Where do you take the kids on a UK holiday?

[Ginevere]

I’m in my third trimester with my first, and have just started musing about holidays. Where do you take kids? Especially small ones? Since becoming an adult I’ve mainly gone abroad, and UK trips have been city breaks or places unsuitable for children. People say ‘Devon and Cornwall’, but where exactly? (I’m south east)

When I cast my mind back, the only childhood holiday I remember is a holiday camp we used to love, but I’ve just looked and it’s shut. That’s the only idea I had aside from centre parks, which seems very expensive. Is that unavoidable with children?

Forgive me if this is all very naive, but I am utterly clueless! Feels like the latest in a long list of things I can’t even imagine happening once the baby arrives.

Isle of Wight. Get a cottage and have days out to the beach, the zoo, mini golf etc etc. It's lovely. Holidays with kids are always hard work, imho it's best to go somewhere they are occupied instead of trying to lie on a beach for a week and being disappointed!

These are all brilliant, thanks- I’m making lots of notes on my phone for future reference! I especially like the idea of choosing an attraction you want to visit and finding a place to stay near it, that makes a lot of sense to me.

Lots of people saying holiday parks which is what I had envisaged, there are three cousins under 2 currently so I’m hoping we can all do group holidays in a centre parcs style place to bring the cost down.

@BlueChampagne yes Devon and Cornwall seem a bit of a trek to me, and all the closer beach towns aren’t that family orientated as far as I can tell. We have lots of very involved grandparents so hopefully they will suggest things and take it out of my hands!

I like the fact that lots of city breaks are being suggested, assume we have to wait until they are a little older though. There’s a lot of great beach suggestions here, Isle of Wight isn’t that far from us so defo going on the list!

Thanks all! This is fab. Don’t want to take them on a plane until they are a little older but I can’t stand the thought of no holidays, so I’m keen to have lots of ideas in the bag!

City Breaks are great if they are under 1yo. At that age they are happy being pushchaired around museums or city centres. Little toddle through some green space and naps while you have coffee or lunches.

No good once they go over 1yo and just want to rampage through soft plays etc.

Devon and Cornwall,
parts of Dorset, Norfolk and Suffolk,
Filey and Whitby,
Whitstable.

Try Appledore in North Devon. It is a lovely village and beautiful beaches are very near if you are a driver.

Our best family holidays were in England. We enjoyed trips abroad but here was better. It is more expensive to holiday in the UK (unless you go caravanning or camping, I stayed with my children in caravans when they were small), but if you find the right place it is lovely.

Have a look at The Garlic Farm on the Isle of Wight - there was a kids games room there when we went about 3 years ago, which was very popular. Dinosaur Isle was another hit.

When ours were little we did self catering houses in Studland/Pembrokeshire/Croyde/Isle of Wight.
Mainly spent on the beach. Went to farm parks, national trust places, castles in the local area.

Holiday parks aren’t essential. We didn’t do them, except for one memorably bad long weekend at Center Parcs. We preferred self catering holiday cottages in interesting places or close to a beach.

Isle of Wight, Northumberland, Norfolk, Cornwall, Derbyshire, Yorkshire Dales were all happy holidays with lots to do for little ones. Have a look at National Trust holiday cottages - they are beautiful, in great locations and good value for money.

We didn’t do AI holidays when they got older either; a nice apartment close to a beach with plenty of cafes nearby and interesting places to visit did the job for us.

I'm taking 13yr old ds and his friend to a John Fowler holiday park in July,situated between Looe and Polperro. It's perfect for a base,with the entertainment in the eve and two pools.
We are hoping to go mackerel fishing( and eat our catch back in the caravan) and hoping Bodmin jail is open as I went years ago and the DC loved it.
The other days will be spent exploring and crabbing on the quayside.

Norfolk is only 3/4 hours away from south east. There’s loads to do. Boat trip, zoo, seaside, gardens, this year and next year your baby will be mostly in a pushchair while your walking round visiting places, once they are older and on their feet it’s all about parks, swimming and generally exploring, Devon is lovely too, so is Dorset loads to do, not done Wales much but intend to this year.

Holiday cottages Devon or Cornwall pick somewhere with a garden preferably in a little village with a pub or in a small seaside town. We spent the little years on the beach or at National Trust places gardens to explore. As they got older we did body boarding and surfing.
Camping in Wales again near ish to the coast.
We went to France and drove to a nice site with a pool rented a large static mobile home there are tons of these sites if you want some sun.
When ours were small we went with another family a lot who had similar age kids so we had company in the evenings and could take it in turns to maybe go to a pub.

The mentions of the IOW brings back happy memories, as does Pembrokeshire.

We also once stayed in a John Fowler's holiday park in Seaton, Devon.

Isle of Wight is the best place. I went every year as a kid.

Took my oldest two when they were small. Then went back a couple of years ago when they were teens and they still loved it, as did I.

The donkey sanctuary is the best place (mainly because I absolutely love donkeys)

We stayed in Shanklin, there's two holiday parks there, Landguard and Lower Hyde.

We have taken our DC to Wales (mostly areas near Aberwystwyth or coastal areas near Snowdonia), Cornwall (near Looe), areas near Peppa World(!) in Hampshire (we stayed near Romsey once, another time on the coast nearish Christchurch I think, and one night at the hotel at Marwell zoo).
We usually go to self-catering cottages. We once stayed in a caravan on a caravan park as DH's friend owns it and let us stay for a discount and otherwise we wouldn't have been able to afford to go anywhere.

We do self catering holidays with friends at coastal places.

