What do you do on a UK holiday?

[Hemsbyboc]

First time on a UK holiday in my life. Kids have never been out of the city they were born in unless in a plane.
They are bored to tears.
What do you do??
Don't want to say exact location but it is coastal wales and we have driven here.
Honestly don't blame the folk going abroad despite restrictions. We are climbing the walls.
Been to 4 villages, takes less than an hour to walk around each one. Shitty cafés, food like school dinners. Tide is in so looked at the sea. Everybody in full winter clobber. I am not investing in body boards cos I never want to come back. Wales match is not even showing anywhere. I am 90% leaning towards cutting my losses and going home tomorrow, I have decorating/gardening I could be doing.

Save us mnetters!

I went to zip world yesterday, definitely open, there's the tree top forest part in betws y coed which is worth a visit. Surf Snowdonia has loads to do also and good for all ages

It rained on Friday, torrential rain, but the weather has been beautiful since and is forecast to remain so. The comments about rainy Wales are irrelevant.

I know children round here who have been nowhere in this country or out of it. It's not unusual. How many londoners bring their kids to liverpool for the day?

I am Londoner although I now live in Kent. I have taken my children to Liverpool (although we do spend one night usually) ,also Cardiff, Kneliworth and the west country multiple times. Although pre 2020 we did take a lot of flights and visit France a fair bit (close to Kent).

I don’t know anyone who never leaves the area they live in, it’s not the norm at all.

For a lot of city children and quite a few adults this is true. Have a look at this, the schools are less than 20 miles away

www.channel4.com/programmes/the-great-british-school-swap/episode-guide/

My brother went on a school trip and one of his classmates burst into tears when he saw the sea, the sea was 40 miles away.

Early teens are always going to be bored though, aren't they? In Anglesey they are bored and chilly, in Spain they would be bored and hot. That's just teens.

What a weird thread! I’d have thought the fact that you aren’t originally from the uk was more of a reason to explore it, not less. Have you thought of making your kids (and you) do a digital detox? They’ll hate it at first but use it as a chance to do some fun or silly things. And go swimming! This would be my plan: morning, leisurely breakfast, walk to sea swim, lunch, go for a walk, drinks, cook nice dinner. Or walk all day with a picnic. Buy some fishing rods? I agree that only boring people get bored!

I think part of the problem is that most of the suggestions are on the mainland, not Anglesey itself.

North Wales has loads of things to in on fine days and rainy days - I could give a huge list - but on Anglesey itself, not so much. I wish you'd checked before you went OP.

It also depends on your experience and expectations. I had lots of UK holidays as a child and teenager and so have my DC. We expected rain so carried on anyway. It's all about the planning. You need to have checked things to do in an area before you book.

It's a huge shame that the OP's children don't know the country that they are growing up in. There is so much to see and do.

It's insulting to teenagers to suggest that all they are interested in is WiFi and TikTok. Maybe, but only if you don't suggest better things to do.

Just wanted to say, OP, I do get it. I get that your own teenagers are definitely the hardest audience.

I think try watersports and all the things they have in Snowdonia are going to be your best option.

A lot of the gems in Wales are well spaced apart and require driving a while but even a trip to the beautiful Portmeirion is instagramable for a teen surely...? Or a trip to a waterfall.

Maybe try somewhere they want to go in the morning followed by somewhere you want to go in the afternoon.

We have tweens... they're just warming up to the angsty teen stage and they're not the 'put on some walking books and we'll jog up a mountain' type either.

Good luck OP.

Hahaha your kids would love me.. ! I used to take our 7 teens (13-21) to a house in the lakes with no phone signal, a landline in a woodshed down the track, no tv , no Wi-fi and no bathroom.. (baths in a tin bath in front of the fire) .. for 2 weeks every summer. It always took about 24 - 48 hrs of waving arms around trying to find signal before giving up and employing their imaginations away from a screen..
They learned to :
sail, orientate, write for pleasure, go on zip wires, ride, wild camp, light fires , cook, Astronomy . Play cards, enjoy each other's company by actually speaking to each other instead of distracted grunting whilst staring at a screen..

Couldn't have been too traumatic as less than ten years later most have returned to the house with their own friends and the older ones with their families.

A complete screen detox makes for very interesting kids.. and by three days in - they are no longer bored and waiting for me to come up with amusements .. they do it for themselves and I help facilitate the ideas if they require transport or money.

This country is amazing ! I can't think of anything worse than a holiday that consists of laying by a pool/ beach.

Maybe just go home. It sounds as though you've been rather naive and haven't researched the area at all. Why would you book somewhere with nothing nearby to do that interests you?

