would be the same if you went to one quiet town in the USA and did nothing but a couple of half day trips.

Book a cottage somewhere nicer next time. Spend a weekend at MILs and see SIL then hire a car or go by train to somewhere more interesting and take MIL with you.

UK tape water is amazing in Wales or Somerset or Yorkshire. I think it's the location that's the problem. Can you rent a cottage in a more open space

It's not a holiday if you are just visiting relatives in a place that you wouldn't choose as a holiday destination. I mean, it's time off work, but it's not a holiday as such. So YABU to expect it to be as enjoyable as a holiday.

If MIL refuses to travel then she either needs to accept that you are only able to visit once every 2 years, or she needs to contribute to the cost of the visits. And if you really dislike staying where she and SIL live, go and spend time with her somewhere else (that she can travel to by car/train).

What about your family, do they live in the UK and do you visit them?

Could be worse, you could be spending your vacay in Fleet, now that is the most boring town!

😂 was thinking the same 😂

In fairness, holidays with two under five don’t present with limitless choices. Hoiking small kids round Paris ( I did it for four years) is knackering. And the weather everywhere atm is pretty diabolical - we live in southern France and it is grim. Next year, come in summer to escape hot and humid US. Get a nice air bnb by a nice beach somewhere and let them come to you.

York wasn’t a massively practical place to pick for a mini break away when London is literally right there.

@SerafinasGoose yes dark winters are tough going but the 21 hours of light in summer make up for it

I think you are being unreasonable to be moaning about your sil needing to pick up her kids when you are relying on her to drive you about to save money.

It seems very unconsiderate of you when she is obviously putting herself out to do you a favour and it's pretty horrible to be slagging off her house online too, anonymous or not. So you'd normally go on some kind of hunting retreat? Which doesn't exactly sound lovely.

It's also unreasonable not to have any notions or plans of what to do when you've been going there for the past 10 years.

You surely don't have to come back for so long? Keep it shorter and sweeter. 13 days is an awful long time. I certainly understand why you have reached fed up point when you are there for so long. Sounds like a bad plan for everyone.

I would rather walk up and down a grim British high street in the rain for the rest of my days on this earth than put my child under five in the same building as a gun for his holiday

I was asked if I’d seen those places, so I answered that question

Well to be fair the OP did start the UK bashing but I get your point...