We hire a large house or cottage which is very close to the beach and/or town centre.

We have done many of the popular UK places - Salcombe, Woolacombe, Croyde, North Norfolk, Swanage, Oxwich, Dunster, Tenby, Southwold etc etc.

We love to go with friends. When the kids were very little, having friends removed some of the monotony of small children and they went to bed and we enjoyed long adult meals.

Daytimes spent doing things on the beach, visiting NT places, going to castles or on steam railways or ferry rides round the bay and sitting relaxing in the garden. Lots of BBQs and ice creams and fish and chips. Probably a long windy walk and a visit to a swimming pool on a rainy day.

We have had some very happy memories in these holidays with various friends. But we like the company of others. The weather does make a difference and we have had some brilliant weather weeks and some shockers too when we’ve been sorry for those camping nearby. We’re not laying on a sun lounger people really but like to go out and do something every day and UK based holidays have been brilliant for us. Wouldn’t enjoy it as much if we just went on our own...the kids and adults all enjoy being with another family and we know people, who like the same stuff as us and are on a similar timescale and budget...that’s important.

A caravan park in Hunstanton as Norfolk has our nearest sea. DS loves the pool and the fair there.

We normally spend a week or 2 in a holiday cottage in Pembrokeshire in to the summer.

This year we’ve also got a week in Wells-Next-the-Sea.

Beach holidays seem to work well for small children as most of them can play in the sand and splash in the sea for hours.

DS and I have also enjoyed weekends in Bristol.

Centreparcs Butlins Haven Parkdean were all great holiday destinations with small children. The key is the entertainment.

For Butlins I always go catered, which is much better for us. Otherwise it is just having all the crap of home just somewhere else.

If you have a baby, you just go wherever you want to go and take them with you. I took my baby (solo) to Barcelona for museums and tapas!

For older children, countryside, beach, mountains is good. Anywhere they have space to run. We have gone to Devon, Cornwall, Brecon Beacons, North Wales, all just because that's close to where we live. Holiday cottage, which people seem to say is expensive, but it's certainly cheaper than foreign holidays for us. Just do lots of walking, beaches, local attractions.

5 and up I've taken mine on lots of city breaks - to London, Edinburgh, further afield.

My kids love butlins and any type of holiday park. They talk about Butlins all the time and they haven't been for a few years. We've been on some amazing abroad holidays but Butlins is their fave.

Really not my thing but once you have kids having the easiest holiday is what makes it a holiday, and that means keeping them entertained or at least it does with mine.

Pre COVID we tended to do uk may and october half terms - Norfolk, Kent coast, Dorset, Devon, New Forest.

Isle of Wight - had a couple of good family holidays there.

Llandudno is great with little children. Centre parcs too.

Any caravan site/holiday park with a swimming pool and preferably near a beach.

Pembrokeshire is great. Lovely beaches, Tenby is a nice town, Folly Farm is a great day out.

Mid/North Wales where there are castles and steam trains: Harlech, Tywyn, Porthmadog.

Look at Haven & Hoseasons for ideas.

Center Parcs is nice but pricey.

Oh and York is good, We've been several times - the first time ds1 was one. When they get a bit older, the National Rail Museum there is brilliant.

When the children were small we always did self catering in cottages , usually in a small complex with an indoor pool. To be honest they don’t care where they are as long as mummy and daddy are there and they are getting lots of attention. And a pool meant quality time with them and tiring them out before bed so we could have a nice meal and a glass of wine.

Norfolk always good, steam trains , national trust properties, beaches , fish and chips, boat trips to see the seals . Also had good times in Northumberland, Dorset and the Peak District ( obviously no beach there )

Centerparcs, Ribby Hall and good old Blackpool.

Oh yes, Llandudno is great. Love the Peak Districtk or Lake District too. It really depends on what you like.

I like to be located really near or in the centre of a town and not out in the middle of nowhere. At seaside places this usually puts you near the beach too.

Then you can walk to the beach and just pop down for an hour if you want, rather than loading up the car and expensive parking making it a big expedition and all day trip. Also means those who like to look round some shops can go, or if you want to go out for lunch or an evening meal you can. You need parking with the holiday place if you’re town centre based or it can be a nightmare. Town centre locations work well for teens too so they can have some freedom of getting out on their own a bit.

And we’ve been to some kind of park resorts like Sandy Balls when the kids were tweens. Being able to ride their bikes and have to freedom to go about on site was a brilliant mini-freedoms for them...and the adults.

Personally I’m not into parks which have a clubhouse with entertainment, but I know lots love them. A place with a simple pool and perhaps a shop or even 1 restaurant is nice. But lots find more if a holiday camp works well especially if activity is included in the price and some love to have a catered option so they aren’t cooking.

If we go with friends, I wouldn’t want to cook more than once or twice most at home, each family. Perhaps 3 meals at home and 4 out or something lie fish and chips. I agree that if you spend all the time cooking and washing up it feels like home without the facilities. But if budget doesn’t allow any eating out (and it’s going to be expensive this year) you do what you have to do. I’d always have breakfast at the holiday house and a mixture of packed lunch/picnic out and coming back for a quick lunch/ having it out. Supermarket deliveries have transformed the holiday cottage experience from the nightmare driving 20-30 mikes for a small over-priced co-op to your stuff arriving an hour after you arrive.

Once you’ve picked an area,come on MN and ask for ideas for days out. That can make a big difference too. You don’t want to be too organised but if you have zero plan or idea of place you can end up feeling aimless and not enjoying it.