I think part of the problem now is that a lot of suggestions were the only things anyone could do for a year so they're probably not as appealing as they were two years ago. I would've liked a nice walking holiday and a trip to the beach in 2019 even if the weather was a bit wet. I can't think of anything worse now than walking around the Welsh hills because it's all I did for a year.

I don't blame you.
It's very hard, especially when the weather won't behave - even for 5 minutes.
I would go home.

I'm stuck in the country that I work in for my holidays.
I can't travel out of it because it's too hard to get back in.
The weather here in summer is not amenable to holidays.
I have not bothered to book a domestic summer holiday because I know it'll be shit and I'm only spaffing my money up the wall.
I'm saving it and I'm going home next summer - no matter what

These are all on Anglesey and open. Weather at the beach today is 17/18 degrees.

Trearddur Bay - hire stand up paddle boards from Blu Chameleon in the centre of the village. Wetsuits also available for hire.
Beaumaris - visit the castle, go crabbing off the pier - have excellent ice cream off the high street. Also Beaumaris Gaol is a spooky way to pass a couple of ours.
Ynys Llanddwyn - stunning beach and forest walk. Watch out for the tide times otherwise you'll be stranded on the island
Melin Llynon
Sea Zoo
Parys Mountain walk - stunning colours.
Rib Ride www.ribride.co.uk/
Park at Holyhead breakwater country park and walk the length of the breakwater - 1.7 miles each way. Can often see seals and sometimes dolphins from here.

We have been to Anglesey a lot. Beaumaris is lovely the Pier cafe is brilliant food, loads of good places to eat. Yours are probably old enough to go white water rafting, a bit of a trek in North / mid Wales but I've sat in the cafe and watched and it looks such fun. The water is controlled by a dam so an even flow. Just south Rhosneigr good for bodyboard ING, Church Bay cafe has good food as does the Lobster pot opposite. Rib rides or fishing trips from Beaumaris or Cemas. Red Wharf Bay has a couple of gastro pubs and is stunning. Steam railway north Wales, portmerion. As long as you have a car lots to do, otherwise a lot of walking, we did a fair amount of the coast path this time which was beautiful

You can get a train to the Summit usually .ATM I think its going about halfway up . maybe worth a go ? Also Cardiff has a great vibe ,Restaurants ,shops .The Castle is wonderful too . The problem is if you normally go abroad ,you have a different experience there.You cannot compare the two really . My Son had a great few days away in a British City this week . He has been abroad a great deal as well .

@dottiedodah

You can get a train to the Summit usually .ATM I think its going about halfway up . maybe worth a go ? Also Cardiff has a great vibe ,Restaurants ,shops .The Castle is wonderful too . The problem is if you normally go abroad ,you have a different experience there.You cannot compare the two really . My Son had a great few days away in a British City this week . He has been abroad a great deal as well .

I assume you're not recommending OP drives 4.5 hours to Cardiff for the day though?!

There's a bloody terrifying zip wire thing not far from there.

@Hemsbyboc Where do you go and what do you do when you visit Denmark ? I would quite like to visit one day, so any suggestions would be welcome

@dottiedodah

You can get a train to the Summit usually .ATM I think its going about halfway up . maybe worth a go ? Also Cardiff has a great vibe ,Restaurants ,shops .The Castle is wonderful too . The problem is if you normally go abroad ,you have a different experience there.You cannot compare the two really . My Son had a great few days away in a British City this week . He has been abroad a great deal as well .

Cardiff is 4 hours' drive away, minimum! Liverpool is less than 2! It's hilarious that people think "Wales" is all the same place!

Kayaking tour? Costeering?

Stellaroses Liverpool is worth a visit for sure. Maybe worth a trip to Anglesey ? Sorry I didnt realise Cardiff was that far from N Wales !

[quote Jenasaurus]This is a good site to plan what to do in Wales

www.inspirock.com/united-kingdom/theme-parks-in-wales[/quote]
Wales is not just one small place that you can drive around on one week's holiday. Most theme parks are in the south, OP is on the northernmost tip - it would take about 6 hours to get to some of those places. It's like someone being on holiday in London and you suggesting they pop to Blackpool for the day.

@dottiedodah

Stellaroses Liverpool is worth a visit for sure. Maybe worth a trip to Anglesey ? Sorry I didnt realise Cardiff was that far from N Wales !

OP is from Liverpool which is why I mentioned it - they are far closer to home than South Wales!

I would stay and I'm sure could find good stuff to do. My 2 ds's love good food, so I'd start from that point.

But. There is no shame on admitting defeat and just going home if that's your choice.

How are you not embarrassed to say this?!? Honestly it makes you look thick as mince if you can't entertain yourself.